The first thing he heard was a loud, bone-rattling hiss. Ahead of him was a black-and-white striped snake, its massive body coiled but ready to strike. A collar of jagged spikes encircled its thick neck, giving it an almost regal yet menacing appearance.
Lancer's eyes widened. This was definitely the basilisk he was looking for. He briefly considered himself lucky, but internally, he was screaming. What the hell is that thing? And why is it so big?
The system chimed in, [Your heart rate is above normal levels.]
"Shut up," Lancer hissed back under his breath.
The basilisk seemed to have grown tired of assessing him. Its golden, predatory eyes locked onto his, and with a sudden rearing of its head, it spat a torrent of white-hot flames. Lancer barely managed to dive out of the way, the blistering heat scorching his clothes and singeing the edges of his hair. Behind him, the cavern wall glowed red-hot, molten rock dripping ominously.
Lancer's heart pounded. He couldn't afford to get hit by that.
He raised his hand and unleashed Atomic Collapse, the signature blue beam firing straight at the creature. But to his utter disbelief, the basilisk dodged, its massive form moving with alarming speed.
"No fair," Lancer muttered, his frustration mounting. "It's big and fast?"
The basilisk retaliated with another blast of fire, forcing Lancer to dart to the side once more. Both combatants paused, their eyes locked as they evaluated their next moves.
Lancer decided it was time to shift tactics. He activated Poison Breath, flooding the chamber with a thick, paralyzing mist. The venomous cloud obscured his vision, but it was a calculated risk. That had to work.
Or so he thought.
The basilisk lunged through the poisonous haze, its massive body brushing past him. Lancer felt a sharp sting along his side, followed by the unmistakable sizzle of melting fabric and skin.
"Ugh, great," he groaned as his Regeneration kicked in, healing the damage almost instantly. The system informed him, [Subject appears to possess high poison resistance.]
"Of course it does," Lancer muttered, exasperated. He was beginning to think it was time to call in Typhon when the basilisk let out an ear-splitting screech.
A series of arrows peppered its flank, causing it to thrash in rage. Lancer turned to see the source of the attack: two figures stood in the distance. One of them, a girl with light blue hair that shimmered like silver, had her bow drawn again, another barrage of arrows ready to fly.
The basilisk's poisonous body, however, melted the arrows before they could embed themselves deeply. It hissed in fury, releasing a massive gout of its heat breath. But something unexpected happened—the flames bent slightly off course, slamming into the cavern wall beside the girls instead of incinerating them.
Luna, my sword," the blue-haired girl said firmly as she discarded her bow.
The other girl, Luna, handed her a gleaming sword without hesitation. The blade shimmered faintly, seemingly enhanced by magic as the first girl infused it with her energy.
Almost faster than Lancer could follow, she lunged at the basilisk. In an instant, they became a blur of sword and fangs. Their movements were dizzyingly fast, and though the basilisk's strikes were swift and deadly, they missed more often than not. The girl's strikes, however, landed with precision.
Lancer watched in awe as she swung her sword with practiced grace, her movements fluid and deliberate. Her technique was unlike anything he had ever seen. Each strike seemed perfectly timed, each dodge measured.
How is the basilisk missing so much? he wondered.
The system provided an answer: [She is likely using an evasion skill of some kind, possibly one that distorts perception or enhances reaction time.]
Lancer nodded to himself. He had figured as much. This girl was undoubtedly strong, and as he glanced at her, he activated Magic Sense. Her magic point count almost doubled his own. He turned his attention to Luna, who also possessed an impressive magic point count—slightly higher than the swordswoman's.
Who are these two? Lancer mused, growing increasingly curious.
The battle reached its climax quickly. The basilisk attempted a desperate tail sweep, but the girl dodged elegantly, almost as if she had foreseen the attack. With one clean motion, she brought her sword down and severed its head.
Victory was hers.
Lancer wasted no time. The moment the basilisk's life force faded, he activated Essence Assimilation. The faint, shimmering energy of the soul flowed into him.
[Magic point count increased to 1.2 million. You have acquired the skill: Thought Acceleration.]
Thought Acceleration? he thought. That sneaky bastard—that must be how it kept dodging my attacks earlier.
He shook his head. It didn't matter now. The battle was over.
As the girl began inspecting the basilisk's carcass, Lancer approached her. He owed her his thanks.
"Hey, thanks for the save back there. I was really in a mess," Lancer said, laughing nervously as he approached.
Yumiella turned to him, her posture rigid and her expression sharp. "If you're so weak that a mere creature like that bothers you, then you have no business being in this dungeon," she said, her tone laced with disdain. "As a matter of fact, I'm questioning how someone like you managed to reach the 81st floor in the first place."
Lancer raised his hands defensively. "Hey, hey, I would've found a way to handle it, probably," he said, though the nervous chuckle that followed didn't help his case.
"Uh-huh, sure," Yumiella said flatly, turning her attention to her sword. She examined it with a look of frustration. "Ugh. Useless." She sighed audibly. The blade, once pristine and gleaming, was now corroded and brittle from the basilisk's venom. It looked like it could crumble at any moment.
"Well, what's your name?" Lancer asked, trying to steer the conversation in a less hostile direction.
Yumiella's eyes flicked toward him briefly, her gaze sharp. "If you must know, I am Yumiella," she said, her tone carrying a regal air. She gestured toward the other girl. "And that is Luna."
Luna gave a polite bow, her silver-blue hair falling softly over her shoulders.
"I'm Lancer," he said, giving an awkward smile. "And uh, sorry about your sword. Looks like it's my fault it got busted up. If you want, I can fix it for you."
Yumiella raised an eyebrow, her arms crossing. "This sword is made from ferrumite, one of the toughest metals in existence. Do you even comprehend what you're saying?"
Lancer laughed lightly. "I bet I can make it even better," he said confidently.
Her eyes narrowed, and she sighed in exasperation. "Fine," she said, handing over the damaged sword. "But I expect nothing less than perfection. If you ruin it further, you will owe me far more than an apology."
Lancer grinned, taking the sword. As he absorbed it into his pocket dimension, Yumiella's eyes widened, a flicker of curiosity crossing her otherwise composed face.
Lancer studied the metal's structure carefully. Wow, he thought, respect to whoever forged this. It was a masterpiece, though he could tell it relied on a magical technique to absorb mana from the user and enhance its durability. He filed that observation away for later.
Focusing on his task, he combined the ferrumite with a bit of the high-grade alloys he had stored. The result was a glowing golden sword that seemed to radiate strength. It reminded him of Davi's gun, though this weapon had a sturdier build due to the quality of the original material.
Yumiella's jaw dropped slightly as she stared at the blade. "T-This sword..." she muttered, her voice almost a whisper.
Lancer held it out to her with a grin. "Impressive, right? I even came up with a name for it: Virellis."
Luna leaned in to examine the sword, her eyes widening slightly as well.
Yumiella took the sword cautiously, her gaze never leaving its surface. She ran her fingers along the edge before looking back at Lancer, her tone softer but still composed. "It… it looks exactly like the sword my father bought from a merchant in the capital."
Lancer froze for a moment before chuckling nervously. "Well, uh, pretty sure that was one of mine. Sounds like my work's made it that far."
Yumiella opened her mouth, about to press him for more details, but a sharp hissing noise interrupted her.
The sound wasn't alone—multiple hisses echoed from the adjoining tunnels leading to the cavern.