Evan D. Sherden, Strengthened (4)
[You have evolved to level 11.]
[The monsters who have been imprisoned for all these centuries are very strong. One of the first among them isn't easy to handle, but you defeated it very well.]
'I didn't do anything at all'. As soon as Evan entered the Rewards Room before going down to the 11th floor, he shrugged and muttered at the voice of the gods.
Of course, he knew what they were talking about. Since they had found the Hidden Boss on the 10th floor and fulfilled the conditions for entering the Battle Room, they had collected enough achievements to level up.
Evan recalled the appearances of Raihan, Shine, and Arisha, who were feeling refreshed after a short and intense battle with the Chimera.
Rather than having a hard time, they felt satisfied due to moving their bodies to their heart's content after a long time. It was like seeing someone who had thrown off their training boots to run wild!
[As you uncover the unknowns of the dungeon and at the same time destroy it, countless future sacrifices have returned to nothing, so you can dare say that with every passing moment, you are changing the history of mankind.]
[However, you still have to be careful. You never know when the blade of fate will start pointing in your direction.]
"If there is ever such a dangerous turn of events, can't the gods stop it on their own?"
Evan, who always became agitated at the mention of the word 'blade' or 'dagger', was frightened by the fact that this meant there would be an increase in death signs. But the gods only smiled at his words.
[You are the only human who dares to joke with the gods. I like that.]
The gods were saying slyly as if Evan was pretending to be weak. He wasn't. He was weak! He was an extra that didn't know when he would die! Certainly, it might not have looked that way now. It was a little surprising for him too!
[The gods are now unable to interfere with the affairs of the world. All we can do is bless you so you can prepare for the future.]
At that time, a welcoming voice sounded out. It was the god that Evan particularly liked.
[So take this. In the name of *%&$*$$, I will now give you 'Magi resistance.']
"What!?"
[Magi resistance!?? Already!?]
[He's worthy of this achievement. I hope you share your blessings with the other children who helped this child defeat the Chimera and give them Magi resistance, too.]
Evan's eyes popped wide open. Heaven's Press had been reinforced already. The once useless skill had now been changed to a more usable one. He wasn't that shocked even then, but now, he was going to get Magi resistance.
He knew about this skill! It was one of the things he had wanted all along but didn't have a way to get it right away, so it was one of the goals he had set for his Immortality Project No. 9 or No. 10. But finally, he had gotten it!
[The Chimera you defeated is like a crumb that cannot be included in the hierarchy of the demons, but it is certainly a wicked entity that has been influenced by the dungeon to collect and put magic to its use. Since you have proven your willingness by fighting and successfully defeating such a monster, you deserve this ability.]
[Of course, but what about those other children?]
[Yes, that's right. Isn't it the gods' duty to illuminate the path for every human who is going through the darkness themselves? Everyone deserves this ability.]
To explain this skill, first of all, you needed to understand exactly what Magi was. To put it simply, Magi was the only man that the demons dealt with.?It was also known as reverse mana, alien mana, and negative energy.
Magi had a myriad of other qualities, but the most important of them was this one: Except for the demons, all other beings suffered more damage when they came into contact with it. That was why the demons were such terrifying creatures.
However, humans who were frequently in contact with Magi gained a Magi resistance skill in the process. With this skill, you could reduce the amount of damage inflicted by the demons, and thus you could effectively respond to their attacks, including the Demon King.
'It was one of the most essential skills in the game. Depending on how quickly you acquired this skill and how you mastered it, the difficulty of the battle in the mid-to-late half differed greatly.'
Of course, some crazy players deliberately aimed to clear the game without gaining Magi resistance. They intentionally avoided contact with the demons, dealing only with normal monsters and people, building reputation and strength, and proceeding with the scenario!
However, it was rather difficult to deal with high-ranking demons at the end of the game, as they suffered huge amounts of losses and damage.
'I would have made it into Harvard if I had been that passionate about my studies.'
The only thing that mattered now was that Evan had acquired Magi Resistance at this stage. He felt as if his body was on fire.
Evan D. Sherden had a fair amount of deaths due to the demons in the game, including at the Demon King's hands, so honestly, he was very happy about this situation. Once you gained the Magi Resistance, there were many ways to practice this skill!
[And also…]
"What else?"
[I will evolve your Cheonjung 2 to Cheonjung 3. This will help you during any crisis. Anytime, anywhere.]
Just as the gods said this, an immense amount of power surged through Evan's body. He felt as if the weight of the skies were on his shoulders.
As a passive skill that affected the body just by learning it, its power could be felt in real-time such that the body strengthened, and became stronger.
Now, Evan could reach out his fists and transmit power to over 75 meters. Naturally, his Heavens Press had been strengthened too!
"Whoo!"
'How far can I develop this skill? Should I consult with the Knight Commander?? Where the hell is he now?'
"God, will you continue to improve my skills after the next 5 floors?"
[Not that often, but if you can reach the end of this dungeon, I wonder if you can reach the end of the heavens as well. I look forward to how you put these new and improved abilities to use.]
"I haven't been using Cheonjung very often in this dungeon."
[But, isn't it true that this skill is the most basic for you? All of the actions performed by your body are connected to Cheonjung 3. In fact, other than that, there aren't many skills you have, that we can strengthen.]
"I throw often. Why don't you just improve that active skill, eh!"
[Oh, really!]
The god exclaimed as if he had realized it just this very moment. Evan's other abilities were already so impressive that it seemed that they overlooked that he threw Battle Beads and disabled traps!
[Then next time, if you don't have a suitable one.]
"Anyways, Thanks. I'll be looking forward to more improvements."
Evan thought that something was weird, even though he had expressed his desire to the gods and had gotten a confirmation.
Was it okay to ask the gods what you wanted, like this skill reward. There had been such an event at least once in the game that had led to Evan's death. Was it okay if they rewarded him!?
[Then, we shall see you again soon. I also look forward to your growth.]
Just as the conversation with the gods ended, the surrounding landscape became clearer. Originally, when you were in the process of levelling up, you could not recognize other things around you very well.
Likewise, he was also invisible to others. He was in a state of being separated from the physical world, so after the levelling-up was over, the party was able to see him again.
"Oh, it looks like you have levelled up safely, Master."
"Yes, I did…"
As expected, due to the prolonged conversation with the gods, the other party had already finished with their levelling up and approached Evan.
Arisha looked at Evan once and then turned towards the achievement box placed in the reward room. The contents of the achievement box on the 5th floor weren't special, so all of them were expecting the achievement box on the 10th floor to contain more notable rewards.
"Arisha, there wouldn't be anything special there. Strangely, we got artefacts on the first floor last time. Did everyone get Magi resistance or more than that?"
"I also got it, Master. I was very surprised. Magi resistance, as far as I know, is an ability acquired by elite Paladins who repeatedly battled with the demons."
"Was it such a great skill? Suddenly, the gods seemed very hesitant, and when I wanted something else, they brushed it off."
Shine was tilting his head, but Raihan was surely grasping his newly acquired Magi resistance as he hadn't been a Paladin trainee for nothing, and he was aware of how great Magi resistance was.
"It's an exceptional ability. Shine, did you know that people are inherently vulnerable to Magi? It's like putting out a fire with water. That's why the demons are so devastating."
"But, we can easily kill them."
"Well, the bats at that time wouldn't have been demons. Oh, and as a bonus, the Hidden Boss Chimera that Hyung blocked earlier, also had Magi."
"Is that so!? I don't have any memories of being shrunken by his attack!"
Strictly speaking, when fighting not only the demons but all the monsters in the dungeon who had magic, its presence wasn't strong enough to be felt by others, at least in the lower levels of the dungeon.
But the Chimera had been different in that regard. As other monsters merged, they formed into a larger demon, and although it sometimes mounted to lesser strength than the originals, it was able to spread out evil mana to the opponents. Although Raihan hadn't even been aware of it, he had still defeated the Chimera.
"Anyway, if you have Magi resistance, you can effectively resist those demons. It can be said that it is a skill that everyone must pursue to survive for a long time."
"Shine, I haven't met any Paladins who had Magi resistance, so be sure to filter what Master Evan says. We have other greater abilities."
"Then, all the Paladins my Hyung met were crappy!"
The protagonist of Yo-Ma Great Wars 3 and 4 also had basic Magi resistance, and at that point, the Paladins of the Church were also very weak!
"Evan, let's open the achievement box quickly."
"Why are you in such a hurry?"
"I can't stand here wondering what's inside of it any longer."
Arisha intervened, which was why Evan couldn't carry out his explanation about Magi resistance, and proceeded to open the achievement box with her. This time, the rewards weren't that great either. There was a low-level artefact, but it wasn't that great.
"I also want the artefacts that Evan gave me."
"We will get them once we get out of the dungeon, so be patient."
"I'm glad to see that the birthday presents are already being lined up."
"Don't put it in the birthday gift category like you did with the ghost."
Arisha turned away with a smile at Evan's words. Evan felt absurd.
"Let's proceed to the 11th floor. Shine will take charge from now on. Can you do it?"
"Of course, Master. I'm really confident now."
"But Master Evan, will we just leave this like it is?"
"What?? Ah."
Evan, trying to go down the stairs with the group, looked back as he heard Belois speak. Indeed, there was a statue of a demon that looked exactly like the one after they had cleared the Battle Room on the 5th floor.
The 10th-floor statue wasn't necessary to destroy, and it was meant to be neglected because there were no additional rewards, but when he thought about it now, it wasn't as meaningless. This was because the statue also contained Magi.
"Is it possible to practice the Magi resistance training with this?"
Magi evaporated without harming the human body after spreading out for a moment. It didn't seem like there were any materials like this he could find for his Magi resistance training.
Evan nodded and stretched out his hand. He clenched his fist as he used Cheonjung 3, and the first sent waves into the atmosphere.
The statue of the demon could not stand a chance against his power and was smashed into pieces. Magi spewed out of it, seeping into Evan's boots.
"Huh?"
"Master Evan, are you okay!?"
Shine and Belois ran to him. However, Evan only tilted his head.
It was still possible to remove the boots. What had changed was the fact that it seemed as if his body had gotten slightly heavier.
"Has the curse strengthened? I don't think there was anything like this in the game?"
"Then, it's a big deal!"
"No, it's not a problem at all. Does it means I can revamp my curse tolerance training. I don't need to go to battle anyway as I'm just a guide, so it won't be a problem no matter how much my status is lessened, too!"
Breaking the demon's statue on the 10th floor had strengthened the curse of the boots Evan was wearing.
Shine and Belois were still wearing anxious expressions.
"Yes, he's always been like this…"
"We have no choice but to keep it."
"But actually, you might have forgotten that the Master is under a curse already. It might be. too strong for him to endure."
"Silly Shine. I think so too."
After that, the party safely got to the 11th floor of the dungeon without any more curses.
A week had passed since then.
The party was now on the verge of clearing the 20th floor of the Sherden dungeon.