Venomous Needle Imps? They're super easy to deal with.

Weaklings.

Fodder.

Trash!

Yup. Easy.

[Perception] locates them pretty easily, and in the encompassing darkness inside the tunnels, I can fight them without much trouble, even when they start using their fire skills. I dislike narrow corridors that don't allow me to move as much as I would like, but it's doable.

After what feels like another day, the poison from the monster finally disappears, and it feels as if someone lifted a massive weight off my shoulders. Moving mana is now so much easier.

So, I let another imp stab me with its stinger.

Yes. I did that.

And then two more imps.

Oh.

One more after that.

Construct helping me to keep my mana under control? Well, I can turn it off if I want to, right?

So yeah, I did that too.

Darwin awards? I have a full room of them at this point.

Obviously, I'm not that suicidal, so I turn it back on if it feels like too much, but I improve more and more. Once again, I have confirmed that I improve the most under pressure, under life and death situations where I have no other choice but to get my shit together or die.

Partly, I blame it on my greed for more power, for more mana, for my goal to get to the level of people such as Champion Keiron who can stop an entire empire from attacking the kingdom just by existing.

From his vantage point, what does he see? What does this world look like when you've got that kind of power coursing through your veins? And mana, that elusive, powerful force – what does it feel like for him? Is it a wild river he's tamed or a familiar old friend? I want to know. More than anything, I want to stand where he stands, where he and the most powerful of this world stand. I want to see the world through their eyes. I crave that knowledge, that power. The very thought is like a fire in my veins, pushing me on.

Another reason is also my need for survival. It sounds counterproductive, risking my life to survive, but the stronger I become with an acceptable risk - judged by me - the higher chance for survival.

That's why I do it.

[You have defeated a Crimson Imp - lvl 54]

[Lvl 46 > Lvl 47]

[Mana Manipulation (Advanced Mana Manipulation) - lvl 21 > Mana Manipulation (Advanced Mana Manipulation) - lvl 22]

More mana!

Good.

Once again, I activate my construct to help me handle my mana which is becoming unstable because of the poison, and after a long while, I check the quests.

Floor quest:Witness the end of the world.

Rewards:Skill upgrade token20 stat pointsIncreased daily limit of community usageTutorial Difficulty change token

Ok, this one is still the same, what about side quests?

Side quest:Reach level 50

Rewards:Trait strengthening token

This one is close enough, and I am already curious about the strengthening of my trait. It's called strengthening and not upgrade, does it mean I won't be able to pick an additional effect for it?

Probably?

Oh, and the new side quest I just acquired also seems nice.

Side quest:Get 3 skills over level 20

Rewards:Passive skill of your choice

To be honest, it kind of hypes me up.

I open my status:

[Name: Nathaniel Gwyn]Difficulty: HellFloor: 2 - Mana Infused KingdomTime left until forced return: 4y 309d 020h 48m 43sTraits (1/3): Mana Circuit (Passive)

Lvl 47Strength: 16Dexterity: 17Constitution: 52Mana: 120

[Primary Class: Mana Channeler][Sub-class: Unavailable]

Active skills:Focus (Dual Focus) - Lvl 19Mana Manipulation (Advanced Mana Manipulation) - Lvl 22Perception - Lvl 11Oscillation - Lvl 12Kinetic Redistribution - Lvl 11Armament - Lvl 12Mana Surge - Lvl 7Disruption - Lvl 8

Constructs:Reinforcement (Construct)

Passive skills:Mana Flow (rare)

[Skill Points: 0][Stat Points: 0]

Focus is almost there and then there are multiple skills that can end up there, so let's wait and see. As with all things inside the tutorial, this should also be based on my performance up until now inside the tutorial, right?

And as I found out, passive skills have rarities, so the harder I try, the better rarity I get offered?

Oh, and the system? Please explain the rarities to me. How many are there? What is the highest and what is the difference between them?

…

Nothing?

Okay.

Screw you.

Anyway, back to my dinner.

I enter a deeper [Focus] as I continue chewing on a piece of raw meat from the body of an imp next to me.

It's already been days, and the darkness continues to make me feel uneasy. The constant battles and the oppressive atmosphere are taking their toll on me. Yet, somehow, I find solace in my progress, in the knowledge that I am growing stronger with every challenge I overcome.

As I chew on the raw meat, my thoughts wander to Ruby's master. What kind of person is she? How powerful is she?

I've encountered beings with one or two question marks next to their levels, but is there a higher level of power that even goes beyond that? Is she a Champion of the Kingdom, a Paragon of the Empire, or something else entirely?

I want answers to these questions.

The mystery surrounding her strength only fuels my desire to grow stronger, and to be able to stand on equal footing with such powerful individuals. My ambition and my instinct for survival drive me forward, pushing me to take risks and challenge myself to reach that place.

One of my goals is to complete the side quest. I am particularly excited about the potential rewards - trait-strengthening token and the chance to get a new passive skill.

The thought of strengthening my abilities is incredibly appealing, and I can't help but wonder how much stronger I could become with the right combination of skills.

As I ponder my goals and my growing abilities, I can't help but feel a sense of pride in my progress.

My mana has increased significantly, and my constitution has improved as well. My skills are leveling up, and I can feel myself becoming stronger with each passing moment.

But I know there's still a long way to go, and I won't stop until… until… I don't know.

I'll think of it when I get there.

Meanwhile all this time, I've been trying to come up with a way to punch Ruby's master right in her face. Unfortunately, I can't even imagine such a situation. She's just that powerful.

Up until now, I've met...

Oh, an imp.

An orb made of mana appears near me, and I boost it with [Mana Surge] and [Mana Manipulation]. It accurately hits the monster.

[You have defeated an Imp - lvl 59]

So, up until now, I've met people who were one or two question marks. One question mark meant that they were at least 20 levels higher, but at what point do they turn into two question marks?

The questions!

It bothers me not knowing.

Tell me, spoil everything.

I need to know!

...

Nothing? Okay.

Another thing, can't these tunnels become wider? I don't like the feeling they summon in me. I've never had claustrophobia, but damn, at this point, I might get it, and probably only thanks to [Focus] do I function properly.

I take back every complaint I had about the skill. At this point, I'm nearly sure that it's most likely one of the most OP skills I could get.

Lily's [Disintegration]? Screw that. Mr. [Focus] all the way!

That reminds me of the community and in the chilling darkness of the tunnel, I open the community feed, my heart skipping a beat. A sense of loneliness hits me, reminding me of the isolation. As I stare at the list of messages, I feel the overwhelming silence of the tunnels close in around me. But in this isolation, I find some calm as well. It allows me to focus solely on my personal growth, on my own journey.

I tap out a short message on the screen.

Noname (Hell, group 4) - I am fine.

Immediately after, I close it. Reading messages from others while I'm trapped in the tunnels doesn't feel that good.

[Lvl 47 > Lvl 49]

After a bit more time passed my mana increased by three points just from struggling alone and then 6 more from level-ups.

Constitution also went up by two points without even leveling it up. That just shows how much pressure it all put on my body.

As for skills

[Mana Manipulation - lvl 22 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 23]

[Focus - lvl 19 > Focus - lvl 20]

[Perception - lvl 11 > Perception - lvl 13]

[Armament - lvl 12 > Armament - lvl 14]

At this point, I started to get a feeling that that's all I can get from here.

I activated my [Perception], sending out invisible waves through the dark, damp tunnel. As the waves returned, I sensed the chilling presence of a serpent-like creature nearby. I could feel the outline of its massive body coiling around itself, and the hardness of its iron-like scales. The shape of its fangs, seemingly dripping with venom, emitted a sinister aura as I felt the creature's overwhelming mana.

Oh boy, was I wrong.