Tightening the grip on her weapon, Minty strides to the next floor with me following behind. The 11th floor has new type of undead, no longer are we fighting skeletons and draugr, there is now beasts and ghouls.
The four-legged ones are fast and small, even Minty struggles to keep all ten arrows of her shot hits. The other is ghouls, they’re fast too, but their trick is annoying at best and straight up dangerous at worst. They keep pumping out gasses out of their mouth, highly poisonous.
“Wall of Stone.”
Conjuring multiple obstacles for them as Minty fires her arrows.
“Stellar Resonance!”
But at this point, both Minty and I have gotten used to the new system, and her resource management can keep up with the task ahead, just like me. Thus, we no longer have problems dealing with these undead.
Trouble arises upon reaching the 15th floor though. Vampires. They can turn into bats when hit and hides in the shadow, obscured out of view, but unfortunately for these guys, when they turn into a big bat, Minty can easily shot them.
“Misty Volley!”
When they felt it, they turned into multiple smaller bats but the arrows that the spell has conjured homed to every single one of them.
[Siola]: “That’s the last one.”
* [3x] Magic Core / Epic / Contains the souls of a greater ranked creature
* [1x] Gnawing Ring / Rare / Increases Health by 100. Sacrifice 50% Health to grant 25% additional damage to wearer’s attack, 20-second cooldown.
[Siola]: “Oh, hell no.”
[Minty]: “Yeah, tuck that in. Trash!”
[Minty]: “Wait, we can just wear it and not use the effect, right? That’s a free 100 Health points.”
[Siola]: “Well, if you want, but I’m not touching it, Minty.”
[Minty]: “…”
She put it in her inventory.
We never planned it but we ended up continuing to the lower floors and fight the book on the 20th floor as well. Big giant skeletons. Slow and very big targets.
[Siola]: “Okay, that’s a head shot. Duck!”
Giant limb swinging.
[Siola]: “Okay, aim at the eye, Minty!”
“Mystic Volley!”
*Brrrrrrrrooooowsh*
“Prone!”
We repeat that strategy all while keeping our distance from it. Though we underestimated just how much Health the thing has, and we spent almost half an hour to bring it down.
Tedious process.
[Minty]: “No drop?”
[Siola]: “Damn, this boss sucks!”
[Minty]: “A lot of Exp though.”
And so, we ended up marching onwards with the goal of beating the entire dungeon. Five more floors and we got back to skeletons again. Except, something different this time.
Creaking sound of a skull, the skeleton moves weirdly and almost moving three times as fast.
{Mad Dead Spawn / Level 100}
It turns its head at us as Minty shudder, it approaches rapidly not enough for her to draw her arrows. I pulled her back as I graze my fingertips at the skeleton.
! {Pantheon Drive}
Stolen novel; please report.
Choking its face as it rapidly slamming its hand at my face. I shatter its skeleton to pieces with a crush. Brimming with power, I look back at Minty.
[Minty]: “S-Sorry, that thing was just too fast.”
[Siola]: “Stay behind me.”
Nodding, “Mm.”
The dungeon floor is somewhat different than the previous. Whilst before it was wide and massive, this time, it’s somewhat linear and even the ceiling is much lower.
[Minty]: “You look really cool, you know.”
[Siola]: “Hm?”
[Minty]: “Like, all of your hair is going up and it’s moving SO majestically.”
[Siola]: “Majestically? Seriously now.”
[Minty]: “I mean it! Even your eyes turn blue, and they’re bright!”
[Siola]: “Focus, Minty.”
Guess she’s nervous. Understandable after the shift in atmosphere around here. Our walk gets disrupted by the many spawns rising from the muddy ground. It’s the very same one as before. Minty prepares to draw her bow.
“Save your arrows, Minty. Let me take care of this for now.”
“Be careful.”
The word is unnecessary for me, but it did make me relieved.
Crushing every single bonehead is never a problem, but what I’m worried about is if any of them passes me by. Losing a ranger right now would be bad.
We continued on our rampage, or rather, my rampage to the 22th and the 23rd floor, but there we started seeing beast version of the spawn. Much faster, much more dangerous. Minty and I is forced to work together even though I don’t want to put her in danger, but staying still would make her the target. The problem is that there is so many of them.
Her Mystic Volley can only be used once per battle due to its high cost. I tries to keep them off of her and I successfully did.
*BOOM*
On the 24th floor. Three giant undead dinosaurs appear crashing through the walls. Roaring their mighty sound, splitting wind.
“Oh fuck, Siola!”
{Mad Dead Dragon Spawn / Level 255}
“I don’t think my volley can do anything against those!”
“Step back and hide!”
Grinding my teeth as my head starts spinning, “Hrrngh.”
[Siola]: “I’ll get us through.”
They begin charging at us as I am at them. Jumping as I insert myself to its mouth before it gnaws on me, I deliver a blow to its upper mouth as I exit but then, another went ahead and deliver a bite on both me and its own ally.
{-600}
“Gahk?!”
Stinging pain, like an old friend coming over to slap me. Not that I have any. I smash its head to the ground. The third did a tail swipe and send me to the wall.
{-800}
“Hrmmph.”
And just like that, one tenth of my Health is gone. I lunges back at the them, avoiding their attacks as I deliver a plunge to one of their head. *BAM*. But then one caught me in its jaw.
{-900}
{-900}
{-1200}
“Gyaaaaaaagh!”
Another caught my upper body as both tries to tear me in half.
{-600}
{-600}
{-600}
{-600}
{-600}
“Hnnngaaaaaaaaaah!”
{-600}
{-600}
{-600}
“Grrrrgngghhh.”
{-900}
{-900}
{-1200}
Tears started to fall as the pain becomes unbearable.
{-600}
{-600}
{-600}
But then, a powerful blow crashes onto the one gnawing my upper half. It was stunned, and as I can finally see light, my eyes burn as I can feel veins popped.
“Siola!”
My fists clenched tightly as I deliver a straight.
*BOOM*
I know why I’m no longer dealing much damage compared to before. The secondary attributes related to my class is Strength, Endurance, and Intelligence. I’ve lost Dexterity and Agility from Limit Break as the ability transition into Pantheon Drive, but this won’t stop me from pummeling these dinosaurs to the ground.
Dodging attacks as my sense heightened and my rage is filled to the brim.
Strike, crush, and plunged.
! {Level UP}
! {Level UP}
! {Level…
*Pant *Pant
Falling to my knees as I try to breathe. My ears ringing. Minty came over and quickly brought me to her warmth, I couldn’t even make out what she’s saying.
I kept looking at her as I’m in this tranced. I can see her mouth moves as if she’s telling me something. It takes some time for that image of her face becomes clear.
“Minty.”
“Goodness, sake, Siola. Call me Silvita when we’re in-game.”
Chuckles, “Silvita. How do you even come up with that name?”
“I just thought it was pretty.”
“So, you just make yourself pretty to get along with that pretty name, huh.”
“Pretty much.”
Caressing her cheek, “You don’t need to be this pretty. One I saw when outside is already pretty enough. You’re pretty, Minty.”
“Jeez, how many times are you going to say pretty. I get it.”
Seeing her blushing amused me.
“Tell me we got that loot I need.”
She smiles, “Ta-da.”
* Tome of Psionic Magic / Legendary / Contains [Mind Splitter], [Mental Fortress], [Psionic Shockwave], [Psychic Vortex], [Mental Lock], [Psionic Lance], [Limbic Possession], [Psionic Cataclysm], [Phantasmagoria] / Requirement: 30 Intelligence, 80 Intelligence, 150 Intelligence
“Heheh, we actually got it, huh. I guess the gods of RNG are on our side.”
“You goddamn right, lol.”
“Lol.”
Lifting myself back up and she assisted me.
[Minty]: “Listen, can you not use that power again? Even if we can’t beat this floor, we can just go back and be stronger or whatever, you know.”
[Siola]: “Minty.”
[Minty]: “I know you’re trying to help me, Siola. I know you do, and I really appreciate it and thankful for that but I don’t want you to get hurt… for me, for this.”
[Minty]: “Can you promise me not to use that power again? Unless like, super necessary thing comes up and you are forced to use it, that is when other options don’t exist for you.”
[Siola]: “…”
[Minty]: “Siola, please.”
[Siola]: “Alright, I promise.”
[Minty]: “You promise what?”
[Siola]: “I promise I won’t use that power again, unless of course—.”
I repeat it her words again and burst out laughing because of it.
She handed to me the legendary Tome of Psionic Magic, and as soon as I have it in my possession, I received the notification.
! {Quest Completed}
! {Class Evolution is now available}