Chapter 328. With Your Own Power (8)
The jewel resisted, letting out a dazzling light, but it couldnât do anything in its current state. Compared to when I used Peruta Circuit in the Beast Kingâs body, this was a piece of cake.
[A human⊠wonât be able⊠to contain meâŠ!]
âDonât worry, youâre not as amazing as you think.â
Because of the Eliminatorâs fierce resistance, Steel had to use some of its energy for defense, and thus the Extort speed decreased. I concentrated on Absolute Soul and Peruta Circuit and held the jewel tighter. A large crack appeared on the green jewel, and the Eliminatorâs resistance dropped by a huge level.
[I refuse to die⊠without having completed my missionâŠ!]
A rather interesting word was mentioned. While the jewelâs energy continued to flow inside me and became mixed with my mana unable to withstand its flow, I asked.
âWhat mission? Youâre about to die, so tell me.â
[The mission, I was givenâŠ]
The fact that the Eliminator was âgivenâ a mission suggested that there was someone who gave it to him. Hmm, was this guy just saying this to disturb me on its deathbed?
[To eliminate⊠the dungeonâs creator.]
Around the large crack that appeared before, numerous thread-like cracks ran out. Before I could say anything, the jewel shattered into pieces and scattered into the air.
âThat sure disturbed me alright.â
Of course, even if I kept the Eliminator alive, it was unlikely it would say anything more.
I looked at the longsword that used to hold the green jewel. Although it no longer held the jewel or the enormous energy it held, the longsword was still shining brilliantly. At that moment, the longsword let out a faint light similar to when monsters scattered into particles of light. Immediately, I encased the longsword in my whirlpool, and the longswordâs light returned to normal while its energy stopped leaking.
This longsword was a weapon that the dungeonâs power couldnât clone. It had stayed with the Eliminatorâs main body through the ages. Letting it return to the dungeon was a shame. Sherafina probably wanted to absorb it as always and give it back to me after she refined it, but I preferred now to have it my way.
âGreat. First, Iâll take care of whatâs inside me.â
I quickly absorbed the Eliminatorâs energy inside me and processed it to join the rest of the energies that I refined into one.
But as I said before, the Eliminator didnât have that much mana. It was a lot, but it was still lacking compared to the other worldsâ enemies Iâve met.
What was amazing about the Eliminator was its authority to dominate all weapons. This authority was what made a lump of energy like the Eliminator rule as a worldâs enemy and even conquer a world.
Of course, just absorbing the Eliminator didnât give me the power to freely control all weapons. However, I did obtain the possibility. With its potential to grow, this power could ultimately reach that level.
Without Steel, it would have been impossible to absorb the Eliminatorâs power so perfectly. At best, I only would have become more proficient in wielding various weapons.
Sherafina could only have expected this much. The reward she would give couldnât have been greater. But because I absorbed the Eliminatorâs power myself, the reward she could give me disappeared.
[As Kang Shin-nim absorbed the Eliminatorâs power, the reward will become limited. If Kang Shin is willing to release a portion of it, I can refine it into the dungeonâs power.]
âNo, itâs fine. Even if I compared to receiving the help of the dungeonâs system, keeping the power in its pure form will be more effective against worldsâ enemies.â
Of course, I was confident I wouldnât be disadvantaged and obtain all of the Eliminatorâs power. But since Sherafina couldnât read Steelâs power, she wasnât able to understand this. In any case, I could always show it to her later. Her surprised face was something to look forward to.
âSherafina, did you know someoneâs trying to get rid of you?â
There was no answer. Really, she only kept quiet at times like this.
With a grin, I held up the longsword in my hand. This was likely an artifact crafted with the Eliminator, an ancient artifact serving to act as the base of the Eliminatorâs great power. It was yet another artifact that Sherafina couldnât read.
âThis is enough as a reward.â
The Eliminator could no longer regenerate. It might be possible if the dungeon had the green jewel I absorbed and the longsword I was holding, but I had already absorbed the former.
[Will you also reject the dungeonâs offer to refine that longsword?]
âYes. Iâm planning on using it for something.â
I lightly rejected Sherafinaâs offer and held up Chaotic Spear.
[Itâs too dangerous. That sword isnât something the dungeon can analyze. If its properties are transferred, it might go berserk.]
âTrying it wonât hurt!â
I then strongly struck down on the longsword. In an instant, the longsword disappeared and an immense energy flowed into Chaotic Spear. A blinding light shot out from Chaotic Spear, and soon, Sherafinaâs notified me calmly.
[??? has been absorbed by Crimson Chaotic Spear. Growth: ??.??]
I could only say one thing.
In truth, I somewhat expected this to happen. It was just that I thought it was more probably for Chaotic Spear to undergo an evolution. It was almost at 98% growth. I didnât think it wouldnât evolve even after devouring the Eliminatorâs longsword. No, could it beâŠ?
âWas it also like this when it evolved into Chaotic Spear?â
Back when it was still Gluttony Spear and reached 99.9% growth, it only completed its evolution after devouring all of my mana. If it was the same now, would the spear evolve once I poured all of my mana into it?
Though I came to that conclusion, I returned the spear into its choker form for now. It wasnât something to be done here.
I did everything I needed to on the 90th floor. Since Chaotic Spear is also stuffed, it was now time for it to go work out.
Beyondâs 40th Floor Master was waiting for us.
The 36th to 39th floors had Vampire Lords and Death Knights. Vampire Lords were different, but I was initially quite troubled by Death Knights.
Although advancing in Beyond wasnât difficult, as I knew what kind of being the Floor Masters from now would be, I couldnât help but be nervous.
âThe 40th Floor Master is also a worldâs enemy, right?â
[Yes. Do be careful, as it is extremely dangerous.]
Sherafinaâs answer was simple as always. Was there a reason she kept matching me with worldsâ enemies? Why didnât these worldsâ Heroes finish them off, allowing the dungeon to take them? Was it on purpose? To help nurture people like me?
If the Demon Lord wanted to enter the dungeon after losing to me, I didnât have the confidence to let him go. I would most likely tear even his soul apart.
Perhaps, these Heroes defeated them, but werenât quite strong enough to kill them and received the dungeonâs help. No, that was strange too.
âThis damn dungeon only gets more mysterious as I go higher up.â
I complained audibly for Sherafina to hear and entered the 40th floor. Of course, there was no reply.
The moment I stepped into the 40th floor, an intense spiritual pressure swept over me. It was a stifling energy that seemed to reject life.
I couldnât help but remember my encounter with Lilith. From the looks of it, it was possible that the 40th Floor Master was even stronger. As long as I won, there would be a lot to gain.
From a certain point, as I climbed the dungeon, authorities and mana rather than levels and items were piling up. Did other explorers experience the same thing? Did they fight worldsâ enemies, face their limits, and obtain new powers?
From what Kain told me, that wasnât the case. First, it was impossible for most explorers to absorb their enemiesâ powers directly, and no explorer wanted to face such an extreme test either.
But one thing was for sure. Sherafina was offering me a unique path and I was accepting every power beyond her expectations. My previous battle with the Eliminator was one such example. Without relying on the dungeonâs system, I could extract the enemyâs power on my own.
If the dungeon had three different paths, other explorers were taking path A, Sherafina was guiding me to path B, while I took path C.
It wouldnât have been possible had I not learned Peruta Circuit and Absolute Soul. Meeting Peruta and learning Skill Synthesis through the Collectorâs Pocket Watch were two biggest reasons IâŠ
A dreary voice abruptly cut off my train of thought.
[How long will you keep me waiting?]
âI donât know, why donât you entice me to come in somehow?â
I retorted with a snort. Just like Lilith, the 40th Floor Master was blabbering even with the door closed. It meant that the dungeonâs power couldnât fully contain him, that Sherafina couldnât control them completely.
In any case, I somewhat had a guess as to his identity. I summoned Dortu and Peika before confidently kicking the iron door open.
The Floor Master room was a huge tomb. A chilling wind of a dark, damp limestone cave swirled around me.
There were candles lit with blue flames burning on the sides of the caveâs walls, and at the end of the line of candles was a truly grand throne.
[Hero, itâs so nice to finally see you in person.]
The titan sitting on the throne spoke. Other than his size, he looked no different than a normal human. He wore a dark blue armor and held a giant bigger than his body.
Ah, another thing, two blue flames were blazing inside his eyes.
[Along with the birth of the Savior Hero, that person has also woken up from her long rest. Being unable to see the end of the long, long evolution was my greatest regret, but now seeing the protagonist of this story in front of me, having spent my days sitting on this seat finally feels meaningful.]
I aimed my spear at him and spoke.
[Hahahaha! This is my first battle in a long, long time. Perhaps, it might even be my final. Just think of it as me putting on airs.]
He held up his axe. Feeling the death energy shooting out of his body in that instant, I realized he had long since veered off of being a human.
[Rather than talking, I also prefer the sound of clashing metals and flowing blood and sweat! We truly think alike, Savior Hero!]
âLike I said, you talk too much. Here, have a taste of Heroic Strike!â
This was probably the only way to get him to move! I immediately compressed over 500,000 mana into one point and shot out. It was the start of the battle with the 40th Floor Master, Death Lord.