Chapter 144: The Second Stage

[Calculating Rewards based on Cla.s.ses, Skills, Spells, Familiars, and Miscellaneous factors.]

[Can Choose 1 of Each]

[Skills Available: Arcane Hand of Undeath, Living Storage, Void Seeking]

[Items Available: Black Hand, Arcane Fury, Belt of Void Seeking, Spatial-Expanding Stone, Primordial Rock]

[Bonus Skill: Soul Presence]

[Bonus Item: Necklace of Arcane Combat]

[Bonus for reaching 1,000 Points first during The Gathering.]

[Total Party Lives + 1]

Together!

Rainer was quickly brought out of his thoughts by Frederick. He looked around for the first time, noting that this was in fact not a rest area. The heat alone should have tipped him off.

He grouped together with everyone else, cursing himself as a jinx. He just had to prepare for a lack of a rest area with a nap didnt he?

[Beginning Stage 2]

[Lives Gained: +1]

[Victory Condition: Survive until only 50 parties are left. Victorious Parties will be teleported to rest area.]

[Defeat Condition: Death.]

But seeing the Victory Condition, he really should have paid attention to the fine print. It had clearly said next stage last time. Hadnt Earth taught him anything?

Death? Was that the loss of a single life, or would they be battered to death until 50 parties expended their lives and died a true death? He was betting the latter. A cruel reward for winning last round.

[4:51]

[Choose Fifteen Parties.]

[Four will enter your group.]

[1. ____ ]

[2. ____ ]

...

Rainer worked his jaw, glad he remembered FaiEtahs party name. [Natures Walkers] was an easy choice, though he feared they might be quite weak given their encounter. After a quick check with his party, he tried to pick Karas Fathers party, only for it to be denied.

[Parties must be chosen from a different Dungeon Entrance.]

He gritted his teeth, though he supposed that was a fair rule.

All he could do was, with Auroras help, pick at random and avoid the ones he and her remembered fighting.

Now that he thought about it, the team part wasnt any less cruel. What if at a certain point, a team decided to cannibalize, hoping it would be enough to let them get through to the next stage? A part of him had to admit he had underestimated this Dungeon due to the lives given.

[3:59]

As the timer counted down, Rainer got a look at the scenery around him. They stood on black obsidian, flanked by wide rivers of lava on both sides. Feeling the temperature, he blew some Arcane-Ice in the air. It was appreciated despite the funny looks for his s...o...b..ating

Without a moments pause, he went back to looking at the skills he had to choose from, noting the one he received for free.

[Soul Presence: Leverage the strength of ones Soul directly unto the world.]

Given the strength of his Soul, this wasnt something minor. Combined with [Devils Soul Language] that effect might be deadly on its own. That was even to Souls greater than his own. If it did enough to pin someone down - for even a moment - then combined with [Blade of the Void] it was beyond deadly.

He briefly admired the necklace he put on immediately, the strength given by it surging through his body. It was a simple black metal chain with violet runic patterns that he tucked under his s.h.i.+rt. The violet patterns on it reminded him of the black coat he wore.

[Necklace of Arcane Combat: A necklace of Arcane Enchantment. 1/3 of its wearers Arcane Attunement is added to Strength, Dexterity and Const.i.tution.]

Anything that helped him use his blades was welcome, even if he remembered that this enchantment didnt double with [Arcane Awakening]. And to his great relief, the Const.i.tution stacked with his overcoat. It was truly a powerful item. A look with [Arcane Revelation] showed complexity beyond his imagination. Just like his overcoat. It looked like Sarah wouldnt be simplifying this one anytime soon either.

Given this enchantments power, he had great hopes for [Soul Presence].

[Arcane Hand of Death: Through the power of Arcane-Death, instantly cast a known raise undead spell and use the power of your Soul to bind your targets.]

[Living Storage: A runic formation relating to the Soul that allows the storage of living ent.i.ties.]

[Void Seeking: Trace the pathways of the Void.]

Hed wait to choose the items, given that he didnt recognize one of them. And that the item description for [Primordial Rock]

had

to be mocking him.

[Primordial Rock: A Primordial Rock.]

Though he wondered if that was a trap. Given hed never pick that without the proper knowledge when this pair of boots was offered.

[Arcane Fury:Boots of Arcane Enchantment. Increases the effects of [Arcane Rage] and its evolutions by 10%.]

In other words, a flat 10% increase in his attributes. That was a hard thing to ignore. 10% more would have been the difference between a deep wound and an arm lost versus that 3rd Tier High Elf.

Getting the groups opinion would probably be best. Specifically Art and Auroras occasional pa.s.senger. Who else would know what a [Primordial Rock] was? But they seemed far too busy looking over their own rewards. Many of them were admiring the enchanted items they got. Hed scan those with [Arcane Revelation] later.

Rainer ran a hand through his hair as he thought over the skills. He wasnt looking for what was the most useful or what was the strongest, rather what was the hardest for him to accomplish on his own. What was something hed likely never come across or even have the slightest clue how to do?

[Living Storage] was an obvious one with that logic. It would also be a safer place for Luna and perhaps itd be easier for him to Void-walk elsewhere with pa.s.sengers this way. The memory of when he had his body dismembered as Francis was all too clear. Nothing too scary for him given his experiences, other than the fact that his pa.s.sengers, if he had any, would have died. Not to mention its description meant many things for the future.

[Arcane Hand of Undeath] seemed strong. If he were a necromancer and if Mana wasnt an issue. As the spells to raise someone did require a number of steps, he was deeply interested in how these were skipped, but if Cla.s.s Skills were any sign, its likely he wouldnt learn anything. [Void Insulation] came to mind. He understood why he got this skill offered though. Who but the greatest of necromancers could have an Undead like Gunthar as a Familiar? And no doubt these necromancers would have incredibly complicated rituals for raising stronger undead.

And [Void Seeking]. He had heard of a similar skill before. Talvara had mentioned it to him. And also that it was unique to her. But he never bought that kind of thing given his [Archon] cla.s.s. It seemed like an obvious choice but he would learn to better travel the Void on his own. It was pointless to travel it more efficiently if it meant anyone who he brought might be at risk.

He sighed, knowing he had to pick [Living Storage]. He Void-walked too often with Luna to pick anything else. Not to mention another spatial storage to put Arcane-Weaved Rituals wouldnt hurt and would be a large increase in survivability and power. Far more for his combat ability than [Void Seeking] would be.

In fact if he could double or triple the number of [Arcanum]s he could cast, he imagined hed already have surpa.s.sed his grandfather in a duel once again.

If these were only the first stage rewards, then what about the rest? While he knew nothing of a compet.i.tion dungeon other than what FaiEtah told him, he knew the rewards of regular ones increased exponentially.

[Skill Gained: Living Storage lvl 1/10]

Picking the skill, he felt his Soul change for a brief moment before the effect vanished. Looking inwards, he noticed something strange going around his Soul, as if it were another pool of energy. Hed leave testing and experimenting with it for later.

While Tian set up a general defensive spell in a wide area, Art didnt bother with his poison. The Temperature was too high for them to be maintained. At least with a reasonable cost.

As the timer finished, Rainer watched as four Parties suddenly appeared in his vision. There was FaiEtahs party and the [Natures Walkers] as expected. The third group was Human and Elven mixed, though some of the gun-looking weapons they carried bore investigation. A weird mix of advanced and old leather and plate armor was spread across their group.

They certainly werent from the same place as him. The last party he remembered them now. A group of one-eyed giants with a particularly talented Mage that managed to gather his group almost instantly.

[Giant, Male, Spatial Sage(2nd) lvl 24, Warper(2nd) lvl 24]

But in the third group, he recognized a tall armored man immediately. With his helmet currently off, Rainers eyes met with his. Somehow managing to both pale and redden simultaneously, it looked like the tall Human was stuck between charging at him and running in the other direction.

Eventually he looked away, and spoke with his group.

Greetings, Champion.

The Giant Mage came over to speak to Rainer, keeping a healthy distance and holding his hands over his chest. The nearly 14 foot tall race perhaps had a history of being attacked on sight. Or maybe on their planet they were the smaller ones, Rainer wondered.

Other than longer hair, and generally wider features, the Giant didnt look too different from a Human. If you ignored the giant eye in the center of his face.

For now, at least. Im Rainer Nvos, Rainer said, returning the Giants greeting. Oh, how he wished to visit their planet.

Yes, for now, the Giant gave a healthy grin before returning to his group, leaving Rainer confused.

Was that it?

The gathering of the parties had given them another 10 minute timer. Giving one last glance towards the third party, and the man he thought he killed, Rainer headed over to his own party. He spoke about who he just saw.

Other than a friendly greeting from FaiEtah and another from the swordswomen of the [Natures Walker], no one really spoke afterwards, silently waiting for the stage to begin.

Theyd have to watch their own backs.

Rainer shrugged and figured a friends.h.i.+p that came with a [Soul Mark] would be far easier to form in the heat of battle.

[00:00]

[Wave 1]

[60:00]

[Parties Remaining: 96]

Rainers eyes widened at the message, thinking of the only conclusion. A single party had wiped out their temporary allies. Whether that meant they also killed them numerous times to match their lives, he couldnt be sure.

He momentarily sighed. It was far more likely for four separate big groups to kill one of their own, rather than his first theory. Last stage grievances certainly existed.

The ground rumbled, and the rivers of lava on both sides of them shook. Slowly creeping out from below, hounds of fire creeped forward before charging at the group.

Rainer went forward, staring at the charging monsters and noting that they each had a soul. With a flick of his mind, [Soul Presence] descended on the leading beast. An invisible pressure covered the beasts Soul. It reeled as its Soul collapsed and then dissipated elsewhere under the far larger pressure and its body exploded in a fiery ball.

He blinked a few times, wondering what just happened. While there were select complicated curses with the language that could do so, he likely couldnt even kill an ordinary Human with just [Devils Soul Language]. Put them in a coma, sure, but not kill directly.

And while the monsters were quite weak, even by normal standards, and clearly just a start to this, it showed just what was possible with this skill.

Seeing the effect of these monsters dying, the melee combatants stood back for now. It wouldnt kill them, but defending against such an explosion was a waste of resources.

Rainer cast an [Arcane Bolt], fully ready for the second stage.