I had the chance to remove my weakness to charm when I was given the Newbie Summon selector. There was a rank 6 legendary items I saw that would do this.
Eye of Agamotto.
The first is a weakened version of its marvel counterpart, and it can emit an all-revealing light that penetrates illusions, sees through disguises, replays recent events, and tracks beings by their magical or psychic signatures. It also grants its perceptions into others' souls similar to Freya, read minds, projecting magic barriers, and levitate heavy objects, however it is exclusively attuned to white mage.
It can only be wielded by individuals of pure heart and clean soul.
I don't think either of those characteristics fits me.
Only one? Out of thousands of legends? Only rank 6 legendary were available for me to pick from, and amongst them, it was the only one. Yes, there were some rare that granted resistance, but none that granted total immunity. And why would I give up the chance to get a legendary item?
I already got an Ignore Rank Stone from a daily login.
So since I couldn't get immunity to charm, I just picked the next best thing.
Lord of Blood's Robe, an armor that fits Rob really well. As you can see, I am centering my battle strategy around my lovely sword who I will soon unseal because it is being such a good sword.
Who's a good sword~
[…]
'Whatever.' I haven't gotten the chance to test it to its fullest because of my situations, but that will end now. Matter of fact, "I am going into the dungeon after we sell this off."
[BLOOD!]
"… What?" Miquella looked up at me after a short pause, "The dungeon?"
"And I am not returning until I get what I went down to get." I replied, looking up at Babel behind us that we just passed. "It's getting stuffy in there."
"And what would Ishtar say?" He asked, and I simply shrugged.
"She will see we are in the dungeon and not captured or some shit, so she shouldn't mind much," Besides, "If she needs us, there is always the force summon thing she has."
"That's not wise." Miquella shook his head, "We should return and ask for permission."
"Nah, Imma Do My Own Thing."
"… You are really going?" He stared.
"Yeah, and you are coming." I patted the boy's small shoulder. "I will be going to the deep floor, so I will need your insurance."
"THE DEEP FLOOR!" He almost shouted. No, he did, but in a hushed way. "Are you out of your mind? Two of us venturing to the deep floor!?"
"Have you been down there?" I asked and he waved.
"No, but even I am smart enough to know that a level 1 with the capability of a level 4 and a level 5 that can't even physically beat a level 2 won't survive down there." He continued, "Even with all your buff consumables, it would be STUPID to go down there."
"Don't doubt Promised Consort Radahn like that." He blinked, and I continued, "Rob, Lord of Blood's Robe, Cloak of Darkness, Fist of Atlas, my PP with 'Shepherd', and your Crystal Staff, Circlet of Light, and sling ring."
I paused. "Did I mention 'Lord of Blood's Robe.'" Wait, "I am sure I didn't mention Lord of Blood's Robe."
"I get it." He mumbled and I nodded.
"Our chance of survival down there is a hundred percent as long as we don't decide to fight a swarm of monsters—"
"All monsters in the deep floor are swarms!" The elf cut me off, "Didn't you read the books about the dungeon we took before we left the Belit Babili?"
"I read everything, and like I said," I looked into his eyes, "As long as we aren't stupid, surviving would be possible."
He stared, then sighed, into one of his palms. "Why do you even want to go down there?"
"Banshee, White Specter, Dreamweaver Lurker, and Psyhound." All four of those monsters attack using mental-based attacks. "I need a lot of their stones."
He should understand the reason, "And you should know the first two can only be killed using healing magic, which we don't have…" He trailed off. "… Yes, I can turn my magic's damage into healing, but they aren't slow enough to get caught even if I only cast one light."
"Golden Grease." In Tower to Hell, it was used to boost 'holy damage,' of the right-handed weapon. But now, when used, it coats my right arm and the weapon held in it in 'holy magic,' allowing me to deal holy damage instead of physical damage when attacking.
Those 'ghost' type monsters should be weak to them, since holy damage can be considered 'healing.' It lasts sixty seconds, and I have 23 of them, so I could use Shepherd to gather many together and then kill them all.
"If that doesn't work, I have the Hefty Rancor Pot." Fight ghosts with ghosts.
"I doubt how well a level one vengeful spirit will fare against a level three ghost." He made a good point, "Elixirs." He muttered.
"You beat me to it." Normal healing potions that adventures have won't deal any damage against these ghost-type monsters, however the most powerful healing potion, Elixir, will deal damage.
No one would use an Elixir to beat a monster through. Who is stupid enough to waste such a precious item?
ME!
My Elixirs are superior to this world's and how many did I have?
[Elixirs 999/999]
[Elixirs 883/999]
It is the most COMMON drop from the item banner and even the daily sign in. Like last sign in, I got x100 elixirs. Since I never needed them except for healing my Familia members, I kinda just allowed them to stack up. And if I decide to sell them at market value, I will get nine hundred forty-one million.
"Still, it is a really stupid idea." he sighed.
"You don't have to come," I still have a teleportation consumable similar to the one I used to save Ishtar, "But I will be needing your sling ring—"
"Who said I'm not coming?" He cut me off, "I haven't entered the dungeon, so I am curious."
Reaching level 5 without once entering the dungeon. But it will kind of make sense when you realize he was the ONLY accountant for the Ishtar Familia for two decades. But still, it's amazing.
No, shouldn't that be impossible? How did he get high-rank excelia?? From evading the massive guild for 20 years or something? Whatever. I dropped the gravity barrier as we approached the Loki Familia home, letting the rain beat hard on us. And soon,
"Halt!" A female Golden Retriever Chienthrope shouted as she pointed her spear at me. She was one of the two Guards of the Twilight Manor's gate, the other not moving from her spot. "State your business, brute!"
'Jesus. At least show some kind of courtesy.' This time, I decided not to smile as I was told it looked 'nightmare inducing.' "I am a merchant and here to sell something to Finn."
"Lies." The other female guard, a light-skinned human female, spoke from her leaning against the wall beside the gate. "Big bald black man with the body of a Silverback." She looked me up and down, "Everyone knows the new level 4 and captain of the fallen Ishtar familia." She grinned, "Tell me. How is that pig doing in your familia?"
'Pig?' Do we have a pig in our familia...? Right! The elf was part of Loki before. "Look, miss, I just want to sell something to your captain.
"Do you have an appointment?" She asked, her blue eyes locked on mine.
"Yes," I nodded.
"If you had one, I would have been informed," She smiled, "So why don't you turn around and walk back to where you came from."
"Ok." I wasn't going to fight her. Best to just return to get an invitation. How I get that, I don't know, but it should be possible though the guild. "Have a good day." With that, I left.
After walking away from the Familia vicinity, I almost picked Miquella up and started running, but then I remembered something. Opening my cloak, I saw the girl still hugging my legs.
"…" There is something mentally wrong with her.
"Miquella." I grabbed the girl by her torso like some-kind of doll and then looked at my map, no one was around, "Portal."
He outstretched his left arm, a golden ring glinting on his middle finger. Holding it outstretched, he traced his right hand in an anticlockwise circular pattern in front of him, space itself sparking as a golden ring was drawn. In the middle of this ring appeared the main altar of the basilica, and on the other side was the curious Lena.
"Catch," I tossed Alice through the portal to the level two who caught her like a princess and then Miquella let the portal drop, the skill entering a cooldown of 24 hours. Good thing he had marked the main altar as the location he wanted to be able to teleport to from wherever in the world.
"Now," I picked him up under my arm like he was a sack, the black cloak covering him like it did with the little girl. "Let's go."
Though the storm had made it look like the night, it was still around one in the morning and the 'adventure way' was quite busy. But I didn't care for the eyes as I jumped through the hole in the dungeon that led me directly to the first floor.
Opening the map, I set my location for the 30th floor, the deepest floor map I have recorded. Yes, I haven't unlocked the full map to see monsters, but I have the map, so I can use the pathfinder feature. Thank god or else I would have spent hours manually following the map to descend.
["Can you let me see the dungeon?"] Miquella asked, opening my cloak as I kneed a floor nine goblins on its head, blood and gore splatting on this face. ["Never mind."] He closed it.
Almost seven minutes later, I arrived on the 13th floor, the so-called First Line. The walls, ground, ceiling, were made of metamorphic bedrock, being ash-colored, with the air moist and musty.
I reached the 13th floor, the so-called First Line, after nearly seven minutes. The walls, ground, and ceiling were all made of ash-colored metamorphic bedrock and the air was thick with moisture, the musty scent of a cave deep in the heart of a mountain. It was dark—too dark for an average human to navigate—but to the heightened senses of all Falna blessed, it was simply a place of low visibility. I could activate my Glasses of Clear Sight, make it as bright as day, but I didn't need them. I'd be out of here soon.
From the 13th to the 17th floors, massive well-like holes peppered the ground, plunging into the lower levels. Falling into one could send you plummeting down one floor below or multiple floors, it is a gamble. Conveniently, I was headed for one of these very holes—the one that led directly to the 24th floor.
An eleven-floor descent.
I continued my sprint, each step echoing softly in the cavernous space. As I neared the gaping hole ahead of me, more than five meters in diameter, it yawned like the void itself. Without hesitation, I leapt.
"Miquella," I said, crossing my arms in an X across my chest, my legs straightening beneath me as I dropped. Miquella was between my arms and chest like a doll. "Increase fall speed!"
["All right,"]
In an instant, calculations flowed through my mind and I used it. A pinkish-purple aura shimmered around my body, and gravity increased multiple fold, pulling me downward faster than before.
I began to fall, accelerating like a meteor. The walls of the hole blurred as my blue glow illuminated the shaft, cutting through the dark like a streak of lightning, the opening above quickly disappearing.
50 m/s. 65 m/s. 90 m/s.
As the speed increased, the wall around turned to a blur of motion, the wind howling in my ears, whipping my clothes. My glowing form streaked downward, faster and faster.
120…190…
["Barrier,"] Miquella's calm voice sounded again.
Accepting the calculation in his mind, I created a purple gravity barrier wrapped tightly around my body, hugging my contours as I continued my descent. I stopped feeling most of the wind on my body, my clothes settling, but the sound remained. One of the things that takes a lot of mind to block out is outright impossible right now.
200…280…300 m/s…
I grinned, watching and feeling the pressure of the air condensing into a cone beneath me, forming a path as I neared supersonic speeds. However, the wind curved around my barrier, unable to touch me.
At 330 m/s, the artificial acceleration from my gravity magic ceased, but the fall continued. The light below began to grow, brightening as I approached the 24th floor's exit, then I rocketed out of the hole, the world bursting into view around me.
Instantly, the dark stone gave way to vibrant, living wood. The ceiling, walls, and floor of this level were entirely made of thick tree bark, like I had entered the hollow of a massive tree.
Moss clung to every surface, glowing in a bluish-green light, illuminating the space. It was vast—an open forest stretching as far as I could see. Massive cliffs lined the forest, some with doors on their faces with doors and most having wooden bridges similar to what the walls are made of leading to them. Rivers wound through the floor, carving paths through the fantastical forest, and I could hear the reverberations of distant monster howls.
My descent halted abruptly. I floated, suspended in the air about 30 meters below the hole I had just shot out of, high in the 'sky' of this strange, living labyrinth.
I opened my arms wide beside me, as if embracing the entire world below, with Miquella floating beside me with gravity. "Rejoice, mortals!"
The wind that had chased me through the tunnel blasted out behind me like a turret, rushing past, but my gravity barrier absorbed its force. It swirled past me, illuminating me like divine light from the heavens.
"Your GOD has arrived!" I declared, head held high.
["…"]
"HAHAHA—"
*BUZZZ*
A loud buzzing sound interrupted my godly laugh, and I simply outstretched my right arm, stopping the buzzing. Turning my head slowly to it, I saw a black and red honeybee looking monster almost as big as a fucking human frozen in the air with a bluish pink aura around it.
"How dare you interrupt my godly laugh, creature." I pointed at it, "And how dare you fly in the sky owned by I!?" The aura around it turned purple, "You don't deserve my sky," then I pointed down;
"Fall."
The gravity increased multiple folds as it shot towards the forest below, disappearing from my sight. "Know your place below me," I spat, "TRASH!"
[+21 EXP]
"Damn."
That is a trash amount of EXP. Even if you multiply it by the four times reduction the champion path gives, you still get 84 exp. Too little for a monster one rank above me. Even when I had 2500 level at rank 0, goblins gave more exp!
"…" I turned to the blond elf staring at me and pointed, "Your fault."
"?" I could almost see a question-mark appear above his head, but it is his fault.
The game most likely counted his calculation for my gravity magic as an assist, so exp was subtracted…
"Oh," I came to a realization. "Oh my god." No wonder I got so little exp during the fall of the Pleasure Quarter. I hadn't thought much about it because of the four times reduction, but now that I think of it…
I killed multiple level 3s, so why the fuck am I not maxed out level.
"It's you." The elf is 'hard-carrying' me as a level 5, so the exp is reduced by a lot for high level monsters especially. "No…" How much exp did I miss out on.
Almost a hundred thousand!
"We are descending,"
No, it should be more than that! I should be at least a mid level one. No, a high level one if the elf didn't decide to steal all my exp. Shit. Does that mean I can't use my magic when fighting high level adventures to get the most exp when I kill them? But my magic is one of my—
A high-pitched humming sound interrupted my anger filled monologue.
"Shut UP!" I turned to the course, a swarm of more than 50 cat-sized midges, moving together to form a large cloud of black as they rushed towards me.
"Atlas Gauntlets." I immediately felt the familiar weight as a sleek, metallic futuristic gauntlet covered my entire arms from shoulder to fingertips, giving them a futuristic, cyborg-like appearance. The surface is smooth, reflecting the light of the floor, the segmented plates shifting slightly as I flexed my fingers, and a soft, red glow emanates from narrow lines along the forearm and knuckles.
I pointed my arms at the approaching swarm. "Second Form. Code: 'Ignis-02.'"
The sound of heavy clicking gears filling the air as the gauntlets quickly shifted. My palms opened, the fingers retracting to reveal glowing cores, and the forearms bulked up, vents sliding open along the sides, releasing a faint hiss of heat.
"Incinerate!"
And with that, both palms erupted in a massive conical blast of flames. The roar of the fire was deafening, a thunderous rush like a jet engine igniting, as twin torrents of fire shot out from each hand, merging and forming a single, massive blast that spread wide.
The heat was intense, the air warping from the sheer power of the flames, and a sonic-like ring followed the blast. The blast engulfed the entire swarm in the middle, sounds of hisses and crackles filling the air as their bodies instantly ignited, with the blast continuing forward for many meters.
On the edges, where the blast hadn't yet reached, the remaining midges swarm split in two groups, darting around the flames and rushing toward me from both sides.
I moved my hands apart, each blast of fire shifting with my motion, sweeping out to either side, meeting the split groups head-on. The fire tore through them, incinerating each cluster until nothing was left but smoldering ash.
The flames flickered and died—not even their stone surviving, the heat lingering in the air as the vents on my gauntlets hissed—releasing the excess energy. I lowered my arms, the gauntlets settling back into their default form.
[Pain Breaker]
I was back to my mind. Instantly stopping a near mach speed movement while falling from the ceiling had taken a fuck ton of mind, while that blast had taken my remaining.
As for the gauntlet?
[Special Grade Atlas Gauntlet: Pyro Core (Rare): Rank 4)
A weapon I had forged using the 'Basic Atlas Gauntlet,' three other uncommon, and five rank 5 commons. It has four forms, the base form had a 25% chance of echoing at enchantment 0, and it still had the charged punch but this one used fire.
The first form is a machine gun form similar to the M134 Minigun. The gun transforms mind into compressed flame bullets of 7.62×55 mm and shoots them out at a rate of 2000 to 6000 RPM and a muzzle velocity of 2800 fps. I can only adjust the rate and the muzzle velocity but not the strength of the bullets, as they all have a set mind and flame concentration that can be increased per level.
The second form was what I just used. I can increase its strength, heat, and speed to a limit, but I can't change the blast's 'shape,' so its power will always be widespread. It is strong enough to push me through the air, so I had to use my gravity to hold me in place.
The third form, that's for later because I just landed in a forest filled with monster scums that needs eradication. Dark Fungus, Black Beetle, Deadly Hornet, Venomthorn Ivy, Poison Moth, Rootfang Serpent, Face Hoppers, Verdant Mantis;
They all needed to eat lead.
"First Form. Code: 'Ignis-01.'"
The sleek, futuristic gauntlet covering my arm shifted and expanded, gears clicking and whirring as the metal plates moved into place. In seconds, my arm had fully morphed into a massive, menacing weapon—an M134 Minigun, its barrel spinning. My entire arm now looked like a mechanical beast, a glowing fire underneath the plates, the barrel spinning faster and faster, ready to unleash hell.
The low hum of the spinning barrel rapidly intensified, becoming a sharp, grinding roar as the minigun revved to full speed. I pointed my arm forward, aiming into the forest teeming with insect and plant monstrosities. With a thunderous eruption, bullets made of compressed flame shot from the spinning barrel at blinding speed, the rapid fire-rate filling the air with the sound of relentless gunfire.
BRRRRRRRRR!
The bullets, 7.62×55 mm rounds of searing flame, tore through the creatures in front of me like paper. The smaller monsters—Dark Fungus, Poison Moth, and Rootfang Serpents—stood no chance, rounds piercing them and their bodies burst apart in gory sprays of green, blue, and yellow blood.
Larger beasts like the Black Beetle tanked a few rounds, their thick carapaces cracking under the barrage before shattering entirely, leaving nothing but chunks of shell and torn flesh. I tilted my head to the side as the shard of hard shell flew past my face, leaving a line on my cheek.
"RAAAA!"
I swung my right arm to face my right, the minigun's barrel spinning at near-max speed, ripping apart anything that dared move. The bullets sprayed through trees and monsters alike, the wooden trunks splintering under the force while tree monsters disintegrated as rounds blasted through them.
The heat vents on the back of my shoulders opened, spewing steam as a swarm of flying insects and more hobgoblins emerged from the shadows, drawn to the sound of battle. With a snarl, I turned and fired at them, the bullets tearing through their ranks, reducing them to chunks of flesh and goo.
"For the Empire!
The cacophony of gunfire drowned out everything as I mowed down anything in my path. Blood—green, purple, and black—splashed across my face and chest, staining my clothes in a grotesque mash-up of monster remains.
I pointed the minigun skyward as a hobgoblin leaped at me from the treetops, the minigun's roar growing even louder. The creature barely got airborne before its body was riddled with flaming bullets, pieces of it raining down as ash.
"FOR AMERICA!"
I continued firing, however, I noticed something.
["Noah!"] Miquella's voice pierced through my mind as he stood directly in front of my chest, his back pressed against my legs, with the top of his head barely reaching the top of my thigh.
His Circlet of Light glowed brightly as he raised his hands above his head—his palm only reaching my abs—and a brilliant golden light formed in his palm. The sigil of the Golden Order Principia appeared, as a radiant ring of light materialized above him.
With a swift motion, Miquella brought his hands down, the golden ring expanding outward in a wave of light. The ring pulsed as it passed over me—healing some of my from the flying shards of bones and shells—but every plant and insect monster caught in its path was severed cleanly in half, their bodies falling apart in an instant.
["The swarm is increasing!"]
The minigun's heat was rising rapidly, the vents on my shoulders unable to keep up with the intense heat. 'Shit, it's overheating!' The gun began to jam, the rounds sputtering as the heat build-up reached critical levels. This was a problem! 'And the swarm too, I guess…'
SHIT, THE SWARM!
I made a fucking monster wave!
"Fly!" I shouted as Miquella, without hesitation, leaped and wrapped his arms and legs around my torso, calculations flowing into my mind. Then, a purple aura enveloped us both, pinning him to me, and in an instant, I shot into the air, the ground beneath us shrinking as we ascended.
The minigun sputtered out completely, its barrel red-hot and smoking from the relentless fire, but it didn't matter. We were airborne, and the swarm beneath us was left in the dust—
NOPE!
We are being chased by a fucking black cloud.
And they were gaining.
FAST!
A golden portal appeared in front of me and I entered, appearing more 400 meters in front of the swarm, but then I noticed more were rising from the forest. '…'
The blood was drawing them!
I forgot these guys were sensitive to blood. "No portal!" I noticed Miquella making a portal and made him stop. Continuing flying forward, I turned to face them, the mini-gun now cooled enough to switch form.
'Second Form. Code: Ignis-02.' The arm changed immediately.
"Ka…" I cupped my hands to my side as I continued flying, feeling the heat gathering in the gauntlets.
"Me…" As it was charged, more, the transformation kicked in, my arm expanding as more plates shifted on my biceps and shoulders. The arm grew bulkier, vents opening along the sides, red light gleaming from beneath the shifting metal. The heat radiating from the core was intense, almost unbearable as it reached near maximum even with my high heat resistance.
"Ha…" More vents popped open across the arm, the plates on my fingers and palms sliding apart more to reveal the glowing red core within.
"Me…" I couldn't push it to the absolute limit—it hadn't cooled enough for that—but I could still unleash hell. With a guttural roar, I thrust my palms forward,
"HA!!!"
'Incinerate!' I commanded in my mind.
["Pain breaker."]
The moment I released the command, the fire erupted from both arms, the twin blasts of searing flame instantly combining into one colossal blast, a wave of molten destruction roaring toward the swarm.
The sound was deafening, like the crack of a thousand whips, as sonic booms rippled outward from the force of the blast. The fire surged forward, engulfing the air with a blinding glow, the sheer heat warping the space around it, rings of sonic booms exploding outward, shaking the air as the blast slammed into the center of the swarm.
I gritted my teeth, using a lot of mind to fuel my gravity magic to keep my position in the air, my body fighting against the force of the blast. My arms felt like they were about to crack, the pressure building in my arms, the strain pushing my bones to their limit, but I used my magic to supplement.
The blast stopped after a few seconds, the air thick with the smell of burning monsters. I lowered my hands, panting heavily, my arms throbbing as I turned my attention to the swarm. Yeah, I expected the blast not to hit the edge but;
It didn't even pierce a hole through the center.
The swarm was just that thick!
"…WATER!"
I spun in the air like a jet, shooting downward. A golden portal opened in front of me, revealing a flowing river far below. Without hesitation, I entered the portal, slamming into the deep water with a powerful splash. The coolness of the water enveloped me, a stark contrast to the heat that had built up in my body.
As soon as I hit the water, I brought out the Monster Repellent Spray I still haven't finished from my second day log in, opened it, and poured it on myself and the elf. I stayed submerged, letting the current carry me downstream and mix the MRS with my whole form.
Being a Goliath and a Level 1, I could hold my breath for 90 minutes if I needed to, but I only needed about 15 before the buzzing completely faded into the distance. I waited another ten minutes for good measure, then popped up from the water, gasping and releasing my breath in a long exhale.
"…"
I was face to face with a green human that was about to drink from the river.
She had tusks jutting from her lower jaw, a small human nose, a sharp jawline, long black, silk-like hair hanging down from over her face and touching mine. And her eyes.
Ember like a raging flame.
*Badump*
What is this feeling whirling up in my chest!?
This feeling…
It's…
"Angst."
I was terrified.
Fucking terrified.
The orc quickly back tracked, and I could finally see it in whole. Slightly shorter than I am, with a highly muscular body that still held its feminine curves, and she wore clothes that seemed to be made haphazardly from other hobgoblin hides. Then I saw status above its head.
[Unnamed, Rank 6]
… I'm cooked.
But she stumbled back, falling on her butt. Her wide, blood-red eyes locked onto mine as her chest heaved with rapid, panicked breaths. Her whole body trembled, her strong hands splayed on the ground as if searching for something to grip.
She leaned forward suddenly, her broad jaw clenched as her face contorted with rage and resentment, the once-humanlike features twisting into something more primal.
Her scream tore through the air, a raw, guttural sound that vibrated through my bones. Her long, dark hair whipped around her as she lunged forward with the scream, the strands catching the dim light like silk in the wind. Her powerful arms shook, fists clenched, and veins bulge under her green skin, her sharp claws digging into the earth as if she were ready to charge.
'GREATER!' I gripped the unconscious Miquella arm as the consumable appeared on my other hand. 'TELEPORT—'
Without warning, she stood abruptly, her powerful legs propelling her upright in an instant. Then, as if guided purely by instinct, she turned and sprinted into the depths of the forest, her form moving swiftly, disappearing into the shadows of the trees before I could even react.
'—ATATION—' I finished chanting and teleported.
~~~~~~~~~~~Author's Note~~~~~~~~
As you might have already noticed, the strength of his gravity magic depends on the color of the aura. From weakest to strongest is blue, pink, then purple. Was not thinking of doing it like this until I remembered Radahn's magic was purple. Also, I don't remember if I said Pain Breaker could regenerate mind or not, but I feel like it should. Since it returns curses and damage to zero, and it regenerate stamina, so why not Mind too?
Right?
Hope this chapter was good. Thanks for reading.