Kae

Dungeon Diver CH166

Ember is already fast asleep, slowly draining the mana from the near-endless supply all around us.

I’m doing the same, on a much small scale….

With a grin across my face, I begin charging up my flaming sword. While doing so, I reach into my item storage to grab my dagger while whispering under my breath.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Both weapons pulse red and white as I begin filling them with the dense mana surrounding us that I’ve missed so much… 2023-06-18 22:35:36 +0000 UTC View Post

Dungeon Diver CH165

"... and enter another Titan's Domain..."

As I speak these words, the thought of going back into that white-walled prison makes my stomach lurch. If I could never see one of those emotionless monsters again, I'd do almost anything to make that happen.

Almost, anything... One of my faults may be the undying urge for more power. All self-preservation and logical reasoning bends at the possibility of this.

Ember has a good point. I'm burning through way too much MP to reasonabl...

Dungeon Diver CH164

I just landed my first successful attack on this monster. It took 40 seconds, and almost 20k MP… but I still landed an attack!

The tingling feeling, along with a mild headache begins to alert me that I’m definitely nearing the point of mana exhaustion. I’ll be fine for a little while, but keeping this level of MP usage up will ware me out pretty quickly.

Even so, this newfound technique of mine is very intriguing.

What took over 10k MP in a single dual attack on my las...

Dungeon Diver CH163

I’m back on the 19th floor, with one thing on my mind.

“I need to find a strong opponent to test this new ability on.”

I activate enemy detection and inspect to begin taking a look around for a Berskerer to test out my new mana control technique on.

Every 1km or so, there’s a level 400-405 hiding deep whiting the dungeon. The black hills, valleys, caves, and mazes fill my senses as I search. Finally, a reading that catches my eye pops up.

[1250m]

[Lv. 408...

Dungeon Diver CH162

While pondering the idea of using this new technique against those Berserkers on floor 19, I make my way back to the Inn.

Opening up the front door with a creak, I walk inside to see the usual crowd. Just under a dozen hunters split up into a few parties, all sitting around circular tables enjoying food and drink.

I spot the blue and red-haired duo on the exact same table we ate breakfast at this morning.

As I begin to walk over, Rylan spots me at the door.

"Back so so...

Dungeon Diver CH161

I walk deeper into the cave I’ve been hallowing out for hours with a newfound spring in my step.

After my small study break, up on that ledge, it seems like I have a new tactic to try out. Instead of trying to cram as much power into an attack as possible, what if I make it as thin as possible?

It’s not like I’m trying to break through a high-density mana barrier, or some unbreakable armor. These are just dungeon boulders. With enough hits, I could probably crumble them with...

Dungeon Diver CH160

I stare down at my black sword. It begins to glow red, flickering with crimson flames as I charge it up with two C-Class MP bottles worth of mana worth 5k points.

Fisher may have said brute force won’t work, but he doesn’t know what kind of brute force I’m capable of. Activating all of my stat-boosting skills I begin to glow red and gold.

I release the charged-up blast straight at the stone cliff before me. It explodes into a fireball just like my previous attack, making a d...

Dungeon Diver CH159

Still trying to process the words that just came out of the blue-haired Elite’s mouth, I stand with a blank expression on my face. He really said…

“You have 8 hours to make a cut all the way through this mountain with nothing but your mana, magic skills, and a sword.”

The corners of my mouth begin to curl as he stares at me with a very serious look on his face. I turn to Rylan, but he just shrugs… This doesn’t help me out one bit.

Unable to hold myself back, I le...

Dungeon Diver CH158

I stare blankly at Fisher.

This advanced mana control technique he’s talking about makes sense. The only thing that bugs me, is the fact that this ability is pretty well-known in the Association… I had no idea it existed before I learned it.

I reply.

“So you’re saying, by the end of the week you’ll be able to teach me how to create a defensive technique like your own?”

The swordsman smirks then lets out a laugh.

“Yeah, right! I said we’d work on s...

Dungeon Diver CH157

I watch the ground get closer and closer as the Berserker lies in wait below.

"This is the only way."

I toss the small Black Strengthening Fragment into my mouth and prepare for its full power to be unleashed. As the tingling sensation in my fingertips begins, I get a nagging sensation on my telepathic link. It's Ember.

"Master, this is not wise."

I clench my jaw while the gem begins to activate. Pins and needles form all over my body and the warm feeling of near-limit...

Dungeon Diver CH156

The blood-dripping Berserker Giant falls to the floor after attempting its jump into the sky.

I check my mana crystal supplies. There’s just under 60k MP worth of crystals in my item storage. Judging by the state of this monster, and its tendency to throw itself in front of my attacks, it seems like I’ll be able to defeat it in just a few more hits.

Grinning, I charge up both of my blades again. The white and red lights glow on both sides of my body as I concentrate on refinin...

Dungeon Diver CH155

The white transfer magic leaves my vision as I ready my blades, turning on enemy detection.

The sky above me is a pale grey, and the landscape in front of me is made of completely black glossy stone. Formations of rectangular-shaped rocks jut out from the ground in crystal-like structures. They form walls creating an abstract maze of pathways as far as the eye can see.

I gulp, moving my head back and forth, then opening my spacial magic to let Ember out.

With a burst of dark...

Dungeon Diver CH154

Ember slowly flies down to the plateau below as the 3 snow Yetis come charging at us.

They all start glowing golden yellow with the familiar aura of [Extreme Strength], one of the same stat-boosting buffs that I use.

I jump off the flaming Dragon’s back and begin to fall downward charging up my sword and dagger. My dark fire magic keeps the cold air away from my body as I plummet to the ground.

After falling for close to 3 seconds, the 50m drop comes to an end. I let out m...

Dungeon Diver CH153

With my stealth skill activated, I begin my trek through the 10th floor’s Griffin Dungeon. I need to get a significant distance away before thinking about letting Ember fly free.

From now on, scanning my surrounding will be tougher than just looking for random high leveled targets. Anything on this floor or above could be a hunter or a monster. I’ll have to be extra careful.

After 20 minutes of light jogging, I’ve come to the base of the first mountain. While moving forward,...

Dungeon Diver CH152

As the swordsman lowers his dark blue blade and deactivates his magic skills, I watch in awe. He looks at me with a satisfied smirk as the clearly summoned water around his feet seeps into the recently upturned soil.

He throws the blade in his hand to the ground and stretches both of his arms out wide.

"Come on, I'll give you one more shot. I won't even use a single skill to block you this time around."

His dark eyes pierce the thick air between us, making direct contact wit...

Dungeon Diver CH151

Fisher straightens his posture and casts an unfriendly gaze my way, scanning me from head to toe with a disapproving smirk.

"You're Jay... Ha! You're Jay??"

Confused by his question, I respond with a one-word reply.

"Yeah..."

The dark blue-haired hunter lifts his condescending gaze to meet my eyes, then pauses for a moment. He looks up at the ceiling, deep in thought, then replies.

"You're pretty quick, aren't you? I was sent here by the director yesterday. At my...

Dungeon Diver CH150

Gradually, my muscles loosen. All my skills deactivate, and I shift my focus to the peculiar surroundings. Meanwhile, the red-haired man maintains his pleasant smile, seemingly unaffected by my flashy arrival.

“My name is Rylan by the way. If you’re making an entrance like that, this must be your first time on the 10th floor.”

“I’m Jay. It is my first time…”

After I reply, the ginger-haired man begins to walk down the light grey stone pathway toward the small c...

Dungeon Diver CH149

After a long night of rest, I wake up ready to begin a new week of training.

Today, I'll be entering the Vice City Labyrinth.

I hop out of bed to take in the wide-open view of the city below me. I'm 42 stories up, no matter the weather, the view is always incredible. It's early in the morning, so the sun rises up over the horizon casting orange light through the low clouds.

Taking the elevator downstairs, and walking through the empty lobby, I begin my walk to the Dungeon Hu...

Dungeon Diver CH148

A grin starts to creep across my face as the words “Vice City Labyrinth” come out of the Director’s mouth.

Every time this Labyrinth is brought up, everyone always makes it sound so exclusive and impossible to enter. All I need to do is get in one time, then I’ll have unlimited access… Forever. Finally, there’s a way in.

I reply, failing to hide the goofy grin on my face.

“Oh yeah? The labyrinth…?

Brutus nods, then sits back in his chair eyeing me up an...

Dungeon Diver CH147

The 4 of us walk out of the Association market and into the narrow hallway before making it to the elevator in the lobby.

With a press of a button, the sliding doors close and we're gliding upward to see the Director. This is a spur-of-the-moment meeting, but I can't say I wasn't expecting something like this to happen.

I'm certain that the only way to farm Strengthening Fragments is to defeat Titans. The older members in the Association must be pulling some kind of newbie C-Class...

Dungeon Diver CH146

We walk into the Association's HQ after a long week of hunting. Maria happily carries our last Strengthening Fragments tight in her palm.

After Arie scans his ID on the door at the back of the lobby, all 4 of us make our way to the mini-market run by the Association.

Our guide Tripp left us by ourselves about 2 days ago. Apparently, breaking us in was a bit easier than predicted. Bringing the blond-haired Association lap dog around with us on our daily hunting was just keeping him...

Dungeon Diver CH145

I bring the small black crystal in my hand up to my lips. The words of the white-haired merchant repeat over and over in my mind.

"It's a mana output boosting drug that's used for wars and important missions... This Fragment must be pretty powerful..."

I gulp, looking down at the glistening stone. After learning what these gems can do, my body is aching to try it. On the other hand, my mind is telling me no. Ever since I left my mana-rich cell within the Titans Domain, the lack of...

Dungeon Diver CH144

The Short white-haired woman looks at me with a troubled look on her face.

“What… exactly are you trying to learn about Strengthening Fragments?”

As I prepare to speak, I position my right hand on the counter's edge.

“Well, first of all, tell me why these Fragments are so valuable. What are they even used for?”

A sigh of relief escapes the merchant’s lips as she stands up straight again exuding a newfound sense of confidence.

“Well, if that’s all�...

Dungeon Diver CH143

Arie really did it. He managed to land an attack on a Titan.

There is actual physical damage on one of these massive sentient endless voids of mana. I’m not sure exactly how his attack is able to do it, but that doesn’t matter right now…

Arie smirks looking over to me.

“See, they’re not that bad. You were scared for nothing.”

I still stare wide-eyed at the beast but crack a small smile.

“I guess you were right, they-“

Stopping halfway throug...

Dungeon Diver CH142

Arie and I walk through the Capital with the cool night’s breeze at our backs.

We’re really going back to The Great Plains Dungeon.

It’s only been a day or so in the real-world’s time since I even discovered this place even existed. I’m already thoroughly sick of it…

The 2 of us make it to the C-Class gate, down the escalator to the platform, and off to the dungeon in a matter of minutes. We enter the vast open air of The Great Plains and begin our trek.

Wa...

Dungeon Diver CH141

"I-Impossible... They actually got a Strengthening Fragment out of a Mutant...?"

I repeat the words I heard Tripp say moments ago over and over in my head. His words mixed with the expression of pure shock on the man's face give me a quite uneasy feeling.

Impossible? Why would it be impossible?

I look over at my team, then back at Tripp. It seems like none of them overheard his mumbles like I did. My 2 seconds of happiness have run their course after leaving the Titan's Doma...

Dungeon Diver CH140

After scolding us for being so enthusiastic about wanting to fight Titans, the 4 of us quiet down a bit.

Tripp may have been a mood killer to some members of the group, but I completely understand where he’s coming from. The blond-haired dagger wielder is just looking out for us. He must have lost some teammates to one in the past, judging by his tone.

As we carry on deeper into the dungeon, the base-level mobs begin to appear. I let Maria and Abby handle them, they’re a bit m...

Dungeon Diver CH139

I stand in the middle of The Great Plains Dungeon rolling the black coin-sized gem around in my right hand while watching Ember flap his wings high above me.

“This must be a Strengthening Fragment”

I turn my head to see a massive crater on the dungeon’s floor. It stretches nearly 50m in diameter, and the debris is scattered even further away on all sides. This is where I knocked down that Titan, and fell into its domain almost a full month ago. It seems like In the end, I wo...

Dungeon Diver CH138

I make my way back over to the more peaceful, less ground-shaking side of the white-walled rectangular prison.

My training for today begins but ends shortly after.

I only manage to get 3 hours in. My bones are aching, my mouth is dry, and the muscle fatigue is becoming overwhelming. I have under a liter of water left. The only progress made today is thanks to my rise in levels.

In the last 3 hours, I’ve gained another 4, bringing me up to level 388. Over the last few weeks...

Dungeon Diver CH137

In my last training session, lowering the amount of MP per charge increased my progress to a surprising degree. Handling lower amounts of mana is much easier to control and is more realistic in the long run after all. To raise my mana control proficiency, the total amount of consumed mana over time seems to be more of a determining factor than the amount I can muster per attack.

As levels increase, they bring forth improved overall stats in all categories. However, I’m finding that th...