“Answer my questions honestly and I will grant you a quick death… Where are we?”
The guard still biting his lips in pain tried to grab his sword with his other hand. It looked like that wouldn’t work… I finished reloading the crossbow and then pierced his heart with the next bolt.
You received 1580 experience points.
The enemy trembled for a bit after that. Come to think of it, it was rather odd that I received the notification while the enemy still had a light on his eyes. Regardless, maybe the system knew that he was a goner.
‘This is a world where some kids are trained for when they are five years old… of course, a guy like this wouldn’t answer the questions of an enemy. Besides, there are even classes specialized for questioning. So, people should be a lot less scared than ordinary questioning methods.’
Still, that was just a bit troublesome. The real troublesome thing was the fact that I didn’t feel that bad for killing the enemy like that. He tried to fight, after all, but I had the entire thing under control.
In the end, I decided to move on after getting the bow out of that guy… he didn’t have anything else of value, so I proceeded to the next floor. This time again, no shaking happened in the labyrinth while I was in the middle of the floors.
‘Maybe others will follow me from behind and they will notice that someone is ahead… Come to think of it, I should have used identification on them when they were in the ice blocks.’
Still, it was hard to say if that would have worked… I couldn’t see the monsters underwater with the effects of my glasses, after all. So, it probably wouldn’t work against the ice either.
I would guess that my trick of using several layers of camouflage would also work against glasses like mine. This kind of situation really puts into perspective the limitations of some skills. In any case, I wondered if I combined two camouflage effects, I would end up with the Invisibility effect. It probably will take more slots than usual, though.
‘Shit, how could I have forgotten that?’
That made me recall… I didn’t add the mana drain to any of my items. Based on how much health the monsters had, I couldn’t have obtained that much mana from killing them, but it was better than nothing. I also had to keep using my mana periodically to level up my skills.
In that aspect, grabbing that bow had been the right call since it could obtain that effect… I also had to add the effect of creating arrows and bolts in a quiver soon enough. I had a large stock of low quality of them, but they won’t last forever, even more so in a demonic-tier dungeon.
I used Arcane Transference and passed the effects of the bows to some bolts and then enchanted the bow with the Mana Drain effect. All of a sudden, I was tired again… perhaps this kind of work would be easier if I increased my Spirit a few more times. It was worth testing, even more so when I might have to stay longer and longer underwater.
That being said, I couldn’t use a bow underwater, so I had to find a solution to this problem too… they never stop coming, such problems.
While I was thinking about that kind of problem, I had another idea and then jumped into the water again. When the monsters showed up, I used my Magical Shurikens… they flew almost from the palm of my hand and then pierced the beast’s heads. It made them bleed and slowed them down, but nothing else. I had to use half of my mana to kill one with that kind of skill.
‘It is probably due to my lack of intelligence parameter. The good side is that this spell works just fine underwater… I need to level up the skills of this class since the next skills will probably be as good.’
I already knew where I was going to use the extra mana. Hopefully, the level-ups will eventually make me able to kill the monsters with just the magic Shurikens. Still, I wasn’t going to stay in that section forever.
I proceeded to explore the labyrinth, but I only had an idea of what I should do when it came to using the bow and its new mana drain effect on the seventh floor.
Tracking Sense: Improves your senses to detect nearby targets. This skill allows you to sense the presence of creatures within a certain distance, revealing hidden or camouflaged targets and granting you a brief idea of their location. Cost: 10 Mana per minute
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
My first idea was to use Tracking Sense. That definitely would do the trick, but it would also take half of the mana that I will recover with the bow. Perhaps it was the best option since I wouldn’t have to worry about breaking the skill like I could break a magical implement after using it for a while. Still, if anything, I was an efficiency freak.
So, without hesitation, I changed the effects of my glasses to Enhance Vision and… Enhanced Hearing. I thought that using Enhanced Vision and Enhanced Hearing would be a good idea, but I already had the accessory in my ear that helped me with that. Besides, such different effects would make the glasses break faster.
In any case, once I was done with the enchantments. I soon was able to see a lot better than before… when I focused my eyes on the water, I was able to see minimal movements. For some reason, my focus increased to the point that my hearing began to catch the sounds of the water moving as well. The accessory in my ear should have helped with that too, though.
After focusing on a bit, I was able to see two shadows underwater, and without hesitation, I unleashed my arrows at them with Rapid Shot.
You received 10 experience points.
You received 10 experience points.
I checked my parameters and confirmed that that I recovered fifty points of mana. It was supposed to be ten percent of the damage caused would be mana, but twenty-five percent when critical damage was dealt. Regardless, I recovered the arrows and stored the bodies of the monsters, too. In the next encounter, I used my mana to kill one of them with Magical Shurikens and the other with my arrow.
One hour later, I found the entrance to the seventh floor and there, I also found the body of another person without its legs and with its body completely dry.
‘Wait… is that…’
The body of the victim was a bit odd, so I went to check his appearance and soon confirmed the reason for it… it was the body of an orc.
Orcs had a powerful, imposing presence, with muscular, broad-shouldered builds that showcased their immense physical strength. Their skin was typically a shade of green, gray, or muddy brown, with a rough, leathery texture that reflects a life spent enduring harsh environments. Orcs have prominent jaws with large, tusk-like teeth that jut upward from the lower jaw, enhancing their fierce and intimidating appearance. Their faces are rugged, marked by deep-set eyes that often glow in shades of yellow or red, and a broad, flat nose.
Their hair was usually dark and was tied back. Many orcs bear scars, tribal tattoos, or war paint, symbols of their battles and traditions. They wear rugged, functional clothing or armor crafted from hides, bones, or metal, prioritizing durability over-refinement. Orcs are commonly armed with heavy, brutal weapons like oversized swords, axes, or clubs, suited to their sheer strength and straightforward, forceful combat style. Or so I had read. Most of the things fit the bill, though.
I stopped to think for a moment… orcs weren’t supposed to be part of this conflict. The last conflict that they were involved in ended more than six months ago. The end of the conflict started thanks to the Darkhand Raiders… so, this guy was basically a pirate that was captured as well.
‘Orcs and goblins are supposed to be tougher than most humans, so how come this guy died here? I find it hard to believe that a clumsy pirate would have lived for long.’
While this guy didn’t have a fake leg or hand, he still has some scars on his body and they were pretty old too… that made me think that something else made him die here and that made me anxious not to stay behind and find out.
‘It feels like I am in a game… looting bodies in a place like this is quite odd.’
The orc didn’t have much in his body aside from a curved and thick sword. His clothes were pretty worn out, so it looked like he stayed here for a while for whatever reason. The curved sword was only of the uncommon rank, but it had an interesting effect.
Skarnash Sword (Uncommon)
Enchantment Slots: 01 - Cursed Touch: decreases the effectiveness of healing magic and natural regeneration of health, mana and stamina by half for one hour. The duration of this effect can stack.
Durability: 40/60
Skarnash was the name of the lands of the goblins and orcs. So, it was produced there or by someone from there. I tried to recall what I knew from them, so I quickly realized that they had ogres too.
The Skarnash Tribelands are a loosely organized collection of nomadic tribes that roam the plains and badlands. Orcs form the backbone of the society, valuing strength and warfare, while Goblins act as crafters, traders, and scouts. Ogres are rare, but serve as powerful warriors and protectors of the tribes. Rituals and battle prowess define one’s status in the tribe.
Each tribe is led by a warlord, chosen based on combat prowess and leadership in battle. While they are usually independent, the tribes unite under a Grand Warlord during times of war or in great need.
I rubbed my chin while thinking of this warlord was the one who started the previous conflict… usually, only their death would make those guys retreat. They are also usually aren’t made of too many pirates, but they wouldn’t stand back if they saw their allies in a war. Considering they lasted for that long, it made me think that was exactly what had happened.
‘In any case, if this guy was captured at the end of the conflict… Maybe the Leviathan clan is also part of the reason it ended. Regardless, the chances of finding people of other places aside from humans are increasing here.’
I already knew that humans hated me, but I wondered how much different the other types of people would hate me as well. I wasn’t naïve enough to think that they would welcome me with open arms. Still, things would be fine as long as I kept my appearance hidden.