NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 67: Labyrinth (2)
Michael didn’t miss this gap, smelling the opportunity like a bloodhound. Two more Mana Spheres took shape and flew forward. The red hue around the lizardman thickened. It swiped at the incoming Spheres with one arm. As the arm and the Spheres made contact, both of them collapsed.
It neutralized the Spheres!?
As the creature charged at him, he realized it was because of the red hue. It seemed to be its evolution Skill. Despite having just lost an arm, the lizardman warrior only bared its teeth and stepped closer. It was now within melee range. A thought crossed Michael’s mind in an instant.
I won’t have the time to cast any Skills.
As if to prove his point, the lizardman’s remaining claws went for his face. He tried stepping back once more, but this time, the lizardman kept up with him, pressuring him with another attack. He gritted his teeth, forced on the defensive.
Michael kept trying to find an opportunity to cast more Mana Spheres or even a Mana Shield, but there was no time. He had to focus completely on avoiding the one-armed lizardman’s attacks. He tried to take advantage of its missing limb, always dodging to the left, but the enemy was quick enough to render his attempts useless.
In the midst of this dangerous, deadly dance, Michael felt another chill go down his spine.
[You have acquired a new Skill!]
It was as if he had eyes on the back of his head. He could feel the incoming attack as clearly as he could feel the wind on his skin. Light flooded his spiritual self as he activated Lightspeed. He lowered his body as the arrow bathed in orange energy shot through where his chest had been and landed on the warrior’s body, drilling a hole into it. The lizardman warrior roared. Faster than before, Michael finished chanting. Mana Blades took shape around his hands, condensed to their limits. He swung his arms upward in a single, fluid motion.
Blood filled his vision, but he turned around without giving the falling body of the warrior a second glance. His eyes zeroed in on the figure of a lizardman without legs, holding a bow. It bared its teeth. One of the Blades around Michael’s hands disappeared, replaced by a Mana Sphere. It shot at the monster’s head, finishing it.
Michael deactivated Lightspeed after confirming that he’d received two kill notifications. He turned around and looked at the severed body parts of the lizardman warrior, staring into its glassy eyes.
[You have slain a Lizardman Warrior, Level 39.]
[You have slain a Lizardman Archer, Level 35.]
He let out a breath.
I thought it would just bleed out after losing both of its legs.
He hadn’t expected it to have enough energy to fire off an attack. No matter, he had succeeded. He had almost beat them without needing to resort to Lightspeed. It was progress.
“Fuck, they’re strong.”
If it weren’t for his Dragon blood and the power that came with it, he would have had absolutely no way of clearing this Dungeon, especially alone. He opened the information of the Skill he’d acquired.
[Passive Skill
Danger Sense (E): to survive no matter what, one must be capable of identifying threats and reacting to them. It is the most basic instinct of a living being.
Effects: amplifies the user’s ability to detect danger, including incoming attacks. Higher proficiency and a higher Intelligence stat result in greater effects.]
He smiled widely. He could tell it was an extremely valuable Skill. Even during the process of acquiring it, it had saved his life multiple times. He felt a bit more confident about tackling this Dungeon.
Let’s keep going.
Placing his hand on the wall, he continued on his way. The halo above him kept rotating, increasing his natural healing abilities. Michael kept his Dragonheart active as much as he could, readying himself for an ambush. As he walked, he came across other groups of lizardmen. All of them possessed both Lizardman Archers and Lizardman Warriors. He fought carefully and decisively, casting his Skills as fast as possible and killing as many as he could per cast.
The maze changed. The walls made of rough stone had turned into murals with engravings, while the torches burned brighter. The changes reassured Michael that he was heading in the right direction. Over time, he got used to the repeated battles.
Standing over the broken carcasses of two Lizardman Warriors and three Lizardman Archers, he heaved. His body was riddled with injuries, mostly cuts. Yet, as the halo above him kept spinning, the wounds slowly disappeared. Placing his hands on his knees, a single thought hit Michael.
I’m glad I came here.
It wasn’t because of the XP or whatever else. It was because he was accumulating battle experience. After awakening to his Dragon blood, he had forcefully broken through challenges far too easily. No enemy had been able to match him. However, now that he was fighting higher-leveled creatures, he realized how much he was lacking. His stats and even Skills were powerful enough, but he lacked the judgement to use them at the right times. He didn’t have much battle sense; after all, he had been nothing but an ordinary youth back on Earth.
I’m getting better.
Nevertheless, that was changing. His battle sense developed as he danced on the line between life and death. Every injury was a lesson, and every kill meant that he had surpassed an obstacle. Slowly but surely, he was improving. It was much more difficult than picking up new ways to manipulate mana, but it was even more rewarding.
Michael placed his back against the engraved wall. His mana reserves were lower than he was comfortable with, though they weren’t near empty. The constant usage of Cleansing had been the one thing that drained his mana pool the most. Its mana costs were the highest among his Skills, including Lightspeed. Of course, it had paid off. Even when he got seriously injured, Minor Heal and Cleansing had united to restore him somewhat. He spoke to himself.
“There might be a Boss at the end. I’ll rest.”
He hadn’t forgotten Lohann’s situation, so he had to be even more careful. He couldn’t leave the Dungeon half-dead and needing to recover for a long time. At the same time, he couldn’t lower his guard while resting. He merely stayed still and took deep breaths.
As time passed by slowly, his mana pool recovered and his wounds were healed. Judging that it was enough, Michael went back to making his way through the winding maze. He came across a few more groups; each was larger than the last, but he had become more used to fighting the lizardmen and used to battle in general. In the end, despite sustaining some injuries, he finally reached the end. The corridor opened into a large square space.
“Does this mean I’m out of the maze?”
[You have been rewarded for clearing the Dungeon.]
[You have acquired two Skill Points and fifteen Free Stat Points.]
[There is an optional area in this Dungeon. Do you wish to enter?]
Michael stopped in place. He read the System message twice over. Unlike Mushroom Grotto, this Dungeon had an optional area; however, the System provided him absolutely no information regarding what it consisted of.
Is it going to be another maze? Or maybe a Boss fight since I only fought ordinary enemies on the way here?
There was no way to know for certain without accepting the challenge. The issue was that it could prove to be too dangerous for his current self. He didn’t know anything about the optional area. Time ticked by as Michael was lost in his thoughts. He needed to defeat Lohann. While he had reached Level 33 in the Dungeon and seriously doubted there was a human stronger than him, he also had no information about the man. In the end, he decided to take the plunge. It would be better for him to be as powerful as possible, and for that, he needed to overcome every challenge thrown at him.
“Yes, I wish to enter the optional area.”
The labyrinth shook as the atmosphere changed. Out of the ground in the center of the square space, a strange object rose.
…A cocoon?
He didn’t know how else to describe it. It unraveled like a blooming flower. A single curled-up creature floated in the air. A System message appeared in front of Michael as he tried to obtain any worthwhile information he could.
[Optional Objective: kill the enemy.]
It was as simple as objectives went. The creature stretched its body as it fell to the ground, allowing him to see its form. It was similar to the lizardmen he had fought so far, but much smaller and thinner. It could even be described as gaunt. Its eyes were milky-white, which reminded Michael of Tairy. The creature held a wooden staff and bared its teeth at him.
“A caster, huh?”
[Analyze has failed. Target is too high Level.]