On the outskirts of the Dark Maze Instance, Caelan activated his [Eye of Insight], carefully scanning the available information about the Instance.
[Dark Maze]
[Description: This place is saturated with dark elents, seemingly connected in so way to the Abyssal World. Any awakener entering here must be cautious, lest they lose themselves within.]
Caelan paused for a mont, slightly taken aback by the description.
He had initially assud that [Dark Maze] was just another ordinary Instance, nothing more. Yet now, it seed he had underestimated its power and complexity. Though it did not directly link to the Abyss, the re presence of a connection was proof enough that this Instance was far from simple.
Previously, Caelan had explored other Instances reminiscent of the Abyss. However, those had all been re imitations, generated artificially to emulate the Abyssal World. True, world-defining Instances—such as the [Celestial Realm], [Void Frontier], [Hell], or [Abyss]—represented authentic, foundational planes of existence.
It appeared that this ti, Caelan would not only catch a glimpse of the [Void Frontier], but also experience a shadow of the true Abyss. While it was not the sa as entering the Abyss in its full sense, [Dark Maze] promised to be fascinating in its own right.
With no hesitation, Caelan stepped into the teleportation array that would carry him into the Dark Maze.
A flash of light enveloped him, and in an instant, the scenery before his eyes underwent a dramatic transformation. The entire environnt beca shrouded in thick, oppressive dark energy. The atmosphere exuded corruption and filth; even the air seed heavier, more polluted.
Luck—or perhaps misfortune—seed to accompany Caelan.
The mont he entered the Dark Maze, he coincidentally triggered the awakening of elite monsters. Within just a few breaths, over a hundred elite foes had already surrounded him, erging from the darkness like shadows given life.
[Abyssal Assassin]
[Rank: Elite]
[Level: 369]
[Skills: Abyssal Poison, Poisoned Dagger, Abyssal Backstab...]
[Abyssal Mage]
[Rank: Elite]
[Level: 369]
[Skills: Dark Magic Orb, Abyssal Corruption...]
...and so on.
Interesting. They were starting with a fight right away. Caelan smirked slightly.
In response, he drew his longsword from his back.
[Infinite Lightblade]!
In the next instant, a dazzling, miniature sun flared into existence within the Dark Maze, burning brilliantly with all-consuming light.
The elite monsters hadn’t even managed to activate their skills before the searing heat of the tiny sun reduced them to ashes.
And, as expected, the familiar stream of notifications flooded his vision:
[Congratulations! You have defeated a monster. Gained 9,652,134 experience points...]
[Congratulations! Your level has increased to 249!]
...
[Congratulations! Your level has increased to 261!]
A wave of joy washed over Caelan as he saw his level climb. Now that his level requirents were t and his gold coin reserves were sufficient, the mont had finally arrived: it was ti to learn his support skill.
Eagerly, he opened his skill nu. There, under the support skill tree, a brand-new skill had just unlocked:
[Support Skill – Amplify]
[Effect: After using Amplify, your next skill will deal an additional 30% effect. If it is a damage skill, the bonus increases to 50%! ]
Caelan paused for a mont, stunned.
He had not expected a support skill to have such a powerful effect. At his current level—far from lv99999—the enhancent was already considerable.
He wondered, with a flicker of excitent, what effect this skill might have once it reached lv99999 and underwent a skill dinsional upgrade.
Without hesitation, he began upgrading it.
[Skill "Amplify" upgraded to lv99...]
[Skill "Amplify" upgraded to lv999...]
[Skill "Amplify" upgraded to lv9999...]
[Skill "Amplify" upgraded to lv99999!]
[Skill "Amplify" has undergone a skill dinsional upgrade, unlocking a new skill: "Divine Enhancent"]
[Divine Enhancent]
[Active Effect: After using this skill, the next three skills you use will receive epic-grade enhancent, dealing tenfold effect, and each skill will guarantee double strikes!]
[Passive Effect: You may permanently assign Divine Enhancent to a specific skill. During non-combat phases, you may freely adjust and enhance the designated skill.]
Caelan was utterly astonished. The raw potential of Divine Enhancent was beyond his imagination.
But at the very next mont, he realized sothing was wrong.
Wait... why had over 20 billion of his gold coins suddenly dwindled to just 1 billion? Where had the rest gone?
Even though Caelan had anticipated so cost, seeing such a large sum vanish at once was almost suffocating. Upgrading a skill now cost 20 billion gold coins? How was this supposed to be sustainable? Even the Ironclad Legion didn’t have an infinite supply of gold coins!
Still, after a mont of reflection, he admitted that Divine Enhancent was worth the price. It effectively multiplied all skill effects by tenfold. In terms of raw power, this was equivalent to increasing Caelan’s overall strength ten tis over. Spending 20 billion gold coins for such a boost was not just reasonable—it was extraordinarily profitable.
Despite the sting, he accepted it. He resolved that he would earn his next fortune with his own hands. Caelan steeled himself for a period of hard work ahead.
This ti, no matter what, he would claim all the treasures hidden within the Dark Maze.
...
Lannis City, the entry point of the Dark Maze Instance, had beco the busiest city among the surrounding ten city-states, all thanks to the popularity of the Instance.
Outside the Instance Control Center, nurous awakeners gathered, examining the stalls set up by rchants selling items. Most of these goods had been retrieved from the Dark Maze itself.
Unlike other loot, the Dark Maze items often had a "blind box" quality: their true effects could only be revealed after being equipped or used. This unpredictability made them highly sought after by risk-takers and gamblers alike.
Thus, a special comrcial street had erged in Lannis City, dedicated entirely to these items.
"Co and see! Check it out! I have brand-new items from the Dark Maze—just 20 gold coins each, and they could be yours!"
The excitent and chaos of the city reflected the growing frenzy surrounding the Dark Maze, a place of opportunity, danger, and unpredictable reward.
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