Moving through a rather confusing maze of rooms and corridors and slaying the myriad of attacking monsters along the way, I continued to make progress further and further into the dungeon. The further I managed to get, the wider each unique floor became, and the more difficult it became to progress.
Though, thanks to my [Mental Map Creation] and [Intuition], I was able to find and take the shortest route possible without receiving any injuries. Because of this I was able to rest on the 11th floor today.
Yesterday was the cause of a fair amount of frustration as problem after problem occurred to ruin my mood. To begin with, the number of simple traps constantly increased which ended up delaying me. My abilities allowed me to avoid damage, but the constant traps led to many problems.
Compared to the beginning of the dungeon, the number of overhead traps increased greatly. Those ones were actually rather deadly and their effectiveness increased with a terrible speed with every floor I cleared.
If I didn't have [Sensor Phased Array], I would never have been able to avoid them all and my ability to progress through the dungeon would have been further delayed. The main problem, however, would be the dungeon's [Vessel Water Spirits] that are abundant within this dungeon. The dungeon itself seems to be shrouded in the [Divine Blessing] of some water spirit, so it has a great many water-related monsters.
To give an example, I recently got out of a small room that was filled with monsters. The moment an unsuspecting person enters the room and steps on the trigger in the entrance, the room will rapidly fill with water while the water-element monsters attack. Thus increasing the danger several folds.
The monsters are mostly water types which is usually not a problem, but for adventurers who are not a member of an aquatic race such as the Mermen, being either waist deep or submerged in water is extremely dangerous with these types of monsters. The chances of death for those who get caught in traps such as that one are very high. If not careful, entire parties could meet their doom when caught in those types of traps.
In addition, if the trap is activated, there is simply no way to stop it. The room will inevitably flood with water and can take up to 20 to 30 minutes before the water levels begin to decrease. The exit will open after that.
Luckily for me with [Water Body] and [Oxygen-less Function], even if I was caught in that trap, I would have been fine.
The severity of this dungeon is already rather high, but the lethality is only furthered because of the constant onslaught of monsters. During battles, there will often be monsters suddenly appearing from the deep water. Even if one is not knocked down and can receive the sudden monster's initial attack, the balance of the conflict can be greatly upset at critical moments. On top of that, pitfalls are even worse as weapons will come flying out of the hole as you fall in. Even if you dodge the pitfall initially, the water will rapidly flow downwards into it, pulling you towards it. The pressure of the water within those is usually so enormous that armor would end up crushed like paper.
There are also sudden torrents of water that will flood a corridor. These torrents are filled with monsters that will tear unsuspecting victims apart as a party's formation is shattered.
Due to the fact that everything about this dungeon is deadly, even if I managed to get through without taking damage, I still suffered a great deal through those trials. Though, it was mostly troubling because of just how many different traps simply led to a massive horde of monsters attacking you. Those took time to deal with and there were monsters constantly appearing in a near endless cycle.
Along these floors, the only monsters of note ended up numbering just 5.
There were the Giant Steel Toads that hid themselves within the environment, waiting for their prey. They were giant bullfrogs almost 2 meters tall with steel scales and razor sharp teeth.
Another was the Combat Helmet Octopus that were clad in a knight-like armor, armed with live weapons in each arm. It was very skilled and was not hindered by the number of weapons, becoming a deadly beast.
The 3rd monster were the Hidden Jaw Sharks that typically hid behind corners or within crevices in the wall. As a person approached, the 2 to 3 meter body shot forward, grabbing the victim in its monstrous mouth.
The least deadly of the beasts was the translucent monster that floated in the air of the corridors. These were the Deadly Jellyfish that were roughly 80 centimeters in height.
The final monster was the Armored Blue Shrimp that was armored in a blue, chitinous shell, that would quickly rush and attack the victim.
To briefly go over what these monsters did, I suppose I'll describe them.
First was the Giant Steel Toads. They were the most common in the corridors and if you ended up getting distracted by the smaller monsters, they will target your legs and feet, breaking them into pieces. Since that was the case, it is necessary to be careful and alert at all times. According to the information I gathered, the toads have caused suffering to countless adventurer parties. Able to break through even magic armor, metal leggings, and various equipment, the monster has a huge mouth and sharp teeth. Even for adventurers who had managed to get to this point would suffer no small risk to life and limb when encountering them.
But, if one is able to detect them, the monster is rather simple to deal with. Though it does have a solid armor, the downside is that the monster is rather slow and is unable to dodge the attacks of the adventurers capable of reaching these floors. If the monster's surprise attack is foiled, then most adventurers would be able to handle them with ease with a single mighty blow to a weak point.
Having the easiest of times finding them underwater, I used an offensive ability to smash down on them, obliterating them in a single blow. To me, they simply aren't a threat. Whenever I detect them, I often would stick them with my halberd and fry them crispy with some lightning, allowing me to enjoy a skewer whenever I so desired. If I had the time, I'd have preferred to add some soy sauce and bake it until it was crisp to eat it whole.
[Ability learned: Underwater Breathing]
The skill basically allowed me to breath underwater, but since I already have [Oxygen-less Function], I don't have a current use for the skill. Perhaps I'll find a use for it at some point.
Next was the Combat Helmet Octopus. They were typically within the range of 1.4 meters, but the main body was always protected by a knightly shell.
Each monster's shell is unique, I even saw a Norman's cross helmet on one of them.
Depending on the shape, decoration, color, they will end up having different equipment. Perhaps it isn't specifically limited to their armor, and is a way to distinguish their genders. Though in all honesty, I don't really have much information on it and lack the desire to find out.
Well, as is the same with their armor, each of their weapons are living weapons such as swords, spears and axes, but the shapes and decor of each of them varied greatly.
Each arm of the Octopod carried a weapon and was defaulted to rather high combat skills. The Octopods were able to fight both on land and on water. Their body's conventional strength was superior and were able to recover their limbs with frightening speed.
Each attack was like a wave of weapons, fast, accurate, and deadly. The weight behind each blow coupled with the weight of the weapons only furthered the lethal potential of every strike. When attacking simultaneously with 8 arms in perfect coordination, it was rather difficult to predict.
In addition to all of that, they would always be gathered in groups of either 4 or 5, significantly increasing the risk to life and limb. Their armor is so strong that it is able to block a steel sword with the greatest of ease. The only weak point on their entire body is their eyes.
Well, attacking them head on is no less dangerous as there were even some of the Octopod monsters that were magic based, allowing them to deal area of effect attacks. Inept adventurer parties could be broken in a matter of moments.
They were rather stiff and crisp, but as is most things, the more I ate, the more I want. It made me crave for more alcohol as well!
They are even advantageous to my appetite as all I had to do was rip off each of their limbs and leave it sit for several seconds. New legs will appear, allowing you to enjoy the meal even longer, though after several dozen repetitions, the monster's vitality starts to decrease.
[Ability learned: Suction Cup Generation]
This ability basically allowed me to generate a suction point anywhere on my body at will. Rather well suited for stealth missions.
The Hidden Jaw Shark lives in the burrows of a variety of monsters. If you manage to detect them, they are hardly dangerous. If you avoid the holes, they will not come to attack. That's only if you discover the hole. If you are careless and wander too close, then you won't even be able to notice how you're torn to shreds at an incredible rate.
My 1st encounter with them was on the 8th floor. I had just happened across a conflict between the Octopods I mentioned earlier fighting against a party of adventurers. There were 10 of the Octopods remaining against the 6 adventurers. When I came across the battle, the adventurers were outnumbered, but were showing a sheer superiority in coordination. The leader of the party was well experienced in both leadership and sword technique, leading them to an eventual victory.
Every one of them were highly trained fighters, able to dodge attacks while countering and inflicting wounds. If they couldn't dodge, they were able to competently block and negate most of the damage.
As expected of a group capable of coming into the lower levels of a dungeon from the [Age of the Gods] series. They were able to get past the 1st boss, so I can even give them a certain level of respect.
But then I noticed one of their members that was fighting on the front lines against a toad in their defensive formation. He was wielding an interesting sword that was exuding heat, while admiring the blade, I inadvertently approached several burrows of the Hidden Jaw Sharks.
Since they were busy with the enemy, the young man failed to notice the 2 sharks that launched from their holes and attacked him. It happened all in an instant before they returned to their holes. The young man lost both of his legs and fell to the ground, his abdomen ended up being pierced by the toad he was fighting. The water was stained red.
At that moment the adventurer party recovered their friend who lost his legs, apparently he managed to survive his injuries. As soon as they recovered him, they began to retreat back and the battle moved to another location.
After they left, I carefully approached the burrow of one of the sharks. Their appearance was a dazzling white body that was covered in fat. Meat within was a pure white meat that was both dense and rich. When mixed with the fat, it was an enjoyable taste that I would be happy to enjoy again. There wasn't even a fishy smell to the meat.
[Ability learned: Violent Frenzy]
The Deadly Jellyfish floated through the corridors, though unlike all of the other monsters, they are rather harmless. They often swim in groups of 6 to 10, often blocking the entire corridor with their tentacles.
If I had not had [Poison Resistance] already activated in conjunction with [Pain Resistance], I'd have been gifted a few hours of writhing in pain.
Well, it turned out that they weren't extremely toxic, but the effect was achieved by a direct stimulation on the nerve endings of a victim. Since it wasn't actually a toxin, it was actually rather dangerous to me as it did have a slight effect on me. I opted to shoot them from a distance and carefully consume the body.
They tasted rather similar to jam, practically like a dessert.
[Ability learned: Slow]
The Armored Blue Shrimp were constantly storming the corridors. The huge 2 meter tall body covered in blue chitin was pushed by its powerful tail, flying at the enemy at great speeds.
Well, a single hit to the head using their own force against them was more or less enough for me to kill them. It's just when there are dozens of them attacking you at once, clogging the hallway, is when they become a problem.
The meat was, to make it simple, a pure delicacy. The soft pink color of the meat invited an indescribable flavor shooting down one's throat.
This could become a present even for the Tomboy Princess.
[Ability learned: Steel Shell of the Blue Shrimp]
While wandering through the corridors, not only was I able to gather a handful of abilities, but I was also able to gain huge quantities of experience. In recent days it hadn't been raising at all.
I was also able to level my different combat [Jobs] and [Arts] along the way. It was eating 2 shrimp for the price of one.
At that point I had finally reached the 10th floor where the 2nd boss room was located.
With the exact same type of opening as any other door in the corridors, I made my way inside.
The space inside was almost the same as the one on the 5th floor, a 100 square meter room with patterns on the ceiling and a circle in the center.
But unlike last time, the water didn't gush out from the center, only a gurgling sound of bubbles came from it.
From the circle appeared… to put it simply, a lizard-like skeleton called the Skull Lizard ・ War Salamander, that moved around inside of a blue slime.
It was just under 4 meters tall and it's overall structure was actually reminiscent of a Black Skeleton Knight, though it's tail made up a third of its size and there were an innumerable amount of thorns.
The teeth in its mouth were like daggers, the empty eye sockets glowed with a dark red light, seeming to focus on me.
The creature that covered this skeleton reptile was a furiously driven blue slime. The slime core was the the same color and was hidden away within the skeleton itself, the size of it was on another level than the other cores I've seen thus far.
This boss is apparently called the Skull Lizard ・ War Salamander, the boss of the 10th floor.
Frankly speaking, because of the earlier designs that were designed with the sole purpose of cleansing the undead, I wondered what would happen if I pulled out the skeleton, but since it was a rather pointless venture, I gave up on it.
At the beginning of the battle, it summoned 2 massive living weapons that took the shape of swords, the slime itself now covered with hundreds, if not thousands of hands. It had the visage of a deity would look like.
Quite a few of those hands were able to use a variety of ice magics, mostly ice arrows or ice blades, and command water simultaneously. The number of variants exceeded 20 easily, the onslaught initiated immediately. The magic attacks never exceeded the 2nd tier, but simply because of the sheer volume of magical attacks, it had a serious advantage.
By this point, the Skeleton Raptor itself closed the distance on me and began attacking with its swords.
The attacks were as fast as the wind, so if you failed to dodge, you'd surely be sliced like paper. Both blades cleanly cutting through the air.
Honestly, with the continuous assault from the Skeleton Raptor was rather intense. Each blow of its swords were both powerful and fast, added to the endless wave of magic resulted in numerous chain attacks.
It was apparently designed specifically to fight numerous enemies at the same time, though unfortunately I was alone, and I am quite capable of handling 20 attacks at once.
Well, it could have been done faster, but the battle still only took a small amount of time.
[Boss Floor Skeleton Raptor successfully eliminated]
[Achiever Yatendouji, is granted the right to progress, continue past boss floor Skull Lizard ・ War Salamander is available with a choice of promotion without battle]
[Achiever Yatendouji, is granted the bonus of the treasure box [Clammy Corpse of the Water Lizard] for 1st elimination success]
[Achiever Yatendouji, is granted the rare ability [Water Arm of War] for the achievement of [Solo Kill]]
Well, it seemed that this boss's power was higher than the Warpidron, but only the same amount of endurance. Thus the battle only took roughly half the time as the Warpidron.
Normally, the non-stop physical and magical attacks from the Skeleton Raptor would result in more damage than the Warpidron, but given that it is my specialty, the battle resulted in a contest of power, where the difference was made clear.
Now, just as in the previous battle, I got myself another box of treasures. It seems like if I follow this tactic with the remaining I'll get more boxes of treasure. The box was the same as the last, just covered in the same slime as the skeleton was.
I decided to continue to collect these chests without opening them so that I could open them all at once, thus I put them into my Item Box.
I then went to swallow up the body. The bones took about 20 minutes to chew, which shows that it was certainly a high-level monster, and also meant that it tasted great.
You could probably compare it with bone soup full of juice.
The remains of the thing that covered the Skeleton Raptor, the Blue Slime, tasted like juice. The core that came from it was the size of a goblin's head. I sent it to the advanced [Demonic Great Whale Mouth].
The slime tasted similar to soda, but it was also cool, refreshing like mountain ice.
[Ability learned: Sword Dance]
[Ability learned: Parallel Use]
[Ability learned: Symbiotic]
As a result, I gained a few interesting abilities. The [Sword Dance]'s use is rather apparent. It probably involves some sword form with 2 swords.
[Parallel Use] is likely the ability that will allow me to cast multiple spells at once. After I activated it, I could form various magics on each of my fingers, collecting water, forming a mini funnel of winds, forming a stone, and sending sparks out. This ability is extremely useful. In the past, I could always do the same with my abilities, but the limitation had been with my magic.
[Symbiotic] on the other hand is a rather funny ability.
It increases the chance of a parasite's infection. Now, not only do my parasites have the ability to influence others, but now can also increase the body's overall ability.
It serves to overall increase the body's combat potential.
Well, all of this was yesterday, today I started out with the 11th floor. According to my information, this floor is the best to gather materials. Perhaps a bit later than planned, but I think I'll be able to make the time up.
Loot is waiting for me, I can feel it.