After waiting for my HP to reach a reasonable level, I collected the [Mana Core] from the completely headless [Hydra Wolf] that I had killed earlier, and continued on my journey to find floor 86. While flying, I tried out a new form of [Spatial Magic] that I had been thinking about. By targeting both a [Mana Core] and a space in front of me, I attempted to swap their positions. This was my initial foray into attempting a form of teleportation, although at the moment this would probably only count as an [Apport] since I was transferring an object rather than myself or another living being.
After flying for some time, I finally succeeded. The trick was not to swap the two designated spaces, but to treat the two designated areas as entry and exit, pushing or pulling the object through space to the desired location.
-Conditions have been met. {Subskill: Apport} has been acquired. {Subskill: Apport} has been incorporated into
And now, for the true test. It was time to attempt this for myself. Having the experience for {Subskill: Apport} made me more confident that I wasn't going to somehow hurt or kill myself attempting this. True to form, it only took a couple tries to succeed.
-Conditions have been met. {Subskill: Short-Range Teleport} has been acquired. {Subskill: Short-Range Teleport} has been incorporated into
-Conditions have been met.
As I thought, the number of {Subskills} that I can learn or use is directly related to my [Spatial Magic] skill level. If my skill levels up, the number of available {Subskills} that I can learn goes up too. Conversely, if I've maxed out my {Subskill} number, by forcibly learning another skill I can correspondingly force my [Spatial Magic] level to increase as well.
Oya?
It seems that using {Subskill: Short-Range Teleport} consumes MP, huh. Perhaps it's because it sees it as a combat skill? Or perhaps it's because of the impact it exerts on the external world. Well, whatever the case, I can now move faster and avoid enemies that I don't want to face. As the MP consumption of this skill is only about 10 per cast, I don't have to worry too much about it if I'm not facing a battle of attrition.
However, I decided not to use it yet. I wasn't sure what I would face on the 86th floor and wanted to conserve my MP for the moment I exited, so I could move as soon as humanly (or Vallenly) possible.
Snickering at my own cold joke, I reached the teleportation formation for the 86th floor. I took deep breaths, hoping that I wouldn't face anything too unbelievable in my first moments.
Ano...what is this development?
As they say, saying something manifests it in reality. Facing me at the teleportation formation of the 86th floor were four huge monsters that looked like towering apes, with long, thick arms the size of trees, and short, squat legs bound to a muscular looking torso. Their heads were large and squarish, with lower fangs jutting out, and a crown of bone seemingly from growing from their own skulls atop their heads. I instantly teleported over and over, attempting to confuse them while getting away. At the same time, I cast [Identify] on one of them.
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Iyaaaaa please send me back to the 87th floor I promise I'll be good!!!
Thankfully, it seemed that they either weren't very smart or didn't have very good eyesight, but as I teleported over and over, none of them managed to hit me despite their ridiculous speed. I would teleport in for a fraction of a second, designate another area where I wouldn't be in the line of fire of another incoming attack, and then immediately teleport to that area. Doing this over and over again, I successfully managed to confuse them.
Despite how simple it sounded, it was terrifying. These damn monkeys could punch so fast that the air whistled and the corresponding wind threw me off several times; the magic they could wield was simply to their namesake, hellish. As I kept teleporting, blasts of fire singed the tips of my hair and some of the fur that I was wearing, bolts of lightning charred stones and earth inches away from me, and I sometimes heard jaws snap shut just behind me. If I didn't have a plan going in, I would have been dead in the first half a second. Thankfully, my [Thought Acceleration] had levelled up, and my perception of time was now 3 times as fast as normal. It is said that the normal human reaction time is somewhere around a fifth of second, and right now I was able to respond within 0.06s.
It was barely fast enough. My HP was already going down little by little from the shockwaves and aftereffects of their
Finally, a fist from one [Hellape] hit the chest of another, and a guttural roar broke out from its throat as it was pushed back and staggered. Its eyes blazed with fury as it glared the companion that had hit it, and charged forward. Sensing my plan was working, I continued to bob and weave through the mess of punches, bites, and magic that was being thrown back and forth, causing another [Hellape] to make a mistake and become tangled into the developing brawl.
Eventually, all four [Hellapes] were brawling amongst themselves.
Having got away by the skin of my teeth, I heaved a sigh as I non-stop teleported towards the chamber exit, using up most of my MP.
This dungeon is too damn dangerous! System-san, why the hell did you do this to me??