Kae

Dungeon Diver CH464

After the group acknowledges our goal, and me as their leader in this moment, I get the option to add Fisher, Lydia, and Monk to my Rising Emperor’s Domain system. I do so without notifying them of this change and now see their status screens and geopoints light up in my mind’s eye.

Then, I give instructions to my body double and Ember to go back to charging up the isolation pod while I train with my team.

Arie tags along with them, and I give permission to use one of the satu...

Dungeon Diver CH463

[Main Body POV ~ Midnight]

My teammates approach me from the canyon, and my double points a finger to its forehead to kill itself. The memories of the arena come rushing into my consciousness.

Imagery of the 5th ranked Dark Guard trying to possess my teammates, and Maria’s overwhelming display of energy control to give Abby and Monk a chance to get away alive repeat in my mind.

The fact that the 5th ranked Dark Guard already knows I defeated the 7th ranked Dark Guard, and ...

Dungeon Diver CH462

I can't sense the guard from here inside the tower, but that number "5" on its armor looks eerily familiar to the "7" I saw on the Dark Guard that I fought in the desert.

Considering the strength difference it showed compared to the lower-leveled guards, I can only assume this one is far stronger than that Double Ranked Up Colossal. If it really wanted my teammates dead, there's no question it'd already be done. This means it has something else planned. There must be a reason it wants t...

Dungeon Diver CH461

[Many Hours Earlier in the Day (Around Noon): Body Double POV]

I leave my main body at the edge of the canyon and use the transport crystal to teleport back into the lobby of the Galeheart Tower.

I put up my mana shielding, but unfortunately don't have Qi to block my overwhelming mana control presence in this form. Only the ability to block my intimidation aura. That will have to do for now,I won't be able to go outside the tower into Valor City without being noticed in this form....

Dungeon Diver CH460

I expand my all-seeing eye's visual range and watch the woman with the unique skill slip away back into one of the houses, quickly moving away from my gaze.

The thought of flying over there and confronting her about her skill and why she was watching me crosses my mind, but it would make sense why she would be curious and want to see what the mysterious man in the flaming suit that took over their captor's operation is doing.

That’s what perception skills are for; she might as w...

Dungeon Diver CH459

I walk down the narrow spiral stairs into the mana-shielded basement but decide not to close the hatch above me.

With my most recent boost in mana control, I'm able to get a better reading of this A-Grade Mana Shielding. With all of my skills and mana control on full blast, I'm sure I could see through it now, but it's not worth the trouble.

Leaving an opening allows me to use enemy detection and my all-seeing eye on a vast area around the town without having to stress my senses.<...

Dungeon Diver CH458

The visual of the white crystal dissolving into the air plays over and over in my mind. I wouldn't have managed to catch it, or even sense it, if I wasn't specifically looking for it.

I’m almost positive I just managed to finally obtain one of the most valuable magic items in the world.

However, I’m going to need to replicate this process again and bring it back to a safe place for some test crafts before I can be 100% sure. Considering this, I don’t bother to mention my fin...

Dungeon Diver CH457

I take the Isolation Pod I've been working on all this time out of my storage and allow my double to place it inside its own.

It blips away, back to the Wild Boar dungeon to perform its test.

I wait patiently for about a minute, then the memories of my body double successfully inputting the stone into the machine just like a mana crystal, then killing itself to quickly rely the information come rushing back to me.

"It worked."

I teleport the three of us back into the W...

Dungeon Diver CH456

I turn to Arie.

“You should come too. As long as you stay within 100 meters of me, your body doubles won’t deactivate. They can continue to train here by the Abyss while we go into the desert.”

Then, I turn back in the direction of the rogue dungeon.

“Sure, I’ll come along!” Arie replies.

The three of us head off into the desert, flying with various magic techniques to increase our speed and fly over 50 km in just a few minutes.

It reminds me of my fl...

Dungeon Diver CH455

As soon as I walk out of the dungeon and look up at the sky from a thin path on the edge of the canyon, I see the orange setting sun above.

Instantly, the geopoints of my Rising Emperor’s Domain [Find My Friend] feature manifest in my mind's eye, showing me that Arie is nearby, but Abby and Maria are still far off in Valor City.

My doubles sent off to find them and the one taking care of the town of thugs and recovering slave workers are still active, so I have no updates to wor...

Dungeon Diver CH454

"It's usually not that simple. Humans are far less likely to awaken a monster form than monsters are to awaken a human form. After all, ranked-up abilities manifest what the user desires or needs most. Whether that's skill upgrades for those who cannot do it naturally, a new human form to fit in with society, a massive increase in mana control, or maybe a buff that fits their fighting style. Every rank-up procedure is different. You won't know how it works until you try it."

I continue ...

Updated Status Sheet

[Status Open]

____________________

Name: Jay Soju

Level: 1002

Hp: 5015/5015

Mp: 5015/5015

Strength: 4039 [+3999][+5049][+11188][+4847][+2020][+4039][+7714][+5049][+5049][+10098]

Speed: 3900 [+4329][+5928][+4875][+5616][+1950][+3900][+5187][+4875][+4875][+9750]

Agility: 4008 [+4008][+4409][+5010][+5932][+6212][+2004][+4008][+6974][+5010][+10020]

Defense: 4205 [+3112][+5929][+4626][+5845][+8074][+6938][+2103][+4205][+5551][+10513]

Ment...

Dungeon Diver CH453

I choose yes on both options, then use self-regeneration, extreme stamina, and drink a full HP potion while slowly air-stepping toward the boss room floor.

My vision is hazy, and my body is tingling all over.

I can feel the life coming back to me, but with over 80% of my Qi core also depleted, I begin to feel lightheaded and weak as well.

Both hands start to glow white, and the sensation begins to climb up my arms to cover my chest and creeps up my neck to cover my head as w...

Dungeon Diver CH452

Luckily, from the pure force of the brute’s attack, I’m thrown flying backward through the air, and the intensity of the lightning shocks lessens the further away from the golden glowing man I get.

I quickly increase my momentum away from him even faster using airsteps, then activate stealth while simultaneously creating a body double to send back down at him.

While my copy plummets back toward the golden ball of electricity and soul energy, I dungeon walk even further away, a...

Dungeon Diver CH451

I decide to wait to see how long the respawn rate on this floor is.

Based on what I’ve experienced in labyrinths before, every 20 floors there's a major boss room fight, separating the floors and protecting the Dragon and Demon up top and limiting the number of hunters that can travel in.

If this guess is correct, and another Guardian is placed there, defeating the 39th floor boss may trigger a cooldown clock just like the Lower Floor Boss does.

So, just to be safe, I won'...

Dungeon Diver CH450

The transport magic around me disappears, and I stare out at a marshland of deep swampy water, lush green trees, and flickering blue flames oddly staying lit on top of the water and not spreading to the greenery.

My eyes lock onto the one and only appraisal reading in this whole boss room, and I dungeon walk over to it without wasting a second.

The bright blue scales and glowing sharp eyes of a level 789 Blue Wyvern Boss lock onto me, and I see its mana shielding cover its entire ...

Dungeon Diver CH449

“The Vice City Labyrinth is probably the most convenient place to start.”

I think over the logistics in my head.

At the level of monsters I’ll be fighting on floor 30 and above, each mana crystal dropped holds almost 1000 MP, give or take a few hundred. At this rate, every 100 monsters I farm will drop 100k MP, and with enough body doubles working at full speed, I can most likely keep that steady rate of killing and collecting loot to 5 minutes per 100 monsters.

Maybe ...

Dungeon Diver CH448

As these questions about my ranked-up buff continue to race through my mind, we come face to face with the Abyss, and I save my theories for later when I can actually test them. Arie opens his status to see the new skill shared with him.

A flash of white light shimmers all around him and creates a single body double. I do an All-Seeing Eye scan to confirm a copy of his greater demon's core did in fact manifest in his new body.

I point at the Abyss.

“Alright, it's time to b...

Dungeon Diver CH447

[Main Body POV]

I stare down at my status as two new skill upgrades are added to my repertoire, and a grin widens on my face.

[Skill Transfer To Main Body: Complete]

[Body Double][Legendary Grade]

[Skill Transfer To Main Body: Complete]

[Dungeon Walker][Legendary Grade]

My eyes scan over their additional legendary perks, and I see that the reduction on base stats and mana control has been lifted on my body double skill now.

So, any clones I make w...

Dungeon Diver CH446

Arie takes a step forward and powers up with a buff.

"Let me fight on my own. I'd like to see how I stack up against this final floor. I want to feel like I've earned this core."

He stops right before the portal at the end of the hall.

"Of course, slip in the final blow to get whatever skills you need, just don't help me in battle unless I'm in really bad shape. I doubt I will be, but you never know."

I nod, and he jumps through without saying another word. I do the sa...

Dungeon Diver CH445

“I know three potential ways you could get strong enough to venture further into the abyss. Would you like to hear them?”

Arie listens and nods.

“Of course. What do you know?”

I do a quick inspect on Arie to see he’s level 586. It’s a high number, but far below his actual power level that he showed me with his bow right here.

“Well, the first way is obvious. I could take you back to the Vice City Labyrinth and we could climb the floors to level up. I’m ...

Dungeon Diver CH444

[Body Double POV]

[~7 Hours Earlier]

I catch the transport crystal and place it in my storage while my main body leaves to check out the town.

My other body double heads off to begin farming skills while I glide down into the Canyon to step into the nearest stable dungeon.

It seems to be a standard high E-Grade grassland dungeon, but I don't stick around long enough to figure out what kind of monsters are inside. I set a dungeon walker point and crush the teleportation...

Dungeon Diver CH443

Ember’s Soul Energy-imbued flames cover the orange sword that plummets down at us, but as the beast follows through with its swing, the massive blade disintegrates away in an instant.

All I feel is a huge gust of wind left behind in its wake, but as we swoop upward, and I see the rest of the flames flow down the monster’s arm, eroding away the Soul Energy Shielding around it, a plan comes together in my mind.

I may not be able to puncture its shielding myself at my current str...

Dungeon Diver CH442

I’m almost entirely drained of Qi, but I planned for this to happen.

As I watch the red blood drip from the Dark Guard's wound, his sword comes down toward me at incredible speed.

I still have nearly all of my Mana stores left, so I activate my Red Hydra’s Buff along with all my perception and stat boosting abilities to bring my next move to its full potential, activating 4 of my newest skills all at the same time.

[Flash][Confusion][Screech][Phantom Step]

Letting ...

Dungeon Diver CH441

The black helmet comes off, and underneath is nothing but a glowing orange, handsome man's face. It drops the helmet, letting it fall to the town below.

One by one, the large figure slowly takes off its gloves, boots, chestplate, and heavy leggings to reveal the shape of a bright orange form of energy in the shape of a 3-meter-tall man with short hair and smooth skin, still floating, moving toward me at a constant rate.

I do another full scan, now that I can see it clearly.

...

Dungeon Diver CH440

The static voice echoes in my head as the six black armored guards float in the air closer toward me.

“It looks like you’ve begun to clean up the Sector 2 Leader’s mess for us. How thoughtful.”

As they get closer, I’m positive this is the exact same guard that talked to me in the Arena. At that time, its speed and power far surpassed mine.

The mental image of it blipping in and out of existence faster than my eyes could see, and it telling me that the Wraith I defe...

Dungeon Diver CH439

The conversation between brothers, bragging and laughing about backstabbing their men countless times for profit, plays in its entirety for every member of both gang to see.

There are 20 of them in total. 12 from the Green Mist remain, and 8 from the Crimson Dagger. Their eyes widen more and more with every word said on the recording. I stand in silence behind them, watching closely while I think about exactly what I’ll be doing next.

As the video hits its end and starts up agai...

Dungeon Diver CH438

*Clink*

The man in the red suit of armor has spiky ginger hair and bright blue eyes.

“Brother, we’re finally going to break into the big leagues after this one! I can’t believe the entire stash of that old Sector 2 leader was left out to rot in the desert.”

The man in the green armor sports a buzzcut, and his black eyes match the color of the short trim. His facial features make him look a bit older than his orange-haired brother.

“It only took us a few days ...

Dungeon Diver CH437

I look up at the man and shake my head a few times in response.

He looks down at me but doesn't say a word.

We stand in silence for a moment, and I notice the grunt to my left has shaking hands. In the moment of pause, I can hear the papers flutter together. The red armored Boss notices this too, turning his head to him for a moment, then back to me, then shrugs, flipping through my papers quickly and eventually nodding just like the last 5 men.

I activate my [Bind] skill wi...

Dungeon Diver CH436

The closer I get to the center of town, the more consolidated the groups of hunters become, approaching the dry fountain.

I properly adjust my Qi barrier to the level of mana output I felt around Fin and test out my new [Bind] skill a few times just to see how it works and get the hang of its abilities.

The hand I'm able to summon is much darker and denser with mana. It seems like it's similar to my mana manipulation skill, but with the sole purpose of holding things in place. The...