When playing the original game, Greg had naturally seen this massive, broken stone pillar before. At the time, however, he had only viewed the dungeon as an efficient stage for grinding experience. He hadn't cared about environmental details, even thinking they were just lazy background assets filled in by the development team.
But now, standing before this ancient 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, likely hid a past and secrets far darker and more profound than the game had ever presented on the surface.
What kind of people once lived here?
What kind of catastrophe did their civilization endure to end up in this state?
Question after question bubbled up uncontrollably.
Digging up these secrets and piecing together lost history held an irresistible allure for any curious transmigrator.
However, Greg quickly shook his head, forcibly suppressing these tempting thoughts.
He currently lacked the surplus energy and the right to explore the truth of this world.
He was already doing everything he could just to survive.
Besides, even if he spent all his effort investigating every tragedy, faith, and instance of destruction that occurred here thousands of years ago... what would it matter?
Time could not be reversed; history was already set in stone.
It was purely an exercise in satisfying curiosity—a useless endeavor that brought no practical gain.
With his own survival still in question, investing precious time and energy into such things was undoubtedly unwise, perhaps even foolish.
The urgent priority was to get stronger and then stay alive.
Everything else... could wait for later.
Greg reaffirmed his goals. He shifted his gaze from the stone pillar toward the deep, unknown reaches 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 patterns, and took the lead, heading into the darkness.
The exploration began.
The initial journey was quite smooth.
The types of monsters appearing on the second layer were noticeably different from those on the first. Their levels generally ranged between LV28 and LV35, with more elemental variants and types that were more cunning, specializing in ambushes or inflicting negative status effects.
However, for a three-person party that already had experience with the first layer, dealing with them wasn't too difficult.
Victoria's role was also achieving exactly what Greg had intended.
Her 【Demon-Breaking Sharpness】 Divine Protection was remarkably effective against monsters with mana shields or elemental resistances, often dealing damage far beyond expectations.
Coupled with Silvia's precise and timely buffs and healing, along with Greg's occasional pointers on weaknesses or behavioral patterns, her efficiency in clearing monsters was quite high. They pushed forward with unstoppable momentum.
"Haha! This is the second layer? It's only at this level!"
Excitement gleamed in Victoria's gray eyes as she looked at another Frost Lizard falling to her 【Flame Spear】, her tone tinged with pride.
"They aren't much stronger than those clumsy guys upstairs!"
What made her even happier was that the drop rate for Basic Magic Gems seemed significantly higher than on the first layer.
Although she hadn't seen any mid-tier gems yet, she had picked up five or six small, crystalline low-tier gems here and there. This was way faster money than taking those tedious errand quests at the academy!
Even Greg, watching from the side, felt a bit envious. Although he now had a guaranteed 2 points in his Luck stat while in the dungeon, his gem drop rate definitely didn't reach that level.
However, Victoria's joy didn't last long; the dungeon's education arrived quickly.
In a side passage covered in slimy moss, they encountered a strangely shaped monster—a Phantom Prowler.
It had no fixed form, appearing like a mass of constantly twisting and shifting deep gray mist. It moved silently, and physical attacks or conventional elemental magic had minimal effect on it, as if passing through an illusion.
Its true method of attack was releasing a Mental Screech that could directly strike the target's consciousness, causing intense dizziness, fear, or even brief Mana Disorder.
This was a classic mechanic-based monster. It didn't fall for standard tactics and required a specific approach to handle.
Victoria threw several Fireballs and Wind Blades in succession, but they were all like stones sinking into the ocean.
Instead, she was affected by the opponent's Mental Screech. Her casting rhythm was disrupted, her head throbbed with pain, and she was momentarily thrown into a panic.
Silvia's light magic had some purification effect on it, but her damage was insufficient to resolve the situation quickly.
"Let me help you!"
Seeing this, Greg knew he couldn't just sit back and watch anymore.
He stepped forward, shielding the slightly disheveled Victoria.
With a thought, pitch-black mana surged from his hands like boiling ink, rapidly spreading upward!
Vroom—!
Amidst a low energy hum, a pair of hideously styled black armguards, condensed from the deepest shadows, covered Greg's arms and feet.
Ominous dark patterns flowed across the surface of the armguards, and the fingertips were as sharp as hooks, emitting a cold and eerie aura.
Using his right hand covered by the armguard, he made a grabbing motion in the air toward the twisting Phantom Prowler!
The dark patterns on the armguard suddenly lit up!
A powerful, invisible suction erupted—not acting on a physical body, but directly targeting the source the monster relied on for its existence!
"Skreeee!!!"
The previously silent Phantom Prowler let out a sharp, piercing shriek for the first time. Its misty body seemed to be gripped by an invisible giant hand, twisting and shrinking violently, its gray surface fading at a visible rate.
In just two or three seconds, the troublesome monster completely dissipated amidst an even more shrill wail, leaving behind only a small clump of pure energy that was absorbed by Greg's 【Dark-Erosion Armament】.
Simultaneously, a notification rang in his mind.
【Phantom Prowler killed. Obtained Mental Attack Resistance LV1.】
Victoria stared blankly at Greg, then at his arms, which were returning to their normal skin tone.
Although she had known before that Greg was connected to the lost deity, Nightmare, the Goddess of Night, this was the first time she had witnessed him using such an ominous power in person.
The strength and eeriness of this power far surpassed ordinary elemental magic, carrying a destructive force that struck at the very essence of things. She couldn't help but feel a sliver of chill and... an indescribable shock in her heart.
"This guy really is amazing."
After suffering this setback, the arrogance on Victoria's face completely vanished.
In the dungeon, one truly could never let their guard down.
"Hehehe, Little Gray, I just helped you again. Shouldn't you say something to me?"
Greg walked up to Victoria with a smug grin.
Although Victoria internally resisted saying that word to Greg, she knew she would have been in real trouble if this guy hadn't stepped in just now.
Finally, she pursed her lips and said, "Thank you."
Greg: "You're welcome. Just pay me in cash."
Victoria: "???"
Looking at the bewildered Victoria, Greg explained:
"Don't look at me like that. Think about what I've done for you. I brought you to a dangerous place like this to grind levels and even covered for you when things got risky. It's not too much to ask for a little service fee, is it? Besides, didn't you just drop a few gems? Just give me half."
Good grief, so that's what he was waiting for!
When she first picked up those gems, she had felt Greg's burning gaze, but she figured he was just envious and wouldn't actually rob her, so she hadn't paid it much mind.
What she didn't expect was that this bastard had been plotting against her since then.
And unfortunately, hearing him put it that way, she really couldn't directly refute him. But as a miser, she could tolerate it once or twice; she didn't want to always hand over a portion of her wealth to Greg.
So, after thinking for a moment, Victoria put on a sad expression: "Greg, you've really disappointed me. I thought we were friends!"
Greg immediately protested upon hearing this: "Friends? That's too distant. We're practically sisters!"
This made Victoria even more confused. "In that case, why are you still charging me?"
Greg: "Because friends can overlook small things, but sisters have to settle their accounts properly."
Victoria: "........"
Since Greg had put it that way, what else could she say?
She just had to hand it over.
Rate on N.U.
