I was vividly able to recall the scene when Frieren fought against one of the Demon Lord's subordinates, Qual, in her world. While I do not have an Eidetic Memory, which is a fancy term to say that you can recall anything anywhere at any given time, the so-called "perfect memory", my INT is already high enough, allowing me to picture the scene with ease. It was as if I had entered Frieren's world itself, seeing Zoltraak used right before my very eyes. Gripping Frieren's Staff steady, it coalesced into a gigantic beam of white light. At the same time, I felt an actual strain on my body. This was the first time I had used a lot of MP at once. Roughly a third of what I currently have. I wondered if it was due to having Mana Perception now, but I felt an enormous torrent of what I think is magical energy surge throughout my body.
It was enough to make my fingers tremble, and that's saying something. Even Frigga's gaze turned serious, not expecting to feel such a large influx of Mana all of a sudden.
"Are you sure you are alright, Myles? I did not think you could release that much Mana in one go.", Frigga asked, appearing worried.
"Never better.", I responded, assuring Frigga I was feeling alright. Despite putting a sudden strain on my body, I felt excited. I wanted to see how devastating this was going to be to those Kobolds. "Just sit back and watch the show. It'll be over in a blink of an eye."
The air around us began to distort. What started out as nothing more than a small point of pale light hovering before me, no bigger than a marble, rapidly expanded outward with each passing moment. It grew from the size of a marble, to a fist, and then to the size of my head, and it didn't stop there. It grew double, then triple, then several times larger, becoming a gigantic beam of light.
"Zoltraak!", I exclaimed. I knew I didn't have to shout the name of the Spell, but I just felt like doing so. BOOOOOOOOOM!
A loud and screeching explosion shot forth, consuming everything in its path. It consumed the dim orange-glow produced by the scattered crude torches. A gigantic shadow stretched violently across the entire cavern, and the subterranean platform further inside. Even though I was the one responsible for using Zoltraak, my eyes still turned wide in shock. This...Isn't this a little too devastating!?
It was then most of the Kobolds noticed the rapidly approaching beam of light, but it was too late. Loud barks and howls from them being Kobolds suddenly faltered. Confused cries and anguished woes echoed throughout the entire cavern. It left wakes of destruction that made it comparable to Goku firing off his Kamehameha. Even through the beam of light, I saw damage numbers appear one after another. These Kobolds ranged anywhere from [Kobold Scout], to [Kobold Warrior], [Kobold Archer], [Kobold Berserker], [Kobold Shaman] or [Kobold Chieftain]. No Boss from the looks of it yet, but each strong in their own right. If this went normally, that is.
It wasn't hard to guess, but I pretty much broke the entire thing. I saw various Levels of these Kobolds range from 15 to 20, ranging from 5,000 HP to 20,000 HP. Nothing too drastic from a first glance. It just didn't take into consideration that I can ramp up my damage ten-fold. 1000% Spell Power is seriously bonkers. My Universal Damage was over 8,000 since it combines Attack Damage and Magic Damage. With the 1000% Spell Power, that boosts it to over 80,000, and well, with Keen Precision triggering every instance, that boosts the damage close to 135,000. The VIT of these guys ranged from 300-600 and well, let's just say it didn't end well for them, haha!
[Ding! Keen Precision has triggered!]
[Ding! Keen Precision has triggered!]
[Ding! Keen Precision has triggered...]
Ignoring the repeating Keen Precision Gamer Notifications, I looked at the damage numbers in the far distance. Even Frigga was taken back, unsure of what those numbers meant. Each damage count wracked up around 125,000 to 140,000 damage. And well, taking that against those Kobolds whose HP ranged from 5,000 to 20,000, you can guess the result.
The Gamer Notifications didn't stop. Another Hulk Grin appeared on my face.
[Ding! You have cast Zoltraak. Use: 2/10,000.]
Two down, ten thousand to go. At the same time, I saw the experience points come rolling in.
[Ding! You have defeated x20 Kobold Scouts LV15!]
[Ding! You have defeated x60 Kobold Warriors LV17]
[Ding! You have defeated x10 Kobold Shamans LV19!]
[Ding! You have defeated x40 Kobold Archers LV16!]
[Ding! You have defeated x5 Kobold Chieftains LV20!]
Just like that, I routed the entire cavern in one go. 135 Monsters. I doubt this was the end of it, though. More than likely, there deeper areas within, likely underground.
[Ding! With current Party Settings, you have received 100% EXP.]
[Ding! You have obtained 215,000 EXP!]
[Ding! You have Leveled Up! LV13 -> LV16.]
[Ding! Current LV: 16 (51,440/195,840)]
[Ding! Total EXP: 260,206.]
[Ding! Your Class, Spellblade, has triggered its Stat Gains!]
[Ding! Spellblade's Stat Gains have combined with Lofty Genius and Points Doubler!]
[Ding! Your STR has increased by 18!]
[Ding! Your VIT has increased by 12!]
[Ding! Your DEX has increased by 6!]
[Ding! Your INT has increased by 30!]
[Ding! Your WIS has increased by 24!]
[Ding! You have obtained 36 Points!]
[Ding! Current Points: 48.]
[Ding! Your HP and MP have been replenished!]
[Ding! Your Quest Log: Foundations Training I has been updated.]
[Ding! Your Status Window has been updated and is ready to view.]
Wow. Three levels in one go. Talk about a bountiful gain right there. I'm feeling even stronger now! It looks like the Gamer System adjusted the HP Formula too. I had a quick glance at my HP and MP.
Current HP: 70,450/70,450
Current MP: 53,280/53,280
...!? Am I really seeing that correctly? The temporary MP storage from Wellspring Of The World Tree Skill almost doubled just from three levels alone. Granted, I did receive a lot of INT from understanding more of what the Gamer System does. Back then, my INT was simply 275, but it jumped to 450 after, and then gained another 30 from those three level ups and the result of the Skills I possess. It's a rocking 480 INT now and it is the closest Stat I have to the required base stats that I need to complete Foundation Training I. I say that, but it is only one of the Stats I have that's reaching that mark. The rest still have a way to go.
If I used Breath of the Sun's 100 MP now, it wouldn't just be 360 times I could use it. Instead, I can now use it over 500 times during a single session. How cool is that? I can unlock it at a much faster rate compared to before, and like I keep saying, this is just the start of the grind. It never ends~
"How's that for a warm-up?", I said to Frigga.
"I'm...not exactly sure what to say here. But I do understand what you mean by the fact that you can change your surroundings into numbers. It's almost mythical, even. I don't think those monsters would have died so instantly like that otherwise if you didn't possess such an ability.", Frigga said, being quick to discern what had happened just now. As expected of the Allmother.
"That's part of the reason.", I responded. "Additionally, this place likely didn't factor into the combat techniques and spells that I have. What you saw was the maximum output of one particular spell. And I would like to remind you the Magic you know and the spells I use are two different things. What I know is tied to my ability. I have not come to learn any true spells of my own yet."
"Yes. You did mention that. In due time, you will learn how our Asgardian Magic works, now that you possess a body to wield Magic.", Frigga responded with a nod. "I take it the spell's name is Zoltraak? That's what you called it."
"Yes. Zoltraak. It is a basic offensive magic without any redeeming factors at a first glance, but its original purpose was to defeat your targets swiftly and efficiently. Some even once called it Killing Magic.", I explained. "And like I said, what you saw just now was the most it can do in a single go. It can also do something like this. Taking
[Ding! You have set Zoltraak's output to 100% Spell Power.]
[Ding! You have cast Zoltraak x5!]
[Ding! Zoltraak use: 12/10,000.]
[Ding! You have used 5000 MP.]
[Ding! Current MP: 48,280/53,280.]
Wooosh. Wooosh. Wooosh. Wooosh. Wooosh!
On a much smaller scale, five spheres of brilliant light suddenly formed around me in an arch pattern. They were the size of my fist. A little bit of a waste, but there was one thing to point out. Zoltraak has no duration. That means until Zoltraak finds its target, it'll be an extra layer of defense for me~
"I see. You have quite the freedom to mold Zoltraak to do whatever you want it to do. And that's called basic?", Frigga mused, seeing the spheres of light now floating around me, waiting for me to use it.
"Yep. A basic magic spell. That is why it has no element attached to it. It does what it does, and it is quite effective.", I responded. I'll let those spheres do their own bidding for now.
"And the one condition is that this Zoltraak is only attached to this staff you wield? Interesting.", Frigga said, becoming more and more interested with each passing moment. "In a way it is similar to our Enchantment. We can attach various effects to objects, and well, your staff is one said object. It all depends on how much Magic that object can endure. Just like how I attached "Perceive" onto your back to let you perceive Magic. While that spell is complete now, it still accomplished what it was designed to do."
That is an interesting way of putting it. The added effects of Frieren's Staff are equivalent to the effects of Enchantment. I say that, but the Enchantment Skill that was rewarded to me for obtaining the Spellblade Class can only attach the elements I know how to cast onto my physical attacks. It cannot attach other effects. Perhaps it will upgrade down the line, but only time will tell for that.
"Yeah. And well, I plan to continue using Zoltraak to battle more Kobolds once we head further into this cavern. There are likely more subterranean platforms waiting for us. That was just the entrance.", I said, concluding our findings for now. "But more importantly..."
"There's something more important than gaining combat experience?", Frigga asked.
"Of course there is! Just look all around you!", I happily replied.
Sparkle. Sparkle. Sparkle!
Further inside, several different colored glows suddenly appeared. It wasn't just the loot drops. No, this cavern offered a variety of item drops that didn't appear in the Slime Tunnel and Zombie Street. Those were much smaller, and immediately kicked us out once we finished it. But here, there are more Kobolds waiting inside. This was a true-and-true dungeon, just like how an Adventurer would tackle it.
I haven't used this particular Skill since the first day I came into the MCU. Let's see what Gathering can do. It still remains LV1. Seeing so many items around us, I was feeling a hint of greed. I am quite curious how many levels it will get once we begin.
Holding in my excitement, I looked at Frigga again.
"It is time to gather our loot. That's the best part of doing these Instance Dungeons!", I said.
"Loot?", Frigga asked. A wry smile appeared on her face as she saw me charge into the cavern...
Oh, and I didn't forget about the money I earned from that battle either. As I headed deeper inside, I glanced at my wallet.
[Wallet: $200,000 USD.]
I am now a fifth of the way to becoming a millionaire. Yahoo!