Chapter 45: Graveyard Floors and the Magic Caster
After Sister overwhelmingly defeated the winged bull, the 20th Floor Domain Guardian of this unconquered dungeon, we descended down to the 21st Floor.
"We are here. The domain of the living dead. The Graveyard Floors."
"Hmph. I don't like these types of environments. The earth is polluted, and the air is filled with rotten filth. There are almost no things to be looted from corpses aside from their magic crystal and carried equipment. Come on, Raphael. Let's teleport together to the fresh 30th Floor as soon as possible."
"I agree." As per Sister's order, I opened a Portal and we used it to get to the exit of the floor immediately.
Just as we indicated, we are now on the floors of grief and sorrow, the Graveyard Floors. These floors are basically wasteland and are infested by monsters, mostly undead.
These rounded floors had a diameter of six kilometers and were walled by two-kilometer-high pitch-black stone slabs. Much more spacious than the previous ones.
Unlike the floors above, the Graveyard Floors had no ceilings and were open, with the impregnable barrier, of course. If you looked up at the sky, a clouded night sky covered your entire vision, although it's a little beyond noon outside.
These floors always had night settings and were quite dark and lonely. The bright, full red moon is the only thing that gives light in this lonely place. Maybe the developers were trying to make these floors as aesthetic as possible.
Since these floors are always dark, many adventurers have lost their sense of time as they stay here for a long time. In the worst-case scenario, some even had difficulty seeing after being exposed to too much darkness.
The monsters lurking on these floors are mostly undead, like the weak F-ranked Skeletons, sluggish but tough E-ranked Zombies, agile and savage D-ranked Ghouls and physical-immune C-ranked Wraiths.
Just a reminder: undead in all dungeons are produced by the dungeon itself, not a monster resurrected from a human corpse.
There were other monsters besides the undead. Canines like E-ranked Grey Wolves, D-ranked Black Wolves, and Hellhounds. Plant-type F-ranked Mist Pumpkin and D-ranked Treant. And D-ranked Giant Centipede.
The monsters' strengths ranged from Level 96 at the lowest to Level 179. That means adventurers have to be at least D-ranked just to fight decently on these floors. B-ranked if an adventurer wanted to solo.
"Warp."
After stepping on the dead soil of each floor, I repeatedly cast Warp to instantly teleport in front of the spiral staircase while holding my sister's hand. We are basically skipping any monster confrontations.
Dealing with the undead is a pain in the ass. They are resistant to most physical attacks. Stabbing and cutting weapons didn't do much damage.
A battering weapon like an axe, mace, or hammer would've been the most effective. If you didn't have one, you could just use any weapon as long as it was made of silver, since silver has the holy attribute, which is effective against the undead.
Magic was the most effective means of dealing with undead. But Light Magic deals the most damage among all the elements.
I keep casting Warp, and just around a minute later, we finally reached our destination, the grassy and bright 30th Floor. Seeing the artificially created sun again and savoring the fresh air made us draw a long and deep sigh.
"Finally! Fresh air of the verdant plains. Not from a stagnant environment."
"Even though it was just a minute, I feel like getting sick if I stay there longer."
The Graveyard Floors were contaminated by filthy air. Not only the air but also the very earth. So polluted that the whole floor turned into barren land. Or it's just already like that to begin with.
Those polluted airs are carrying not only filth but also diseases. That's why adventurers tend to avoid staying here for long to avoid getting infected by diseases.
Being sick prevents an adventurer from working. No work, no pay. Medical expenses piled up as one stayed weak, making them sink into debt.
"Let's go, Sis. Take my hand."
"Thank you, Raphael. I'll be in your care."
"Warp."
After savoring some fresh air to replace the filth in our lungs, we teleported in front of the Guardian's Room's door. Behind these golden-black doors lies a Level 300 B-ranked monster.
"What are you waiting for? Let's go in."
"Alright, alright." I frowned and then headed to the doors.
We slowly pushed the doors open and entered inside. As the floor goes deeper, the size of the Guardian's Room expands. The 30th Domain Guardian Room had dimensions of three hundred meters on each side.
"It's an undead, huh."
"A magic caster Lich to be exact."
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Race: Lich
Title: Unnamed Dungeon 30th Floor Domain Guardian
Condition: Dormant
LV: 300
MP: 7200
STR: 2400
DEF: 3600
MAG: 6900
MDEF: 5400
AGI: 3300
Racial Skill: Cursed Body
Extra Skill: Auto-MP Recovery, Kin Command
Skill: Magic Sense, Though Acceleration, Detection, Summoning, Pole Art: 1
Magic Skill: [Elemental Magic: Dark: 6, Fire: 4]
Resistance: Magic Attack Resistance, Pain Resistance, Mental Attack Resistance, Fear Resistance, Physical Attack Resistance, Poison Resistance, Corrosion Resistance, Exhaustion Nullification, Hunger Nullification
Blessings: Dungeon Monster
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A Lich, an evolved magic adept skeleton. A B-ranked undead type monster alongside with Undead Knight, the evolution of Ghoul and physically adept Skeleton, and Spectre, an evolution of Wraith.
An undead specialized in offensive magic attacks, especially destructive area-of-effect spells. Also have defensive spells for self-protection.
Thud.
Right after the doors shut, the two empty holes of the Lich's hollow skull started to blaze in red. Stood straight with the wooden staff laying on its ivory-white boney thigh to raise itself from its mediating state.
The Lich stood almost six feet in height and was composed of pure white bones devoid of rotten materials. Clad itself under a brown, ragged robe. Looks garbage at first glance but has high defensive capabilities.
Given its rough and wrinkled surface, the staff was like a snapped branch of a tree. But it was just a deception. The branch was actually made from Treant which makes the casting and magic output better.
"Hey, Sis. Can I have this one?"
"For its Summoning skill, right? Go ahead."
"Thank you, Sis."
Now that I have received permission from my goth sister, I will be able to use its skill after the fight. I just learned the Taming skill two days ago and cannot call my tamed monster yet. That's why I just have to steal it from others.
I fixated my eyes upon the undead and waited for it to make its move. The Lich raised its staff horizontally to chest level. A vivid red magic circle appeared in front of the caster, foreboding an upcoming Level 3 Fire Magic spell.
"…"
Chanting is necessary to cast a magic spell. I have Chantless Skill so I don't have to recite the name of the spell. But for some unknown reason, monsters are able to cast a spell without chanting a word. Even though there's no Chantless Skill in their skill set.
Then a ball of fire, about two feet in diameter, was released from the magic circle. It flew at a decent speed, approaching me. My only reaction is just a swipe of my crimson naked blade.
Swoosh.
With just a swing, I split the Lich's fireball in half, making it pass me and vanish midair. No techniques included, just a fast and quick swing of my sword.
But the undead haven't finished yet. It launches another Fireball again. This time, the Lich fired it rapidly with a second's interval. It releases a dozen flaming spheres and aims them all directly at my standing physique.
Unfortunately for the Lich, I just slashed my sword for each ball of flames, and the results were the same as before. But slashing a magic spell this quickly wasn't common sense.
A normal adventurer cannot just slash a flying magic spell. A person must have quick reaction time and great awareness of its surroundings, or else they will be engulfed in flames.
I can slice the Fireballs easily due to my high numbers. The faster the swing, the more the spells divert each other. But swinging too fast might slice the spell so cleanly that it refuses to separate.
Witnessing how I easily slashed its balls of fire, the Lich stopped producing Fireballs and changed its tactics. After pouring an enormous amount of mana through its entire body, familiar black fog released from its skeleton body.
"The Life Absorption, huh…"
It's the same life-absorbing forbidden spell that the Indestructible Lizard used. It's a spell that gradually absorbs nearby life force to heal itself or restore lost mana.
"It would be bad if the fog filled this whole room. This dungeon is yet to be conquered. We won't be able to resurrect if we die."
"Can you do something about it?"
"Of course. After the fight with the lizard, I've been racking my brain to counter this spell."
Even though Life Absorption is a Level 6 magic spell, it can still pass through obstacles. Level 6 Light Magic spells such as Light Shield and Anti-Debuff Field, even Level 7 Anti-Curse Barrier, were not effective in intercepting the formless black mist.
After conducting some experiments with some spells, I ultimately created a counter for the evil fog. Using Parallel Thinking, I've been able to cast the three Light spells that I'd mentioned before at once.
With my Computerized Mind, I have each spell combine its corresponding effects into one form. In the end, I successfully created a more superior spell than the formers.
"Sanctuary."
Upon reciting the name of the Level 8 spell, the whole room suddenly glowed in a pale aquamarine light. The black fog quickly dispersed and disappeared within the light.
Being inside the holy grounds, the Lich, whose life came from the dark attribute, also takes lots of damage. In just a few seconds, the Sanctuary completely exorcised the undead and collapsed like a stringless marionette.
<Skill Summoning can be plundered. Would you like to obtain it? Yes No.>
(Yes.)
"Huh? It even killed the Lich?"
"So powerful. Powerful enough to purify a powerful undead like that former Lich."
"Well… I didn't expect this spell to be that powerful. I have to be grateful if anything else."
After deactivating the Sanctuary, the slabs began to move. I stored the bones, and we walked towards the chest to claim our reward.
"A mithrill dagger, not bad. Now let's go."
"Okay, Sis." I responded as I followed her to the stairs.
I can't help it. A servant cannot make a contumacious assertion against his domineering master. Just a little more. I will be able to break free of these shackles.