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Chapter 207 – Double Camouflage (Thank you for your support, Mario Zuniga!)
🕑 Added 2024-11-19 13:05:44 +0000 UTCI had to run at full speed for almost two days to reach the labyrinth… I did it in order to avoid trouble with Arslan and the others.
“Even in this area, there is no snow, huh?”
I wanted to see how the elves did that, but I didn’t have time to waste. Although there was no snow, and the sky was clear, the air was a bit chilly. It looked like their magic had such limitations.
A couple of hours later, I found the labyrinth. This one was very different from the others… The forest’s canopy was so thick that sunlight barely penetrated, leaving the area shrouded in dark shadows.
The entrance to the labyrinth was an unassuming, gaping fissure on the ground, framed by twisted roots and overgrown vines. The opening exuded an earthy, musty odor, accompanied by a faint hum as if the very ground vibrated with life. Trails of bioluminescent spores drift lazily in the air, lighting the way into the depths.
There was no great wall with an image of monsters around, but after looking with a bit more focus, I was able to see that the ground made me recall the image of a giant grasshopper with blades for arms.
“I guess we can call this Elven modern art… well, not like they made this, right, girl?”
“Squeak! Squeak!”
“You seem more excited than usual. I guess you want to fight in the beginning alone to show your progress, huh?”
“Mew, mew, mew!”
“All right then, you do that and I focus on gathering the parts of the monsters.”
With the materials of this labyrinth, I couldn’t make anything aside from camouflage potions… it made me wonder if using them would make that skill level up faster. It made a lot of progress so far, thanks to the amulets.
Camouflage Lv 19: Blend into your surroundings, becoming nearly invisible to enemies. Cost: 03 mana per second.
The skills of that class were making progress as well… I bet that I could make a lot of progress here with Bloodhound, but the smell coming from the labyrinth was already too strong. It would only overwhelm my nose. Regardless, we jumped to the interior of the labyrinth and landed after a ten meters fall.
I looked around for a moment and confirmed that the ground was normal, but the walls weren’t. The walls were made of a chitinous material, glossy and ribbed, resembling the exoskeletons of insects. They glowed in the dim light, with patches of bioluminescence casting an eerie glow. The walls seem to pulse faintly, as if alive…
The ceiling had some stalactites, so it looked like the usual. Still, we had to be cautious of those. Even if our endurance had increased, a good hit in the head was enough to kill anyone and those looked annoyingly sharp as well.
“Let’s go.”
“Grrr... grrr...”
“Hm?”
Glacien looked annoyed, and then all of a sudden, she fired a frost arrow at a wall. In the next moment, the wall began to move, but the frost arrow pierced through the part that was flying… it wasn’t the wall moving per se, it was a type of moth monster.
You received 03 experience points.
It didn’t seem that strong, but it should be pretty annoying to deal with. The alchemy book talked about the monsters and their materials, but not that much about the monster’s appearances. It was called dust moth, it could emit through its wings, some dust that could make their body blend even more with the surroundings of the dungeon.
In any case, I grabbed the body of the creature and then shook it, making some dust fall on a special bag that I made for that material. Storing such small amounts in a magic bag would be too annoying.
“You have done well, Glacien. I have nothing else to teach you.”
“Awooo?”
“Let’s resume the exploration. I should have asked that ice phoenix if you could only gain classes clearing labyrinths that big, or maybe you had to defeat monsters of that level… I shouldn’t have been too hasty.”
In any case, we began to move again, and I left those things to Glacien to handle. At first, I thought that making potions for camouflage would be cool, but drinking them would make me feel quite unsettling. The other types of monsters were also quite creepy. Just like on Earth, the moths here had those marks on the wings that resembled eyes, but here, they were five times bigger.
‘The things I do to grind my skills…’
We kept moving on, but at least getting the mana cores from the wasps was easy. They weren’t that thick, so it was easy to sense their location. Glacien found them for me, so that didn’t matter. Eventually, we cleaned the first floor.
You completed a trial. Please choose between the classes: Archer, Mage (Venom Mage), and Thief
Two options that I already had and a new one that wouldn’t help me all that much in combat. Improving my archery skills seemed like a good idea, but I decided to go for the other option… I hadn’t been using my swords all that much lately, and they would be of better use at close range. I would rather keep the enemies away, but extra dexterity in a confined space had its limits.
You obtained the Thief class.
You improved the Attack Speed parameter.
You unlocked the Aptitude: Light Hands
You unlocked the skill: Steal.
You unlocked the skill: Trap Disarming.
Light Hands: Gain additional bonus experience when stealing money and item from others. The higher the value the more the experience.
Steal - Perform delicate maneuvers to pickpocket, swap items, or plant objects without detection. This skill allows you to handle small objects with precision, making it easier to steal valuables or tamper with items discreetly. It includes techniques for quick and subtle movements to ensure success in high-risk situations.
Cost: 30 Mana
Trap Disarming - Detect and neutralize traps set to protect valuable items or areas. This skill allows you to safely disarm traps without setting them off, enabling you to proceed through hazardous locations or access guarded treasures. It includes techniques for identifying various trap types and handling them with care. Cost: 30 Mana
“Attack speed, huh? This is what I wanted… in any case, I am going truly on the highway to become a criminal, huh? Even if I don’t use Steal, having it is enough to make me look suspicious. I don’t have the chance to use disarm traps either.”
I decided to move without thinking too much about this. I let Glacien train her new skills, so I found myself with a lot of time in my hands. Dashing ahead could be a good idea to save time, but Renna told me that I would find some people here that could help me… entering their territory while running won’t do me any favors to help them see me in a good light.
I wasn’t sure if I should use Renna’s name, I didn’t know the name of her husband either, so this was truly a troublesome situation.
Before I could notice it, we reached the fourth floor and then Glacien was forced to use more mana to attack the pairs of wasps that she found along the way. I used Mystic Link on her to give my mana to her. Even though Tame Beast was taking ten points of my mana, the rest still could be used and it was enough as well.
“I guess I will have to pinch in when we reach the seventh floor.”
“Grrrrr…”
“Don’t complain. When I was your age, I couldn’t even come to labyrinths, much less solo a bunch of monsters. Speaking of which, Tame Beast is almost at level ten… I wonder what the next skill will be.”
I wasn’t using the other support skill that much, but it looked like it would be a similar one. Maybe instead of Glacien stamina, I would have to use my mana or something to power her up. That would work since Glacien was already using a lot of my amulets.
“Grrrrr…”
“What is wrong? Did you read my mind or something? Unlike me, you sure don’t have qualms in using items to power yourself up.”
I would imagine that an animal like her would use her instincts and realize that overusing tools was a problem instead of a solution, but it looked like I was wrong.
In any case, it also seemed that my guess was wrong and Glacien wasn’t mad at me… she kept glaring at the space ahead, but she didn’t attack. It wasn’t a dust wasp that was too well hidden.
‘Another type of enemy? This place is pretty far away from other towns, but I guess there is a chance that they would come here…’
I decided to use the camouflage amulet and then used one on Glacien as well. We began to move slowly ahead, trying to listen to any sounds. We didn’t catch anything, but we kept moving silently, just in case.
I decided to use Bloodhound just in case, since my instincts told me to do that, and soon enough, I began to regret it. The dusty and damp smell of the floor made me feel like my nose was on fire.
Soon enough, I began to feel the smell of something different… it seemed a bit sweaty and not smelly, so it probably wasn’t a monster. It looked like Glacien noticed it too, and it began to get stronger. We stopped moving and then waited, ready to attack.
A couple of minutes of tension passed but nothing happened… It seemed like a patience contest. Before long, the smell began to get stronger again, so it looked like we won the contest… Still, even after such a long while, we didn’t see anyone nearby. Before long, the smell began to get weaker again.
‘Wait a minute… are they using a camouflage potion?’
That looked like the most obvious explanation… Based on what Renna said, some people lived in the labyrinth, as crazy as that sounded, and they were her husband’s allies. Maybe he helped them hide here using the fact that no one would actually think of hiding in such a place and also used the materials to make sure that they wouldn’t be found, no matter what.
‘The map says that this labyrinth has thirty floors, but I guess they must have camouflaged the entrance to the deeper floors.’
Comments
soldier eraser
Yeah, it would make sense, but it is basically a magic sabertooth tiger. She is growing too, so I thought that it would be more fun instead of just reading meow, meow, all the time.
The on point heavy
YO! why do you make glacien go "Mew mew mew!" and other such weird un-cat like sounds in succession? Wouldn't it make more sense for her to only meow and growl typically once in a breath like cats do in reality? she probably should purr more too, just saying.
ThoMiCroN
then used one in->on* Glacien as well
MagicWafflez
smh. I can only hope this won't be a repeat of the flooded Labyrinth. though I guess since there are so many more ppl in this one, they at least won't be able to cover up their strike like they they did last time. please grandma, don't tell them he's here!
