The World's Greatest Egoist

Chapter 67: Catastrophe.

’They don’t drop cores.’

Luca’s sword formed a crescent arc through the air– Ego flourished. A golden energy that trailed in its wake.

The ground reverberated with the impact of massive bodies collapsing onto it and a muffled cry tore through the air.

It was like that of a bird of prey. Loud and sharp.

As he brushed his sword through the air, Luca glanced around with a slight raise of his brow.

The creatures he now faced in the third path were called Summermoss Faltrishs.

They were massive beasts with feathers and powerful forelimbs and hindlimbs. The limbs were covered with scales that glistened in the light of the green moss, and their wings were massive–, spanning the entire narrowed passage.

Ordinarily, these creatures resembled Griffin if it weren’t for their long ostrich-like necks, covered in a tuft of thick, black feathers and a head of a falcon.

Deep amber eyes, powerful beaks and rows of teeth within.

’the definition of a bird of prey.’

Luca thought as he inspected their bodies once more.

Since he became a 3rd Stage Explorer, Luca had come to the first bottleneck of most Egoists– obtaining points.

The broken and perfected cores were usually more pristine. They carried more weight, requiring two times the amount of energy absorbed as a Particle core for Broken and four times the amount for a Perfected core just to rise by the same percentile.

This meant that if 1 unit of power rose the percentile by 3% as a Particle Core, 2 Units of that 1 would be needed to rise by the same 3% and 4 units would be needed for a Perfected Core.

’Divide that by seven and that’s the amount I gain per kill.’

Lucas sighed.

’I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m the only early 3rd Stage.’

He wasn’t too disappointed by the effect.

His mastery and understanding more than made up for it.

’I was able to make up for the difference through absorbing cores. It’s too bad.’

He willed his storage ring and stored the dead bodies of the Null Buds as he had always done.

They were useful materials either way and would fetch a good penny.

Once he was finished, he moved deeper into the labyrinth. With his sword resting on his shoulder and his head turning side to side.

He was nearing closer now and he could feel it.

The walls were growing narrower. Channelling towards an extension of the Labyrinth that seemed to ripple with life.

’It’s remarkable.’

The flora of the passages, the light and even the sudden appearance of the mural that never left his head.

Everything seemed ethereal– unable to be grasped by human concepts.

Finally, he arrived at the junction that was eerily similar to the last two and would possibly be the same as the rest.

It was what Luca termed a resting spot, and unless he was facing something like the Ironwraith again, then he was about half certain that he would be safe.

’No taking risks.’

He rested on the wall and leaned into the entrance.

The spacious room was as large as the rest, but Luca didn’t pay attention to that.

It was what went beyond it.

Another open door made way for the boss’s room.

’What is it, this time?’

He narrowed his eyes, pushing his energy flow into it to sharpen his vision, and even using a talent that had never crossed his mind to make use of.

Focus Talent.

It was mostly useful for the Sniper Talent, but Rogues and sometimes Knights made use of it in their fighting styles.

Luca could understand why.

’It’s more of a support talent, so I didn’t bother trying to master it... It should still serve its purpose.’

Coupled with his identification talent, his eyes were practically seeing through the darkness of the cave.

Perhaps, it was because of those upgrades that he saw something move.

’Wha–’

His thoughts had barely registered before something orange and thickened with mucus whipped out like a cobra’s venom, slamming against the walls of the Resting room.

Luca instinctively jerked back, his eyes widened as he watched the tentacles retreat with a hot hiss.

A slimy trail followed in its wake.

The darkness warped and a massive, oval head of muscles and pink flesh hovered over the entrance.

As Luca’s vision shifted and the appearance of the minster registered, his chest instinctively began to pulse loudly.

’Wha– What?’

His identification talent clicked and the full horror displayed itself.

[ ??? - ??? NULL BUD]

The creature before Luca was an embodiment of mucus and pink, squishy flesh.

With a massive size and a single eye that was the same size as the cave entrance to the boss’s room.

Its sclera was white, with brown pupils imbued with an uncanny intelligence.

Then it’s mouth. It was a thin line of jagged, bone-like teeth jutting out of its maw as it grinned from ear to ear.

Forming small dimples by the corner of its lips.

Massive distentions extended throughout its body, making it ripple with coiled muscles while tentacles slithered through the cracked entrance.

Pushing its weight against it as if trying to break through.

Luca’s face was pale.

’Question marks? That’s impossible. I can’t possibly defeat a Null Bud thrice my rank!’

Is this some kind of joke?’

He quickly got to his feet and backed away with his back to the wall.

There was absolutely no way he would turn around in the presence of such a sinister creature.

And to make things work, one of its tentacles threatened to slip past the restroom.

Luca instinctively jumped back despite the distance while the creature made a thick, raspy sound in a mocking laugh. fгeewebnovёl.com

Its mouth opened wide and a tongue stuck out.

"Waky, waky... come to Daddy."

Luca grimaced.

Then spun and ran.

’What the fuck!’

The walls of the passage seemed to reverberate as he traced the same direction back to where he came from.

It was a pulse that spread from the boss’s room like a heart. A rhythmic sensation that made it look like the walls were laughing. A peristaltic motion that sent goosebumps on Luca’s skin.

He swallowed hard and pushed the feeling beneath him.

Then increased his pace when a sonic boom.

In a flash, a golden blur phased through the paths back to the entrance, before finally, landing with a powerful thud.

The air rattled from the impact as he slowly backed away from the entrance.

It was the second one to the left. Next to the one with the Ironwraith.

Only after his back rested on the wall did he stay calm.

’... that was... different.’

Null Buds were creatures of the Abyss with animalistic features, but they possessed adaptations that made them powerful foes.

Especially the higher-ranked ones.

’A Ravage? No, that looked like a Catastrophe-ranked Null Bud.’

The Catastrophe was the fifth rank in the line, and they were the beginning of the true destroyers.

’No, I can’t even dream of using that path.

Would Stealth even work?’

He held his chin.

’What if I increase my rank? I’m still seven times stronger.’

He narrowed his eyes.

’The problem is that I was unable to see its rank... if I can’t see its name or rank, then there’s a problem.

Not to mention how I’m using an Awakened Identification talent.’

It enabled him to identify as far as Ravage Null Buds... even the most powerful ones.

’Then it’s definitely at least a Catastrophe.’

He shook his head thoroughly.

’Nope... avoided.’

Then his attention drifted to the remaining two pathways.

When he stared at them, a deep sensation like his heart was being gripped by clawed fists ached in his chest.

The young boy dreaded what he could find at the end of them.

’You know what...’

Ego surged out of his body as he stood against the wall.

In the next moment, he turned into a streak of golden light and blasted through one of the remaining unexplored passages.

A few minutes passed and that same light lunged out of the entrance, turned and entered the last unexplored passage.

Another few minutes passed and finally, Luca emerged. He landed with a sonic explosion, causing energy and dust to diffuse out.

In a span of fifteen minutes, he had explored the areas, or mainly, identified the real threats.

Of course, those threats were the occupants of the boss rooms.

’Well, the good news is that there’s a single Catastrophe level Null Bud... but the other two aren’t that easy, either.’

He sat on the floor with a light thud and stroked his hair backwards.

A sigh escaped his lips.

"One is a chasm. I’m pretty sure that hole goes on forever and forever, and that isn’t because I waited ten minutes to see if the stone I threw would land.

Jumping is useless. It’s too dark to know how far the distance is, and the moss light is immediately absorbed when brought too close to the area... It’s practically a gluttonous hell hole waiting to eat its next prey."

When compared to an Ironwraith, a large number of Moderate rank Null Buds and a Catastrophe-ranked Null Bud, it might seem mild.

But Luca didn’t find it as such.

’There’s no workaround for it. I even tried shooting out a beam... it was absorbed, just as easily and it lost its light easily.’

There was absolutely no way of going through it.

And finally, the fifth unexplored path.

When Luca recalled it, he shivered.

’Two Null Borns. An Ironwraith and a Witchborne.’

He contemplated silently.

’Whoever made this place wanted me dead.’