Chapter 590 “Ten Thousand Votes for the Third Holy Sword” (10k)
Lion Beast was in front, Deoxys beside him, the spirit of the Illusionary Worm above, and the Imp Beast on his shoulder.
Ibut and the small Mana Spirit were following behind.
Dark entered the final passage and slowly walked towards the final room.
Given that he couldn’t think of any monster holding a “Holy Sword” being anything other than a boss, his mood was relatively relaxed.
Not long after, they all passed through the passage and arrived at the final room.
There was nothing too unexpected; the room was very quiet. First, the red pool of water stuck to the wall opposite caught their eye, followed by the thick chains hanging down on either side of the wall.
The traces left on the wall were very noticeable. It was easy to imagine someone had been bound there for a long time before finally awakening today.
Looking around, various items were scattered about but covered with black cloth and thick layers of dust.
Above, pipes from all directions were very disorganized, and some no longer flowed with liquid.
The room wasn’t particularly spacious, roughly comparable to a regular classroom at Saint Maryann Academy.
The structure of the room was unremarkable, except for the lack of iron bars… like a prison.
“This must be the place,” Dark said, taking a deep breath.
“Let’s look around and see if there are any loose ends.”
Except for Deoxys, the Golem spirits spread out.
Dark walked up to the pool of water, looking down at the freshly replenished red liquid.
The red liquid looked like blood and even smelled bloody, but somehow, he felt it wasn’t just water.
This feeling was strange, as if seeing water wasn’t water, or seeing flowers wasn’t flowers.
If a fitting metaphor were used, it would be like “drawn.”
Basically, this was a characteristic product of the dungeon.
They didn’t have much research value, just like the bricks of the dungeon walls. They were part of the dungeon’s “architecture” or “decoration,” and would fade away over time even if taken out of the dungeon.
…
“Found a treasure chest!”
Suddenly, a voice full of exaggerated excitement came from the corner of the room. The Imp Beast let out a loud cry, making the small Mana Spirit, who had lost in the treasure hunt competition, pout and circle around it.
Dark immediately went over.
A huge treasure chest, half his height, was hidden under the black cloth. Due to its overall color blending into the darkness, it was not obvious.
“I’ll open it.”
Deoxys suddenly stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the treasure chest.
Dark nodded, “Alright.”
This floor’s boss was basically handled by Deoxys alone, and it should have been her to gain the spoils.
Deoxys became serious, slowly pulling the blade from the Solo Sword Sheath, then aimed at the fist-sized lock beside the chain and struck!
“Clang!”
The chain was cleanly cut.
She used the tip of the sword to pry open the rusty lock and chain.
Then she placed the Solo Sword Sheath in the air, bent slightly, grabbed the lid of the treasure chest, and opened it without hesitation!
Golem spirits were not afraid of death and did not fear any traps inside the treasure chest.
However, as the lid was lifted, instead of poison gas or hidden arrows, what emerged was dust.
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Deoxys quickly covered her mouth and nose, retreating hastily.
Laughter echoed in mid-air from the Imp Beast.
The atmosphere instantly eased.
Once the dust settled, Dark could clearly see what was inside the treasure chest.
It was a sword, lying quietly on red velvet.
Without the barrier of the chest, the sword’s aura was unrestrained.
Both Deoxys and Lion Beast couldn’t help but show extremely shocked expressions.
Dark glanced at their faces and immediately realized something.
He instinctively said, “Holy Sword?”
Lion Beast excitedly replied, “Yes, meow.”
Dark: “? ?”
Deoxys rolled her eyes, not wanting to play the role of a cat-person?
…
For Dark, it was unimaginable that a Holy Sword would come out of this treasure chest.
After all, he had already obtained a Holy Sword from the hands of the Beastman Sword Saint!
Originally, obtaining a Holy Sword was rare and unlikely, so getting one on the tenth floor of the dungeon was already incredibly miraculous. Who would have thought it would be two in one?
If someone else were here, they would likely be immersed in the surprise of finding two Holy Swords, but Dark was not.
He began to consider the possibility of this happening and connected many of his doubts together.
But ultimately, he reached a conclusion.
One of these two Holy Swords was probably not produced by the dungeon!
The whole event felt like a common plot in stories.
Someone intentionally buried treasures in the labyrinth and released a “treasure map” to lead the protagonist through the maze, testing them. Once they passed, they would be granted the treasure.
If the protagonist in this story was Wit Gold, based on the compatibility of the “Blood Holy Sword” with him, it was highly likely that the “Blood Holy Sword” was intentionally placed in the dungeon.
But in reality, the protagonist wasn’t Wit, but Dark Demon.
To someone without the “Hero Qualities,” such a “Blood Holy Sword” was merely a high-level weapon.
It had no excessive value.
“So where did this entire event go wrong?”
Dark couldn’t help but ponder.
Events involving dungeons could not be deduced using the plots known from “Harry Potter.”
Even if the original game borrowed elements from “Harry Potter,” there were certainly original parts.
Assuming this entire storyline was also an original part of the original game, following the usual套路 with the original protagonist at the core,
it should have been Wit Gold who obtained the “Blood Holy Sword” here.
Now, somewhere along the way, things went wrong.
As a result, the person who ultimately came here, defeated the boss, and obtained the “Blood Holy Sword,” was Dark Demon, not Wit Gold.
“So, which part of this went wrong?”
“Surely, no one would mistake me for someone with ‘Hero Qualities,’ right?”
“This isn’t a laughing matter.”
Thinking this, Dark wanted to laugh, and indeed he did.
But as he laughed, he stopped laughing.
Because standing next to him were two Golem spirits with “Hero Qualities”…
He couldn’t help but look at the
Deoxys and Lion Beast stared at the “Holy Sword” inside the treasure chest, their expressions frozen.
“This indeed easily leads to misunderstandings…”
…
“Meow?” Deoxys turned around and pointed at the “Holy Sword” within the treasure chest.
Although he did not directly say it, he clearly wanted to take the sword.
Dark reined in his thoughts and nodded. “Take it!”
Deoxys immediately leaned into the chest and grabbed the hilt of the “Holy Sword,” then stepped back and pulled it out.
The design of this “Holy Sword” was very unique. The hilt was hollowed out in an elliptical shape, allowing fingers to be inserted to grip the handle.
There was no obvious protrusion between the hilt and the blade, meaning there was no guard.
Holding the sword by piercing through the hole in the hilt, it was held horizontally like a spear, with the back of the blade curving slightly from the hilt to the tip. The other side of the blade had more curvature.
This made the entire sword resemble a “sniper rifle.”
However, its most distinctive feature was not its unusual shape but its jade-like material!
If Deoxys and Lion Beast had not been so certain that they could sense the aura of a “Holy Sword” from it,
Dark would have certainly mistaken it for a jade statue, purely decorative.
Because it looked so fragile!
“It’s hard to imagine this is a sword used to slay enemies.”
Dark extended his finger and lightly drew it across the blade, feeling a smoothness like jade.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Deoxys, have you sensed anything?”
Deoxys’ expression was solemn as he said, “I can try.”
“Then go ahead.” Dark immediately stepped aside.
Deoxys walked two steps forward, holding the “Jade Holy Sword” horizontally like a spear, aiming at the pool of water.
Then, he began to focus all his mana into the “Jade Holy Sword.”
As mana rapidly drained away, a faint green light appeared on the blade of the holy sword.
Deoxys could distinctly feel his own mana being absorbed and transformed into something entirely different.
The energy transformation process wasn’t fast.
He silently counted the time until he reached thirty, when the green light on the blade suddenly brightened, forming a clear line from the hilt to the tip. The green light instantly transmitted from the hilt to the tip, and a blazing light sphere rapidly condensed.
Instinctively holding the sword with both hands, the light sphere suddenly transformed into a beam, shooting towards the pool!
“Boom!”
A white beam with green edges shot into the pool like a cannon.
There was a loud explosion, and red liquid from the pool shot up to the ceiling.
The extreme heat caused the entire pool to boil, steam and blood mist surged out instantly, and heat continuously dissipated.
Seeing this, Dark couldn’t help but widen his eyes.
The other golems also twitched their eyes, shocked by the use of this “Holy Sword.”
“Long-range Holy Sword?” Dark couldn’t help but say.
Deoxys nodded slightly and held the sword upright. “It seems so. Moreover, this should be a Grass-type Holy Sword, but it can also absorb Light-type energy.”
Dark’s mind raced, and he immediately said, “Sunbeam?”
“Sunbeam,” also known as “Solar Beam,” is a powerful Grass-type move in the Pokémon games with a power level of 120.
Those who have watched Pokémon animations probably have a clear impression of “Solar Beam.”
Bulbasaur collects light through the bulb on its back and then releases a powerful beam from the bulb.
The charging time is about one round, and it doesn’t require charging in “Sunny Day” or “Bright Weather.”
In “Rain” or “Sandstorm” weather, its power is halved.
If this “Jade Holy Sword” releases a move similar to “Sunbeam,” then the “Diablo” that charges it would essentially gain a “cannon.”
However, such powerful moves usually have a long cooldown period, and this “Jade Holy Sword” should be no exception.
And don’t forget, it’s still a “Holy Sword!”
This “Sunbeam”-like move is just an additional skill; its inherent value is already high enough.
If it could be refined into a golem…
Dark couldn’t help but look at the “Solo Sword Sheath.”
After successfully replicating the “Solo Sword Sheath,” he had always wanted to replicate it again.
The main reason for his regret over the “Blood Holy Sword” was that none of the Pokémon with the “Holy Sword” skill were related to the “Blood” attribute.
The reason his first Holy Sword successfully became the “Solo Sword Sheath” was closely tied to the fact that the “Solo Sword Sheath” itself possessed a move called “Holy Sword.”
There weren’t many Pokémon in Dark’s memory that had the same move name.
Apart from “Solo Sword Sheath,” only the “Holy Swordsman” appeared in the Pokémon movie “Zekrom vs. The Swordsmen.”
The legendary Pokémon Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, and the mythical Pokémon Keldeo!
These four Pokémon were all very powerful, with Keldeo being a “Mythical Pokémon”!
Their attributes were “Steel,” “Rock,” “Grass,” and “Water,” respectively!
Also…
In Digimon, the “WarGreymon” evolved from Agumon and the “MetalGarurumon” evolved from “Omnimon” could apparently transform into a “Holy Sword” called “Omegamon Sword.”
However, the strength of the “Omegamon Sword” is definitely much higher than that of the “Holy Swordsman.”
Given Dark’s current level, the success rate of refining the “Omegamon Sword” is basically zero.
In fact, because those four Pokémon known as “Holy Swordsmen” are extremely powerful individuals with high base stats, the probability of successfully refining them is also very low.
Once refined, they would likely be third-tier golems.
To transform a third-tier golem into a sword form, allowing a second-tier Diablo or Lion Beast to control it—such a thought is impractical.
So, Dark’s thoughts have always remained at the stage of imagination.
He never imagined that after his first formal exploration of the Mana Academy dungeon, he would obtain two “Holy Swords” in one go!
This is a plot even the author of the novel wouldn’t dare write.
“We need to plan carefully and not act rashly until we’re sure.”
…
Dark took a deep breath and said, “Let’s see if there are any other treasures.”
How could a boss room at a tier have only one treasure chest?
At least there should be some small items to complement the “Holy Sword”?
Dark turned around, picked up the red velvet cloth inside the chest, and confirmed there was no hidden layer before rubbing his eyes and looking at the “Jade Holy Sword.”
His eyes
It immediately turned golden, and the “Eye of Truth” was activated.
“The value of this Holy Sword… It doesn’t seem much higher than the ‘Blood Holy Sword’; they should be on the same level of weapons, above the ‘Wrestler Eagle’ but below the ‘Piplup.'”
“If successfully refined, perhaps it could really produce a Bisharp…”
Dark picked up the red velvet cloth and threw it to Deoxys.
“Remember to wrap it.”
The “Blood Holy Sword” and the “Emerald Holy Sword” did not have sheaths; without properly wrapping them, they were inconvenient to carry around.
Dark had no intention of directly showing these two Holy Swords to others.
But since the “Blood Holy Sword” was deliberately brought to him, there was no need to hide it.
Let the person behind the scenes see clearly that this Holy Sword was now in his hands.
As for the specific handling of the “Blood Holy Sword,” Dark hadn’t decided yet.
He might refine it by chance, or perhaps really trade it with Wit for a useful Holy Sword—if Wit had one.
As for the use of what he acquired next, leaving it for “Bastemon” or “Vampire Noble” to use was also an option.
Although “Bastemon” and “Vampire Noble” couldn’t activate the power of the “Blood Holy Sword,” they might trigger the other half of its blood power.
The “Blood River Sanctuary” released by the Beastman Sword Saint was indeed a decent field spell.
…
While Dark was meticulously calculating, the Imp Beast and the Mana Spirit Dream妖 had already rushed out. Even Lil’Eevee was using its short legs to search diligently.
Although the room wasn’t large, it was filled with various items.
Several Golems rummaged through everything, eventually gathering all potentially valuable items.
Dark opened the “Eye of Truth” to identify each item, eliminating those clearly part of “architecture” or “decoration,” then looked at the other acquisitions.
Dream妖 proudly placed a small treasure chest, while the Imp Beast only tossed a few red crystals.
Lil’Eevee brought over a long box.
Basically, these three items revealed sufficient value under the “Eye of Truth.”
Dark first picked up the treasure chest that seemed most likely to contain something valuable.
This chest was similar in size to the one containing the “Crescent Pendant,” resembling a jewelry box.
The chest had no lock; flipping open the clasp, he simply opened the lid.
Seeing the contents inside, Dark raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised.
“What’s this?”
The Imp Beast flew onto his shoulder, looking disdainfully into the chest.
Dark laughed, “A key, do you think this could be a Gate Key?”
The Imp Beast instantly changed its expression, saying unhappily, “Maybe!”
Realizing they had found something valuable, Dream妖 immediately jumped around excitedly, circling the Imp Beast.
“Lil’Eevee!”
Lil’Eevee, not wanting to be outdone, held up the long box it had found with great effort.
Dark stroked its head, taking the box and opening it.
On yellow velvet lay a scroll made from some kind of animal skin.
Dark’s interest piqued.
Such a scroll produced in a dungeon might not enhance combat strength, but it likely had special cultural value.
He originally had little interest in this, but as he read more books, he naturally developed some.
But when he untied the scroll’s string and unfolded it carefully, he discovered—it was a map!
The terrain on the map wasn’t complex; it seemed to be a simplified version.
There were no special markings on the map except for a single symbol, a six-pointed star, located in the upper right corner.
Apart from that, there was nothing else.
Dark stared closely at the six-pointed star symbol, finally shaking his head and putting away the scroll.
With his knowledge, he couldn’t identify the location based solely on this map.
The meaning of the six-pointed star symbol was also unclear.
“Could it be a treasure map? A six-pointed star marking is often used on treasure maps.”
“But I haven’t heard of dungeons producing treasure maps.”
Full of doubt, Dark carefully returned the tied scroll back into the box.
He reopened the “Eye of Truth” to examine again.
The key’s value fell between the Worm Tree and the Cat Grass.
This wasn’t surprising.
Even if it really was a dungeon gate key, its value wouldn’t be high.
Generally, dungeon gate keys were like storage boxes, just a medium to trigger dungeon mechanisms, not having true spatial control abilities.
As for the scroll found by Eevee…
Its inherent value was lower than the Worm Tree.
But the value of the scroll mainly lay in the map itself, unrelated to the scroll itself.
Thus, the true value of these two treasures needed further appraisal.
In contrast, the crystal brought by the Imp looked no different from the blood crystals obtained after defeating the Blood Frog army.
These five “blood crystals,” plus the previous one, totaled six.
Their value was between the Worm Tree and the Cat Grass.
…
At first glance, if not for the “Emerald Holy Sword” in the treasure chest providing some cushion, this floor boss could be considered very poor.
But a single Holy Sword could be worth thousands of treasures.
This was a profitable exchange.
After placing these treasures into his increasingly larger bag, Dark patted his cheek and declared, “It’s time to go!”
The floor boss’s room wouldn’t last forever.
Once the floor boss was defeated, the room would collapse and disappear within tens of minutes to a few hours.
Therefore, adventurers always chose to leave quickly after looting the treasure.
Dark didn’t want the night, which had been fruitful, to end in embarrassment due to the room collapsing.
As for exploring the other routes in this dungeon, he had lost interest.
As the saying goes, “Enough is enough” and “Greed leads to downfall.”
He had already put in enough effort tonight, and the Golems were also feeling fatigued; it was time to stop.
…
To speed up, Dark recalled the Mana Spirits Dream妖 and Eevee into their respective Magic Cards.
He himself used the “Flight Spell” to fly directly over the red liquid.
After about fifteen minutes, he finally left the floor boss’s territory, passing through the stone door and landing.
After landing, Dark turned to look at the massive stone door, a slight excitement suddenly flooding his mind.
Suddenly, he realized that in his first official adventure, he had single-handedly completed a floor boss’s攻略.
This should have been an exciting and momentous event worthy of being recorded.
Yet, it had happened so naturally…
“Let it be then.”
Dark shook his head and left, turning around with several golems.
If he were fast enough, perhaps he could return to the safe zone before eleven o’clock.
…
Tenth floor, safe zone.
There were very few students gathered around the mana marker.
When Dark returned quickly, he was puzzled to find that those senior students he had just gotten familiar with were not here.
“Could they all have gone out?”
Dark frowned and glanced at the few unfamiliar students before abandoning the idea of directly activating “Paradise.”
He walked to the mana marker and stepped over the “snake tongue flowers” surrounding the Medusa statue, retrieving the “key” found in the final room.
The key was between ten and fifteen centimeters long, with a faint silver sheen on its grayish-white surface, giving it a metallic feel and weight.
If it truly was a “gate key,” it would react when near the mana marker.
Dark held some hope as he brought the key close to the Medusa statue’s chest; upon contact with the statue’s mana, the key indeed emitted a special mana fluctuation.
“It seems to be a gate key!”
Dark couldn’t help but show a look of joy.
Defeating tier bosses was indeed a way to obtain “gate keys” and “gate crystals.”
But obtaining a real “gate key” was still very fortunate.
The only uncertainty was which floor this “gate key” led to.
“I heard that gate keys obtained in the dungeon usually point to nearby floors, with a maximum of ten floors apart. So this ‘gate key’ could lead to either the first or nineteenth floor!”
Dark tried injecting a bit of mana into the key, and the tip rippled slightly.
Clearly, more mana would activate it.
After thinking for a moment, he decisively injected more mana!
A “gate key” was not a one-way passage.
Rather than saying it could transport three people, it was better to say it could be used three times, once per person.
So after using the “gate key,” one could travel back and forth within the time limit.
To know exactly which floor’s safe zone the “gate key” would take one to, one had to try it out.
Thirty seconds later, a small mana circle appeared at the tip of the “gate key.”
The circle’s diameter was roughly fifty centimeters, with ripples like water in the center.
Reaching a hand in would result in a strong suction force.
If one relaxed and didn’t resist, they would be pulled in.
In a blink, one would appear on the floor indicated by the “gate key.”
Since the floor pointed to by the “gate key” also had a corresponding circle, there was no risk of colliding with others—they wouldn’t be that foolish, naturally avoiding it.
Moreover, the “gate key” always transported to the edge of the mana marker, where students generally kept their distance.
…
In an instant, Dark appeared on the other side of the “gate key.”
Subconsciously looking around, he realized the golems hadn’t followed.
Clearly, golems were considered “individuals,” even tiny “illusionary worms” couldn’t teleport with him.
“This isn’t a convenient setup.”
Dark muttered briefly before searching for the students.
The mana marker beside him was a trident statue standing alone.
This trident statue was over three meters tall, with the shaft thicker than a fist.
Perhaps due to the late hour, no one else was around.
Only two tents were set up in the distance.
Dark was considering whether to disturb someone’s sleep when someone lifted the tent flap and peered out.
“Who’s there, still transmitting… emmm? Isn’t that Dark?”
Tom Nixon opened his eyes, a teasing smile appearing on his face.
He was now a fourth-year student at Fool’s Academy and a fellow alchemy classmate with Dark.
Compared to the Easter Duel Festival, they had become much more familiar with each other.
Seeing him, Dark thought again of the “Blood Holy Sword” and couldn’t help but smile: “Good evening, Senior Nixon, still awake?”
Tom Nixon asked, “Almost asleep. Who did you come with? I remember second-year students entering the dungeon had guides. I wanted to be Wit’s guide, but unfortunately, being a guide was a third-year task.”
“No, I came alone.” Time was limited, so Dark didn’t want to waste words and quickly asked, “Can I ask what floor this is?”
Tom Nixon replied casually, “Fifteenth floor, why?”
Dark politely said, “So it’s the fifteenth floor. Thanks for letting me know, Senior. I need to get back now.”
Then he raised his hand and stretched it into the circle, being pulled in. When he opened his eyes again, he was back at the mana marker on the tenth floor.
The fifteenth floor was beyond his easy exploration range, a bit challenging.
But after Dark left, Tom Nixon stared at where he disappeared and suddenly realized, “Alone? Then where did this gate key come from?”
“Hey, Tom, who’s there?” his companion called from inside the tent.
Tom didn’t hear.
…
Not long after Dark returned to the tenth floor, the circle created by the “gate key (15)” gradually faded away.
He noted the exact time it opened, stepped over the “snake tongue flowers,” and found a spot nearby to put down his backpack and bag.
He had accumulated too many gains, and if he continued exploring tomorrow, he might need to summon more golems to carry them.
Once everything was put away, he felt a sudden relief, sitting down and looking up at the high ceiling.
After a while, he came back to himself, took out paper and pen from his backpack, and started writing.
While he was recording, the missing seniors and juniors entered the safe zone.
They found Dark’s position in the safe zone, looking at him with increasingly strange expressions.
But soon someone reminded them, and everyone calmed their expressions, walking past him indifferently.
Their representative, Lydia Emerson, approached Dark, squatted down, and smiled, “You’re finally back. We were about to go looking for you if you didn’t come soon.”
“Is that so?” Dark turned his head and smiled, asking, “Shall we activate ‘Paradise’?”
“Of course.” Lydia nodded and stood up, saying, “I’ll ask the newcomers for their opinions first.”
With that, she quickly left.
Dark shook his head and continued recording and summarizing.
…
Lydia circled around and quickly returned, “As expected, no one would refuse having a bed in the dungeon.
The Night on the Roof.
“Alright then.” Dark put away his notebook temporarily and took out “Paradise.”
For him, being able to unfold “Paradise” without any reservations was also a good thing.
Soon…
Buildings for habitation sprang up one after another, and there was more joyful atmosphere in the safety zone of the tenth floor.
If not for the need to get up early the next day, the group would have almost wanted to hold an impromptu dinner right there.
Dark normally lived in the “Ghost House,” and he summoned all the golems to let them breathe some fresh air. He also got a bottle of “milk” from the Big Milk Jar.
Because he had the skill “Ultimate Skill: Drink Milk,” the Big Milk Jar quickly produced a large amount of milk.
Deoxys, Lion Beast, Demon Fox Beast… these golems, who had expended a lot of energy during today’s adventure, each received a bottle.
Dark also opened a bottle for himself.
Then everyone drank together with great ceremony.
The replenishment of mana was secondary; the recovery of energy was the main focus.
In an instant, Dark felt that his vitality had recovered quite a bit, and he was full of vigor again.
Therefore, he stayed awake until twelve o’clock before gradually falling asleep.
…
Sunday, six in the morning.
Dark slept for six hours before waking up at the biological clock’s reminder.
When he walked out of the Ghost House, there were already many voices outside.
Lydia Emerson came over, her face rosy as she said, “Good morning, Demon Junior. Although I have a lot to talk about, I have to leave now. I’ll wait for you at the entrance of Tier Eleven until five in the afternoon. Don’t be delayed by a treasure chest—”
After saying this, she winked specifically and waved to leave.
Dark savored her gaze, just about to return to the Ghost House when Simon brought Bobby over.
Looking at these two, Dark suddenly remembered something and couldn’t help but mutter, “Come to think of it, how are Diana and Rose? I seemed to have mentioned meeting them on the tenth floor… never mind, the boss has already been defeated, so there’s no point in meeting up anymore. That’s it.”
So he exchanged a few words with Simon. Amidst Simon’s emphatic statement, “I’ll wait until eight o’clock,” he slipped back into the Ghost House.
It wasn’t until he finished eating the compressed biscuits for breakfast that Dark recalled all the golems and then deactivated “Paradise,” setting off.
…
The high-intensity adventures of recent days had actually accumulated a lot of fatigue for him.
Even the “Big Milk Jar’s” milk couldn’t dispel the mental weariness.
Therefore, when he set out again, he consciously slowed down his pace.
Thinking carefully, his goal of entering the dungeon had actually been surpassed.
Two official missions, “Safety First” and “Gate of Advancement.”
“Safety First” required successful mana collection, which had already completed, allowing him to start refining the “Dungeon Storage Box I.”
“Gate of Advancement” involved defeating the boss of the tenth floor, which was directly accomplished, requiring only task handover to obtain the reward of “Gate Key (11).”
With “Gate Key (11)” and “Gate Key (15),” his next dungeon exploration would be much more efficient.
“Just one more ‘Gate Key (1)’! If I’m lucky, I can go to Traveler’s Street and see if I can buy one.”
Despite the fact that “Gate Key (1)” wouldn’t be cheap, Dark Demon… didn’t lack money!
After leaving the safety zone by a certain distance, Dark thought for a moment and still summoned the “Trash Slime.”
Now he didn’t seek the “Holy Sword”; he only sought the “Treasure Chest.”
Three “Greed” attributes were enough to make his treasure hunt only have a fifteen-minute interval.
As for finding the entrance to Tier Eleven…
Since the lower-level entrances of the dungeon reset every time they refresh, there are no specific coordinates.
To find the entrance relying on his own abilities, he needed to do “Draw a Map!”
By drawing out the entire path he had taken, he could rule out impossible places, identify high-probability areas, and then find the entrance faster and more efficiently.
This situation would improve slightly as the dungeon became deeper.
Because the refresh intervals of the lower levels were relatively longer, maps drawn by pioneers would come into play.
Some members of the Students’ Union sold such maps to earn credits.
Some clubs also shared maps.
…
While searching for treasure, Dark drew a map to scale.
The area of the tenth floor was relatively large. Although he was confident, he might not necessarily find the entrance before evening.
Fortunately, after Deoxys and Lion Beast each obtained a Holy Sword, his team’s strength increased significantly, making their journey relatively smooth.
However, the search for treasure chests did not go as smoothly.
Treasure chests were rare items, and the larger the area of the tier, the more dispersed the treasure chests were.
Moreover, since he had already found a treasure chest on the tenth floor (outside the boss dungeon), the probability of finding another was even lower.
Therefore, it wasn’t until two hours after he left, around nine o’clock, that Dark finally found a new treasure chest.
This treasure chest hidden in a cave trap made him rather speechless.
If not for the “Greed Slime II” being very sure that there was a treasure chest in this area, he would never have stepped on the easily discernible trap mechanism.
“Is this kind of treasure chest that can only be discovered after a fall trap exclusively for the protagonist?”
Dark used the “Flight Spell” to descend to the bottom of the cave trap and opened the treasure chest.
The result was a magic item called a “Perception Orb.”
This orb, which in the game had an attribute of “Perception +1,” was worth about the same as the “Crescent Pendant.”
The orb was transparent overall, with a small spider-like bubble in the center.
Using this “Perception Orb,” it seemed easier to discover traps.
Ignoring its value in “Eye of Truth,” it was indeed a very practical treasure in the adventure.
And after obtaining the “Perception Orb,” it became even harder for Dark to find treasure chests.
He didn’t become overly anxious, and with the help of the “Trash Slime,” he also found plenty of materials needed for gathering tasks.
Approaching noon, he had already completed several tasks and finally found a new treasure chest in a hidden room.
And in the hidden room were two standard treasure chests!
Dark gave Lion Beast a signal, and it began by opening the left chest first.
As the iron lock was picked open, the lid of the chest instantly popped open, and a Treasure Box Monster pounced out!
