DPSHealer
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Chapter 186 - Will (Thank you for your support, Dylan Patrick Barnes!)
🕑 Added 2024-11-15 08:58:19 +0000 UTC“Damn it! This is what I get from teaming up with a bird!”
I used my grappling crossbow to move to the wall and from there, I saw the chamber collapsing. The area around where the ice phoenix attacked was completely compromised, but it looked like the areas close to the walls were a bit safer. Still, with that much water falling, it probably won’t remain like that forever.
‘Just what the hell happened here?’
I never heard of a dungeon boss acting this erratically, so I was truly astonished. Still, I didn’t have time for that. I began to take a new piece of gear from my magic bag because I am the type that learns from the lessons that I survive.
I grabbed my clumsy version of a diving suit, a bulky creation crafted with the idea of enabling me to move in the crushing depths. It wasn’t sleek or sophisticated, but it was made from tough monster leather, which gave it a decent level of resistance.
However, it was far from perfect. The sheer size of the suit made movement awkward, and it had its flaws. The biggest issue was the helmet; I didn’t have glass with me, so I used the crystal parts of the monsters I face here. Still, it was better than nothing, and it gave me at least a fighting chance to explore the depths.
“Get in, Glacien. This will be one hell of an exit.”
I made this soon after I found Glacien, so it was big enough for her to fit on the head part of the suit. The issue of air was a bit of a problem. The best idea that I was able to come off was by attaching an empty magic bag on the back of the suit. Those could store air as well, so it was my only source of oxygen.
Regardless, soon enough, we had the suit on and then we saw that abyssal worm still sucking everything around. Thanks to that, it was draining a lot of the water in the area, but it didn’t look like it was planning to stop anytime soon.
“Its insides will freeze, but who knows when? I should speed up the process a bit.”
I fired some freezing bolts near the area of the mouth of the monster and the water being absorbed began to freeze inside the monster. Still, I soon had to stop that because all the water around began to freeze… a cold air coming from above also began to drop all the temperature in the water.
The Giant worm also suddenly stopped sucking all the water and stopped moving altogether, much to my surprise. As if that wasn’t enough, the creature began to turn into ashes.
You received 100.000 experience points.
“What the heck…”
I had no idea how the water froze enough for the interior of the monster to freeze it and kill it, but soon a certain hypothesis came to mind.
In any case, the chamber began to fill with water pretty fast and I decided to move. We fell back on the water and then let the current pull toward the corridor. I swam a bit to avoid hitting everything on the way or being pushed toward the walls and ceiling, but I needed training to use the suit better.
“Mew, mew, mew!”
“As far as I know, cats or Sabertooth tigers aren’t good swimmers, so don’t complain.”
I tried to reach the area where the water had reached inside the labyrinth, but it looked like I wasn’t fast enough. I probably should add some magic propulsion system in the suit. I probably should make a system where I could reload mana cores with ease and make the whole thing enhanced with enchantments. I didn’t do any of that since I didn’t think that I would be in such a dire situation so soon.
As I crossed the labyrinth’s floors, the rising water seemed to do half the work for me, effortlessly lifting me toward the exit. Yet, amidst the continuous splashing and the echoing sounds of the water movements, I couldn’t help but notice the eerie absence of monsters. Floor after floor, the corridors remained silent, devoid of the usual lurking monsters.
I considered the oddity, and one thought crossed my mind. It had to be because the final boss had abandoned the labyrinth. Its departure seemed to have thrown everything into disarray, disrupting the natural order of the place. Without the boss to maintain its grip on this domain, the labyrinth itself had stopped working as it should, leaving me with an unimpeded path to freedom.
Before we finally could reach the final parts that the water had reached in the labyrinth, we had to cross the fifth and fourth section of the labyrinth while underwater. Somehow, the magic bag granted us enough air for those five hours.
Still, as soon as I found the area ahead that wasn’t flooded, I jumped from the water using my grappling crossbow and then began to run after taking out my suit. Even out of water, the monsters weren’t coming, so the issue was really with the dungeon boss.
There was nothing left of the abyssal worm, not a single fragment of its monstrous body, not even the faintest trace of its presence. The grotesque, otherworldly flesh that had once filled the air with a sickening, oppressive aura had dissolved completely into nothingness. It was as if the creature had never been there, its colossal form and terrifying power wiped clean from existence.
With its vanishing act, the atmosphere had changed drastically. The suffocating heaviness that had seemed to seep into every corner of the labyrinth was gone, leaving behind a space that felt strangely empty. The eerie silence that followed wasn’t just the absence of the worm, it was the void left by the unnatural tension it had created.
Yet, the world around me was still unnatural and unpredictable, but at least the abyssal worm was gone, leaving me with one less nightmare to contend with.
A couple of hours later, we finally reached the end of the labyrinth… and soon confirmed my guess. In front of us, we could see a giant ice phoenix standing in front of the entrance of the dungeon and on the sides, we also could see some giant ice pillars tainted with blood at their bases… those cloaked guys had been smashed by the ice pillars.
Still, I didn’t expect the boss to still be around… it almost felt like the creature was waiting for me. That would be a problem since it looked much stronger than an ordinary final boss of a fifth floor labyrinth.
“You have survived.”
I furrowed my eyebrows when I heard the voice of the ice phoenix. The voice of the ice phoenix resonated with an undeniable weight, each word imbued with a power that demanded attention. There was a certain regal authority in its tone, as though it carried the wisdom of ages and the power of a being far above mortal comprehension. It wasn’t just the depth or the clarity of its voice, it was the way it seemed to echo in the very air, leaving no room for doubt or defiance.
“While we were enemies before, we fought together that abomination. So, it wasn’t courteous of me to destroy the labyrinth and almost kill you in the process. I apologize for that, but I didn’t have any other choice. Something like this had to be destroyed.”
“I am not interested in hearing excuses. What do you want now? Fight me?”
That was insane. My chances of winning were low, I was tired, not thinking clearly and I had used a bunch of my resources and the enemy had gotten stronger. It was because of all that I couldn’t use my head clearly… I really want to lash out at something, anything… no matter the cost.
“My job as the guardian of the labyrinth ended when I left it. Another ice phoenix will soon take my place. I am no longer an entity that is tied to this place.”
“Mew, mew, mew!”
“Ah, yes… We are a bit similar, but I gained more wisdom enough to use proper words to convey my thoughts after eating part of the labyrinth. Those crystals weren’t supposed to be eaten, but the will of the labyrinth allowed me not to die after absorbing all that energy.”
“Squeak! Squeak!”
“No, you can’t do the same. You will definitely die. Follow your natural path and you will eventually obtain the power that you desire.”
“Awooo…”
It was weird to be ignored in this conversation, but at least I found someone that could use proper words and that could understand Glacien’s words. I could only guess what she wanted to say most of the time, and I was pretty sure that even my general ideas were pretty off the mark.
“You, half-vampire. Don’t you have any questions?”
“I have, but why would you answer them?”
“To make up for almost killing you with my escape.”
I just wanted the parts of the boss. It would make for great materials for a new bow. Still, while the creature almost killed me, I couldn’t complain since it did something that I couldn’t and that made me escape from the abyssal worm.
“You mentioned something about the will of the labyrinth.”
“Although half of you belong to an ancient and knowledgeable race, it seems that you don’t share their wisdom. Labyrinths and dungeons are similar to living beings. While they don’t have proper bodies and a single consciousness, they emerge when the spiritual energy of many beings gather in a single spot. Those many consciousnesses decided to grant me power to preserve the labyrinth and destroy that abomination.”
It seemed that my guess was correct… The mechanical behavior of labyrinths was thanks to the will of many spirits, or the residual energy left by them reaching a common ground or something.
“Then why do the dungeons and labyrinths grant us power when we conquer them in parts?”
“That is… something you shouldn’t know yet.”
“Tch, already reached a limitation, huh? You sure are keeping your word.”
“My apologies. Since it looks like you want to ask some questions that shouldn’t be answered lightly, I will reward you two with the power bestowed on me by the labyrinth. You won’t have choices like the labyrinths grant, but this still should make up for it.
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ThoMiCroN
Awooo… The sabertooth tiger turning into a wolf again…
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