Unlike the Kobolds, who were used to living underground, Lux was having trouble adapting to the environment.
Everywhere he looked, there was just dirt. The smell of soil also permeated the surroundings. Eiko, on the other hand, seemed at ease, and just stayed on top of Lux's head for the duration of the expedition.
For her, anywhere was good as long as she was with her Papa.
"Let's camp here for now," Cadmus said after they arrived in a small enclosed cavern. "Did you bring food with you, Half-Elf?"
"The name is Lux, and yes, I brought food with me," Lux replied as he summoned a basket of sandwiches that he had asked the Tavern Cook to make on short notice.
Eiko happily took a bite of the sandwich that was handed to her by her Papa. She hadn't eaten anything yet, and she was starving. Lux felt sorry for his baby Slime and fed her five sandwiches, so Eiko would feel satisfied.
After eating, Eiko went inside Lux's robe to sleep. It was now her most favorite spot for sleeping after experiencing the horrors of the Goblin Crypt Hell Mode.
Lux, on the other hand, glanced at his map to check for the Monsters that were wandering around the underground labyrinth.
Along the way, they had met several Worm type Monsters, as well as Centipedes. All of them were Rank 2 and 3, but they were of no match for the Kobold Lineup that accompanied Lux and Cadmus on this Dungeon exploration.
2 Kobold Shamans, 2 Kobold Mages, and 4 Kobold Raiders.
All of these Kobolds were Rank 3 Monsters, while Cadmus was the only Alpha Monster who was Rank 5. Lux still hadn't increased his stat points, so he was just skirting along the boundaries of the Apostle Grade.
While resting, Lux looked at the two Beast Cores in his possession that he got from the Golden-Eyed Crimson Mantis. He still hadn't used them because the primary skill he wanted from it was the Doppelganger, but then he had managed to acquire it from the quest reward.
Originally, he planned to let Eiko absorb them, so that she had a chance to gain the Doppelganger ability on her own, but he decided against it.
The baby Slime could mimic up to four skills that he possessed. Since they were always together, Lux decided to just consume the two beast cores so that he would gain a chance to acquire two of the Alpha Monster's precious skills.
—-
Skills: Crimson Slash, Double Fury Slash, Berserk, Air Steps, Quick Assault, Hunter's Mark, Doppelganger, Coup de Grace.
Passive Skills: Intimidate, Razor Wind.
—--
Lux eyed the skills that belonged to the Golden-Eyed Crimson Mantis, and found all of them were to his liking, especially Coup de Grace and Berserk.
The Half-Elf had always wanted to acquire the Berserk Skill since it was a crucial skill that could be used when pushed into a corner. Getting an explosive burst of strength to turn the situation around was common among Boss Monsters, and this was what made them extremely difficult to beat.
—--
Do you wish to absorb a Rank 3 Beast Core?
< Yes / No >
—--
Lux chose yes and the familiar two options appeared in front of him.
—-
< Upgrade Stat Points >
< Upgrade Skills>
—--
Obtained 30 Free Stats Points
Obtained 60 Body Constitution Points
You have acquired the passive skill Razor Wind.
—--
< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >
– Since the skill, Razor Wind, is a passive skill, it will automatically be upgraded to the passive skill Tempest Fury
—-
< Tempest Fury >
(Can be switched On and Off at any given time)
– Any weapon that the user wields will be enchanted by the wind element, making it sharper, and able to deal additional Wind Elemental Damage.
– This Skill is applied to unarmed combat as well. Punches and kicks will be imbued by the power of wind, and deal additional Wind Elemental Damage.
– This Skill is also applied to range attacks, including arrows, throwing knives, throwing axes, darts, or any projectile weapons that the user wields.
– Adds +100 Wind Elemental Damage to all attacks by the user.
—-
'Nice!' Lux almost did a fist pump because the Skill he got was simply too awesome. Having all of his attacks imbued by an elemental attack would drastically increase his damage potential, as well as deal double damage to enemies that had a weakness to the wind element.
It even allowed the Half-Elf to imbue projectile weapons like arrows with this elemental attack, giving Lux flexibility in battle.
The skill could also be toggled On and Off depending on the situation, which was a handy feature, just in case his opponents were resistant to the Wind Element.
Lux had plenty of unused stat points on his Character Page. If the Half-Elf were to use them all, he would immediately jump ranks up to a Grade B Apostle, which was equivalent to a Rank 3 Monster.
'Nero and the others are nearing the peak of Grade A Apostle,' Lux thought. 'This is still not enough. I need to catch up to them soon.'
The tournament was only a couple months away, leaving Lux with only half a year left in Elysium to get the points that he needed in order to reach the rank he wanted.
'Now, for the second one,' Lux wished that he got either Coup de Grace or Berserk for his last attempt. Although the other skills were good, he needed either of these two to get an edge over his opponents.
After consuming the Beast Core, a series of texts appeared in front of Lux, which made the smile on the Half-Elf's face stiffen.
—-
Obtained 30 Free Stats Points
Obtained 60 Body Constitution Points
You have acquired the skill, Air Steps.
—--
< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >
The skill, Air Steps, will be upgraded into Air Strider [EX] once the requirements have been met.
—--
< Air Strider [EX] >
– Aside from traversing on air, this skill also gives the user the ability to fly for a short period of time.
– This skill consumes fifty Mana Points every thirty seconds, up to a maximum of five minutes while flying in the air.
– Requirement to upgrade: Use Air Steps 50x
– Progress ( 0 / 50 )
—-
Lux scratched his head since he didn't get the two skills he was aiming for.
'Air Strider [EX] is also good,' Lux mused. 'It's a very flexible ability. Although I didn't get what I wanted, I got an all-rounder ability in exchange. I guess this isn't a bad tradeoff.'
The reason why Lux wasn't really thrilled in getting the Air Strider [EX] skill was due to the fact that there were flying mounts, as well as several flying abilities in Elysium.
Air Strider [EX] was just one of those skills that allowed the user to fly for a short period of time. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. It was just as Lux said, it was an all-rounder skill that could be used if there were neither flying mounts nor other flying abilities.
While Lux was upgrading his skill, Cadmus was paying close attention to him out of the corner of his eyes. He was still holding a grudge against Lux, but due to the fact that he was now an Honorary Knight of the Gweliven Kingdom, the Draconic Kobold was forced to stay his hand in attacking the Half-Elf in fear of the Kingdom's retaliation.
Cadmus knew that he was still a frog in the well. Unlike real Dragons that could threaten an entire Kingdom with its overpowering might, the Draconic Kobold was just a lizard with wings.
The moment he left the territory of Norria, the chances of him getting attacked by the foreigners in the Intermediate town was quite high. This was also why he didn't plan to leave his nest until he'd stepped into the Deimos Rank.
Then, and only then, would he gain sufficient strength to intimidate those who wished to attack him because of his race.
After paying close attention to Lux, he noticed the subtle changes in the Half-Elf's expression which made him wonder if Lux was feeling constipated.
Just as he was about to continue his observation, the Half-Elf abruptly stood up and glanced at the entrance of their camping site with a shocked expression on his face.
"Everyone, we need to find a safe place to hide!" Lux shouted. "A Dungeon Outbreak is about to happen, and if we don't leave here soon, we will be caught in the crossfire!"
