-----
Opening the treasure chest revealed quite an interesting haul. Inside lay a pile of gold and silver coins—roughly twenty gold and fifty silver, a substantial fortune once we found merchants willing to trade for them.
There were also several small spirit crystals in various colors, all single-element and about the size of my palm. Each one could enchant weapons with powerful elemental effects.
Finally, there was a piece of equipment: a beautiful bracelet woven from vines and adorned with a single small red flower.
"This has to be the Rafflesia Bracelet," I explained. "It boosts Vitality and Health regeneration by around 30%. It also passively recovers 0.5% of your HP every second and grants a minor Nature Elemental Affinity, so you can start learning Nature Spells."
"Sounds really convenient…!" Ylva said. "But it should probably go to our tank, right? Also, what's HP?"
"I mean health points—er, well, you know, healing wounds and staying alive," I said. I sometimes forgot they didn't know all the game-like terms.
"It should go to you, Brunhild," Ivar offered.
"I wouldn't mind taking it," Veldr added with a smile.
"Nah, you take it, Ivar," I insisted. "Nature Magic sounds exciting, but I already have a Skill for that. You're our tank—you need it the most."
"A-Ah…" Ivar accepted the bracelet hesitantly. "But doesn't it look kind of… girly?"
"Hahah! Don't worry about that—it's not ugly or overly feminine; it's just plants," I said. "Come on, put it on."
"…Thanks," Ivar murmured. He slipped it on and immediately felt the difference. "Oh… it really makes me feel revitalized. This is amazing."
"Nice! It looks good on you, Ivar!" Ylva nodded enthusiastically.
Ivar scratched the back of his head shyly with his large fingers and glanced away, prompting Veldr to click his tongue in mild annoyance. "Well, if we've got time to stand around chatting, we've got time to hunt and mine more. Once night falls, I hope I get something good too—or this whole trip will have been worthless."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you get something that suits your build," I promised. "Let's move. I think I know a route from here to an area with more monsters and the second boss."
With Fenrir guiding us and Huginn scouting ahead to help me map the layout, we quickly reached several more spirit crystals and mined them out.
We also encountered two additional Mercury Slimes, but this time we were far better prepared. Using the same strategy as before, we dispatched them in moments.
Less than an hour later, we descended into the second stratum of the dungeon's three layers. The forest grew larger and denser, now filled with glowing crystals and mushrooms everywhere.
"Wow, it's completely different here," Ylva remarked. "The air feels humid and heavy."
"Yeah, way more mushrooms than before," Veldr observed.
"Why is that?" Ivar asked.
"These giant shrooms are a symbiotic species," I explained, patting one. "They absorb spirit energy and produce nutrients for the trees in return. They're also poisonous—but if you purify them with holy magic, they're surprisingly delicious and perfectly edible. So let's cut a few!"
The mushrooms were as tall as trees and far from soft; we had to hack away with our axes until they toppled one by one. I stored them in my inventory.
With Purifying Magic, they could become an excellent protein source for the entire village, so we ended up taking about twenty. Yes, we got a little greedy, but they grew back fast—the labyrinth wouldn't suffer for it.
"Gyogyogyogyooo…"
Our first monster encounter in this stratum wasn't moles anymore, but bizarre creatures that made even stranger noises: Myconids, mushroom monsters. They stood three to four meters tall, with huge red eyes and massive jaws lined with razor-sharp teeth.
They moved slowly but constantly exhaled poisonous gases and parasitic spores from their mouths to weaken prey over time.
When their victims died, the Myconids didn't eat them—they simply let spores bloom from the corpses, birthing new Myconids.
With Ylva present, poison wasn't a major concern.
Still, we activated Holy Barrier without hesitation, shielding ourselves from their toxic breath.
The group we faced consisted of five Myconids—they always traveled in packs of three to five, patrolling the labyrinth like guards.
And guards they were, part of a larger colony.
"Gyogyooock?!"
CRASH!
Their bodies were surprisingly soft. A single smash from my hammer-shaped divine weapon flattened them completely, killing them instantly.
They were Tier 3 monsters; their real danger came from poison. Once you overcame that…
CRASH!
CRASH!
CRASH!
CRASH!
…hitting their caps hard enough was all it took.
"Wow, these things are weak! What the—cough, cough—Agh! My throat burns!" Veldr shouted.
"Yeah, yeah," Ylva said quickly, healing him. "Better?"
"T-Thanks," he sighed in relief.
"We should probably wear something to protect ourselves from the poison," I said, rubbing my chin. "It's not fair to rely on Ylva constantly… Ah, Ivar, can I borrow your bracelet for a second?"
"Sure…" He handed it over.
Once I equipped it, I channeled mana to conjure vines and leaves, combining them with my Verdant Manifestation Skill to craft living-plant gas masks.
It drained all my mana, but it regenerated quickly anyway.
"Wow, what are these? They're so pretty!" Ylva exclaimed.
"Gas masks," I explained.
I used semi-transparent flower petals for the eye openings. They looked bizarre—especially when we all wore them—but they blocked poison and spores effectively.
With the masks, poison became irrelevant. Whenever we spotted a group of Myconids, we charged straight in and smashed them instantly.
We continued like this for another hour, clearing four more groups before finally reaching the Second Boss Gate.
But a colony awaited us.
Dozens of Myconids stood everywhere—some motionless, silently watching. At the center, right in front of the boss door, loomed the largest: the queen, constantly nurturing spores to birth new Myconids.
"GYOOOOHHHH!"
The Myconid Queen was markedly different. Her body was incredibly bouncy, rendering most physical attacks useless.
She also wielded psychic powers, projecting a telekinetic barrier around herself and the ability to lift and hurl people.
She was undeniably a Tier 4 mid-boss. Some forum discussions even claimed she was stronger than the actual second boss—and I tended to agree. For a random encounter in the labyrinth, she felt disproportionately powerful.
"Woah?!"
"What is this invisible force?!"
"Nnngh!"
Ylva, Veldr, and Ivar all felt the telekinetic pressure. I stepped forward, reminding them of my earlier explanation.
"Remember—I told you she has an invisible power called telekinesis," I said, resisting the force. "I'll take her on. Clear the rest and don't let them interfere!"
"Are you sure?" Ylva asked. "We can help!"
"Nah, I want to test how tough I really am," I replied, advancing.
"GYOOOHHHH!"
Infuriated by my confidence, the Myconid Queen shrieked and hissed, slamming me downward with telekinetic force.
CRASH!
Or tried to. The wooden floor splintered beneath me, but my body held firm. My muscles flexed and adapted to the crushing weight.
I activated Mana Aura to boost my capabilities, then Mana Reinforcement for durability, and finally cloaked myself in blazing red energy—War Spirit Aura Embodiment—until a towering figure of red spirit energy manifested behind me.
Step by step, I closed the distance. She groaned, conjuring more telekinetic barriers, but I infused my fists with my Divine Weapon, transforming them into gauntlets and shattering each one with raw power.
The barriers fractured like glass and vanished. With every step, her panicked eyes grew wider.
And now…
"Burning Dragon Soul Style."
"First Form – Dragon Soul Flame."
An ability I had awakened during the fight with the Lizardman Leader, inherited from my ancestor. Activating it caused part of my soul to emerge and envelop my body, dramatically enhancing my strength.
It also infused my entire aura with the raw potency of dragon flames. I channeled those flames into my fists as my Divine Weapon reverted to its default axe form.
"Can you take this, Myconid Queen?!"
"GRYYYYY!"
She unleashed a furious scream. Her telekinetic power grew so dense it constantly tried to crush my bones and obliterate my body.
But she couldn't.
I was simply too damn tough.
"I thought so."
"Charge Attack!"
BOOOM!
Charge Attack, War Spirit Aura Embodiment, and Burning Cleave combined into a lethal strike that smashed her body into fragments, exploding her into white goop in an instant.
"Hoh, she was really weak once you bypass her damage resistance," I said with a satisfied smile, glancing around.
In Barbarian Conquest I could never have beaten her this easily. Right now, though, I was just… too strong. I was literally cheating, after all—so this felt only natural.
"Amazing, Brunhild—you killed her already!" Ylva exclaimed.
"Yeah, she wasn't that hard," I nodded. "Let me help you finish the rest…!"
I rejoined the party and quickly cleared the remaining Myconids. The experience gained from the entire fight was immensely rewarding.
Ding!
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[You have reached Level 71/130. Stat Points have been allocated; you gained 6 Free Stat Points.]
[Your Skill: [Divine War Demigoddess' Weapon – Tier 4: Level 1/10] has Leveled Up!]
[Your Skill: [Mana Aura – Tier 1: Level 7/10] has Leveled Up!]
[Your Skill: [Mana Reinforcement – Tier 1: Level 7/10] has Leveled Up!]
[Your Skill: [Weapon Talent: Axe – Tier 1: Level 5/10] has Leveled Up!]
[Your Skill: [War Spirit Aura Embodiment – Tier 1: Level 6/10] has Leveled Up!]
[Your Skill: [Fireball – Tier 1: Level 3/10] has Leveled Up!]
[Your Skill: [Healing Light – Tier 1: Level 2/10] has Leveled Up!]
[Your Skill: [Holy Barrier – Tier 1: Level 2/10] has Leveled Up!]
[Your Skill: [Charge Attack – Tier 1: Level 4/10] has Leveled Up!]
[Your Skill: [Mana Manipulation – Tier 1: Level 10/10] has already reached Max Level and can now Rank Up and Evolve.]
[Rank Up Requirements]
[Ten Tier 2 Monster Cores]: [10/10]
[Five Spirit Crystals]: [5/5]
[Five Man Crystals]: [5/5]
[Do you wish to Evolve the Tier 1 Skill?]
[Yes] [No]
I already had everything needed in my inventory, so I selected Yes without hesitation. The items were consumed, and the skill swiftly evolved into a superior form.
Ding!
[Congratulations! The Skill: [Mana Manipulation – Tier 1: Level 10/10] has evolved to [Mana Mastery – Tier 2: Level 1/10]!]
"Mana Mastery?! Already?"
Normally it was a Tier 4 Skill—why had my basic Mana Manipulation evolved into Mana Mastery at only Tier 2?
Intriguing, but I didn't dwell on it.
"Brunhild? Your aura changed suddenly," Ylva noted. "Your mana felt wild and uncontrollable before, but now… it seems calm and tranquil."
"Ah, that must be the new Skill—Mana Mastery," I explained.
"Oh, you have it too?! Incredible!" she said.
"Ah, I guess I'm not so unique anymore…" I muttered. "Ahem, anyway… are we all ready?"
"I guess we should finish this one," Veldr said. "I don't know what time it is outside, but night's probably coming soon."
"I agree," Ivar added. "The boss is… well, you already explained."
"Yeah. Like before, this one has clear weaknesses and patterns, so let's stay careful. I'll take point—you follow my lead."
I kicked open the door and stepped forward, layering every skill effect I could to reinforce my body to its absolute limits.
Because the creature confined here was a fighter through and through…
"GRRR…!"
"Hey."
A pair of golden eyes glared at me as sharp fangs growled and clenched in fury. A floating fireball illuminated the chamber, revealing the monster's form.
A Forest Wyvern—a dragon-like creature with strong Nature affinity—stood over four meters tall, glaring at us and inexplicably drooling.
"Ya hungry? Come eat this piece of beef. I'm tender, I promise."
"GROOOAARRR!"
My taunt was more than enough. The beast lunged, massive jaws snapping toward me.
-----
Author's Note:
Hello and thank you for reading so far! I am the author PancakesWitch and wanted to say that this is a novel I'm writing with a lot of love. I will publish 5 chapters a week, or sometimes 4.
There will always be an additional chapter on Patreon though, and you can also join it right now to get +21 Advanced Chapters for only $10! The number will keep increasing every week as well!
https://www.patreon.com/pancakeswitch