To Isagi, the trick to defeating the [Pale King] came down to just one word—Stall, just hard stalling!
He certainly didn't expect it to turn into a battle of attrition in the end.
Originally, he had intended to try fighting normally. However, in that state of extreme concentration, he unwittingly discovered that he had to dodge continuously for several minutes just to utilize a deflect, causing the opponent to stumble slightly, before he could seize the opportunity to land a single slash.
Moreover, because touching the [Pale King]'s weapon immediately accumulated a massive amount of the "Pale" abnormal status—and in a 1v1 situation, there was absolutely no time to drink the "Pigment Potion"—he could only wait for it to fade naturally.
Start kiting!
And so, he kited for the entire night.
Round after round. Isagi thought to himself that it was fortunate he had previously obtained a Talisman and Ring capable of resisting "Death," which accelerated the dissipation of the Pale abnormal status.
Otherwise, he estimated he wouldn't have just been fighting all night; he might have had to play with the [Pale King] there for a whole day.
This should have been an impossible feat.
With such high-intensity combat, human stamina and energy could not possibly support it for such a long time. However, relying on the First-Class Armament Cecil forged for him—[Wolf's Feast]—he turned the impossible into the possible.
The intense stinging pain kept him awake at almost every moment. Even when exhausted to the limit, the armor would forcibly make his body move.
The price was...
When he defeated the [Pale King], walked out of the Boss Room, and canceled his transformation, he immediately resurrected right at the Ghost Buddha to the side.
It gave the girls nearby a huge fright.
Speaking of which...
He didn't want to experience that kind of battle a second time. He realized that when facing high-level enemies, he actually lacked the high burst damage to settle things in one hit.
He had originally thought that leveling up would bring new abilities.
However.
The new abilities added by the Character Card were—
[[Land of Reeds] (LV4)
Path of Shura:
· An existence that has forgotten the reason for slaughter, killing only for the sake of killing.
· Possesses no faith whatsoever.
· When the burden of death and hatred reaches its peak, one can transform into the "Demon of Hatred."]
"..."
This was the only new ability the Character Card obtained after he leveled up, aside from unlocking a heap of enhanced functions for the [Shinobi Prosthetic].
Isagi had gone to the Dungeon to test it out earlier.
He roughly understood the mechanism of this new ability. Essentially, by continuously slaying monsters, the weapon in his hand would become "sharper"—increasing Attack Power massively—while simultaneously, he would feel a heavy pressure of hatred and death.
That was an indescribable feeling.
Cold, heavy.
It was as if someone were crying, whispering, and cursing in his ear at all times, accompanied by a raging fire that could not be extinguished no matter what...
But.
As long as he died once, the hatred he burdened would also be instantly cleared.
"?"
Death cancels all debts, is that it?!
Since that was the case, Isagi couldn't help but think: if he transformed into the Demon of Hatred, would he return to his original state as long as he died?
Wouldn't that just turn it into an ultimate move where you "save up the meter to transform"!
Actually, it wasn't just the [Land of Reeds].
When leveling up to LV4, the new abilities given by the Character Card seemed to share a certain commonality. [Retaking the Westward Journey] gave him the ability of Alchemy, but the name was—
[Path of Ascension—
· A single Golden Elixir swallowed into the abdomen; my destiny is dictated by me, not by the heavens.
· Seize the fortune of heaven and earth; take the spiritual essence of all living things.
· Can obtain 'Exquisite Inner Cores' from the bodies of powerful beings between heaven and earth to refine Celestial Elixirs.]
Through leveling up.
Not only did he obtain recipes for ordinary pills like the Dragon Light Power Pill, but he also obtained recipes capable of refining various pills that could permanently increase ability stats. It was just that the materials required for the former were all ordinary, belonging to materials that would appear in the Dungeon—don't ask why; just like how Cecil could forge a Legion Prosthetic for him, if you ask, it's quantum mechanics.
But what the latter required were all "Exquisite Inner Cores."
This stuff.
Two of them dropped when he killed the [Pale King] earlier. Ordinary monsters didn't drop them. Thinking about it according to the settings, there was a high probability that only guys who were Elites or Mini-Bosses and above would produce them.
Isagi could faintly feel it.
After his level reached LV4, the abilities given by the Character Card were no longer moves or skills like before, but seemed to be the start of some "Great Dao."
Perhaps, was it because the next level is LV5?
In Orario.
First-Class Adventurers and those before them could be said to be completely different existences. If one had to describe it, it would probably be that they had truly stepped into the domain of the "Non-Human."
LV5 is a starting point.
It shuts out all those with insufficient talent, and only a tiny minority of powerhouses can cross this domain.
And as the level increases, they will display powerful strength that is increasingly difficult for people to understand—
Repelling an army composed of tens of thousands of low-level adventurers with the power of a single person;
Destroying mountains and obliterating cities with a single strike;
Causing structural destruction within the Dungeon, or even punching through an entire floor;
It was precisely because of this.
Was his Character Card also preparing for this...
*
Late at night.
Ryuu, having finished updating her Status Board, walked out of Goddess Astrea's bedroom.
Although she only participated in the first half of the [Pale King] subjugation that ended this morning, it still allowed her to gain an increase of several dozen total ability points.
For a LV5 adventurer, this efficiency was simply ridiculously exaggerated.
But perhaps because she had seen it so much, Goddess Justice actually had a face full of normalcy.
Thinking about it, Isagi's ability stat increase must be even greater, right? After all, he fought that kind of monster alone for the entire night and won in the end—
Thinking of this.
Ryuu couldn't help but recall the board from when the young man leveled up previously.
[Isagi:
Level: LV3 - LV4
Strength: SSS 1475 - I0
Endurance: SSS 1545 - I0
Dexterity: SSS 1398 - I0
Agility: SSS 1421 - I0
Magic: SS 1184 - I0]
If it hadn't been brought out by Goddess Astrea, Ryuu would only have wondered if the other party was joking or had brain problems. How could anyone's ability stats grow to this extent?!
But the reality was just so.
And not only that, Lefiya's [Magic] attribute upon leveling up also reached an exaggerated value like "SS 1254." And looking at it currently, Tiona's growth was also extremely rapid; her ability stats similarly had hopes of breaking through to over 1000 points.
These were all because of Isagi.
The Goddess spoke with incomparable certainty. The special Dungeon that changed because of the young man allowed him to grow at an inconceivable speed, while simultaneously leading his companions together toward a brand new and unknown realm.
Ryuu was still a bit in a trance even now.
She truly realized that she, as the senior, was instead the one who hadn't kept up with everyone's footsteps.
Even if her level was higher now, it was the same. Whether it was regarding adventuring, combat, or even conviction—she couldn't go on like this anymore!
As a senior.
She should be the one leading the juniors forward!
Whether for Goddess Astrea or for Alise and the others, leading the Familia to continue moving forward and pursuing justice was her mission!!
Being at a loss was a normal thing.
Ryuu adjusted her mood very quickly, and then, in the corridor, she ran head-on into Isagi, who had just gotten up and come out of the bathroom.
"Ryuu-senpai!"
Under the cold winter night, the young man was wrapped only in a bath towel. Between that tall, robust, and solid body, steaming white mist was still rising.
Gulp...
Ryuu swallowed almost instinctively. She felt she shouldn't be like this, but her body's reaction was just that direct!
To avoid a guilty conscience, she decided to continue staring straight at him just like that!
"I was just looking for you."
"What... is it?"
"The Goddess said that Tiona will level up to LV5 soon too, so..."
It was also time to prepare to forge a First-Class Armament for the Amazon girl.
Of course.
Tiona was currently only attached to the Astrea Familia in name; she was actually a member of the Loki Familia. But Isagi felt this was a clean and decisive opportunity to snatch her over directly!
After seeing the [Wolf's Feast] and [Elf Ring Justice Goddess] belonging to him and Ryuu-senpai.
Tiona was practically hugging Cecil every day, crying and begging the girl to forge a First-Class Armament for her too—completely forgetting her previous plan in the Loki Familia to find the God Goibniu for forging.
Since it was like this.
Isagi intended to push the boat with the current, taking the materials dropped from defeating the [Pale King] earlier to give to Cecil as ingredients.
"At that time, Tiona will definitely be unable to put it down! But the ownership rights of the equipment will be with the Astrea Familia—the Vice-Captain provides the materials, the Captain is responsible for forging, so the weapon is naturally Familia property—at that time, that idiot won't be able to run away anymore!!"
Isagi could be said to have the Amazon girl's personality in the palm of his hand!
And regarding this.
Ryuu was already too lazy to retort.
At least it wasn't making Tiona owe the Familia a huge sum of money for materials and forging fees, leaving her only able to stay in the Astrea Familia to "pay with her body" or something; that was already good enough.
Sigh.
After making the decision.
The two quickly arrived at the side of the garden, inside Cecil's forging workshop.
Pushing the door open and entering.
A sultry, scorching gale blew against their faces. The biting chill of the winter day was completely driven away. The girl, wearing only a thin, pure white tank top and loose bloomers, burying her head in work amidst the workbenches, was currently covered in sweat, and it was even...
Showing through!
That tank top, soaked by sweat, tightly adhered to the girl's fair skin, instantly turning into a clearly defined silhouette.
[So big. Cecil, that fellow, how does it feel like she got bigger again?!]
Ryuu felt a little shocked in her heart.
Because not long ago, she had discovered that Lefiya, as a fellow compatriot, seemed to have gotten much bigger than before, complaining that she was going to be unable to fit into her clothes again and asking if she should go buy new dresses.
What exactly is going on with the current juniors!
Suddenly.
Ryuu realized the necessity of keeping Tiona in the Familia! Isagi was right; the Amazon girl was an indispensable partner for everyone!!
Dizzy and light-headed.
She saw the young man wrapped in a bath towel and the girl soaked in sweat gathering together very naturally, already beginning to study how to forge a First-Class Armament for that idiot Tiona.
There were a total of two drops from the [Pale King].
[[Pale Eye]:
A pair of pale eyes capable of seeing "Color"; it is the source of the Goblin King's power.
Monsters possess souls from the moment of their birth.
Occasionally, some monsters will see "Color." This is not light, but an existence equal to the darkness of the Dungeon.
But it will die along with one's own death; it is a power that cannot be inherited or continued.
The King knew this deeply, yet still intended to pass the power down, just like the establishment of a Kingdom, accomplishing something impossible to accomplish.]
Aside from this.
There were also several broken iron pieces.
[[Fragments of the White King's Sword]: Fragments of the weapon the Pale King once possessed, which have now completely lost their power.
After being smashed by that supreme Divine Miracle, the King reforged the broken sword and gave it to his best friend, leaving only a few remaining fragments.
And the King who lost his weapon also lost the qualification to protect everything.
The Mother of Darkness is great; she gestated the world of the Dungeon, but she is also limited, because the power of Miracles and Divine Miracles is unique.
The King, who always pressed forward, finally understood what it meant to be unable to do something.
Ordinary monsters, no matter what, cannot become Divine Miracles.]
Looking at these two materials.
Isagi even took out the [Remnant Sword of the White King] dropped by the [Golden Miracle] previously, letting Cecil use it all together to forge Tiona's new weapon.
Thinking about it.
The broken sword plus the materials dropped by the [Pale King] should be able to achieve a one-plus-one-greater-than-two effect, right?
He didn't feel it was a pity either.
Because it was a reforged broken sword, it definitely wasn't as good as the original. And he also had the chance to obtain the [Pale King]'s weapon before it was broken; he just needed to go to the 12th Floor and pour a bottle of Divine Wine, right?
Just like challenging the Goblin General in its peak state previously.
The main materials were settled.
Next was giving that idiot Tiona a surprise!
A long time later—
Seeming to finally realize how form-fitting her soft chest was.
Cecil, who was originally gathered together with the young man, suddenly screamed. With a blushing face, she hurriedly extinguished the furnace fire, saying something about going to take a bath, and ran away in a flash.
Leaving only Isagi and Ryuu in the workshop, not knowing what to do.
Thus.
The winter night outside the door was heavy.
Sparse stars fell within the pitch-black curtain; even the moon was hard to find.
"Ryuu-senpai, you can't sleep tonight, huh?"
"Mmh."
It wasn't the first time the young man had seen through her mind. Ryuu didn't intend to deny it either, nodding instead.
She indeed couldn't sleep.
As the Familia senior, the girl had been constantly thinking about "becoming stronger." Because clearly, as the one with the highest level, she ought to have even more powerful strength to be able to help the juniors more in combat and adventures.
So.
How could she become stronger?
For example, thinking of her own Special Technique like Tiona and Isagi, or perhaps...
She spoke her distress softly to the young man beside her.
Isagi wasn't surprised at all.
Moreover.
"A frank Senior is actually quite cute."
"?!"
Why use fists to hit people at the drop of a hat? You've learned bad habits from Cecil too, haven't you?!
Catching the Elf girl's small fist, which didn't hurt or itch, straightforwardly.
Isagi spoke directly.
"Become my disciple, Ryuu-senpai."
"Huh?"
"I can teach you new magic."
As the young man's voice fell, silently and breathlessly, the "Character Card" he equipped also switched successfully at this moment.
Thus.
Under the pitch-black winter night, Ryuu saw pale blue fluorescence emerge as the Familia junior waved his fingers. Immediately following, it transformed into a complex magical sigil. Finally, a tiny sphere trailing a pale blue stream of light emerged, flying toward the open space not far away like a star.
"What is this?"
"It is Glintstone Magic."
____
New Story: ZZZ: Mr. Ethereal Does Not Want to See a Tragedy
🔥We're handing out that '30% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Get immediate access to 40 early chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive material and special announcements!
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters across ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan