Chapter 305: Ironstorm Fortress (Part 1)

Kai walked through the outskirts of Mythal with Elden and Raze. All three had reached Level 70, and all three wanted the same thing.

Break past it.

Raze stretched his arms. "We’re all stuck at seventy."

Elden adjusted his glasses. "We’re not stuck."

"What’s the difference?"

"We simply haven’t gained enough experience to advance."

Raze stared at him. "That’s what stuck means."

Kai laughed. "He’s technically right."

Raze pointed at him. "You don’t get to say anything."

"Why?"

"You already reached seventy-one."

Kai shrugged. "Someone had to."

Elden sighed. "This conversation is already becoming unbearable."

Raze grinned. "Then let’s find a dungeon."

"Agreed," Kai said.

They kept walking, and the air ahead warped without warning.

"There," Kai said.

Raze looked over. "Another one?"

WHOOM!

A dungeon gate appeared between two ruined structures.

[B-Rank Dungeon Found.]

[B-Rank Dungeon: Ironstorm Fortress.]

Raze’s eyes lit up. "That sounds strong."

"Or unpleasant," Elden said.

"We’ll find out," Kai said, smiling.

They stepped through, and the dungeon revealed itself as an enormous fortress, black iron walls stretching into the distance, lightning constantly flashing overhead, massive bridges connecting floating sections of the structure.

Elden stopped near the entrance, examining his new staff, the Astral Convergence Staff, long and elegant, black metal wrapped around a floating silver crystal.

Raze leaned over. "So what does it actually do?"

"It improves spell construction."

"That’s it?"

Elden sighed. "Watch."

He raised the staff, and a magic circle formed. Then another. Then five more, all overlapping, each feeding into the next.

"Convergence."

The circles merged, and seven beams erupted simultaneously.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Seven distant monsters fell struck at exactly the same moment.

Raze’s expression shifted. "...Okay."

"That’s considerably faster than your old casting," Kai said.

"The staff allows multiple spell structures to be built together," Elden explained.

Kai understood immediately. Elden hadn’t just gained more destructive power. He’d gained efficiency.

"So complicated spells no longer require you to build every component separately."

"Correct."

Raze grinned. "You basically got smarter equipment."

"That’s not how equipment works."

"You know what I mean."

A few monsters charged, and Elden didn’t move, tapping the staff against the ground instead. A magic circle formed, then another, merging into a wall of crystal erupting from the stone. The monsters slammed straight into it.

BOOM!

He raised the staff again, and the wall reshaped into a row of spikes.

SHING!

The monsters were pierced clean through.

"That’s another function," he said, looking at the staff.

"You didn’t know?" Raze asked.

"I hadn’t tested it properly."

"Looks like we’re all still learning what these weapons can do," Kai said, smiling.

Elden formed several small floating crystals a moment later.

"What’s that?" Raze asked.

"Mana Anchors." He touched one, and a barrier snapped instantly to life. He touched another, and a spear of light fired. A third activated a binding spell.

"You’re storing spells," Kai said.

"Yes."

"And releasing them without recasting."

"It reduces the time between decisions and execution."

Raze whistled. "So you prepare a bunch beforehand."

"Exactly."

Kai smiled. That’s going to be dangerous in a real fight.

Raze finally stepped forward, drawing his own new weapon, the Ruinbreaker, an enormous greatsword, dark-red metal veined with silver cracks.

"That’s bigger than your old one," Kai said.

"Much." He swung.

WHOOM!

The air itself exploded outward, throwing several distant monsters backward.

"You didn’t hit them," Kai said, eyebrow raised.

Raze laughed. "I don’t need to." He swung again.

BOOOOOOM!

A massive pressure wave tore across the battlefield, scattering monsters in every direction.

"That’s excessive," Elden said.

"It’s perfect," Raze said, pleased.

He attacked a large Ironclad monster next, blocked with a resounding clang, and got knocked back. He grinned as the Ruinbreaker began glowing.

"It stored the impact," Kai said.

"Yep."

The monster attacked again, and Raze took the hit, more energy flooding the weapon, his grin widening. "The more force I put into it—" he swung, the stored energy exploding outward, "—the harder it hits."

The Ironclad launched through a nearby wall.

"That’s a good weapon for you," Kai said.

"Finally, someone understands."

Kai noticed Raze’s new armor next, the Berserker’s Aegis, seemingly built to strengthen under pressure. Raze deliberately let a monster strike him.

BOOM!

The armor flashed red.

"You’re testing it by letting yourself get hit?" Kai asked.

"Obviously." Another hit landed.

BOOM!

The glow brightened, his muscles visibly tensing. "It converts part of the impact into physical reinforcement."

"So you become stronger by getting hit," Elden said.

"Pretty much."

"That’s terrible."

"For everyone except me."

The next wave arrived, and Kai drew the Fractured Blade without activating his strongest emulations, letting Elden and Raze take point. A monster jumped Elden’s flank, and Kai dropped it with a single strike.

[Distortion Applied.]

[Drop Quality: Optimized.]

The materials scattered, and Kai gathered them by hand.

"You still get that every time?" Raze asked.

"Apparently."

"I wish my rewards were optimized," Elden said, sighing.

"Then you’ll have to find your own Distortion," Kai said, laughing.

More monsters emerged, and Kai deliberately stepped back.

"You’re not helping?" Raze asked.

"You two wanted to test your equipment."

"Exactly."

"Then don’t interfere," Elden added.

"I wasn’t planning to."

A group of Level 63 monsters surrounded Elden, and he didn’t panic, seven Mana Anchors already blooming around him. One released a barrier, another a binding field, another a spear of light, another a gravity well. He moved through the gaps between his own spells, staff glowing.

"Convergence."

The remaining constructs merged into a massive formation above the monsters, and it fired.

BOOOOOOM!

They vanished.

He lowered the staff. "Efficient."

"Show-off," Raze called over.

A massive Level 64 Fortress Guardian charged Raze in turn. He blocked one heavy strike, armor flaring. Another landed. Another. His grin grew wider with each impact, the Ruinbreaker glowing brighter.

"Come on," he muttered, taking one more hit before finally swinging.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The accumulated force exploded outward, and the Guardian went flying across the battlefield. He chased it down, one final strike finishing the job.

BOOM!

It collapsed. Raze planted the sword into the ground. "That was better."

Kai smiled, watching the drops from both fights settle across the platform.

[Distortion Applied.]

[Drop Quality: Optimized.]

He collected his own share by hand, and Raze eyed the pile.

"You’re getting spoiled."

"I’m not complaining."

"You shouldn’t," Elden agreed.

The dungeon shifted without warning, massive metal walls grinding into motion, lightning racing through the ground itself, bridges beginning to collapse in sequence.

"What’s happening?" Raze asked.

"The dungeon is changing," Elden said, studying the magic underlying it.

Kai pointed. "That bridge—" It collapsed.

"That one too," Raze said, watching another give way.

Elden raised his staff, Mana Anchors connecting into a solid arc of light.

"I can stabilize it."

"You can make bridges?" Raze asked, staring at the finished span.

"Apparently."

"Best staff ever."

Kai laughed, and they kept moving. A monster attacked from behind, and Elden’s barrier activated automatically before it could land. Raze cut it down. Kai handled another with a quick strike, no words exchanged, no plan discussed, three people who’d simply fought together too long to need either.

Kai noticed it as they went: Tiamat’s fight had pushed all of them past their limits, and it was still paying off weeks later. Elden was faster. Raze was stronger.

Kai didn’t need to carry every fight anymore, and that felt like its own kind of progress.

They reached an enormous iron gate eventually.

"We’re around halfway," Kai said, checking the map.

"Only halfway?" Raze asked.

"That’s usually how half works," Elden said.

Raze glared at him. "You know what I mean."

Kai laughed, and then—

BOOM.

The gate shook. Everyone went quiet.

BOOM.

The whole structure trembled.

Elden raised his staff. Raze gripped the Ruinbreaker tight. Kai drew the Fractured Blade.

"That presence is stronger," Tiamat said quietly.

His eyes narrowed. "How much stronger?"

A brief pause. "Enough that your friends should stop joking."

Kai’s expression sobered, and he looked at Elden and Raze. "Something strong is waiting ahead."

Raze grinned. "Good."

"Of course that’s your response," Elden sighed.

Kai smiled. "Let’s see what it is."

The enormous gate began to open, darkness waiting beyond it, something enormous shifting inside.

BOOM.

The gate shook again.

Kai tightened his grip on the Fractured Blade.

We’re only halfway through.