From the rubble and dust, I rise, defying the darkness that surrounds me. I don't remember how much time passed while I was immersed in this deafening silence, but hope shines from within me. Are there any other survivors? I wonder as I move the stones with trembling fingertips, looking for any sign of life.
I stand and stagger, the world spinning around me as if I were a leaf in the wind. My body, which had been heavy, now began to float like a feather. But there is no time to think about that, as there is an urgent need to find my companions.
I am the second wizard in our group, the shadow that follows the light, the only one capable of weaving magic in a way different from the first. As a novice, my mission revolved around healing and strengthening the bodies of warriors, whether they were assassins sneaking around in the dark or knights charging into the front lines.
We are an integrated team consisting of seven members: two magicians who manipulate fate and the elements, a hidden assassin who attacks the prey without mercy, two knights who carry the sword of the fire god Perivar, cutting through enemies like an arrow piercing the sky, an archer who aims at the heart without hesitation, and finally the trap solver, the mastermind who... Protects us from hidden dangers. We all have our role, and we all depend on each other. Now, I have to find them, or find someone I can save.
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I trudge through the ruins and destruction, where rubble is scattered and dust hugs the sky, bearing witness to the wrath of the Third Floor Lord. The battle was fierce, as the heroes lined up side by side, challenging the giant monster that was famous for sucking the souls from the bodies of the dead. He was not just an opponent, but a nightmare incarnate, possessing the ability to summon and control the souls of a dead body.
In the end, we stood face to face against his army of dark spirits, in a fierce battle that ended in our bitter loss to him. We had no choice but to withdraw and escape from his cruel grip. I don't remember what happened next, but my memory holds the image of his powerful Level 5 spell hurtling towards us, leaving a trail of blinding light in its wake.
Now, I wander through the rubble, looking for any survivors or bodies I might find, but to no avail. I found no one, neither human nor other being, in this forgotten part of the vestibule. All I found was my level 2 magic wand, lying on the ground. I slowly leaned towards her, and held her with my decorated gloved hands. I felt the pulse of magic running through my veins, as if she was awakening hope in me again.
---
At first, I felt an unfamiliar heaviness gripping my magic wand. It used to be as light as a feather, but now, it's like it's made of lead. Perhaps weakness has crept into my bones without my realising, and now I am nothing but a shadow of what I used to be. With all my might, I raised the stick and looked at it with wide eyes of amazement.
“What makes it so heavy?” I wondered to myself. “Is it hunger that has weakened me?” But no, since I woke up I haven't felt any hunger or thirst. However, I haven't felt anything at all, yet. I don't feel the stick in my hand, just its vague weight.
With a sudden movement, I threw the stick on the ground and began to slowly remove the ornate glove, wondering if... But before I could finish the thought, I pulled the glove off to discover the horrific truth. There was no skin or flesh covering my hand, just a skeleton sticking out starkly. I've lost my body, and all that's left of me are the bones.
---
The limbs that were once teeming with life have turned into dry bones, moving soullessly in this dark corridor. From my head to my chest, there was nothing left but a skeleton moving among the shadows.
At first, I thought I had fallen under some curse, but what happened was new to me. During my career as a novice adventurer, I had never heard of an adventurer turning into a skeleton or anything similar.
It took me a full hour to comprehend my new condition; This form was imposed on me, a thin, emaciated skeleton. I even felt that my mana level had decreased significantly, and was no longer what it used to be. I've spent the past two hours thinking about how to solve this dilemma.
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Then I thought that I had found a solution to my problem, which was to go to the surface and go to the Holy Church of Gods Ivana Von. Perhaps I could find a cure for my condition. This is their advanced magical treatment techniques that may reach the seventh level.
"I finally found it. I can't believe it," I shouted, after searching for a long time. This item will help me stabilize my mana level, and it will also be used as a tool for me to measure the level of your personal skill points, such as defense level points, attack level points, mana, etc.
This item is worn as a ring on the hand for ease of use.
I put it on my left finger and it quickly started interacting with me.
A board appeared showing my skill points, but to be honest, I was surprised by the level of decrease in my skill points. It is true that they were not very high in the past, but their decrease was something
exaggerated
The net panel appears
Strength 6 Defense 6 Flexibility 7 Health 12 Mana 22
I was very disappointed when I found out that my skill points had decreased. I worked hard over two months to raise every skill, except for flexibility, which decreased by 2 points.
As for the rest, their decrease exceeded five points. The surprise was in my mana points, which did not decrease much, but rather suddenly increased by two points.
I often wondered what caused this change in my points until I came to the conclusion that my new physical state, as a skeleton or rather as a mana monster, was the reason.
Mana monsters are monsters that derive their power from their inner core, which continues to produce mana to sustain their lives and grant them insane abilities that vary depending on the conditions of their particular environment.
After preparing myself and holding my wand with my weak hand, I immediately headed towards the exit gate of the third floor boss's room, leaving behind this garish destruction and chaos. I approached the huge gate that bore ancient Nun symbols and was full of cracks and scratches.
I did not look at it as long as I did the first time when I came earlier, but rather passed directly through the opening of the gate, which seemed almost closed.
As I passed, I was greeted by a strong wind coming from the long corridor. I couldn't feel anything in my body anymore, so I couldn't tell if it was her
The cool breeze hits me gently or not.
I continued to walk through the corridors of the third floor, heading towards the second floor of the vestibule, and from there to the first floor to reach the exit.
It was fascinating to see the differences between the ten vestibule floors in terms of environment and terrain shapes. Here, on the third floor, the environment reminded me of walking in the middle of a huge kingdom, where the floor was solid pavement covered in dark green moss, as were the walls. But more likely, it reminded me more of the passages of ancient mazes.
It's been a long time since I've been walking through the corridors of the third floor, dodging monsters that are more powerful and ferocious than those of the first and second floors. These monsters were intelligent, deceptive, and had very keen senses, which made avoiding them a great challenge.
And I have to mention that I have strong senses. I have now met an enemy that I was not supposed to face in this state.
It is a red-necked bat half the size of a human, with a huge body with a high endurance capacity, and its wings that break the wind with every flap and which contain claws capable of tearing through steel armor, making it an annoying nightmare for me, especially since I am alone now.
“Alert, a signal has been detected of a nearby enemy. Please prepare for battle.”
What is this voice that penetrated my thoughts? It sounded like a woman's voice, or am I wrong? This is very strange? But there is no time to think about it much. The bat just moved with its strong wings, soaring in the air with a loud sound after it felt my presence near me.
It is now difficult to easily avoid the attacks of the red-necked bat. I had just avoided him with a simple wind spell, but it was only enough to change his course at the last moment before he pounced on me. One hit from him was enough to easily split a six-meter wall in half.
He flies to a high altitude again, planning another fierce attack. One hit from him could be fatal, especially since his attack and defense points are so low.
I have no solution but to shoot a fireball spell at him from a distance.
I planted my feet on the ground and began to chant a mid-level mantra.
The red ball gathered in front of me from a small spark until it quickly grew and condensed like a small, but extremely hot, burning sun.
After gathering enough strength, she launched it without fail at the giant bat, shooting like a flaming arrow, illuminating the dark space with an intense, blazing light.
But as I expected, the Red-necked Bat, a third-floor monster with a two-star Silver-grade rating, is not easy to defeat. He dodged the fireball skillfully and dazzlingly. His red eyes pulsated with intense anger as he cut through the walls with his sharp claws, heading towards me very quickly, flying close to the ground.
Small rocks scattered in the air as if I were in the middle of a storm as they cut through the firm ground I was standing on. With his claws aimed at my neck, I narrowly dodged the blow.
The bat's head hit the wall hard, causing cracks and fine lines to appear.
This was a stupid move for a smart monster like him, putting him in a difficult position in front of me.
I won't let this opportunity go to waste. I fired a middle-grade ice spell, forcefully pierced his wing and pinned him to the wall. The corridor was filled with his shrill screams as he writhed in pain, blood seeping onto the floor.
But this bat is fighting for its life.
He used his other claw to shatter the ice that tore off his wing, freeing himself from the wall.
He opened his mouth all the way, revealing his sharp, pointy teeth, ready to crush me with them.
But it was too late, I had finished activating a level 2 ice spell.
The accumulated ice shards shot at him from a close range. The ice shards were enough to effectively penetrate his body, tearing off all his limbs and piercing his flesh.
It was stained with his flying blood, and this blow was enough to kill him in the end.