Just before the Elevator doors opened with a hum, Luca had taken the opportunity to view his status.
Name; Lucamir Elaric.
Archetype; Undefined.
Ego Rank; Unranked.
Ego Core; Dust White (36.1%)
Ego Synchrony; 80%
Ego Manifestation; 10%.
Null Resistance; 100%.
Titles; None.
Bloodline; None.
Traits; None.
Talents; Identification Talent[D- Mastery(4%)].
Ego weapons; Longsword[D- Mastery(12%)].
Ego Accessories; None.
Bonds; None.
A subtle smile formed on his lips as he read through, and his expression froze at a certain index.
'Ego Synchronisation, 80%?'
Luca arched his brow in curiosity.
'That doesn't make sense, the forums say that the highest Ego Synchronisation recorded to man is 70% and that is by a known Convergent powerhouse.'
Ego Synchronization was a necessity when growing through the ranks. Not only did it push fast growth, but it also deepened the bonds between Egoists and their Archetypes.
An 80% at just Trancer level wasn't just absurd… it was abysmal. If the world were to know of this, Luca was certain he would be captured to find out why.
'They say it's humanly impossible to reach a hundred, but here I am, twenty more per cent and I'll be right there.'
He shook the thought away.
It wasn't often, but he also read on Egoists whose starting synchrony as Trancers was higher than their actual synchrony as Egoists.
He had reflected that this was just the Trance balancing things.
His attention left it altogether to his White Core.
'It increased by around three or four per cent. Not bad, seeing as Null Spawns drop terrible growth percentiles.'
A Null Spawn starting from grade 1 dropped 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5% rise in Ego Core, while Mild Ranked Null Buds dropped 0.5% and above.
Another reason why Egoists call Null Spawns the bottom of the food chain.
At that moment, the elevator chimed and the door opened once more. Revealing its secrets for all to see.
Well, Luca, specifically.
This time, the young boy wasn't surrounded by a prepared onslaught of Null Spawns.
Perhaps because their intelligence was much more than the Grade 2s, the Grade 3s tend to be a bit more cautious.
'Of course, it's just a guess. After all, five floors means five levels– five grades.'
It was a reasonable conclusion and he was sort of satisfied with it.
Luca shook his head and his thoughts and took his next step to the third floor.
[THIRD FLOOR DUNGEON]
[0/15]
Luca looked around slowly and froze on the spot as his golden gaze locked onto a pair of crimson– blood-soaked ones.
It was evidently a Null Spawn, but what variant, he wasn't certain of until his information talent clicked.
[NULL SPAWN- GRADE 3]
'That confirms it.'
The higher the floor, the higher the grade.
Luca flexed his muscles and extended his sword.
He kicked the air and blasted forward.
Immediately, the room hummed with movement. The flickering lights sparked on and revealed a Null Spawn that charged at him at breaking speed.
Its maw hung open as a guttural screech escaped its throat.
In the middle of the Third floor, Luca's blade collided with the creature's arms and a low metal ring echoed.
The air shifted and the ground caved slightly.
Luca bit his lower lip as his arms were flung to the side. The recoil had been too much, but fortunately, so were the Null Spawn's arms.
Or so he thought.
The creature's throat bopped as a cackle escaped its torn lips. A pair of arms protruded from its side. Corrupted flesh reinforced with compact bones that swung from the sides towards Luca.
His gaze flared. '4 arms?!'
Grade 3 was different from Grade 2 in the sense that they were twice as strong and faster than the latter. Both possessed physical deformities or adaptations, but the Grade 3s could influence the physical nature of their environment.
Creating an extra pair of hands was quite common for them.
Luca's skull rang with danger as he propelled Ego downward to his feet.
An electric pulse hummed and his form blurred upwards to the ceiling. He smashed into it, choking slowly from the pain he caused himself.
The Null Spawn's arms carved the air he had occupied a moment ago, but Luca knew he wasn't out of the woods yet.
The ceiling shook. Erratic movements took precedence as he looked up to find a spawn rushing towards him, upside down, crawling over the wall.
'You've got to be kidding me.'
He glanced at his sword, then threw it.
'don't need it!'
He forced his fingers into the ceiling and clawed them until they formed an anchor. Then he moved backwards. Retreating from the danger ahead.
The Null Spawn was relentless.
Its voice echoed as its speed increased. Covering the distance with ease and smashing its claws at Luca's former position.
Each strike was an inch away. A staggering bash that sent cement and rocks to fall from the ceiling.
Luca suddenly dangled back, dodging another bash, and swung his feet. He smashed into the creature's trunk and pushed it against the ceiling.
The force shifted and an explosion of sound tore through the air.
Cement and rock debris poured like sand as it cried out in protest.
Ego blasted out of Luca's leg, further pushing the creature into the ceiling while it squirmed in anguish.
Just then, the sounds of approaching danger rattled in Luca's ears.
He looked up. Or rather down, since he was now facing upside down.
The scene of a flying Spawn and another that was air jumping its way towards him was not an amusing sight. 'And there are fifteen of them?'
He jumped off the wall, preparing to land when two Spawns came into view.
Their wet fists fuming through the air towards him.
'Shit.' It connected.
Luca felt his bones shake as a terrible pain exploded from his abdomen like a ticking bomb.
He gasped terribly, visibly retching without any content forcing its way out. Just saliva.
Luca was sent railing back into the ceiling with a loud thud. The entire building shook from the force and his brain somersaulted.
Everything went off all at once, when the flying Spawn screeched and grabbed him by his coat.
It flew through the room before flinging Luca at a wall.
The boy smashed through it. Collapsing on the door with sand and rocks. His brain clicked.
Ego surged and five were already upon him.
'Give me a break.' Luca had not even sat up by the time they were upon him and by his calculation, sitting up would only force him defenceless.
Instead, he let them approach.
Then…
His ego surged like a tide.
A torrent that warped around him in a cloak. Then jets of long spikes projected out in a flash.
The creatures were caught in it.
Fifteen long spikes protruded from their bodies as they flinched erratically. Black blood pooled beneath their dying bodies.
Luca finally sat up with a sigh.
'Look what you've made me do.'
His chest felt heavy with satisfaction.
It seemed they were beasts no matter how much they adapted, despite having higher intelligence than the lower Grades.
If not, wouldn't the Trance have adapted to this same move?
Then again, there was no certainty that it would work with higher grades.
Luca quickly stood up and spread his fingers out, forming a blade out of Ego.
He sliced through the air in one fluid motion, and their necks gave out.
Heads jumped into the air while black blood siphoned out in a jet spray.
Bathing Luca even more as he stepped out of their enclosure.
The rest were caving in, regardless of what he had done to their peers.
'I guess there's no hive mind here.'
He had observed as much as he could… and while it had not completely clicked yet, some of it did.
For once, he was certain that they moved out of pure instincts and not strategy. Therefore they weren't as organised as the Grade 2s.
'even finding one of those hive minds is difficult… perhaps I was just unlucky there.'
While the Grade 3s were indeed twice as strong as the Grade 2s, when he compared them to himself, he concluded that they were only slightly weaker than him in strength.
If he wanted to fight, then he would need to study their structure more quickly and decipher a precise method of taking them down.
With the spikes, he had sent them specifically to their limbs to hold them down, then he finished it off with his Ego blade.
As for the others… time would tell.
In that moment, ten pairs of eyes glared at him from different rooms. Their bloodlust was evident as they began to make their way towards him.
Luca breathed in and relaxed his muscles.
Ego surged.
This was his only true weapon.
This energy that had come to him by accident… and without it, would he have truly made it to this extent?
Luca didn't bother to think about it.
Circumstances happen… and through it all, how you make use of those circumstances is what counts as important.
Failure now, would be a stain on his progress.
He dashed forward, his intent blazing all around him.
Group battle would be a hassle.
'Take care of them one by one.'
And so he kicked off to his first target.