Lancer was just about ready to leave for the dungeon in Ostia. He wanted to take Davi with him, but Davi had protested so much that Lancer eventually let him be. He figured he would be fine with just Typhon—probably.
He waved off Livia as he headed for the town, his mind focused on the day's goals. It had become a habit of his to stop by the weapons shop and deliver materials to Rigel, the thickset shopkeeper who always had an eye for quality.
"Morning, Rigel," Lancer greeted as he stepped into the shop, his voice light.
Rigel looked up from a blade he was polishing, a grin spreading across his face. "Lancer! You've been keeping me in business these days."
Lancer chuckled and pulled out his latest creation, Sylvane—a shimmering, silver-like metal he had obtained by improving the steel of this world. He laid the bars on the counter, and Rigel's eyes widened as he examined them.
"This is incredible," Rigel muttered, running a hand over the smooth surface. "You've outdone yourself, kid. You sure you don't want to set up shop in the capital? Materials like these would make you a fortune."
"I'm good where I am," Lancer replied with a smile. "But I'll keep bringing them here."
Rigel chuckled, handing over a pouch of gold coins. "Deal. Word is spreading, you know. Folks in the capital are dying to know where these bars come from. They're saying your materials might even rival the dwarves' work."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Lancer said, tucking the pouch into his pocket. "Anyway, I'll be back later. I'm planning to explore the dungeon today."
"Good luck," Rigel called after him as he left.
Lancer's next stop was the guild. Since obtaining his guild card, he was free to take on quests within his level range. As he walked through the doors, he glanced at the bustling crowd and the rows of quest boards lining the walls.
Apparently, the dungeon had at least 200 floors going all the way down, and it hadn't even been fully explored. It was Davi who told him this. Lancer had been surprised to find out that Davi had been in this world for a while now—almost two years. Based on how he acted, Lancer had thought he was a newcomer like him.
Davi had explained that there were a number of dungeons across the planet, each one unique. The only way to get to the lower floors was to find the entrance for each; otherwise, you could wander aimlessly, never making progress. He had also warned Lancer about going deeper than his level allowed. The creatures on floors beyond 100 were incredibly powerful, and anyone below level 4 would be hard-pressed to survive.
Lancer, however, felt confident he could push close to floor 100. Despite being a level 2, his magic capacity was leagues above a typical human at that level. With a magic point count nearing a million, he could easily rival the high-end capabilities of a level 3 human. Of course, magic capacity varied greatly depending on the species. Spirits, like the Anemoi he had absorbed, could reach up to 2 million magic points at level 2 alone. They weren't even the species with the highest capacity in the Axis World.
Remus, Lancer realized, was much stronger than he'd initially assumed. The demon had casually mentioned his magic points were just over a million—a bit on the low end for a demon, but still far superior to most humans.
As Lancer browsed the guild's quest board, his attention was caught by a handsome reward for capturing basilisks. The creatures, the system informed him, were snake-like beasts with highly potent venom. Venom? That was perfect for him. He had Poison Breath, and his abilities had natural resistance to toxins. He pulled the paper off the board and had his quest verified.
The dungeon wasn't far, especially with his ability to fly. When he arrived, he saw a handful of adventurers milling around the cave-like entrance in the mountainside, some heading out and others preparing to descend. Without hesitation, Lancer landed and entered.
The upper floors were bustling, full of people selling maps, equipment, and various provisions. It felt more like a small marketplace than a dangerous dungeon. Lancer smiled to himself; he didn't need a map. With Architect's Dominion in his arsenal, he could perfectly navigate any labyrinth. He started to feel a little sorry for people who didn't have his cheat-like abilities.
Besides, he thought, he could always use Speed of Lightning for a quick return to the surface. The system interrupted him, saying, [This place is spatially cut off from the rest of the world. The skill will not function here.]
That was a little concerning, but Lancer shrugged it off. It wasn't like he planned to go past floor 100 anyway.
He made his way down through the busy first floors, the hustle and bustle gradually fading as he descended. By the time he reached the tenth floor, the crowds had thinned considerably, and the first monsters began to appear. They weren't much of a challenge. Atomic Collapse took care of most of them instantaneously.
The first real challenge came on floor 30. Lancer spotted it on the map provided by Architect's Dominion: a lizard-like creature with rough, brown skin that blended seamlessly into the dungeon walls. It hadn't attacked him outright but waited out of sight, perfectly camouflaged. If he had been a regular person, he might never have noticed it.
Fortunately, anything with a soul couldn't hide from him. The fight wasn't overly difficult, but it was a reminder that not everything here was going to rush at him head-on.
Most of the monsters didn't provide the boost to his magic capacity he'd been hoping for. Even the skills they granted were underwhelming—minor abilities or variations of things he already had. By the time he reached floor 81, disappointment was starting to settle in.
That was until he was drawn to a particular chamber. Something powerful was in there.
The skill "Magic Sense" he had obtained from one of the monsters earlier suddenly became useful. It wasn't much on its own—likely used by the original creature to detect prey or avoid predators—but the system had integrated it into Architect's Dominion.
[New function added to Architect's Dominion: Enhanced Magic Detection. You can now view precise magic point counts for detected entities.]
With this upgrade, Lancer's suspicions were confirmed. The monster in the next room had an estimated 450,000 magic points.
Lancer grinned. This was definitely not going to be easy.