Chương 114

He turned around. Past the ruined cathedral was a dark cave. His Abyssal Sonar was pinging heavily. There was one place left in the 13th Vampire City. The treasure vault. Rudra walked into the dark tunnel. The stone floor ahead was perfectly smooth. He didn't even take five steps before the walls clicked loudly. [The traps have been activated.] A hail of iron arrows shot from the ceiling. A grid of metal spikes snapped up from the floor tiles.

Thick bolts of chain lightning arced violently across the narrow hallway walls.

"Seriously?" Rudra sighed. He didn't bother trying to dodge. He pointed his staff forward.

"[Troll's Spite]." He burned ten percent of his health. His black leather trench coat instantly hardened, absorbing the floor spikes that scraped against his boots. Then, he gripped his weapon with both hands.

"[Atlas's Rebound]." Rudra stepped directly into the kill zone. He spun the Staff of the Fire Lord in a rapid blur. The iron arrows hit the spinning bone and vanished. The chain lightning struck the wood and sank straight into the weapon. The staff vibrated wildly in his hands, packed with the deadly force of the high-level trap corridor. Rudra didn't stop swinging. He walked right to the end of the hallway, where a pair of heavy stone doors stood locked shut.

He pulled the supercharged staff back and slammed it directly into the rock. KABOOM! The banked lightning and physical force blew the heavy doors completely off their hinges. They smashed into the room beyond in a thick cloud of dust. Rudra canceled his skill and walked through the smoke.

"Knock, knock." He stepped into a massive, cavernous vault. The room shook. Two giant stone statues in the corners of the room slowly turned their heads toward him. [The Guardians of the Labyrinth have woken up from a long sleep.] They were massive golems. Easily twenty feet tall, made of solid, reinforced rock. They took heavy, slow steps toward Rudra, raising fists the size of boulders.

"Slow and tanky," Rudra noted.

"Perfect." He didn't use any fancy footwork. He just triggered his new skill.

"[Extreme Energy Transfusion]." The closest golem swung a massive fist. Rudra didn't dodge. He just met the giant stone hand with his staff.

"[Crushing Strike]." The heavy bone smashed into the golem's knuckles. The impact shattered the stone arm completely. A massive wave of energy siphoned directly back into Rudra. His missing health from Troll's Spite instantly filled to the brim. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Rudra grinned.

"Oh, this is nice." He used the two massive golems as punching bags. He just stood his ground, trading heavy blows. Whenever he took damage, he just hit them harder, letting the fifty percent damage absorption heal him right back up. He endlessly bashed the stone giants into smaller and smaller pieces. Twenty minutes later, the two Guardians collapsed into a pile of useless rubble. [Experience has been acquired.] [Iron Key has been obtained] x 3 Rudra wasn't even breathing hard.

His health and mana were completely maxed out. He stepped over the broken rocks and looked around the vault. Sitting on a raised stone platform were three ornate treasure chests and one heavy stone coffin.

"Finally," Rudra muttered.

"Payday." He walked up to the first chest and used one of the keys he recently got to open it. Floating inside was a cluster of golden, liquid-like metal. He didn't know what it was, but it looked incredibly expensive. He tossed it into his inventory. [You have acquired 'Pavranium'!]"Pavranium, huh?" Rudra wondered. He decided to cross-verify with Grid later, since he was a legendary blacksmith and should know something about these metals. He opened the second chest. It held a pair of magical boots.

He threw those in his inventory, too. [You have acquired 'Braham's Boots'!] [Braham's Boots] [Rating: Unique Durability: 150/150 | Defense: 130 - Movement Speed: +10% - 20% reduction in skill cooldown time. - The skill 'Fly' will be generated. Boots that Great Magician Braham loved. The boots go to just below the knee, but they aren't inconvenient because they are made of griffon leather. The black iron guards give off a wonderful appearance and have high defense. The pattern of silver embroidered clouds adds a classic charm. It is imbued with Braham's mysterious magic. Condition of Use: Level 240 or higher. Weight: 50]"Fuck, these boots are broken," Rudra exclaimed. Then, he opened the third chest. The air above the platform instantly dropped in temperature. A thick, oppressive magic gathered in the center of the room. It formed into the translucent, glowing shape of a man wearing grand, ancient robes. His appearance was breathtaking.

It was a transcendent beauty that could make anyone freeze in awe. But the heavy, arrogant aura he gave off made the air incredibly hard to breathe. [Now dogs and cows dare touch my things.] The ghostly voice echoed right in Rudra's head. The spirit floated above the chests, looking down with a chilling, superior gaze. [I am the Great Magician Braham.] Rudra stopped. His eyes widened slightly.

"Braham?" Rudra asked, his voice entirely sincere.

"The Legendary Great Magician? The one who built the foundation of modern magic for the continent?" Rudra actually lowered his staff. He had read the lore in the libraries. This guy was a historical giant. Rudra gave the ghost a polite, respectful nod.

"It's an honor to meet you." Braham smirked. He looked at Rudra like he was looking at an insect. [You want to impose etiquette on someone superior to you?] Braham sneered coldly. [Put down my belongings and disappear, human.] Rudra slowly blinked. He stood back up straight. The genuine respect vanished from his face, instantly replaced by heavy exhaustion.

"Right. My mistake," Rudra sighed. Braham's beautiful face twitched. [What are you muttering?]"Look, man," Rudra said, pointing a tired thumb back toward the ruined city.

"I just spent two straight days clearing out a massive vampire infestation upstairs. I'm running on zero sleep. I really don't have the energy to deal with a ghost's superiority complex right now. The chest was unlocked. I'm taking the boots. Are you going to be a problem, or can I just leave?" Braham's pride flared. As a being of supreme arrogance, his temper easily got ahead of his reason. He could not tolerate a lesser being ignoring his majesty and treating him like a minor inconvenience.

[You dare speak to me like a common nuisance?] Braham roared, the cave shaking with his magical anger. [I will trample you into dust!] Rudra rubbed his temples.

"Great. A problem it is." Braham's soul glowed brighter. But the ghost didn't attack directly. His soul fragment was too weak to physically cast spells. Instead, he raised a hand toward the heavy stone coffin sitting next to the empty chests. [I will show you the true abyss! Come forth!]