Larvae rained down in all directions, their bodies dissolving into pools of glowing mucus. The creature was no more, its essence shattered beyond repair.
Levi stood, panting, as the last of the monster fell to pieces before him. His body trembled with exhaustion, every muscle screaming in protest. The ground was carpeted with squirming, dying larvae, their glow fading as they expired. The forest, once alive with the sounds of battle, was now eerily silent.
[You have killed a Dormant Monster - Larvae of Lunacy]
[You have killed a Dormant Monster - Larvae of Lunacy]
[You have killed a Dormant Monster - Larvae of Lunacy]
[You have killed a Dormant Monster - Larvae of Lunacy]
Hundreds of such notifications appeared in front of him, but he ignored them all, searching for that one message he wished to see. But it wasn't there. Levi's heart sank as he remembered the implication.
'The Vile Monster—it isn't dead yet! Damn it!'
Levi cursed and pushed his body to move before the adrenaline rush could wear off. Despite the pain invading every fiber of his being, he managed to stand up, dragging his weary form toward where the grotesque creature had been.
Navigating through the mucus-filled surroundings, Levi trudged forward. When he finally reached the spot where the vile monster had been, he was met with a surprising sight.
"This is the Vile Monster?" he muttered in disbelief.
In front of him lay a slightly larger worm, similar to the dormant monsters he had killed but about three times their size. It flailed and convulsed on the ground, its appearance somewhat comical in its grotesqueness. Levi wouldn't have believed it was the vile monster if not for the runes still showing its name as Lunacy Incarnate.
But his confusion quickly turned to resolve. Without hesitation, Levi brought his foot down on the creature. To his surprise, the monster didn't splat out like the dormant ones. Instead, it let out a loud shriek.
"Vile monster indeed," Levi thought grimly. If one stomp wouldn't do it, he would stomp it as many times as necessary to destroy it.
With that determination, Levi kept ramming his foot onto the worm. After a relentless assault, he finally heard the voice of Providence.
[You have killed an Inept Vile Monster - Lunacy Incarnate]
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Regretfully, no artifact or treasure appeared for killing the vile monster, a disappointment considering how useful an artifact from such a foe could have been.
Nevertheless, as soon as he saw the message, Levi collapsed beside the monster's body, even though more notifications awaited him. His adrenaline finally wore off, and he could feel the full extent of the pain radiating throughout his body. It was intense, but he recalled that the pain he endured after drinking the Essence of Lunacy had been worse.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. Levi turned toward the body of the vile monster.
And indeed, inside the mucus-filled body of the worm, a dark gem glowed with a beautiful glint. Levi stretched out his hand and retrieved the essence before collapsing onto his back, gazing at the crystal with the moonlight reflecting off its surface.
"At least I have this," Levi consoled himself, despite not having obtained an artifact. The demonic essence crystal in his hand was more pronounced than the one he had used before. This crystal, though smaller than the previous one from the goblin, had a much higher concentration of essence. Its potency was evident, a promising sign despite its size.
Levi smiled weakly as he placed the crystal on his chest, trying to check on his condition. The mental pain was excruciating, likely a side effect of the Lunacy ability, making coherent thought difficult. Thankfully, he didn't have any severe physical injuries. The red mark on his chest from the vile monster's attack was painful but didn't seem to indicate any broken ribs.
Ignoring the pain, Levi decided to review the notifications he had ignored earlier.
[You have killed a Dormant Monster - Larvae of Lunacy]
[You have killed a Dormant Monster - Larvae of Lunacy]
[You have killed a Dormant Monster - Larvae of Lunacy]
[You have killed a Dormant Monster - Larvae of Lunacy]
Rows and rows of these messages filled his vision. After scrolling through them, he reached the last few notifications.
[You have killed an Inept Vile Monster - Lunacy Incarnate]
[You have cleared the first floor of the sanctum - Lunacy of the Black Wings]
"Wait, what? This is only the first floor?" Levi exclaimed, frustration evident in his voice. He had just realized he was inside a special sanctum. Sanctums typically came in two types: the first required killing a boss monster to clear it, while the second type was a special sanctum requiring the clearing of multiple floors before a reward was granted.
Levi felt a wave of frustration. He had barely managed to survive this floor and now faced the daunting prospect of countless more to clear.
"Sigh…" he let out a defeated sigh, reading further.
[Would you like to move on to the next floor?]
[Yes/No]
"Great! There isn't even a reward for clearing this floor," Levi muttered, then decided to click on No.
[You have chosen not to move to the next floor]
[Would you like to move on to the next floor?]
[Yes/No]
Levi stared at the screen in disbelief. He was hopeful that refusing would let him out, but to his disappointment, it seemed he had no choice but to accept the sanctum's rules. The only silver lining was that he wasn't forced to make a decision immediately and could take his time to recover.
He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.
He still hasn't seen the description of his new ability, and he also has to absorb the demonic crystal before moving on to the next floor. But for now, Levi didn't have the strength to do any of that. He needed to rest and regain his strength before making any decisions.
The dark crystal on his chest glowed under the red moon as Levi closed his eyes to get his much-needed sleep.
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