CHAPTER 74.

The first monster Amber stumbled across after the Darkness Velstalkers was a tiger with black fur and white marks that sparkled like jewelry. Its claws were made out of a glowing purple crystal. It happened to be conveniently by the way down to the next floor. And it was a strong monster.

[Grand Crystal Tigri. Lvl. 157]

In fact, it was most likely comparable to the source of the plague, and yet Amber⁠— let it attack her. The monster tore into her arm and a chunk of her armor, carving an ugly gash and all Amber did was⁠— heal it. She used Essence as her flesh mended, and at first it was difficult, in fact⁠— she had another hole torn this time through her shoulder as the tiger hissed.

But Amber paid it no mind, instead she focused on channeling her Essence and⁠— she got it. Her wounds instantly mended as the tiger tore apart another part of her arm. But this time it was quickly healed much to its dismay⁠. It caused it to roar in anger. And then, it began to use some form of crystal magic that Amber of course⁠—

Allowed it.

She let the monster attack for close to an hour to no avail, and finally, Amber had enough. She punched it and broke through its claws. Crystal splintered as the monster shrieked. Essence was like a resource to enhance her body, but it was also more.

The Grand Crystal Tigri roared and Amber used Fulminating Slash⁠— taking apart its claw before it was blasted with a burst of flames. The tiger shrieked as it went rolling, and Amber didn’t stop there. She rushed towards it with a burst of speed, she planned on testing her other skills.

The monster tried to run and she⁠—

Stomped.

It was stunned, and with the 3rd Rank of Quick Dash she arrived at its side before slapping the tiger into the ground. It shrieked and the ground cracked, and then she used Crimson Fuel through its skin and it⁠—

Let out an ear-piercing wail as it thrashed, and it sent an explosion of magic in a panic. One that cut Amber all over⁠— and her wounds healed all over, and a few minutes later, the monster died. Thrashing in its spot.

She had gotten some skill level ups, but she paid no mind to them for now, there were only two things she cared about.

One was the fact that she had test her skill and figured out the extent of her healing⁠— which in her opinion was the equivalent of an active 2nd Rank of Recovery of Curses. Did that mean Recovery of Curses was useless? No, but Amber felt glad about having an extra layer of healing.

Now, she most definitely wasn’t going to die to poison.

The second thing she cared about was…

[You have defeated a [Grand Crystal Tigri. Lvl. 157].]

[You have reached level 149. 5 stat points awarded.]

+5 Vitality +5 Strength +5 Dexterity.]

Her advancement.

The experience required for every single level after 100 was quite high, but she was getting closer to her level 150 advancement. Well closer was an understatement. The finish line was essentially right there.

So, Amber headed down the downwards winding path, and for a moment she took in the surroundings. She took in the cavernous path she was trekking on, the sources of light⁠— glittering crystals and chunks of green moss.

She was in the Grand Dungeon of Torl, one of the biggest dungeons in all of Vir and the tower belonging to the Primordial Spirit, Sid'fril.

Amber admired it all for a few moments, but soon enough she shook her head and ran instead. The world around her blurred, and then⁠— she pushed her Essence. Her speed increased drastically, and the world around her blurred.

While the standalone power of Essence was good, the combined power of her system skills along with God’s Physique was outstanding. Just how she had completely annihilated the Darkness Velstalker before, she now had an amazing amount of strength.

And she of course, reveled in it.

In mere seconds, she reached the next floor and at the entrance, she saw more monsters. Two of them. They were large and lumbering, their physique closest to rhinoceros, but they had flames coming out of numerous spots in their body. Almost as if they were creatures from hell.

[Naraka Cerotidae. Lvl. 162]

[Naraka Cerotidae. Lvl. 163]

And they were strong.

Amber had no idea what their name was, but at least their level was comparable to that of the source of the plague, so she smiled.

How do I compare now?

There was only one way to find out, she wanted to know how long she had come since meeting Ian, and now, the perfect opportunity was right before her eyes. Amber raised her arm as both of the Naraka Cerotidae⁠— or rhinoceros as she preferred to call them⁠— turned to her. But it was too late.

Fulminating Slash.

The white slash streaked through the air and Amber kicked⁠— the slash hit and so did her Essence empowered foot. The rhinoceros had multiple ribs broken as an explosion of flames rippled and Amber laughed. She felt her foot dig into the side of the monster, as it was sent stumbling back to the side⁠, and her flames singed her own person but it was nothing more than superficial burns.

She landed with a grin and the other rhinoceros roared and sent a blast of flames towards her, and Amber embraced it. She let herself be engulfed by the orange inferno as her Essence enveloped her body, healing the burns as they came.

The hell blast continued burning her and didn’t end until a few seconds later, and when the fire cleared Amber laughed. Her burnt skin was quickly healing, and it was an attack that she wouldn’t have been able to take before. But now, she could eat it all.

Taking out the Cursewelder and enveloping her body with Essence, she brought the blade down. The rhinoceros craned its head in an attempt to dodge but the Cursewelder still struck its clavicle and basically shattered deep into it⁠ and Amber when that happened, used Cursed Cleave and Fulminating Slash.

In an instant the clavicle of the monster exploded with blood and flames, and it reeled back screeching having been critically injured. And that was when the other monster came back, Amber was torched by flames and she got out of the way and looked at the rhinoceros with some surprise.

It had a scar running along its side, as if the attack from earlier was an old wound.

“So you can heal,” she commented.

It was a fact that she wasn’t taking the battle that seriously, mainly focusing on testing how she could use God’s Physique but now, she took it as a challenge. How fast could she finish this monster before the other one recovered? It was something that Amber wanted to find out. So, she rushed forward.

And this time, she pushed Cursed Supreme Momentum to its upper limit, as well as with Essence, all while burning the blood within her own body with tinges of pain. Her body became enveloped with a pale blue light and she reached the monster in a single moment. Slashing down with the Cursewelder, she made use of her stored rage, Curse Manipulation and Cursed Cleave all at the same time.

Immediately she tore a large gash through the monster, breaking through any bone in the way, but Amber didn’t stop there, she stomped exacerbating the curses on the monster before smiling. The monster wasn’t the most susceptible to fire, but she still used Flamethrower. Torching its insides and causing it to reel and send flames her way.

And Amber in response used the 3rd Rank of Quick Dash and appeared on top of the monster.

She was trying to kill it as fast as possible, so what came next was obviously⁠—

Curse Battery!

She spammed it on the monster as it screeched. Blood burst, flames exploded, and it fell on its knees from being weakened, and Amber didn’t stop there. She jumped away from the monster and swiped⁠—

“Cleave, and⁠— Abyssal Blast!”

In a single moment the monster exploded into flames before exploding a second time with a burst of purple. Burning flesh streaked through the air and Amber lithely landed with a grin on her face. And⁠— the other monster charged at her.

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Amber slapped it.

The accumulation of all her strength bonuses sent the monster stumbling back, and finally she turned to her system notifications.

[You have defeated a [Naraka Cerotidae. Lvl. 164].]

[You have reached level 150. 5 stat points awarded.]

+5 Vitality +5 Strength +5 Dexterity.]

She smiled and then a new notification came⁠—

[Class Advancement unavailable ⁠— You have yet to do something unprecedented amongst the Cursed Supreme Ones of history.]

Amber blinked. “You can’t be serious right…?”

That’s the requirement? Something unique? The sight stumped her, in fact it barely even made sense. She had done a lot⁠— and maybe it was because of her ego, but she seriously doubted she hadn’t done a single unique thing. But then again⁠— what kind of feats were counted towards that? She had absolutely no idea.

Amber frowned and the monster came back, and this time she stowed the Cursewelder away, perhaps it was because she was upset, but she decided to fight it barehanded. All while she thought about her predicament.

So, with all her strength she punched the monster, cracking some bones and rupturing her knuckles. She kicked, sending it reeling back, before punching again. It quickly became a bloodied battle that Amber ultimately came out victorious from, and when the battered monster fell back.

Amber let out a deep breath.

“So I guess it’s best for me to focus on Essence for the time being?” she wondered.

She didn’t know if there had been another Cursed Supreme One to learn Essence before level 150, or if it was a “common” thing every thousand or two thousand years, but for now. She decided it was best for her to focus on that.

If Essence was the answer, she’d get her Class Advancement.

And if it wasn’t⁠— she’d figure out how to get her Class Advancement after the fact.

“Now then, I guess I have some skill leveling to do, huh?” Amber wondered outloud.

She had no clue what level the Abyssal Briroar was, but she was well aware she had to get as many skills to 4th Rank as she could. Otherwise the fight would be… rough. She also had to polish her Essence, since after all.

She was going to use the Abyssal Briroar boss to ignite her core.

With a new plan in mind, Amber set off.

[Cursed Stomp has leveled up from 3rd rank level 9 to 3rd Rank level 10.]

[Recovery of Curses has leveled up from 3rd Rank level 8 to 3rd Rank level 10.]

[Curse Battery has leveled up from 3rd Rank level 9 to 3rd Rank level 10.]

[Curse Manipulation has leveled up from 3rd Rank level 9 to 3rd Rank level 10.]

[Crimson Sense has leveled up from level 6 to 7.]

[Crimson Destruction has leveled up from level 4 to 5.]

[Crimson Break has leveled up from level 2 to 3.]

[Elemental Resistance has leveled up from 3rd Rank level 5 to 3rd Rank level 8.]

[Physical Resistance has leveled up from 3rd Rank level 6 to 3rd Rank level 8.]

[Magical Resistance has leveled up from 3rd Rank level 6 to 3rd Rank level 8.]

[Quick Recovery has leveled up from 2nd Rank level 3 to 2nd Rank level 4.]

[Name: Amber | Level: 150 | Title: Demonkiller

Class: Cursed Supreme One | Unspent Stat Points: 0

Legacy Branch: Crimson Fervency

Stats:

Vitality: 600

Strength: 550

Dexterity: 520

Endurance: 150

Intelligence: 103

Wisdom: 270

Free Core Skill Slots: 0 | Core Skills:

[Cursed Cleave - 3rd Rank Lvl. 10], [Quick Dash - 3rd Rank Lvl. 10], [General Weapon Mastery - 3rd Rank Lvl. 10], [Cursed Supreme Momentum - 4th Rank Lvl. 1], [Cursed Supreme Berserker’s Body - Lvl. 4th Rank Lvl. 1], [Cursed Stomp - 3rd Rank Lvl. 10], [Recovery of Curses - 3rd Rank Lvl. 10], [Curse Battery - 3rd Rank Lvl. 10], [Cursed Rage Synergy - 3rd Rank Lvl. 10], [Curse Manipulation - 3rd Rank Lvl. 10]

Legacy Branch Skills:

[Crimson Fervor - 2nd Rank Lvl. 1], [Crimson Fuel - 2nd Rank Lvl. 1], [Crimson Venom. Lvl. 9], [Crimson Sense. Lvl. 6], [Crimson Destruction. Lvl. 5], [Crimson Break. Lvl. 3]

General Skills:

[Supernatural Nullification], [Abyssal Blast], [Identify. Lvl. 3], [Toxin Resistance ⁠- 3rd Rank Lvl. 8], [Elemental Resistance - 3rd Rank Lvl. 8], [Physical Resistance - Lvl. 3rd Rank Lvl. 8], [Magical Resistance - 3rd Rank Lvl. 8], [Sharp Instincts - 3rd Rank Lvl. 10], [Quick Recovery - 2nd Rank Lvl. 4].]

* * *

Amber peered down a tunnel with a frown.

“Just what is going on…”

She had been exploring for a few hours now, and apart from the rhinoceros and another group of much weaker monsters, she hadn’t actually seen anything else. Not a single sign of life on the tunnels, and on one hand it was great to practice her Essence, but on the other…

“How am I meant to get stronger?” she pondered. “I’ve been burning myself but my resistances haven’t moved.”

She knew they were making progress, but it just couldn’t compare to the progress made against a much higher level adversary. In the meantime, she had also taken a look at her possible class skill⁠ with the idea of replacing an existing skill— given the fact that skills below 4th Rank were affected against the boss monster, but she didn’t know how to feel about it.

Amber shook her head and turned around, in the end, all she could do was continue to practice Essence, and that was what she intended to do until she found a monster.

She cupped her hands together and very slowly weaved a bow of flames⁠— it was a technique that Asil had taught her, though when he showed it to her. The bow he made consumed so much Essence that she nearly fainted. But, it had been educational.

And now, or rather, ever since then, she had been trying to replicate it. Of course, she didn't copy whatever the golden element was, because no matter how many times it was shown to her, she just didn't understand it. So, instead she used flames since it was her most familiar element.

She had tried to use a spear earlier, using the same technique that was used to make the arrows⁠— the same method. But in the end, she concluded that an arrow was much easier.

After all, there was a lot less mass to stabilize.

Amber pulled back the slightly quaking bow-string, while in the past it would struggle to maintain its form, now it was incredibly easy⁠— and it was all due to the increased control over Essence that God’s Physique had granted her.

Breathe… She gathered her Essence, creating an arrow of flames. Focus… Her Essence entered and gathered at the tip, almost creating a syphon effect to the tip of the arrow from other flames.

She stared at it for a moment, pushing as much Essence into the tip, and then⁠— she shot.

The arrow streaked like a flare and hit before exploding. Though the explosion wasn’t any stronger than the one caused by Fulminating Slash, meaning the skill and what she was trying to do was a disappointment. Again.

After all, she had used a considerable amount of Essence in it.

“Well, it’s just a matter of time before I manage to do it,” Amber reassured herself. “Eventually…”

Even with God’s Physique enhancements to her Essence manipulation, she still found it hard. But now, after practicing for hours, she felt like she was closer than ever. However…

“Where have all the monsters gone?” Amber frowned.

And finally, she decided to resume her search. She ran across the tunnels and then⁠ a short minute later, she saw⁠— lights. They were in front of her, all across her surroundings in the rather open cavern system and when she stepped further she saw.

Monsters.

They were sleeping, and yet there had to be a cluster of over a hundred of them in front of her. Amber froze for a moment and immediately turned around but it was too late⁠—

A blaring alarm rang, piercing her ears, and a moment later the monsters in front of her rose to their feet and immediately turned to her. At the same time, she heard voices call out.

“Intruder!”

“Kill them!”

“It’s a warrior!”

Amber immediately sent a Fulminating Slash at a pouncing monster and used the 3rd Rank of Quick Dash, to get out. She was at the edges of what seemed to be the encampment of Ofril and the enemy mages, so she had to be able to run⁠—

And with a flash of light, group of a dozen mages appeared dozens of meters ahead with over a hundred monsters. It was a mass teleportation that made Amber hesitate but a moment later, more teleported into her other free surroundings. In a single moment, she was surrounded by over a hundred mages and over a thousand monsters. And that’s when she realized that if she wanted to get out she had to carve her way through.

[Mage. Lvl. 158]

[Mage. Lvl. 134]

[Mage. Lvl. 154]

…

[Crystalwelf. Lvl. 135]

[Metamorphic Bear. Lvl. 161]

[Naraka Cerotidae. Lvl. 153]

…

So, she charged at the group of mages. They all prepared their spells and she threw another Fulminating Slash their way to interrupt, the skill having just come out of cooldown. Then, increasing her strength via all of her enhancements she slashed the Crystalwelf in half⁠—

Blood splattered as Amber rushed forward and jumped over the charging Metamoprhic Bear, then the Naraka Cerotidae blasted her with flames, but she ignored them and headed forward towards the now recovering mages.

“Dismember!” And a purple blast engulfed her.

But Amber charged right through, having just been healed by the curse that the mage had just been used.

“Repulse⁠—”

And she managed to dodge the knockback spell with the 3rd Rank of Quick Dash, she landed in the middle of the ranks of the mages which pointed their spells at her and Amber aimed down.

Flamethrower.

In an instant, a Crimson Deluge blasted all around her and she took the chance to Quick Dash away, taking advantage of the disarray that she had just caused. She made it past the barricade of the mages and a few remnant monsters pounced at her, but they were all weaker so she slapped them away.

While Amber didn’t know what to do after this, right now her only priority lay in escaping.

“Don’t let her run away!”

“Send her to the purgatory room! It’s not like we’ll manage to subjugate that thing anyways!”

“On it!”

Amber worried, The purgatory room?

And in a single moment, over twenty mages teleported in front of her, Amber used Fulminating Slash at them, but the attack was eaten by a barrier. And then, they all pointed at her. She prepared herself to dodge only for her to be⁠— surrounded by a white light.

In a single moment, the environment changed and that’s when she found herself in an oddly familiar cavern. The crystals around her were green, and there was no longer a dripping sound from the ceiling.

A thunderous roar came from behind her, and she turned.

[Abyssal Briroar. Lvl. ???]