Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 216: Floor 51, Alchemy (3)
“You went back to the village, right? You must have checked the flowers and weeds around there to see how they were described. How did it go?”
“I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.”
After learning alchemy, Kang Taesan had taken the time to examine various flowers and roots.
The system window provided information about the energy, repulsion, harmony, and combination properties of these ingredients.
But there was no information on how to handle them to create something specific.
Barija spoke, as if he had expected this response.
“That’s understandable. Even with the Labyrinth’s system assisting you, it’s not easy. It took me five years to learn proper alchemy.”
Five years.
Even to someone who had lived as long as Kang Taesan, that wasn’t a short period.
“You’re different from me. Since you have the Labyrinth’s support, you can understand the properties of the ingredients, so it shouldn’t take you that long. But to reach a usable level…”
Barija paused for a moment, thinking.
“It’ll probably take you about half a year. And you don’t have that kind of time, do you?”
Kang Taesan nodded. The time for the next return was approaching. He needed to grow as strong as possible before then.
Barija stroked his chin, pondering, then made a decision.
“In that case… there is a way to learn in a short time.”
He raised one finger.
“One way, specifically. Out of the many powers of alchemy, you focus on learning just one attribute. If you do that, it won’t take more than a few days. Do you have anything in mind?”
“What kinds of things can alchemy do?”
“As I said before, it can do a lot. It can heal you, poison enemies, torture them, transform physical forms like I showed you… And it can even create something like a domain.”
A domain.
That was exactly what Kang Taesan wanted.
“I want to learn about domains.”
“Alright. Let’s get you learning quickly then.”
Barija led Kang Taesan outside, in front of the house. He began sprinkling powders and liquids around him.
“A domain is exactly what you think it is. You define a specific area, and within that area, you can weaken enemies or strengthen yourself. There are other functions, but it’s too complicated to explain them all. Let me just show you.”
He placed various materials around Kang Taesan, aligned to the four cardinal directions. When the setup was complete, he tossed a flower petal at Kang Taesan.
**Boom!**
Immediately, a massive pressure descended upon Kang Taesan.
It felt like a giant was directly pressing down on him.
“How is it?”
“It’s heavy.”
Kang Taesan moved his hand. If he felt this much pressure, other players wouldn’t be able to move at all. Barija looked surprised as he fiddled with the powders.
“You’re moving without much trouble. Even though I just put it together roughly, I used some pretty good materials…”
He adjusted the positions of the materials and removed a few. The pressure on Kang Taesan lifted, replaced by a concentrated surge of power.
**Boom!**
Power flowed into Kang Taesan. His entire body strengthened, and his vision expanded.
“How about now?”
“Body enhancement?”
And not just a simple enhancement. It was on par with the skills that provided bonus stats when facing formidable foes. Barija clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Since it’s just a makeshift one, the effects aren’t great.”
“If you made it properly, how strong would it be?”
“It would be at a level that’s incomparable to this.”
This wasn’t just a usable enhancement; it was something that could significantly impact combat.
“It seems like I’ve shown you the effects. Now I’ll explain how to make one.”
Barija began showing Kang Taesan each material that was arranged around him.
“A domain is formed with materials placed in the north, south, east, and west. The energies from these materials collide and combine to create power.”
“Do you have to place materials only in those directions?”
“Not necessarily. That’s just the basic setup. You don’t have to be fixated on the four directions. But at your current level, managing even just those four would be challenging.”
Barija continued his explanation slowly.
“A domain’s power doesn’t come from combining the materials. It arises from the repulsion between them, directed inward.”
“Do you have to use only materials with strong resistance?”
“It’s not that simple. If all the materials have strong resistance, the energy will spread outward. To focus it inward, at least one of them shouldn’t have strong resistance.”
Three materials with strong resistance, and one with weaker resistance.
This seemed to be the basic principle for forming a domain.
“It doesn’t sound too difficult.”
“That’s where the trouble starts.”
Barija handed Kang Taesan a crushed petal.
*[White Flower Deprived of Light]*
*[It has a dense and deep energy. It possesses strong repulsion and is difficult to harmonize. It seeks to devour other substances.]*
“What you need to focus on here is the dense and deep energy, and the part about it seeking to devour others. These attributes change the domain’s effects. To fully understand and use the attributes of different materials is almost impossible.”
The possible combinations from four materials alone could easily exceed thousands or tens of thousands. And that was just for one domain type.
“So, what should I do?”
“Memorization.”
Memorize the information about the materials, and remember all the effects that result from their combinations.
Barija grinned.
“You’ve got it right.”
For a while, Kang Taesan studied the effects of the materials and their combinations with Barija.
‘It’s been a while since I did any rote memorization.’
The Labyrinth isn’t a place where you can progress with memorization alone. Understanding and experience are much more important.
That’s why he hadn’t tried to memorize anything for a long time. Because through the process of conquering the Labyrinth, everything naturally got etched into his mind.
Maybe that’s why memorizing the combinations of the materials felt somewhat novel.
Kang Taesan memorized the properties of dozens of materials and the effects derived from their combinations.
After two full days, Kang Taesan had a rough understanding of the effects.
“You’re faster than I thought. I expected it would take a week.”
“I just memorized the important ones.”
He had ignored the trivial effects he wouldn’t use, focusing only on the ones he would actually utilize. It didn’t take long that way.
Over the two days, he had also gathered enough desired materials from the forest to use for the time being.
“Well then… that’s it.”
Barija saw Kang Taesan off with a slightly regretful look.
Kang Taesan waved his hand.
“Don’t go dying on me. I’ll come back later.”
“I don’t plan on dying anymore.”
Barija smiled broadly.
Barija had achieved his desire, the reason he entered the Labyrinth.
He wasn’t aware, but it was an incredibly rare accomplishment in the Labyrinth’s history.
“Take this before you go.”
Barija handed Kang Taesan a small orb.
*[Orb of Form Mutation]*
*[Transforms the body into a desired form. The duration is not very long.]*
Kang Taesan squinted as he read the description. Barija shook his head.
“I had more materials left than I thought. So I made two. I don’t have any use for it, so you take it. You might find a use for it someday.”
“Alright.”
There was no reason to refuse a gift. Kang Taesan accepted it. Barija bid him farewell.
“Come find me again later. I’ll be waiting.”
Kang Taesan waved back.
He walked through the forest. This long, lengthy 51st floor was finally over. The 52nd floor awaited.
At the end of the forest was a staircase.
Kang Taesan stepped onto it.
*[You have cleared the 51st floor. You have obtained the basic reward, “Ankle Guards of the Broken Spirit.”]*
*[You have discovered the hidden elements of the 51st floor. You have obtained a reward: “???”]*
*[52nd Floor Quest Begins]*
*[Defeat the boss of the 52nd floor and pass through.]*
*[Reward: Necklace of the Transparent One.]*
*[Secret Reward: ???]*
Finally, he received the rewards for clearing the 51st floor.
Kang Taesan checked what he had obtained.
*[Ankle Guards of the Broken Spirit]*
*[Strength +15]*
*[Agility +100]*
*[Defense +100]*
*[The ankle guards of one who once traversed the Labyrinth but whose spirit was broken, becoming a sentinel.]*
“The equipment of the Broken Man.”
The sentinel whose spirit was broken, guarding the Labyrinth. He was the first NPC Kang Taesan had encountered when he first entered Solo Mode.
Looking back, he had always wondered. Although his spirit was broken, the sentinel wasn’t on the 51st floor. Moreover, he possessed a power that Kang Taesan, even now, couldn’t hope to defeat.
Perhaps he was guarding the entrance due to a pact with a magician.
But why? That much was still unknown.
For now, the performance of the 51st-floor equipment was excellent. It seemed to be a good time to significantly upgrade his gear, having reached a new tier.
*[You have used ???]*
*[Belt that Brings Disaster]*
*[Strength +200]*
*[Defense +200]*
*[A belt that brought disaster wherever it went, causing everything to perish. Whether it’s the power of the belt or just a mere coincidence is unknown.]*
“This is pretty good, but…”
Kang Taesan wore an uncertain expression. It had a high strength stat and a defense of 200, far superior to what he was currently wearing.
However, it didn’t have any attack power. For Kang Taesan, attack power was of utmost importance, so this was a bit disappointing.
Still, with an increase of 130 in defense, it was worthwhile to switch it out.
Kang Taesan arrived at the shopkeeper who was always stationed at the entrance.
“Took you a while?”
“I had a lot to do.”
“That floor’s a bit like that. But it seems you handled it all without any problems.”
The dwarf gazed at Kang Taesan with a smirk.
“There was even a strange energy disturbance, and you overcame that too. Very impressive. Go down to the deeper levels like this, and fulfill my wish.”
The shopkeeper chuckled with eager eyes.
Kang Taesan passed by him.
The 52nd floor had begun. The passages were made of the same brickwork as before.
“So only the 51st floor was peculiar?”
*[Not all floors are like that. But after the 60th floor, you’ll encounter them more frequently, and from the deep levels onward, almost all floors will be like the 51st. You’re almost done with seeing normal labyrinths, so enjoy it while you can.]*
Hearing the ghost’s words, the realization hit him.
He was now about halfway through the Labyrinth, nearing the deep levels.
Kang Taesan moved through the corridors.
In the room that appeared, no monsters were visible.
But there were monsters in the room. The system window indicated this.
*[A transparent snake has appeared.]*
**Ssssk.**
The sound of something slithering across the ground echoed. It quickly rushed towards Kang Taesan.
Kang Taesan thrust his sword forward.
The snake tried to jump back and escape, but Kang Taesan accurately pinpointed its position and sliced it in half.
*[Hissss!]*
The severed snake hissed in pain. Even if it was invisible, it didn’t matter. The skills that had continuously improved allowed him to read even the intentions of ordinary monsters to some extent.
“Invisible monsters, huh.”
Unless an adventurer had scouting or perception skills, this wouldn’t be a problem for Kang Taesan.
Since the 51st floor was so large, the 52nd floor felt strangely dull. Without anything particularly notable, Kang Taesan swiftly cleared the 52nd floor.
While he was clearing the rooms, something approached Kang Taesan.
**Flap, flap.**
It was a note with wings.
It flapped energetically as it flew towards Kang Taesan. He watched it for a moment before reaching out his hand.
**Flap, flap.**
The note barely landed on Kang Taesan’s palm.
It heaved as if breathing, then eventually went still.
“What is this?”
*[A note from the Labyrinth’s messenger.]*
The ghost replied.
*[If someone can’t come themselves, they send a note to deliver the message. They sell them in shops, but they’re quite expensive, so they’re rarely used. Who could it be from?]*
“It wouldn’t be from Barija.”
Kang Taesan opened the note. As he read its contents, he let out a small exclamation.
*[What does it say?]*
“It says Hafran finally finished his task.”
*[…Ah.]*
The ghost understood.
Kang Taesan had entrusted Hafran with many materials: the Apostle’s Core, a Dragon’s Claw, the Core of a Spirit, among others.
And Hafran had said that he could craft something from these materials, but it would take a considerable amount of time.
The note indicated that the results were finally ready.