Chapter 107: The 21st Floor. The Mad Spirit (Part 3)
“Will you accept it?”
Taesan nods. There was no reason to refuse the quest.
Especially since it was a quest that no one else had received. A quest that a normal adventurer couldn’t obtain implied that the reward could be significant.
“Hehe! Excellent!”
The white spirit burst into laughter.
“I’m going to become powerful! I’ll kill them, claim them as my own, and become complete!”
“So, how do we go about this? Start by explaining.”
“There are many steps required!”
The spirit said, beaming with a smile.
“I’m quite unstable! So, first, I need to be stabilized! Then, I must be made complete, and after that, I need to gather power!”
The spirit energetically raised its arms.
“So first, capture the master of the 21st floor! Kill it and bring me its core!”
“Got it.”
The first quest was one that would naturally be cleared upon making progress through the labyrinth. Taesan promptly left the room, with the spirit’s laughter echoing behind him.
“I will have my revenge!”
With those words of madness and hatred behind him, Taesan stepped outside.
Ghost muttered in a surprised tone.
“Was defeating the golem a condition for the additional quest… It was a quest that couldn’t be obtained under normal circumstances. Why would they create such a thing?”
The golem’s core belonged to the spirit, making it impenetrable. Given its solidity and speed, it was impossible to confront without surpassing the stats of the 21st to 30th floors.
Taesan was an exception, but realistically, it was a quest that couldn’t be accepted in the first place.
“Maybe they expected that level of capability.”
Perhaps the gods had positioned themselves here, wishing for adventurers to reach Taesan’s level.
Ghost fell silent at his words.
“That’s… quite a terrifying thought.”
“It’s an impossible task from the start.”
Even Ghost, who was highly regarded within the labyrinth, couldn’t hide his admiration for Taesan. For many to reach Taesan’s level was nearly impossible.
A spirit appeared in front of Taesan.
Taesan swung his sword.
The spirit was torn to shreds along with its afterimage.
It wasn’t a lack of stats that prevented Taesan from defeating the spirit; it was because attacks didn’t affect it. Without hesitation, he penetrated through and found an empty room.
[You have activated Scouting.]
A brick in Taesan’s view was highlighted.
Pressing the brick, a secret room opened.
“Scouting sure is convenient.”
Being able to trigger premonitions eliminated the need for the grind to find secret rooms. Taesan entered the secret room, disarmed traps, and claimed his reward.
[You have obtained the Staff of Lightning.]
[The Staff of Lightning]
[A staff used by intermediate magicians. Allows the use of the beginner magic [Lightning Strike]]
It had been a while since he got a staff. Unlike the Staff of Flames, this one allowed for beginner magic instead of basic.
He immediately performed a magic extraction to learn it.
[You have learned the beginner magic [Lightning Strike].]
[Beginner Magic: Lightning Strike]
[Mana Cost: 6]
[Proficiency: 1%]
[Summons lightning above the target. This attack cannot be dodged unless faster than lightning. Deals significant damage to targets without immunity. Attempts to inflict the [Electrocution] status ailment on the target.]
The Guide of Sin. It was the magic that Giuseppe had used against him.
It had no effect due to his attack nullification, but it was quite troublesome due to its instantaneous nature.
Wanting to test it, he moved to another room and used it on a spirit.
[You have activated Lightning Strike.]
[Damage to the intermediate Fire Spirit of the labyrinth: 75.]
“The damage is a bit low.”
Given its instant nature, the damage was indeed lower compared to Incineration Sphere or Frost Arrow. However, the fact that it was an unavoidable magic made it valuable.
Taesan headed towards the boss room of the 21st floor.
[An intermediate Fire Spirit of the labyrinth has appeared.]
It wasn’t a lower-tier but an intermediate one. It was larger, and its flames were darker.
The spirit scattered flickering embers towards Taesan, which fluttered through the room like snow.
[You have activated Frost Arrow.]
Extreme cold was dispersed. Thanks to it, the embers lost some of their power. Taesan charged directly at the intermediate spirit. Despite being hit by embers all over, the damage was relatively less, perhaps because he was enveloped by Frost Arrow.
Taesan manifested his aura.
[Damage to the intermediate Fire Spirit of the labyrinth: 176.]
The intermediate spirit resisted. It created a barrier of flames to block the attacks and tried to push Taesan back. Taesan broke through the defenses and attacked the spirit, managing to bring it down after not too long.
[Your level has increased.”]
[Your Spirit Strike has been activated. Your strength permanently increases by 15, agility by 11, intelligence by 5, and health by 55.]
[You have obtained Ember of Fire.]
[You have obtained the core of the intermediate Fire Spirit of the labyrinth.]
“So, the 21st floor is at this level.”
It was easier than expected.
He was already strong, but after crossing Becaeseta, both his aura and stats had increased, making it a natural outcome. Still, the ease of victory left him feeling a bit bored.
In the end, the only challenges that could excite him were the trials of the gods, named monsters, and the Guides of Sin.
With a hint of disappointment, he opened his status window. Every time he killed an enemy and leveled up, the Abyss mentioned that his magical energy would increase. He was curious about how much it had grown.
[Kang Taesan]
[Level: 49]
[Shield: 251/251]
[Health: 2850/2850]
[Mana: 551/551]
[Magic Energy: 27/27]
[Strength: 984]
[Intelligence: 643]
[Agility: 821]
[Attack Power + 93]
[Defense + 115]
[The subject is in peak condition.]
His magical energy had increased by 10.
After leveling up four times, clearing a room, and defeating the golem, it had increased by 10. It was hard to tell if that was high or low.
Meeting other demonic beings would likely shed light on it. Taesan checked the rewards for clearing the 21st floor.
[Spirit Orb]
[A bead imbued with the spirit’s energy. It seems it would be useful if brought to a blacksmith.]
[Ember of Fire]
[An ember of fire. Bringing it to a blacksmith could allow for the imbuing of a weapon with the fire attribute.]
The rewards started to lean towards smithing, fitting for the floors after meeting the blacksmith.
“The core of the intermediate Fire Spirit of the labyrinth” “The spirit’s core. It seems it could stabilize someone unstable if absorbed.”
This appeared to be an item for the spirit’s quest. And there was still a secret reward left.
[You have used ???.]
[You have obtained a Potion of Proficiency Increase.]
“Ooh.”
It had been a while since he got a potion of proficiency. A potion that increased a single proficiency by 5%. Considering Lilies mentioned cutting off a finger for just 1 or 2% of proficiency, it was incredibly valuable.
Having gathered everything, Taesan went back to the maddened spirit.
“Here you go.”
“Hehe! Excellent! You’re really something!”
The spirit laughed maniacally as it bit into the spirit’s core. A scream-like surge of power emanated from the core.
“Hehehe!”
The white spirit contained the bursting power with its laughter. As the surge settled, a significant amount of power had filled the spirit’s interior.
“The first quest from the mad spirit completed.”
“Thank you! Next is the 23rd floor! There, head straight to the fourth room, then to the right to the fifth! There’s a hidden room there! Defeat its master and return!”
Taesan, having received the next quest, left the room.
Upon ascending to the 20th floor, he found the blacksmith Harfran. Harfran had said he would move every five floors, and he had kept his word.
“Can these be smelted?”
Taesan handed over the ore guarding the core, the Ember of Fire, and the Spirit Orb. Harfran glanced at the Spirit Orb and Ember of Fire.
“You brought these?”
Neither the Spirit Orb nor the Ember of Fire surprised him much, probably because they were part of the basic clear rewards. However, his pupils dilated at the sight of the ore guarding the core.
“What’s this?”
“It’s from a golem said to be made by the Spirit King. Can you make something with it?”
“The golem… the one guarding the green spring? That couldn’t be defeated?”
Amazed, Harfran nodded.
“I can make it. Do you need explanation?”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“The Ember of Fire literally adds a fire attribute to a weapon. Increases attack power and can inflict a burn status on attack. No real downside.”
“Like an upgraded version of Marinius’s rune enhancement?”
“Something like that. The Spirit Orb can be used as material for your equipment, giving specific resistance and benefits against certain attributes. And this…”
Harfran made an uncertain face as he handled the ore guarding the core.
“I’m not sure. I have to make it to know.”
“Then please make it.”
For the creation of equipment. That was the blacksmith’s role. Harfran stroked his chin.
“Normally, I’d charge for materials… but this is my first time working with this, so I’ll do it for free this time. Do you want to use this one too?”
“Up to you. You can use it now or save it for later.”
The Spirit Orb. While it was a precious material, it wasn’t absolutely necessary for Taesan. The equipment he was aiming for was likely to be found in shops, so there was a good chance he’d end up discarding whatever was made now.
“Then, I’ll make it into a piece of armor. This should be an interesting task.”
Harfran smiled eagerly as he gathered the ore and the Spirit Orb. Taesan patted him on the shoulder as he took hold of the hammer.
“Before that, could you deal with this first?”
“Ah, the Ember of Fire? Sure. Give me your weapon and it’ll be done in no time.”
Taesan handed over Carbert’s relic. True to his word, Harfran returned with the sword just 10 minutes later.
“Oh?”
Ghost showed interest. A slight red aura circled the blade.
[Carbert’s Relic: The Blood-Soaked Sword of the Ancestors]
[A relic from a world now in ruins. It has taken the lives of countless royals.]
[Attack Power + 40]
[Increases attack power by + 15 against all enemies]
[Now imbued with the fire attribute.]
The attack power had increased by 10, and the fire attribute had been added.
It was a significant improvement. Taesan was surprised, having expected only a 2 or 3 point change.
“Is it to this extent?”
“It turned out that way because the sword itself seemed to be well-suited for it. It achieved the best efficiency.”
“In my world, this sword was a magic sword from the start. It was originally a magical sword, but its magical power had faded over time.”
The Ember of Fire seemed to have filled that void.
Taesan gratefully accepted the weapon.
“Thanks.”
“We’re here to help each other. Come back later and I’ll have everything ready for you.”
Harfran picked up his hammer and headed to the anvil.
Taesan left him to his work and descended back into the labyrinth. Now, he was on the 22nd floor.
[22nd Floor Quest Start.]
[Defeat the boss of the 22nd floor and proceed.]
[Reward: The Tome of Darkness]
[Secret Reward: ???]
Taesan began his push through the labyrinth. The monsters on the 22nd floor were lower-tier Ice Spirits of the labyrinth. Although he wasn’t sure what the exact difference between fire and ice ranks was, they seemed slightly stronger, albeit marginally.
Since there was not much difference, he dealt with them swiftly and moved on. The quest from the mad spirit was for the 23rd floor, so there wasn’t much for him on the 22nd.
Midway through, he discovered a shrine of the gods.
[You have discovered the Altar of Pavsha.]
