Floor 30 of the Underground Labyrinth, “Gates of Heaven.” Before me stood an A+ rank Phantom Tiger. According to the information I had, only monsters up to A rank should appear until floor 32…
Come to think of it, only one party had ever broken through floor 30. And that party had only reached it once, so it’s natural that the amount of information is lacking. I should have acted more cautiously, but it’s too late now.
I steeled myself and faced the Phantom Tiger. Just then, the Phantom Tiger’s figure suddenly began to fade.
(Invisibility!? I won’t let it!)
If such a strong enemy turns invisible, I’ll have no chance of winning. It’ll be a one-sided beatdown.
(Thunder Lance!)
I immediately unleashed the 4th tier Lightning Magic, “Thunder Lance.” The lightning arrow attacked the Phantom Tiger at a speed far exceeding the speed of sound.
I thought the Thunder Lance had struck the Phantom Tiger between the eyes, but its body seemed to flicker for a moment, and then the Phantom Tiger was gone.
(Damn it! I managed to stop the invisibility, but its movements are too fast, and I can’t keep up!)
The Phantom Tiger had only jumped to the right to avoid the Thunder Lance, but my agility was barely enough to follow it with my eyes. Sensing a bad omen, I immediately used Hardening.
Giiiin!
The moment Hardening activated, the Phantom Tiger’s claws pierced my back. If I had been even a moment slower, I wouldn’t have avoided the damage. Good job, me!
I immediately used Lightning Cloak, covering my body in lightning. The Phantom Tiger, disliking this, took a step back to create some distance.
(Alright, now it’s my turn! Shining Rain!)
This is the 3rd tier Light Magic, “Shining Rain.” Dozens of light arrows rained down from the ceiling. Since it’s the only magic it doesn’t have resistance to, I can expect some damage.
Gaaaaaaaah!
However, that expectation was quickly betrayed. As the Phantom Tiger let out a roar, a pitch-black darkness covered its body, protecting it. It was the 4th tier Dark Magic, “Dark Wall.” All the light arrows were absorbed by the dark wall.
(Then this! Shining Arrow!)
While the Phantom Tiger was busy dealing with Shining Rain, I continuously fired the 4th tier Light Magic, “Shining Arrow.” Moreover, I didn’t just fire them; I manipulated their trajectories to attack from all directions.
Grrrruuu!
Faced with the approaching light arrows, the Phantom Tiger chose to evade without using magic this time. No, it wasn’t that it chose to evade, but that it had no other choice. Because it doesn’t have Chant Break.
The Dark Wall from before was impressive, but it probably expected that. It was amazing that it activated it with just a roar, but it was howling for quite a while. That was probably its chant. If that’s the case, I thought that if I, who has Chant Break, unleashed a barrage of magic, it would probably have no choice but to evade, and it seems my prediction was correct.
Aggaaaaaaah!
And no matter how fast it is, if I unleash a continuous barrage of magic with no escape, it will eventually hit. In fact, the 26th Shining Arrow hit its right hind leg. The roar of pain suggests considerable damage.
(Alright! Hitting the leg was lucky! This will slow its movements! Wait, what?)
I was about to pump my fist in my mind, but for some reason, my vision was suddenly dyed pitch black.
(Crap!? That wasn’t a roar of pain, but a chant!)
By the time I realized it, my surroundings were completely covered in darkness.
(Is this the 3rd tier Dark Magic, “Dark Mist”?)
The 3rd tier Dark Magic, “Dark Mist.” A Dark Magic that inflicts various status ailments. I frantically tried to escape the darkness by using Flight, but…
(Damn it! I can’t fly properly. Did I get some kind of status ailment!)
Checking my status, it seems I’ve been inflicted with paralysis. Thanks to my resistance, I can barely move, but this is bad against a Phantom Tiger.
I managed to escape to the rear while flying erratically, but the moment I broke free from the darkness, the Phantom Tiger’s claws were right in front of me.
Bakiin!
Hardening didn’t activate in time, and I was slammed into the wall. A large claw mark remained on my left wing, and my right middle leg, which collided with the wall, was bent in an unnatural direction.
However, the Phantom Tiger also seemed to be paralyzed by the effects of my Lightning Cloak. My damage was significant, but I have Pain Resistance, so I won’t be incapacitated by the pain.
My body is covered in wounds, but my consciousness is clear.
(2nd tier Water Magic, “Maelstrom”!)
The moment I chanted the magic in my mind, a large whirlpool of water appeared at the Phantom Tiger’s feet. Sensing danger, the Phantom Tiger tried to escape, but it couldn’t move as it wanted due to the paralysis from Lightning Cloak, and it was swallowed by the whirlpool.
(Even if it has resistance to Water Magic, it’s not a problem if I suffocate it!)
As expected of a 2nd tier magic, my mana was being drained rapidly, but this wasn’t the time to hold back. Even after completely engulfing the Phantom Tiger, I maintained the whirlpool until my mana was almost depleted.
(I’m reaching my limit…)
When my mana was down to single digits, I released the whirlpool. Then, the massive amount of water disappeared, leaving only the Phantom Tiger lying on the floor.
(This damage and mana level are a bit bad.)
Thanks to my resistance, the paralysis has mostly healed, and thanks to Mana Auto-Recovery and Auto HP Recovery, my mana is also recovering, and my wounds are gradually healing. These are helpful skills for me, who doesn’t have Holy Magic. However, it will take a little more time to fully recover.
(Should I retreat for now?)
Now that I know that A+ rank monsters appear on floor 30, it’s not wise to go any further. In fact, with these injuries, even going back might be dangerous. While thinking about this, I opened my status to check how much HP I had left and noticed for the first time.
Race: Thunder Beetle (Mutant)
Name: None
Rank: C
Level: 60 Evolution Available
HP: 105/318
MP: 12/477
Attack Power: 308
Defense Power: 368
Magic Attack Power: 527
Magic Defense Power: 527
Agility: 298
Skills:
Special Evolution
Language Comprehension
Chant Break
Item Box Lv19
Appraisal Lv19
Thought Acceleration Lv20
Life Detection Lv20
Magic Detection Lv20
Hostile Detection Lv19
Danger Detection Lv16
Auto HP Recovery Lv17
Mana Auto-Recovery Lv20
Light Magic Lv18
Water Magic Lv22
Wind Magic Lv11
Earth Magic Lv11
Lightning Magic Lv14
Space-Time Magic Lv9
Gravity Magic Lv9
Poison Generation Lv17
Paralysis Poison Generation Lv13
Sleep Poison Generation Lv13
Confusion Poison Generation Lv13
Pain Resistance Lv14
Poison Resistance Lv17
Paralysis Resistance Lv13
Sleep Resistance Lv13
Confusion Resistance Lv13
Bewitchment Resistance Lv9
Water Resistance Lv12
Lightning Resistance Lv12
Miasma Lv13
Flight Lv12
Hardening Lv12
Lightning Cloak Lv15
Titles:
Reincarnator
Skill Collector
Evolver
Giant Killer
Assassin
Kin Slayer
(I can evolve!)
As expected, the experience points from an A+ rank monster were immense. And unexpectedly, 60 seems to be the level cap for Thunder Beetles. Magic Beetles were also 60, so I thought it would be higher. In a way, this is a relief. Evolving will restore my HP and MP.
That being said, I can’t evolve in such a dangerous place. Even if I don’t go outside, I need to find a safe place on a higher floor.
I returned to the stairs that led down to floor 30, focused on recovering my HP and MP for a while, and after about an hour, I had recovered about half of my stats. Then, I started moving towards the upper floors.