The Legendary Fool

Chapter 52: Abyssal Encounter

The most important factor in clearing a dungeon, as Aleph had repeatedly impressed upon him, was trust. For without trust, without having faith in ones fellow dungeoneer, there could be no cooperation. If one could not trust the comrade at their side to watch their back, then they were not fit to challenge the dungeon.

In all honesty, Tom didnt know if he could trust Aleph. Her goals were still veiled in mystery and he couldnt very well take her word when she claimed that she was not out to seek revenge. But he was certain of one thing until she was in sight of her goals, he was too important a piece for her to sacrifice. Which was the next best thing.

Thankfully, there was another vital factor that was far easily attainable. Information. More specifically, in their case at least, information pertaining to the sixth sector of the Zelez Dungeon. Aleph hadnt exactly been slouching in the weeks preceding Toms arrival. She knew who to approach for information and there was no motivator like coin to get people talking. A small display of strength was enough to dissuade anyone from getting ideas on Alephs wealth and the transaction went through smoothly.

Though of course they didnt stop there.

Alephs experience showed, when she tracked down another group that was known for selling information, though they seemed far shadier than the last one. Greasing their palm with coin and effortlessly knocking out the tail they had assigned them seemed to dissuade them from taking further action.

Back in the hideout, they began to collate the information. Matching accounts were marked as reliable information while conflicting accounts were labelled unconfirmed and sidelined. At the end of the entire process, Tom had a pretty decent idea of what he was heading into. There was always the possibility that both the groups they had bought information from were in cahoots, but the odds of that were too unlikely for Aleph to consider seriously.

And now

[You have entered Sector 6, Abyssal Lurkers Domain. Time till Dungeon Reset: 6D 21H 48M. If you have not cleared the Sector until then, it will reset. Cleared Sectors are exempt from the Dungeon Reset Timer for an additional week. ]

It had taken them an hour of fighting through Nether Imps to get to the Sector Entrance. Both the experience and the loot they provided was rather dismal, but their small build and lack of any [Phantasmal Skill] meant that Tom and Aleph could power through them without any real risk.

The entrance to Sector 6 was marked by a discordant gash that had been hewn into the side of a cave wall they had been proceeding along. Its jagged edges boasted an incredible sharpness, as if the maw of a giant beast had sunk into the cave wall and torn out a large chunk out of the nigh-indestructible material that Dungeons were made out of.

If that alone wasnt warning enough for any dungeoneer, then the concentration of Nether Crystals dotted before the dungeon entrance and even spreading outward with the entrance as the epicentre served as a clear warning to the unprepared.

The only reason why Tom even knew what they were called was because of the information dockets that they had procured in advance crystals that were formed naturally in areas where the Nether Energy concentration had exceeded a certain threshold. Tom wasnt sure if the warning was a work of the system or whether the Abyssal Lurker preferred to avoid intruders upon its domain, but that didnt deter himself from his purpose.

Aleph raised an eyebrow when he hacked away at a few crystals and deposited them in his inventory, but let it pass when Tom didnt volunteer an explanation.

The Nether Crystals could charge his Nether Blades while that didnt change its value in the eyes of most dungeoneers, Tom had no intention to pass up on an additional energy source.

That was also his final chance to back out.

Aleph was the first to walk inside the Dungeon Entrance, almost as if she wanted to tantalize him with the option of escape. All he had to do was walk away while she was distracted and the runic knowledge he had received from her would be his for the taking.

Tom unflinchingly took a step forward.

A vibrant streak of red tore through the cavern, disrupting the subtle violet glow emitted by Nether Crystals that were scattered across the wide cavern. Toms expression warped as he sensed the shift in the air currents, his system enhanced proprioception stat picking up on the anomaly. His expression aptly captured the tension of the moment but there was not a speck of fear that could be gleamed upon his visage.

For Tom had come prepared.

A powerful wind sprung around him and aided his movements as Tom instantly activated his [Haste] Card without second thought a [Deck Card] that he had been prepared to activate the instant he had stepped into the sixth sector.

The deep violet aura of Nether Blades [Rend] skill made itself known, casting a beacon of eerie light that illuminated his surroundings.

Tom caught the approaching entity in the fringes of his vision as he backpedalled to safety.

He almost wished he hadnt.

A mass of writhing mist twisted through the air, headed directly for him. Tom found his gaze pulled inward by one of the dozen mist vortexes gliding on the surface of the mist cloud, finding himself unable to resist its hypnotic enthrallment. He had known to expect it, but even then he found himself flinching as his creative imaginativeness was weaponized against him. The mist swirls extended outwards, sculpting spectral images in the image of human countenances, the culmination portraying a ghastly scene as if fallen souls of the dead trying to escape the entrapment of the ethereal mist.

[Spectral Mist], the first Phantasmal Skill of an Abyssal Imp.

Tom bit down on the tip of his tongue, hard. The jolt of pain that arced through him threw his focus into disarray, allowing him to break free of the hypnotic suggestion as the metallic tang of blood filled his mouth.

New perspective was the reward he gained for his tenacity, finally spotting the spindly, elongated arm jutting out of the mist cloud, a sleek, curved dagger clenched its hand. Yet the danger didnt end there, as an unsettling blood-red aura cloaked the surface of the blade, sending a tingling down his back.

[Blood Curse], the second and final Phantasmal Skill of the Abyssal Imp.

The first skill to disrupt focus and throw off-guard while the second inflicted a blood poison that required a healing potion to be administered within minutes if one wished to survive it it was a lethal combo for an assassin.

Even Tom, despite having known he would encounter Abyssal Imps in the dungeon, was thrown off by the [Spectral Mist].

Now that he had evaded it though

Toms expression was calm as he cancelled the [Haste] card as the Abyssal Imp landed upon the spot he had been standing moments before, its downward arc striking nothing but air.

While it would be arrogant to claim that Tom had foreseen this outcome, he had been prepared for the situation to unfold exactly in this manner the moment he had spotted the glimmer of red.

[Control Glyph- Earth].

Thin, sharp spikes of packed topsoil and gravel erupted outwards from the same spot Tom had been standing upon moments ago. Normally, even with the help of the Control Glyph, he would not have been able to react so quickly.

In fact, he was not targeting the Abyssal Imp to begin with.

If the Abyssal Imp had chosen Aleph as the target instead of him, the spikes would have been met with nothing but the rancid air of the dungeon. Instead an inhuman, rodential shriek rang out as the two dozen spikes pierced the mist cloud randomly.

Toms expression eased.

His gaze shifted towards the Abyssal Imp as the last of its dying throes were vented, the fog around it beginning to dissipate.

A notification confirmed his kill, but the joy of victory was almost overpowered by queasiness as the creatures features were revealed to him.