Chapter 43 43: Balor of the Evil Eye
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Time slipped by, and it was soon time to return to camp. Along the way back, even though many felt they had improved during the trial, there was little joy to be found—only an indescribable sense of complexity. The raw power Lucian displayed wasn't actually that high; it was merely on par with a Level 2 adventurer holding maxed-out stats. However, his combat abilities, fighting style, and sheer endurance were unbelievably formidable. His overall combat effectiveness completely bridged the two-level gap.
Even when Alfia first joined the Familia, she hadn't been this absurd. Especially in terms of endurance, Lucian had legitimately fought alongside them—a group of second-tier, first-tier, and beyond first-tier adventurers—for hours on end. Maintaining his magic for several hours straight was nothing short of terrifying. Upon returning to the camp, although the members of the two Familias were intensely curious about him, Lucian had no interest in chatting. After eating, he returned to his tent.
Counting the stats gained from training, my attributes have increased by a thousand points today alone.
The physical training alone had contributed over 300 points. One could easily imagine just how insane Lucian appeared in the eyes of the others. Although, in Lucian's eyes, he had only pushed himself that far because he knew exactly what he was doing.
My core attributes alone amount to 4,995 points. Factoring in the other essential stats, I'll need a little over ten thousand points before I finish Level 1.
In two days, he had gained roughly 1,200 attribute points. While today's massive 1,000-point gain was bolstered by rigorous training and the Colosseum environment, the deeper they went, the stronger the monsters became, naturally accelerating stat accumulation. Even if tomorrow was a slow day, he'd still likely earn between 800 and 1,000 points. Calculating it out, he would be able to level up in about half a month.
[Level 1]
[Strength: I70 — H160]
[Endurance: I83 — H160]
[Dexterity: I70 — H160]
[Agility: I70 — H160]
[Magic: G294 — F360]
That's satisfying.
Lucian updated his Falna before closing his eyes. His consciousness returned to the Divine Court in the form of his true body. He made sure to leave his top-down map function active in the physical world, just so he could snap back instantly if an emergency occurred. Many spent the night wrestling with conflicting emotions. But by the time morning arrived, a fierce fire blazed in everyone's eyes.
Unlike the sheer terror they felt toward Alfia's talent, their attitude toward Lucian was entirely different. His display had ignited their fighting spirit, spurring them to catch up. As a result, when the second day commenced, the expedition members were bursting with an intensity far greater than when they first set out. A fire burned within their chests, blazing unceasingly. The 37th floor was already the size of Orario. The deeper they plunged, the vaster the floors became, slowing their progress considerably.
Despite the group's newfound vigor, they failed to reach the next safe zone after a full day's march. However, the leaders of the two Familias simply waved their hands—they decided to forge ahead without resting. After a brief adjustment, they pushed forward in a single breath, charging all the way to the 49th floor where they forcibly slaughtered the Level 7 Floor Boss, Balor. Having marched and fought for a full day and night, Lucian's harvest was immensely bountiful.
With the exception of his Magic stat, which remained untouched for the time being, his other four core attributes had reached F350. His comprehensive combat strength had soared from Level 2 to Level 3. Once he officially hit Level 2, backed by the enhancements of the Three Secrets and Five Methods, he would be fully capable of wrestling a Level 4 adventurer.
"Balor dropped a material... Let me take this as my share in advance."
Lucian spoke up right after Balor's death. Monsters gradually turned to ash upon death. The more powerful the beast, the longer the dissolution process took. Behemoth's corpse, for example, was still lying discarded in the Lower World. Since it faded far too slowly and they lacked a method to deal with its venom, abandoning it was their only choice. Beyond that, when a powerful monster turned to ash, there was a certain probability that its hardest or most unique body part would be left behind. And Balor's most unique trait was, naturally, its evil eye.
"Sure thing. Are you planning on using Balor's evil eye for forging?"
The Empress asked curiously. Obtaining Floor Boss drop materials wasn't easy, let alone a specific body part. This was their first time acquiring Balor's evil eye as well. However, even if they kept it, they would ultimately just sell it anyway. They might as well allocate it directly to Lucian, their resident blacksmith. As for the material drop, Lucian wasn't surprised in the slightest. After all, he had continuously invested points into his 'Luck' stat. Even the drop rates of the two Familias partying with him had seen a significant boost.
"My main profession is a blacksmith." Lucian stated.
"Is that so?"
The Empress grew even more intrigued. His combat ability was broken, his support capabilities were broken, his healing techniques were broken (having cured Zald), and now he possessed broken forging skills as well? She could only chalk it up to being entirely unexpected, yet perfectly reasonable. Nobody could have ever imagined that a monster with even more talent than Alfia would actually appear.
One had to remember that Alfia was renowned worldwide as the 'Monster of Talent'. She possessed an abhorrent, borderline inhuman aptitude. Yet, compared to Lucian, she still fell short. Not to mention... she was watching Lucian steadily grow stronger with her own two eyes. His growth rate was simply too fast! Even without utilizing the Three Secrets and Five Methods or Glory Manifestation, Lucian's purely physical combat prowess was already approaching Level 2.
"I'll be back before we head out."
Throwing out a brief reminder, Lucian teleported his physical body straight into the Divine Court.
[Party Mode: Disconnected]
Stripped of the top-down map view, quite a few people felt a sudden wave of emptiness. The function was just too useful. If only Lucian was a member of their Familia. Members of both the Zeus and Hera Familias shared that exact thought.
Balor's evil eye. Staring at the massive eyeball resting before him, Lucian plunged into deep thought. The Balor of this world was merely a monster. Naturally, it lacked the mythical might of its legend, to the point where this eye was entirely geared toward sheer destruction. To put it simply, it fired a crimson magical cannon blast. With a single boom, an entire hill could be vaporized. Centered around this eyeball, Lucian planned to forge his first 'companion'.
"Magic Stone."
With a flick of his mind, Lucian pulled out Balor's Magic Stone. The sheer combat prowess of the two Familias had even allowed them to preserve Balor's core intact. This completely spared him the agonizing hassle of synthesizing a massive core from piles of smaller Magic Stones. It wasn't just a matter of simple synthesis. Magic Stones varied in quality—or rather, their energy levels were inherently different. Even if Magic Stones of varying qualities were fused, they still required an energy-level calibration to function properly.
But now, Balor's Magic Stone could be used with just a few minor adjustments, guaranteeing a 100% compatibility rate.
"Rule Creation. Magic Creation. Annihilation Maker."
The three spells activated in perfect sequence. Building upon Balor's crimson evil eye, the silhouette of a gigantic teenage girl slowly materialized. The girl possessed lightly curled, pale cyan hair. Her right eye shimmered with a dark green, demonic luster, while her left eye was the blood-red evil eye itself.
"Substitution Ritual."
Lucian cast a massive magical ritual, covering the surrounding two-hundred-meter radius of ground and empty space in sprawling spell formations, endlessly siphoning mana from the Divine Court. A ritual that would demand extensive preparation from an ordinary mage was completed the instant he willed it into existence. Furthermore, the Divine Court itself acted as a supplementary altar, allowing the ritual to gather enough operational energy in no time.
"Commence operation."
There were two focal points at the center of the ritual. On one side stood the ten-meter-tall girl, while the massive Magic Stone rested on the other. With a wave of his hand, Lucian summoned Balor's soul—which he had intercepted from the Dungeon—and deposited it into the Magic Stone. The enormous, twisted, crimson soul thrashed violently in Lucian's grasp, desperately trying to corrode his mind.
"Substitution."
A brilliant light flared. Bound by the substitution of a rule-tier ability, Balor's Magic Stone and soul vanished completely. Conversely, on the other side, the hollow shell of the girl—who previously only possessed a physical form—was abruptly filled with a soul and overwhelmingly powerful mental energy.
"Annihilation Maker—Balor of the Evil Eye."
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