[Chapter Size: 2269 Words.]
Lucius POV
Tower of Babel.
...
...
After leaving Hephaestus's shop, I took some time and visited a few other stores to buy a bag for st food and, most importantly, water bottles to hydrate my throat. I purchased them from some stalls outside the tower.
Once I finished my shopping, the sun was already showing, signaling the end of the day. I thought about making good use of some time before returning to the churd heading to the duo train for a few hours. I po desd to the 7th floor or even deeper to cim that I had produced something useful that day.
I still didn't have suitable bat equipment, as I was dressed in new civilian clothes, with only a cssic medieval sword strapped to my waist with the Crozzo emblem on it and a bag of supplies on my baevertheless, I fidently headed towards the dungeorance.
As I walked towards the stairway gate, where the first flan, I saw Bell ing out of the dungeon with little Liliruca Arde at that moment. I knew about his real as and iions with Bell, but I decided not to interfere in that matter. I would let Bell gh his protagonist trials aablish his retionships. After all, I wasn't ied iing involved, and I knew everything would be fine in the end – that's what mattered to me. Ign my family member, I began to ehe hall before desding into the dungeon.
"Hello, Edd," I greeted a guard at the entrance, whom I reized and who was on duty today. He was a direct guild employee.
"Lucius! Good to see you. It's been a while. Are you going in without equipment?!" He excimed, initially enthusiastic to see an old acquainta's on to form friendships with some guards after two years as an adventurer here, no matter how weak you may be.
Apparently, he didn't know that I left my old family a week ago, and he even expressed a bit of shock at that revetion, knowing how imposing I could be when equipped fhttime duraining. Finding it strahat I was heading into danger in my current clothes, I tried to ease his s.
"It's alright. I take care of myself, old friend," I reassured him and tinued on my way with a reassuring smile.
"I'll trust you, just don't die, okay?" He said with a hint of suspi.
I just waved goodbye to him.
One hour ter.
[- FIREBOLT!]
*Boom*
[- FIREBOLT!]
*Boom*
[- FIREBOLT!]
*Boom*
"I'm sure I keep going," I said as I looked at the pile of rocks along my path and the battlefield with numerous holes. The dungeon was doing its job, fixing these tunnels already. Despite getting a bit of dirt on my clothes, I realized I had reached the seventh flain quite easily.
'I got here faster thaerday, so I'll tinue a bit more...' I thought to myself before starting to walk towards the eighth and new floor.
During this time, I used the sword a few times, only cutting down some individually entered monsters. I realized I was really g in my physical areas and had quite poor swordsmanship. I might be a mage with infinite mana, but I wouldn't physical aspects. I didn't want my body to be a signifit weakness. Mages might have great destructive and supportive powers, but they could easily be killed by an agility-specialized enemy if not careful.
Thinking about it, I would need a teacher iure. I just wondered who would be the most ideal person for that. The sword princess would be teag Bell to fight in the few days, and she was an expert in swordsmanship. However, I didn't want to associate with that character. I preferred to be the OP man behind the ses, just , rather than iing with the main characters, especially when it attracted too much attention. Maybe interfere is when necessary, but avoid as much attention as possible while I was still weak...
Forty minutes after killing all the kobolds and goblins that appeared in my path—these were the official monsters of these two floors I wandered—I wasn't surprised by the limited variety. It was different from the sixth floor, which had Frog Shooters and War Shadows, or the seventh floor, where there were Killer Ants, Purple Moths, Blue Butterflies, and Needle Rabbits, making it the floor with the most monster variations and the one where I accumuted the most points.
Without realizing it, I reached the tenth floor, marking the intermediate pre-floors.
The first thing I noticed as I desded the stairs was the ck of visibility beyond 100 meters ahead, but I tinued anyway. Walking through the dense fog for a few minutes, I found my first targets. There were two orcs walking near a tree. Without wasting time, I pointed my hand at them, her of them notig me yet, and shouted.
[- FIREBOLT!]
The fire bolts shot out from my hand and fell upon them with a great surprise, illuminating the fog in this small area.
*Boom*
The small explosion hit them hard, c their bodies and the tree with smoke.
"This is amazing, casting magiever gets old. Personally, it's incredible and gives you a feeling that you're some kind of deity..." I said to myself. The dopamine from the experience of blowing things up leaves a manic feeling along with the adrenaline.
"ROAAARR!"
However, my thoughts were interrupted by the angry roars of the orcs emerging from the smoke with hatred in their eyes.
"As I thought, things are no longer as simple as the monsters I faced up to the ninth floor..." I murmured to myself and began raising my hand, casting more spells towards the orcs, who were now running towards me with the iion of killihey were so angry that they even igheir burning skin and accumuting pain inflicted by me.
[- FIREBOLT!]
*Boom*
[- FIREBOLT!]
*Boom*
[- FIREBOLT!]
*Boom*
[- FIREBOLT!]
*Boom*
I o hit each of them with three spells for them to finally disie. The first attack caught both of them, but then I had to unch two fire bolts at each as they moved away. I realized that I should be a bit more careful on these floors and even more cautious when stepping into the official intermediate floors, as the dungeon screws you the deeper you go.
I also realized that I should keep a distance as an advantage when fag all monsters from now on. I wasn't fident that I could hahem in close bat, and if I were closer to the orcs, I might not have time to kill them before they reached me.
'So, I'll be extra careful...' was my thought as my attention shifted to something else now.
Looking at the system message, I noticed that I was now gaining 10 points for killing orcs, but the crystals were still the same as the sixth floor, another 10 points. Closing the message, I tinued expl the fog on this floor.
Fag more orcs, I dealt with them more easily after knowing that I hree shots for them. After a while, I found aaircase leading to the eleventh floor. My gains on this floor, after killing about 40 orcs, were 800 points, which I found reaso slower to accumute than the floors before these.
When I desded to the floor, with the death of a few more orcs here, I saw the result that, as I predicted, the crystals increased to 20 points each, doubling the points I received from the sixth to the tenth floor.
But I didn't stay here for long, as after colleg the crystals from the 20 orcs I eliminated on this floor, I started to head back to the stairs.
I, who po spend about 3 hours expl and making some profit, doing a few more tests, ended up staying over 4 hours, surpassing my solo record, which was limited to the seventh floor quite easily. I found nothing that could make me fear for my life. However, I uand, because using long-distance magic, I easily deal with most dangers on the upper floors.
Now I'm returning with satisfactory results to the surface while killing a few more mohat the dungeoes in my path.
I am quite happy with two bags full of crystals as well. I need moo buy my ordered clothes in a few days, so I haven't exged them for points in the system yet.
My return was smooth; I entered some adventurers iunnel on the way, who seemed to be training at this time. The dungeon was empty. It took me another 2 hours to reach the gate of the first floor.
Finally emerging on the surface of the city, I noticed the lights and noises around me. Orario was at its peak, a city sidered the ter of this world, where tens of thousands of adventurers celebrated returning alive from the dungeon.
I wao enjoy a pub while watg groups of people celebrate and have fun, but I had to save some money for the equipment I po acquire. So, I ighe entire pce, walking through the bustling streets and disregarding some feminine gnces in the groups of girls at the bars.
I returo the church a while ter, finding my fellow and Goddess sleeping soundly, cuddled together. I y down on the same wall I slept oerday, aced to it, so I didn't mind not having a bed. The bed was avaible, with Hestia jumping on the sofa with Bell, but I didn't want to seem like a pervert or really be bothered by it.
But before sleeping, I sat eagerly in this er and began studying my current stats.
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---Information---
? Name: Lucius Drakenar
? Level: 1.
---Stats---
? Strength: I62 -> 70
? Endurance: I75 -> 90
? Dexterity: I67 -> 80
? Agility: I86 -> 99
? Magic: I55 -> 140
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[10,000 FireBolt Mission: Cast 10,000 Firebolts! | {Progress 982/10000} | {Reward: The User will be able to Cast Spells Without an Intation.}]
[System Points: 8180]
I spent 6 hours in the dungeon; however, I still lost a lot of time on the pre-intermediate floors, causing my points to decrease at a slower rate than I usually gain on floors sidered easier.
In the early floors, the spawn rate is very high, and my attacks are Hitkill on them. I should have doubled yesterday's points with the time spent in the dungeon, but in the end, I made 5,000 system points. Casting 3 spells to destroy an orc is a signifit dey. Unfortunately, I'm stutil I get a much stronger spell or increase my magic stats, so I must choose to stay on the upper floors until then.
Opening the spell store, I began analyzing what would be my best path as a mage. I realized that some spells seem to fun with the destru system from Skyrim. Fire spells cause damage, burning the oppo after being hit and dealing damage in a rger area around the target.
As fhtning spells, besides beiremely fast, they are for targeting a single specific oppo in most initial spells sihe lightning is thin. In a raid, the lightning mage is more popur because they cast lightning in a small area instead of hitting a rge area and risking hurting allies. Additionally, lightning weaken the oppo's mana, which is useful against oppos with magical attacks.
The ice system seems to work in a way that its side effect is slowing down the oppo, not to mention that it drain their stamina, a great advantage for most monsters in the dungeon on the upper floors.
I was able to better identify these elements; however, the store is not limited to just attacks from these three elements. There are also wih, air, pnt, wood, space, time, gravity, light, darkness, neancy, and many other special categories. The list is almost infinite.
Unfortunately, I don't have the means to have all of this at the moment because special elements with OP attacks are almost all rank 4.
'Something that would take me years in Orario to acquire these spells if I ti this pace today. But I know I multiply my gains when I start expl the deeper floors! So, I just have to get stronger, and my bes will e.' I thought.
But I was very excited; the potential is immense. I could be tent with just a few level 4 spells in this life.
Seeing how slow I am to earn points initially, I'll have to specialize in some element. I noticed that there were even some spells from the Wizard King himself in Bck Clover in this list at rank 4, showing the potential of these spells that illions of points with weaker grimoires.
"I'll specialize in fire for now, but iure, I pn to acquire spells iime category like the Wizard King. I'll be a plete cospy then..." I smiled at that thought.
"Lucius, you finally returned. What are you muttering to yourself over there?" Hestia got up from the sofa zily, rubbing her eyes. She had just woken up, but I didn't mind if she found it strange.
"Just thinking, Goddess Hestia, just thinking..." I said as I leaned back to finally sleep, still thinking of dreaming about the expectation of a bright and limitless future ahead.
