His sight first turned blinding white, then plunged into pitch darkness.

Emerging in a dimly illuminated chamber, he was encompassed by a vast array of books. Some emitted an eerie glow, others radiated with brilliant light, while some remained unremarkably plain. Standing there, a sense of eager anticipation coursed through him. Despite having just emerged from a perilous and monumental battle, his singular focus now was on acquiring a new skill.

"Give me good Skill," Dante murmured, his gaze scanning the books.

"Start selection?" The system interface materialized before him.

Without a moment's hesitation, Dante agreed.

"Randomizing..."

The books began to whirl around him in a clockwise motion, starting off leisurely before accelerating. Dante's vision blurred as the books spun faster.

He tightened his grip on his fist, recognizing that even though they were only support skills, they could prove invaluable in battle.

Initially, facing the soldier devil, confidence surged through him. However, as the battle wore on and he sustained more damage, a stark realization dawned: he was still far from strong. Despite leveling up and rapidly gaining power in a matter of days, simply engaging with the statue had nearly cost him his life.

"And judging by the statue's name, it doesn't seem all that imposing," Dante mused, considering the possibility that he'd faced a rather 'weak' statue.

In the midst of his contemplation, the spinning books surrounding him suddenly halted, the silence palpable.

Dante turned his head, his attention drawn to a specific book floating before him.

"It's emitting a bright white light," Dante observed. He remained uncertain about how the strength of a Skill corresponded to the intensity of its glow, having experienced it only once before, excluding the present moment. Perhaps they were merely special effects. Dante resolved to inquire about it from the system later.

The book, glowing white, stood resolutely in front of him.

With bated breath, Dante awaited the introduction to this new Skill.

"Congratulations! You have obtained Hasten!" 

"Skill Description: Makes your target faster by 10%"

"Energy consumption: 25 Energy for 10 seconds."

Dante had to do a double take when he examined the newly acquired Skill. Soon, excitement surged within him.

"A Skill that can amplify my speed by 10%? If I factor in my Mask of Support, I'll gain a whopping 65% boost in speed!" Dante thought, his enthusiasm palpable. The Mask of Support granted its user a 50% increase in any support-related Skills.

Initially, upon reading the description, he had deemed the Skill to be merely average. However, after a careful calculation, he came to the conclusion that it was, in fact, a rather commendable Skill.

The Skill provided an initial speed boost of 10%, equivalent to 0.10 times the original speed. Then, the "mask of support" layered on an additional 50% to the speed, based on the enhanced speed after the initial boost. This resulted in an additional increase of 0.50 times the speed after the initial enhancement. Hence, the total boost came to 65%, not 60%.

(Use this formula if you are confused: 

Let's denote the original speed as "S".

Final Speed = S + (0.10 * S) + (0.50 * (S + 0.10 * S))

Simplifying this expression:

Final Speed = S + 0.10S + 0.50S + 0.05S

= 1.65S )

"But a 25 Energy consumption is quite high. With my current stats, I can only use this five or six times, even without employing Invigorate on myself," Dante mused, though he promptly shook off the negative thought. Despite the limitation of a 10-second activation window, Dante believed that, given his increasing strength, that time frame would suffice for accomplishing a great deal.

"Do you wish to learn?" The system interface materialized.

"Yes!" Dante affirmed.

Suddenly, the radiant books surrounding him vanished, and the dark space transformed into blinding whiteness.

After a brief interval, the ritual space materialized.

Initially serene, the atmosphere gradually shifted. Dante could 'sense' the mana in the air converging towards him, an array of colors both puzzling and exquisite. However, this captivating sight was abruptly disrupted as a translucent barrier erupted outward, with Dante at its epicenter.

"Mana reconstruction going down the drain," he remarked, though it was said more for amusement than frustration. He remained puzzled as to why the system consistently rejected the mana. As it condensed to the point of seeming ready to explode, it suddenly receded, retreating to its source.

Crack!

The white space fractured, shattering like a mirror.

Instinctively, Dante shut his eyes. When he reopened them, he could discern the uneven ground, the fallen statue, and the still-intact statues embedded in the walls.

With a cheerful smile, he checked his status to confirm that the Skill, Hasten, had been added.

"I should make my way out of here," Dante decided. He also verified that the Protector of Gaia was safely tucked away in his inventory. With that done, he headed towards the solitary tunnel in the cavernous dome. He paid no mind to his bloodstained attire, even though his wounds had already healed due to the level up.

Ahead, Dante glimpsed a beckoning white light. Without a moment's pause, he stepped into it, and a sensation of weightlessness enveloped him.

***

Dex instructed Lance to check for any leftover monster cores on the ground as they continued their advance. Lance complied without protest.

"Should we rob them? They must have a substantial haul of monster cores after taking down this many," Mailey suggested, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Dex's other companions turned to him, their expressions filled with eager anticipation.

"Absolutely! Let's bide our time for the perfect moment," Dex replied with a smirk playing on his lips. His teammates mirrored his sinister grin. The casual way they discussed robbery hinted that this was not their first venture into such territory.

Lance halted his movements, gazing up at their retreating figures.

Aware that they were far from virtuous individuals, hearing this conversation turned Lance's stomach. However, he swallowed his disgust, knowing he couldn't afford to provoke their anger.

Inspecting a tailed bat with its head smashed, he shook his head in disappointment, unable to locate a monster core. He hadn't checked them all, only those he suspected might yield something. After some time, he concluded that the monster cores had likely all been taken.

Anticipating this, they didn't react to Lance's findings.

They continued walking for nearly an hour before they came across something that brought them to a sudden halt.

"Fireflies!" Mailey exclaimed.

"Fireflies in a dungeon?" Gijah muttered, then his eyes widened, and all attention turned to Dex. Realization dawned. Those who had encountered this phenomenon inside dungeons emerged with extraordinary strength, while others unearthed treasures of unparalleled power. Their tales became legendary, propelling them to fame.

However, this phenomenon was exceedingly rare, occurring at least once every five years, and typically within higher-tier dungeons.

"It's a treasure fly!" Dex declared, confirming their suspicions. Each of them took a deep breath, knowing one thing was certain - a valuable treasure lay ahead. This promise of immense worth ignited a spark of determination in Lance's heart.

"We must hurry! The other team may have already reached it!" Dex urged his team, his eyes glinting with avarice as he charged forward.

The others swiftly followed suit.

Dex harnessed his mana, further amplifying his speed.

The treasure flies in the air grew more agitated as the group sped past them. Although they eventually returned to their erratic movements, they remained stationary, unlike when Dante had encountered them, leading him to the stone slab.

As they progressed, they discussed their plan. Soon, the tunnel opened up into a circular cave, with an object standing prominently in the center. Dex slowed his pace, captivated by the sight before him.

"Check the surroundings," Dex instructed, this time addressing everyone.

"Alright!" they chorused, dispersing to scour the area for potential treasures. After a while, they returned, shaking their heads. Their gaze then settled on the solitary object in the cave.

"I only found another tunnel," Gijah reported.

"Some sort of relic?" Mailey ventured, her confusion evident. Dex and the others remained silent.

With a resonant step, Dex advanced. He scrutinized the engraving on the stone slab, focusing on the depiction of the sapling.

"Looks like a door," Lance observed, drawing the attention of the others. Usually, they might have dismissed him, but the notion of a door led them to consider this possibility.

Dex rapped on it a few times and ran his hand along the surface, searching for a button or mechanism that might trigger a response. He even used his Medal to scan the stone slab, but it yielded no information stored in the database.

"If it's truly a door, they might be on the other side," Dex speculated.

As their frustration mounted, a sudden creak emanated from the stone slab. Dex instinctively took a step back, meeting his teammates' eyes, which sparkled with anticipation. Lance positioned himself at the rear.

Lance drew a deep breath, steadying his pounding heart.

The stone slab pivoted open on one side, radiating a stream of white light. Gradually, a silhouette emerged.