NOVEL NEXT B2 | Chapter 5 - Frozen Wastelands
Alexia
After one more day of fighting with the level 100 monsters of some further out islands and their subordinates and reaching level one hundred and nine, I decide to finally try a dungeon. So I head back to the home base, rest until my soul is recovered, warn Astrid, and head for a Tier 2 dungeon.
Because I know that if I don’t start soon, the others will start out leveling me. And if that happens, I won’t retain my spot as the #1, thereby losing my spot as Dimensional Champion for our Block.
Something I won’t let happen.
The Tier 2 dungeon that I choose of the ones nearby is a dungeon with an emphasis on ice located on another taiga island just like the one that Ethan lives on. And I chose it because this is the element I have the largest adaptation for, on account of said hellfrost dragon whose level is higher than anyone at home and could train me quite a bit more than them. Both in ice magic and hellfrost magic.
It takes me about an hour to reach the dungeon in question before I stop right in front of it and identify the thing, ignoring the snow blowing all around me.
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Dungeon – Frozen Wastelands
Description: Cross the frozen wastelands and survive should you dare to enter this dungeon. Because if you don’t, you may just come back and haunt the wastelands, forever lost in the snow.
Monsters: The Primary monster type in this dungeon are ice-aligned undead-type monsters, with the secondary type being abominations.
Requirements To Enter: Be Tier 2 or above.
Dungeon Tier: 2
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A good match for me, I’d say.
One of the biggest threats of an undead is their ability to infect a Class B species and turn them into a mindless undead as well. Or infect a Class A species and turn them into an intelligent undead, making them lose their emotions in the process.
But a Class S species has nothing to worry about against undead since they can’t infect a Class S species. No matter how much of their venom they try pumping into me.
So the only other things I’ll have to worry about are their overwhelming numbers and their inability to feel pain. And the ice magic ones, but thanks to my adaptation, I should have some immunity to ice magic now, even beyond my initial magic weakness.
Overall one of the best dungeons for me to solo.
I can also start putting Quantum Burst into action again here to deal with their numbers. Since I haven’t been able to use that skill as much recently.
After one last glance at my status to check on my soul and at my skills list to make sure I replaced Dungeon Map back into my general skills, I reach out for and touch the dungeon entrance, finding myself quickly drawn into the dungeon. And almost immediately, I look around at the frozen wasteland I find myself in. A wasteland of nothing but ice and snow, with more snow falling from the sky. A sky so filled with snow and dark clouds that I can’t even see it.
Meanwhile I hear shifting from all around me as sounds akin to something dragging their feet comes my way. Not to mention the occasional clatter sound or groan, indicating skeletons and zombies.
I quickly use Quantum Burst, sending a pulse of quantum energy outwards from me, clearing up the snow in the air in a few meter radius around me while also sending a few undead who were barely in that radius flying with their fronts glitching apart before exploding. But they still get back up even after that, making me grimace as I identify them.
{Zombie Drone – Level 101}
{Zombie Drone – Level 102}
{Zombie Drone – Level 102}
{Skeletal Warrior – Level 101}
Looks like it’s just starting out with regular undead. No ice element.
So with that in mind, I summon my polearm and begin swinging it around, tearing the undead apart with ease.
Good. This dungeon might actually be easier than I was expecting.
Guess I still ended up underestimating the difference between a Class S species and those lower than it.
Although these are basic undead, so they’re only Class E.
What they specialize in…
My thoughts pause for a second when I send a pulse around me with my senses, soon finding dozens upon dozens of similar undead all around me.
… are numbers and their venom.
I grin at the sight of so many monsters all at Tier 2. Even if they’re all Class E and will therefore give less EXP.
Without any hesitation, I immediately begin cutting into the undead with my polearm, deciding to save my soul for the higher leveled undead that I’ll find later on in the dungeon. And I keep cutting away at the undead for quite a while, the undead’s numbers never seeming to really decrease by much thanks to the heavy snow.
Eventually I notice the very insignificant amount of EXP they’re giving me. To the point that after killing several dozen undead, I only gain a single level.
That’s annoying.
Did the System change something when it comes to EXP?
I frown at the thought that it could’ve. But there isn’t much I can do to figure it out. It’s not like the System gives us much information about itself. Most of the information we know was figure out by users.
I’ll just have to figure it out on my own.
The undead still aren’t very strong though, and I still haven’t run into any stronger undead. Actually, I haven’t made much distance since entering because of the vast number of undead that have been attacking me.
I continue slaughtering the creatures until I finally make it far enough that they’re getting some levels on me. But even then I still kill them without much difficulty, even if some of them manage to get a couple attacks in. Mostly a couple bites at my ankles by some zombies. Bites I would’ve worried about if I were still human, but won’t worry about now.
Someday I’ll finish killing these things and find something besides snow and ice.