Chapter 141: Magic Test (Bonus)

At the same time, Bell was on the tenth floor of the Dungeon, hunting Orcs.

"Hoo!"

A wolf tooth club swept over his head, the rush of air sharp enough to sting his ears.

Bell's expression remained unchanged. As the club passed overhead, he pressed his hand against the Orc's arm. A Runic Letter lit up at the point of contact, and the creature collapsed limply to the ground.

'Hmm, looks like this does have some effect.'

'It's definitely a good method for dealing with monsters that use magic and have some resistance to it.'

Just like the magic used on Level 2 and Level 3 Adventurers, this technique was now being replicated on monsters. The same method worked just as well on them.

'This really is effective.'

Bell wasn't sure if the Hound would kill him for coming up with this use of Runic Letters, but he couldn't help thinking they were starting to feel kind of shady in his hands.

Still, the success of the experiment proved that this method could bypass a target's resistance to negative status effects.

It was like how many strong medicines worked.

The more potent the medicine, the more likely it came with serious side effects—things like stomach and kidney issues.

What Bell had done was simply embed a negative effect into a beneficial spell.

Like "Equivalent Exchange" from Fullmetal Alchemist, Runic Letters could be used to achieve a similar balance.

The more benefit granted to the target, the higher the cost they had to pay.

For instance, the healing spell he gave to the Amazoness girls came with the side effect of muscle weakness during recovery.

The duration of the healing process was something Bell could control.

The stronger the effect, the more intense the side effects—and those, too, could be extended at will.

This essentially opened up a whole new way to use Runic Letters.

By taking an almost underhanded approach, he'd figured out how to bypass the body's usual resistance to harmful forces, successfully applying negative status effects to his targets.

'There's definitely more to explore in this area.'

'Like amplifying pain, for example.'

As long as enough positive effects were provided, Bell believed he could increase pain sensitivity exponentially.

At that point, the enemy might feel like they were stuck in some kind of soul-breaking nightmare game.

With that thought, Bell vanished from sight.

After he disappeared, five Orcs gathered around.

They stared at their fallen comrade, confused.

Unless a monster was dealt a killing blow or its magic stone was removed, it wouldn't disappear. Unless the dead monster had been lying there for over half an hour, it wouldn't be absorbed by the Dungeon to become fuel for the next wave.

Since this one was only incapacitated, the Dungeon hadn't reclaimed it.

But the ones who had gathered had picked up a scent—and once they got close, it vanished again, leaving them searching all around for its source.

Then, the fog around them started to thicken.

Heavy moisture filled the air, smothering all scents, making it even harder for them to locate the smell.

Suddenly, every Orc turned their head at the same time, eyes locking onto the center.

The missing scent had abruptly returned—and there, in plain sight, stood a figure.

'Attack!!'

All five raised their wolf tooth clubs and brought them down on the figure in the center.

Bell understood the destructive power of those weapons. Taking a direct hit without armor would mean serious injury.

But he also knew—he wasn't going to get hit.

"Boom!!!"

All five wolf tooth clubs slammed into the ground, sending a shockwave rippling across the area.

"Sizzle!"

Amid the swirling dust, several lightning serpents crackled to life. Before the Orcs could react, a bolt of lightning erupted from the center.

"Bang!"

A fist drove into an Orc's stomach.

It was worth noting—Orcs had tough physical defenses. Towering at three meters tall with muscular bodies built like mountains, their hardened muscles could shrug off most low-tier weapons. Their sheer mass alone helped absorb impact.

Normally, a punch would barely faze them.

But this time was different.

"Ugh!!!"

The struck Orc let out a shrill cry, staggered back, and collapsed, frothing heavily at the mouth.

Though still breathing, he had been completely knocked out.

Bell watched the reaction carefully.

'Just as I thought—monsters have a limit to the pain they can endure. If that pain is pushed to the extreme, even a simple punch is enough to knock an Orc out cold.'

His eyes swept toward the other Orcs just beginning to lift their clubs. Bell's body surged into a bolt of lightning and flashed through them, accompanied by four sharp strikes.

In an instant, the searing pain overwhelmed them all. Four Orcs collapsed, unconscious.

Returning to his normal form, Bell approached the six fallen Orcs.

'Even monsters have a breaking point. Once it's exceeded, they lose consciousness just like humans.'

'Also, monsters on the upper floors usually die in a single hit and disintegrate into black ash. Has it really gotten this troublesome on the tenth floor?'

He frowned, staring at the downed Orcs.

Then, with a motion of his hand, six lightning needles appeared in his palm. He aimed and launched them at the unconscious Orcs.

The lightning-condensed needles pierced through them instantly—they had no strength left to resist.

Blood sprayed from their skulls, but the Orcs didn't turn to ash right away.

'No wonder the Dungeon needs supporters. This is exactly the kind of job they're for.'

Still, Bell didn't dwell on it.

He flicked his fingers through the air, sending out six wind blades that sliced open the Orcs' bodies. Five Magic Stones, still embedded in flesh, were revealed.

Crouching down, Bell extracted them one by one.

As the Magic Stones were removed, the corpses and blood dissolved into pale ash, scattering across the floor. Along with them were rare drops—like an Orc's eye.

'Looks like things are going to get messy in the middle floors.'