Evan D. Sherden, Strengthened (1)
On the fourth day, Evan's party finally managed to break through the ninth floor of the Dungeon. Given that they had let Arisha clear all the floors from the first to the fifth, their expedition was still considerably fast. Perhaps that was why there were known as the Dream Team.
[You have been upgraded to Level 10]
Evan had still somehow managed to level up amidst what was happening. All due to his expert guidance. He had thoroughly organized the route to collect as many achievements as possible along the way and pointed the rest of the members to steer clear of the dangerous traps.
[Your ardent determination to conquer the Dungeon has come to our attention. You have managed to destroy all the evil elements by revealing the terrible secrets which continued to lurk around the ninth floor.]
God had maintained such a tacit concept when playing the game but had also grown to become a great orator for Evan's party today.
[Due to your continuous achievements, you will bear not only the responsibilities of external affairs but from this moment onwards the work of the conqueror rests upon you as well]
Conqueror? Evan had never hoped for such recognition; he was elated beyond belief. It was something that had never been offered to him even when he had been a part of the Yo-Ma Great War series.
But before he could express his excitement and gratitude for having been offered the prestigious role, his bubble of happiness didn't last for long.
[Since the role of external affairs happens to be your primary concern and also affects not only you but countless people relying on you, it is not possible to switch to another role at the moment. You will continue in your current position until you reach level M]
Evan let out a sigh of relief, for he had almost thought that the job would have been assigned to someone else. It was the norm for one man to be in charge of a single profession. But in cases where the said individual could demonstrate his abilities by conquering the 50th floor, it seemed like God was willing to bend the rules a little and award him generously by presenting to him another position of honour.
Evan needed to get to work if he wanted to be rewarded.
[You will be entitled to the said position once you successfully reach level 50 and rise to level 51. Rest assured that I do not tend to go back on my words once I've promised something. I wish you the best in your future endeavours
"I feel honoured to have been presented with this opportunity. I will work diligently for the same. If you don't mind me asking, I still don't know who you are." Evan's tone took more of an informal style, and he was addressing the Gods as though they were the best of friends. It was because he had gotten quite used to conversing when them every time he had levelled up.
He could even distinguish between them and could accurately remember them by the way they spoke to him. He realized the one that was addressing him right now happened to be one of Evan's favourites.
[It is not under my purview to sanction your request for a change in job roles, but what I can offer you is a boost to strengthen your abilities]
"If you would be so kind enough to upgrade my skills to the next level, can you consider omitting Heaven Press?"
[Heaven Press skill will be strengthened in the future under the influence of your various other abilities, such as Heaven Weight 2.0]
Evan, who was prepared to be disappointed, tilted his head to the side and pondered over how he would be able to channel the pressure of Heaven Weight into Heaven Press. Heaven Weight's skillsets proved meaningful when one desired to extend the fists' power to the outside. Evan quickly snapped out of his stupor and cleared all his doubts.
"If I do decide to make use of Heaven Press, would I be able to press on enemies who are nearby?" If only he could do this, it might be possible to extract a useful skill from this seemingly good-for-nothing ability. It would pave the way for range attacks. Just as the Heaven Weight skill was aimed towards the up-gradation of impractical skills, it must be possible to accomplish the same with Heaven Press.
Evan had to stop himself from squirming around, for he was already excited at the mere prospect of testing out his theory as soon as the situation allowed it. Looking at his enthusiasm, even God seemed to be smiling down upon him.
[It is good that you seem elated at this news. I hope you understand that we are only trying to give you the best we can. You can't achieve this alone yourself; you will eventually need to enlist the help of others]
"It is a path that I can't reach using only my efforts and available skills?"
[Yes, that is right. It is the pathway on which Gods and mortals walk together]
Skills given by the Gods themselves were mostly only power. Even those who were the least qualified could understand its principle. It was magical chemistry that produced results when combined with mana.
Heaven Press's principles had not yet been compromised, but harmonizing the power of Heaven Weight with Heaven Press was certainly impossible with what little power he currently held. Just his efforts would get him nowhere.
Evan was beginning to understand why the leader of Dungeon Knights had loathed Dungeons. But of course, Evan wasn't about to give up Dungeons due to his bitterness towards one measly challenge. He stretched out his right arm, almost making contact with the walls. He clenched his fists and activated Heaven Press. Just as he had been promised, unlike the previous version of Heaven Press, this one spewed out an unusual stream of mana. The force was so strong that the walls were beginning to crack from the pressure.
After a while, he gradually eased the grip on his fist and opened his palms. The man quickly turned to a trickle from the gushing waterfall it had been mere seconds ago. With the increased usage of Heaven Weight and Heaven Press's combined attributes, the wall's opening would expand to be much larger than the one he had opened up now. All the same, Evan was excessively content with the fact that he had finally managed to realize the worth of this skill.
"I don't think you are even a mere mortal anymore, the things you do can never be possibly performed by a human."
"Is that magic, Master?"
"Master, are you using psychokinetic power?"
A large group had formed around him, mouths agape with awe as they observed their Master demonstrating his skills. They bombarded him with endless questions.
"No, all it is is just a little increased utilization of a skill that is of no particular use by itself." He responded humbly.
"Oh, I get it now, Master."
"Shine? Are you all alright? You don't seem like you understood me at all."
"No. I completely understood, Master."
Evan decided not to waste any more time arguing even though it seemed clear enough to him that Shine hadn't been able to comprehend a word he had said. But the last thing he wanted to do was to argue.
"I'm going to talk about attacking the 10th floor of the Dungeon, so I would suggest everyone listen up and address their questions towards me if they have any."
Evan checked that the group had all finished their respective level-ups and called them over to form a tight meeting circle.
Evan was not the only one to have undergone extreme change and emerged stronger than ever before. The others had also become significantly stronger than they had been before they entered the Dungeon. Just because their levels had risen along with mana and body strength, it wasn't only due to those factors. It was because they had finally stepped up to defend themselves instead of relying on someone else to do it for them.
"Everyone has become quite experienced with traps, and in less than a span of four days, you have achieved such synchronized teamwork. I am extremely proud to see how far you all have come. If we can keep up this pace, we can break through the 10th floor with ease. After that, it is only smooth sailing from there onwards."
"Then…?"
"However, I want to lay emphasis on how the 10th floor should be approached and tackled as a team, not as an individual with aggressive ambitiousness. It is one of the most important floors of all where all the floor masters reside."
Until now, Evan had respected their wishes to protect themselves and resorted to only acting as a guide for the group, but this couldn't be done on the 10th floor. It was time for him to lead again, even if it was only for one floor.
"Is there a Hidden Boss on the tenth floor, Master?" Raihan asked.
"Of course. The Hidden Bosses are always present on the floors where Floor Masters exist. It's actually one of the ways to detect their presence. However, it won't be as easy to locate as the one we encountered on the 5th floor."
If they were roaming around, gaining access to them was considered incredibly easy, it would mean that all the explorers who had risked their lives to get past these levels would have died in vain.
The Hidden Boss was such a notorious beast that even the Gods had resorted to isolation to protect the lives of the mortals. They weren't meant to be killed.
"It's only normal to hunt and slay all the floor masters who exist on the 10th floor. In order to gain the achievement required to liberate the Hidden Boss, we might need to activate several traps on purpose."
"So that's how those who are relatively new to the Dungeon don't ever get access to the Hidden Boss?"
"That's right, that's it. That's the purpose."
In the game, Hidden Boss was originally initiated for those who had cleared the game more than once or had attempted the second round. It was ridiculous to play the game for the first time and expect to have the opportunity to liberate it on the very first attempt.
"That's why I'm going to step up."
"No, if you're new to the Dungeon, I would strongly suggest you to come along with me. Don't look so dissatisfied. Right after we clear the 10th floor, I'll go straight back to being a guide again. In fact, I've started to like my new role."
According to Shine, Evan might appear to be a Dungeon maniac who was always anxious for some serious target attack, but what he failed to notice was that Evan was just another person who wanted to make sure he was safe and wasn't particularly comfortable when it came to taking chances which could risk his life. If he could level up in terms of recognition for all his contributions so far, he would have been elated with his situation right now. All his moments spent fighting dangerously and detecting traps had gone to waste.
'Well, it does seem to be an ideal development.'
Evan's current role as the guide for the group was something that he was beginning to like and wanted to hold onto even in the future. He had realized how easy he had it now, to be comfortably protected by the knights of their group as they cleared each floor and levelled up, while all he had to do was point them in the right direction. It sure felt good to be a guide.
"You're starting to get your crazy ideas again."
"Why?"
"Let's go down right away, Master. We're ready."
Belois spoke quietly, tugging gently at the corner of Evan's sleeve. Evan came to his senses and cleared his head. It was important for him to focus all his attention on the 10th floor if he wanted to enjoy a long and comfortable life as a guide.
"Okay, let's go."
Evan D. Sherden, the world's most qualified and abled guide, led the party towards the Dungeon's 10th floor. Little did they know that a prisoner who had been locked up since the birth of the Dungeon was about to be released very soon.