Chapter 40: The Goddess Of The Battlefield 1
1961 Words
Before progressing to the second floor, Grimm first accomplishes two tasks. First, was to fill in Specter of the things he’d done and things he’d been through during the last three months that he was asleep specifically the ongoing retrieval quest in the Gourmet Labyrinth. And second, was to respond to the call of the Pandora’s Box.
Ding!
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The Pandora’s Grimoire [Pandora’s Box] is reacting towards the presence of the [Soul Seed].
Pandora’s Box had opened for Storage.
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The Pandora’s Box reacted all of the sudden and when Grimm read the content of the notification, his interest on the Soul Seed had increased hundredfold. The Pandora’s Box is a supercilious and extremely picky storage section of his Grimoire that treats all items below Class SS as trashes. Therefore, if it gets interested in storing an item then it’s a given that that item is harboring something extraordinary.
‘Hey what do you know, my hunch was correct.’ Grimm said with a very elated smile.
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Do you wish to store [Soul Seed]?
[YES] [NO]
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Grimm pressed [YES] and the Soul Seed in his hand floated before disintegrating into a shower of letters that plunges into his Grimoire.
“Section: Pandora’s Box!”
Once the storing was done, Grimm flipped his Grimoire to the Pandora’s Box section where three items including the recently added Soul Seed are stored for safekeeping.
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Sacred Helix
Ancient Scroll
Soul Seed
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Like the Soul Seed, there’s something special on the prior two items evident by the Pandora’s Box’s interest on. However, just like the Soul Seed again, their worth and usage are currently unknown.
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[Sacred Helix]
The Nose of Boor Mangeni. Though it had shrunken and lost its magical power after being detached from the body of the Man-Eating Forest Deity, it’s still a Drill made from the precious metal, Mythril.
Type: ???
Durability: 1,000/1,000
Rank: ???
Requires [All Appraisal] to identify usage.
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[Ancient Scroll]
The most prized possession of the Lotus Witch. A scroll recording a long lost Ancient Art.
Type: Skill Scroll
Durability: 10/10
Rank: ???
Requires at least an [Advanced Level 5 • Identify] to remove the seal.
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[Soul Seed]
A beautiful and mystical gem of unknown usage. Created from the condensed soul, life force, and magical power of the fearsome Lotus Witch.
Type: ???
Durability: Indestructible
Rank: ???
Requires [All Appraisal] to identify usage.
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Fortunately, an advantage of having an item stored within the Pandora’s Box is that if by any case the usage of the stored item is unknown or if it is sealed, the Grimoire will provide the method(s) required to have them unlocked. And thanks to that, Grimm knows what to search and what to do without the hassle of manual information gathering.
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Aside from its already great power, the enclosure of dungeons is the environment where the Mythical Detective displays the greater extent of its abilities!
So even with the total of 20 Level 250 enemies heading towards them, Grimm had the confidence to win easily even without the aid of Specter. But of course, there’s no point doing it that way anymore. The terms had already changed. With his power unrestricted, whether he holds back or not, it would still be his victory. Therefore, it’s rather more suitable to get things done as soon as possible and save time. He’ll just look for a newer challenge in the future once all his business in Cleo and Varkas are over.
“Specter, I’ll reduce their Health into an appropriate digit. Predate anyone that’s viable.”
Grimm said, giving Specter his only instruction as the battle begins.
“Caw!” Specter responded happily and flew towards the approaching enemies.
Apart from those that had already been introduced, another advantage of Specter’s Predation is its Auto-Looting function which enables an automatic transfer of all meant to be dropped items by the predated monsters directly to Grimm’s inventory bag. This way, Grimm is spared of all the troubles of picking up the dropped loots one by one.
‘But as a price for this arrangement, I will not be able to collect ingredients once this battle is over. But that’s fine. The enemies are still Komodo Dragmas and as a food, there’s nothing admirable about them. My food supply is also more than plenty and if a new monster with an interesting characteristic appears, I’ll just ask Specter to spare it. Anyway, let’s begin!’
“Field Perception!”
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
ROOOAAAARR!!!
Gunshots and roars of agonizing monsters echoed throughout the confines of the Second Floor Labyrinth. Having his Marksmanship at Beginner Level 4 (95%), Grimm stick with the Deathbringers instead of shifting to the Soul Devourer Blades despite the latter’s greater attacking power and functionality to push the skill’s proficiency to Beginner Level 5.
Ding!
An aim that he reached after a third of the opposition was obliterated.
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Level Up: Marksmanship [Passive: Beginner Level 5(0.88%)]
Firearm Attack Damage (+45%)
Firearm Attack Speed (+15%)
Firearm Attack Range (+45%)
For reaching Beginner Level 5, an additional effect has been unlocked.
[Full Buster]
Concentrate more Mana into your shots to increase the firearm range and damage.
Increases firearm range and damage by 10% per charging second multiplied by Marksmanship Level.
Max charging time: 10 seconds.
Consumes 20 Mana per charging second.
Cancelled if you’re attacked or interrupted.
Restriction: Does not stack with Dual Wield. Applicable to a single Gun only.
(+30%) Agility
(+30%) Dexterity
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‘Interesting. Alright, let’s try it.’
As a preparatory measure, Grimm shots the remaining Dragmas to the knees and feet to slow them down, giving him 4 seconds to spare before the nearest attacker could reach him.
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Full Buster Activated!
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A purple light gathered at the muzzle of his Deathbringer as it sparks.
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Charging at 10%
Charging at 20%
Charging at 30%
Charging at 40%
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“Specter, move aside!” Grimm shouted to his partner as he is within the range of his shot.
“Caw!” Specter replied and unsummons himself, reappearing above Grimm’s head.
Blast!
Then he pulls the trigger, unleashing a sphere of condense Mana that enveloped the labyrinth’s darkness with a bright purple light. A scourging hot sphere that burns everything it touches.
Flash! BOOOOM!
And when it struck the ground, it exploded in an array of dozens of meters, spreading sparks and razor sharp wind pressures, striking all the monsters caught within its range.
GRAAWRRRR!
Dragmas that were killed by the sphere exploded and disintegrated instantly while those that survived barely secure a point on their Health gauges.
‘Whoa! What a fearsome attack.’ Grimm commented with a smile. ‘And it’s not even fully charged yet.’
Satisfied with the result of the level-up, Grimm resolved to stick with the Deathbringers for the rest of the quest. And after Specter predated the dying leftovers, the two resumed their progress in the Second Floor.
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Not an hour later, Grimm and Specter encountered another horde of Dragmas charging towards their direction. The two instantly entered battle mode and motioned to initiate attacks. However, they ceased as fast as they organized when they noticed that the approaching Dragmas are acting weirdly.
Grimm as well as Specter, they could not sense any killing intent from them. And the way they charges…nope, to be exact, they’re not actually charging. The expressions they’re carrying suggests that they’re running away…running away from something.
‘But from what?’ Confusion wrinkled Grimm’s eyebrows but not a couple of seconds later, his eyes widened when his question was answered.
Behind the running Dragmas, a huge monster making a hissing sound emerged. And flashing its eyes, it revealed its identity as a giant snake.
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The Insatiable Predator, Asudem has appeared.
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“Whoa, r-right! They should really be running away,” Grimm said softly. “That’s a big f*****g snake.”
He could say that again. Asudem has the size of a bullet train and a length of several meters that seems to go on forever. And the worst part, it’s heading towards their direction, chasing dozens of armed and terrified Dragmas that would surely stampede anyone who will block their escape route.
Observe. Analyze. Adapt. Eliminate.
Grimm observed and calculates. There’s a train-sized snake, at least 30 stampeding Komodo Dragmas, and they’re seven seconds away from flattening him. Grimm had to think fast, he only has 1-2 seconds to formulate a solution capable of dealing against all of them, and then less than five seconds to make it happen.
Flash! Boom!
Grimm unleashed a Full Buster aimed right in front of the approaching monsters. It was only charged at 20% and incapable of inflicting damage of a lethal degree but it was enough to produce a glare bright enough to hurt Asudem’s eyes and a force to blow away the Dragmas, thus, temporarily stopping their advances.
As a result, Grimm gained a precious time extension of at least ten seconds to prepare and release a real attack.
‘Alright, let’s use it now.’ Grimm thought and starts chanting.
“Qora qora qorara, Thye thye thyella, Vete vete vetera, Viha viha vihaar!”
The Black Tempest, a unique and powerful yet inconvenient magic spell due to its lengthy casting time. However, that setup was more than 80 level-ups ago. With the added figures to both his DEX and INT, the recent computation determines that the casting time now is five seconds shorter. So with that being the case, Grimm has that kind of time to spare in order to unleash the strongest attacking force under his arsenals before the state of his surroundings could turn against him.
“Black Tempest!”
The incantation finished and a vortex of sharp winds clad in darkness materializes. It swelled and intensifies, swallowing his targets and everything in range. Afterwards, beasts’ screams of agony and fading lives resonating with high pitched metal-like sounds could be heard along with the cascading notifications of the damages his spell inflicted.
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+You dealt a Colossal Damage x 4.
+You dealt a Critical Damage x 12.
+You dealt a Critical Damage x 15.
+You dealt a Critical Damage x 17.
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“Whoa!” Grimm exclaimed, watching the spectacles. The Black Tempest swirling before him is several times stronger compared to what he remembered the first time he tried using it.
But of course, he wasn’t just staring in daze and doing nothing. He’s impressed, but not that overly impress to enter such state of immaturity. While his targets are caught by the vortex, he already motioned for the second part of his attack and pointed his Deathbringer, charging the Full Buster once more. The Black Tempest is powerful but not in a degree that can eradicate them all in one shot especially Asudem who has some serious digits on its Health Points.
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Charging at 90%
Charging at 100%
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Fully charged and then FIRE! Grimm pulled the trigger and fires the giant sphere of condense Mana. At 100%, the sphere is at its largest and brightest, shining like a sun that illuminates the surroundings like its broad daylight. But the moment that it came in contact with the darkness of the vortex, the sphere was swallowed up and intensifies the power of the Black Tempest by at least tenfold.
And then…KABOOOOMM!!!
The union of the Black Tempest and the Full Buster exploded. An ear-shattering explosion that didn’t just devastate the Second Floor but also shook all the floors of the Gourmet Labyrinth and probably even beyond.
Grimm ducked and took cover, hiding his head behind his red cloak along with Specter as chunks of rock of all sizes fell from the top and the walls. Individually, the Black Tempest and the Full Buster are powerful but together they are bringers of destruction.
Grimm said, “That was a nice combination but as a side effect…”
But as a side effect, the moment that the two skills joint forces they become an uncontrollable disaster, a devastation that spares no one…even him.
CRACK…FELL…
Grimm rolled to the right, evading a huge rock that could have crushed him. Then, he stood and leaped backward avoiding another one before pointing both his guns upward.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
He pulverized the huge chunks into smaller debris as he evade and pushes forward. The area is so done for and it’s only a matter of minutes before it completely collapse. And though it’s a shame that he could not collect the loots from that encounter, his survival is far more important. If he dies, he will lose everything and the quest that he works so hard to progress this past month will end in a failure.
- Writer
