Free Web NovelChapter 14: Lightning Reinforcement
[10 seconds remaining before the Third Floor opens.]
Nova silently stared at the countdown before him. Only ten seconds remained before another bloodbath began.
At this moment, he truly felt relieved that he had forced Rieka to leave earlier. If she had remained here, surviving under these conditions would have been nearly impossible, and protecting her while continuously fighting would have placed an even greater burden on him.
It had already been five days since this cursed quest began.
Still, Nova wasn’t overly worried about the time passing outside. He already knew that time flowed differently inside dungeons, though the exact ratio varied depending on the dungeon itself.
That alone eased his mind slightly.
During his short period of rest, Nova had also spent time collecting useful drops scattered across the battlefield. Thanks to All Appraisal Eyes, identifying valuable items had become extremely easy.
And the results were quite satisfying.
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[Inventory]
Healing Potions (Rank C): 11
Mana Recovery Potions (Rank C): 8
Recall Crystals: 4
Basic Steel Swords (Rank C): 20
Basic Daggers (Rank C): 30 freewebnovel.cσ๓
Lesser Wolfang Corpses: 450
Hunter Wolfang Corpses: 400
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Nova was fairly satisfied with his collection. Although most of the items were no longer particularly useful to him personally, they would still be extremely valuable outside the dungeon.
He already possessed a sturdy longsword, and his mana recovery skill made the mana potions nearly unnecessary. Besides, most of these items were low-rank equipment that wouldn’t be very effective for someone whose level had grown as much as his.
Still—they would definitely sell for a hefty price.
"Heh..."
A small laugh escaped Nova’s lips before his thoughts were interrupted by another system notification.
[Rest Period Ended.]
[Quest Updated: Survive the Third Floor.]
"Sigh... I wonder what’s coming this time," Nova muttered while yawning lightly.
He jumped down from the mountain of corpses and stretched his body slightly. Even with Calm Mind continuously active, he could still feel traces of exhaustion after going five entire days without proper sleep or rest.
Nova moved forward and stopped in front of the massive gate as it slowly began to open. He held two longswords tightly in his hands, both blades sharp and sturdy, reflecting the faint crimson glow of the blood-soaked dungeon.
The moment the gate fully opened—the ground began to rumble violently.
The dungeon walls trembled as a deep guttural roar echoed from the darkness beyond the entrance. The sheer sound alone made Nova’s ears ache slightly.
Compared to the previous floors, the change this time was far more intense.
"It seems something big is coming..." Nova muttered quietly while tightening his grip on both swords, preparing himself for whatever nightmare awaited him next.
Then he finally saw them.
Massive creatures rushed out from the darkness at terrifying speed. They were several times larger than the Hunter Wolfangs from before, each one at least twice their size. Their enormous bodies easily stood over fifteen feet tall, while their claws and fangs alone were nearly as large as Nova’s entire limbs.
And worst of all there were countless of them.
The sight alone was enough to fill most people with absolute despair.
The monstrous beasts possessed thick gray fur covered in black stripes, their massive muscular bodies resembling walking fortresses of flesh. Acidic saliva dripped continuously from their snarling mouths while their glowing crimson eyes radiated maddened bloodlust.
Like living nightmares—they charged toward Nova, intent on devouring him alive.
Nova instantly activated his appraisal skill the moment the giant beasts appeared before him.
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[Elite Wolfang]
[A highly aggressive Wolfang variant with huge bodies , enhanced strength, speed and pack coordination. Its hardened fangs and sharp instincts make it far deadlier than ordinary and hunter Wolfangs .]
Level: 35
Rank: B
[Stats]
• Strength: 60
• Agility: 40
• Endurance: 58
• Intelligence: 8
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The moment the information appeared, Nova used multiple passive skills one after another without hesitation.
[Activating Skill: Stamina Recovery Enhancement.]
[Activating Skill: Mana Recovery Enhancement.]
[Activating Skill: Enhanced Night Vision.]
[Activating Skill: Sharp Senses.]
[Activating Skill: Demonic Aura.]
[Activating Skill: Lightning Steps.]
Lightning burst beneath his feet.
In an instant, Nova’s body vanished from its original position and reappeared several meters away like a streak of blinding lightning. The moment he appeared beside the nearest Elite Wolfang, both swords flashed violently through the air.
One blade pierced straight through the creature’s throat while the second sliced upward with brutal force, splitting its massive head into two halves.
Blood exploded everywhere.
But just then a dangerous sensation suddenly crawled across Nova’s body. Sharp Senses warned him instinctively.
Without even turning around, Nova activated Lightning Steps once again, barely dodging a deadly claw strike aimed directly at his stomach from behind.
The giant claws ripped through the air where his body had stood moments earlier. Nova continued moving without pause.
At this point, Lightning Steps had become almost like a natural extension of his body. Small arcs of lightning surged around him continuously as he dashed across the battlefield, clearing paths through the charging beasts while cutting them apart relentlessly.
Although the Elite Wolfangs were enormous, their larger bodies also made them slower compared to the previous monsters. Nova’s speed completely overwhelmed them, allowing him to close the distance between their massive bodies in mere moments.
And since most of the beasts were now lower level than Nova himself, the Demonic Aura spreading from his body heavily affected them. The pressure froze many of the wolfangs instinctively, allowing Nova to slaughter them almost effortlessly.
Message after message flooded his vision. But Nova didn’t stop even for a second.
If anything he seemed to enjoy it.
The longswords in his hands were instantly painted crimson as heads of the giant wolfangs rolled across the dungeon floor. Sometimes a single swing was enough to kill multiple beasts at once, tearing apart flesh and shattering bones violently.
Still, despite the advantage, the danger had increased significantly.
The larger bodies of the Elite Wolfangs made them easier to predict, reducing the number of attacks landing on him—but the few strikes that did connect were far deadlier than anything the lower-ranked beasts could deliver.
BANG.
SWOOSH.
SLASH.
BOOOM.
Internal organs splattered across the battlefield as Nova’s swords tore open the bellies of two Elite Wolfangs in a single motion. Blood and flesh exploded everywhere, yet before he could continue his assault, a deadly claw suddenly swept toward his neck with terrifying speed.
His head almost rolled.
Nova barely managed to tilt his body at the last possible moment, the massive claw grazing past him while leaving a deep cut across his shoulder. The force only pushed him back a single step.
Then—he lunged forward again without hesitation.
To Nova, these monsters had become nothing more than moving experience points.
The battle continued endlessly.
Whenever hunger began gnawing at him again, Nova would unleash several large lightning strikes to create temporary openings in the battlefield. Using those brief moments to breathe, he quickly tore flesh from freshly killed Elite Wolfangs and devoured it raw without hesitation.
By now, he had already become accustomed to the taste.
Warm blood dripped from the meat as he swallowed it greedily. Although the blood couldn’t fully replace water, it was enough to keep his body functioning for now.
Then another notification appeared.
Ding!
[High Concentration of Demonic Energy Detected.] freeweɓnovel.cѳm
[Mutation Skill Activated.]
[Assimilating Foreign Demonic Essence...]
[Host Body Successfully Absorbing Demonic Energy.]
[Warning: Continued absorption may trigger unpredictable evolutionary changes.]
[Current Adaptation Stability: Maintained.]
Similar notifications appeared every single time he consumed demonic flesh or blood. Yet Nova no longer cared about the warnings.
As long as it helped him survive that was enough.
The only real problem remaining was sleep.
Even with Calm Mind continuously suppressing mental exhaustion, the effects of staying awake for such a long period were slowly accumulating.
Still—he continued slaughtering.
As the days passed, Nova’s leveling speed increased once more due to the stronger opponents appearing continuously. Despite all his abilities, Sharp Senses, and enhanced reflexes, he still suffered injuries repeatedly during battle.
But none of them were fatal anymore.
He simply kept killing.
One beast after another.
Sword after sword shattered in his hands during the endless bloodshed, forcing him to constantly replace them with sturdier weapons dropped from the monsters he killed.
And with every passing battle—Nova became even stronger.
[You have killed a Level 40 Elite Wolfang.]
[You have killed a Level 45 Elite Wolfang.]
[You have killed a Level 40 Elite Wolfang.]
[You have killed a Level 50 Elite Wolfang.]
[...]
[+EXP Earned.]
[...]
[You have leveled up.]
[All stats increased by 1.]
[...]
[You have obtained 1 Stat Point.]
The system notifications continued endlessly as the slaughter inside the dungeon showed no signs of stopping.
With each passing day, the entire dungeon floor became drenched in the blood of the Elite Wolfangs. Corpses littered the battlefield endlessly, their massive bodies torn apart into pieces and piled across the blood-soaked ground.
There was no longer any meaning to time inside this cursed place. The days blurred together into nothing but endless massacre.
Nova killed the beasts relentlessly, almost as if slaughter itself had become the sole purpose of his existence. One monster after another fell beneath his blades while his level continued soaring higher with every kill.
The opponents he faced ranged from level thirty all the way to level sixty, yet even those terrifying beasts eventually became nothing more than corpses beneath his feet.
Ding!
[Your comprehension of the Lightning Element has increased drastically.]
[New Ability Acquired: Lightning Reinforcement.]
[The host can now channel lightning through the body and weapons to greatly enhance speed, impact, and offensive power.]
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