The Gemstone

Heavy traces of mana lingered in the air like a thick fog through my Perception Skill. I usually saw mana as a powerful light, but within the dungeon, it was more sinister than that. I felt blind to the enemies in every room.

Thankfully, Freya’s spell could track the source of that weird Frenzy status effect the monsters had. She seemed confident it would lead us to the boss, so that’s exactly where we headed.

Through the hallways, many rooms split and diverged from the path. Most had some goblins or other small-fry monsters in them, but through a quick peek, we spotted some troublesome monsters here and there.

We chose to ignore them and followed the pathway her spell illuminated for us. The dark tiling of the dungeon interior came to a sudden end, where dirt and stone replaced it.

A large archway stretched over us, with no door between us and the spacious room on the other side.

Once we stood at its cusp, we had a good view of the sheer state of things. Wicked vines dug through the ground, uprooted, and broke through the heavy layers of black-purple stone. It was everywhere, from the walls to the floor, completely engrossing the room.

My gaze crossed some trolls, goblins and a few monsters I had never seen before. It looked tough enough as is, but what really caught my eye was the gigantic gemstone on the other end of the room.

The vines throbbed under the dim hue of the gemstone, wrapped around its base like roots to a flower.

Clearly, that's the cause of all of this. I can't say I've ever seen that thing before, though. It was damn scary, but it didn’t strike me as the boss.

Sure, it’s strange, but is that really the boss? It’s not even alive.

I looked to Freya for her opinion, but she seemed way more invested in the sight of it. Her eyes remained glued to it, unwavering. She still looked a bit spooked, her hands still trembled against her staff.

Curious, I decided to appraise it.

{Corrupted Myranite Stone}

{Ominous Aura Detected}

Not much information, but it doesn’t look like it’s alive, or else there’d be a level or health bar. I guess it’s okay to attack it directly. Now I just have to let Freya know.

I tugged at her clothes, but Freya was fixed on the stone. Her eyes looked void of life, as if she were in a trans or something.

Not again! Is the status effect taking over again? There wasn’t even a sign of it happening! Is it because we’re so close to it?

{Freya Lv. 24}

{Condition: Frenzy (Major)}

Freya’s eyes flooded with crimson, and the other monsters turned to our direction in unison with hers. They charged towards us, more specifically, me. Freya abandoned all logic and swung her staff with wild attacks, none of which hurt.

Crap, if she goes all out like that, her staff will break. Sorry, Freya, I need to restrain you for a bit until you calm down. I used my skill and created a pit of mud under her. She dropped promptly into its mess until neck deep, then hardened it into a thick paste.

With Freya bound, my attention shifted to the attacking horde. They didn’t seem concerned with her, so I didn’t have to worry about protecting her anymore. Which meant I could fight freely and go all out.

I drove my fist into the attacking goblin, and the crunch that followed echoed out through the room. Two more jumped at me from a distance and met a similar fate.

Goblins had become too easy to worry about, but the trolls were still concerning. Especially in their frenzied state, where they outclassed me in all things physical.

In a matter of seconds, I was surrounded by three hulking figures.

{Troll Lv23}

{Troll Lv19}

{Troll Lv22}

Magic channelled through my palms as magic circles scattered across the space between us. It was a trick I used against the Duskmaw, but one I quite liked.

Purple-black stone morphed into points and drove out of the ground in the form of spears. It took quite a bit of mana since the range was large, but it seemed like the best way to hold them in place. I broke off a stake and wound back for a throw.

{180 Exp gained}

{90 Exp gained}

{125 Exp gained}

One after the other, I mowed down the horde of monsters without slowing down. I knew how most of them fought and the best ways to take them down, so it was smooth sailing.

A clear path was created between the gemstone and me, so I used the opportunity to try a Piercing Stone on it.

Small shards of stone gathered in the air and took shape into a drill head. It hummed with a powerful roar as wind channelled around it, powered by my Wind Manipulation. The stone collided with a purple sphere around the gemstone and shattered into thousands of shards. The creature responsible, a humanoid creature with pale grey skin and dull, green hair, whipped into view.

It clearly had womanly features, seeing as every time it moved its body, the heavy features of its chest would bounce along with it. She had a beautiful face, but there was no ignoring the crimson glow in her eyes. It looked quite close to a human, but not completely.

{Forest Witch Nyxia Lv. 20}

{Condition: Frenzy (Major)}

It's only a few levels above me, but something tells me this will be difficult. Wait, it just used magic before, right? If it’s protecting the gem, then attacking it might actually break the status condition. It might even stop the other monsters from attacking altogether.

The witch swayed left and right, both hands raised at its sides. It was completely naked from the waist up, only dressed in a rag along its waist and left thigh. It had a fragile frame, but from the look of that barrier it used before, it probably relied on tricky magic at a distance to kill its enemies.

Alright then, I’ll bite. Let’s see what you can do, witch!

I charged towards it on all fours and summoned a burst of speed behind my gorilla charge. The full effects of Bulldoze drove me forward with an unstoppable force.

Green light poured out from the witch's hands as it let out a cry.

The surrounding vines shifted in my direction and pounced like snakes to her call, “Yekekekekek!” In a second, I was bound by every limb and suspended in the air.

The other monsters used the chance to close in. It was tough, but the vines weren’t stronger than me. With a solid tug, I snapped the ones around my arms and broke free.

If that’s all you've got, then you’re going to lose this no matter what magic you use.

A blade of wind released from my hand and tore through them like butter. On my descent, I took a swing at the witch, but she'd already begun her retreat. It was almost impressive how quickly she responded to my attack.

I get it, you’re going to drop if you take even one hit, huh? You shouldn’t have let me see that side of you, now I know you’re type. Total glass cannon.

I raised the ground around her with stakes, and her body was impaled in an instant. A blade of wind followed and lopped her head off the next.

{200 Exp gained}

Hey, I must be close to levelling up. If I keep this up, I might just–

A sudden rumble reverberated through the dungeon, which brought dust falling from the ceiling. The gemstone illuminated a bright violet glow that spread through the cracks of the dungeon room. The traces of mana surrounded me from every direction with an overwhelming presence that made my head spin. I saw no light, no fog... it was simply raw power being blasted directly into my senses.

I buckled, W-what is this...?! Can this really be coming from one stone...?

{Danger}

{Immense Presence Detected}