Chương 104: Dungeon Break

"At least we got a quick entry time," I said as we descended to the first layer of the dungeon.

"Thanks for that."

"No problem. Having a platinum adventurer's plate is a great way to speed things up," Healer Melon said.

"I am thinking the 5 th layer is how deep we should go. Rush down, then rush back up with a day to spare."

"You think your Depth Sense is good enough?"

"At level 20, the 5 th layer is fine. Even if we are late a day or two, I am not worried. The College won't kick me out. Melody told me not to be too worried."

"Well, that is good you are on top of things with the College," Healer Melon said as he reached the bottom of the stairs, leading down from Genoa's dungeon entrance.

"That way to the next layer," I said and set off. Ozy was resting on my shoulder. He was still young and couldn't fly all the time. The first chamber had giant bugs, which I easily cut through. An odd sensation crossed my soul, making me shiver. I could sense it getting a little stronger. After the monsters were gone, I reflected.

"Problem?" Healer Melon asked me.

"Just feeling what earning experience is like," I replied.

"Like drops of water on a pool, with my soul being the pool. It is getting bigger."

"Yes, that is supposed to happen. That's why someone who is level 1 shouldn't have tier 4 skills. The pressure on their soul is too great, like a large boat in a tiny pond. Your pond is just very well built, which is why there hasn't been an issue yet. When you level up, the experience will be more intense. Just be ready," Healer Melon said.

"Got it. No getting distracted in combat," I replied and continued onwards. Ozy didn't get excited at the low-level monsters on the 1 st layer of the dungeon. We soon found the passage to the 2 nd layer, and I fought the large Ice Millipede Champion monster. This time, I had Ozy take off and coordinate with me. His bound Alchemical Field struggled to impact the monster. The size and effect were quite small. But that was fine as I swung at the giant millipede, easily deflecting its mouth pincers.

I had come a long way from being smacked around by a Troll. Darting to the side, I cut into the millipede, and Ozy hit it with a burst of flames. The monster screamed. I then moved in and drove my sword into the back of its head, killing it. For a single moment, I felt my soul shift and become denser. I let out a heavy breath. That had been intense, but I felt that my soul was stronger, more stable. I would reach level 20 in no time and get a new class. I was already at level 2.

The early levels came really quickly. Even if experience was being siphoned away, the amount was so small I wasn't worried. As for the experience earned, that depended a lot on the monster, level, danger, Mana in the air, Mana of the monster, and lots of other factors. Matching the base level of the regular monsters while descending and matching every level with 10 stat points was the general rule of thumb for descending the dungeon.

Starting at the 15 th layer, these rules became much more difficult to follow, with people taking more risks to gain experience and reach level 100. There were risk takers early on, but most of those adventurers died. Then there were the risk takers trying to reach level 100, where there was another batch of deaths. Between the early levels and later levels, leveling was consistent for both skills and main levels.

Right now, the main levels were incredibly easy to get with the low experience requirement, but I would only get the class change and not use the free stat points. I put my sword to the side and began working to extract the core. Ozy was hovering around but held back from eating at my mental command. Once I got the core out, I let Ozy eat. He ate some pieces of the monster that had a slightly higher Mana concentration, but that was it, before he flew back up to my shoulders.

A couple of drops of blood fell from his mouth onto my armor, which was fine. I would clean it once I left the dungeon. I really wanted that Clean spell skill, but that would take time. Next time I come down here, I would hopefully have it. Just as we approached the passage to the 2 nd layer, the ground shook. Drawing my sword, I had Ozy quickly circle.

"What was that?" You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"I don't know," Healer Melon said nervously. There was a surge of Mana out of the passage to the next layer. It felt cloying, thick, and oppressive. Ozy darted back from the passage as a horde of level 15 monsters raced up the passage from the 3 rd layer. That shouldn't happen! I quickly retreated with Healer Melon to the edge of the chamber. Some monsters pursued us while the rest kept running towards the passage leading up to the surface.

Ozy unleashed a Bounded Alchemical Field of ice on the ground, transmuting the water out of the air. The goblins slid along the ground as they lost their footing. I stepped forward and quickly struck out. They were quickly eliminated. Ozy attacked, but Melon was still ready to help in the rear. A large, clawed hand came over the edge to the next layer. The claws dug into the dungeon floor. A giant Winged Humanoid Lizard emerged from the passage. The Mana kept surging in the dungeon.

There were roars in the distance. My Danger Sense was spiking. The dungeon was going crazy. For a moment, I thought that my mother must have done something, but that would be impossible. The dungeon was like the System, nothing could target it. It was a facet of existence, like gravity. But then my mind thought of the flying College. Focusing on the Winged Humanoid Lizard, it was breathing fire and had a ball and chain weapon. It had to be around level 100.

A Champion monster from the 10 th layer or a regular monster from the 20 th. It was an Abnormal, but more monsters were coming upwards.

"Justin, you have to attack. I will support," Healer Melon said as the Winged Humanoid Lizard began advancing.

"Don't worry. Once it is dead, we retreat towards that side passage and get away from this horde," I replied with confidence that I didn't have. When I had fought level 70 monsters, I had been under the supervision of my mother. More goblins were racing out of the passage as well. Death in the dungeon was rarely from a single creature. Death came from being worn down. The massive metal ball was whipped around rapidly. I had no experience with that kind of weapon. It came hurtling at me.

I sidestepped and brought up the flat of my blade. The slight impact forced me back as the ball hit the wall of the dungeon chamber. Lightning erupted from it. Thankfully, no one was nearby, but as the chain transferred some of the elemental Mana through my sword, I stumbled. Goblins rushed at me with spears." Lightning Shield!" Healer Melon used a spell skill. Ozy unleashed a burst of fire, forcing the goblins back. He dove in at them to fight directly.

Despite his low level, he was at a higher level than the goblins. I couldn't be afraid. The chain was rapidly pulled back to the Humanoid Winged Lizard. It twisted while extending its arm. My mind quickly realized what would happen, drawing from my Geometry skills as my Danger Sense spiked. I went into a roll as the large metal ball went whistling back over my head. Coming back up to my feet, I kept racing forward." Sleep!" The Winged Humanoid Lizard was twice my height.

It stumbled down to one knee as Healer's Melon spell skill hit it. But it wasn't enough. Lightning burst outwards from the monster. I raced through it, trusting in my teammate. I leapt upwards." Soul Strike!" It was risky, but I needed to end this fight quickly, before other high-level monsters emerged from the passage. There was a moment where the monster's scales bent inwards, but didn't puncture the scales. Then, my sword went up and in under its jaw into its brain.

I drove my shoulder into the bottom of its jaw as hot red monster blood washed over me. The monster bent backwards and then collapsed to the ground with a crash. I rolled free while yanking my sword out of the monster's corpse.

Looking at the passage, more monsters were climbing upwards.

"Let's go!" I shouted and sprinted back to the group, cutting down the goblins as I went. We raced down a side tunnel. We stopped halfway through, and I cut down the couple of monsters chasing after us. There were no more. The monsters were racing towards the passage up to the surface.

"What was that?" I asked while looking at Healer Melon.

"A dungeon break, but I never heard of one so large and powerful. Sometimes the Mana surges from the dungeon, and the monsters race after it. But with a surge this big and the tremors, something might have happened." We both thought of my mother.

"Good job with that Abnormal."

"Thanks. Without both you and Ozy supporting me, it would have been impossible." Teamwork was, in my mind, crucial to dungeon success. Ozy was annoyed he couldn't eat, but he understood the danger.

"I believe I gained multiple levels from that," I said.

"It wouldn't surprise me. Even on a team, you took the most risk getting close to such a high-level monster. Melee combat is brutal," Healer Melon said. I knew what he meant. You had to put it all on the line to get in close. One wrong move and you could suffer a critical injury. With each fight, you had to gamble with your life. This exhilaration, this feeling. This was why I wanted to become the strongest spellblade. There was nothing else like combat against monsters. That moment of life and death.

That was when I truly felt alive. With my mother, it was impossible to feel that. Perhaps I wasn't right in the head, but I needed this more than I realized. Even though Healer Melon said it was for my health and to get a new class, it helped me a lot mentally. Studying was good, but the dungeon was truly the best teacher. Putting everything on the line, life or death.

"You think Genoa will be okay?"

"Dungeon entrances in cities are inside a fortress for precisely this reason. Unless a level 200 monster emerges, I wouldn't be concerned. Even then, there are a lot of legends at the College that will quickly clear things up." The ground shook once more, and a significantly larger wave of Mana surged.

"We might want to get some more distance from the passage," I muttered loudly.

"Yes, let's go to the next chamber," Healer Melon said.

"Ozy can reshape the tunnel to close it off as well," I said, and Ozy gave me a mental affirmative. We would hunker down for a day and then go back and check on the passage if the tremors and Mana surges stopped. I still had to get to level 20. I'd check my level once I got closer to that point.