In the entrance of the fourth floor of Necropolis, there were two tents erected. Sol yawned as he walked out and took out cooking utensils to make a simple breakfast. It had been three days since they began their dungeon trip, which meant the more perishable food would soon become bad.
Since that was the case, Sol decided to make a hearty breakfast using all the ingredients that would soon decay.
Sol spoke to himself as he prepared the food. "The last of the ham, some eggs, and a salad…"
Although Sol lacked any cooking-related skill, that didn't mean he couldn't whip up a delicious meal. Once he set all the ingredients to the side, he began to cast to start a fire.
"[Lasting Flame]."
A red flame the size of a cabbage appeared in Sol's hand as he guided it under the pan. Commanding the fire to stay where it was, he proceeded to cook. The sound of the sliced ham sizzled as the smell spread through its vicinity.
Not long after, Amber appeared from her tent, staring at him expectantly.
"Morning. Take a seat, it's almost done."
Obediently, she sat on nearby stone furniture Sol had erected last night when they arrived. It was two simple stone chairs and a table courtesy of the [Stone Craft] spell. While a beginner-level spell, it's a rather unusual one that allows one to mold stone to any desired shape. The only downside was that one must know the specific spell chant and formation to make each variation. Sol only knew the variations of the spell the earth mages from Fort Northwind knew. He didn't know the fundamentals and spell theory to craft his own creations, but he didn't mind.
Sol plated the food and passed it over to Amber, who responded with a simple nod and began to eat without hesitation. By the time Sol cooked his food and plated his, she was already done and gave Sol a look that said she wanted more.
"This is the last of it…"
Although Amber's emotions were hidden behind her blank stare, Sol could tell she was disappointed. He didn't know his cooking was that good to want another serving.
Sol had an internal struggle seeing her face and in the end relented.
"Here… You can have half of mine."
With his fork, Sol passed over half the food on his plate to Amber's plate, which she began eating immediately. In fear of having to give away more food if she finished before him, Sol began wolfing down his food as quickly as possible.
Once the two were done, they packed up camp and dived back into the dungeon.
Sol opened his status page as they walked.
Name: Sol
Race: Human
Talents: [Siphoner]
Level: 59
Exp: 2,600,190/4,200,000
'Just a little bit more. Surely this time will be the one.'
Sol had relapsed to his old habit before he gained [Siphoner], believing the next level would be the one where he unlocked his second talent. Having been rewarded for his years of dedication in pursuing a talent had led Sol to believe the same could happen again.
The two navigated the passages following the shortest route provided by the guide to the next floor until they encountered another group of enemies.
'Seven of them…'
The enemies each floor not only increased in level but also in quantity, with the group's size and frequency of the encounters going up a notch.
The group ahead consisted of three Awakened Gladiators, one Awakened Shieldbearer, and three Skeleton Mages. Normally, Amber would take care of the backline before they could cast a single spell, but it seemed they no longer had that luxury.
"Amber, take one of the mages. I'll cast [Incinerate] on the other. Take care of the last one while I hold off the rest."
With a nod, Amber suddenly disappeared, as if blinking out of existence. Sol had never seen her do that and was confused for a moment.
"Did your skill evolve?"
Amber reappeared, nodded, and without elaborating any further disappeared again. Although Sol couldn't see Amber with his eyes, when he activated his [Mana Perception], he was able to catch her small mana signature. The skill appeared to even suppress mana, which made it hard to see here even with the skill but not impossible.
Not sure how long Amber could stay invisible, Sol began casting a destructive spell to start the battle.
"[Explosion]!"
A small spark appeared in the middle of the undead before erupting into a violent explosion.
'I can't believe this is still one of my strongest spells…'
Although he had learned other intermediate spells, currently, no other spell could do as much destruction as [Explosion]. It also helped that undead were inherently weaker to fire, causing more damage as well.
The undead lost a chunk of their health but without feeling the pain of the burns on their bodies, they ran towards Sol. The three Awakened Gladiators led the assault as they used [Destructive Charge], wanting to smash Sol with their greataxes. The Awakened Shieldbearer followed behind, though slower than its fellow undead, while the mages stopped at a safe distance and began casting spells.
At this moment, Sol took out his bow and used [Grappling Vines] to slow down their pursuit while he mentally chanted his next spell. The root arrow flew towards the group and tangled on the legs of the undead, which made them stop in their tracks. That only lasted for a small moment as the Awakened Gladiators, still under the effect of [Destructive Charge], broke the vines and continued their charge.
The vines barely held back the group, but it bought Sol just enough time to finish his spell.
"[Incinerate]!"
One of the Skeleton Mages who was casting was suddenly lit aflame. It still kept trying to cast its spell, but the fire burned too strongly, quickly turning its bones into ash. At the same time as one Skeleton was being lit on fire, another was stabbed in the spine as Amber appeared out of nowhere. She didn't stop at one attack and repeatedly attacked the Skeleton Mage in a merciless fashion, killing it at the same time as the one on fire.
You have slain a Lv 64 Skeleton Mage! Gained 110,000 Exp (200%)
You have slain a Lv 64 Skeleton Mage! Gained 110,000 Exp (200%)
[Intermediate Fire Magic] leveled up! (8 -> 9)
The last Skeleton Mage turned away from Sol and directed its hate for the living to Amber, who was much closer. Sol knew she could handle the last one by herself, so he focused his attention on the incoming enemies instead.
Placing his bow away for now, Sol brandished his sword and used [Death Cyclone] on the approaching undead. Sol violently spun as he gained more and more momentum, and the moment his blade made contact with the first Awakened Gladiator, it cleanly cut through them. The same happened for the second Awakened Gladiator, being perfectly separated from its lower body.
You have slain a Lv 64 Awakened Gladiator! Gained 110,000 Exp (200%)
You have slain a Lv 64 Awakened Gladiator! Gained 110,000 Exp (200%)
Only the third Awakened Gladiator survived as the first two slowed the sword's momentum enough that the blade only went halfway through.
Unfazed by the pain in its torso, the undead raised its battleaxe and cleaved downwards. Sol let go of his sword and used [Ground Shrink], which instantly moved him 15 feet away. The skill moved him much further away than where he intended, but it was not a problem. Sol took out the Pollen Bow and charged its [Mana Arrow] skill with 50 mana. After some testing against other undead, Sol found 50 mana to be the sweet spot to deal a lot of damage without going overboard.
The arrow flew true and landed between the rotten eyes of the Awakened Gladiator, finishing it off.
You have slain a Lv 64 Awakened Gladiator! Gained 110,000 Exp (200%)
Sol slew all three of them in a matter of seconds before the Awakened Shieldbearer could even arrive. Just as Sol was about to face his last enemy, he saw another message.
You have slain a Lv 64 Skeleton Mage! Gained 110,000 Exp (200%)
The situation for the Awakened Shieldbearer became very grim. If it had any sentience, it would've run away, but with only having hatred for the living in its mind, it ran towards Sol without a shred of self-preservation.
Needless to say, the two made quick work of the last undead. It was unable to retaliate against attacks from both sides and perished under their combined might.
You have slain a Lv 64 Awakened Shieldbearer! Gained 110,000 Exp (200%)
The duo successfully defeated their first group of enemies on the fourth floor without any problems. Sol gave Amber a thumbs up, but it was met with her usual silent stare.
"Let's keep going, I'm close to leveling up."