Chapter 171: The Magical Number 9.

Chapter 171: The Magical Number 9.

Proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Dreadflame Dragon Lv. 3] [Silent Casting Lv. 10] [Long-Range Spell Enhancement Lv. 3] [Spear Technique Lv. 6] [Spear Mastery Lv. 2] [Terrain Maneuvering Lv. 6] [Draconic Aura Lv. 2] [Dismantle Lv. 8] gained

Max level of Jobs [Taunter], [Freelancer], [Earth Mage], [Wind Mage], [Scale-Dust User] has been reached

Individual [Sunfang Dragonewt, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor] has switched her Main Job to [Crimson-Scaled Dreadgiver]

Main Job benefits have been updated due to Job change

Crimson-Scaled Dreadgiver Level: 0/30

Job Skill gained: [Scale-Dust Size Increase], [Fire Abnormality Effect: Dread]

Jeez, level 30 If leveling it up is going to be as hard as [Scale-Dust User] was, or even harder, then this will take a while. Luckily, we are gonna be gone for a while.This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.

Before leaving for the dungeon, our party decided to stop by the hunters guild to change our Main Jobs since were about to embark for an extended time without access to a [Crystal of the Divine System]. However, as our dungeon trip wasnt meant for training, taking a Main Job that provided Job skills or abilities would be more beneficial.

Job: Crimson-Scaled Dreadgiver

Requirements: [Dreadflame Dragon Lv. 3], [Scale-Dust User] Job Lv. 15, 10000 Mana, 2000 Strength, 3000 Intelligence, 3000 Stamina

Acquirement Benefits: Mana Increase, Strength increase, Intelligence increase, Wisdom Increase, Agility Increase, Stamina increase, [Dreadflame Dragon] proficiency

Main Job Benefits: [Scale-Dust Size Increase], [Fire Abnormality Effect: Dread]

Job: Shadow Warrior

Requirements: [Shadow Armament Lv. 5], [Shadow Rogue] Job Lv. 15, [Dark Magic Lv. 10], [Silence Lv. 1], [Odorless Lv. 1], 2000 Mana, 1500 Strength, 3500 Agility, 3500 Stamina

Acquirement Benefits: Mana Increase, Strength increase, Agility Increase, Stamina increase, [Shadow Armament] proficiency

Main Job Benefits: [Shadow Dash Eruption], [Dusk Bombardment], [Penumbral Armament]

Job: Fae Whisperer

Requirements: Able to see/commune with lesser faefolk, 1500 Mana

Acquirement Benefits: Mana Increase, Intelligence Increase, Agility Increase, [Fae Talk] proficiency

In our one week of hardcore training, our party managed to gain quite a lot of levels for Ellaine and our Jobs. Unfortunately, due to the three Jobs per week rule set by the System, the four of us only changed to six Jobs, where I managed to finish the level 15 Job [Scale-Dust User] just yesterday. Seeing as it was one of the Jobs created from my racial skills, it just seemed natural for me to acquire and level [Scale-Dust User] once I had the chance. After all, it increased the proficiency of [Dreadflame Dragon], one of the four skills I had to bring to level 10 in order to be able to evolve to Rank A.

[Crimson-Scaled Dreadgiver] was apparently the next step in this Job line, seeing as it had [Scale-Dust User] Job Lv. 15 in its requirements. Aside from having a maximum level of 30, it was pretty hard to level up, seeing as how slaying a single Rank E wasnt enough to bring [Scale-Dust User] up to level one.

Saori had the same idea as I did. [Shadow Warrior] was the 30 level version of [Shadow Rogue], created through the unique skill [Shadow Armament]. Aside from giving her two Job abilities in [Shadow Dash Eruption] which makes her [Shadow Dash] deal damage upon exiting her shadow and [Dark Bombardment] a dark elemental version of [Petal Flames] that shoots out small bombs it also gave her [Penumbral Armament], a Job skill that gives her [Shadow Armament] more defensive prowess outside of being a dark resistance increaser.

Tasianna, on the other hand, took a Job which was less focused on combative abilities, but more on utility. [Fae Whisperer] was the first Job in the Faemancer line, something weve already seen Silva the wind elf have. It only had a maximum of ten levels shell be done with the Job quickly but it allowed Tasianna to do something nobody else in our party could: Speak with lesser faefolk.

As a fairy, Tasianna was able to see all kinds of fae, but she wasnt able to communicate with lesser fae and elementals, similar to how a human couldnt speak with apes and monkeys without teaching them sign language. My [Mana Eyes] allowed me to see the silhouettes of small mana balls, which Tasianna confirmed as spirits, but I couldnt actually see them, making me ineligible for [Fae Whisperer].

After what happened with Kiiro and the onnikai, Tasianna came to the realization that fairies werent the only faefolk suffering in the world outside their havens. Sure, she knew this was the case due to her education, but before she met the onnikais, that realization wasnt as vivid as it was now. Fae like Kiiro could be everywhere, needing help, but there wouldnt always be a faemancer like Silva there to solve these problems. Tasianna, however, could do her part to help as Aurora traveled.

She wasnt planning to become an elementalist like Silva, she just wanted to be able to speak with all the different kinds of faefolk. Learn if they had any troubles. While her altruistic motivation was praiseworthy, being a Faemancer also helped our party as it allows her to gather information through them.

The average fairy rarely acts seriously, and Im not sure if thats the case for lesser fae, too. Hopefully not, Tasianna mentioned after switching Jobs. She seemed to have mostly gotten over her prejudices against humans, but it seems shes still a big critic of her own race.

Lastly, Ellaine was the one who gained the most levels from our dungeon trips, rising up a whole 14 levels from 30 to 44. That was 6350 SP earned! With her 800 spare SP, that amounted to quite a stockpile of points until she used them all up on skill upgrades. You know, when I heard about the whole Job system, I thought using my SP to level up skills was a waste until I realized how hard it really was.

Higher tiers of Jobs required more experience to level up and common Jobs wouldnt give something universally useful like [Poison Resistance] or [Battle Mind]. We can talk all about being patient and playing the long game all we like, but stuff like the onnikais or the grimgarian battalion appearing during our journeys make that plan less appealing. Im not saying we should spend all our SP, leaving nothing behind as a failsafe, but some skills were worth spending on.

Uhm, I know you are aware of the dangers beneath floor 10, but please be very prudent. Skill and strength cannot always get you out of all situations, Cleo, a hunters guild receptionist, warned us before handing us multiple maps for the various floors beneath the 9th. May the Goddess of the Hunt guide you to your prey. Good fortune!

We then left the hunters guild, poised for our trip into the dungeon. Since we had already made the party, Grimnir was already with us this whole time, brooding without saying anything to us. Of course, we hid the sensitive information from him using our specially-ordered IDs, which also included the information shown in the party screen. He couldnt see my [Humanized (Moderate)] status, in other words.

As Grimnir was silently following us, we decided there wasnt a need to talk until we entered the dungeon. Grimnir seemed prepared, after all.

His armor wasnt decorated in any sparkling gold or silver like a noble knight, preferring to look intimidating with thick, scarred eoriant plates and pauldrons while a long plated chainmail hauberk flowed down to his ankles like a dress. Massive gauntlets hid his large hands and his metal boots made his every step quake the earth like a behemoth. His orange hair and face were protected by a stoic-looking helmet, leaving only his beard undefended. Unlike his unkempt appearance from before, his current look made him feel like an ancient tank, which was far more impressive than how I appeared with my [Panzer] spell.

On his back was a large backpack and his weapon. When I asked him what was inside the former, he mentioned his blacksmith kit and a few valuables, since he couldnt just leave them in his wagon while he was gone. The latter, on the other hand, was far more interesting.

At a first glance, it looked like a polearm-like warhammer a long, moderately-thin metal handle with a large, thick hammerhead. Looking closer, however, you could see a compartment and other mechanical pieces attached to his weapon, all leading up to the top which had a crevasse dividing the hammer into two heads. In that space, an ornamented cylinder sat. All in all, his hammer looked more steampunk, without the steam, unlike the medieval or magical weapons Ive seen so far.

The first four floors of the dungeon were, as always, far too easy for our group, since they were made for beginners. Usually, Saori would lead the party since she was our best scout, but Grimnir insisted he should do it, as armored frontliners are meant to stand in front of everybody. From an adventurers perspective, he was the one with the most experience, and its not like he was wrong. Our party was just that weird.

This is the most normal formation this party has ever used, Ellaine mumbled, which I acknowledged.

While it wasnt abnormal for Saori to lead our party, since she is our best tracker and enemy detector, me being our partys tank and frontline was weird. I was mostly a mage with some melee capabilities, but I always guarded the backline against ambushes and was the first one to jump in front of everybody to protect them despite having no armor per se.

Ellaine was wearing a chainmail hauberk with a gambeson underneath it while being adept with a sword, however, she was being guarded by Tasianna and me, two mages. Then again, if you looked at our party more strictly under an RPG lens, werent we just one dedicated mage, two mages with close-combat options, and a rogue with magic abilities? If we hadnt been so abnormal, our party would have been wiped in the first session.

Anyway, after passing through the labyrinth-like cavern from floor four, we entered floor five. A significant change in scenery, we went from a cavernous environment back to a forest setting; yet, it was incomparable to the forests we had been to before. The Belzac forest was a grouping of different wood biomes, which included a boreal forest, a temperate woodland, a swamp, and a tropical jungle just to name a few. I guess it wouldnt be weird, seeing as how big the Belzac forest was, but there was nothing magical about the forest beyond its high Rank. All the trees and plants looked just like youd expect them to.

Floors five to floor nine, on the other hand, were exactly what you would expect from a fantastical forest. Bright shining dandelions grew around the small lakes and ponds of this place, shining bright colors from an assortment of colors as the wind dragged their pollen through the air, illuminating our surroundings. Despite not being classified as a monster or treant, the trees in this area could move independently without a floral magician like Cernust in the area, making me believe floors five to nine were all part of a single organism of sorts.

The monsters in this area fit the theme of the place, with giant colorful bugs flying around, raptor-type dinosaurs using the trees to prowl for prey, and sentient mushroom monsters. All of this happened as the sky of these floors was completely shrouded in darkness, never showing a hint of the sun while we were training on floor eight. Unfortunately.

Fancily bright, sharp-ear forests give me a headache whenever I enter one. Feel at home, Tasianna? Grimnir grumbled the moment we arrived here.

Tasianna shrugged as she replied, Well, it beats brown rocks with some lava and gemstones here and there. This forest and Saelariel feel like theyre living and breathing, Sir Dwarf.

Hmph. It is precisely the lack of color underground that makes you appreciate the rare shining gems and ores you uncover. It is for this reason that we tazongs consider all our creations as art, worthy to dedicate all of our energy into.

It was just idle banter; nobody actually got insulted by it. Tasianna was a fairy in the first place, and, unlike in some fantasy stories, the dwarves and elves in Peolynca have a friendly relationship that could be seen as an amicable rivalry.

Hestia, if what those adventurers mentioned is correct, then I can probably take care of everything until we reach floor 15. Conserve your cores energy until then, Saori patted me on the shoulders as Grimnir moved forwards with the map we brought from the guild, leading our party through the shortest path towards the next floors staircase.

Got it. This will be a long trip, I nodded.

We probably wont return to the surface unless in an emergency, which meant I wouldnt be able to refill my solar core during the entirety of this trip, unless the dungeon somehow produced solar rays my core would accept. Without the sun, my regeneration and endurance would take a hit, forcing me to be more prudent with how I used my solar cores energy.

Thankfully, I had my party to take care of me, meaning I could opt out of most confrontations. Saori had just evolved, Tasianna, with her catalyst, was a force full of potential, and Ellaine recently got access to [Storm Magic Lv. 1] and [Terra Magic Lv. 1]. Not to mention, Grimnir should be able to take my spot as the partys tank temporarily.

While it isnt necessary, I do not want to seem like dead weight.

[Music Resonation (Moderate)][Various Spell Buffs] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

Hmm? Grimnir turned to me with a question look after I began producing music with [Aerokinesis] to share my buffs.

I spread my buffs not with [Synergists Oath], but with my own unique skill, which involves music. I thought it would be better to inform you about it now instead of later on, I explained how my [Idol] skill worked.

Grimnir nodded in approval, remembering he saw the skill when he looked at my ID. Ahhh, so thats what it does. Its got a weird name but if you can spread your buffs faster and more efficiently, then I have nothing to say but impressive. So, as long as this [Music Resonation] buff is in my profile, Ill reap the benefits of all your buffs? Good to know, thanks.

Anyways, lets keep mov- Grimnir was about to turn around when Saori raised her arm up and stated Stop before diving into her shadow. Moments later, a black explosion detonated from behind a bush, sending three raptors flying. Saori emerged behind them and promptly sliced their heads off with her daggers.

Venoraptor

A raptor with venom coated front claws, used against larger foes to weaken them before delivering the finishing blow with its sickle claw on its feet. Raptors rarely hunt alone, preferring to hunt in a pack of siblings or with a partner. Rank E

Not bad, wolfkin. Youre supposedly hunter rank D too, like Hestia, right? By Crustacia, do some more Quests, thats the biggest lie Ive heard recently. Here. And Grimnir returned Saori the map, conceding the front position to her. With Saori back at the helm, we began our way through the next couple of floors.

I guess we might as well get some wood to repair the ogres axe. Not like we need to use Cernusts antler just yet.

*******************************************************

Dungeons.

A monster-infested area born after the arrival of the Origin Gods to Peolynca, created by the Divine System to enclose a huge amount of mana into a separate area to prevent an excessive amount of monster spawning. This mana is then crystallized into a dungeon core, the heart of a dungeon, and the one responsible for the dungeons control and longevity.

Remove or destroy the core, and the dungeon will cease to exist, disposed of by the Divine System as its original purpose was now gone. Despite rumors spread by the uneducated, a dungeon isnt a physical place in the world of Peolynca, but rather it is a separate dimension created through space-time magic and maintained by the Divine System, a separate creation of the Origin Gods.

This was the reason why the ecosystems inside a dungeon, aptly called floors as each area is connected through stairs or holes, could be so diverse compared to its surface. Bountiful forests could flourish inside a dungeon located in the desert, or a perilous magma chamber inside the lands of green, fertile land.

Regardless of what is contained in these dungeons, one thing is for sure: there are monsters and treasures. While dungeon cores arent completely sentient, they seemed to be driven by an instinct to survive and grow like a beast, probably from the Divine Systems command. While it was possible for mana to enter its confines through its door like air, this method was nowhere enough to satisfy its drive to expand the number of floors inside it.

Your four wanted the damn treant for your weapons and catalysts, and Im chopping it for the dragonewt lass to carry it. You think what Im doing is wrong? Grimnir spat out, reminding us what we told him before. We helped them and Hestia is healing their injuries. Fair game. Are we supposed to come out of this empty-handed after risking our lives?

No, I mean, these people just lost some of their party members. Arent you being a bit too harsh, Mister Grimnir? We could share, Saori suggested, but Grimnir argued back.

You think they earned any spoils after doing nothing? You did most of the cleanup, Saori, and Im not even thinking of taking some for myself, despite wanting a branch of two. You work hard, you get rewarded, Grimnir scoffed. I feel for the lads and lasses here, but I aint coddling some strangers. Death can get you emotional, but if it gets you to spit on your saviors, then Ill hammer into their heads what Crustacia does to idiots!

The glare Grimnir gave them afterward made anybody still angry about the results meek. And that is how we landed in this situation.

After I healed everybodys wounds, some of the grieving adventurers began to bury their former companions, despite knowing what the dungeon would do to them. Our party decided to make camp here, cooking a hot meal for the adventurers before we headed to bed with the monster materials securely in my storage. From the sounds of crying, I guess some of them couldnt fall asleep.

Once our party woke up, we noticed the grieving adventurers had already left. Only Naden and his party, the only party that hadnt lost anyone, stayed behind to thank us once again before departing themselves. We continued on a short time later.

Due to the size of this place, it took us a bit to cut our way through the forest, but we eventually found the stairs, ending our days inside the forests of floors five to nine. We had departed from Cedaraille at dawn, but it still took us a whole day, roughly, to reach floor nine.

Once we made it to the bottom of the staircase, there was no longer any sight of a forest.

Wow, what a huge ravine! I stated as I stared into the distance, trying to find the end of this huge place. The sky might have been shining blue, but sadly there was no sun in sight.

But my wonderment didnt last long, for my attention was immediately taken by something flying in the sky.

Shrieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!

A bear-sized felwing was coming our way.

A note from AbyssRaven

"Yo." Most intimidating yo from an anime girl ever.

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Thursday, June 10, 2021 4:18:38 AM Germany [Member of Zard Skwad]

Bio: Hey there, AbyssRaven here. I'm just an avid Light Novel and Fantasy story reader who randomly thought of a story and began writing about it.

I eventually found out that I've been spending a bit too much time with building, planning, and researching for the story, that I've decided to just share it with others.

Writing is mostly a hobby for me, but I would still love any kind of criticism to improve on it.

I'm also german, so please excuse anything that sounds a bit weird...I wouldn't mind you pointing it out though.

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