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Chapter 91 – Dimensional Dungeon
🕑 Added 2024-10-27 19:30:02 +0000 UTCKeanu’s magic illuminated the humid cave around them as Talia cracked her knuckles, ready to get to the action.
“Professor Iakopo said that Abyssal Jaws are crocodile-like monsters around Level 25. Their Boss should be around Level 30. I can probably take the monsters down without using Dark Water—I need to, really, if I want to absorb their Attributes.”
Keanu nodded thoughtfully.
“We agree on the plan, right?” Talia said.
“You can regenerate. If I have to choose between my safety and yours, I have to choose mine because I can die much more easily.”
“Professor Iakopo said I might even be able to regenerate missing limbs, Keanu,” Talia said sternly. “The only reason I agreed to you coming with me, knowing that I can’t control [Ravenous Wounds] nor the [Cursed Form], is that I trust you not to be an idiot. Do you understand?”
Keanu rolled his eyes but nodded.
“Talia, you have repeated this a dozen times on our way over.”
They were currently not too far from the Academy, in the West Deep, where they would be exploring the Dungeon where Professor Iakopo said she would find clues on her powers and where she could also accumulate Charisma by absorbing it from the monsters.
After the fight with the Mutated Torpedo Snappers and the Drake Boss in the Placid Cave, Talia had gained enough levels that she was now able to effortlessly wield the Star Glaive.
[Name: Talia]
[Age: 17]
[Class: Lifestealer Lv. 21]
[Rank: Adept]
[Primary Mana Channel (Water): Level 4 {Awakened}]
[Secondary Mana Channel (Blood): Level 7 {Surging}]
[Secondary Mana Channel (Dark Water): Level 3 {Awakened}]
[Core Skill #1: Blood Siphon Lv. 14]
[Core Skill #2: Hemomancy Lv. 19]
[Core Skill #3: Eyes of the Abyss Lv. 12]
[Auxiliary Skill #1: Missile Swimming Lv. 8]
[Auxiliary Skill #2: Crimson Wisdom Lv. 12]
[Auxiliary Skill #3: Blood Confluence Lv. 13]
[Auxiliary Skill #4: Bloodbath Lv. 11]
[Auxiliary Skill #5: Bloody Tracks Lv. 11]
[Auxiliary Skill #6: Blood Fortress Lv. 11]
[Auxiliary Skill #7: Tailwind Lv. 5]
[Form Skill #1: Cursed Form Lv. 3]
[Strength: 40]
[Agility: 7]
[Constitution: 0]
[Intelligence: 1]
[Wisdom: 0]
[Charisma: 2]
[Free Attributes: 0]
[Talent Trees:
Bloodborne Warrior (1)
Carmine Thunder (1)
Sanguine Guardian (1)
Hemomantic Artisan (1)
Crimson Sage (1)
Life Thief
]
[Free Talent Points: 6]
Talia had six free talent points gained from reaching Level 15 and Level 20 in her class and leveling four Skills above Level 10.
She was very tempted to use them immediately, especially since she would need to explore a dungeon by herself.
However, Professor Iakopo had told her that she couldn't the points right away. He explained that she would likely be fighting primarily using her dark water and cursed form, which was why Keanu had accompanied her.
Professor Iakopo advised Talia to hold off on spending the points, as they didn't yet know how her new powers would develop. He suggested they better strategize their next moves after uncovering more about what Yelena planned for Talia.
Talia wasn't excited about delaying using her talent points, as she could have unlocked three Skills from the five Talent Trees she had already opened, or she could have spent at least one point on the Life Thief Skill to unlock the last remaining Charisma-related tree.
Both Iakopo and she had reasoned that there might be something interesting behind the Charisma-based Talent Tree, especially since they were now looking into raising her Charisma to allow her to better use her Skills.
However, the pedantic man had pointed out that if she were to unlock the Life Skill talent tree, she wouldn't be able to unlock three Skills from the other Talent Trees, which meant she had to wait.
Although Talia felt frustrated, she also recognized the validity of the professor's point. And, understanding his reasoning, she decided to follow his lead.
Professor Iakopo was many things, but a fool, that he was not.
Most importantly, Talia had spent almost all her Attributes in Strength before allocating two solitary points to Charisma after Professor Iakopo had reprimanded her.
She understood his frustration with her for spending so many points solely on Strength, but he had clearly never understood how frustrated she was since she had always struggled to wield her main weapon.
Now, with forty points into Strength, she wasn’t only able to swing her glaive effortlessly, but she had also gained the first Perk of the Strength Attribute.
Perk: Feat of Strength
Unlocked when reaching 25 Strength Attributes.
The effect of Strength increases by 30%
Perks were unlocked by raising Attributes above the 25, 50, and 75 marks and then once more when reaching their ultimate threshold of 100.
Allegedly, her mother had at least two Attributes at 100 by the time she had faced the Kraken, which was equally incredible and insane considering how young her mother had been when facing the monster.
When Talia and Keanu fully entered the Dungeon proper, after a brief rest in the cavern that preceded it, both widened their eyes.
“It’s a Dimensional Dungeon,” Keanu stared in awe.
“Yeah,” Talia said, speechless herself.
Dimensional Dungeons were Dungeons that, unlike the Placid Cave in Placid City, formed distinct self-sustaining ecosystems out of the Mana that they could absorb.
The prevailing theory to justify their existence was that Mana had created reality, and therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising that it would be able to create these kinds of pocket worlds.
Keanu and Talia currently stared at a very muggy, hot swamp illuminated by an orange light above that very much resembled the sun.
"Ugh, it stinks in here," Talia grumbled, wrinkling her nose.
Keanu nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, smells like sailor socks."
They peered ahead, seeing a vast expanse of murky water stretching beyond what their eyes could see.
Dimensional Dungeons had limits, but they weren’t cut and dry like a cavern’s rocky walls. Talia and Keanu simply would find the world disappearing at some point, substituted by only water and less and less Mana as they moved away from the core part of the Dungeon—which wasn’t something either was interested in doing anyway.
"Alright, let's do this," Talia said, focusing her magic.
With a soft blue glow, flat boards of solidified mana appeared under their feet. Talia and Keanu stepped on them carefully.
Both teens scanned the water intently, looking for any sign of movement. Talia's eyes darted from side to side, searching for the telltale bumps of crocodile eyes breaking the surface.
However, after almost half an hour of roaming the swamp, they had found nothing.
“Professor Iakopo should have told us how to find them and how to fight them,” Keanu complained.
“He said our chances of dying to them are low enough that we should scout them ourselves. The man is obsessed with teaching Water Riders how to be independent and self-sufficient.”
“You became his predilect student and still don’t get special treatment,” Keanu teased her.
“Let’s disembark there,” Talia said, pointing at a patch of muddy land where a few trees had sprouted. I need a good visual.”
They soon dispelled their Mana Boards and climbed the tallest tree there, with Talia standing upright at the top of it, scanning the surroundings.
She activated [Eyes of the Abyss] and looked at the waters around them.
“They are at least two dozen feet underwater,” Talia frowned, seeing the silhouette of several monsters all around them. “They’re here. But they’re not coming up.”
“Did we do anything to scare them away?” Keanu frowned.
“No,” Talia reasoned. “But if they’re Charisma-based monsters, they might be able to summon something to attack us from afar. I had assumed that we would have had to fight hordes of minions before getting to the Abyssal Jaws. But it appears that I was wrong. We’ll have to dive.”
Keanu looked unsure about it.
“They might be able to summon Water Sprites if they don’t want to come out. Above water, they’re not strong, but in the water? We don’t want to face them like that. Why don’t you just harpoon the monsters with the glaive from here? You can use [Recall] on it and get it back.”
Talia shook her head.
“We don’t want to waste time like that. Just wait here. I have a swimming Skill.”
That said, Talia jumped from the tree and dove head-first into the waters.
Comments
Azgaroth
Thank for the chapter. A small Typo, after the Status, and when talking about the Talent Trees, the Life Thief Tree was written has Life Skill.... Also in the Status, her Primary Channel is marked as Water, it is because she didn't discover her Main Water Affinity??? (so it should be marked ??? Water; instead..) Or it is because the Dark Water "corroded" her Affinity, transforming her "Special Water" into a "Normal" Water Affinity???
