(Morgan POV)
Third level of the Blood river, underworld.
I stood there in silence, taking in my new surroundings. There were no more trees. Just an endless expanse of sand and dunes in front of me. A pure azure sky, with the sun beaming down with enough solar heat to make me sweat. Stretching from the middle of the vast expanse of sand was the blood river, seemingly unaffected by the scorching heat, the blood river extended out beyond the horizon.
As expected, at the very end was The Weeping Blight, rather the roots of it, extending out upwards like the veins of a dead deity, breaching the clouds high above. It was a beautiful sight I would never get tired of.
"This is an interesting change of pace…"
I murmured, looking behind me. As expected, there was only a vast expanse of the desert remaining. No signs of the forest I was in earlier. Is every level ascension like this? Would there be an environment change for every ascension? From the looks of it, that could very well be the case.
"Sun-Cursed Worms, huh…."
I wondered, while staring at the new details of th Blood River. This level also seems to have one monster and they seem to be worms, quite similar to the Bloodroot Stranglers. Do they live inside the sand, compared to the Bloodroot Stranglers who lived inside the Blood river itself?
Well, for now, I haven't moved from my original spot yet. Meaning nothing has attacked me. I don't think I'm really ready to meet these Sun-Cursed worms yet….
"No, what the hell am I thinking? Of course I'm ready!"
I laughed at myself. I just brought a sword, a piece of clothing and my innate spirit has been replenished to the very bim—I was almost overflowing from it! Not to mention, im not suffering any mental or physical exhuastion, all wounds done to my body has healed.
I'm the best shape to be challenging this level after being in the Respite Zone. That place was truly a Godsend. Could there be more for each ascension of a level? If so, im now more confident in my chances of actually reaching the very last level of this blood river.
"Oh, right! I haven't checked the new mantle I bought yet…."
Suddenly brimming with anticipation and excitement, I quickly summoned my Screen, the holographic game-like interface illuminating my face with a blue glow.
Without bothering to waste time reading the rest, I quickly scrolled down to my new equipment—as well as briefly checking my new Abyssal Fragments count.
Abyssal Fragments: [221/1000]
'Hmm, I didn't lose much. The only lost was the hundred Abyssal Fragments.'
I mused, pleased with the amount. It wasn't the end of the world. All I could hope for is that the purchase was worth my time. I had no intentions of wasting anymore time, after all, Nico is still somehow alive. He could of reached the third level by now!
Equipment: [The Cleave] [Duskweave Mantle]
First, I summoned the [Duskweave Mantle], a shimmering glow enveloped my body for a brief moment, before the cloak wrapped around me. It was very simple and minimalistic— wrapping around me and reaching my knees. At the waist, there was a sash, tightening the cloak around my body. The long sleeves were rolled up ever so slightly, revealing some of my porcelain skin underneath.
There was no hood, which was a disappointment. Or maybe a good thing? I didn't want to look like an edgy teen walking around wearing this. But on a serious note, this Cloak was fairly comfortable. Much better than the tunic (Sorry Cassie) and fit my body perfectly, almost like it was made for it.
"My opinion of you has changed, my unfairly priced cloak….Now, whether or not you'll recieve my affections depends on you're skills!"
I declared dramatically to nobody in particular, as I quickly summoned the screen once again, scrolling down to the equipment section, clicking on [Duskweave Mantle] Without hesitation.
Duskweave Mantle: [Purchased from a Respite Zone]
I was a bit disappointed by the description. I was hoping for some heavy lore considering it's name, but I didn't let it linger. What really mattered was the skills themselves.
Skills: [One with Fire] [Iron Will] [Purifying Aura]
My eyes widened. Three skills? And all of them sounded fairly strong. Maybe I did really make the right decision with this one….
One with Fire: [You are immune to Fire]
Iron Will: [You are immune to mind attacks]
Purifying Aura: [40% of damage dealt through the use of posion/toxins will be reduced upon contact]
'Amazing!'
My grin widened. I was surprised by how useful these skills were, but that's not really what I was happy about—it's the fact that all three of them are passive. I didn't need to pour innate spirit into them to have them working, they were always active whenever I have the [Duskweave Mantle] on.
This was incredibly useful in battle, where the use of innate spirit basically decided who wins in the end.
"Thank god i didn't leave this beauty behind…"
I smiled, letting my fingers run over the cloak.
"You're my newest loyal Retainer. Ah and yes, before you ask, you're my new favorite."
I giggled to myself like some lovesick school girl. I was enjoying myself a bit too much considering the situation I was in—but to be honest? With [The Cleave] and [Duskweave Mantle] I was very confident in my chances now. In truth, I was sure that Nico stood no chance against me!
I sighed, coming down from that little arrogant high. I was getting too full of myself recently, but honestly? I had every right. Still, I didn't linger on this any longer. The more time I took trying to finish this mission, the more impatient my companions outside will become.
If they are even waiting for me, that is.
I wouldn't blame them for leaving me behind. It's the logical decision to make in this situation, as there was no guarantee I'll even manage to defeat Nico, or survive against the eldrich horrors that lurk inside the Key Rush.
I didn't want to think about this too much. It will just cause my already anxious mood to fall even further. I don't know why, but the thought of them perhaps abandoning me was a bit hurtful, even though we were never even close enough to be waiting for me to come back without guarantee.
The Mulligan just didn't work like that.
I shook my head out of these thoughts and finally took my first step forward.
"15 kilometers. That's a long run."
I mused. It was much longer than the fourth level of the blood river. Does the distance increase the higher we climb? If so, we might be here for a long, long time. It was gonna get tiring and pretty boring just running around.
Atleast there was new monsters and strange little events to keep the thrill.
Instead of wasting time running first, I mainly placed my focus on walking. For now. I actually wanted to attract a Sun-Cursed Worm and see how they are like, how they fight or what sort of strange abilities they have.
It would also be a great idea gauging out their intelligence level. The Bloodroot Stranglers didn't have the highest intelligence, but could the Sun-Cursed Worms be different? The only way to find out is by facing one myself. I needed to know exactly what I was up against.
I'm not Nico, who could pull knowledge right out of his ass.
So, my steps were slow and deliberate, walking towards the next level, but my eyes were darting around the area. Waiting for any signs of these Sun-Cursed Worms. I didn't walk directly through the blood river this time, as these worms could live inside them. I didn't want to get dragged into that poisonous river, again.
I placed a hand on my throat. The trauma still lingered.
I continued walking for awhile, but still found no signs of these Sun-Cursed Worms. I believed that they were possibility hiding inside the Blood River. Could it have something to do with their name? Being Sun-Cursed? They don't like coming out during the sun?
'If this is true, can't I just take advantage of this and dash?'
No, it can't be that simple. Something that convenient couldn't exist, right? I refused to believe it. There has to be a reason these Sun-Cursed Worms haven't shown themselves yet, a logical reason, that doesn't sound too simple.
At that thought, I felt the sand around me shift. My eyes widened for a moment, as I looked down. The sand was…
"Moving?"
I barely had time to react as something wrapped around my leg, then dragged me downwards into the sand with a powerful tug. I squeezed my eyes shut as sand entered it, my mouth being muffled by the sand.
"Mmphrff!"
'Not again!'
It was a similar feeling to being dragged into the depths of a blood river. Do these monsters not have any other strategy? I would of groaned in annoyance if my mouth wasn't full of sand at the moment.
Quickly summoning [The Cleave] I sliced down cleanly at the sticky thing that had latched on to my leg. Cutting it in half, splattering blood across the sand.
Even with my eyes closed, I managed to sense it. Then, without wasting time, I started climbing my way back to the top. It didn't take long for me to reach it, my hands grasping the surface, my head popping out of the sand, taking in a much-needed deep breath of the clean oxygen.
"What the hell was that thing?"
I murmured to myself, spitting out some sand on my tongue. Was that a Sun-Cursed Worm? It was a bit smaller than I expected….
Just as I thought that, a shadow fell on my face, as something revealed itself from the ground. Slowly, my head titled upwards and took in the sight before me.
"A worm?"
I blurted out. It wasn't just any ordinary worm, however. Even though it had the structure of a worm, that was a bit too thick and slimy, the main thing that stood out was that this thing was massive. Along with the three horns protruding from the very top of it's head. The worm was easily 10 meters tall, towering over me, making me feel like some insignificant insect.
"So, these are the Sun-Cursed Worms…."
I murmured, a grin forming on my face. Just before the Sun-Cursed Worm could really attack me, I had already gotten up to my feet—activated both [The Zone] and [Probability Pryer].
As the Worm lunged towards me, it didn't manage to catch my movements. In a blur, I had somehow reached behind the Worm, with [The Cleave] raised high to my side.
The moment I lowered the onyx blade, the Worm split in half, being killed in an instant. Blood splattering on the sand, painting it a crimson that was absorbed by the dryness of the sand.
"Guess I have gotten a bit too strong lately."
Well, with my body not suffering from exhusation and injuries, back to full-shape with the innate spirit, I was indeed quite strong.
I murmured to myself, a bit proud. However, my attention was on something else entirely. When I killed the Sun-Cursed Worm, a rush of something entered my veins. A familier feeling. I knew that I had received an Abyssal Fragment. Or was it Fragments?
I quickly summoned the screen, ignoring as the sand began moving beneath me, proof that the Sun-Cursed Worms wasn't happy about one their comrades being so easily murdered.
Scrolling all the way down, I checked the Abyssal Fragments counter of mine, curious.
Abyssal Fragments: [224/1000]
'Ah, I see. So you get three Abyssal Fragments for each kill in the third level? This means the Sun-Cursed Worms is much stronger than the Bloodroot Stranglers…'
I'll have to be careful not to waste too much innate spirit.
Before long, from the ground, multiple Sun-Cursed Worms revealed themselves, their massive bodies casting a shadow over me, surrounding me, as I got into a fighting stance.
"Guess recess is over."