Chapter Size: 2125 Words.]
Third Person POV
Hostess of Fertility, Orario.
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In the bustling morning of Orario, Hestia and the other members of the Hestia family gathered for breakfast at Mama Mia's bar. The sunlight began to bathe the city, but there was still a noticeable absence at the table.
"Good morning, everyone!" greeted Hestia with a smile, although her eyes revealed a subtle concern.
"Good morning, Goddess-Sama."
"Good morning, Hestia-Sama."
"HEE!"
"Lucius has already left, hasn't he?" Hestia asked, looking at the empty chair with a slightly tense expression.
"Yes, no one saw him when we woke up," Bell shared the information, making it clear that Lucius was already in motion long before sunrise.
"He seemed in a hurry a few hours ago," Mama Mia, who joined the conversation while bringing a tray with the group's coffee, added her observation. The atmosphere at the table became somewhat somber.
"So, he's already in the dungeon and will be there for days, maybe weeks..." Lili murmured, staring at the table for a moment.
"He seemed serious about it; I hope you guys can get through all the current challenges. You can see the kid putting in effort, despite all the mess I hear he's making..." Mia commented with a chuckle, adding a playful tone to the conversation.
"Yes, Lucius-Kun is always diligent..." Hestia admitted, but her thoughts were clearly with her son and the dangers he might encounter, having left before dawn.
"And we can't fall behind!" Bell asserted with determination, seeking to lift the group's spirits.
"Lili agrees too!" Lili added, looking at the spear she held. The determination in her eyes reflected the promise to support Bell in the best possible way, following Lucius's example.
Watching Lucius's actions, Hestia and the other members of the Hestia family felt an inner flame ignite. The pulsating energy radiating from Lucius as he ventured into the dungeon propelled them to seek their own paths to strength.
Hestia, the Goddess of the Family, couldn't afford to lag behind. Her devotion to Bell and the other family members compelled her to commit even more to her responsibility of leading and protecting this group. Her divine eyes gleamed with a renewed determination, ready to face the challenges ahead.
Bell, inspired by Lucius's feats, felt an inner fire burning within him. The idea of living up to his friend and "mentor's" example motivated him to seek the next level of power. He knew the journey would be tough, but he was willing to face any challenge to grow in the coming days, whether it be under Aiz's tutelage or with Lili and Riekling in the dungeon.
Lili, whose loyalty to Bell was unwavering, firmly held her new spear again, ready to enhance her skills and support her beloved Bell. The promise to get stronger that she made to Lucius to follow his example resonated deeply in her heart, fueling her determination.
Mama Mia, though aware that this family's situation had nothing to do with her, looked pleased at them, reminiscing about her times leading the Freya family before Ottar, when she was an active adventurer.
That morning, the Hestia family's breakfast was motivating for the days to come.
Meanwhile, the real cause of this, Lucius, was at that moment advancing with force, destroying his enemies on the intermediate floors. Often, he passed through groups of monsters without conflict, even if they showed hostility towards him. He didn't want to waste time dealing with weak monsters and decided to ignore any that he could encounter on these early dungeon floors.
But even the monsters, who would normally be a threat to experienced level 2 adventurers, barely had time to react before being consumed by Lucius's magical flames. His advance was unstoppable, a force of nature that left behind only destruction and silence when he had to face a group of them on the floors before Rivira.
It was after a few hours that he reached the eighteenth floor, but he didn't stop at Rivira; he had a path to follow to the lower floors. So, he ignored the temptations of the city of Rivira and continued his relentless advance through the dungeon floors. His determined steps took him directly to the 19th floor.
Each room, each corridor, was traversed with determination. His goal of reaching the 28th floor and beyond guided every movement, and he did not hesitate to confront the creatures that inhabited the dungeon. The explosion of fire and magic became a constant, announcing Lucius's relentless presence. He carved a path to reach the water capital with his clairvoyance, even finding secret paths through the dungeon, something he took the time to mark on a personal map—something that could be used by his friends when they were here.
He encountered other adventurers in groups of level 3 or 4, but they were in shock and awe at the speed with which he soloed monsters on floors 22 and 23. He no longer needed to hide his strength from everyone; soon, everyone would see his magical feats in the war game, although much of his strength was already exposed, and many theories surrounded him. Orario still had no idea of his true potential.
He continued his path, and his spells were cast with deadly precision, his support magic keeping him unscathed in the face of any threat, even with a huge backpack on his back. The journey to the water capital turned into a trail of defeated monsters and empty rooms.
Upon reaching the water capital, Lucius looked at the waterfalls surrounding him with a determined expression. His goal was still to surpass these floors and enter the deeper levels. The mage, fueled by his infinite magic, did not hesitate to enter the underwater landscapes once again. The place bore witness to the passage of the mage who advanced and did not hesitate to face imposing marine and flying creatures in this place.
As he accumulated points and delved deeper into the dungeon, Lucius kept his focus on the ultimate goal: reaching the 36th floor. His desire to surpass the dungeon's limits only intensified, fueling his determination in every encounter and challenge he faced in the depths of Orario's dungeons.
He descended through the underwater floors and stopped on the 26th floor, looking for his newly made friend more than a week ago, just to greet her, but there was no sign of the green-haired mermaid. Seeing that he couldn't find her, he continued the path, killing all the monsters that attacked him and went to one of the places where Marie had shown him as a hidden and safe zone. He stopped to create utensils and things for a good meal at this moment; he hadn't rested the last day and finally stopped to eat and sleep while reading and delving into Riveria's notes on magic moments before.
Among the worn pages of Riveria's notes, Lucius found a fascinating treatise on air magic. Riveria explored intriguing theories about the ability to sense and understand the magical currents that permeated the surrounding environment.
As Lucius delved into Riveria's written words, an idea began to form in his inquisitive mind. The elven mage suggested that, by developing a deeper attunement to the magical energies around him, a mage could enhance their abilities and even unlock hidden potentials.
According to the notes, the key lay in sharp perception and magical sensitivity. Riveria argued that, by learning to sense magical currents and understand their intrinsic nature, a mage could amplify their magic in ways unimaginable to the environment.
The reading inspired Lucius to embark on his own magical understanding journey. For the next days and weeks that followed, Lucius then had the idea of practicing meditation exercises, focusing on attuning himself to the magical energies present in the air.
Once he read and reread Riveria's theories, he went to sleep in a bed created with his magic. After resting for a few hours, he returned to his path to the lower floors.
He would bring Riveria's theories into battles. Every dungeon confrontation became an opportunity to enhance this instinctive ability, allowing him to feel the magical nuances that had previously gone unnoticed, even though it felt very weak.
Gradual understanding transformed into a magical sixth sense that began to grow within him, allowing Lucius to anticipate, absorb, and even manipulate the small lines of magical currents around him. This newly discovered ability made him feel quite excited, although it was a futile action since he could do nothing but manipulate some small thread that added nothing to his battles.
Lucius advanced to the twenty-seventh floor of the dungeon, facing the monsters that emerged in his path. His steps were confident, and the experience gained in his previous journeys on this floor made him a skilled and fearless adventurer along the way. Even though he was reviewing Riveria's theories in his mind, his attention was completely focused on progressing through the dungeon.
The twenty-seventh floor was challenging, with more powerful creatures in this part of the dungeon, and the floor was filled with complex obstacles. Lucius relied on his enhanced magical and physical abilities to overcome each challenge. His life detection and clairvoyance spells were crucial for avoiding ambushes and finding the safest path.
The twenty-seventh floor proved to be a strange environment, with both corridors and areas flooded with water, as this was where all the water from the water capital's waterfalls converged.
Lucius proceeded through the floor, facing a myriad of challenging monsters. His knowledge and enhanced skills allowed him to confront each creature with cunning and dexterity.
In the depths of a dark stream, Lucius faced a group of Raider Fish, aggressive fish with sharp spines. His multiple firebolt spells quickly hit the enemies, preventing them from getting closer.
In an open area, Harpies circled in the air, ready to attack. Lucius conjured his fireballs while keeping control of the gravitational field, facing the winged creatures.
Sirens were irritating; approaching an irresistibly melodic source, Lucius encountered enchanting Sirens. Using his long-range spells, he accurately eliminated and defeated the Sirens.
In an area next to the streams, Blue Crabs advanced with their sharp claws. Lucius faced them, using fire spells to neutralize their shell defenses and facilitate the combat.
In a flooded corridor, an Aqua Serpent emerged from the deep waters. Lucius used his life detection ability to anticipate the creature's movements underwater and cast offensive spells to weaken its venomous attacks.
In a chamber filled with crystals, Crystal Turtles emerged from their shiny shells. Lucius dodged their energy rays; they were terribly resistant, but Lucius managed to destroy them after some time.
In the darker areas of the floor, Devil Mosquitos attacked in swarms. Lucius avoided their stings using protection spells and, with swift movements, eliminated the demonic insects, burning them down like a machine gun using simple two-handed firebolts.
In a radiant cave, Light Quartz emitted intense magical light. Lucius used his flame atronach to eliminate them without being blinded.
In rugged terrain, Crystaroth Urchins camouflaged among the rocks. Lucius used detection spells to identify their locations and, with precision, defeated them before they could become a threat.
In the wetter areas, Iguazus, amphibious creatures, attacked with sharp claws. Lucius used his katana and lightning rank 3 sword to engage in physical combat with these creatures.
Mermaids and Mermads were a bit challenging to kill; Lucius thought of Marie when he saw the creatures, but the only thing that made them similar was their hostile and ugly faces, quite different from the cute Marie. Lucius cast fire spells to eliminate them easily.
In each confrontation, Lucius showcased a combination of magical skill and intelligent strategy. His progress through the twenty-seventh floor strengthened his abilities, and he accumulated a large number of points.
In the end, Lucius emerged from the depths of the Water Capital, victorious after an intense day of battles. The surroundings displayed traces of his triumphant passage, with defeated marine and aerial creatures and aquatic challenges overcome. The water, once stirred by epic confrontations, began to calm down with only the sound of its waterfalls falling as the mage continued his journey.
"So, is this where we face Amphisbaena?" Lucius asked, looking at the large open area in front of him, but it was completely empty.
"He's not alive at the moment, lucky for me that respawn didn't happen since I'm not sure if I can face him in my current state, maybe later," Lucius commented and began to advance through the area, which was a large lake in parts where he didn't need to submerge his body, heading towards the passage to deeper floors—his new objective, ready to delve even further into the dungeon for the first time.
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