Chapter 72: Booted in the Ass for Demanding Five More Minutes!

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Booted in the Ass for Demanding Five More Minutes!

[Lucien Dracul Aethernis]

[Race: Vampire]

[Age: 18]

[Bloodline: Crimson Origin Bloodline (Mythical)]

[Talent: Sanguine Genesis Crucible (Divine)]

[Cultivation Rank: C (Peak)]

[Stats: —]

[ Strength: 515

Agility: 550

Constitution: 525 → 577

Intelligence: 520 → 545

Vitality: 600

Mana: 555 / 555

Blood: 999 / 999 ]

[Traits:<anno data-annotation-id="4428adc4-fd9d-4210-9bf1-202385c7da1c" data-title="<strong>&lt;em&gt;]&lt;/em&gt;</strong>">]¹</anno>

[Skills:]

[Mana Vision (Epic) (50 mana/use), Phantom Veil (Epic) (5+ mana/ hour), Appraisal Skill (Rare) (100 mana/use), Mana Shield Skill (Uncommon), Mana Sense (Rare) (10 mana/use)]

[Cultivation Progress: 7 months]

[Technique Comprehension: 2 days ]

Lucien pulled up his updated status screen, checking his ridiculous amount of traits along with the increase in his constitution and intelligence, as most of the newly acquired traits belonged to those categories.

Next he saw the amount of Cultivation Progress and Technique Comprehension he had remaining, his heart aching at the latter.

’Should’ve made more meals for the girls, maybe I’d have gotten more of both, but they’ve been rewarded less and less these days, or maybe I need to invest better things into them.’

’Should I use some of the Cultivation Progress now?’ He thought.

’Or should I save it for when we’re in a lower floor, and when the mana density is higher, it should affect the overall Cultivation speed, and along with a ton of mana crystals and the new Mana Conductive Body, it should be way faster than before.’

’Though I don’t by how much, considering my mana Affinity might have changed from before, wonder if I can use Appraisal on myself to view more things?’ He thought and tried it out, using Appraisal while looking down at his arm.

[Ding!]

[Appraisal Skill Activated]

[Mana: - 100]

[Target: Lucien D. Aethernis]

Everything it showed was the exact same as what the system status originally showed, bit as he looked down further he finally saw what he wondered.

[Mana Affinity: D]

’Huh, it actually improved, though why is it only D Rank?’

’What the hell do I even need for S Rank or higher Affinity, I literally have a Mythical bloodline and Divine Talent, shouldn’t it be way higher, like what the actual hell?’

’Fuck, now I’m certain something is wrong, either with me or something related to me.’ He thought in frustration, but cooled down after a few seconds.

’Doesn’t matter, I’ll find a way to increase it, whether by traits or system given rewards, no way this will hold me back from power leveling, all I got to do is invest some items related to Mana Affinity into the girl’s and get the multiplied rewards.’

"Now getting back on track, I think it’s better to leave the Cultivation for the lower floors, considering it will be more faster and efficient to cultivate there than here, no wonder my rank was increasing so slow even after injecting months, maybe even a year or two into it." He decided before checking the time on his phone, seeing that around 1 and a half hours had passed.

He got up, deactivated the Concealment, and returned back to the campsite, seeing Kael sleeping like a log, all four arms splayed around him and his lower body half in a sleeping bag, Rika was already there, looking at the map she had with Vex as they planned and reviewed the routes they would take down.

"Done Cultivating?" Rikas asked.

"Yeah, figured the lower floors would be better, so no point in staying here longer." Lucien said.

"Hmm, you’re probably right seeing as the mana gets denser the lower we go." Vex nodded and agreed.

Zalor appeared a few inches later, sensing that everyone was at the camp.

"Okay then," Rika called. "Time to get a move on."

She then moved to where Kael was passed out and tried getting him up, but Kael only covered himself more.

Kael groaned from inside his bedroll. "Five more minutes."

"We’re moving, I you don’t get up were leaving you here to get sucked dry hy the bats."

"We’re in a dungeon, that’s why I need more sleep, can’t be tired while we fight."

"You already slept three hours, one hour more than what we planned." Zalor said.

"A warrior needs his strength, as much as he needs his meat too."

"You spent most of day complaining about being hungry, if not about the slimes and bats being to easy to fight." Vex pointed out.

"Hunger is exhausting."

Lucien shook his head. "I’m starting to understand why Rika hits you."

"Thank you," Rika said, kicking Kael’s ass as he turned around to go back to sleep.

Kael sat up at last after being booted by Rika and a bit wounded. "...Why is everyone against me?"

"Pft." Zaor failed to hold back his laugh.

They broke camp efficiently afterward, the concealment array deactivated and store away, detection crystal packed, mana lanterns dimmed and stowed. Everything g pit back into the storage rings and pouches.

Rika checked her map one last time. "Staircase to Floor Three’s ahead."

Everyone ran final equipment checks. Kael tested his grip on the greatsword, Vex plucked his bowstring twice, Zalor flipped both daggers once, catching them clean.

Lucien spun one of his linked scythes, the chain making a soft metallic hiss.

"You really like those things, don’t you?" Kael said.

"They’re growing on me."

"Hopefully not literally," Zalor said.

"Give it time, and maybe they will."

"Really?"

After checking everything and packing the camp they got a move on, heading to the third floor’s stairs ahead of them, after a few minutes of walking, they reached the stairs. Rika paused. "Ready?"

Nods all around.

They descended, and the moment Lucien’s boot touched the third floor last.

WHOOSH.

The staircase dissolved behind them.

Kael turned around. "...There it goes again."

"You knew that would happen."

"Knowing doesn’t make it less disturbing."

Lucien looked around, and his easy expression shifted, seeing the floors layout.

They weren’t in a cavern anymore.

An enormous forest stretched in every direction, trees towering hundreds of meters up, black bark threaded with crimson veins like something still circulating beneath the surface.

Deep red leaves hung overhead, some weeping thin trails of dark sap. Massive roots coiled across the forest floor, thick as tree trunks themselves, half-buried in crimson moss.

Mist curled between the trunks, and the whole place seemed to pulse faintly, subtly, like the forest itself was alive and breathing.

"Welcome to Floor Three," Rika said.

Kael looked up, genuinely impressed. "Okay. This is actually pretty."

"That’s what you’re worried about?" Vex asked.

"I’m trying to stay positive."

Zalor eyed the canopy warily. "I’d rather be back with the bats."

"You said the bats were creepy."

"They were."

"And now you want them?"

"At least bats don’t have trees to hide in, we could spot them even in the darkness of the second floor."

"I’m pretty sure the trees aren’t the only problem here," Lucien said.

Everyone went quiet.

He glanced at the roots which looked like they were twisting across the ground.

"...Probably."

Rika unfolded the map as she explained this floor’s environment and beast. "Crimsonroot Forest, as officially named by the guild, it’s a massive ecosystem, visibility’s bad, terrain’s difficult. Monsters here run stronger than the first two floors mostly Mid C-Rank, a few High C reported."

"Though that isn’t the biggest issue here."

"Then what’s the actual danger here?" Lucien asked.

Rika looked into the trees. "The forest itself, the monsters and beasts that live here use the terrain to their advantage for hunting."

’Sounds ominous,’ Lucien thought. ’Hopefully, there’s no monkey like monsters or beasts, ptherwise it will be another kind of challenge, fighting in the trees, though I guess Wallgrip would show its powers here.’

"The dominant species here are Crimsonfang Hounds," she continued. "They ambush predators, they have padded feet, making their movements near-silent and difficult to spot as they blend into the trees and bushes, they’re also pack hunters."

"Yay, more wolves," Kael sighed, already having enough wolves from the Ironfang break incident.

"Not wolves," Rika corrected. "Hounds."

"Still sounds like wolves."

"Everything sounds like wolves to you."

"Because there HAVE been too many wolves lately."

<annotations style="display: none;">check the aux Chapter for the full list.</annotations>