NOVPUBIt was ravenous.
An insatiable hunger that could never be satisfied, no matter how much it devoured.
Krrrr.
The shadow let out a low, eerie sound, lying dormant in the depths of darkness, waiting for the day it could finally sate its endless hunger.
---
Taesan inspected each piece of equipment meticulously.
Bracers, armor, shoes, helmets—each one was extraordinarily appealing. He had to restrain himself.
With his current funds, he could afford only one item. He needed to be wise with his choice.
After carefully reviewing the gear, he realized a few things.
---
[Shadowed Boots of the Deep]
[Defense +500]
[Movement Speed +10%]
[For 10 seconds, enter a hidden state immune to all effects, but movement is restricted. You can exit the state at will; the cooldown is one hour.]
[650,000G]
---
Boots that granted 10 seconds of invulnerability. Since he could exit this state at will, it could be used to dodge a lethal attack, hide, or exploit any openings. However, likely due to the powerful special effect, the boots’ overall stats were relatively modest.
And it wasn’t just the boots that followed this trend.
---
[Sealed Ring of the Wounded Balrog]
[MP +100]
[Attack Power +50]
[Defense +50]
[Summon a sealed Balrog. The Balrog follows no commands and destroys everything indiscriminately. Once it receives a certain amount of damage, it is resealed and can be summoned again in one week.]
[500,000G]
---
The Balrog.
The first time he’d encountered it, Haffran had summoned it as a test for Taesan. It was a creature of demonic might comparable to a dragon.
The ring’s ability to summon such a being was formidable, yet the ring’s inherent stats were unimpressive, even by pre-Deep Floor standards.
As Taesan assessed the rest of the equipment, he became certain.
Either the item had incredibly high stats, or it had decent stats and unique abilities, or it had low stats but an extremely powerful special ability.
The equipment here fit into one of these three categories.
“Are these the best items you can get here?”
The shopkeeper chuckled.
“Of course not. We’re only at the entry of the Deep Floors. The deeper you go, the more impressive the equipment gets.”
So, what should he purchase?
In all honesty, any choice would benefit him. All of the items were exceptional. But that made the decision harder.
He thought it through carefully. What was he currently lacking?
It wasn’t defense. He had Aegis’s shield, attack nullification, endurance, and Destruction’s Greed. His arsenal was well-equipped to block and neutralize attacks.
His Absolute Judgment could bypass an enemy’s defenses, and Skill Acceleration allowed him to close in quickly. With his recently acquired Limited Blink, he was well-equipped for movement as well.
Attack power was also adequate thanks to his mastery of Ailak’s weapon techniques.
He came to a conclusion.
What he lacked now was something that could push him through an enemy’s oppressive attacks and drive forward.
With his mind made up, he scanned the equipment again with renewed focus.
He quickly settled on a particular gauntlet.
---
[Gauntlet of Unceasing Amplification]
[Attack Power +500]
[Magic +30]
[Dark Magic +30]
[MP +500]
[Demonic Energy +100]
[Created by an unnamed archmage who dedicated his life to this gauntlet. Its magical design and materials allow it to absorb and amplify power to the extreme.]
[Every ten minutes, activate [Forced Amplification].]
[Forced Amplification]
[Increase the mana and demonic energy cost of a skill to maximize its potency.]
[600,000G]
---
"Mind if I test this out?"
"Go ahead, be my guest."
Taesan equipped the gauntlet and channeled his mana. The Frozen World skill unfolded around him, spreading cold air.
Taesan clenched the gauntlet.
[You have activated [Forced Amplification].]
Mana surged out of him even faster.
The frost that had been expanding around him intensified.
Crack! Crack!
Ice spread, engulfing everything. The icy chill seeping from it sent a shiver down Taesan’s spine.
“Impressive.”
The strength of this enhanced Frozen World was incomparable to his usual version.
With this, he could pressure even someone like Vishnu, even when he was empowered with the King’s Domain.
Since it amplified existing power, the effect would be greater the stronger the skill used. It was an item that would only grow more valuable as his power increased.
Satisfied, Taesan gave the gauntlet a few testing movements.
"I’ll take this."
"You’re the first one to enter the Deep Floors and choose that," the shopkeeper remarked, taking his gold with a smirk.
With his gauntlet secured, Taesan proceeded to the passageway.
“Farewell,” the shopkeeper bid him quietly as Taesan moved forward.
Beyond the passage lay a world of darkness.
A pitch-black space where not even a glimmer of light could be seen.
Taesan expanded his senses.
---
[Objective: Break through the Domain of the Starving Shadows.]
Such was the condition for clearing the 71st floor.
There was no need to fulfill any special requirements; he simply had to break through.
Taesan stepped into the darkness.
A viscous sensation crawled up his legs as he moved forward.
This darkness wasn’t ordinary. Not even Taesan’s vision could fully penetrate what lay beyond.
[You have activated Leraje’s Domain Detection.]
Waves imbued with demonic energy spread out, scanning the area. The darkness began to reveal information to him.
Until it stopped.
Something deep within the shadows had swallowed the power of his Domain Detection.
Taesan calmly unsheathed his sword, focusing as he advanced.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the darkness split open, revealing a monster.
It was a shadow.
A shadow with form, rising from the floor, lunged toward Taesan.
[A Starving Shadow has appeared.]
Taesan swung his sword.
Boom!
With a deafening impact, the shadow crashed to the floor. It splattered and clung to Taesan’s feet, trying to consume him.
"Hmm."
He summoned his spiritual energy and stomped down.
The shadow writhed, reassembling itself before charging at him again.
All that remained within it was greed and hunger.
[You have activated Frost Arrow.]
The icy arrow pierced through the shadow, but it continued its advance, devouring the arrow as it charged.
Taesan thrust his dual swords at the shadow.
The shadow contorted, creating a hole in its body to evade the blades.
Swoosh!
The shadow morphed into sharp, slicing tendrils as it attacked.
Taesan parried with his sword.
Clang!
The echo of their clash reverberated.
Currently, Taesan’s stats were higher than even those of the higher-ranking bosses. Yet, this shadow was holding its ground.
Crack!
The shadow whirled, aiming to grind Taesan down. Taesan kicked off the ground, charging forward.
[You have activated Gale Rush.]
[You have activated Skill Acceleration.]
A storm erupted around him. The rampaging shadow was forced back in an instant.
With the opening exposed, Taesan plunged his sword deep into the shadow.
Rather than collapse, the shadow clung onto Taesan’s arm, trying to consume him.
However, it was repelled by a protective aura. His Absolute Blessing shield was active, nullifying continuous damage.
Taesan applied more force, slicing it in half.
Thud.
Even severed, the shadow persisted in its attempt to consume him. Taesan, exasperated, kicked and stomped it down.
[You have defeated the Starving Shadow.]
The shadow ceased its movements at last.
"What is this?"
The shadow had been unusually strong.
For Taesan to expend this much effort on a single one suggested that a typical 71st-floor adventurer would have to risk their life in each encounter.
And it wasn’t just any monster.
This shadow hadn’t attacked him to kill; it had sought to consume him and make him part of itself.
"So, this was your experience, too?"
[Not exactly. Mine was a bit different. Looks like they’ve changed the floor since then.]
"Got it."
At that moment, Taesan sensed more shadows writhing and surging toward him.
He kicked off the ground, leaping into the air as the shadows charged.
More than ten shadows leaped at him simultaneously.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
[You have activated Forced Amplification.]
Crack! Crack!
The intense frost blanketed the darkness. The charging shadows were instantly encased in ice.
The strength of this amplified Frozen World was something even the highest-ranking adversaries would struggle to withstand. There was no way the 71st-floor monsters could endure it.
Crack.
Yet, the shadows did not die.
Instead, they shattered their icy prison, surging toward Taesan once more.
They showed no sign of bloodlust.
Only an insatiable greed.
Crack! Crack!
The ice broke apart. The shadows, shattered and fragmented, still sought to consume Taesan.
But he was ready. Threads of black energy gathered in his hand.
[You have activated Sabnac’s Dark Threads.]
[You have activated Limited Blink.]
As the black threads exploded, Taesan’s body teleported far away.
The threads sliced through the shadows, tearing them into pieces.
With the shadows scattered on the ground, Taesan charged toward them.
[You have activated Starlight Arrow.]
Using a combination of
magic and swordplay, he dealt with each shadow one by one. After a prolonged battle, he finally managed to vanquish all ten shadows.
[Your level has increased.]
[Your Spiritual Enhancement has activated. The proficiency of Life’s Seed has increased by 2%.]
His level rose. Additionally, Life’s Seed, a skill bestowed upon a mortal who transcended by an immortal dragon, had gained proficiency through the battle with the shadows.
Taesan frowned.
Gathering demonic energy, he opened a conduit to the demon realm, invoking Dark Magic.
[You have activated Leraje’s Domain Detection.]
Humming.
The demonic energy expanded outward.
The shadows swallowed it up, but the waves pressed on.
The results revealed the nature of this place.
The darkness here was vast.
Even with his Domain Detection, he couldn’t see its end.
And within this darkness, countless shadows lurked.
Whoosh.
They were converging toward Taesan.
The number far exceeded hundreds.
More than a thousand shadows were rushing at him.
---
As he sensed the oncoming horde of shadows, Taesan murmured an incantation. 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝑚
"Vanish."
[You have activated Declaration of Concealment.]
The Command activated, erasing Taesan’s presence and aura.
The shadows halted in confusion, unable to pinpoint his location.
Taesan navigated through the darkness.
Though his vision was limited, he could still perceive his surroundings well enough to move freely.
He passed by several shadows writhing in place.
Since they didn’t rely on sight, they failed to detect him even as he walked right beside them with his Concealment skill active.
After moving forward for a while, he stopped. Two shadows were locked in combat.
Whoosh.
The shadows clashed, attempting to consume each other. Taesan watched their battle in silence.
Soon, one gained the upper hand, ruthlessly overpowering and devouring its opponent.
The victorious shadow grew in strength as it absorbed the other.
Conversely, the devoured shadow lost its power, shrinking instantly.
Satisfied, the strengthened shadow drifted away. The weakened shadow slithered along sluggishly.
“I understand now.”
This realm belonged to these shadows.
They constantly sought to devour one another to seize power, and they aimed to consume any adventurers who ventured here, making them part of their domain.
He now knew how to approach this floor.
The quest’s objective was not to defeat the shadows but to pass through.
Avoiding and hiding from the shadows while finding the passage to the next level was the intended method for clearing the 71st floor.
While Taesan had used his Command to become invisible, any adventurer reaching this floor would likely possess stealth skills. If not, they could buy related items from the shop to make it through.
But Taesan had no intention of clearing the floor that way.
Walking through the darkness, Taesan headed even deeper into the shadows’ domain.
