Three Days Later.
Lucien continued with his routine.
He had gathered over 5000 sacks of Sli Cent.
It was a staggering amount... yet still not enough for what he envisioned.
The construction site was now bustling.
It was filled with stacks of hardened cube concretes, ready for assembly. Even mbers from other divisions had set aside their regular duties to help mold these cubes.
The wall they envisioned was no longer a distant goal. It was just within reach.
And in these past three days, everything had changed.
Everyone in Lootwell had broken through. There were no ordinary people anymore.
Lucien had personally taken the ti to let each of them touch the Essence of Purity.
To their amazent, it worked.
It helped them break through the invisible barrier that once separated the mundane from the awakened.
The wall they feared.
The one between ordinary and extraordinary.
It... simply ceased to exist.
And the drops...
The territory was flooded with them.
Lucien made sure to give everyone their rewards.
Everyone in the Defense Division mbers all learned the skill: Sli Shot.
Clara had t him too. Her DIVINE SENSE noticed the subtle changed in the forest.
Lucien already knew the reason.
He instructed her to gather help and distribute the newly ford Rainbow Sli Lord Statues throughout the territory. He made sure every nook and cranny was touched by its area of effect.
Clara smiled. It’s almost like she’d been waiting for him to say that. And off she went, eager and purposeful.
...
Lucien too, was determined to grow stronger.
With only 26 days left before the Grand Celebration, he knew he couldn’t afford to stay still.
If he was to face the monsters... both literal and political... lurking in the Royal Capital, he had to be ready.
So, he returned to the Dungeon.
Straight to the 2nd Floor.
By now, Skittles had already reached Level 20.
He then noticed sothing different.
Lucien could feel it.
A subtle string of connection had ford between them. He could now understand Skittles’ gestures more clearly and even when they were apart, he could sense where he was.
It’s as if Skittles’ presence was imprinted on his mind.
He decided to let Skittles continue farming drops on the 1st floor while he ventured deeper on his own.
The enemies waiting on the 2nd floor?
Solar Slis and Shadow Slis.
And they were no ordinary creatures.
To Lucien’s surprise, these slis could use magic.
The Solar Slis wielded light magic while the Shadow Slis used dark magic.
"Even a sli is better at magic than ..." Lucien muttered.
He was half-amused and half-annoyed as he cut down another wave of enemies.
Still, his efficiency had improved.
He had just realized that his Auto-Collect skill had expanded in range.
Now reaching out to two ters.
It might seem like a small upgrade but for Lucien, it ant he could leap through the battlefield more freely. He can focus entirely on combat without worrying about chasing down loot.
And with each sli he struck down, he felt himself getting sharper.
The 2nd Floor had just begun and he was already deep into the hunt.
These new slis were unlike any he had encountered before.
The Solar Slis were the most striking.
Occasionally, a glowing halo would form above them. It would then suddenly burst outward, releasing a blinding flash of light magic.
It didn’t deal any damage but it temporarily dulled his vision, forcing Lucien to rely on instinct during the brief seconds of disorientation.
Worse, they could fire concentrated beams of light. He learned that the hard way.
The first ti he was struck by one, it burned like hell. Not enough to bring him down but enough to remind him that even slis could be dangerous.
"These Pokemons can use Solar Beam, huh."
Then there were the Shadow Slis.
Silent.
Sneaky.
Slippery.
They would vanish in the dark, only to reappear beside him without warning.
One managed to cling to his body and Lucien felt his strength being sapped, though only slightly.
Another trick... they released a thick dark fog, clouding the area and masking their movents.
It was a test of perception and reflexes.
But the mont he cracked their patterns, it beca easier.
Despite their magic, the slis were still predictable. They are monotonous in movent.
Lucien began tearing through them like a seasoned predator.
The 2nd Floor was just as vast as the first and as he ventured deeper, the number of groups of slis increased steadily.
He welcod it.
After all, his title: Underdog Champion ant that the more enemies he faced, the stronger he beca.
With 11 enemies, his strength would double in the heat of battle.
The slis on this floor ranged from Level 11 to 18. Not weak but not strong enough to truly threaten him anymore.
Lucien fought relentlessly and before long, he’d leveled up several tis.
Now, he stood at Level 27.
And the dungeon was far from over.
Eventually, Lucien reached the boss room at the far end of the 2nd Floor.
But he didn’t go in.
Not yet.
There were more pressing matters.
The wall construction was about to begin and as much as he wanted to test his strength further, he knew he had to be there to oversee its start.
For now, he took a mont to check his INVENTORY.
His eyes scanned the list of drops collected from his sli hunts and a satisfied smile tugged at his lips.
...
—Solar Sli Drops—
Common:
• Solar Gel - a variant of Sli Gel. More potent for potion crafting
• Light Fragnt - increases chances of successfully casting light magic spells (Consumable)
• Sunleaf - herb known for its healing properties. Commonly used in recovery potions.
Uncommon:
• Energy Drink - temporarily boosts stamina and reduces fatigue
• Chalk - material for drawing magic circles that activate spell formations
• Sun Thread - a silky fiber imbued with light attribute
Rare:
• Light Prism - absorbs mana to stay lit indefinitely
• Golden petal - a rare herb used to craft high-level elixirs that enhance understanding of light magic
• Flash bang - detonates in a burst of blinding light, stunning and disorienting enemies.
—Shadow Sli Drops—
Common:
• Shadow Gel - a dark counterpart to Sli Gel. Ideal for dark-aligned concoctions.
• Shadow Fragnt - increases chances of successfully casting dark magic spells (Consumable)
• Darkroot - herb used in brewing sleep potions.
Uncommon:
• Coffee - strong enough to negate sleep effects
• Permanent Marker - can be used to write runes for talisman creation.
• Night Thread - a silky fiber imbued with dark attribute
Rare:
• Dark Pearl - consus surrounding light, creating a subtle field of gloom.
• Black Petal - a rare herb used to craft high-level elixirs that enhance understanding of dark magic
• Smoke bomb - Creates a dense cloud of smoke (perfect for escapes or stealthy movent)
...
Lucien’s grin widened.
Compared to the drops on the 1st Floor, these were on a completely different level.
And more importantly, many of these materials were perfect for the Craftsman Division
Unfortunately, no new skill cards had dropped.
He frowned but only slightly.
He realized that these slis weren’t using skills.
They were casting magic.
Raw magic.
The Lootwell Dungeon was indeed no ordinary dungeon.
Even Maxim had once admitted it. He used to think slis were weak and pathetic creatures. But after seeing the slis down here, he changed his mind.
In fact, not even in the Royal Capital had Maxim heard of slis like these.
Magic-using slis?
Solar and Shadow variants?
Completely unheard of.
And what troubled Maxim the most was that he didn’t understand them.
There were species here he couldn’t identify.
Species never recorded before.
Creatures that had no business existing in a beginner dungeon.
And the Third Floor?
Even Maxim had been caught off guard when he reached it. He wouldn’t say what he saw but the look in his eyes said enough.
"It looked like Uncle Max suffered a little in the third floor." Lucien muttered.
Lucien couldn’t wait to see it for himself.
If the Solar and Shadow Slis were already this formidable...
What could possibly be waiting below?
But first, there were more pressing matters.
Lucien returned to the construction site.
He hadn’t forgotten to bring back more sacks of Sli Cent... freshly fard by Skittles.
He added them to the pile, ensuring they had more than enough for the next phase.
Stone greeted him with good news.
"We’re ready, Young Lord." he said. "We have enough cube concretes to start on one side of the wall."
Lucien nodded and stepped back to observe. He was eager to witness the beginning of what they had worked so hard to prepare.
To his surprise, Maxim was there as well.
And not just as a spectator. He was actually helping.
Channeling mana to assist in the shaping of the concrete cubes, Maxim looked... oddly amused.
Maybe even excited.
Now that he had taken part in it, it seed Maxim wanted to see it through to the end.
The entire site buzzed with energy. Everyone was there.
One by one, they began stacking the concrete cubes.
No one stood idle. Everyone helped.
Stone took charge of positioning.
Calling out placents.
Adjusting angles.
And making sure the base was solid.
His eyes scanned every block with intensity, ensuring no flaw escaped his gaze.
Even Maxim offered advice as they worked. His skill, Perfect Calculation, proved to be a trendous asset.
With precise readings on angles.
Pressure distribution.
And structural alignnt...
He provided real-ti corrections that helped optimize the layout.
"If you adjust that cube’s placent by half a degree, you’ll reduce structural tension by 12%," Maxim casually remarked.
Stone blinked.
Stone then activated the skill, Burrower’s Eye. His pupils glowed faintly as he assessed the structure’s integrity in real ti.
"...Right," he muttered, quickly making the adjustnt. "That’s actually... spot on."
With Burrower’s Eye and Perfect Calculation working in tandem, the wall’s construction was progressing faster and more precisely than anyone could have expected.
Lucien watched it all, silently pleased.
And then... the magic began.
Stone gave the signal and the others started channeling mana into the wall.
The cubes began to resonate. It glowed faintly as if responding to the energy poured into them.
And then, slowly... they fused.
Block by block, the wall began to form...
Not just stacked but bonded together with strength.
A new foundation.
A new future.
And it was only the beginning.
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