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33. My Way (5)
After leaving the dungeon, I grabbed a taxi.
By doing this, I was able to level up, but I was not able to obtain the weapon I wanted.
And the B rank stones, even though I was investing time, I was not able to take them back since I couldn’t clear the dungeon.
It cannot go on like this.
“Thank you. Take care.”
The place I arrived at was the Awakened market near the level 18 hunting grounds.
After leaving the taxi, I went to the biggest market there.
It was because I was buying a high class item.
In the store, there were many customers present.
While I was wandering aimlessly, a 20 year old female store employee came towards me.
The average male would not want any employee to come and help them.
I felt like there was no point in coming to the large market.
The employee was someone who spoke business like.
“Welcome.”
“Yes. Hello.”
“Is there something you are looking for?”
“Trying to purchase a Necromancer skill book.”
Yes. High ranking magic attacks have anti healing properties, like a rice cake painting.
It was something that I couldn’t even dream about with the money I had.
That’s why I was planning to buy the cheaper alternative, a debuff skill.
It had the same effect, but no one but the Necromancer could use it, since there would be a 10 times the mana cost penalty.
“Necromancer skill book. Please come this way?”
Following the guidance of the employee, we headed towards the corner of the store.
Unlike the small markets near home, there were many guards looking over the place.
Each armed to the teeth, that is.
The inside of the market was divided like a bookstore, and none of the actual items were on display, as only pictures of them were hung up.
Even the half A rank weapon I used was hung up as picture in a corner.
“This is where the necro skill books are, but what are you looking for specifically?”
“‘Lower Resist’ and “Un-Recoverable’ please.”
“Understood. Lower Resist is over here, and you said Un-Recoverable?”
She turned towards me to confirm.
“Yes.”
“But why are you saying it in such a difficult terminology. You can just call it anti healing skill. That’s what everyone calls it. It’s not like there is another ‘anti healing’ magic found in any other schools of magic.”
“Ah….. I just memorized it the way the encyclopedia had it written…”
“Guess it hasn’t been long since you became an Awakened.”
“Yes.”
The employee smirked and spoke.
After picking up the two skill books, she continued.
“Did you need anything else?”
“Healer class attack power buff skill book as well.”
“Yes. Understood.”
As soon as I finished talking, two guards by the wall headed towards me and the employee.
‘Oh? What the.’
Without thinking, strength went into both my arms.
Looking at my eyes that went wide, she plastered on a fake smile and spoke.
“Out of all the items at our store, the skill books are considered one of the most prized possessions. That’s why there are guards that come along when we bring them out. Sorry if it surprised you.”
“Ah… Yes…..”
I guess it made sense since the Necromancer debuff skill book alone was $60,000 1, and then to buy the attack buff skill as well.
It didn’t take long for me and the employee to arrive at the counter.
With the two guards at each side, just like the time with the midgets and the goons.
‘This type of situation…. I dislike it for some reason.’ was my thought process.
Finishing the transaction, I boarded the taxi.
Learning all three skill books, the taxi was slowly heading back.
It was annoying to have to raise the level of the skills each time I obtain one.
However, only by raising the levels of the skills do their true values show, so there was no other way.
I had to hit the most amount of monsters possible to level them up quickly.
Back to the manticore dungeon. It was like a training room to me now.
* * *
After investing three hours to raise the skill levels up somewhat…
I was in front of the level 18 dungeon once more.
Half the time for hunting was wasted.
It was because I had wasted half the time set aside for hunting on a dungeon that didn’t return much.
But it was for the perfect clear on the level 18 dungeon today.
The dungeon was pitch black.
I was sure, but just in case, I pulled two mobs first.
Then I casted Lower Resist and Anti Healing on them.
On their chests, an inversed triangle and x shape formed one after another.
With this, debuffs are complete.
Quickly casting the attack buff on myself, I casted Gravity Laser.
With incredible thickness, it penetrated their bodies.2
Riddled with gaping holes, red blood sprayed everywhere.
It didn’t heal. The debuffs were showing definitive effect.
After confirming the effects of the debuff, I casted my shields and ran towards them.
And just like the griffon’s final attack, I aimed to use my Fire Shock to finish them in one go.
Below me was a sea of flames.
The griffon’s sharp feathers became imbedded in the shield, but they were merely ashes slowly cooling.
“Good.”
Other than the poison spit attack from the naga, nothing could approach me without dying.
The only thing I’d have to worry about when pulling a vast amount of mobs is the griffon’s attack.
Pulling all the monsters in the dungeon, I casted Frozen Shield and Spirit Armor.
Frozen Shield shatters after taking a strong attack.
Previously, it shattered from the kelvacore’s brace attack in one go.
That’s why I casted Spirit Armor over the Frozen Shield for additional safety.
Then the debuffs, followed by Fire Shocks to those that cannot recover.
Meanwhile casting Gravity Laser to torment them in between.
Out of all my defensive skills, Reflect Shield provided the most reliable protection.
That’s why I left it in case the hidden boss appeared, as well as for Louver.
If there was no cooldown, there would be no need for this.
With my perfect plan, I was able to annihilate them cleanly.
Other than the time it took to take down the two, it only took 10 min.
All the fallen’s soul was absorbed by Louver.
It was about time that it showed its face.
However, it went back to hiding in the center of the dungeon.
-SQUEEEAL!
I heard the sound of a pig.
The boss had appeared.
To think that a hidden boss would appear on my first clear of the level 18 dungeon.
There was no way to hide the excitement on my face.
If I was lucky, I’d be able to obtain the weapon I want in a single day.
With that in mind, I ran towards the center of the dungeon.
“Wow…. Chicken, snake soup, and now pork?”
The pig was about 5m in size.
It was a bipedal pig, carrying a mace the size of its head.
With its other hand, it held onto a circular wooden box.
Its attack power was low, but the item in its left hand was dangerous.
You could think of it as a bomb that caused a massive explosion.
If I was able to avoid that one attack, I could probably beat it up without any problems.
“However, that guy hiding over there bothers me. Just you wait.”
Only for a moment did the stare down with Louver went.
‘Gwidon’ started to charge at an incredible speed with its head nearly touching the floor.
When it came close to me, I casted the debuff and self buff at the same time.
The noise it made as its body crashed with the ground. The ground shook and I could feel the pressure from it.
The mace was raised above its head and came crashing down towards me.
But thanks to its large body, there was no way such a slow attack would hit me.
It swung through thin air and embedded the mace into the ground, it immediately tried to raise it again.
I ran behind it, and got on its back.
Holding onto its hide, I began to cast all my skills with reckless abandon.
From experience, at close range the Lightning Spray is a lot more effective than the Gravity Laser.
Through hunting, I knew it would do massive amounts of damage to its internals.
Even if Gravity Laser was an A rank skill while Lightning Spray is a C rank, depending on the situation, it could be super effective.
The flames from Fire Shock flew about, its back becoming charred black.
From its nose, mouth, and ears, black smoke came out.
It was obvious that it had suffered terrible internal injuries.
Even while casting the spells, my mind was focused on its left hand.
The mace was in its right hand. With its short hand, it could not hit me while I was on it.
It seemed that it has decided on something, as it raised its left hand up and tossed the bomb in the air.
‘Reflect Shield.’
Instead of just going down like this, it seemed to have wanted to get me off even if it meant taking damage as well.
-BOOM!
The wooden container that left its hand exploded with a deafening noise.
At the same time, it knelt down and lost the life in its eyes.
It didn’t die just because of the damage from the explosion.
The boss wasn’t stupid enough to suicide.
It was because of the damage reflected by the shield.
Since the Reflect Shield had reached level 100, the reflect chance was 30%, while the damage returned was 60%.
It had reflected more than half of the immense amount of explosive damage.
Even if the shield didn’t reflect, it was going to die anyways.
But this makes it a lot easier.
While I was trying to loot the drops floating above ‘Gwidon’….
Reaper Louver became a solid form and started to move.
This was the second time I entered this dungeon, but I was already beginning to grow tired of it.
It has not even been 20 minutes yet, but being stared at by those eyes that keeps following me…
Didn’t feel like 20 minutes, but over 2 hours.
* * *
Using the attack skills of the monsters it absorbed.
And it even absorbed the soul of Gwidon.
It wasn’t an easy fight.
That’s what I thought as I looked at its ethereal corpse embedded into the ground.
Investing $100,000, I had only learned 3 new skills.
But thanks to those skills, I was able to clear it for less than half the time it would’ve taken me.
A dungeon that required the skills of 5 to 6 different classes.
But I found a way to solo it.
I went next to Gwidon’s corpse.
Looking it over, I could not see any weapons.
However, like a hidden boss, it dropped a huge B ranking bloodstone and a skill book.
It should have a huge price differential compared to the C rank stone.
Taking all the loot, I went to the corpse of Louver.
It did not drop any stones, skills books, or even weapons.
But I saw a shiny bracelet floating above its corpse.
“Ara ara.”
With the skill book, bracelet, and a fortune, I immediately exited the dungeon.
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