That day, Rex stopped helping Zanis with his paperwork at six after four hours, then spent two hours with the three musketeers who wanted to go out for dinner. He spent some of that time taking his spear to the Goibniu Familia for repair while renting another 2nd grade spear, before returning and entering reverie for three hours. After that, he prepared himself to return to the dungeon.
'Goliath should spawn in an hour, right?' he asked, preparing some food to eat down in the dungeon. Scavenger confirmed it. 'I guess I won't be able to nerf myself for the fight.'
Unlike the Green Dragons, Goliath was out in the open, and he wasn't brave enough to go full barbarian against the Level 4 Monster Rex, even with his helm hiding his appearance. So he decided to finish the fight quickly before making his way down to Water City.
And since he planned to go down to Water City today, he changed his salamander wool clothes to Undine Cloth. These granted resistance to water-based attacks, which Water City was full of, and also provided some heat resistance. Although it wasn't as strong in heat resistance or protection as salamander wool, there were no fire-based monsters there.
Besides, he didn't plan on doing anything extreme with his body furnace or fire breath, especially now that Overgrowth and Green Dragon Body were at his disposal. The cloth also enabled better swimming, reduced water resistance, and alleviated water pressure, allowing improved combat underwater—necessary for capturing rare species hidden deep underwater.
'I hope all the good monsters don't end up being underwater species that will have me swimming deep,' he thought.
Unlike the floors above, he had no way to fully explore Water City, as nearly 80% of its unexplored areas were underwater, and he currently had no way to breathe underwater. Of course, he could easily ask Scavenger about monsters granting underwater breathing or possessing valuable abilities, but he decided against it.
Unlike the Large Tree Labyrinth, he wanted to actually experience the floor without just hunting specific monsters. He wanted to be surprised by interesting abilities from seemingly uninteresting monsters. It would be boring if he knew everything beforehand and treated it as a mission rather than an experience.
That was also why he kept his knowledge of Water City minimal, just enough to avoid being too caught off guard. And before he graduates from Water City to the Dense Forest Ravine, he plan on using Scavenger to quickly speedrun the floor for missed abilities.
'I feel like Water City will give me more stuff than Large Tree and above,' he thought, packing essentials. 'I hope so. The Large Tree Labyrinth was a bit maddening.'
Why? Because most interesting abilities came in Physical Properties, changing him notably. Like the Moss Huge ability to replicate itself as long as it had a mind, with clones having 75% of its abilities.
75% was absolutely crazy, especially for a cheat character like Rex with 15+ unique abilities. However, he had to reluctantly let it go because Scavenger confirmed it would grant him moss-like skin.
'Times like that, I wished I had Liliruca's transformation magic.' He sighed. He could acquire good physical properties, look like an abomination, yet still appear normal 24/7 with the magic. 'I wish I was like my glorious king Fang Yuan who would do anything for power.'
He would have long killed a lot of adventures with interesting abilities. For now though, he decided to forget about the interesting PPs. In the future, if he somehow got a transformation skill, he will be coming back for all of them.
"Let's get going." With that, he left his room.
It took him almost an hour to travel from Cupidinem to the 17th floor of the dungeon. Since he had already farmed pity earlier in preparation for the Goliath, he didn't need to waste another hour or two doing it. He just ran straight to the Goliath room, and just before entering,
"Berakh—" Rex extended the dispensable 300-thousand-valis 3rd-grade sword to the side, "HaKele!" The blue twinkling aura around him instantly converged into a thin sheath of blue energy with stars flickering within surrounding the sword's blade.
The moment the Goliath heard his roar and saw Rex running into its room with a glowing sword, the Goliath returned its own;
"OOOOOO—"
Its roar was cut short when Rex performed a full upward horizontal slash, the blade releasing a razor-thin arc of blue energy. The arc widened as it ascended towards the Goliath at blinding speed, transforming into a massive crescent of glowing energy that passed cleanly through the Goliath's thick neck like a hot knife through butter.
It continued on without pause and slamming into the ceiling behind it and slicing deep into the stone above, without disturbing the surrounding structure. The towering body of the Goliath stood frozen for a second, then its head fell off its shoulders, severed cleanly at the neck. A massive fountain of crimson blood sprayed out as it slowly fell to its knees.
Rex, who hadn't stopped running, reached the towering Goliath and touched its legs. 'Scavenge.'
Its massive body instantly disappeared into ash, and he quickly caught the drop items—some Goliath teeth and hides—as they fell through the air, continuing without pause into the 18th floor. The Level 4 Monster Rex, Goliath, was one-shotted by a Level 3.
'Berakh HaKele is really an overpowered magic,' Rex thought, looking down at the sword that started crumbling. It was a sword he had bought specifically for when he wanted to use that magic, and it could barely handle 3 premature release of the magic. 'Too bad there isn't really a situation where I am forced to use it.'
The magic itself was kind of useless to Rex. It cost way too much Mind, and in a real fight, he would've already used a good chunk of it on other magic. Berakh HaKele was an overpowered finisher, much stronger than his other spells in terms of burst damage, but it needed him to be in serious danger to justify using it. By then, he'd likely be out of Mind and unable to activate it—unless he gambled on ending the fight instantly with it from the start.
'Maybe making a weapon that stores Mind and can be used for Berakh HaKele in the future would be a good investment,' he thought, glancing at the stats he got.
[+773(7.7) Strength, +743(7.4) Endurance, +498(4.9) Dexterity, +413(4.1) Agility, +366(3.6) Magic]
As expected, since all his stats were now above 1000. As for the ability he got:
[War Cry+ -> Goliath Roar++ (Skill/Active): Causes paralyzing fear in enemies one level below while greatly boosting allies' and slightly lowering enemies' strength, endurance, and agility.]
"That's…." Rex stopped running as he entered the 18th floor, his eyes narrowing at the screen. "It?"
He didn't expect to get 4–6 abilities per scavenge with pity like he did with the Green Dragons—that was only because of the effect of Dragon's Bane. But still, just one ability? And it's one he didn't even see himself using anytime soon.
'I thought Strong Body would finally get replaced.'
Strong Body was his best buff skill, and apart from Scavenger, it was his most used skill. Goliath had a much stronger version of this skill, and Scavenger even confirmed it would've replaced Strong Body, but he didn't get it.
'How come I haven't even gotten anything to replace this skill yet?' He got it from floor 12, and his deepest floor now was floor 24, and yet he hadn't gotten any replacement. 'It seems like such a basic buff skill, so shouldn't more monsters have it? Is the Silverback that unique?'
It seems so, but thankfully the skill is a percentage buff not a flat buff so it scales till 'late game.' He really didn't need replacement for it since its already quite good as it, but...
'Let's hope I get something in water city or else I will have to come back for goliath every two weeks till I get it.' He thought as he continued his way to the central tree of Floor 18 that would lead him to the Large Tree Labyrinth.
—*—*—*—
The passage connecting the twenty-fourth floor with the twenty-fifth was a cave covered in crystals, located in one of the deepest parts of the twenty-fourth floor that's actually mapped out.
After killing all the monsters in the rather small room, Rex walked to the front of a wall covered in crystals, as if just this one part had frozen over at some point. In the wall was a dim cavity that sloped gently downward into the distance, where a cool wind blew toward him from deep inside—a draft absent elsewhere in the Large Tree Labyrinth—ruffling his hair and cloak.
'Graduation day~.' Rex thought as he stepped into the hole that looked like an ice cave.
He kept descending into the long tunnel, which stretched nearly a kilometer into the depths. As the end finally came into view, a bluish light filtered through the opening ahead, accompanied by the sound of rushing water. The noise grew steadily louder, building into a deep, thunderous roar—like a storm or an earthquake—enough to make his eardrums vibrate.
Soon he reached the end of the slope and exited the cave, walking out onto a cliff, and was instantly drawn in by the scene across from him.
"..."
About 500 meters away from him was The Great Falls.
As the name implies, it was an enormous cascade of water that started on the twenty-fifth floor and reached all the way down to the twenty-seventh. From his view, it measured over five hundred meters wide with multiple layers of waterfalls, and was surrounded by rugged valleys and jagged cliffs, all seemingly carved from the tips of massive, shimmering crystals.
The water reflected the light in a surreal way, appearing almost emerald-blue and glowing with a soft shimmer. Rainbows arced through the mist-filled air, born from the interplay of light and spray. Looking up, he saw the Great Falls pouring directly from the ceiling of the twenty-fifth floor, with roots of the enormous trees from the Large Tree Labyrinth spreading across it like veins.
Returning his attention ahead, he continued to the edge of the cliff and looked down at where the water was falling. Between him and the waterfall, was a vast darkness about half a kilometer wide that swallowed the rushing water without a trace. The abyss below gave off no reflection, no end in sight—only a heavy, lightless void that seemed to stretch forever downward.
'So it really does cross floors and reaches all the way down to the twenty-seventh floor.' Rex thought as he looked down, taking a step closer, his feet shuffling on the ground—before he quickly stepped back, feeling a strong case of 'the call of the void.'
"I for real almost jumped," he mumbled, taking more steps back, and then he grinned. "This one," He spread his arms wide, feeling the misty cold spray of water from the waterfall on his face.
"Has arrived!" he roared.
This was the great Water City.
Deciding not to waste time on the cliff, he turned to head behind the waterfall where the real floor rooms began. To his right was the precipice, and to his left was a slippery, wet path about three meters wide that that follows the cavern wall. At the end was a tunnel that led to the first room of the floor.
Fighting on that narrow path was not something he wanted to do, and if he was attacked by flying monsters—
"KAAAARRR!" A scream drew his attention and he looked up to see a monster flying above.
It resembled a slender, humanoid woman from the waist up, with a lithe, toned build, a bare upper body, and medium-sized, featureless breasts with no nipples. Its arms were replaced by massive wings, long and broad like a bird of prey's, with feathers that faded from cream to pastel blue, large enough to wrap around its body like a cloak.
Its skin was pale skin, with a female face, sharp, elongated feathered ears, and inverted eyes with black sclera and red pupils. From the waist down, its form shifted into that of a bird, light feathers covering its lower half and ending in strong, clawed legs.
'Siren?' From what he remembered reading, Sirens and Harpies looked very similar, but Sirens were more colorful—
Suddenly, the monster spread its wings wide and opened its mouth. In the next instant—
"KAAAAAA!"
A con-shaped shockwave of multiple concentric circles burst from its mouth, slamming down at him like a sonic hammer. The wave of sound engulfed him, piercing his ears and reverberating at the back of his skull, with the ground beneath him cracking from the sonic-scream force.
"Guh!" He clenched his eyes shut from the noise and dashed to the side, moving off the cliff and onto the path. 'Jinxed my fucking self!'
The Siren tracked him with its head, the sonic scream trailing after him, but it couldn't catch him so it stopped screaming and began chasing after him. It flew far off to the right, the black abyss stretching out below it—if Rex tried to jump and catch it midair, he'd only be killing himself. And if he tried to stone it down—
"KAAAA!" Another sonic scream came, aimed directly at his head.
He ducked, almost slipping as the wave slammed into the wall beside him and exploding, rocks bursting outward. He picked up his speed, and the tunnel at the end of the long cliff trail soon came into sight. Without pause, he threw himself inside and vanished into the shadows.
Of course, the Siren didn't let up and flew in after him—only for Rex's hand to shoot out from the shadow the moment it entered the tunnel. His larger palm grabbed its mouth, fingers digging into its cheeks and jaw, locking it shut, stopping it mid-flight the moment.
The Siren's eyes widened as they met him, and it tried to scream, but his iron grip kept its jaw clamped tight, the sound trapped in its throat. It then flapped its massive wings hard, slapping him repeatedly with enough force to one-shot any level 2 adventurer. Stones and debris went flying from the wing beat while it simultaneously scratched at his torso with its taloned feet.
But the strength of a level 3 monster—especially one not focused on power—was nothing compared to his level 5 defense. Its claws only scraped his chestplate, releasing a loud screech like nails on a chalkboard, leaving barely a scratch, while its wings were only a hand fan to him.
"Lol~." Rex grinned.
The Siren's face twisted in rage and it began flying backward. "!!!" His eyes widened as he legs started sliding forward across the ground, moving closer to the end of the tunnel. 'It can fly with me?'
His raw weight was about 190 lbs (86 kg), and with his armor, weapons, and gear, he weighed nearly 440 lbs (200 kg). It was amazing that such a little body can lift him, but then again, it is a level 3 monster.
It nearly dragged him out, so Rex quickly yanked it back and slammed it to the ground, smashing the Siren's face into the stone. A muffled, garbled scream tried to escape from her crushed jaw as her head snapped back, blood bursting from her nose and mouth.
Her eyes went glassy, one of them beginning to roll, and a thick splash of crimson painted the rock beneath her skull. Then he stepped down on the back of its head, crushing it with a single stomp. It let out a choking cough as its eyes rolled back and it died.
With his feet still on the back of its neck, he used Scavenger.
[+0.02 Strength, +0.05 Endurance, +0.09 Dexterity, +0.08 Agility, +0.07 Magic]
"Yep," Rex nodded, glancing at his status screen, "We're back to the grind."
— — — — — — — — — —
Rex Magnus
Level 3
[Strength] SS1020 | [Endurance] SS1013 | [Dexterity] SS1017 | [Agility] SS1019 | [Magic] SS1023
[Predator] H
[Luck] I
[Skill]
"Scavenger" — Harvest stats, skills, magic, properties, or treasure from corpses and evaluate quality.
(Skill: Strong Body, Body Furnace, Goliath Roar++, Tremor Sense+, Heptathlos, Jack Bird Dash, Vouivre Rage, Green Dragon Body+)
(Magic: Blue Papilio Powder, Fire Breath+, Berakh HaKele, Poison Release++, Overgrowth)
(Physical Property: Sharp Retractable Claw, Nictitating Membrane++, Green Dragon Teeth+++)
(Development Ability: Abnormal Resistance (H))
"Indomitable Will"
— Grants immunity to mind-based attacks, enhances physical and magical growth through trials, enables multitasking and rapid skill mastery, and in dire moments, suppresses pain, boosts mental fortitude, and significantly increases all stats.
"Dragon's Bane"
— Massively increases all abilities when fighting any dragon-type monsters.
— — — — — — — — — —
"It shouldn't take more than two weeks for me to max out my stats," he mumbled as he picked up the Siren drop, which was just a talon. "Then I will have to look for a way to get high-rank excelia."
He sighed at that thought. Level 1 achievement was the Infant Dragon. Level 2 was the Black Goliath. And level 3... he didn't know. With how strong he was, he'd have to fight a level 5 monster or adventurer to earn enough high-rank excelia to reach level 4, and he didn't know how to go about that.
'Amphisbaena should spawn in a month's time so maybe I can solo it,' Rex decided as he continued deeper into the tunnel. 'If someone kills it before me, then… Let's focus on the now~.' He stretched.
'And hunt some fishes.'
[Author's Note: I have nothing to say so thank you for reading~ and have a wonderful day/night~\(￣︶￣*\))]