This chapter is very large, around 8.3K words long.

In this chapter you'll find Lore and mostly combat.

I've been wanting to have Philip fight for a while, and due to this, I'm afraid I may have gone... Over the top.

Though, listen to me, Philip has grown a lot ever since he left the Academy.

Before meeting Fabrin, he was said to be able to fight a 5th Circle Magician, perhaps kill a 6th Circle.

He also fought a strange Level 70 beast in the Great Hunt.

After his 3 week training, he managed to have a better grasp of his strength and abilities thanks to Fabrin's insane training, and I would say he could defeat a 6th Circle with relative ease as long as he gathered more combat experience.

Perhaps even an Archmage.

From there, Philip entered the City and changed Classes, Evolved, and his Stats went from an average of 100+ to 500 now if we add his Title effects.

The difference between each Stat gets bigger over time, so there's that.

More Skills, more Traits, his main trait even went from weakened to recovering.

Let's look at him from a certain perspective, Philip's current Stats are the same as some guy that had a very powerful Class receiving 5 points in all Stats every single Level from 1 to 100.

He should be pretty strong.

Of course, just like people, monsters can also be stronger than they are expected to be.

A normal Level 70 soldier won't compare with a Level 70 Archmage in terms of Stats.

At least, this is what I wanted to convey.

From here on it's up to you all.

Read the chapter and tell me if I exaggerated on the power Scaling or if it still fits.

Don't worry about the future as even if I did exaggerate, it still is within the plans I had for Philip and the others, it's just that he grew stronger faster even for me lol.

Aside from that, my biggest problem was Lore, I feel like I made things either too simple, or completely hit it off the mark by trying to be cool and mysterious.

This Arc was supposed to be a simple Dungeon dive, but I may have turned it into something else entirely.

Anyway, I'll leave the rest to you all, I have some images that I did in the meantime, see for yourselves at the end.

Peace.

.

.

.

---

'After walking and moving for several hours through many caves and broken ruins, Philip arrived in front of a pair of extremely large doors.'

"... At the end of an old rail system, a large cave system will lay, follow the old inscriptions on the walls and the entrance will be there..." Philip mumbled as he raised his head

"This is it."

Here it is, the two doors that lead to the Ancient city.

'He immediately knew this place was the one he was looking for, he just had to cross them.'

'Which wasn't difficult, considering the fact the doors were half open, and even though it wasn't enough for a human to pass through, that wasn't a problem for him.'

'However...'

/Sha sha sha.../

"Something seems wrong..." He said as he crouched near the door

Since the past is sometimes irregular and impossible to prove, the doors being open or closed wasn't certain.

The problem is... This strange green gas coming from in between.

'On the ground all around him, a thin layer of greed gas was present, like a layer of cold air, it was barely enough to go over his foot.'

'He touched the gas carefully, it was cold to the touch, but it was too thin to do anything to him.'

'Even then, he could tell it was doing something, the gas was slowly corroding the doors and the surroundings, tainting them with a strange hue.'

'He was initially apprehensive that this would damage his clothes, they were almost brand new... But after a while, he realized the corrosion would likely take forever, at least in this concentration.'

"Hum... I have a bad feeling about this." Philip spoke as he got up

Just to be safe, I'll cast my support Spells now, they won't last long, but they'll last for a while.

/Shine/

'With his hands changing color, Philip manipulated the energies within him and cast several layers of defensive and supportive Spells throughout his body, while also changing his clothes to his best arsenal.'

'His new clothes were actually pretty simple, a mix of light and medium armor, this was important because his combat Style relied on speed, so if he were to carry around a chunk of iron bound to his chest, things would get difficult.'

'Also, he had to account for Armament as it already worked as armor.'

'Simply put, his current Armor focused on enhancing his bodily attributes and Skills, to resonate with them without getting in their way.'

'He also put a ring and a bracelet in each of his hands, enchanted items to further boost his power.'

"Now I'm ready."

I would like to fill my fingers with magical items, but then it would compromise my grip over things, they're best left for laboratory work.

Also... It feels a little good to wear these again... My old Hunter clothes.

They still have that bloody smell... Sigh, even after cleaning it 100 times it didn't come off.

Well, even if it had come off, the smell would come back, eventually.

"Phew..."

'For the sake of dramatic effect, he grabbed the edges of the door and pushed them aside with great momentum.'

/SHAAA!/

'Green gas spilled outside, like a dam that was about to break...'

/CRUNK!/

"COUGH!"

'Just as he did so, a literal shower of dust fell on him as well.'

"COUGH!..."

I should've expected that...

/SHA!/

'A blast of air pushed all of the dust and smoke aside, cleaning his body.'

"Pfft, some got on my mouth." Philip said as he spat on the ground

These doors...

/Clong clong.../

'They're solid, a one-piece.' He thought as he knocked on them

How did the Dwarves forge them? A door about 20M tall, 5M wide, and 10M deep?

I never passed through any sort of dangerous area that would explain such extreme defenses, the only thing that crosses my mind is that they did it for the sake of looking cool and imposing.

/CRUNK!/

'Even then, these massive solid doors were easily pushed aside by him, they broke the ground around them leaving massive trails as they hadn't been moved in centuries.'

'The mechanisms they were bound to started to creak and snap as if about to give in.'

/Shaaa!/

'Just when he fully opened the door, a heavy cloud of green gas fell on him, and his skin startled to tingle…'

[DING]

[You made contact with the Breath of Latur]

"Huh?"

I didn't expect the green gas to be this invasive...

"This wasn't in the simulations!" Philip exclaimed as he closed his eyes due to the gas irritating them

'As he rubbed his eyes, he thought:'

It looks to be some sort of wide-range contamination, but in the book, I was supposed to expect a large number of decaying monstrosities, one of the reasons this place was classified as a very dangerous zone.

If it hadn't been for the fact I became much, much stronger then what was expected of me, I wouldn't have tried to come here.

Above all, there was no mention of such corrosive gas, much less of this "Latur".

Yes, I was warned about possible toxic and poisonous substances due to what happened here in the past, but it wasn't supposed to be this extreme.

Still... The cause of that wasn't given to me, so perhaps... Something must've happened between now and the undisclosed future.

'The greenish gas covered his entire vision, it wasn't thick, but it smelled horrible.'

'He tried to keep his breath, but the gas seemingly seeped into his Skin…'

[You have contracted the Curse of Decadence]

"The what?..."

...

'Standing in place trying to figure out what was happening wasn't going to solve things, besides, his body looked completely fine apart from some itching.'

'So Philip marched onward.'

...

'Behind the massive doors laid a vast corridor decorated with fancy stonework and smoothed-out walls.'

'It seemed like some sort of military garrison than anything else, Philip could see many fortifications and the overall layout of this corridor seemed to indicate that they defended themselves regularly from the outside.'

'But... It seemed the trouble came from inside...'

[DING]

[The Golden body rejects impurities]

[Your body is immune to the Curse of Decadence]

"About right." Philip said as he waved his hand around

If I was to get intoxicated with this great body of mine, it would be a...

Hum... I uh... Yeah.

Anyway, who the hell is Latur? And what's happening?

...

"Hum..."

'He stopped to inspect things for a moment, including something pretty strange...'

/Growl.../

'In the middle of the corridor laid a strange, distorted creature, it slept on the ground as it breathed the green gas.'

'It had 5 legs, each with a single massive talon that dug into the fortified ground.'

'Each leg was as thick as his arms were wide, he wondered how big it would be if the creature were to stand up...'

'It had many scales, mostly distorted and out of order, it was even riddled with scars.'

'Atop its head laid two horns, but they were rather strange as they curved upwards, meeting above its head to make a circular shape, like a halo above the monster's head.'

'Looking behind, Philip could see several marks on the back side of the doors, it seemed this creature had tried quite a few times to claw its way through them.'

'As for the reason why it didn't try to merely dig around it... Philip quickly found out the reason for it.'

'The stone around the door was hard, perhaps even stronger than the doors themselves...'

'He found it impossible for the entire cavern to be this strong, so the only possibility was that... The creature may have been too dumb to actively seek a way out somewhere else.'

/Growl.../

"..."

It's sleeping?

'Before checking the creature for further information, however, Philip observed a strange broken machine on the side.'

'It looked rather humanoid, but it was broken into many pieces.'

'Trying to inspect it with his senses told him little, yet, knowing a bit about mechanisms, Philip believed it to be some sort of...'

"Gatekeeper." He mumbled as he turned to the beast

'His eyes flashed momentarily, his observation Skill activated:'

[Earthmarrow Great Bullzar (Cursed) (Undergoing Mutation) (Heavily injured)

Level ???

]

'Looking at its Status, Philip almost took a step back out of surprise.'

'This creature in front of him was the definition of a beast, a monster that would cause mayhem above...'

'Even then... He wasn't afraid, merely surprised.'

'He didn't find this creature threatening.'

/Exhale.../

/Open.../

'With a small breath, the creature opened its eyes, a pair of yellow-like gems that shone in this dark environment.'

/Growl.../

/THUD!/

'The beast got up from its resting position, and after shaking its head slightly, like a bull, it aimed its horns at him.'

"Hum... It's been a while since I had a good fight."

/Step.../

'Philip took a step forward, getting into a simple stance.'

"At least grab a weapon..." Laplabe mumbled on the side

/CRACK!/

'But before he could reply, the bull monster charged forward!'

/BOOM!/

'The air exploded as its speed reached extreme values, being now only a few feet in front of Philip.'

"HUPP!"

'But he wasn't going to let himself be beaten in speed as he quickly reacted, raising one of his hands and chopping down at its head with a smile on his face.'

/BOOOOM!/

'The hand chop and the Bull met, the result seemed obvious, but something bizarre happened.'

/BANG!/

'The Bull's charge was sent to a complete halt! Its immense body was almost flung to the air as its momentum forced it forward, but its head was pinned down by Philip's hand!'

/SMACK!/

'To complement, Philip spun and delivered a fast kick to its lower jaw, sending the Bull tumbling sideways.'

/Tsss.../

'Thin smoke was present on his right hand and foot as he watched the Bull fall.'

"Ouch..." He said as he shook his hand

"I think I fractured my hand." He said with a slight smile

"Is that something to smile about."

"It depends."

/Crack!/

'The beast got up from the ground, it looked completely unharmed apart from a slight streak of blood falling from its forehead.'

/GROWL!/

'But its eyes said otherwise, it was enraged!'

"Grab your weapon, we aren't here to play!"

"I know, I just wanted to see for myself..."

/Cling.../

'His hand moved to the side, and a long sword was taken from his inventory.'

'It had a red edge that vibrated at speeds undetectable for the Human eye.'

"... How much I changed."

/ROAR!/

/CRACK!/

'The Bull once again charged, breaking the ground beneath it as it pulverized everything on its path.'

'Being its target would send anyone funding onto the ground in fear...'

"Phew..."

'But Philip raised his sword.'

/Stop.../

'From his perspective, time seemed to stop as he vanished.'

/Crash!/

'The next moment, the great Bull tumbled down, leaving a long gash on the ground as its heavy body slid before crashing with the walls.'

/Splat!/

'As it did so, several parts of its body were severed, releasing blood and gore to the surroundings as its pieces tainted the world red.'

"Satisfied?" Laplabe asked as he saw Phillip check his sword on the ground

This kid's growth is simply...

"So far so good, the enhancements I made during these last months have, so far, outperformed what I expected."

"Then again, that creature was heavily injured, it wasn't at its true potential."

Many of its scales were broken, so its defenses were compromised.

Even if it was above the Level I can observe, I wonder how strong it truly was.

"Onwards." He said as he sheathed his sword

...

/Stop.../

"Wow..."

'Eventually, he came to a halt as the path ended in a steep ravine leading to a glorious city, but at this sight, he was more shocked and confused than amazed and baffled...'

'In front of him, at least a hundred meters beneath his foot was the once vastly populated Capital city of the Great Gorge, and at its opposite end, a gorgeous palace.'

'Many sorts of machinery could be seen on the walls or the ceiling, he could barely tell what each of their purposes was.'

'The green smoke could be faintly seen in the city, and the cries of creatures echoed from within.'

... Once again, according to the diary, the city was built surrounding a large abyss that led directly to the Underground world, it was not meant to be like this.

Does this mean... The city collapsed?

If so, this is concerning, what if the city were to fall while I'm here?

"A massive city built in what appears to be a massive cavern, even for Dwarven standards, this city is gargantuan." Laplabe voiced out as he saw everything unfold

"How high is this place? Two Kms? Three? That's almost as tall as the Ravine above."

"That seems to be the case." Philip replied as he inspected the ceiling

The cavern looks natural, but that is debatable.

Unless this had once been Magma Chamber, we are beneath the Never Ending Mountain range, and there are many massive volcanos there...

But this place seems a bit too small for that, perhaps an ancient Conduit?

Though... Who's to say this wasn't made by some other natural activity?

'Just as Philip stepped to the side to explore the rest of the city, the ground started to tremble and the sounds of wails echoed around the cavern walls.'

/Tremble…/

"SHAAAAAA!"

/Wails…/

"What the…?"

Voices...?

"I think we did something quite bad…" Laplabe pointed out from within his pockets

"No shit."

/Wails…/

[DING!]

[Your Title, Seeker of the Ancient Myths is unraveling the truth]

"Oh? I didn't even know it could do that." Philip said with a small surprise

This Title was something unexpected.

Pretty much, after Apex Evolver changed into what it is now, I received a new Title, a reward for being the first to achieve a named Title.

However, this Title automatically fused with Antesunderian Archeologist under the influence of Skill Fusion to make Seeker of the ancient Myths.

What it does is pretty vague, but the reason I have it equipped now is due to the passive boosting effects it has while in places like this, ruins and the like.

I rarely used the Archeologist Titles, but since I am exploring ruins now, it's rather fitting.

[Partial truth is revealed based on what was found so far]

[The Capital city of the Great Gourge has long been abandoned, few still remember its existence and purpose, and even fewer remember what happened to it]

[Those that do were told tales of a great catastrophe that shook the entire Dwarven Society, a sin they committed, a disaster they met, a problem they created, the reasons are many, and all hold a portion of the truth, but who's to say which is the most correct?]

[No matter how much they tried, their isolation ended up being their downfall, as no one heard their cries when they most needed]

[Their overreliance on themselves made them fragile, their continuous success in the underground made them complacent]

[To contain and wash away these sins, they moved forward, abandoning their heritage, themselves for the sake of a bigger tomorrow, a sacrifice now mostly forgotten, a disaster made fun of by History]

[However, after 1000 years, a daring adventurer opened the doors to this ancient mystery, and with it, the sin they left behind for the next generations]

'As the words echoed in his ears and the messages played in front of him, Philip frowned as he scratched his head.'

"I see? That doesn't really explain much."

But at least I do understand a bit more about this Title.

It seems to have a small chance of telling me a portion of a place's forgotten history...

Or something along those lines.

Well, I wonder what qualifies for that.

/WAIL!/

"Regardless… I can think of that later."

It seems I have awakened something... Just when I thought this adventure would be a peaceful one, something happens.

Does every ancient ruin have to have some sort of ancient problem or curse?

…

/WAILS!/

'The distorted screams continued to plague their minds, they came from everywhere, making it difficult for Philip to properly pinpoint their locations.'

"Philip, I think we have some bigger problems than whatever you expected to see here." Laplabe added suddenly

"... Yeah, we can talk about the rest later."

/Unsheath.../

'He grasped his weapon tightly.'

"Let's clear this mess first."

/WAIL!/

'On his side laid a passageway that led into the city, once carved on the walls of the cavern, however, right now, it was slowly filled to the brim with distorted creatures rushing towards him from all nooks and crannies!'

'Like ferocious beasts, they rushed from the dark and climbed the precipice, aiming to tear him to pieces!'

[The Great Scholar unravels the hidden]

[Cursed Souls x???

Level 23-49]

[Cursed Infantry x???

Level 17-59]

[Cursed Foot Soldier x???

Level 9-49]

[Cursed Cavalry x???

Level 38-62]

[Cursed…]

'A literal army of grotesque creatures marched toward him, they looked like a mixture of the undead, demons, and something in between.'

'Their bodies weren't symmetrical for the most part, and their weapons looked rotting and broken.'

'In fact, most weren't even humanoid, their ranks had a mixture, if not composed mostly of abnormal creatures he had never seen before.'

'It was as if they had been waiting for centuries, so much so their bodies rotted beyond recognition.'

'However, that wasn't all.'

[Metalic War Automaton x100

Level 75-80

]

[Abyssal Siege Machine x23

Level 70-82

]

[Colossy Mounstruosity x3

Level 77-81

]

[Flesh Carrier...]

'Machines and great beasts alike marched from bellow, emerging from the dark city, their steps making the entire cavern tremble.'

'An army hidden away by time was making its appearance after centuries!'

"This is... Getting out of hand." Laplabe said with a shocked expression

"It's too much, unless... Has this placed turned into a 'Dread Land'?"

"Dread Land?" Philip asked with interest

"Well..."

/WAIL!!!!/

'An extremely loud scream shook the cavern, interrupting their conversation...'

"We... Can leave the explanations for later."

"You bet." Philip replied as he once again started to cast magic on himself

It looks like I won't be able to buff myself later, better do it now then.

...

'Something extremely dark had taken ahold of this ancient bastion of the Dwarves, and it had made full use of its resources to grow a terrific army.'

'Strange and distorted machines that towered over buildings, and hunks that looked like tanks...'

'Abominations that shouldn't see the light of day, they moved to him even if it meant crushing whatever was on their path.'

...

'Watching the situation unfold, Philip felt extremely disgusted and frustrated.'

"Fuck."

"That's all you have to say?"

"What else can I say?..."

/Sigh.../

"Running away isn't an option anymore." Philip said with his arms crossed

"It seems so…"

Collapsing the passageway won't do a thing, the problem isn't the weaker mobs but those things with higher Levels making their way up.

As if making a small hole in their path would stop them.

/THUM THUM THUM THUM!/

'War drums echoed from within the army as they approached.'

'Laplabe had enough, it was time for him to act.'

"It seems…"

"No, there's no need to." Philip said as he turned around

/CRUNK!/

/BANG!/

'Under the tyrannical power of his mind, the massive double doors at the end of the giant hallway closed shut with a loud sound.'

'But just when he felt that it wasn't enough, he saw massive metallic bars that could be used to block them and even massive pillars that would dig into the ground for extra defenses.'

/CLONK!/

/CLANG!/

'He pulled them all, closing the doors shut, even if it meant sealing himself with these creatures.'

"This is well beyond my pay grade." Laplabe complained

"You are paid?"

"Exactly…"

'Philip turned to look at the army.'

"I didn't expect to be welcomed so fiercely."

Laplabe doesn't seem to be affected by the Curse, so that's one problem down.

Judging by their names, this is an army and not some sort of monster tide.

Laplabe mentioned a Dread Land? I'll have to ask him about it later.

Yet… I don't see the commanders.

'His eyes sharpened as he scanned through the army... Until he found them.'

"!"

There.

[*****

Level ???]

[Bycorn Spirit

Level 87]

[*****

Level ???]

[Prototype 03

Level 91]

'At the far end of the Army under the cover of the most grotesque of creatures, he saw what seemed to be a classic undead warrior sitting atop a double-horned black horse.'

'It was a pure black skeleton, but its eye sockets were pure dark.'

(Image?)

'On his right was a strange machine that looked to be made out of glass, and on his right was a mysterious figure in a robe.'

"If I can't tell their Levels…"

They're beyond Level 95, but not too far for the screen to be completely censored.

'If that wasn't enough, they were being surrounded by yet another force.'

[Espector Elite x36

Level 81-85

]

'Philip grimaced.'

I think… I bit more than I could chew this time.

"Having second thoughts?"

"... I can't say that I'm not, I would've preferred to deal with them one at a time..."

An army like this would lay haste to the city in a matter of minutes, now that I provoked it, I doubt they'll be stopped by those doors for long.

I could be underestimating the city's defenses, albeit, it doesn't change the fact they are quite the force, it would certainly take a while for them to form a proper response team.

And in the meantime, how many would die due to my actions?

"..."

How did something like this even come to be? Is the underground supposed to be this extreme?

Even if a powerful necromancer were to use the bodies of the underground creatures as a base, it would still be extremely difficult to turn, control, maintain, enhance, and even less, do it on this scale!

[DING]

"?!"

This...

'Philip's attention snapped to his left, his eyes drawn towards the Palace, his expression becoming serious…'

[You are under the attention of Latur, Archpriest of *****]

/THUM!/

"!"

'Philip suddenly felt a great pressure fall on him…'

/Crack!/

'The ground cracked beneath his foot as the veins on his forehead started to show themselves as he clenched his teeth.'

/BOOM!/

'But the air around him exploded outward, dispelling the pressure as he gazed fiercely at this newcomer, trying to gauge his Level as well.'

[Latur

???]

/CRACK!/

"?!"

[Great Scholar has been forcibly broken]

'Philip's eyesight turned red as he felt a sharp wave of pain flare in his head.'

This is the first time I've ever had such a crazy backlash!

[Castle Town *****  protects your mind]

"... Fucker." He said with a twisted smile

Is this guy the owner of this place?

Well, I won't blame you if you feel threatened by an outsider trespassing onto your territory... I can understand that much.

But don't you think I'll allow such disrespect!

'Philip was genuinely angered.'

'He raised his hand.'

/TREMBLE!/

'The ground started to tremble as he raised his hand.'

/TREMBLE!/

'Using the entirety of his mental power, he grasped towards the Palace…'

/TREMBLE!/

'The cavern shook under the pressure of this gathering berserking power.'

'It looked as if the air in front of him had distorted…'

"..."

/Raise.../

'Latur did not fall back at this display, raising its staff.'

'It was difficult to say what Latur looked like, only his outer clothes.'

'Plain robes with complex symbols that moved around like water...'

'A tall humanoid creature holding a staff made of unknown materials that held a strange gem atop it, similar to a cut diamond, but golden-blue.'

/CLANG!/

'Latur hit the bottom of its staff against the ground, and a thick wave of green energy flew over the city with the Palace at its center.'

"HA!"

'Smiling maniacally, Philip pushed forward with his mental power!'

/TREMBLE!/

'And the two forces collided.'

/BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!/

...

/Tremble.../

'The aftershock of their collision sent waves across the city, making dust and rocks fall around certain areas as a small earthquake rumbled.'

"?!"

They were nullified?

'Against his expectations, the wave of dark green energy perfectly countered his blast of mental power.'

"..."

'And he went silent.'

Is it toying with me?

A perfect counterattack to my attack, no energy wasted.

Even if my mental power is still far from what I was supposed to have... I trained it with everything I had... But was that only enough for this guy to laugh at?

'He gazed at Latur's appearance, he couldn't tell what it was, but had the feeling he knew the answer.'

"Lich."

'Beings of immeasurable magical ability, a lich is a dark creature that can form when a powerful being dies and the right conditions meet, it doesn't need to be a Human or any similar species.'

'Philip theorized that the Bull he met at the gates was also undergoing Lichfication, but they interrupted it midway through the process.'

'Just like it can be born naturally, it's also possible to become a Lich through a myriad of rituals, through artifacts, blessings, or whatever, attaining great longevity and heightened powers at the cost of some things.'

'It may vary depending on the methods, as life wasn't simple.'

'The question now was, which type of Lich Latur was?'

'A natural, or one that was transformed? Or something else completely?'

"Philip…"

'Laplabe tried to talk with him, but Philip did not reply.'

'So in the end, he came out of his pocket, becoming a distorted shadow behind him.'

"I'll be joining."

"..."

"This isn't the time for your ego…"

"Thank you." He replied with a slight smile

"..."

'The shadowy creature stopped, nodding, never did Philip turn to take a look at it.'

/Shaa…/

'However, just as it appeared, the shadow vanished, yet, for a moment, Philip saw something pass in front of his eyes...'

[Laplabe

Level ???]

'Despite his way of speaking and acting, Laplabe wasn't someone to be made fun of when he became serious.'

…

/WAILS!/

'The army approached with great momentum, but Philip's attention was still in Latur.'

'The creature stood there, observing him, perhaps gauging him.'

'But after a while, it turned around, perhaps losing interest in watching further, or planning something else...'

"%$^@!"

'It stopped only for a moment to look at him sideways, Philip's ears twitched, he heard something, but he couldn't tell what it was.'

[The Great Desire of ***** has awakened]

'Phiip immediately felt his body tense and his breath quicken.'

[You have been challenged by a strong enemy]

[Extra effect: Extreme Apex has activated]

"Heh, so that's how it is."

Whoever Latur is… He's inviting me to his Palace.

An adventurer going to the heart of the evil empire to take down an ancient Evil...

It's like a game... And it's oddly poetic.

Fine, wait for me.

'While he left into the depths of the Palace, Philip turned his attention to the army.'

Dealing with the majority of them won't be a problem, the problem is the high-Level ones.

Level 90… This is an incredible stage, and each Level beyond it indicates a considerable gap.

Worse, there are two creatures whose Levels I cannot observe.

This means they are beyond the confines of my Skill, that being Level 95.

If they are 96, then it's not bad, but they could also be 99… Or even...

"The threshold into a new Stage, even if those guys aren't it…"

Then that Lich is.

'Philip doubted his capabilities at this point, he had confidence in himself, but only to a certain point, his training led him far, however, there was a limit to that still.'

'He felt his body tingle, rationality told him it was better to retreat and reassess this situation from the shadows, he had the skills necessary to do so.'

'But his emotions told him that would be going beyond his moral line, and worse than that, it would make him feel like crap.'

"This situation is quite messy…"

All due to his misinformation!!

I'll kick his balls when I'm back.

'Clenching his fists in anger, Philip decided to blow some steam...'

"Nevertheless… I'll first deal with you all."

So many targets, well then, let's test some things out.

'His hands started to glow.'

"First, I'll change my Title into a more fitting one."

The Stats I received from this one are good, but it's not proper for such large fights.

[Ancestor of the Sahot has been equipped, Seeker of the Ancient Myths has been un-equiped]

[Ressonation effect, Champion has activated]

/Breath in.../

/Breath out.../

'Philip's aura started to change as his muscles moved beneath his clothes.'

/Twist…/

'Once again, the air around him twisted as his mental power gathered in front of him.'

[You are fighting alone against an Army]

[Extra Effect: Beast of the Battlefield has activated]

"How many will survive this?" He asked somewhat amused as his hand pressed down

I focused too much on isolated training and lost my edge, I'll treat this as an opportunity to sharpen it again!

/BOOOM!/

/SPLAT!/

/WAILS!/

'The immense mental power crushed downwards, and thousands of these accursed monsters were squashed into minced meat under his distorted smile.'

'The sheer destructive power of this move was such that almost the entire infantry of the army was gone, leaving behind only the rear.'

'And Philip didn't even seem tired.'

[DING]

[DING]

'Notifications soon rang on his mind, but he ignored them for now.'

"I pulverized all enemies, none survived."

"Slowly I reach the stages my Titles are supposed to represent..."

Albeit I feel it's too early for that.

'Watching as a river of rotting blood be washed over the precipice like a waterfall, Philip reflected upon it.'

The power of the mind sure is vast, some of those creatures were pretty vicious looking.

Level or State, as the people in this world call it, doesn't fully represent a person's true power.

Some of those monsters could've been stronger than they seemed…

But they were all squashed.

"I trained my Mind to high degrees, this was the minimum I expected."

I can't manifest my mental world yet, but I'm not far…

"..."

/SHIN!/

'Out of nowhere, a sheen flashed behind his  head!'

/FWOOSH!/

'Philip quickly turned his body, evading a sharp spear that aimed at his neck by a hair's width!'

[Prototype 02]

Level 89]

/BOOM!/

/FWOOSH!/

'It wasn't over!'

'At the same time as he turned, Philip felt the air scream behind his ears as something made its way to his heart…'

"Tsk."

A combined sneak attack...

/GRAB!/

'He raised his right hand and grabbed the flying projectile!'

'It was a long bolt about the size of his arm and as thick as three of his fingers combined, how vicious...'

'From afar, he momentarily saw another mechanical creature standing atop the ceiling of a long tower…'

'It looked like some sort of insectoid monster, dangling on the building, resembling a spider.'

[Prototype 01

Level 85]

Annoying.

'If that bolt hit his head, albeit it wouldn't kill him, it would certainly hurt… A lot.'

'It may not be sharp, but the thing about ballistics is that a bullet doesn't need to be skin sharp to penetrate something, especially at those speeds.'

'And if that wasn't enough, dealing with another one next to him while anticipating an army…'

"How interesting."

It's a shame, but I'll have to break these.

I'm sure the Dwarf would've liked to see them.

/Sheen.../

'The red blade in his right hand started to vibrate…'

/SLASH!/

'At the moment the two strange automatons attacked, Philip evaded them all before counterattacking.'

'To the one closest to him, a single downward slash, cutting it in half.'

'To the one far away, something stepped out of the shadows of the tower, tendrils of obscure energy coiled around it, dragging it into the shadows before sounds of cracking metal echoed.'

'All of this within fragments of a second.'

"Two down I guess."

Laplabe complains I'm fancy, but he's nowhere better than I am.

'Philip turned around to gaze at the army, the small mobs didn't worry him, the giant ones did.'

War Automatons, Siege Machines, Colossy Mounstruosities...

Relics from the past? Or something made in the meantime?

They look half-broken to be honest, is there some sort of old and rotting theme going on in this place?

'The War Automatons looked like centaurs, but instead of a humanoid torso, they had a machine mounted on top, a few had blades and weapons, others had guns and the like.'

'Abyssal Siege Machines were large thank shaped creations, their Level might say something, but their power was directly related to their firepower and the ammo they used.'

'In the first place, Philip questioned why a machine would have a Level, but this may be exclusive to his Skill, Great Scholar Vision, and not an actual representation of reality.'

'Even then, he was extremely reluctant to let them fire.'

'Though he wondered why they hadn't yet.'

/THUD! THUD!/

'Lastly, the Colossy were gigantic undead monsters wearing full plate armor and holding massive weapons, they covered the entire path and no more than two could stand shoulder to shoulder at the same time.'

'And even then it was a bit tight.'

/Stops…/

"Huh?"

'The army abruptly stopped, and Philip felt a chill…'

/Charge…/

'Suddenly, he saw many of the cursed wizards raise their staffs…'

"!"

The mages… Are going to cast a fucking spell!

/FWOOOOOSH!/

'Philip rushed forward, if he were in the open like that, he would be giving himself on a plate to them!'

'He used all of his Skills, vanishing without a trace.'

/FLASH!/

'And a strong flash of light ignited within the army.'

…

/BOOOM!/

/SLASH!/

/SPLAT!/

/BOOOM!/

'Within moments, destruction and chaos issued within the army as Philip razed through everything with unstoppable momentum, ripping and tearing everything that was too unlucky to be within a few meters of his blade.'

'For these decaying corpses, the reaper had finally arrived to take their souls.'

/SLASH!/

'Even then, Philip had a target.'

'Jumping from the ground and vanishing, Philip decapitated one of the gigantic monsters, letting its head fall like a massive boulder.'

/BAM!/

'In the air, he slashed sideways, cutting the other giant monster before kicking its arm and going back to the army on the ground.'

'As long as he was within it, not only would he be able to protect himself from ranged attacks, he could also make them lose their rhythm, something very important within an army.'

'And without the strong units, the army wouldn't be able to breach the fortified doors, at least not within a short span of time.'

'There were only two problems with his plan.'

'His enemy was a unified group of undead monsters, why would they care to hit each other, and how would they lose their rhythm due to fear and other unexpected scenarios?'

"!"

/CUT!/

'From the side, a rising wave of dark energy split the earth and the ground, carving a long ravine in the army as it made its way to cut him!'

Shit, they don't care about themselves at all!

'Vanishing, Philip evaded the attack while he ran towards the caster, the mysterious figure on the side of the Commander.'

'At this point, Philip had already realized that if he were to kill the mobs, he would only waste his energy, he had to completely eliminate their chain of command.'

'Also, on the side, he saw some of the bodies of the monsters he had just killed tremble and rise again in brutal fashion, as if their flesh was alive, fusing and twisting, assuming a new form.'

'The more he killed, the more grotesque monsters he would create, the process may be relatively slow, but it was always happening.'

/Step…/

It's coming!

'The robot on the black skeleton's side vanished, Prototype 03 was on the move!'

/CLANG!/

/BAM!/

"Huff!"

'Different from the other 2, this automaton was extremely strong and deadly, the moment it moved, it appeared in front of him, slashing down with extreme precision.'

'From their names, it was possible to see that each Prototype was stronger than the last, correcting their previous mistakes while enhancing their usual abilities.'

'And this meant...'

/Crunk!/

/Fuse.../

"Holy..."

'A small black cannon opened on the creature's chest, and light burst from within.'

'As his hands were occupied blocking its strike, his body was left open...'

/BLAST!/

'A red ray of burning energy penetrated his chest!'

/PUNCH!/

'But being the vicious guy he is, Philip let go of his sword and punched the energy beam, making its power spread around him!'

/Grab!/

"HUFF!"

'Grabbing his sword again, he immediately slashed forward...'

/CLANG!/

/CLANG!/

'Within a second, they exchanged several blows, but with each blow, Philip realized his enemy's weakness.'

'It was just a robot, it may be precise, but its combat ability was limited.'

'In simpler terms, it wasn't aware of what it was doing.'

/SLASH!/

/SPLAT/

/CRUNCH!/

'Like a berserker, Philip allowed himself to be cut in the shoulder in order to grab the arms of the robot, pulling them apart and rendering the machine defenseless and mostly useless.''

/CRACK!/

"?"

This is… Poison?

'As he destroyed the robot, he felt his wound tingle, it was obvious, something was trying to spread damage within his body…'

'Unfortunately…'

[The Golden body repels harmful substances]

'A dark liquid was ejected from his wound as it closed, it was an incredibly fast regeneration speed, and this was thanks to the fact his wound was a clean one, a simple sharp cut, nothing else.'

I wouldn't say they're poisoned... It's just that due to the strange miasma in this place, everything contains a certain trace of impure substances.

This was within the Diary, it was one of the things I should be aware of... But due to this mess, I forgot about it... Well, at least he got something right.

Also, the blade didn't cut through my bone, but it hurts like hell!

Regardless, I now know that I'm resilient enough to not be cut by this shit...

Great.

'Even though he eliminated an enemy that would terrorize most, he didn't feel happy nor accomplished.'

'There were still two more to go.'

'His enemies were observing them, the commander atop his horse, inspecting him, while the wizard uttered something incomprehensible...'

/BOOM!/

/Crack!/

/Slows…/

'Philip kicked the ground with extreme force, and the world slowed down around him as he used Ripper mode and his mental powers to increase his cognitive functions.'

/Blaze…/

'Blue fire ragged around his body, Armament had been called upon his body, covering it in ethereal blue flames.'

'His mouth opened, uttering earth-shattering words that carried unknown power.'

*Dragon aspect*

'As phantom scales grew on his body, they fused with his Armament, becoming an esoteric piece of armor.'

/Fwoosh!/

'He was now right in front of the knight and the mysterious figure, his sword drawing an arc in the air…'

/Crackle… Boom!/

'His red sword turned into flames as it accelerated forward!'

*Heat Edge Lv2*

'Carrying an incredible amount of power, Philip clenched his teeth as he used everything he had to slash forward!'

"%$!"

/CLANG!/

/BOOOOOOOOOM!/

'Barely reacting in time, the black skeleton raised its battle spear and blocked Philip's slash, chanting something in a language Philip couldn't understand!'

"NEIGH?!"

/SPLAT!/

'But his spectral steed wasn't as lucky…'

/Crunch!/

'Under the impact of the blade, the legs of the Bycorn Spirit snapped as the horse was plunged to the ground like a meteor, sending its knight flying back.'

/SLASH!/

/CLINK!/

"^%!@%&#..."

"!"

Too late…!

'On the side, Philip used the Phantom Sword Skill to try and slash the capped figure, but a translucent barrier blocked the strike.'

'Before he could react, its spell was already done, showcasing its magic mastery.'

'Albeit it was true he could slash away first if he failed, a wizard of quality would've already finished a Spell or even two by the time he closed the distance.'

"%$^!@"

'As the magical runes flared in the air, the figure pointed its finger forward…'

/FWOOSH!/

'But a black tendril emerged from the shadows, piercing its body and tearing it apart!'

/ROAR!/

'With a distorted roar, a large twisted mouth devoured the caped figure, breaking its body to pieces before vanishing.'

'It was obviously Laplabe, from the very beginning, it was waiting, waiting for an opportunity to strike.'

'And when it found one, it obliterated its enemy.'

'As a Mimic struck when its foe least expected...'

"Good work pal!" Philip said with a smile as he slashed downward, decapitating the cursed horse

"Pfft… The most tasteless thing I ever had my teeth on…"

Hopefully, I won't get sick from this...

/FWOOSH!/

"!"

/BOOOM!/

'Just when Philip turned to look at Laplabe, the black skeleton knight rose from the ground with extreme force, rushing ahead with its spear pointing ahead towards PhIlip's heart!'

/CLANG!/

"ARG!"

'Philip blocked it with his sword, but he was pushed back by several meters as the knight charged ahead.'

'Even if it was purely made of bones, its physical strength was off the charts!'

'It could push back a strengthened Philip without much trouble!'

/CLANG!/

/SMACK!/

/Growl…/

"..."

'Philip deflected the spear, using the chance to kick the knight in the chest, but his foot did nothing, only managing to stop its momentum.'

'Now, he stood in a very awkward position, his foot hurting and the knight gazing down at him with a ragging expression…'

'Or so he thought.'

/BAM!/

'The knight slammed its head against his, sending him tumbling back, but not for long as he quickly readjusted…'

"ROAR!"

/BOOM!/

'The knight was untiring, it immediately went after Philip, smashing its spear against his body.'

/CLANG!/

"HUPP!"

'His body tensing, Philip parried the spear and slashed the sword against the knight's head with extreme martial prowess.'

"!"

'But the knight turned its head, moving its body with great agility as he kicked his sword up.'

Damn!

This Undead knight actually knows how to fight!

'This may have been Philip's first time encountering a monster that could match up to him in terms of martial combat, and not only that, this was also his first time fighting something this strong.'

'It was different from his previous experiences, the nightmarish monsters he once fought behaved differently, and their powers were more Arcane and often meant to mess with his head than anything else.'

'As he moved, the ground broke, when he slashed, the earth split.'

'Such environmental reactions were disrupting him more than anything else.'

'He lacked the experience to fight something of this Level while the knight... Didn't.'

'Even with the help he received the reach here, Philip had but a few years to sharpen his techniques, no matter how talented or how many cheats he used, there was a limit to his growth.'

'In fact, he should rejoice, as he is forcing this great warrior to fight despite his little time in this world!'

/CLANG!/

'Not having many other chances, Philip let go of his weapon as he withdrew his Katana to his inventory, resetting his body to a better position as he drew the Blacklight Sword for the first time in many months…'

/Sheen…/

'It glowed with a mysterious purple light, perhaps understanding the danger its master was currently in.'

/SHINE!/

"ROAR!"

'The knight tried to slash at the moment he was changing weapons, taking the opportunity that appeared in front of it, but the sudden transformation of the sword pushed him back.'

'As the Darklight sword unsealed itself, the beautiful purple light covered its blade, transforming into a greatsword that harnessed the power of the stars.'

/SLASH!/

/CUT!/

'Philip did an upper slash, infusing the energy of Armament within it, and a great wave of purple light cut towards the undead!'

"$#^@% Fall!"

'The knight spoke once again in the same language Philip couldn't recognize very well.'

'However, this time, the fact he understood something made him rethink things a little.'

/ROAR!/

'The knight pierced upward without fear of his attack, clashing with Philip's strike as the tip of his spear glowed in dark light.'

/BOOM!/

...

/Tremble…/

'Next to their fight, a strange lump of shadows growled as it moved from one place to another…'

/Tremble.../

/Crack.../

"..."

Dammit, that crazy guy is going to collapse a portion of the passageway at this rate.

Also, those undead are slowly making their way back, their fight is likely bound to happen soon, but if he's hurt and vulnerable, those machines will definitely blast him apart.

Those undead don't seem to be controlled by the knight, however, I noticed that their movements became more sluggish with the death of the Wizard.

The Wizard was likely using most of its focus controlling the Army, as with its elimination, they became relatively disorganized, their strength decreased, their mutation rate slowed down, and the air became a bit more clear.

A Wizard with this level of proficiency wouldn't go down this easily.

However...

'Laplabe was in a bind, through his expression, he already knew Philip wanted no help in his fight, but he couldn't just leave.'

'Philip's pride was nothing in the face of death.'

'He had to stay close to help if necessary, or prevent the machines from having a chance to attack, but that would mean going considerably far…'

/ROAR!/

'But he wouldn't be given the chance to speak.'

Those are?!

'The private army of elites that protected the Commander, they had started to move!'

'Even if Philip had bypassed them with his speed, his fight with the Knight Commander had given them enough time to start their own siege.'

'However, it also gave enough time for Laplabe to know what he should do.'

I'm not one to fight directly like this…

How awful.

/Crack…/

'The shadows grew in form, transforming into a nightmarish monster with a blurry outline.'

"You should go back to being dead." He spoke as he moved forward

…

"HAA!"

/BOOM!/

/Shaa…/

'With another clash, an explosion resounded as dust was flung to the skies, and Philip was sent sliding back, his sword cleaving the ground as he waited for an opportunity.'

/Step…/

'His enemy, the black Skeleton knight stepped from the smoke without a single apparent hint of damage, a true menace.'

"This is ridiculous."

'Rising from the ground, he pushed a large stone from his chest as he got into position, observing his enemy with caution.'

I don't think it's impossible to win, but despite everything I did, the buffs I applied, the magic I used, and the Skills I'm constantly mixing, I'm still considerably behind the Knight.

Hum… I may be looking at this the wrong way.

Necromancers can enhance their Summons in a variety of ways, so this Knight could be one such case.

Enhances can happen in many ways, but for simplicity, a few can permanently alter one's Level, while others don't.

It's similar to how a Spiritualist may summon a spirit and enhance it, but its level doesn't change, even if its strength increases by a lot.

Regardless, that's just an excuse from me.

'He grabbed the Darklight sword tightly.'

Laplabe is facing the army alone, I don't have time to face this knight.

And if this guy is already a bother, then whatever is inside the Palace will be pure Hell.

I can't waver this easily.

/Clonk…/

'Philip raised his sword horizontally to the ground, pointing it to the Knight.'

"..."

'The knight gazed at him unwavering with its dark eye sockets beneath its helmet.'

/Crack…/

'The moment a rock fell onto the ground, Philip rushed ahead, piercing with his sword!'

"ROAR!"

'The knight replied in kind, using the entire weight of its body to pierce him!'

/SPLIT!/

"!"

"I got you."

'However, before the knight even had the chance to step forward, something cut its two arms from behind…'

/Sheen…/

'A slight reflection of the light showed a series of strings spread all around like a spider's web.'

'The strings slowly showed themselves one by one, turning into bloody red cords that ran across the air like veins.'

/TUG!/

'With a pull of his fingers, the cords wrapped around the knight, bounding it in a very uncomfortable manner.'

/Grab…/

'He also used them to pull its spear to him, storing it in his inventory for later, removing any chance of the knight from making a counterattack when he least expected it.'

"I didn't expect to use it so soon, but the opportunity appeared…"

'He momentarily turned to look at his wrist.'

[Bloody spinneret-Hunter tool

Description: Remnants of a growing embryo. It continually spills silk.

Modified and adapted into a working mechanism that can be attached to one's wrist by an insane Hunter, then further improved by the same person utilizing strange methods, it's a piece of intricate art in the eyes of its beholder.

Now infused with mystical Arcane arts, it barely resembles its original appearance, with only its creator knowing its gruesome origins.

At the back of the mechanism, an inscription lays, it reads, "My greatest creation, my daughter.", and a pair of initials were engraved, "PV".

When activated, it shoots forward a net of strong and durable red silk that can be controlled at will.

The red silk is shaper than it looks, almost possessing a will of its own to suffocate and gut the targets trapped within its grasp.

]

'Staring at this old tool of his, Philip let out a sigh as he raised his right hand at the knight.'

Before I end him, there is one thing I would like to try.

/Crack!/

'The knight struggled to move, it was slowly ripping the silk apart.'

/Sha sha…/

"It won't take long."

'Dark energy gathering around his hand, slowly seeping into the undead.'

/Tremble…/

'Its body started to convulse as the energy traveled further across its bones…'

'Indeed, this was a well know process… For those not of this world.'

'Philip was trying to take over this undead through Necromancy!'

…

.

.

.

Notes

So? What do you think?

There should be at least 4 more chapters of this Arc, once again, I grew a bit excited while I wrote it...

I'll be on my way, if I have images, I'll drop them below.