Chapter 24: [Arc 1] Chapter 18: The Kigal-Note’s True Cheat and the Ruins of Rebellion

Come on, come on, come on! Is that all you got!?

I kept on lashing mental insults and thread whips at the Dread Spirits in the abyss-level of Floor 6.

It's been a freaking week, and still nothing? I can't evolve yet? Are you f*cking with me!?

Keeping my irritation in check, I struck another three Spirits at the same time with my thread-whip.

About time this one reached the level cap. I've been venting on these Spirits for these last four days while ignoring whatever death they have experienced.

Eaten alive by a monster, left alone in a monster cave by your comrades, backstabbed by one's beloved, died as a lab rat for some mad cult...

Yeah, humans are way worse than monsters in some ways. Or maybe most of the deaths related to monsters were so cruel that the victims wanted to die? People like that wouldn't generate Dread Spirits, so I may be on to something...

Disgusted by my own observation, I created more threads to hold in my hands and used them all to whip the incoming Spirits. They had no chance in hell to survive the threads boosted by so many skills while coated by [Heresy Modification]'s effect. That got rid of the irritation of the previous batch of grudges, even if I'm not sure if they were my own or not, only to get stuck with those of the Spirits I had just eliminated.

Damn, this is tiresome. And here comes more. It tried to strike me from behind, but I had already seen it coming. My sensory skills ain't so shabby to not notice that guy, not to forget that the evolved skill [Thought Acceleration], gave me the thinking time needed to throw an Impact Thread at the guy.

Another one? I kinda hoped [Magic Sight] would reach that point before this one. It's my very first skill after all.

I started to retreat to the underground tunnels after seeing the last message. No need to overdo things like I almost did the first day. The Spirit fog around the abyss had lifted by quite the amount since I started, too. No reason to overdo it either. 

The Spirits won't stop attacking until I reach the lair anyway, so I'll farm on the way back as well. I pierced a Spirit that was charging towards me while thinking so as if to prove my thoughts. 

Time for a traditional, tactical retreat.

---

"We-welcome Master. What do you want today? Fruits? New blankets?" - Gust

EXP.

"I am sorry to say, but we do not have that product at this store. So please do not take it out on me! I have enough of the bagworm treatment!" - Gust

I'm too tired to vent out on the birdbrain. I'm gonna jump into bed and zzz...

"Eh, Master? What are our plans now?" - Gust

That bird... he can use [Telepathy], but reading the mood? Nu-uh.

Well, considering your calculations about the obtained EXP were WAY wrong, I have to say that our best bet would be to dive down to Floor 7.

The Dread Spirit Slaughterer title only gave me enough EXP to reach Lv.19, not 20! I'll probably need one or two more monsters to push past the final limit, but the only living creatures remaining on this floor is Gust and the moles. Setting the former aside, I can't start massacring the moles. Even if the World System wouldn't give me a negative title about it, I would!

Then the best way to gain that last level would be to bash up some monsters on Floor 7... but how are we supposed to get back up? I know from experience that there are zero spots safe enough to evolve on that floor, so then there's no meaning in getting that last level.

Then all we can do is to hope that the Genocide title's not too far from now. With that amount of Spirits floating around, I may reach the required amount.

The "Dread Spirits series"-titles don't need that many compared to for example Monster Slayer.

The King's not shown himself at all anyway, so why not take the opportunity. The fewer Dread Spirits out there, the better for the world. I'm getting more proficiency with my skills, and the moles will have a better chance of escaping this place. It's a win-win-win situation.

Except for the Spirits, but who cares.

I shifted my attention to the Skill Shop to evolve another skill. One that could help me in case of the worst possible situation that the King starting to attack us all of a sudden. As I keep on slaying the Dread Spirits, I can't help to feel that someone's watching me. It may just be my imagination, but better safe than sorry.

I've already made [Concentration] turn into [Thought Acceleration] and [Mana Increase (Small)] to [Mana Increase], sans the (Small). When a skill evolves, one will obtain the new skill at Lv.1, so in some cases, evolving a skill may result in you temporarily becoming weaker than you were before.

The "Mana Increase" skills are a good example of that. The (Small) skill gave me 1 MP for each skill level, meaning 50 MP at the highest level, but [Mana Increase] gives me 10 MP for each skill level. So my overall MP was reduced by 40 when I traded in the (Small) skill for the new one. Eh, I've reached Lv.3 already. I'll get back to 50 MP or more in a flash.

Therefore, if I wanna evolve a skill already, I need to figure out which one will give me an additional ability to overcome the loss in levels. Hopefully, one that will be useful no matter the next evolution. But I'll still aim for one that will lead me to Kur Kigal in the end.

And the skill I wanna take is [Intuition]. It's a Merge Evolution of the [Prediction] and [Danger Sense] skills, and it allows one to see where the opponent's attack range. Like those that are displayed on MMO's. And apparently, the details for those attacks get more detailed as the skill level increases. Not to forget that one gets the two previous skill's effects as well.

A skill that's perfect for me. And it's for only 6 Skill Points. So, without further ado:

There.

"...I see. That skill is worth the costs. Can I ask a question?" - Gust

About how incredible I am for obtaining these awesome skills all the time?

"No, and not about how you can act so shamelessly. I want to ask why we do not enter Floor 7, for then hunt those monsters close to the entrance of Floor 6? Then we could just run back to this floor afterward." - Gust

Ulp. He noticed...

Hey, don't think that it will be that easy to-

"But didn't Master already pass that floor? And as a Grey Demon even?" - Gust

Ugh......fine. It's to help the moles.

"Sorry, say what?" - Gust

It's to repay for being allowed to live here and for having them share their food with us... stop smiling! I'm not shameless to not pay back my debts you know.

It's embarrassing to say it out loud, so don't force me to do so.

"Hmm, but that is not the only reason, right?" - Gust

...If you already know, then yes, I wanna clear that Quest. From the looks of it, the King's not on the floor either, so why not at least look for the place?

We're talking about the mystery Quest that's located somewhere on this floor. We decided to ignore it due to it probably having something to do with the King, but since his majesty appears to have left, why not check it out?

7 Skill Points may sound tempting, but that robe's a problem. It's not written in the Kigal-Note. For the first time, I've encountered something not written about in that book. The Quest giver sounds fishy as well. And what's the description supposed to mean? It's too vague!

As for the Ruins talked about in the Quest, won't such a place be the typical place for old treasures to be hidden in? That's the main reason we wanted to stay clear of that place. Still, with the King's supposed absence, it may not be a bad idea to look-

"You know it is a bad idea to look at those ruins, right? That reward is too pin-point to be a coincidence." - Gust

Busted~. I hate to admit it, but he's right. One of those rewards was made for me. And at this timing, when I was able to look at my personal traits, and not only those of my species through the Kigal-Note. The traits I have are:

That's weird~. There's one trait too many here~

Unreal. Why albinoism of all things!? And increased Light- and Sun attribute damage? That's worse than on Earth!!

That's where [Sunlight Resistance] comes in. It doesn't reduce either Light- or Sun attribute damage, but it reduces negative effects due to sunlight. It's easier to understand by calling it an incomplete Daywalker skill.

Trap or no trap, if there's a ruin there, it should be some monster there to guard it or something. Besides, don't you wanna know why there's a ruin in a Dungeon?

"I only said it was stupid, not that we will not go there." - Gust

So we're going there anyway!?

"I asked the moles about the ruins after the Slaughter-strategy failed, and they told me they had a tunnel that leads straight into the ruins" - Gust

Then what are we-

"We are waiting for the moles to clear up the rubble due to a small tunnel collapse. It should be ready by tomorrow. That is why I never told you before now." - Gust

This guy's damn useful!

Alright, we'll get ruin-raiding tomorrow! Everyone's gonna get the Tomb Raider title or we'll not go back!

"I seriously do not know what you are referring to, and to be honest, I do not want to know either. But what if there are Dread Spirits in the ruins?" - Gust

......I'll act as the spearhead of this operation. You guys should stay in the tunnels. Make sure to keep them filled with the you-know-what plants.

"Will do. And I have more good news for you. Look at this." - Gust

With that, the bird started to look for a page in the Kigal-Note and showed it to me. What's this? "Dark Grasp"? A magic spell? This wasn't on the list for [Darkness Magic].

"Try to apply some mana onto this picture here." - Gust

Alright, but I don't see what good that's-

-gonna... eeeeehhh!?!?!

"See? Magicians can learn new spells that are not automatically granted by their skills by recreating that spell's magic circle, then registering it to a Magic Skill they own that spell falls under." - Gust

What!? Then, if there's such a magic circle pictured on all the magic entries in the Kigal-Note-

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"You can learn any spell that you have a skill for, Oh, and do not forget the level of the skill needs to be high enough." - Gust

Aw, come on! Don't steal the wind from my sails like that! But he's right. It's written that Dark Grasp requires the [Darkness Magic] skill at Lv.4. It also mentions some other skills that spell can be used with, but they're irrelevant for me.

"...Hey. The symbol's still there." - Gust

Of course, it's still there. It's a picture. Pictures don't move around.

"No, that was not what I meant. When magicians obtain new spells through self-made magic circles or Spell Scrolls, the circle or scroll disappear upon use." - Gust

Guess the Spell Scroll's something similar to Skill Scro-what did he say?!

I tried to apply more mana to the magic circle. It worked, but I didn't gain anything else.

...These pictures can be reused?

"Seems so... and with Ex items being indestructible, it must mean they can be used indefinitely." - Gust

......Let's keep this a secret. Like, a national class secret. People would kill to get their hands on this book if they know about this trick.

---

Yesterday's events ended with us promising never to speak loudly about the Kigal-Note's magic trick. After that, I spent the rest of the night wondering what kinds of magic I should learn with the mentioned trick.

That said, most Magic Skills are locked behind Magician-line classes, and I'm not sure if I should take one or not. Then there's the problem of me not knowing which class I can take...

I'll figure that part out when I've managed to integrate into society. They have magic tools to figure out which classes you qualify for, wasn't it? Threads and acrobatics have helped me all this way already. No need to stress over something that will at most be a sub-weapon. 

There is something called [Magic Ability], which is essentially a collection of all the starting spells of the other Magic Skills, plus some moves related to magic in general. Sounds handy. I'll take that when I got the chance. And Skill Points.

What I CAN do is challenge the "Element Technique User" titles. They all grant a Lesser-ranked Element Skill of their respective attribute, plus a Magic Skill! The Darkness Technique User title I already have is one of them.

The titles give a boost to anything of that attribute, be it skills or magic. Just taking one for the magic skill's not a smart move, so I'll rather focus on an attribute that'll help me on many fronts, not just magic. 

I looked it up, and it seems that skills that are attribute-related have certain common traits amongst themselves. Such as how well some of their skills work, what kind of magic one can expect, you know, the overall style of that attribute. 

From what the Kigal-Note, and Gust, can tell me, these traits are categorized as:

• Strength
  • Main attributes: Fire and Earth
  • Have high offensive and defensive powers, but they lack special maneuvers and tricks. In short, the muscle-brained attributes.
• Defense
  • Main attributes: Ice and Metal
  • These attributes focus more on defense than the previous ones, and they also have special moves to trap and seal targets. They can also have a heavy blow hidden, such as a shield bash. 
• Speed
  • Main attributes: Wind and Light
  • These focus mostly on speed and dodging, but that speed can become a great weapon in the hands of someone talented. These are also the attributes containing many long-range moves. 
• All-around
  • Main attributes: Water and Order
  • These attributes can be called jack-of-all-trades. There's no specific focus on something, but that also gives these attributes versatility. 
  • The reason why Order is part of this category is due to it sometimes makes combination attributes that include itself easier to use than its parent(s) at the cost of somewhat weaker abilities.
• Support
  • Main attributes: Life and Chaos
  • As one can guess from the name, the moves of these attributes focus more on enhancing than anything else.
  • The reason why Chaos is considered a member is due to combination attributes involving this and a single other attribute becomes almost always an upgraded version of the other parent.
• Disrupt
  • Main attributes: Darkness and Death
  • I didn't need much research on these. Simply put, these focus on weakening the opposing forces instead of straight out damaging them. 

And that's them all. Combination attributes are likewise combinations of all the traits of the parent attributes.

Heretic attribute may be an All-around/Support type attribute on paper, but the results are more like those of the Disrupt type. "Enhancing" the target with soul-crushing powers... yikes. I'll take it if it's necessary for the Kur Kigal evolution, but honestly, I wish it isn't. It lacks firepower, which I'm in serious need of.

Not that I can think of that a third attribute needs to be trained as well, so I have the freedom to chose for myself there. Maybe Fire... but that won't work due to the Arachnid trait... right? Then what about-

"Oi, Master. Are you with us?" - Gust

Huh? Oh, got lost in thoughts again. 

"You could say that is typical Master behavior, but please stay sharp. Past this is unknown territory." - Gust

We're currently at the tunnel (possibly) leading to the Ruins of Rebellion. That's fine and all, but...

What in the world are you wearing?

Gust had dressed like a bush made of Rose-Maria. Cosplay? Halloween? Camouflage?

"I had a brilliant idea. Since there is a high chance of encountering Dread Spirits in those ruins, there would be an equally high chance of not encountering any monsters." - Gust

Because the Spirits would have blown up the inhabitants?

"That is right!" - Gust

I'm not sure about that logic...

"Therefore, by covering myself with these Dread Spirit-repelling plants, I am safe to investigate the ruins without any problems. Mmh, my intellectual spirit is burning!" - Gust

............

I, no, all of us, which includes the moles that worked on the tunnel, watched Gust with half-opened eyes. This birdbrain...

You know, even if there's a chance the Ruin's filled with Spirits, it's not impossible of it to be any monsters there. Besides, don't you think that there's a slim chance that his majesty's in the ruins too?

And with the speed of an F1 car, Gust removed his disguise(?).

"Then I'm hoping for good results from you, Master!" - Gust

Seriously...

I'm off then.

With that, I went deeper into the tunnel covered with newly planted Rose-Maria. 

---

Hngh. Hnnggh. HHHNNNGGH!! OPEN UP ALREADY!

*BANG!* *Crash!*

Whoops. Not my most silent entry, but what other choice did I have?

The tunnel that the moles had dug up ended up in a dead-end in the form of a floor tile. A heavy floor tile, if I may add. It's nice with [Impact Thread] at level 12.

Left, clear. Right, clear. Front and behind... are just walls. I'm in a corridor. Figures. Hey, I'm in the first, civilized structure ever! But it's ruined... dust everywhere. Except for that, it looks like a corridor in a castle from the middle-age. There are even full-plate armors lined up across the corridor. These won't suddenly start moving, right?

Doesn't look like there's someone here. No sounds of anyone coming to check the sound of me crushing the tile either...

Jackpot!... Is what I wanna say, but the ruin's too gloomy for me to feel any happiness here.

I walked to the window and looked outside...

Whoa. It's a castle. I had the feeling it was that but seeing the outside's a different story than some secluded corridor. And dusty. *Achoo!*

However, this castle doesn't look like it was built here. I mean, 50% of the castle's literally merged into the small hills here. It feels like someone made a teleport fail when they transported the castle.

The tunnel that the moles dug lead to the third floor of the castle. Heck, when I rounded one corner, I was met with the rock wall of the hill! 

Did the lord of the Dungeon want a castle so much, but they made a mistake that lead to this mess? 

That's all that I have to say about the castle. It doesn't look like it will collapse on my head, so that's good. The bad news is; there are tons of Dread Spirits here.

They're flooding the castle entrance, like ants on honey-covered sugar cubes... with extra sugar. Several spoonfuls. 

The good news is that they seem to be unable to enter the venue, which leads to the bad news that I cannot use the main entrance. Thank god the moles had made this backdoor for me. Those numbers could have surpassed [Heresy Modification]'s limits. It lags when that happens, making me defenseless until it's on again. It usually comes back online after a few seconds, but... Tons. Of. Dread. Spirits.

If there are so many outside, there's a slim chance that there is someone already inside. Better see if I can find something like a map of this place. Or anything that can give me some hints. Those "Remnants" thingies are also welcome.

Since one part of the corridor ends in the mountain wall, I have no choice on the matter of where I go next. I threw some armors into my Storage while I walked. Old or not, metal's metal. It could come in handy. 

I also found something that looked like barracks where the guards lived when the castle wasn't a ruin. Or should I call it a fortress since it's got living quarters for soldiers on the 3rd floor?

I emptied the rooms for any clothing, weapons, armors, clothing, and furniture. Yes, even the furniture. I used [Thread Control] to throw whatever was too heavy for me to lift into the Storage. The barracks were left buck naked after I was finished with the job. Only dust remained. Does [Spatial Storage] even have a limit on how much it can contain?

I found some diaries as well, probably the possessions of the soldiers that lived here before. I'll give them to Gust. See if he can figure out anything about this place. I'm still going on full, so I kept on the exploration.

More rooms became the offers of my razzia, filling my Storage with even more junk. And I mean it when I say "junk". 

Just hope I don't obtain any "Packrat" title~.

I kept on exploring the third floor when I found something strange. I opened a door that looked like it lead to another barracks, but what awaited me was a graveyard.

I'm not joking. It is a real indoor graveyard, complete with a dirt floor, tombstones, and withered trees. The room's around 600 meters long, and the only point of interest is that the other end of the room forms a hill. On top of that hill is a single tombstone, and perched on that again is something that looks like... a piece of armor?

This place screams "Boss fight", but doesn't that mean it's related to those "remnants"? That's typical for games...

Let's take the challenge. I've got some tricks up my sleeves in case it's something too strong for me to handle anyway. 

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