The End of Advantage.
After recovering from his suffering, Rob took his status plate out of his Item Box and checked his gains.
[ Rob Freeman - Age: 29 - Male - Level: 28
Job: Abyss Lord
Strength: 570
Defense: 520
Vitality: 670
Agility: 820
Magic: 650
Magic Defense: 650
Skills: Gifts of the Abyss - ... - Transmute [+Ore Appraisal] [+Ore Perception] [+Precision Transmutation] [+Ore Desynthesis] [+Ore Synthesis] - Magic Manipulation [+Direct Manipulation] [+Remote Manipulation] - Improved Sense [+Improved Auditory] [+Improved Olfactory] [+Improved Vision (New!)] - Wild Intuition - Electrokinesis - Gale Claw - Monstrous Arms - Petrification Curse (New!) - Petrification Resistance (New!) - Sense Presence (New!) - Harden Hair (New!) [+Hair Needles (New!)] - Night Vision (New!) - Improved Dexterity (New!) - Language Comprehension ]
When he ate the Bear before, his level had gone up by 5 points. His stats had also risen, but his Defense and Agility had not risen dramatically compared to his other stats.
Meanwhile, his level only rose by 3 points after eating the monsters on the second floor, but his stats rose drastically, especially by 150 points each. This drastic increase in stats despite only slightly leveling up was contrary to the benefits of eating the Bear.
In the end, Rob chalked it up to the monsters on the second floor being far stronger than the ones on the first floor. However, the drastic increase in his stats wasn't the real prize.
The real prize was the skills he gained. Petrification Curse and Petrification Resistance were from the Basilisk. Next, Sense Presence, Harden Hair, and Hair Needles were from the Owl. Lastly, Night Vision and Improved Dexterity were from the Six-legged Cat.
After storing his status plate in the Item Box, Rob turned to Caerbannog, then asked it, "What did you get?"
Hearing Rob's question, Caerbannog perked up, then waved its forelegs while producing adorable yet incoherent sound. "Kyuu kyui fou kyu-"
"Okay! Stop! I don't understand! Just show me what you got!"
"Kyuu!" After replying in its own way, Caerbannog showed what it got from consuming the monsters on this floor.
Moments later, Rob found out what Caerbannog got. It appeared that Caerbannog got Petrification Resistance, Night Vision, Harden Fur plus Fur Needles derivative skill, and Improved Dexterity. It also gained a significant increase in its magic power pool, but this was nothing new to Rob.
"I guess you didn't get anything that doesn't fit your build, huh?" As he said so, Rob eyed Caerbannog contemplatively. "Still, you've grown stronger. The current you can't be compared to the Rabbit that peeked at my fight against the Bear several days ago."
"Fou kyu!" Caerbannog puffed out its chest proudly, soaking Rob's praise.
After that, Rob rested for a few hours before resuming his exploration to find the staircase leading to the next floor. Of course, he brought Caerbannog with him.
Thanks to the Night Vision skill, Rob no longer had any problem seeing in the dark. In addition, Sense Presence let him know when there were any monsters within a ten-meter radius. Therefore, his scouting of the floor progressed swiftly.
Still, Rob had to spend around twenty hours to find the staircase leading to the next floor. He brought Caerbannog to the third floor after some preparations. Overall, his stay on the second floor was no more than 36 hours.
Shortly after reaching the third floor, Rob found a problem. The ground of the floor below was sticky, like tar. The entire floor resembled a huge swamp.
His legs easily got stuck in the ground, and Rob had a hard time moving. He frowned as he saw how difficult it was to move, after which he proceeded to climb up a protruding boulder.
While gazing at the terrain of the third floor from the boulder, Rob remembered it from the original story. This floor had shark-like monsters that could hide their presence and would ambush their prey from the tar-like swamp.
'Between my Presence Isolation and their Hide Presence, which one is better?' Rob wondered inwardly.
On another note, Rob had dubbed the shark-like monster... The Shark.
Sorry if he's bad at naming things. Please understand.
"Kyu?" Caerbannog's puzzled voice pulled Rob's attention back to reality.
Rob shook his head, then replied, "Nevermind. Let's continue our exploration."
From there, Rob used Aerodynamic to advance through the sky. He too carried Caerbannog on his back like usual. In fact, doesn't the little guy feel so comfortable on his back?!
As Rob continued moving forward, he constantly used Ore Perception to look for new minerals. Among the ones he discovered on this floor, one was of particular note.
[ Flamrock: A glossy black mineral. When heated, it melts into tar. It melts at 50 degrees Celsius and catches fire at 100 degrees Celsius. When it burns, it can reach temperatures of up to 3000 degrees Celsius. The length it burns depends on the quantity of tar. ]
'Let's ignite this thing and set this whole floor ablaze later.'
Rob felt somewhat excited when he thought about it. He didn't expect he would feel anticipation and excitement from plotting to set the place on fire. It appeared that he had awakened his pyromania side.
Regardless, he would do that only after gathering samples of monsters and ores on this floor. He didn't want to waste the resources that would help him survive.
'Now, how should I bait that Shark?' Rob wondered while rubbing his chin contemplatively. He remembered a certain weight on his back, then got an idea.
"Hey, I need a favor," Rob called out to Caerbannog as he turned his head slightly to look at it from the corner of his eyes.
"Kyuu?" It tilted its head innocently, unaware of the injustice it would suffer.
---
--
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"Fou... Kyu!"
Caerbannog cried pitifully as it slumped on the ground. It sounds like some years of its lifespan had been shafted off.
Considering what happened, it wasn't wrong.
"Oh, come on! Don't be a drama queen! I've kept my words to keep you safe, didn't I?"
Rob said it from his spot not far from the slumping form of Caerbannog. He and his companion were in the five-by-five meters room with two meters height, which was their new hideout that Rob had dug in the wall far above the swampy floor.
After replying to Caerbannog, Rob pulled out the headless body of the Shark from the Item Box. As for the head, Rob pulled it out of the Item Box a moment later. He placed the Shark's body and head side by side in front of him.
That Shark was the reason why Caerbannog looked so miserable like that.
What happened?
Rob using Caerbannog as bait is what happened!
Due to his passive Presence Isolation, Rob can't be a good bait to lure the Shark out. Therefore, he decided to use Caerbannog as bait. He even promised to reward it with a vial of Ambrosia.
Caerbannog was a loyal follower of its master. It didn't need any reward! But, well, it wouldn't refuse its master's generosity. Refusing its master's generosity would make it seem ungrateful, right?
Enticed by a vial of Ambrosia, combined with its loyalty even though it wasn't its main motivation, Caerbannog accepted the role of bait. However, it didn't really understand what it means to be bait. It only knew that it needed to hover above the swamp for a while.
Caerbannog thought it was lucky. It could get a vial of the liquid miracle that could make it grow stronger significantly by doing something so simple. As such, it thoughtlessly used Aerodynamics to hover over the swamp as its master ordered.
However, Caerbannog soon regretted its naivety when the Shark leaped out of the swamp. The Shark's jaws, filled with terrifying fangs, opened wide to devour it. When it saw the Shark going to devour it, it realized it fucked up.
Caerbannog couldn't save itself from its impending demise. The shark was surprisingly fast, even faster than it. Its short life flashed through its mind. With its eyes wide like saucers and its white fur somehow looking paler than usual, it could only wait for its grisly end.
However, it was not yet time for Caerbannog to die. Rob, who appeared out of nowhere, slashed the Shark with his sword, which vibrated in high speed and clad in the red aura of the Gale Claw, screaming "I'm here!"
His sword's high-frequency vibration, combined with Gale Claw cladding it, cut through the tough hide of the Shark like a hot knife through butter. After separating the head of the Shark from its body, Rob immediately put them in the Item Box, after which he caught Caerbannog's flapping ears and brought it to their hideout that he had created beforehand.
Rob didn't want his loyal pet to be eaten by the Shark even though he was the mastermind behind that crazy plan. He had been on standby at the mouth of their hideout, waiting for the right moment to save his loyal pet and kill the Shark foolish enough to take the bait.
When Rob saw the Shark come out of the swamp, he immediately rushed to rescue Caerbannog with Aerodynamic and other skills that momentarily increased his speed. The Shark didn't even get a good look at its killer's appearance before it died with its head separated from its body.
Rob felt vindicated as everything went according to plan.
"Ban," Rob called out to his pet using a nickname he'd decided for it. He thought calling it Caerbannog was too long.
"Kyuu?" Caerbannog begrudgingly raised its head to look at Rob.
Obviously, Caerbannog disliked that nickname. It was proud of its magnificent name. However, it had to accept it since it was its master who called it with that accursed nickname.
Rob took out a stone vial from the Item Box, followed by throwing it at Caerbannog. "Fetch!"
Caerbannog perked up when it saw the stone vial. It jumped and caught the vial with its mouth like an overeager dog playing fetch.
After landing on its hindlegs, Caerbannog dropped the vial on the ground and crushed the vial with a stomp. Once the content of the vial got spilled on the floor, Caerbannog began lapping the liquid eagerly.
Seeing his pet's antique, Rob shook his head in fondness and exasperation. After that, he focused on dismantling the Shark.
Rob ate the shark's flesh and organs after he finished dismantling and processing it. Despite its horrible taste, he still ate it with gusto. He didn't forget to set aside Caerbannog's portion.
Rob experienced the familiar suffering. It made him reflect on how crazy his life had been for him to get used to suffering.
On another note, Caerbannog didn't hover around him in worry this time.
After recovering from his suffering, Rob checked his status plate.
His level went up only by 1 point, propelling it to 29. His Strength rose by 30 points, rounding it nicely on 600. His Defense increased dramatically by 80 points, bringing it to 600.
His Vitality rose to 700, while his Agility rose to 750. However, Magic and Magic Defense didn't get any increase.
Besides that, his Presence Isolation gained a derivative skill called Zero Existence. This skill is basically Minimum Mind in steroids, and it is even capable to hide his magic power.
'Somehow, my presence is getting thinner, huh?'
Rob wanted to cry. Instead of figuring out the way to control his thin presence, his thin presence got even thinner!
Regardless of his thinning presence, Rob decided to upgrade his armor with the Shark's hides. He covered his armor with an extra layer of the Shark's hides with Taur plates in it. He had to admit that the hides were a tough material despite being easily cut by him.
Then again, he cut it with a sword that vibrated in extremely high frequency. That, combined with its sharpness further enhanced with the Gale Claw, could even slice through the tough hide of the Shark without a problem.
Other than upgrading his armor, Rob created some protective items for Caerbannog. Though his strategies had kept them safe so far, he finally reached the point where he didn't know what awaited them on the fourth to the fiftieth floors.
Granted, he knew some pieces of information. However, it wasn't as clear as his information concerning the first three floors of the True Great Orcus Labyrinth. Therefore, he had to prepare himself and Caerbannog for the worst if he wanted them to survive till the fiftieth floor.