When playing the original game, Greg had naturally seen this giant broken stone pillar as well. Back then, however, he had viewed the dungeon merely as an efficient dungeon instance for farming experience points. He had been completely indifferent to environmental details, even assuming they were just background filler drawn up by lazy developers.
But now, standing before this ancient stone pillar in person and knowing of the existence of Outer Gods like the Mother of Depravity and the Mother of Fragmentation, Greg suddenly realized that this dungeon buried deep beneath the academy might harbor a dark and profound past—along with secrets—far beyond what was shown on the game's surface.
What kind of people... had once lived here?
What kind of upheaval had their civilization endured for it to end up like this?
Question after question surfaced uncontrollably in his mind.
Unearthing these secrets and piecing together lost history held an irresistible allure for any curious transmigrator.
But Greg quickly shook his head, forcibly suppressing these enticing thoughts.
He simply didn't have the spare energy or the right to explore the truth of this world right now.
Just surviving took everything he had.
Besides, even if he exhausted himself to uncover every tragedy, faith, and destruction that had occurred here hundreds or thousands of years ago... what good would it do?
Time couldn't turn back, and history was set in stone.
It would be nothing more than useless effort to satisfy his curiosity without yielding any practical benefits.
When his very survival remained an issue, pouring precious time and energy into such matters was undeniably unwise—stupid, even.
The top priority was to grow stronger and stay alive.
Everything else... could wait for later.
Re-anchoring his goal, Greg turned his gaze away from the stone pillar toward the deep, unknown abyss of the second layer's cavern.
"Stop staring. There's nothing special about it. Let's keep moving."
He spoke to Victoria and Silvia, who were still studying the markings, and took the lead, stepping forward into the darkness.
The exploration began.
The initial leg of their journey went smoothly.
The types of monsters appearing on the second layer were noticeably different from those on the first, with levels generally ranging between LV28 and LV35. More elemental variants appeared, alongside types that acted with greater stealth, specializing in ambushes or applying negative status effects.
Yet for the three-person party that had already gained experience on the first layer, handling them wasn't too difficult.
Victoria's role also fulfilled exactly what Greg had hoped for.
Her Demon-Breaking Sharpness Divine Protection proved remarkably effective against monsters with mana barriers or elemental resistances, often dealing damage far beyond expectations.
Combined with Silvia's precise, timely buffs and healing, as well as Greg pointing out monster weaknesses and movement patterns from time to time, her clearing efficiency was impressively high, advancing with unstoppable momentum.
"Haha! What's the big deal about the second layer? Seems like that's all there is to it!"
Victoria's gray eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at another Frost Lizard collapsing under her Flame Spear, her tone tinged with self-satisfaction.
"It's barely any stronger than those clumsy creatures upstairs!"
What pleased her even more was that after slaying these monsters, the drop rate for Basic Magic Gems seemed significantly higher than on the first layer.
Although she hadn't seen any mid-grade gems yet, she had picked up five or six small, translucent low-grade gems scattered along the way. This was far faster money than taking those tedious errand quests back at the academy!
Even Greg, watching from the side, felt a bit envious. Although he now had a guaranteed base of 2 Luck stat points in the dungeon, his drop rate for gems definitely couldn't match this level.
However, before Victoria could celebrate for long, the dungeon quickly served her a lesson.
In a side passage carpeted with slick moss, they encountered a weird-looking monster—a Phantom Prowler.
It lacked a fixed form, resembling a writhing cloud of dark gray mist that moved without a sound. Physical attacks and conventional elemental magic had minimal effect on it, passing through as if striking a mere phantom.
Its true method of attack was unleashing a Mental Screech, which directly impacted the target's consciousness, causing intense dizziness, Fear, and even temporary Mana Disorder.
This was a classic gimmick monster that ignored standard tactics and required a specific approach to deal with.
Victoria hurled several Fireballs and Wind Blades in succession, but all of them vanished like stones sinking into the ocean.
Instead, she was hit by the monster's Mental Screech, disrupting her casting rhythm and filling her head with throbbing pain, throwing her into disarray.
Silvia's light magic had a mild purification effect on it, but lacked sufficient damage to eliminate it quickly.
"Let me give you a hand!"
Seeing the situation unfold, Greg knew he couldn't keep watching from the sidelines.
He stepped forward, putting himself in front of the somewhat flustered Victoria.
With a single thought, pitch-black mana erupted from his hands like boiling ink, rapidly surging upward!
Buzz—!
Amidst a low hum of energy, a set of sinister black gauntlets and greaves formed from the deepest shadows covered Greg's arms and legs.
Ominous dark lines flowed across the surface of the arm armor, its fingertips sharp as talons, exuding a cold, uncanny aura.
Reaching out with his armored right hand, he made a clawing motion in midair toward the writhing cloud of the Phantom Prowler!
The dark patterns on the arm armor suddenly flared bright!
A powerful, invisible suction burst forth, targeting not a physical body, but the very essence that sustained the monster's existence!
"Giiish—!!!"
The previously silent Phantom Prowler shrieked in pain for the first time. Its mist-like form seemed to be squeezed by an invisible giant hand, twisting and contracting violently as its gray hue dimmed at a visible pace.
Within just two or three seconds, the troublesome monster completely dissipated into a final, anguished shriek, leaving behind only a small orb of refined energy that was absorbed by Greg's Dark-Erosion Armament.
At the same time, a notification prompt sounded in his mind.
[Killed Phantom Prowler. Acquired Mental Attack Resistance LV1]
Victoria stared blankly at Greg, then down at his arms, which were returning to their normal skin tone.
Although she had already known that Greg was connected to the lost deity, Nightmare the Goddess of Night, this was the first time she had witnessed him wielding such ominous power with her own eyes.
The strength and eerie nature of this power far surpassed conventional elemental magic, carrying a destructive force that struck directly at the core of things, sending a chill through her heart alongside... an indescribable sense of shock.
This guy really is amazing...
Having suffered this setback, the last trace of arrogance on Victoria's face completely vanished.
In the dungeon, as expected, one could never let their guard down.
"Hehehe, Little Gray, I just saved your skin again. Don't you think you owe me a little something?"
Greg walked up to Victoria with a smirking grin plastered across his face.
Although Victoria was deeply reluctant inside to say those words to Greg, if he hadn't stepped in just now, she might have genuinely been in trouble.
In the end, she pursed her lips and said, "Thank you."
Greg: "You're welcome. Just pay me in cash."
Victoria: "???"
Looking at the completely bewildered Victoria, Greg explained:
"Don't look at me like that. Think about what I've done for you. I brought you to such a dangerous place to level up, and I covered your back when things got dicey. Is it really too much to ask for a small convenience fee? Besides, didn't you just get a few gems to drop? Just split half of them with me."
Good grief, so that's what he was setting up all along!
When she had first picked up those gems earlier, she had felt Greg's burning gaze on her. But back then, she had assumed he was just envious and wouldn't flat-out rob her, so she hadn't paid it much mind.
What she never expected was that this bastard had been plotting against her ever since then.
What was worse, hearing him lay it out like that, she couldn't even find a way to directly refute him. Yet, as a miser, putting up with it once or twice was one thing; she certainly didn't want to keep handing over a portion of her hard-earned treasure to Greg forever.
So after mulling it over, Victoria put on a look of sorrow: "Greg, you've disappointed me so much. I thought we were friends!"
Hearing this, Greg immediately protested: "Friends? That's way too distant! We're clearly sisters, okay?"
Hearing that made Victoria even more confused. "If that's the case, then why are you still asking for my money?"
Greg: "Because friends can ignore small details, but even sisters must keep clear accounts."
Victoria: "..."
Now that Greg put it like that, what else was there for her to say?
She just had to hand it over.
Rate on N.U.
