Chương 55: Treasure Time

I walk up to the treasure chest and open it without much fanfare. Thankfully they are never trapped or anything crazy like that. Inside I find three items. The first is a healing potion, one of quite high quality too. The second is a small gemstone that seems to be absolutely full of fire mana, probably worth a gold or so, though I am no expert in appraising. However, the last is the most important to me. Initiate Tier Spell Scroll (Uncommon) A scroll containing knowledge of a single initiate tier spell.

The user must select an element, and the scroll will spit out a random spell from within that element. Upon doing so, the scroll will allow a single person to learn that spell. If I am being honest, this is one of the main reasons I chose to go dungeon diving. They are by far the best way to learn new spells, techniques and get other rare items that would otherwise be quite expensive. Scrolls are found fairly commonly in dungeons, but getting one on my first chest is still really lucky.

These types of choose-the-element scrolls are the most common. They don't typically grant the strongest spells, but are pretty decent. Though if one wants to find the truly powerful and rare spells, those tend to come already pre-designated. Naturally, most people are unlikely to stumble upon ones they can use, and thus they go to market. Where they sell for quite frankly absurd quantities of money. But I am nowhere near needing to worry about such spells. This scroll will work perfectly fine for me.

Naturally, my first instinct is to try to use it to learn spirit magic. But to my great disappointment, the scroll simply says that is not a valid element. Which is fair enough, that would be too easy. Spirit magic is strange, and while the system clearly wants me to learn it, it definitely wants it to be a challenge. Which now leaves me with a choice between light and water magic. Well, technically I could try to create a new element that is some hybrid.

But that seems a bit out of my depth, I barely know a single water spell, and my light magic isn't much better. But my light magic is at least somewhat useful. The best I can do with water magic is soak the shirt of an enemy, or maybe make them slip. So I end up selecting water, hoping to get something useful. The scroll does a weird flashing light show thing before changing into a blueish color. I waste no time in re-identifying it.

Scroll of Ice Burst – Initiate Water Magic This spell revolves around solidifying water in a small radius around the user. In doing so, the temperature is rapidly lowered. After a variable charge-up time, the spell may be released to create an icy blast, freezing all nearby. Huh, it's an ice spell… but classified as water magic? I would've thought they are two completely different elements. After all, one is icy and stuff, while the other is, well, water.

I mean sure, ice is just frozen water, so it does make a bit of sense. Oh well, the spell seems awesome, so I am not complaining. Naturally, I try to test it out right away. Power flows from the scroll as I activate whatever effect and say the incantation.

"<Ice Burst>" The moment I finish, I can feel the mana rush out of me and start building in the area around me. It starts to get really cold, but I seem spared from it. Water starts to freeze right out of the air, piles of snow forming on the ground around me. Which is even more ridiculous, considering how hot this place is. After a few seconds of holding it, my control starts to fail, so I let the spell go. As I do, a wave of frost rushes out, freezing the ground for about five meters around me.

It didn't even cost that much mana either. I bet with some more practice I could freeze a good twenty meters. Though I am unsure how strong the frost is, I would bet it won't hold most monsters for more than a few seconds. Still, magic is cool. So thus, I need some actual enemies to test it upon. Quite conveniently, this place is crawling with test subjects that literally throw themselves at me to get the opportunity. The first one I go up against is one of the lesser golems.

It suddenly appears as I round a corner, and I step back to avoid its fire attack. Then I jump back a bit more and hide behind a small rock. The chant for Ice Burst is quite long, and I worry about finishing it in time, but luckily this golem seems to be quite dumb. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Popping out from behind my rock, I Plane Step over to the monster just as I finish.

"<Ice Burst>" The monster is helpless as it is covered in frost and is stunned. In the brief moment I stop to inspect my work, I can already see it start to melt though. So I hurry up and slay the damn thing before it can escape. A useful spell indeed, but it is definitely clunky to use. It would be far better if I had a party that could take the lead while I stood back and chanted. But unfortunately, that is not my current situation. Perhaps trying to be a solo mage and hammer wielder is a bad idea.

You still have us, you know. Dovey says through the link. Oh right, I am not entirely alone. Though Dovey isn't exactly the most combat oriented bird, and Luma has not a single dangerous bone in her body. Yip! She says, trying to retort that fact. But I shall refuse to believe it until I see it. She is still young though, maybe as she ages, she will get stronger. Though who knows how long that will take. Spirits are spirits after all, it could be tens of thousands of years for all I know.

I definitely need to find another spirit. Perhaps one that is more of a frontline fighter, or at least can take a hit or two from a monster for me. The problem is I have no clue how to find a spirit. For Luma and Dovey, I literally just randomly stumbled upon them. I sigh and continue my hunt. It seems like every question I answer just spawns a thousand new ones that need answering. Every time I get a scrap of information, it just makes it more clear how little I know.

I wonder if Carnia has a good library, if so maybe I could just spend a decade or two digesting all of the information inside. I do have the memory for it now, after all. I continue to move through the dungeon, slaying monsters, not dying, you know, the usual. I also manage to hit up a few more treasure chests, but they don't contain anything too fancy. Just some materials and a potion here and there. Not that they aren't worth the time of course, but I am really just biding time as Dovey does his exploring thing.

If I want the truly good stuff and some good leveling, I need to get to the next floor. Which is easier said than done, given the sheer scale of this place. Even after wandering around for nearly five days, we have yet to find so much as a single hint of the entrance to the next floor. I have encountered a few other groups though, or at least, what was left of them. I tried to burn any of the bodies I found, but sometimes the areas were so overrun with monsters that I just had to run away.

Guess they just were not careful enough and attracted too much attention. To be fair to them, this dungeon would be quite hard for a newbie. I just have some experience with similar things, I guess. So I am not making the rookie mistakes that lead to most people dying really early–like allowing yourself to get overwhelmed by a swarm. Plus I did find that book, and that was truly a miracle. Like, without it, I wouldn't have known to be very careful around forks in the path, as monsters tend to lie in ambush there.

Something tells me that my advantages will start to run out as I climb higher and higher though. But that just means all the more treasure and levels to be gained! So it is a great relief to me when Dovey finally gives me the news I have been looking for. Master, I think I found one of the entrances. Though, this might be a bit harder than you first expected… How so? Well there is basically a large fancy door.

Behind it I can feel a very powerful presence, some sort of guardian preventing access to higher floors I'd bet. Huh, now that was not in the book. I'll be there shortly, don't do anything stupid, stupid bird. I would never. Not wanting to waste any time, I make a beeline for Dovey's location. I do try to avoid monsters along the way, but it seems they are somehow attracted to me more than normal. I think it has something to do with my hero-ness, it must attract even non-incursion ones. Which is just great, really.

Though, Magic Smith does hit level forty two from all the fighting. So it isn't all for nothing. Plus I am getting materials to use later or sell to buy things. When I finally make it to the chamber Dovey is in, a sense of foreboding settles over me. The door itself is giving off that feeling, I think. As I get closer to Dovey–who has made a small nest on the wall–, I feel it. From the sheer power I feel coming from the other side of the door, I can tell this will be an interesting fight.