《A Reincarnated Demon’s Life of Wonder》[Arc 1] Chapter 5: Unnatural Dungeon
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I hate this floor...
I'm currently on the 6th floor. Still. No progress made here~. This place's waaaay bigger than the other floors after all~. I can't see the Dungeon walls anymore~.
...what a pain in the ass.
The 6th floor is a big haunted house, minus the "house" parts. To be more specific, it's a huge network of bridges above a dark abyss. No kidding. That place's pitch dark, and something horrifying is down there. Or so says the "mana signatures" seen with my Magic Eye and the Kigal-Note's hypothesis. I don't wanna know more about it than that, thank you very much.
In addition to that, the bridges are filled with wanky, Stonehenge-copying architecture that makes you doubt the sanity of whoever built those things. Weird.
This place is so big that K-N suggested that I should buy the [Sense of Direction] skill. It's a plain skill that lets me know where north, south, west, and east is, to give a simple explanation of it.
And like its description, the effect of the skill's pretty simple as well, but since it helps you not get tricked by labyrinths and stuff, I love it already. Rather, I wish that K-N suggested it before when we were on the 9th floor.
It was not certain if [Sense of Direction] would be necessary for other areas, as the 9th floor was durable to clear without the skill. It is only due to the complexity of this area that this unit suggested the skill at this moment.
Ah, welcome back. And does this mean you're only gonna suggest more skills if we're close to getting screwed?
Correct. It would be better if the T2 skill: [Auto-Mapping] was available for the skill slots, but you have to settle with the second-grade solution this time.
If you say so.
Oh, and "T2" is shortened for "tier 2". According to K-N, all skills have a tier from 1 to 3, with most of my skills being T1 skills except that Aura-skill. It's T2.
Back to the current state of affairs, I wish I could get out of here yesterday already. It's freaking me out, both the "cellar" and the "attic".
Instead of complaining, try to earn proficiency with your skills. It is not every day an enemy-free Dungeon floor is available.
Aye, aye, sir. What a slave driver. Or should I say "demon driver"? Which reminds me, wasn't there some supercar named "demon"-something...? Crap. My mind's getting tired from the MP drain.
Acknowledged. Taking a break now should be reasonable.
Yeah. Hey, do you mind showing me the status page again?
As you wish.
Name: Garami | [Migrant] Race: Grey Demon Gender: Female Level: 4/10 Traits: 1 Karma Value: -14 Main Class: Scout Lv.19
Skills: 18 Titles: 3 Blessings: 1 Aether Points: 2.8 HP: 9/9 MP: 9/9 SP: 11/11 STR: 6 VIT: 10 MAG: 9 RES: 9 SPD: 18 DEX: 19 INT: 120 LUC: 150 LP: 5
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Skill List:
Skill List: Ability Skills: [Mana Auto-Recovery Lv.4] NEW [Stamina Lv.2] NEW [Strength Lv.1] [Vitality Lv.1] [Speed Lv.5] UP4 [Dexterity Lv.3] UP2 Attack Skills: [Darkness Bullet Lv.3] UP2 Active Skills: [Aura of Darkness Lv.2] UP1 [Spatial Storage Lv.1] NEW Passive Skills: [Lurk Lv.12] UP11 [Parkour Lv.4] NEW [Language Adaptation] Perception Skills: [Nightvision Lv.17] UP15 [Tracking Lv.4] UP3 [Sense of Direction Lv.5] NEW [Magic Eye of Sight Lv.20] UP19 [Identification Lv.14] UP13 Monster Skills: [Spider Threads Lv.8] UP7
Wow! Didn't know I'd broken the Lv.20 wall on a skill already. Not to mention that even the Scout class is following suit!
Correct. Beginner-tier classes are the easiest to train, and since yours is not related to direct combat, just traveling through this dark Dungeon is enough to obtain enormous amounts of proficiency. This is one of the reasons why adventurers challenge Dungeons.
Oh, okay. So there are adventurers in this world...
Correct.
...another question. I'm a demon. How are they treated in this world?
Variable. Most humanoid demons are considered part of mankind. And except for extreme cases, racism between the different species does not occur. That does not prevent organizations like the Adventurers' Union to set a bounty on wild groups of humanoids, as long as these individuals are a threat to mankind, just like how monsters are.
Meaning it's up to your attitude. Got it. But a Union..., gotta be the "adventurers' guild" that comes up in fantasy stories.
Speaking of which, could you tell me more about "titles" now? The [Giant Killer]-thingy I got from beating the snake on the 9th floor was one if my memory's not gone bonkers from this gloomy place.
Acknowledge. Titles are special rewards granted to users of the Terra Sol system. It is divided into three categories:
Achievement titles: titles obtained by clearing specific requirements. It can advance into new titles with more difficult requirements than the former title.
Is [Giant Killer] an "achievement title"? It was about killing someone stronger than yourself, so it fits being an "achievement".
Correct. [Giant Killer] is one of your two Achievement titles.
Cool! Wait, "two" Achievement titles?
Correct. In addition to [Giant Killer], owner Garami is also in possession of the [Reincarnator] title. It is obtained by having returned from the land of death to the land of the living.
I was kinda ghosty before..., but does that count?
It does. Shall I show the title list?
Please do. And the pages for each title.
As you wish:
Title List: Achievement Titles: [Reincarnator] [Giant Killer] Status Titles: [Migrant] Title Name: Reincarnator Acquisition condition: Return to the realm of the living after having died at least once. Effects: Positive correction to self-recovery moves: [Normal]. Rewards: None Description:
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A title granted to those who ignore the laws of reality and rises from the grave. A title that is commonly seen with those of the undead.
Title Name: Giant Killer Acquisition condition: Defeat an enemy that is at least 10 levels higher than yourself. Assistance is not allowed. Effects: Positive correction to damage inflicted to higher-leveled/ranked targets: [Small]. Rewards: Skill: [Strength Lv.1] Skill: [Vitality Lv.1] Description:
A title granted to those who defeated an enemy above their weight limit. Good work, Underdog.
Title Name: Migrant Acquisition condition: Arrive at Terra Sol from a different world. Effects: None. Rewards: Skill: [Identification Lv.1] Skill: [Language Adaptation] Description:
A title granted to the people who have arrived from a different world. The Migrants.
Yeah, there are two of them. But why's "Migrant" different?
Acknowledged. The [Migrant] title is a Status title. This category contains special titles that show a person's status in society, not status values.
Ah, point taken. Meaning guys like the royalty have some "king" title or something close to that?
Correct.
Then what about the last set of titles? You said there were three.
Correct. The last category of titles is the Hunting titles. These titles are obtained by defeating a specific number of creatures. Like Achievement titles, these titles can be upgraded, this time by killing even more creatures than the previous title. All these titles grant 1 skill and they also have an effect that increases damage toward creatures related to the title in question.
No wonder I don't have those~. I am a true pacifist from hell~. Even if hell's ahead of me. Battling monsters...
Better than staying in this place!
Agree. This Dungeon is too "strange".
...you know, you still haven't told me what's making this Dungeon so weird. Of course, there's an abyss right below us, but I'm no expert.
Acknowledge. Starting explanation of "Dungeons".
Great! I wish I had some popcorn...
Dungeons: great areas produced through the blessings of Chaos. They grow with each death inside them, which is why they lure foolish adventurers into themselves with the promise of riches and fortune as bait.
Dungeons normally spawn several monsters on each floor, which will respawn after some time has passed, generally around 6 hours. In addition, a limited number of creatures of the same race as the spawned monsters can be summoned. The summoned monsters have intelligence and a sense of self, something the spawned monsters do not.
And the most important difference between these two groups of Dungeon monsters is: the summoned monsters can leave their floor. Spawned monsters are rooted to their floor of origin.
Finally, only Dungeon monsters should be possible to gain life in a Dungeon. And it is normally impossible to think of the thought that a Dungeon's ecosystem could include creatures of outside races.
Wait, let me see if I got this right...
You're complaining because someone like me got born here without being "connected" to the Dungeon..., and the existence of the various monsters like the snake and the fish-people are messing up the idea of what you had for the Dungeon?
Correct. Or, that is parts of this strange situation-
Oh, right! Do you think there used to be tons of wacko architects here? Or whatever you call the guys who're making all these obvious artificial rock formations? But for some reason, they took to the hills, a normally impossible action for them?
Correct.
Sure you're not overthinking it? Maybe there were just a few of those summoned monsters here instead of a bunch of spawned ones? Maybe the owner of this place chose quality over quantity? And it just may be that they've given up on this floor. Maybe the king cobra's eating so much that the Dungeon's owner had to cut down the costs elsewhere?
Incorrect. A Dungeon floor's spawning facilities cost nothing after it is placed. It makes no sense to remove them, as there is no gain from it.
Oh, okay. It's more logical to think that this place's weird than the boss here being too stupid for his good...I think. There are quite the amazing idiots out there. Amazingly self-destructive, among other things.
......why're you looking at me!?
WHATEVER! If you want a destructive demon, you've found your girl! I'll goddamn farm the [Darkness Bullet] as an appetizer, and after THAT, think of something more impressive! Like a darkness CANNON! Here, and here, and take some there!
Wha-hahaha! K-N's right! This place is awesome for grinding! When there have been no enemies for days, you can get away even with firing (weak) bullets of darkness!
*Wheeze*, phew. Okay, that's enough stress relief for now. I gotta stop every 10 or 20 seconds to wait for my MP to recharge. Having so low stats isn't funny. I hope I can produce bullets equal to some war after I evolve~...
Isn't the ceiling getting somewhat closer? ...nope. Just the goddam rocks!
*Crash!*
I ran away to escape the rockslide of bad art, but the path I had been on is in a sorry state. Honestly, that was too close. I gotta be careful about where I aim that bullet. And excuse me for being such a critic! Stupid rocks...
*Rumble*
I said I was sorry! Time to flee!
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