I guess this is it then…
Instant Kill [OFF]
A Giant tree with a horrid hollow face… stares at me as it shouts a high-pitched cry that spreads dread in the air.
A new entry in “Encyclopedia” Pops up,
“[Rotten Greatwood Elder Tree]”
I really wanna use that staff, but I don’t have any magic spells or experience.
I guess I have no choice…
Summons Undead Sage
…
Well, he doesn’t look confused, but he’s shivering in fear seeing me.
I don’t think he’s ever gonna be normal, it’s time I scold him.
HEY! Stop quivering in fear, you serve me now! Fight for me!
Shivers more violently
Ahh! Well, that didn’t do well…
Then I just told him, “I don’t know what you think, nor do I care but I’m going to reach the end and leave this place. It’s up to you whether you want to follow or rot here for the next hundred millennia.” Then proceeded to attack the tree.
I started with “Consume” to gain all I could, then leaped backward by shooting “Venom Spit” while staying air using “Levitate” but I had already expected the poison wouldn’t work since it rotten.
Nor would the Divine Blessings work since the tree does not consist of any unholy/dark magic. I could try reversing or disabling his rot attacks using “Rot Manipulation” but I don’t think it would work since it has been rotting for thousands of years, it is the source of all the rotting monsters.
I need something effective if only I had some fire magic or any fiery skills, I wish I could convince the sage to fight alongside me. If I want to kill that tree fair and square, I need that giant necro-energy sphere.
And right when I thought of turning my face towards that quivering old sage for help. To my surprise, that old undead coot was already preparing that huge attack.
Perhaps my words touched him.
But now I know what I need to do, the tree could groan all the wants but I need to keep his attention towards me.
The Giant Rotten Tree Violently spreads its giant root all across attacking wildly
I don’t know if this will work nor do I want to try but I have a skill that might work to keep his attention towards me.
Approaches near the tree’s face and then… bites it using “Feral Bite”…
Ugh!!!!!!!!! Pukes
God ugh!!!!! That was pretty fucking disgusting…
But I was right, I enranged him as he seeped something awfully smelling and hazardous where I bit it.
I don’t think “Consume” gave me any liquid substance… should I try once again?
Consume!
[Alert: You Have Obtained Rotten Ichor]
I knew it! I got something new, I have to keep this thing in mind….
Ack!!!!!!!!
The enraged tree struck with one of its giant roots, throwing so far away.
Well, I can’t feel any pain and I have “Heightened Sense” and “Almighty Resistance” active all the time after hacks.
But still making sounds like getting hurt makes me feel human.
Right afterwards the tree pulled its root apart and jumped to stomp me…
Actually, this scares me… Invincibility or not, I really don’t wanna experience getting turned into mashed potatoes.
Covering the entire floor in darkness with his shadow as he jumps.
The floor trembles
But Sage’s attack was charged and ready to be shot
Wooooooooooosh!!!!
KABAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With a deafening roar, the destructive sphere slammed by the Undead Sage into the Rotten Greatwood Elder Tree, its force tearing through the ancient bark. The massive tree groaned, its hollow face twisting in agony as its body shattered apart. Rotten roots and decayed wood exploded outward, scattering leaving nothing but fragments and the putrid stench of death.
[Alert: You Have Leveled Up] x3
[Alert: You Have Learned Corrosion] (Spit a corrosive attack that damages enemies over time, reducing their armor and weakening their defenses.)
[Alert: You Have Learned Spore Burst] (Releases a burst of spores that inflicts sleep on enemies.)
[Alert: You Have Learned Corrupting Roots] (Summons roots from the ground that entangle and immobilize enemies while slowly draining their life energy.)
—————————————————————————————————————————
[System> Overview]
[Name: Kazuma “Kaz” Rintaro]
[Level: 84]
Health: 2930 (∞)
Mana: 1860 (∞)
Stamina: 2490 (∞)
-STATS-
ATK: (102)
DEF: (133)
MDEF: (119)
VIT: (293)
END: (249)
DEX: (278)
INT: (176)
AGI: (153)
LCK: (∞)
AWR: (153)
-SKILL LIST-
1. [Almighty Resistance]
2. [Teleportation]
- [Blink]
3. [Heightened Sense]
4. [Consume]
5. [Toxic Spit]
6. [Venom Bite]
7. [Silk Manipulation]
8. [Feral Bite]
9. [Night Vision]
10. [Shadow Strike]
11. [Shadow Space]
12. [Stealth Mode]
13. [Shadow Surfing]
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
14. [Conceal]
15. [Rot Manipulation]
16. [Rot Immunity]
17. [Necromancy]
- [Conjure]
- [Transmutate]
- [Soul Repository]
- [Undead Summoning]
- [Undead Communication - Commanding]
18. [Corrosion]
19. [Regeneration]
20. [Spore Burst]
21. [Vine Bind]
22. [Corrupting Roots]
23. [Photosynthesis]
- [Photosynthesis: Vital Surge]
- [Photosynthesis: Solar Surge]
—————————————————————————————————————————
Phew! To think I would’ve survived without getting powdered.
Yo! Thanks, Undead Sage you saved my butt.
Sucks there’s nothing left of the tree’s body to use “Conjure” but anyways come to think of it… Don’t I have Mana Cores? And like in Infinite amount?
For some reason, I’m tempted to bring out x99 and crush all at once just to increase the digits.
Mana: 244,994 (∞)
It’s kind of a weird thing to do but It’s better to increase my natural mana capabilities since Athena is the one who has authority over hacks.
Besides it just feels right to enjoy the perks of hacking.
Sucks that I couldn’t find any treasure boxes or armor. It kinda feels weird with all the tattered and bloody red clothes.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to find something to wear soon…
Athena, is there any distortion found on this floor?
( ( “Yes, there was distortion, but it was absorbed when you first cast "Consume" on the tree. Since the tree was so big, the distortion was attached to one of the roots, so there's nothing to worry about now.” ) )
That’s good, Let’s go!
Enters Floor 21
The scenery changed again from zombified gardens to a smelting forge…
Then Athena spoke,
( ( “The presence of distortion has gotten strong, and there is more than one in this room.” ) )
Hmm… I guess this is the second most suspicious thing after this dungeon.
But the only way to find answers and exit is by climbing.
Let’s Go!
Consuming through the floors from 21-29 this floor didn’t have any actual monsters other than lava-puking mechanical robots imbued with mana core.
It was yet another floor where I had difficulty attacking monsters properly but “Consume” could easily absorb them in one shot having “Instant Kill” active.
In short, I was able to gain stat points few level-ups, and learn the following skills,
[Lava Manipulation] (Allows the user to control and manipulate molten lava for offensive and defensive purposes.)
[Heat Resistance] (Reduces damage taken from fire and extreme heat, improving survivability in hot environments.)
[Molten Armor] - (Covers the user in molten metal, significantly boosting defense while burning enemies upon contact.)
[Armor Enhancement] - (Enhances physical defenses by mimicking the toughness of mechanical beings.)
[Iron Boost] - (Temporarily enhances the power of iron-based equipment, increasing combat effectiveness.)
And items,
[Molten Iron Ingots] - Crafting material that can be used to forge powerful heat-resistant gear.
[Inferno Gear] - A gear that shifts modes for weapons or armor forged from lava and steel, granting both fire resistance and offensive fire damage.
[Overheated Golem Parts] - Used for crafting powerful machinery or reinforcing metal-based skills.
I was glad I finally found some fiery skill, but what truly gave me joy was when I used “Craft” to create a heat-resisting armor and a fiery sword with modes that switch from heavy attacks to faster ones.
[Equipped: Infernal Armor]
[Equipped: Emberblade - Agile Mode]
Finally, I wasn’t in tattered clothes anymore and got a weapon too.
But for some reason, I suspect the durability because I have no idea how “Craft” actually works or what mastery of blacksmithing it holds.
Still, it’s better than nothing, although it’s gonna be difficult not learning any swordsmanship in Kendo classes from my previous life, and the sword is too heavy for me to hold in “Heavy Mode”. I guess there are some things even hacks can’t help you with.
Proceeds to the 30th floor.
A Giant Golem Petrified Hears the sounds of footsteps first time in eons.
With each footstep with each of Kazuma’s breath, he glows brighter and brighter from inside.
BOOM!!!!
A Mechanical Cry!!!!
The boss rampages wildly causing the whole place to tremble.
Must… Defend…
Huh!? The golem said something? He’s going way too wild.
Summons Undead Sage
And the fight begins, as the golem spins around throwing all the volcanic energy all over.
Combining all my enhancing skills, I used levitate to avoid the blast, and then I rapidly struck him with Emberblade.
Damn it! I didn’t even do a dent let alone a scratch. Even the Undead Sage got knocked and returned to the repository.
But there were much more other and simpler ways to defeat him…
I used the “Corrupting Roots” to Immobilize and then cast “Corrosion” he slowly began to deteriorate but he tried causing an overloading attack so I had to deal the final blow with “Consume” obtaining the loot.
And successfully I was able to level up by 124 gained over 400 stat points. In addition, I got a rare item and three new skills.
[Item: Thermal Engine Components] - Parts from the mechanical monsters that can be used to upgrade or power machinery.
[Skill: Thermal Vision] - (Grants the ability to see through heat signatures, useful for tracking enemies in fiery environments.)
[Skill: Core Overload] - (Unleash a devastating explosion by overloading a mechanical core, dealing high area-of-effect damage.)
[Skill: Magma Burst] - (Fires superheated magma at enemies, dealing continuous fire damage over time.)
Even though I got three new skills one of them “Core Overload” is pretty much unusable since it needs a mechanical core, but Athena said this skill might become usable in the future someday.
And so I continued to move forward,
Consuming all the enemies, objects, and distortions that came in my path.
Gaining all the Items, Skills, and Stats.
On the 40th floor I fought a Giant Boss named Ancient Arachnid Queen Annihila, who was surrounded by an Army of Black Venom Widows from the first floor.
I guess she was their mother.
Then on the 50th floor, I found an undead riding a royal carriage with two undead horses charging forward, it was kinda spooky since it was coming at such a fast speed while the horses made an eerie neigh.
But I Conjured both bosses but their initial reaction was the same as Undead Sage’s quiet and shivering but maybe because they weren’t just humans.
I do kinda feel badass for having an undead horse now.
Then on the 57th Athena spoke to me, wanting me to tell something.
What she said was, ( ( “After studying the distortions, all the monsters and bosses you’ve fought were either resident or affiliated with the palace or ancient war. Including the fact that each floor has its own name and she added the “Encyclopedia”.” ) )
In addition, she said it is possible to teleport back by using “Teleportation”.
Lastly, she said ( “ I’ve figured out the main cause of the distortions, it seems that someone cast a major spell on the entire palace to keep it alive and preserved, and most of the residents who were resurrected using forbidden “necromancy”, and that the person who cast the spell is still alive and waiting at the end of the dungeon and could possibly the King.” ) ).
So every person I’ve fought was someone who died in this place but why there were wolves and spiders?
I checked the “Encyclopedia” to find out the names and it seems that each floor has its own name including the 100th floor.
Floor 1-10: Royal Dungeons
Floor 10-15: Botanical Gardens
Floor 15-20: Greatwood Sanctum
Floor 20-30: Forge of the Iron Golem
Floor 30-40: Queen’s Den
Floor 40-50: Sentinel Ground
Floor 50-60: Dragon Slayer’s Training Ground
Floor 60-70: Ballroom of Death
Floor 70-80: Dining Room of Chaos
Floor 81: Princess’s Chambers
Floor 82-87: Wyvern’s Resting Grounds
Floor 87-90: Shadow Legion’s Quarters
Floor 91-95: Hall of Shadow Legions
Floor 95-96: Warrior’s Bastion
Floor 97: Empress’s Chambers
Floor 98-100: Throne Room of the Ancient Demon King
Huh!? Reading the first 10 floors' names I reacted, “Funny dungeons within a dungeon”, then I read the other floors’ names.
To be honest, hacks or not, for some reason reading their names made me fear of what was to come next, knowing there once was a history behind this place lost to time yet still exists, its guardians still protecting the palace as mindless undead.
That the king might still be alive waiting for me at the end…
It’s an odd and yet unexplainable feeling…
But I climbed, and then on the 60th floor, I found an undead dragon slayer his name was
“Garh’uzin” his blows were heavy as hell but defeating him was easy. Like usual I conjured, gained my loot and skills, and absorbed any space and time distortions.
This time I learned something perhaps extraordinary called, “Dragon Slayer Skills” but the Athena said they’re unusable since they require proper techniques and something called “Mark of the Dragon”.
Then I fought three female undead assassin bosses named “Dolls of Death” on the 70th floor.
I’m finally nearing the end…
At Floor 73
As usual, I’m rushing my way killing all the undead monsters and spawns coming from distortions.
A thought occurs that I’m actually emptying this palace that was preserved for eons.
For once, I actually felt like I was doing something wrong…
Walking forward, while thinking I found another fragment of distortion.
And saw another vision, a woman lying dead, a king crying on his knees.
It reminded me of something I once experienced myself.
I’m truly afraid of what’s going to come soon.
Then I reached the 80th floor where I met the “Centipede of Chaos” boss.
The next floor was called Princess Chambers, and it was the only floor that truly felt human.
And a minute later I found the bedroom, it looked untouched and truly elegant.
It’s a rude thing to search but I couldn’t resist exploring. I found a wardrobe carrying a bunch of royal clothes and jewelry. I felt like adding the jewelry to my inventory because it was gold.
But I put it right back after, “Unlimited Items” multiplied them. Then I approached the bed where I found one in particular, a hair ornament, that I’d never seen before its beauty was otherworldly, even tho I was in another world. Even so, I took the hair ornament because it looked special and if the king is truly at the end of this place, it might do a trick to bring him back to his senses.
Similarly, on floor 87 I fought an undead wyvern but it had no name, somehow I was able to receive the “Mark of the Dragon” when it attacked me. (I guess the monster needed to be draconic in nature for the mark.)
I was able to use the “Dragon Slayer” skills now but still lacked the techniques. In addition, i was right about the durability of “Emberblade” It was pretty bad as I expected. I could craft new weapons with the number of new items I have, but I still find myself using unlimited copies of “Emberblade” now that I can handle both heavy and agility modes.
On floor 90, I found multiple undead soldiers called “Knights of the Shadow Legion” as a boss chanting “Must defend” It felt quite ominous but knowing a little history of this place I could probably understand why.
Rushing forward, I met the commander of the shadow legion “Nuzma’h” 95th floor. Then on floor 96th, I met another warrior as strong and capable as Nuzma’h.
His name was Uzha’ak,
But there was no stopping me…
Arriving at Empress’s Chambers
Perhaps the only thing that’s left now is the King himself, then right after saying it I detected something, a hostile presence.
Howl!!!!!!!!!!
An Undead Spirit Wolf appeared in front of me its name was Sif.
Was it guarding this place?
Well, I wanted to explore the empress’s room since she was supposed to be a human, but I guess it’s a sign not to take a look at other people’s things even if they’re gone for years.
…
After the battle ended…
Huff! I think I’ve conjured all of the bosses I’ve fought except two and even conjured the unnamed wyvern, which I named Kaiser.
They must be having a party in “Soul Repository” right now.
I got all the levels, stats, skills, items, and every trace of distortion.
I’ve nearly conquered this dungeon, only one thing remains now.
Opens the door to the throne room…