Chapter 56: Floor 19

That day, Rex, Dian Cecht, and Airmid went to the Panacea Familia's main shop to negotiate the license for two of the 'Supreme'-grade potions. Well, it was barely a negotiation—they just agreed to a 15% royalty on each sale. 

The payments would be made monthly, with the two Familia paying the Soma Familia 15% of the total sales revenue for each potion at the end of every month. Today they would write up the contract and then take Zanis or one of the two new vice-captains of the Familia—Rex or Hyakinthos—to the Guild tomorrow to sign it under Guild jurisdiction for legitimacy.

After the negotiation, Rex also spent ten minutes speaking to Durlan who wanted help with the new potion. He had been working on this 'Healing Power' potion for years and had only been held back by not having the godly base that was Rex's Dust. That's why the potion was created just days after they got the dust for the first time. 

And since Durlan already had so much experience with the formula, Rex couldn't help him much with Scavenger, only improving the potion a little and helping them skip the trial and error stage .

The day went by fast. Rex spent the rest of it gambling, like he always did in his free time, raking in extra millions of valis for the Familia. And then a new day quickly came.

Waking up earlier in the morning, Rex quickly showered in his bathroom before going down to the kitchen to make himself quick breakfast and take some food for the dungeon. After eating, he returned to his room to get ready for the dungeon.

His new equipment looked much like his old set—form-fitting, charcoal-gray long-sleeve shirt, fitted dark and red trousers, and his best friend: the unbreakable utility belt. The armor was also similar—dark-red, biceps-length segmented gauntlets, a pair of knee-length, dark-red segmented boots, and a matching breastplate that covered his front and back.

Of course, he wasn't wearing the gauntlets or boots right now, just a pair of simple fingerless gloves and durable leather boots. Unlike before, he was more aware of his surroundings and didn't want to damage the new tiles or door handles in the modified Familia home.

Similarly, all the armor had been made like his old set—with high heat resistance and designed to release heat so he wouldn't cook himself when using Body Furnace.

In addition, he now had a helm, a simple dark-red Spartan helm. It didn't really go with the rest of his armor, but he only planned to wear it in the lower floors to protect his head. After all, why wear armor to protect the body if you don't protect the head—the most important part?

Originally, he was planning to go with armor similar to what Mordred, the Saber of Red from Fate, wore. But no matter how much he described its appearance or explained how the mechanics of the helm should work—something he'd discovered with Scavenger—the smith couldn't understand. 

And since Rex couldn't draw, he decided to save that design for when he got his blacksmith skill. He would make the armor himself once he reached level 5. That would be the dragon armor he will wear for his First Class debut.

He didn't change any of his weapons. Still had the dark-red Leysritt's halberd, the 15th-century longsword, his arming sword, and the dual concealed stiletto daggers he always carried around. 

He'd been taking good care of them, so they were still in top condition—which made sense, since it had barely been a month since they were made. But he did add a new weapon: a low-quality, second-class spear that cost 15 million to make from the Goibniu Familia.

The spear looked similar to Cú Chulainn's Gáe Bolg, about 2.3 meters long—longer than his halberd. Its length made it seem like a two-handed weapon, which was intentional. Rex preferred longer weapons after testing a few. They had better range and made it easier to control the battlefield.

 The shaft had a twisted, spiral pattern running its full length, and the narrow spearhead had sharp edges for both slashing and thrusting. Near the base of the spearhead was a barbed edge, designed to tear when withdrawn and enhance slashing. A great second class weapon, superior to any other weapons he had used before, but;

"I now have another weapon that would be annoying to carry around." He mumbled, glancing at the spear beside his bag in the corner.

Like his halberd, it was too long to perfectly fit into the bag. He had to place the halberd upside down, axehead in the bag, shaft sticking out, so he didn't hurt himself. Thankfully, the bag was durable enough not to tear. But now he had to carry two weapons with shafts sticking out.

'Well, whatever,' he stretched before taking his cloak from the bed and putting it on. It covered him from neck to ankles. Then he slid the spear tip-first into his bag, wore it, and thought, 'Let's get going.'

—*—*—*—

"KRRRIIIII!!" With a screech, a Deadly Hornet charged forward, stinger aimed ahead, its four wings beating heavily.

It was smaller than the Killer Ants from the eighth floor, only the size of his torso, but still terrifyingly large for a hornet. Its jet-black exoskeleton covered the three segments of its body, with almost transparent wings, and a thin, long stinger extending from the bottom of its abdomen—about the length of a dagger. 

But soon after, a crimson arc cleaved the hornet in half between its thorax and abdomen. The two halves of its body fell to the ground, joining multiple other hornets below, its wings twitching for a few seconds before going silent.

Rex was currently on the 19th floor of the Large Tree Labyrinth, standing within the forest as countless massive hornets continuously zipped around him, their flight producing a sharp, papery buzz—like the rapid flicking of parchment. But together, it merged into a low, drone-like electric hum. 

He continuously spun and twirled his spear fluidly around his body with both hands, while his feet didn't move an inch. His amber eyes stared ahead in boredom while the crimson spear moved so fast it became a blur of crimson arcs and flashes in the air as he massacred every Deadly Hornet that came within range.

'I admit,' he thought, not looking back as the bottom shaft of his spear arched and smashed into the head of a hornet. Its powerful exoskeleton—as strong as third-class armor—was instantly smashed by the force, crumpling its large head in as it body was sent flying to the side. 'They are fast.'

These hornets were the fastest monsters in the Large Tree Labyrinth, each of them fast enough to rival high-level 2s. Paired with that were their dagger-length stingers, capable of piercing through most third-class armor like paper, and their inhuman coordination—like a hivemind—they could even kill a recent level 3 when grouped together like this.

'If I had come down here at level 2, this would have been a problem,' he thought as his spear flashed, its head bisecting three hornets while the shaft simultaneously crushed the abdomen of another, its blue innards splashing out.

There would've been a real risk of being overwhelmed and dying—though it would've been nearly impossible, the possibility was still there. But right now, they weren't a problem for him. 

He was much faster than they were, and even with their numbers, they were just flying into the whirlwind that was his spear, all dying before they could do anything. Like lambs to the slaughter. 

Even if he stood still, with the durability of a level 4, their stingers would break on contact with his skin. Though it still hurt—like the bite of a fire ant, which he learned after letting one sting his thigh.

As for why he was killing these hornets even if absorbing them wouldn't give him anything of value? It was because he was farming pity before heading out to kill the Vouivre Scavenger had discovered for him somewhere on this floor. 

There were currently only three alive in the dungeon—one on the 19th floor where he was, another on the 23rd floor, and the last on the 24th. Like the Jack Bird, only one spawned per week, so he couldn't risk scavenging them without pity.

And that's where the problem came in. Even after spending almost four hours on the 19th floor, he hadn't once reached pity.

"I'm literally suffering from too much luck," he grumbled, looking up at the ceiling of the floor, holding back tears. "Shouldn't I be 'lucky' enough to get to the pity when I want it? Isn't luck based on what you want? Just give me pity, bro."

When he first came to this world, he was crying to get abilities without reaching pity, and now he was crying to reach pity.

After the Deadly Hornets realized a majority of their numbers had died to him, they turned and fled together, abandoning the nest Rex had attacked to enrage them. He didn't chase them and started absorbing the hornets around him.

In the Large Tree Labyrinth, the ceiling, walls, and floor were all tree bark, making it look like they were inside a massive, hollowed-out tree trunk. Instead of the phosphorescent light sources found on the upper floors, the Colossal Tree Labyrinth was lit by soft blue illumination from random patches of moss sticking to walls, ceilings, trees, and the ground, giving everything a bluish glow. It wasn't as dark as the Cave Labyrinth, but not as bright as the upper levels.

Most of the floor was forested, with only a few clearings or natural paths, and many of the plants didn't exist on the surface. These floors didn't have as much open space as the Cave Labyrinth either. Each room was larger and had more 'layers'—you might think you're on the ground floor after traveling for hours, only to reach a cliff and find another forest stretch far below you.

Each room or sub-area had its own unique combination of colors, some with plants you wouldn't see anywhere else in the entire six floors of the Large Tree Labyrinth. Some rooms even held, beautiful lush flower beds but the monsters there weren't so beautiful. 

Getting lost here was normal—you were as likely to die from monsters as from losing your way, and due to the layered structure. The rooms were so large and confusing that some places hadn't been stepped in for hundreds of years.

'I should use my day off to explore these floors,' he thought as he stood up from the last Deadly Hornet, bringing his count to 217. 'There's a lot more sightseeing to do here than in the entirety of Orario.' 

The floor was truly beautiful, and from what he'd heard, some areas looked like real fantasy forests. Though, most times, the more beautiful the area the more dangerous the monsters are.

He was walking when he suddenly, he spun his spear and slashed it behind him. The Lizardman trying to sneak up quickly pulled its head back, the spearhead missing its snout by inches. Seeing its ambush fail, the Lizardman stood and howled:

"RUOOOHH!!"

"OO! OOOOOGH!" Another howl came from behind, and then the lizard warriors charged in at the same time.

Standing upright at about 175 cm (5'8"), with muscular humanoid builds, their bodies were covered in deep red scales with pale beige scales on their chests and abdominal areas. Each had a long, crocodilian head with sharp teeth, glowing red eyes, and a pair of short black horns. Black spikes ran down their backs to the ends of thick tails extending behind them.

With a spin of his spear, the blade slashed toward the charging Lizardman in front, who raised its round flower shield to block. Sparks flew from the collision as the lizardman slid to the side. The second Lizardman charging was simultaneously met with the bottom end of Rex's spear, which it barely parried away with a its sword.

They wielded green metallic flowers as weapons, grown straight from the Dungeon walls. Removing the stem turned the flower into a round shield, and the petals could each be plucked to become sword-sized daggers nicknamed 'cutters.'

They tried charging in again, but Rex kept them at bay with his spear, arcs of crimson light slashing through the air towards the Lizardmen sparks flying with each clash. The two Lizardmen couldn't even get close. 

One managed to knock the spearhead upward with a clang from its shield, but as it tried to close the distance, Rex twisted his grip mid-spin, and the spear's blunt end cracked toward its snout like a whip. The Lizardman reeled back, hissing, as the other charged in, but another flick of the spear forced it to back away, the blade grazing its crest. 

'It still amazes me how skilled they are,' Rex thought, watching them with interest.

Their technique relied heavily on power, but it was still swordsmanship—technique that was leagues above what Prime Rex had. It actually caught him off guard. Yeah, he knew most of the monsters down here from days spent in the library, but seeing their skill in real time was something else.

"Well," Rex met eyes with one of the Lizardman that roared in frustration, "Let's end this."

The blade flashed in a blur toward one of the Lizardmen's necks. It raised its shield to protect itself, but the spear sliced through the shield, cleaved through its arm like a hot knife through butter, and decapitated it in one clean movement. 

Green blood splashed up like a fountain as Rex twirled the spear again, the blade coming down on the second Lizardman, cleaving it down the middle. It barely missed the magic stone in its head as the two halves fell to each side, innards spilling out across the ground.

Flicking his spear to the side, its green blood splatter on the root, leaving the spear clean. Walking, he placed his foot on one of the Lizardman's heads and—

[Lizardman Scales (Physical Property): Grants you Lizardman scales across your body. (Effective after a good night's sleep.)]

"FUUUUUUUK——!"

He was so close to pity, and then he got a trash physical property. "At least you could have given me something useful!" he shouted, kicking the ground where the dead monster once was.

"OOOOOOO—!" A 6 feet tall hobgoblin charged towards him.

But before the sound fully left its throat, Rex's spear thrust forward at impossible speed. The tip touched the center of its forehead and the hobgoblin's head instantly exploded like a balloon pierced with a needle. 

Blood and gore splattered against the tree behind it, with an eyeball smacking against the wood, clinging for a second, then sliding down in a wet streak. Its entire body then turned to ash as the magic stone inside shattered from the force of the attack.

However, due to his shout, it didn't take long for the surrounding monsters in the forest to converge—Mad Beetles, Gun Libellula, more Hobgoblins, Lizardmen, massive centipede-like monsters, snakes, and various others native to the floor.

Rex could've easily used Predator to mass stun them and leisurely pick them off, but instead, he took a deep breath, then suddenly, a purple dust that busted out from every inch of his body like a shockwave. The purple fog surged outwards from him like a dome, passing and engulfing trees, monsters charging to him, and everything in its path. In seconds, the 10-meter radius around him was blanketed in the dense purple, dome cloud that continued to expand.

Monsters caught inside were instantly poisoned, choking. Smaller ones died on contact, while the larger ones—like Hobgoblins and Bugbears—lasted only a few seconds longer before collapsing. The ones still standing were poison-immune. 

One viper lunged at his exposed thigh from behind, its fangs shattering on contact with his skin. It fell to the ground, trashing around in pain and Rex casually stomped on its head, killing it.

The next moment, a feline-shaped monster with bristling, porcupine-like fur lunged at him, but a casual kick sent a stone flying from the ground, piercing through its abdomen and out its back, dragging intestines and blood with it. Before it died, it expelled all its fur at him, but the projectiles snapped harmlessly against his armor and helm, leaving behind a streak of purple venom.

"Haah~." He sighed as he extended his right arm to the side. 

A charging Battle Boar slammed into his gauntleted palm, its whole body rattling like it had hit a wall. With a slight squeeze, he crushed its skull, blood, fur, and brain matter splashing through the gaps in his fingers. He then reached in, pulled out its magic stone, and its body turned to dust.

"Stupid RNG." He wouldn't have been too mad if it at least gave him something good—like the skill he just used.

[Dark Fungus Spores+ (Magic/Active): You can release the Dark Fungus's poisonous spores from any part of your body.]

The magic he just used that had replaced the Purple Moth Powder, and way more lethal. It could instantly kill level 2 monsters without poison resistance on contact with skin, and can even kill a level 2 adventurer with Abnormal Resistance if they took in too much. 

Though it used way more mind, he didn't have to move to release it—just pump it out like a spray from any pores in his body—which made it even better. With how quickly it spread, it was overall a great magic so he didn't get mad pulling it at 229 pity points.

"Let's just keep going." He mumbled as he continued casually killing the monsters with immunity while absorbing the magic stone around him. 

Lady Luck thankfully smiled at him because he didn't get any new skills after that stupid lizard skill, and he finally hit 230 pity!

"FINALLY!" A single streak of tears flowed down the side of his eyes. 'Pity, finally.' Rex didn't waste time and immediately dashed towards where the Vouivre was. 'Wait for me, Vouivre. Daddy is coming~'

"Mwhahahaah!" He laughed childishly as he ran to get the level boost skill.

[Author's Note: Thanks for reading, and bye-bye~o(*￣▽￣*)ブ]