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Chapter 31: Second Floor
🕑 Added 2025-01-25 11:04:43 +0000 UTC[Would you like to repair your axe for 15 coins?]
The system prompted James when he picked up his axe. The axe was chipped and deformed in several places due to the acid from the monstrous rat. Of course, James agreed. He now had 750 coins left.
“Ugh… should I upgrade this axe instead? That battle would have gone so much easier if I had a lightning weapon.”
Nevertheless, he wanted that Chimera upgrade. He didn’t know what the upgrade would entail, but there should be an extra slot added to it. James had felt the limitation of the current Chimera. But for that, he needed another 300 coins, and he suspected the chest in the office room had them.
James scoured the entire floor. He almost gave up on finding the key, only to discover it on the corpse of a Ratman. The three Ratmen were about the same strength as the unarmored Sahuagin on the third floor, but since swords were shorter than spears, James had an easier time if he executed a preemptive attack with his longsword.
[You have obtained a treasure key x1.]
“It didn’t show in the dungeon trials.” James tilted his head.
[We have decided to incorporate keys into the system. That way, you may repair them with the shop in case they are damaged.]
“I see.” James was surprised. That statement just now told him that the system could change.
Before returning to the chest, James ventured into the room where he had killed the three vermin. Another office space—this time, several cubicles lined the corners.
Again, James felt a sense of incongruity. The uncanny valley was hard to ignore. A usual office space like this would have rows upon rows of cubicles, but this room only had four or five cubicles spaced randomly. Moreover, there was a huge space in the middle, where the three vermin with swords had gathered.
It didn’t make sense. The system shouldn’t have used cheap plastic cubicles—they should have used luxurious ones like before if space was not an issue.
James decided to ignore it. This space was made by the system. It was not geared toward functionality or aesthetics. The system merely didn’t know how an office space should look—like a beginner in architecture or an AI-generated office space.
After flipping every desk, chair, and cubicle, James returned to the luxurious office room and faced the chest. He inserted the key. After a twist, the chest sprang open.
A shadow leaped out from inside the chest, aiming at James’s face.
James reacted. He reflexively put his right hand before his face and slapped the shadow with his golem arm. It felt like he was slapping a wet ball of fur. A hissing sound and the familiar white vapor assaulted his nostrils.
James dreaded what had just happened to him.
“Fuck! I am dead!” James jumped away as he formed an ice shield around him.
Scanning his surroundings, he found the accursed rat standing up and charging at him. Using his ice spear, he skewered it to bits. The ball of fur sizzled and soon died. James looked at it, then turned his attention to his golem arm.
[Your Golem Arm of Valhalla has been afflicted by Corrosion Level 3. It would require 100 coins to fully repair it.]
“Fuck!” James cursed.
He had planned to open it from afar with his spiderweb as usual, but he never thought the chest could spring open by itself once he unlocked it.
Thankfully, the rat hadn’t exploded in his face. He didn’t know why, but he silently thanked Lady Luck that he hadn’t been afflicted with Corrosion Level 4 on his head.
The previous words from the system reminded him that he might die if the corrosive liquid touched his face.
[After further analysis, repairing your arm is not critical to its primary motor function. If you choose not to repair it, you can still hold weapons, but your strength and dexterity while using it will be decreased by 40%.]
After prodding the chest from afar by hovering an iceball over and inside it, James inspected the chest. A green mechanical ball had spewed green liquid inside. By the time James inspected the chest, the green mechanical ball had already stopped pouring liquid. It was an ingenious trap. If anyone opened the chest, the corrosive liquid would bathe the Corat with corrosion. The Corat would then jump out, spreading the corrosive liquid everywhere before dying from it.
[Congratulations. You have obtained the Sphere of Fethusiane.]
[Sphere of Fethusiane:
A magical sphere made to spew corrosive liquid. The liquid was often used by mages of old as a way to make fertilizer by decomposing unwanted materials. The green goo would soon turn brown, and then it could be used as fertilizer.]
“Well, I didn’t want any fertilizer. But I sure welcome an additional weapon.” James sighed.
After querying the system, James figured out how to use it. First, one must fill the ball with mana, then, by pressing the button, it would start spewing Level 3 corrosive liquid. There was a safety lock to prevent unwanted discharge.
However, James pondered how to use this ball as a weapon. Unlike poison, he couldn’t coat his arrows with this liquid—it would eat through them. James thought about making a ball and throwing it at the enemy like a water balloon, but he couldn’t find a corrosion-resistant bag anywhere.
As always, the world had never gone easy on him. But James always endured.
After paying the 100 coins to repair his hand, James ventured into the boss room and saw the golden teleportation gate within it.
Since there was nothing else he could do on this floor, he departed. White light enveloped him as he was transported into the waiting room. James sat down in the corner, looking at the loading screen. It was oddly fun for him now to see the loading bar fill up.
“Krieek!”
“Fuck!” James cursed as he was transported into a room filled with over twenty Ratmen.
He rolled as they leaped at him. Using his trusty axe, he parried one of the rat swordsmen. Reaching for the sword on his back, he unsheathed it and cleaved its head.
James roared as adrenaline surged through him. He swung and swung as the Ratmen came after him. A golden glow shone on his longsword as he bisected a Ratman with an upward slash.
Seeing that these mobs couldn’t beat James, they scurried back on their own as three Ratmen, equipped with nicer armor, weapons, and shields, stepped forward.
One dual-wielded daggers, while another wielded a sword and shield. Their figures reminded James of those goblins back on the first floor of the trial dungeon.
If the old James had fought them, he might have lost his life. But James was different now. He had weapons, scales, armor, and levels.
“Argh!” James screamed as the vermin with daggers stabbed him in the back.
[Paralyze poison nullified.]
James was busy with the vermin in front. He overpowered them, but the other sword-wielding vermin took his attention as they charged toward him.
Numerous ice spears gathered above James, and he aimed them at the dagger-wielding rat.
James thought he would hit it since it had no shield, but the rat nimbly parried the spears with its daggers.
Golden glow gathered on the sword-wielding rat. James parried the attack with his longsword. Thanks to his superior strength, the sword slid along his longsword as James cleaved one of the rat’s heads with his axe.
James activated his axe skill, [Power Strike]. This time, he put more oomph into it.
The axe was raised overhead and swung toward the shielded rat. The axe embedded itself into the shield. It didn’t stop. James’ golem arm empowered the skill further, and his axe continued its arc toward the rat’s shoulder. The shield soon shattered as the axe continued its path, unimpeded.
Another golden glow emanated from the rat’s dagger.
James held his sword firm.
The dagger drew an arc toward James’s sword as he braced himself.
James decided to challenge the power of weapon skills.
Weapon skills were powerful, but not unbeatable. James remembered that with sufficient strength, one could stop a weapon skill. He did just that. He was pushed back but kept his posture firm. He could see the dagger skill stop mere inches away from his head, caught within the sword blade and its handle guard.
The golden glow flickered from the dagger as its momentum dissipated. The blades of both the dagger and sword chipped from the impact. However, they didn’t break.
James started to gain the upper hand. As he pushed back, the golden glow from the rat’s dagger dimmed. Then it let out its final flicker as James felt the enormous pressure of the weapon skill dissipate.
James relaunched his own axe skill. The axe glowed golden.
Through its trembling eyes, James knew the rat realized it would die. Nevertheless, by pure instinct, the rat held both of its daggers upward, trying to block James’s axe.
It was futile.
The axe cleaved through the daggers and into its torso.
[Congratulations, you have leveled up to level 33. You have earned 150 coins.]
[Name: James
Age: 35
Sex: Male
Level: 33
Coins: 800
Stats:
STR: 115 (up 3)
DEX: 111 (up 3)
Magic: 62 (up 3)
Mana: 720 (up 20)
Skills:
Novice Axe Mastery Level 2 (Powerstrike, V-Slash)
Beginner Sword Mastery Level 7 (Hurricane)
Beginner Bow Mastery Level 7 (Quickshot)
Magic:
Mind Flay
Mana Sonar
Unique Skill:
Chimera:
Goblin Stomach (Iron Guts) (Stomach Slot)
Mana Core (Water Spell: Ice Spear, Water Manipulation, Magic +60, Mana +1000) (Extra Slot)
Orc’s Left Arm (STR+10%) (Arm Slot)
Eyes of Mana (Mana Sense) (Right Eye Slot)
Golem Arm of Valhalla (STR+30%, Physical Resistance +30%, Negative Trait: Repairable, Mana -200) (Right Arm Slot)
Sahuagin’s Webbed Feet (+10% Dexterity in Water) (Leg Slot)
Sahuagin’s Lungs (Underwater Breathing) (Lung Slot)
Golem Core (Poison Resistance) (Negative Trait: Mana -250, Magic -10, Repairable) (Heart Slot)
Orc’s Torso (Torso Slot)
Orc’s Head (Head Slot)
Shadow Snake Fang (Intermediate Life Leeching) (Mouth Slot) (New)
Jumping Spider’s Spinneret (Thread Creation) (Extra Slot 2)
Equipment:
Leather Armor Set (+10 DEX)
War Axe
Longsword
Crossbow
Waterspout Dagger
Mask of Identity
Leather Bag
Sphere of Fethusiane
Cloak of Dark Night]
[Do you wish to modify your body? Y/N]
[Available Body Parts:
Ratman’s Fur (Skin Slot)
Ratman’s Legs (Leg Slot)
Ratman’s Arms (Arm Slot)
[Would you like to repair your sword for 2 coins?]
James sighed. He had beaten a weapon skill with his own strength. But it certainly came at a cost.
After inspecting his weapon, he denied those options. He felt his sword was still good enough. Moreover, he really wanted that Chimera upgrade.
Right now, his gaze turned toward where the mob Ratmen had fled.
He had monsters to kill and levels to gain on this new floor.
