NOVEL NEXT Chapter Forty Seven - Boredom
The final trial tower of the dungeon was easily the most gorgeous of the lot. The walls, floors and ceilings were all panelled with lavish, soft wood. Curtains and cushions adorned side rooms as we climbed the inexplicable staircases between levels. Incredible vistas were visible through the open climb, changing from floor to floor. Discounting the vault of the Storm Dragon, which had been tantamount to breathing in pure Dao, it was the nicest place in the dungeon by far.
As long as you ignored the murderous army of increasingly powerful bastardizations of a childhood staple.
The party had taken care of the mini-boss on the second floor, though it wasn’t easy even with their group’s sudden burst of power. Mostly, it was a clumsy series of chases as the frogman kicked Harry away and tried to attack one of the others. They won, Ellie got her Tonfas and I got another upgrade to my belt, the second since entering the tower. From blue, to purple to the current brown.
Item - Attun-fas (Rare)
An ancient master of defence realised that his fights would end a lot faster if enemies broke themselves on a sharp surface, rather than a flat one.
Effect: The blades of these tonfas conduct mana and skills with increased efficiency
Item - Brown Belt (Upgradeable)
Importance does not lie in the colour of the belt, but what you do while wearing it.
Effect: Attributes +15%
We took our time moving from the second to third floors as I explained my own grasp of Dao in the loosest terms possible. I had already seen what trying to force a specific mindset could do to one’s mana in Tom, so I wanted to make sure they came to the truth on their own. “Tom has touched on something I’ve also discovered. We can all do incredible things with mana and the System literally makes us superhuman… but there’s a truer magic underneath it all.”
With everyone’s attention on me, I allowed the Dragon within my Dao to roar. It was cooped up, being held down so I didn’t overwhelm the group’s senses. Without any Dao themselves, they were completely at the mercy of my own if I chose to let it run rampant. I was satisfied as they all flinched and restrained my Dao once more. “Don’t overthink it,” I warned, “I definitely got lucky breaking through how and when I did. Tom’s more receptive because of his Aspect of Magic but I believe you’ll all figure it out.”
No one replied after I spoke, and I later realised they were more stunned by my Dao than I had noticed. Being in the thick of things as Tom’s Dao evolved had heightened their senses. They were in the zone when it came to recognizing Dao right now, but my light had been a little blinding. We rested in a sitting room covered in teal and gold fabrics before moving on to the third round of combat.
This was where the group used their Guidance Stones. Each of them had been holding onto them at my suggestion. I wasn’t in much of a position to place myself as their teacher but they had listened all the same. Until now, they had been using the absolute baseline of their Aspects. It was time to kick it up a level.
I didn’t get involved in the initial battle, which played out much like the first and second floors with new, additional spice. Naea zipped around and alleviated some pressure from the bunch, but for the most part she was taking it quite easy this tower. I was glad for that. I had pushed her harder than necessary when I had my little mental break and rushed the other two. She was gaining levels either way by cleaning up the fallen enemies once we left.
The largest change was obviously within the party. Tom’s Dao evolution had made them all more potent in a way, as their general strategy stayed the same while taking advantage of their new gains. Instead of stunning for openings, Tom’s Mana Bolts were devastating in their own right. This meant the enemy tried to focus him more.
Now, Harry’s newest ability could come into play. “Don’t ignore me!” He slammed his foot down and buckled the wood beneath his feet. The Guidance Stone of Thorns was made for him. It had actually been Luke who pointed out how it would likely match up well, and he was damn right. Spectral attacks rebounded from his shield any enemy attacking the bulwark of a man.
Painful lacerations appeared on the ninjas trying to face the damage dealers of the party. Many of these were also being held firm by the clinging chains of Aaron. The Guidance Stones had all been given out well in my opinion, and I suspected the System had a hand in making sure the rewards fit each member. To Aaron went the Guidance Stone of Repair. It was this stone specifically which made me feel the rewards were a little too specific to be random. Every time his chains were broken, they came back just a bit stronger and rebound their target.
Ellie and Luke took full advantage of the freedom given by their allies’ techniques. Luke was a railgun, his attacks now multi-targeted due to the Guidance Stone of Ricochet. From behind the battle line of Harry and Aaron, he launched powerful bolt after bolt which punched through one enemy and then found another. It was almost a shame he didn’t have the Aspect of Poison but Ellie was making it work.
Her attacks had also gained an area of effect due to the castaway Guidance Stone of Desecration. It was no surprise the effect it had given the Aspect of Poison was potent, but even Ellie seemed a little put off by its efficiency. Victory was victory, but at least when myself or the others killed something, it didn’t scream for mercy. Silence those lambs, Clarice, I joked. The monsters would kill you whether you were nice about fighting them or not, so use what you got.
For myself, I stood before the mini-boss, waiting for it to attack. Level 49 wasn’t bad at all, it was the same as Naea’s had risen to since the trial tower started. At level 40 myself, with my achievements and other gains, I was much stronger than this creature. It knew this, and waited to see what I did. Happy with the stalemate, I let the others fight it out with the fodder ninja.
By the time the noises had stopped, the mini-boss was looking more than a little perturbed. It’s skin had turned a violet colour which I assumed was due to anger. Seeing its brethren slain was not something it enjoyed, but there was nothing it could do. My eyes were staring it down and what frog would make a move under the watchful gaze of a snake?
I followed Naea’s movement through my connection to her, as well as the eyes of the ninja frog mini-boss. She landed on my shoulder, yawning. “They’ll be finished up in a minute,” she droned, “they’ve all reached level 29 now by the way. The wizard man will be the first to evolve, probably, because he’s the only one taking it seriously.”
“Is it worth us being serious for a minute?” I asked, nudging her with my head. She shrugged and I laughed as the noises from behind me stopped. I listened to the panting and groaning from the members of The Ascent behind me. “They’re all at the bottleneck? Then it’s time to pull away again.”
I wanted to remain firm on my stance. This was my dungeon, my challenge and the bulk of the rewards were mine. That I had others attach themselves to my chariot was just a natural part of being stronger. They had all received various boons and generous help on the path to greater power. I was happy to give them the chance, it alleviated my guilt over the swordsman, Jason’s, untimely demise.
I had finished sharing now.
Multiple days had been spent getting The Ascent off the ground. From building homes to establishing the guild and the time spent getting to know the new people, I had begun to itch from the lack of progress. I wanted to leave the dungeon days ago, and had been ready to before my five new allies shook things up.
I bounced Naea off my shoulder and she began hovering while the air around me became alive with energy. The dungeon which had become too weak for myself was in the goldilocks zone for the members of The Ascent. It was time to move on. “We’re moving at my pace now, let’s see if the others can keep up.”
Infusion. Harmony of the Storm. I became the storm, my blows raining down like thunder on the unprepared mini-boss. Lightning coated my fists as I slipped low and aimed a flurry of punches upwards into the hard shell. Drain. Weaving my newest technique into the flow, I gained strength with each punch while the turtle literally withered under the assault. Alone, a single skill would have been enough for me to defeat the mini-boss with ease.
Together, it became trivial.
The current mini-boss should have tried to fight me while its allies were alive, but it was too late for regret now. With no distractions and an audience to impress, I let loose everything I could. A Strike of the Ruler landed as the final attack in my combination, sending the turtle rocketing into the ceiling of the massive room. I wasn’t done, so I gave chase.
I attacked the very air itself, laden with gravity, which tried to pull me back down before my climb was finished. I infused my kicks with Dao which rejected anything but my own ideals. The ideal right now was to catch the falling target, so I rose higher and higher impossibly. I was burning more resources than necessary to show off but it still wasn’t enough to dent my reserves.
I snarled as I realised I was angry the tower wasn’t putting up a challenge. Survival wasn’t enough for me any more, I wanted to prove how strong I was. I found myself annoyed because I had already proven I could dominate a weaker opponent over and over. Even though I had lost my weapon, I hadn’t lost a step of strength in comparison. It was all just…
Boring.
The turtle’s shell had been lodged in the ceiling, but it fell as I got close. I spun in the air and layered three Infusions atop one another. The return journey to the ground was much quicker. I punched hard, sending the pathetic creature shooting towards the hard wood. A stamped on the air above me and caught up, punching again. A few seconds and a dozen jet-speed punches later, we crashed hard.
The incoming flow of energy from the kill started before we hit the floor. I landed hard, smashing the wood and kicking up a mess of splinters. The tower was immeasurably sturdy, so even the slight cosmetic damage was impressive. The completely splattered turtle-frog-man was less decorative, but I supposed that depended on your preference. My mouth tilted in a disappointed pout.
I hadn’t even broken a sweat.