The skill Magic Shurikens leveled up. You received 300 experience points.

I reached the eighth level after receiving that notification. As one would expect, things changed a bit once I got on the seventh floor, but not that seriously. There was less room to move above water and the monsters came into groups of three, but I was already used to the situation.

Moreover, I learned that Magic Shurikens had basic damage of ten, so leveling the skill once made it two times more effective and now I could deal with three of the monsters without using all of my mana. That sure was progress.

I was finding a lot of corpses along the way, but I didn’t find a single Triton among them… that made me consider a certain idea, but maybe, they were just too strong underwater and the dungeon wouldn’t be a real issue under those conditions.

‘It is really useful to know that I still can destroy weapons with Essence Extraction and get more experience for myself and the skills. Perhaps there are more ways to exploit this.’

Although I already had the knowledge of some effects, using that skill on weapons with those effects was still pretty useful… it would make all of my skills in the class gain a bit of experience. I confirmed that when I found a fire dagger with a flames effect and then used Essence Extraction earlier.

I bet that I could level up a ton of skills on a battlefield or the remains of one. A lot of magic weapons and items would be lying around, after all. Still, looting was still a crime even in this world, so I wouldn’t look for those places. I let out a tired sigh all of a sudden and realized that my condition was getting a bit bad.

‘The battles aren’t hard enough to tire me out this fast… maybe it is because I didn’t plan or get ready to be in a place like this.’

There was also the possibility that the environment was a problem since I was in a dark and damp place doing the reverse of what I usually do. Damp places can make people feel less energetic due to a combination of environmental and psychological factors. High humidity in damp environments can interfere with the body’s natural cooling processes, making it harder to regulate temperature. As a result, people may feel warmer, sluggish, and even physically drained as the body works harder to maintain a comfortable internal temperature.

When I do things in the reverse of what I’m used to, I feel more tired because it disrupts my usual flow and routine. My mind and body are so used to certain patterns that they almost go on autopilot. But when I suddenly have to do things differently or in reverse, it feels like my brain has to work harder to figure out each step. What normally feels easy becomes something I have to focus on, which uses up more mental energy.

I knew all of that, but just knowing didn’t help that much to endure it. Regardless, I did some research on the internet about this before when I played an old game that showed the door knobs twisting in opposite directions. It was an interesting psychological effect to make people more tired… this wasn’t fun at all, given my current situation, though.

‘I guess I will take a break on the next staircase…’

I began to advance through the next floor as usual, and I ended up doing things on autopilot thanks to it. I was too tired to think straight and understand the reality of the situation. Still, at least I was experienced enough not to make mistakes for the next two hours.

‘I am so fucking tired… what is going on?’

I was unable to think and soon fell asleep. I completely blanked out… when I woke up, I was still feeling a bit tired and cold. Very hungry too… I wondered if it was because of hypothermia. I avoided swimming as much as possible, but it was better to use magic shurikens underwater when it came to hunting the monsters.

I decided to avoid swimming altogether. Even though I had to take some huge leaps between the dry spots in the dungeon. I also decided to grab my Scorching Bow to warm up my body a bit and my clothes. After half an hour, I started to feel much better.

‘I guess it was really that… I try really hard to keep my body in peak physical condition, but I can only do it so much in a situation like this.’

I didn’t have anyone to watch my back, so staying at the peak of my game was absolutely necessary. Targeting at my weakest would be the main target of anyone if they notice what is going on… when one’s life is on the line, it is only obvious that we wouldn’t want to take chances.

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I had saved some experience points thanks to my mind being tired on the previous floor, so I kept increasing my Spirit to avoid this kind of issue. The next time my mind gets that much tired, something might happen… nothing says that this was the cause of the death of those I found along the way.

There was the possibility that there were some sort of chemicals in the water as well, but I couldn’t use identification in the whole water body of a floor. Perhaps I could have found something if I had the Alchemist class or something similar.

In any case, I alternated between the new bow with the mana drain effect and the Scorching Bow to keep me warm for as long as possible, so the ninth floor wasn’t that difficult to cross. Soon enough, I found the boss chamber of that section and then furrowed my eyebrows… there was something off in the air.

‘This kind of feeling is happening to me pretty often lately… I wonder why that is…’

That usually happens when something dangerous or troublesome is about to happen. I wasn’t planning to hold back against the boss, but I wasn’t expecting much from the first boss of this labyrinth. Then again, it was the first boss of a demonic tier labyrinth… who knows what this place had in store for me?

I decided to rest for a bit and warm up my body… in situations like this, I wondered if it was a good idea to have different sets of armor as well. While I didn’t show much armor while keeping my disguise, keeping them in store was always a good idea. I had ice and fire bows in store to be used and they are specialized for each element, after all.

‘I guess it would have been even better to have a single set of armor that can endure all kinds of environments… finding them is easier said than done and they would cost a shit ton as well. Perhaps I don’t have any choice but to learn how to craft defensive gear as well.’

I thought that I could snipe all my opponents, but while that could be true, dungeons like this made things harder. Trying to learn multiple types of craft is annoying since it makes things hard to master and a jack of all trades is master to none, but maybe I could at least specialize in making leather armor. It was supposed to be easier, after all.

Leather armor tends to be more lightweight and flexible, providing good mobility. It’s ideal for stealth-based roles or those needing high maneuverability, like archers or scouts. At the same time, it provides moderate protection, particularly effective against slashing attacks and some blunt force. It offers limited defense against piercing or high-impact attacks.

Favored by lighter infantry, archers, and those prioritizing mobility over protection. It’s also more accessible and affordable. Once the animal hide is obtained, the leather only needs to be tanned and, if desired, hardened. Tanning takes a few days to weeks, but pre-tanned leather can be purchased, allowing the armor-making process to start immediately. Hardening can be done with hot water or wax, which is relatively quick… The downside is that the enchantments won’t last for as long unless the materials involve rare stuff.

‘Well, this is a question for another time… this labyrinth only has combat classes, so that opportunity won’t come for a while.’

Still, this made me realize, while I was in a very dangerous place, it would give me a lot of opportunities. Getting enough combat classes here and I might have some more leeway to change my plans. It was a bit too soon to think like that since I didn’t even know where I was yet…

Once I was done resting, I decided to head to the boss’ chamber. After climbing up the stairs, I let out a sigh when I saw the boss’ chamber. The place was basically a small lake… there was a rock in the middle of it where I could stand, but the whole place was submerged. I tried to find traces of the boss, but I didn’t find the creature around.

‘I guess it is waiting for me to enter and take a bath with it. Too bad, but I am in a hurry and I don’t want to test my underwater fighting skills.’

I took a cannonball from my inventory and then threw it with all my might toward the massive rock. Soon, I realized that the cannonball wouldn’t reach its target… even if I had increased my strength, it wasn’t enough to make it cross one hundred meters when it weighed over forty pounds and almost twenty kilograms.

Still, the cannonball exploded in the air when I used an explosive bolt. The oil and the flames exploded like wildfire after the blast made the room shake a bit. The temperature in the room began to increase and so did the temperature in the water… before long, I saw the boss swimming around, trying to move away from the hot water. Still, I threw another cannonball right at it and then exploded right above the creature.

“Huiiiiihhhh!”

The explosion revealed the appearance of the creature and it made me realize that I truly wasn’t going to eat it… The visible part of the boss’ fish monster was a massive, armored upper body emerging from the water’s surface. Its head was wide and flat, with a shark-like maw filled with jagged, translucent teeth.

The eyes are large, glowing, and positioned high on the head. Thick scales or armored plates, textured like rough stone and coral, cover its skin, with barnacles and seaweed clinging to them. Long, webbed fins stretch outward, giving it a menacing, broad silhouette. Sharp, spine-like dorsal fins rise along its back, breaking the water with jagged edges, and its gills pulse rhythmically. Right now, all those parts were starting to burn thanks to the oil.

‘I almost feel bad for it… human alchemists sure can create some nasty things. Still, it is better than risking fighting a monster like this, fair and square under its terms.’

The monster began to shake even more, since the water began to boil around the room. Thanks to its agony, it decided to eat me alive where I was standing. The creature had a maw that, when it opened, was two meters tall, so perhaps it could eat me in a single bite. Unfortunately, I planned to give it a stomach ache before being chewed.