Free Web NovelChapter 42: Leveling
He left the Drowning Rat with a new mission and a head full of possibilities. The quarry dungeon would be harder than Stone Hollow, but harder meant better rewards. Better experience. Faster leveling.
Evolution by the end of the month. That’s the goal.
But first, he needed to rest and recover his mana. The all-night farming session had taken more out of him than he’d realized, and going into an unknown dungeon at anything less than full strength would be stupid.
He made his way back to the Velvet House, slipping in through the service entrance that Madame Corsica had shown him his first day. His room was small and cramped, but it had a bed, and right now that was all he cared about.
He collapsed onto the mattress and closed his eyes, letting the accumulated exhaustion wash over him.
Just a few hours. Then back to work.
His dreams were filled with stone corridors and glowing cores and the distant sound of something massive moving through the dark.
***
The quarry was exactly as bleak as the name suggested.
Nacho stood at the edge of a massive pit carved into the earth, its walls scarred by centuries of mining. The bottom was lost in shadow, but he could see the dungeon entrance from here, a yellow glow emanating from a cave mouth near the quarry floor.
He’d spent two days preparing. Restocking his Silverion Daggers. Testing new combinations of his Talents. Practicing his Storm Manipulation at various power levels until he could summon lightning at will without draining himself dry.
Now he was as ready as he’d ever be.
The climb down was easy. His enhanced Agility let him hop from ledge to ledge like a mountain goat, covering the distance in minutes rather than the hours it would have taken a normal person.
The dungeon entrance loomed before him, the yellow mist swirling with that familiar otherworldly energy. He stepped through without hesitation.
[You’ve entered the dungeon: Abandoned Quarry - Floor 1]
[Floor Boss: Iron Excavator (Rare) | Level 35]
[Warning: Multiple enemy types detected.]
The first floor was a nightmare of cramped tunnels and sudden drops. The walls were reinforced with rusted iron beams that groaned ominously whenever he brushed against them. The air tasted like metal and old death.
The enemies came in waves. Mining constructs that looked like they’d been built from the bones of the quarry itself, their bodies a mishmash of stone and rusted metal and something that might have been dried blood. They were faster than the Stone Servants he’d fought before, and meaner.
[Iron Miner (Uncommon) | Level 30 x6]
[Stone Breaker (Uncommon) | Level 32 x3]
[Rust Walker (Rare) | Level 34 x1]
Nacho didn’t hold back. His daggers flew in silver arcs, guided by Dagger Duchess to find gaps in the constructs’ armor. Storm Manipulation crackled through the confined space, the lightning bouncing between metal bodies and cooking them from the inside out.
[-2,500 MP | 5,090 / 7,590]
[You’ve slain: Iron Miner (Level 30) x6. +3,600 Experience]
[You’ve slain: Stone Breaker (Level 32) x3. +2,880 Experience] freēwēbηovel.c૦m
[You’ve slain: Rust Walker (Level 34). +1,360 Experience]
[Level Up! Level 28 → Level 29]
The experience was flowing faster now, each kill worth more than the Stone Servants had been. He pushed deeper into the dungeon, fighting through waves of constructs and collecting cores as he went.
The floor boss was waiting in a massive chamber that must have been the old quarry’s main excavation site. The Iron Excavator was a monstrosity of gears and chains and grinding metal, standing nearly twenty feet tall with arms that ended in drill bits the size of tree trunks.
[Iron Excavator (Rare) | Level 35]
[HP: 8,000 / 8,000]
"That’s a big one," Nacho muttered.
The Excavator turned toward him, its drill-arms spinning up with a scream of metal on metal. It charged.
Combat Precognition painted the attack path in his mind, showing him exactly where the drills would hit. He dove to the side, feeling the wind of the attack ruffle his hair as he rolled past.
His tentacle shot out, wrapping around one of the drill-arms and yanking hard. The Excavator stumbled, thrown off balance by the unexpected resistance.
Nacho used the opening to scale the creature’s back, climbing its jointed body like a ladder. He found the core chamber, protected by layers of iron plating, and started cutting.
His Silverion Daggers bit into the metal, peeling back layers of protection one at a time. The Excavator thrashed and spun, trying to dislodge him, but his grip was too strong.
[-3,000 MP | 2,090 / 7,590]
Storm Manipulation at 30% power. Lightning poured into the exposed core chamber, superheating the magical circuitry inside.
And of course, the Excavator screamed.
[Critical Hit! -4,500 Damage!]
[Iron Excavator: 3,500 / 8,000 HP]
It wasn’t dead yet, but it was hurting. The creature’s movements became erratic, its drill-arms swinging wildly in every direction.
Nacho held on, pouring more lightning into the wound. His mana was draining fast, but he was so close.
[-2,000 MP | 90 / 7,590]
Come on. Come on!
Finally, the core exploded.
[You’ve slain: Iron Excavator (Level 35). +7,000 Experience]
[Level Up! Level 29 → Level 31]
[+10 Free Stat Points]
[Monster Core (Epic) x1 obtained]
Nacho hit the ground hard, rolling to absorb the impact. He lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling of the chamber as his mana slowly regenerated.
That was close. Too close. I need to be smarter about mana conservation.
But he’d done it. First floor cleared.
A green gate appeared at the far end of the chamber, leading to the second floor.
He pushed himself to his feet and checked his status.
[Status]
Name: Nacho
Level 31 : 1,240 / 3,100 Experience
HP: 2,960 / 2,960 (Regen 10/s)
MP: 290 / 7,790 (Regen 1/s)
Mana’s too low to keep pushing. Need to wait for it to recover before I tackle floor two.
He found a defensible corner of the chamber and sat down, his back against the wall and his eyes on the entrance. The dungeon wouldn’t spawn new enemies while a floor boss was dead, so he was safe for now.
As he waited, he pulled up his Talent list and started planning for the floors ahead.
