And that's twelve down. Can't say I've ever had such easy levels.

[

You have slain [Earthen Burrower - Level 300]

…

You have slain [Earthen Burrower - Level 311]

Mana Tempest has reached Level 207

Mana Tempest has reached Level 208

]

Dealing with the monsters was as easy as throwing puffs of mana at them. Said puffs being his enchanted arrows that had a negligible cost to create and fire. Lev was starting to feel slightly bad for the spirit of the dungeon, a place meant to challenge the humans and reward them based on how close they came to dying.

Then there was Lev.

With a snort, he abandoned that line of thought as he spotted hints of blue in the ground. Ravagers creeped him out, and he knew exactly how to deal with them.

A pitifully weak lance landed on top of their hiding spot, luring them all out with ease. Things were suspiciously quiet for a few seconds before a storm of fire and lightning descended, brought with a huge wave of normal, infused arrows.

More than half of the swarm was instantly decimated, reduced to ash and gore. Stagglers remained, some injured, some bleeding to death, when Lev stepped out of his bubble a few dozen meters above.

Monsters that they were, the ravagers immediately lined up and started charging their attacks. Shields formed in front of him, swiftly enchanted with durability, before several walls appeared between them and Lev.

The steam attacks were not going to reach him, no matter what.

Mana rushed out of him in a large stream, overpowering his regeneration but he couldn't have cared less as beams of superheated water landed on his shields.

Durability fought against the acidic substance devouring his barriers. The latter won out but only marginally. Seconds passed as Lev countered the mounting damage, the steam potent enough to eat through his reconstruction of the shields.

At least the useless test is turning out to be not so useless, Lev mused and noted how the steam reacted with his constructs. Observing the clash at a microscopic level was obviously impossible, so he settled for the next best thing.

Mental feedback.

Watching the ravager's attack eat through his barriers was a rather fascinating experience. Both of them were formed of mana, and the clash between their properties let him see them in more detail.

The steam was digging deeper into his shields with an obvious pattern, one only noticeable because of his high Perception. Instead of trying to overpower his barriers, which would've been far less effective, it instead first drilled small points.

Once it got a serviceable hole to leverage, the steam separated small chunks of his shields with several different holes, and overpowered that tiny part in a burst. Barriers were great against spread out attacks, but they folded in front of that specialized targeting.

All in all, it was both enlightening and ultimately useless. Arcane barriers could only be modified so much, and there were bound to be counters out there that he had to be wary of.

Luckily for Lev, he used far more than just shields, and he proved a point by throwing a small atomic bomb at the remaining ravagers. From inside his bubble, he easily avoided the large shockwave and moved on, his dislike for the gross monsters only rising.

He supposed such a strong counter to his element would do that.

Hours passed in the same old combat as Lev progressed downwards, avoiding the attention of the boss because of the concealment formation always running on his armor. It somehow affected his aura enough to let him kill all the dungeon monsters without interruptions.

Unlike the party he had entered with, Lev took his time. Despite the sheer scale of the location, he could easily retreat to the cave holding the portal and sleep, which he did so every twelve hours. Improvements always showed up sooner when fighting attentively and inspecting all his own moves and the monsters themselves while doing so.

Four days later, Lev was certain there were no more monsters to be killed above the giant wrym skeleton. Only the boss and the bone structure's inhabitants remained, and so did a barrier mage ready to tear it all to shreds.

Still no signs of harpies, he noted, having never stopped periodically scanning the skies. They were bright blue and abundantly clear, letting him see all the horizons and their edges.

Cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders, Lev prepared to go all out. There was no Umbrina to save his ass this time, and he wasn't keen on tackling so many monsters at once. There were still hundreds, if not thousands, still present in the skeleton. Knowing his luck, he was likely going to be targeted by the entire horde at once. He wasn't nearly strong enough to waltz down there and deal with them all with only Stargazer and his various constructs.

Better safe than sorry.

Lances leisurely formed by the dozens around his bubble, a few kilometers above the skeleton. Lev could see all of it from head to tail, but he knew most of the monsters were concentrated near the skull.

Mana gradually left his body, spread out to exit from all of it to avoid mana poisoning, causing only slight aches and discomfort. It entered his skinsuit's potent enchantments, converted into lightning and fire that entered his armor and was teleported to his lances.

The process continued for minutes before the most sensitive monsters, the burrowers, took notice. Several gigantic maws popped out from underneath the skeleton, initiating the chaotic bombardment.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Two lances landed on each burrower, eviscerating hide and flesh in their explosions.

[

You have slain [Earthen Burrower - Level 320]

You have slain [Earthen Burrower - Level 325]

]

Hell was unleashed with those massive blasts as more burrowers, ravager swarms, harpies, and most importantly, the boss itself, rushed him.

Lances met their charge. Each flew with the might of a falling boulder, crushing any of the smaller monsters that got hit directly. Burrowers were pierced through without resistance before his attacks exploded, turning them to bloody mist from the inside.

All the while, more lances slowly continued to take shape.

Seconds passed in high-intensity bombardment before the boss got close enough to target. Unfortunately, it was far from smart enough to understand how outmatched it was in sheer manipulation.

Huge boulders and spikes of stone followed the diver, tearing through the air to skewer the human possessing such a delicious aura. The maelstrom of earth seemed chaotic and intimidating until a single lance shot forward as a counterattack.

It would've been laughable, had Lev not been the opponent. As it stood, the single projectile landed amidst dozens, blowing up in a violent shredder of fire and lightning that washed away all of the stone conjurations as if sand in front of water.

Blinded and gravely injured, the boss had no chance to react to the remaining four lances that followed, each aimed at a different extremity to preserve the core.

[

You have slain [Earthen Burrower - Level 330]

…

You have slain [Watershade Ravager - Level 238]

…

You have slain [Mature Harpy - Level 302]

…

You have slain [Earthen Diver - Level 341]

Mana Tempest has reached Level 209

Mana Tempest has reached Level 210

Mana Tempest has reached Level 211

Mana Tempest has reached Level 212

Unerring Volley has reached 3rd Level 5

Colorful Destruction has reached 3rd Level 5

Mage Conduit has reached 3rd Level 6

]

Long seconds passed as the overwhelming sounds of the roaring flames and the mixed in lightning echoed in his head. His blasts were empowered to obscene heights by his passive skills. The calamity unfolding below could attest to that.

Minutes slowly went by as much of the flames remained even after the lightning. Once it all died down to reveal a charred and blackened skeleton, as well as an utterly ruined platinum dungeon.

With a deep breath, Lev tried not to smile and risked a random glance upwards where he had once found Umbrina observing the delvers. Gazing up, he looked at the edge of the stone pit.

Lo and behold, the rogue sat their with her legs dangling, observing it all with an impressed and smug smile.

Damn you nosy elders, Lev smiled back and ascended after harvesting all the intact cores down below. Despite being much higher than the skeleton during the assault, there were still several kilometers between him and the pit's top.

"I'm gonna complain to Orianna," Lev began once she was within earshot.

"And, pray tell, what exactly is that child going to do?" Umbrina remarked in her same gentle yet firm tone.

Lev scratched his armored head. "I'm gonna be honest, I didn't think that far. She's smart and strong, so she'll figure it out."

Umbrina watched on with a smile. "She talked about you."

"She did?" Lev perked up.

"Something about a kid with limitless potential and a good heart," Umbrina nodded along with her words. "I didn't pay much attention back then. Saw plenty such geniuses rise and perish, some even more impressive than you… In terms of control, at least."

Lev stayed quiet.

"But she insisted that you were special, even amongst them. It didn't take long to deduce you had a Manawell. That is the term The System uses for Wisdom Boosts. Martha had one, and we all know how great a boon it turned out to be."

She stopped and stared at Lev's hands, which he belatedly realized were clenched tightly.

"They told you?"

Lev nodded. "I will find her."

Umbrina's already gentle eyes softened even further. "And you mean it too. Child, know that no one will ever blame you for backing out. Drakys, Hakim, and I were all present on the last battlefield, and nobody wants you to go near that vile… thing."

Indecision warred inside Lev. On one hand, the information was too sensitive, but on the other hand, Umbrina was like the silent guardian of humanity, and from her words, Lev now knew that she was aware of everything.

"So much hate and anger for someone so young," Umbrina's voice cut through his spiraling thoughts. "I asked them, you know? Why had no one taken you in as a disciple and trained you to perfection? Most of the Exalted were present in that meeting."

Her smiled turned amused. "It was Hakim who shut everyone up with only a few words. Ever the hardass," Lev couldn't hold back a surprised laugh at those words. "It is no secret to you, is it?" Umbrina grinned.

Lev coughed. "I wouldn't go that far. He's uh… improving," he sagely nodded.

"Because Sherron, that fiesty child, keeps zapping his toes. But I digress, Hakim silenced everyone by saying that you're strong. Strong enough that you will prevail, and already have against creatures even we might have fallen to."

Seeing Lev gulp, she continued. "Worry not, I do not wish to question you or ask anything of you. I merely followed you to ensure your protection. It isn't every day that one sees a level 200 hunter so confidently enter a platinum dungeon by themselves, followed by a whole four days of absolutely nothing," she finished with a slight shake of her head.

"I…" Lev trailed off. It would be so nice to finally tell someone what he kept bottled up. Surely, Umbrina hearing him out would make him feel better, wouldn't it? Who better than her or Orianna?

Lev sighed and changed the topic. "So, do I get your seal of approval?"

"You do, young'un," she answered tenderly, not batting an eye at the obvious change but understanding regardless. "Dare I say, no one I knew could've done that to a weak diver at your level."

"Weak?" Lev questioned and summoned the core he had harvested from it.

"Mhm. Burrowers usually roam in large groups that range from levels 400 to 470. They are rarely found in the grasslands we are surrounded by, though."

[

Earthen Diver's Core

An excellent core for armor pieces. Displays lesser properties of durability.

]

Oh, come on. The boss perished without putting up a fight. How on Monarch does it display lesser properties of durability out of all things?

"Surprised?"

Lev nodded and stored the core.

"This is what I mean by weakened," she explained. "Monarch knows if the dungeon monsters are just younger or if The System causes them to weaken, but it works out in our favor."

"Especially in my favor," Lev remarked and glanced around. He had cleared the pit so thoroughly that nothing moved in it any longer. There was still a bit of time left before they were teleported out, so he decided to ask a few questions.

"Any advice?"

Umbrina blinked. "About what, child?"

"I don't know. Anything?"

She didn't reply instantly. "Do not neglect your other needs. Be it something extreme like fighting to death on a daily basis or something simple like wanting chocolate milk, feeling whole will do wonders for your psyche that few other things can."

… I was not expecting something so profound, Lev nodded to show he understood the concept, at least. The end result sounded amazing, but he wasn't even aware of what he craved. Crafting was shaping up to both be fun and an endless timesink but what else?

"Thank you," Lev smiled. "I already have plenty to think about."

"Take care, boy. It is of no consequence if you take however long you need to. The likes of us will ensure that humanity persists in the meantime."

Teleportation dropped them outside the dungeon after a few seconds. Lev looked around, nodding at the Master guard. Umbrina was nowhere to be seen but that was fine. He flew up and made his way to windkeep while noting something interesting.

Umbrina had called him fighting in the dungeon and getting stronger a need, which sounded somewhat strange. Could she really know so much about him from such a short meeting?

Either way, he didn't mind. She seemed nice.

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