Chapter 1018  Ten Seconds

In the midst of demonic corpses strewn across the ground, Arthur learned more about the spell-casting technique that Koby had used. After half an hour of wasted time, the rest could wait no longer for him to finish, so Joey had to intervene.

"This is not the best time to be researching something, Alexie," he implored with a sigh. "Can we move forward? We cannot afford to waste more time, or the monsters will grow stronger."

"I understand," said Arthur with a sigh, realizing that the timing wasn"t right for him to delve deeper into this captivating discovery. "Thank you for sharing this knowledge with me."

"There"s no need for thanks…" said Koby, sounding fl.u.s.tered as he hadn"t expected such grat.i.tude from someone who had annihilated an entire room of monsters with a single move. "People usually don"t respect spellcasters because casting spells takes a lot of time."

"Minor issues," said Arthur with a wave of his hand. "The diagram needs a little correction and simplification. It would be much faster if you didn"t rely on chance to strike the correct diagram."

"What do you mean?" asked Koby, sounding confused. Arthur thought for a moment before raising his hand towards some of the corpses on the ground. He attempted to draw the fire rune in his hand while muttering the incantation.

Mana stirred within him, following the pathways in his body that mirrored the shape of the rune. The five stared at him in bewilderment as his arm began to glow. Arthur suddenly grasped the purpose of the staff – it served as a conduit to manipulate power. However, he found that he didn"t actually need it.

"Fire," Arthur called out, and from his open palm erupted a torrent of flames, fierce and unrelenting. The flames danced with an almost sentient fervor, coiling and twisting into a focused conflagration that surged towards the impish remains. The once-lifeless bodies were enveloped in a cascade of fiery brilliance, the flames roaring with an intensity that seemed to defy their former states.

Arthur stood amidst the burning inferno. He was surprised by the immense power of the outcome, but he remembered the contributing factors. His mana was the root of creation, unlike normal spellcasters who had specific specialties. Moreover, the diagram he used was the original rune, making it the perfect form.

"…holy s.h.i.t," muttered Koby, still on the ground, his eyes glittering amidst the fiery h.e.l.l. "Is this the same diagram I used? It has to be, but how?"

"I corrected and simplified it. You take convoluted routes of mana to achieve a similar result, whereas the solution lies in the direct routes from your core," said Arthur with a smile. "I can teach you the correct form as a way to repay you for teaching me this technique."

"…that would be too much for just repayment," said Koby, sounding shocked. Arthur smiled and extracted a paper from his bag, proceeding to sketch a diagram on it. This one was distinct, appearing more streamlined. It almost resembled a character rather than a magical circle.

Rather than constructing an entire diagram within his body, Koby could channel mana according to the simplified diagram. Additionally, Arthur noticed that the initial section of the diagram was incorrect as it didn"t align with the natural course of creation.

"This is… too simple," said Koby, sounding both confused and a bit skeptical. "I doubt it would work, sir. It needs a bit more structure, or it might crumble inside my body."

"I acknowledge our differences in terms of mana pathways, but this is the most effective way to cast this spell," said Arthur with a knowing smile. "Creation is quite straightforward, Koby."

"…fine, I"ll give it a try," said Koby with a sigh. "Don"t expect too much, since I don"t possess your level of mana…"

The slender man positioned the diagram in front of him and endeavored to manipulate his mana using it. He chanted the ancient rune simultaneously while lifting his staff high into the air. Fire burst forth from the staff in a blazing sphere, startling the mage. He swung his staff forward, propelling the enormous sphere towards the imps.

Boom!

The sphere detonated upon contact with the corpses, reducing them to charcoal. The entire group fell silent, gazing at the unleashed devastation wrought by the thin man. This time, he didn"t even appear fatigued from the spell, unlike before.

"…from the first circle?" muttered Koby with shock as he stared at the diagram. "This has to be… a Pinnacle-Grade Spell…"

"You turned out to be strong, if given the right instructions," said Joey with a whistle as he stared at the destruction with a hand shielding his eyes. "If you are this strong, then it would help us a lot."

"Are you sure…" gulped Koby as he stared at Arthur while raising the diagram, "about giving me this diagram? It would cost a fortune, inside and outside the tower."

"Consider it an investment," said Arthur while patting the heavy armor covering his shoulder. "If you are stronger, we can clear this dungeon faster. You can fight in the vanguard now, Koby."

"…thank you," said the man in a low voice, his body shaking with grat.i.tude. Arthur saw him close his eyes tightly, as if holding back tears. Thus, he turned around and walked toward the room"s exit which has appeared after they defeated the imps.

As he expected, Koby started demolishing the enemies. The next room had two hundred demonic gremlins with horrifying large mouths. However, the fire mage now launched a sphere after the other, bombarding the enemies even before the sisters could release their bows.

Arthur did not have to do a thing this time, as the group finished off the demonic monsters in half an hour. However, he realized that the two killing the most among the group were Koby and Joey.

The twin sisters were precise and great support to the two fighters, since they provided protection against any monster the two missed. However, Arthur could tell that they were feeling down because of their kill count.

The reward points were doubled inside this demonic dungeon. This made Koby, who was growing to be a monster, quite pleased with himself. Of course, he would have to survive this place in order to use these points.

Arthur was under no obligation to help the twin sisters as he helped Koby. After all, the two offered nothing, while Koby shared his secrets with them. However, what bothered Arthur was the greed budding in their hearts as they stared at Koby.

Although the twin sisters were good people, anyone would get greedy when faced with free power-ups. Arthur did not hate them for it, but hoped it would not change them into someone else.

The third room had h.e.l.lhounds, large and ferocious dogs that could spit out h.e.l.lish flames from their mouths. There were only fifty appearing one after the other, but they proved to be more difficult than the ones before them.

In the middle of the fight, the second hour boosted the monsters, making them surround the group. Arthur had to intervene this time, killing ten of them with a single slash from his blade. The group managed to finish off the rest in an hour, but their stamina was running low.

"Can you help us… a little more?" asked Nixie with a sweaty face. She seemed to blame Arthur for almost dying earlier, even though he saved her. Arthur frowned, because he was actually helping them grow stronger instead of relying on him.

"I thought you would want the reward points," said Arthur with a shrug. "If that"s the case, you can rest a.s.sured about the next room. I will finish them off."

The rest were all tired, so none could object to his words. The moment they entered the next room, a hundred succubi appeared. An aroma drifted toward their nose, making the group dizzy as the demonic creatures laughed at them.

Arthur, however, walked forward with his blade in hand. The creatures surrounded him while giggling as their long hands reached to tear him apart. However, what they failed to realize was that Arthur did not fall victim to their illusion spells.

"G.o.dslayer Art, Light Seizer," muttered Arthur while standing in the middle. Lights disappeared from the giant room, and night descended. The group snapped out of their hazy dreams once the lights disappeared, only to see a flash of brilliant light.

Screams echoed in the light, and once they could see again, the succubi were evaporating under the extreme heat. Arthur was holding out his dagger, glowing in the light before returning to its black ember color. Then, Arthur turned toward them.

"You were right, Nixie," said Arthur with a slight smile. "You all would have died if I stayed put."

[You cleared the third room in ten seconds.]

The announcement was absurd, and the group was sure that even the tower found it baffling. However, the man before them seemed at ease as he allowed his dagger to disappear. Then, he walked into the next room, but everyone was too shocked to follow.