I emerged out of the hole in the fifth floor’s ceiling then quickly halted my rapid descent into a gentle landing using [Force Lord]. Once I deactivated my class skill, I took in the sights around me.
“Wow.” I couldn’t help but say.
Each of the layers held a theme and/or a central attribute, and the fifth was no exception. The first layer had no particular attribute but held a dark, volcanic cave’s theme, the second layer had an earth-nature attribute and theme, the third layer had a water-frost attribute and theme, and the fourth layer had a fire-magma attribute and theme.
The fifth layer was clearly revolved around the arcane attribute, judging by the vast quantities of raw mana saturated with the isolating nature of the arcane attribute. Surrounded with black rocks and no natural light, only mana sight allows any vision to the visitors of the fifth layer. Instead of wind, large collections of mana currents move throughout the floor, with bright centers of mana visible in the distance.
I put my hand on the ground beneath me to get a feel for where I stood. Unlike the first and fourth layers, the fifth layer’s terrain wasn’t made of rugged rock. Instead, it looked as if the rocky surfaces of the layer were smoothed out by sandpaper or eroded by river waters. The mana rock of this layer was nothing like the reflective obsidian of the first layer, but instead looked like it absorbs any and all light, further ensuring that the layer remains shrouded in darkness.
I kicked at the floor in hopes of breaking a piece to appraise but was surprised to see the ground remain solid. With a stronger, force-mana-reinforced kick, combined with [Force Lord] to strengthen my strike and keep me anchored to the ground, the ground finally cracked, allowing me to pick up a chipped piece for my use.
[Minimal-Concentration Ethereum]
Etherium is a type of mana rock created from natural-forming rock formations saturated with arcane-attributed mana. Minimal-Concentration Ethereum forms naturally only in the fifth layer of the Unfathomable Abyss, and only possesses tiny fractions of Pure Ethereum’s properties.
Huh. I wonder where this ‘Pure Ethereum’ naturally forms, if at all, and what its properties happen to be. Also, did mom restrict me to the fourth and fifth layers because I am well versed in using and fighting against the magic of its denizens?
As I pondered over these questions, my [Draconic Vision] picked up on incoming danger. I leaned right with my head, and a spiky rock flew right past my head. I raised my eyebrow in surprise.
‘Why are there earth attacks coming from creatures on an arcane floor? Isn’t earth just one step away from no compatibility with arcane users?’
I narrowed my eyes in the direction the rock spike came from. There, a floating, roughly human-sized eye monster with slithering tentacles for eyelashes stood – or floated, or whatever the abyss it did. On closer inspection, even the tentacle-eyelashes contained eyes of their own.
One of the tentacles gazed at the ground below the monster, then a beam of arcane mana emerged from its eye. The beam cut through the rock at a slight angle like a knife through butter. The tentacle moved in a circular fashion, before sinking a mana hook into the center of the rock and pulling it upwards.
‘…So that’s where the rock came from! I should’ve known it wasn’t just sapient creatures that relied on physical attacks against arcane mages – it makes sense that the denizens of an arcane layer would too.’
Still under the impression that I couldn’t see it, the monster attacked again, only for me to dodge its attack easily. I rushed at the monster and used [Appraisal] to find out what I was up against, only to find out that this monster – a [Lesser Gaze of the Abyss] – was merely a rank C monster that posed little threat to me. What was more interesting was that a mere rank C, garden-variety spawned dungeon monster already held a legendary rarity.
‘I wonder what the higher ranked monsters of this layer – and the monsters in the layers below – or truly like, if low-ranked monsters are already hitting these levels of strength…’ I wondered as I made short work of the monster.
I looked around, but even with my [Draconic Vision], I couldn’t see too far ahead. Normal vision yielded no results due to the dark, and all forms of mana vision yielded slightly more results due to the sheer brightness of mana in all directions.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
‘Maybe monsters are more common around the mana centers? Hopefully, a rank S monster would be amongst them.’ I said, transforming into my bipedal dragon form and using my wings to take flight in the direction of the closest mana center.
***
I whistled.
“Damn. I got what I wished for. But you’re one ugly thing, aren’t you?”
Standing before me was a sole rank S monster, which clearly monopolized this one spot where mana gathered – judging by the nearby monster corpses and the complete lack of fodder monsters nearby.
[Greater Cthulhu Horror Lv. 53]
HP: 372,134/372,134
MP: 213,496/213,496
SP: 21,691/21,691
Vitality: 14,562
Strength: 3,574
Dexterity: 2,949
Intelligence: 16,426
Wisdom: 12,893
Racial Traits:
[Mind Over Matter]
[Psychic Domination]
[Cthulhu Combat]
[Greater Inflict Terror]
[Gaze of the Abyss]
[Eldritch Warp]
[There Is No Escape]
Skills:
N/A
Titles:
[Eldritch Horror]
Rank S creature. A member of the Cthulhu branch of the Eldritch Monster family, the Greater Cthulhu Horror is a master of mental, psychic, and telepathic warfare, and its subtle cruelty is only outmatched by its unwillingness to allow its prey to escape – no matter where it may run or hide.
Seeing the forbidden rarity on this monster, I raised my guard. This was my first monster encounter with a naturally occurring, forbidden rarity creature. Any forbidden-rarity creature or classer deserved a minimum level of respect. Fortunately, however, I believed I had good reason to fear little from it.
***
You have killed a [Greater Cthulhu Horror Lv. 53]!
53,638,175 EXP awarded!
23,862,561 bonus EXP awarded due to the effects of [Giant Slayer]!
Experience gain divided between [Sorcery Dragon] (100%) and [The Crusher] (0%)!
For slaying a red rarity, rank S creature, [Divine Shard] granted!
As an elemental, there was absolutely no chance of any creature, even amongst the mightiest of the gods and dragons, of using the mana inside my body against me. With [Mana Commandeering], contesting the monster’s unique, rank S variant of arcane mana wasn’t impossible either. When added to my dominion over the ambient, regular arcane mana, the monster’s mana and spells were never going to reach me.
Trapping the cthulhu in an ice tomb, shattering all magic circles with a spatial mana component using my arcane dragon breath, and peppering it with physical magic attacks, were all it took to take down the monster. Arcane mana wasn’t going to stop a flying ice javelin, after all.
On top of all of that, if worse came to worst, Furialis and his beast bond were a perfect counter to mind magic – his bond constrained his ability to attack me, and his attacks dealt devastating, unblockable damage.
I dug out the monster’s mana core and observed it momentarily. Even though the beast was dead, the core emitted a subtle energy of terror, corruption, and downright malice.
‘Thank goodness my skillset countered this monstrosity’s own so hard. I bet this thing would be a tough fight for literally anyone but me.’ I mumbled as I pocketed the mana core.
That raised another question – what if there was another, equally powerful rank S monster that I didn’t counter? Would I still come out with a win?
It was then that I realized I never even formed an escape plan, should things have gone south.
I shivered.
“Well, I should remedy that before my next excursion.”
***
Azoth, The Azure Dragon
“Hmm… Thank you for the offer, Aersoag, but I don’t think my daughter needs a spatial bag more than an ascendancy stone. I’ll let her know, of course, but it’s likely she may take another offer or use the stone directly.” I said.
Aersoag, a powerful and elusive wind dragon who returned to raise two new dragons, was sitting on a luxury leather chair opposite of me and enjoying a mug of ale.
Once he finished downing it, he laughed and waved me off.
“Well, hick, the young lass is free to take her pick, I say!” he said.
“It’s not the end of the world if she doesn’t take my offer. I’ll get an ascendancy stone and she’ll get a spatial bag at some point, we’ve got thousands of years to do so each. More importantly, is she and her cousin going to attend the new, hick, school that the arcane dragons are preparing for the new generation? Maybe my kids’ll make friends with them!”
“For now, no. Kiara and Durreg both received personal tuition at home and abroad. Regardless, the school is largely a daycare for the kids who won’t be getting much tuition from parents who can’t be asked to give it – something tells me a majority of those parents are wind dragons.” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Hahahaha, hick, guilty as charged!” He guffawed, refilling his mug with ale and downing it again.
I sighed and shook my head.
I raised my teacup in mock cheer, hoping to secure a good deal for the ascendancy stone before Kiara came home.