Having fulfilled his guild obligations, Thorian brought the civilians together, offering them the choice between two non-combatant roles: Blacksmith or Alchemist. Realizing they could still accumulate experience points and level up through crafting rather than monster combat, the civilians unanimously opted for these production classes.
The newly minted blacksmiths were constrained by their lack of access to sophisticated blueprints or high-quality materials. As such, their initial foray into forging was limited to rudimentary iron weaponry. The majority of their early attempts culminated in flawed products, yet Thorian remained confident that given time, they would eventually craft the lower-tier White Mist gear that his army sorely needed.
On the other hand, the alchemists' initial attempts at concocting a basic mana recovery pill likewise resulted in defective creations. Thorian recognized that even when they managed to successfully produce these pills, their effectiveness would be limited. Each pill could only be consumed once per day before losing its efficacy, unlike the highly rare ones that could be ingested multiple times daily while retaining their potency.
After successfully assigning the civilians to their new roles, Thorian ventured towards the Wooden Wall. There, he rallied a significant portion of his fighters to fell the remaining trees within the village.
Following a concerted effort over the course of half an hour, the task was swiftly accomplished. The kobolds, kobloids, and orcs then gathered the remaining tree trunks and deposited them beside the Territory Altar. Once the wood was swiftly consumed, Thorian turned his attention to their resource inventory.
Resources Gathered Experience 21.2k Wood 3.7k
That’s good enough. Build Outer Wall.
The earth beneath them roiled and quaked, clouds of dust billowing around the village, forming a haze that seemed to reach towards the heavens. The completion of the Outer Wall marked the beginning of their next tasks.
Thorian sprinted to the gates of the Inner Wall, promptly instructing all units to patrol the newly-formed buffer zone between the two walls. It was crucial that they exterminate any monsters lurking within this area before advancing their forces to the Outer Wall.
Following an intensive hour of mass extermination, the space between the walls was finally rendered safe. Thorian stationed the four units along the Outer Wall, assigning them the same directional posts they had previously held at the Inner Wall.
The expanded perimeter, reaching deeper into the forest, necessitated heightened vigilance. Monsters assaulted the Outer Wall with a ferocity matching that of the previous day's onslaught against the Inner Wall. Although this escalated the threat of injury and death, it also provided the fighters with ample opportunities to hone their spellcasting skills. The kobloids, too, found their leveling speed bolstered, nudging them closer to their much-anticipated evolution.
Meanwhile, the establishment of the Outer Wall also granted them secure access to a bountiful source of trees and lumber. With the fighters still operating in two platoons, Thorian implemented a mandatory rotation system, requiring the squads to alternate between guard duties and tree-cutting tasks every few hours
As the village grew in size and complexity, Thorian understood that their demand for resources would only increase. The need to construct new dwellings and maintain existing structures could swiftly drain their reserves. Moreover, as they continuously upgraded the territory, the costs associated with their buildings would inevitably rise.
By the time Thorian had all the necessary systems in place for the efficient functioning of the village, the afternoon suns were high in the sky. Thorian’s team, whom he had instructed to intensively practice their spells, had followed his directive faithfully. The magi had reached peak proficiency in their secondary skills and proceeded to the Magus Guild to receive their class advancements. Ventus emerged as a lightning magus, Saxum transformed into a sand magus, Ifrit evolved into a magma magus, and Aqua gained mastery over his ice abilities.
Regrouping with their original squad, Thorian then led them towards the Verdant Labyrinth. However, they did not bring the direwolves alongside them this time. Due to the larger perimeter that the fighters needed to guard, and the urgent need to gather more wood, the combatants were under a great amount of stress. In such a situation, an unaccounted-for event like the previous human invasion could prove lethal to the fledgling village. As such, Thorian deemed it prudent to keep Harald and the rest of the direwolves in the village to provide further protection.
Meanwhile Thorian and his squad reached the dungeon and proceeded to its third layer. The creatures they encountered there were similar to those found on the second layer, albeit more numerous and marginally stronger. Nonetheless, their newly empowered group had no trouble confronting these beasts. Using his Thunderclap and Mist Veil combo, Thorian and his team were able to keep most foes at bay, leaving them stunned and vulnerable to the range of wide-area spells they had at their disposal.
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Their journey to the golden grotto was uneventful, save for the group's remarkably swift leveling speed. In fact, Thorian managed to level up his class a staggering six times during their trek to the guardian.
Upon entering the grotto, Ventus couldn't suppress his awe. "Wow, this guy has somehow grown even bigger," he remarked.
"Sush, you’re going to alert it," Saxum quickly chided.
Thorian cast his gaze on the enormous beast ensconced within the grotto, and found himself agreeing silently with the yellow kobold. The Guilded Spiketail before them was nearly double the size of its second layer counterpart. Its exoskeleton had evolved considerably, now featuring formidable armored protrusions that speckled its lengthy body. The grotto itself had expanded in size, necessary to accommodate the monstrous creature
"Let's take care of it quickly," Thorian commanded.
With this directive, Vigil initiated his incantation, bestowing upon the group his newly-acquired skill that enhanced both their agility and constitution. Without a moment's delay, Thorian deployed his Mist Veil, enveloping the entire grotto in dense fog.
Reacting to the unusual developments, the Gilded Spiketail bellowed and thrashed about. As it moved, Thorian snapped his fingers, and a thunderous roar erupted right next to the beast, immobilizing it with shock.
"My turn!" Ventus announced, his face breaking into a gleeful grin. He summoned his newfound power, and a bolt of blue lightning descended upon the colossal creature, subjecting it to an intense electrical assault. The beast hissed and convulsed in response, yet it was unable to evade the relentless fury of the lightning magus.
"Sit down," Saxum declared, clasping his hands together as he began his incantation. The ground beneath the giant insect morphed into sand, and instead of solidifying as before, the creature sank lower and lower into the earth.
Silently, Aqua conjured a giant waterball above his palm and hurled it at the beleaguered beast. The spell not only pushed the Gilded Spiketail back, leaving it disoriented, but also thoroughly drenched it.
Without missing a beat, Aqua cast another spell. He formed an ice orb, roughly the size of a normal waterball, and launched it at the soaked creature. Upon impact, ice propagated across the beast's body, encasing a substantial portion in a chilling grip.
"Good work, Aqua," Thorian commended with a smile, then quickly followed suit by launching an icy spell of his own. Five small frost orbs materialized above him, raining down on the beast like a volley of arrows. The orbs hit the Gilded Spiketail at various points, each impact site becoming encrusted in ice.
"You magi shouldn’t have all the fun!" Forlune bellowed, his hearty laughter echoing through the grotto as he charged towards the battered guardian. His hefty axe, glowing with a radiant red light that left a trailing hue in his wake, was brought down in a mighty strike. The swing severed several of the beast's frozen legs and gouged a deep wound across its body.
Roaring in pain, the beast's body slumped further into the quicksand, the ground continuing to swallow it whole.
Once he confirmed that Forlune had cleared the way, Thorian resolved to conclude this increasingly one-sided battle.
Wind Tornado.
The white mist in the air began to whip around with disorienting speed, engulfing the beast in a maelstrom of hot, slicing winds. The tornado seemingly counteracted the Quicksand's pull, providing the beast with an unanticipated upward momentum.
The moment the wind spell was fully formed, Thorian initiated his next incantation: Fire Pillar.
Boom!
The Wind Tornado became a fiery whirlwind as Thorian's Fire Pillar ignited it. The flames licked the ceiling of the grotto, consuming the entirety of the Gilded Spiketail in a scorching inferno that spanned from its head to its tail. The heat emanating from the intense blaze was so fierce that even Thorian could feel its sting.
"King, that's too much!" Ventus protested. "We're going to burn as well!"
Forlune darted towards Thorian and his group, his golden armor bathed in the reddish glow of the flames. "You were about to cook me alive, king," he grumbled.
"If you died from such a thing, your life would have been worthless," Thorian shot back.
At a loss for words, Forlune merely clicked his tongue and cast his gaze back at the fiery spectacle unfolding behind him. The beast was being roasted alive, encased in a spinning inferno that reached deep into its core.
Before long, the beast's silhouette dissipated into a storm of particles that were swept away by the potent winds.
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
"Congratulations, adventurers," an ethereal voice echoed as the flurry of level-up notifications ceased. "You have vanquished the Guardian of the Third Layer, the Armored Gilded Spiketail. You've shown strength, courage, and exceptional teamwork. The treasure of this layer is yours to claim."
As the voice faded, the flaming tornado gradually dissipated, revealing a treasure chest resting on the ground.
Notification Dungeon Layer Completion You have successfully cleared the third layer of the Verdant Labyrinth. As you are the first to clear this layer of the Verdant Labyrinth, your rewards are doubled. Total Arcane Coins Gained 3000 Additional rewards await in the Guardian's Chest.
Reward Recalibration
Once the notifications had vanished, Thorian and his group proceeded to the treasure chest. It was finally time for them to claim the rewards of their hard work.