NOVEL WEB Chapter 11: Dungeon, Undead and Lore
[A/N: On the previous chapter, I forgot to edit certain part regarding the quest Yoru received which he says that he needed to "collect 20 of the stone slabs" for it. Yeah... He doesn't need to. So for those who have read the previous chapter before I changed it, just forget about that detail and carry on with the story as per usual. Thank you and I hope you enjoy this chapter!]
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The monsters in this hidden dungeon consist of Boneys, Draugrs, Ghasts, and a new undead-type monster called Fallens, which are living armours that have a spirit residing in each of them and only when they are struck, do the Fallens rest.
Apparently, the reason why I was encountering so many undead-type monsters aboveground was because of this place which is swarming with them.
"Oh! I found one already." I remarked loudly after spotting one of the stone tablets I needed to collect for the quest, sitting on a pedestal at the end of a hallway.
I can't read the language on the tablet itself, but oh well. I thought and grabbed the quest item without thinking much.
In that instant, I heard a voice in my head.
"To the one who has picked this record of mine, I request of thee: Collect the rest of my records in this ruins and hear my story. My name is Gaius of the... fallen... Romuli Kingdom."
Whoa. I was not expecting that.
The voice ended then and there. But from what it said, I will be hearing it more as I progress with the hidden quest.
Time to find the rest then.
"Guueeeeeeehhhhh...."
But first, I'll have to deal with these Draugrs.
"Multi-Fireball!"
After defeating the mobs that stood in my way, I proceeded deeper into the dungeon which was pretty linear with only diverging paths here and there. Obviously, you gotta explore those dead ends as well in case there may be some loot or another tablet at the end of those paths.
Bingo! Here's a second one.
As I picked up the second stone tablet from the ground, the voice of Gaius resounded in my head again.
"I was a once proud warrior of my country, who'd served with honour and dignity. They called me... the Valiant Knight, and I have led my men into countless battles. Always returning victorious no matter the circumstances.
The glory of those days. The songs of praises about me. Those... were the good times...."
I kept the second tablet in my inventory and continued with my dungeon exploration. Along the way as I purposefully took the wrong path each time I run into a divergence of pathways, I found a chest at the end of one of those paths.
Sweet!
Wait...
Unfortunately, it was a Mimic. I was able to notice that because of its audible heartbeat as I stepped closer.
"Fireball!"
"Giisssshhhhaaaaaa!"
After taking the first hit from me, the Mimic revealed its razor sharp teeth and gross giant tongue and lunged at me. To which I responded with my staff to its face.
"Power Blow!"
Bam! The Mimic was successfully knocked back. Then, I multi-casted my attack spells at it.
"Multi-Mana Bomb!"
"Gyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!"
While it screamed out in agony, I brought out two MP potions and drank them.
And once again, "Multi-Fireball!"
The barrage of flames hits it and the monster goes down.
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You have defeated a Mimic (Treasure Box).
EXP gained: 1,500
Gold earned: 30,000
Item(s) acquired: [Fake Pendant of Lazuli]
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"Oh my. I got an item." I exclaimed out loud and immediately checked what it is.
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[Fake Pendant of Lazuli]
Quality: Rare
Effect(s): [+100 Max HP], [+200 Max MP], [MP Cost of Skills are reduced by 10%]
A fake version that was meant to replicate the effects of the real Pendant of Lazuli. Although the craftsman was not successful in doing so, it was still able to provide a fifth of the effects of the real pendant. Making it valuable on the market nonetheless. Plus, it's shiny. Who doesn't love shiny things, huh?
Equippable by: [All Classes]
Equippable slot(s): [Accessory 1] / [Accessory 2]
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I agree with the description on that one. Shiny is nice. Especially when it's your own house after you'd made it nice and shiny from deep cleaning the entire place. That is even more so the case for the kitchen.
Also, the effects of the pendant are so good! It has the same effect as the Ring of Mana I am wearing plus two more to boot.
Without much to think about, I removed my Ring of Mana and replaced it with the Fake Pendant of Lazuli.
Then, I went back to the path I was originally on and ventured deeper into the dungeon. Meeting some Boneys along the way.
"Multi-Fireball!"
I blasted the Boneys with fire as usual. However, as not per usual, they still lived.
Do they have a higher level? I wondered about that. But as I observed them closely, I realised that they looked different from the usual skeletons.
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Uncommon Monster: Steely
Lvl: 17
The evolved form of Boney. Their bones are now as hard as steel. Making them more resilient to most physical and magic attacks. As a result, they also have no use for the weapons they used to carry as their body itself is a weapon. Pretty stupid, if you ask me.
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"Uh huh. I see..."
"..."
"Multi-Hex."
More resilient or not, I did not care. After planting the hex status effect on each of them, I blasted them all with a barrage of Fireballs again. Melting their steel bones with ease since they were all weakened. And so, moving on!
I've found the third tablet for the quest. But the problem was it is sitting on a pedestal at the end of a straight path with multiple booby traps set up along the way.
How did I know that? Well, the answer can be found on my right, where a giant swinging axe almost cut my face when I accidentally stepped on its trigger. It is now stuck in the wall and should do no harm anymore. But that was an incredible surprise, not going to lie....
Why is the third tablet being protected by booby traps anyways? That is the biggest question I want to know the answer to.
The first two were relatively easy. So what's up with the third?
Nonetheless, I will be getting it no matter what.
"Moon Walk."
My body was shrouded in a bright light and within an instant, I blinked to the spot I was aiming for.
But then, I realised something.
"Where's Lampy?"
I looked back and saw it flying towards my location, as if it was trying to catch up to me.
I see. So the skill doesn't affect my Lamp Bug, huh?
"Sorry for leaving you behind." I gently pat Lampy as an apology.
Then, it suddenly dug into my chest and positioned itself in between them.
"What are you doing?" I asked the bug. But naturally, there's no way it could answer.
Also, shouldn't it be like a small fluffy animal that would go in that spot? Never heard of a bug doing that before.
What's more, my chest is glowing because its abdomen, where the light comes from, is stuffed in between the virtual melons that I have.
"You want me to blink like this. Is that it?" I tried guessing what it wanted. As it responds to the question by shifting its head up to look at me.
I'm going to guess that is what it wants me to do then.
"Moon Walk."
I blinked closer to the tablet once again. Avoiding any traps that could be activated by not moving after I'd teleported. Lampy was also teleported with me on the second usage of the skill. Perhaps it requires me to be "holding" onto it, instead of having it rest on my shoulder while I teleport.
And I quote "holding", because one could say that I am technically holding it. Just with my boobs instead of my hands.
The benefits of being a woman right here, people! If you can't use your hands, just use your breasts.
"..."
Anyways, I got the third tablet now.
"One day, all light from the world was snuffed out. As the looming darkness shadows over the lands, they appeared; entities of the dark void who pronounced themselves as... The Umbra Lords. My men and I were ready to do whatever it takes to win the war against them. To defend our nation. To protect the world.
That... was least to say what we had in mind. Because unfortunately, no matter how brave our army may be, no matter how large our numbers were, we ended up... losing the war..."
...
...
...
Much later after picking up the third stone tablet and defeating more higher levelled monsters along the way, I came across a large open space in the dungeon with numerous big holes in the wall that didn't seem like it should normally be there.
Is this a boss area, perhaps?
While I was thinking that, the question answered for itself as I soon hear some sort of cricketing noises in the area.
Was it just my imagination? Was it coming from one of the holes in the wall? Was it Lampy making those noises?
No. Those weren't it. As I quickly realised the source of where it is coming from.
"Above!"
The moment I looked up, the creature on the ceiling dropped down and revealed itself.
A giant, four to five meters tall, centipede-like monster appeared before me.
Its numerous hairy legs, razor sharp-looking fangs, monstrous eyes and tough-looking exoskeleton body were all an incredible view to marvel at. It was out of place for a bug monster to be hanging out in a catacombs full of undead monsters. But who cares.
So coooooolll!
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Elite Monster: Centibane
Lvl: 18
A creature that roams underground. It is highly toxic and indiscriminate towards other beings asides from itself. Beware not to get caught up by its large body as its movement can be quite unpredictable. It is recommended for adventurers to have some countermeasures against its poison. And now, a question: What's a thousand minus seven?
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Ignoring the last part of the descriptions, I ready myself for combat despite not having any countermeasures for poison.
In the first place, there was no way for me to know that I would encounter something cool like that down here.
So, my only hope would be to stay as far away from the monster as possible, while dealing damage towards it. And with that simple plan in mind, I— Hm? Wait....
Something's not right. I had just realised that.
Because it's strange. Like....
"Why is the monster not attacking at all?"
It was just.... staring at me. Why?
