Spirit.
It was a race whose existence far surpassed that of all other races in the Lower World, as they possessed multiple attributes and many forms, yet their numbers were extremely small.
Together with elves, they were regarded by the people of the Lower World as the most representative magic races, since they were born with the ability to use magic and could even create miracles.
For that reason, they were seen as the race closest to the gods and believed to be the most beloved children of the gods.
In fact, the gods regarded them as their avatars, and most people of the Lower World also believed them to be mysterious and noble, as shown by their appearances in many hero legends.
In the ancient era before the gods descended, they had repeatedly assisted the heroes recorded in history, offering them aid, granting them power, and allowing humanity to fight against the monsters that surged onto the surface even without Falna.
In the end, the Dungeon had been successfully sealed, and the Tower of Babel had been built at the Dungeon's entrance.
It could be said that they were the proxy of Falna before the gods arrived on the surface. At times, they granted humanity magic, and at other times, they bestowed powerful weapons.
Some spirits even transformed their own bodies into weapons or mounts, staying by the side of the ancient heroes and fighting together with humanity against the calamities brought by monsters.
Without the active role of the spirits, the ancient heroes would never have been able to defeat the monsters and would only have become prey, forced to live every single day in unbearable suffering.
Because of this, the status of spirits in the Lower World was second only to the gods. In some places, they were even worshiped and revered more devoutly than the gods themselves, deeply loved and respected by ordinary people.
In truth, the rented gnome vault that Riezel had visited earlier to get his reward for completing the mysterious magus's quest could be said to be a creation of spirits.
'Gnomes' were earth spirits, one of the more numerous and common kinds among the spirits.
However, unlike most other spirits, who largely lived in remote, secret places rarely touched by the other races, they had already integrated into the lives of those other races.
Overall, spirits were an especially noble, exalted, and mysterious race, similar to the gods. In people's impressions, they were unquestionably beings who could be compared to the heroes who had fought bravely in ancient times.
However, there were always exceptions.
As the race in the Lower World most adept at bringing about miracles, spirits possessed multiple attributes and multiple forms.
Gnomes were generally depicted as short, elderly figures, skilled in using earth-attribute magic, and they possessed dexterous hands capable of crafting various precious jewels and rare metals.
Aside from the 'Gnome,' there were also many other kinds of spirits, such as the 'Salamander,' the fire spirits; the 'Undine,' the water spirits; the 'Tonitrus,' the lightning spirits; the 'Lux,' the light spirits; and the 'Shade,' the darkness spirits.
Just as their names suggested, each possessed its own attribute and specialized element.
But precisely because of this, they were easily influenced by factors from the outside world, which could cause their form, attributes, appearance, and even their minds to be reversed.
And the so-called Corrupted Spirit Riezel mentioned was exactly such an existence.
"Maybe it was in the distant ancient past."
"At that time, the gods had not yet descended, but as the avatars of the gods, and because they possessed the nature to hear the voices of the gods, the spirits followed the will of the gods and began traveling throughout the Lower World, selecting heroes and granting them their power, so that mortals could fight against monsters."
"And the fiercest battlefield in this war between mortals and monsters was, without a doubt, here—the Dungeon."
"Even though Orario had not yet been established back then, to fight the monsters and stop them from surging onto the surface, the spirits would inevitably have come here with the heroes they had chosen, even venturing deep inside this place."
"And wherever there is war, there will inevitably be sacrifice."
Riezel's voice sounded calm and indifferent as it echoed through the rocky cavern passage that was filled with colorful monsters.
"Spirits could also die. They could be killed, or even devoured by monsters, becoming sacrifices of war."
"And under such circumstances, the 'Her' you spoke of was born."
"A spirit who had ventured deep into the Dungeon in ancient times, only to be devoured by the Dungeon's monsters, fusing with them and undergoing a complete reversal of existence and attributes."
"And so, a Corrupted Spirit driven by primitive desires such as being devoured, taking, and indulgence was born."
She survived in the dungeon for more than 1,000 years.
She fell into madness and became a witch immersed in power and a desire for destruction, treating the Dungeon's monsters as food, crazily devouring magic stones to increase her own strength.
Like other monsters, she also longed to reach the surface, longed to destroy everything, longed to trample life, and longed to crush the earth beneath her.
Because of that, she used the power of the spirit race to create colorful magic stones, and with these magic stones, she created colorful monsters to act as her own extensions.
She even used them to create hybrid beings between humans and monsters, sending them to the surface in her place to destroy Babel and Orario, free the sealed entrance of the Dungeon, and allow herself to see the light once again.
"You and that red-haired woman were created by the Corrupted Spirit using those colorful magic stones."
Riezel took out a magic stone.
It was a magic stone completely different from the ones found in ordinary monsters.
Although monsters' magic stones varied in size and shape, their color was always royal purple. But the magic stone in his hand had a colorful core, with only the outer shell being royal purple.
Needless to say, this was the colorful magic stone Riezel spoke of, something he had already obtained during Monster Feria. He had slain the Violas that had been rampaging across the surface at the time and retrieved the magic stones they had dropped.
And those magic stones were the creation of the Corrupted Spirit, and also the power source of the hybrids.
"You were originally human, too. Like that Corrupted Spirit, you died in the Dungeon. Because of that, you encountered the Corrupted Spirit and had this colorful magic stone implanted into you by her."
"And so you were reborn, becoming hybrids of human and monster. You kept a human mind and intelligence, but your bodies transformed into those of monsters, gaining a monster's power."
"The reason you can command these colorful monsters is also that, strictly speaking, you are all creations of the Corrupted Spirit. You follow the Corrupted Spirit's will and act for the sake of destroying Babel and destroying Orario."
Riezel crushed the colorful magic stone in his hand with force, his expression still calm.
"And the Jewel Fetuses you grew in the Pantries on the 24th Floor and the 30th Floor were embryos produced by the Corrupted Spirit with her own power, equivalent to her own fragments."
"As long as they receive enough nourishment and enough magical energy, those fragments will break out of their shells, parasitize monsters, and become those woman-looking monsters, her avatars."
"If the nourishment is sufficient and the magical energy is sufficient, they will even undergo metamorphosis and evolve, completely becoming existences equivalent to Demi Spirits."
"At that point, their power will be great enough to destroy the entirety of Orario."
Clearly, this was the reason the hybrids had established the nurseries.
Not only to produce colorful monsters to serve as combat forces, but also to grow the avatars of the Corrupted Spirit.
"Of course, you aren't alone."
"There's a mad god in Orario named Enyo."
"Enyo's meaning in Heaven is 'city destroyer.'"
"He also wants to destroy Orario, destroy Babel, and create chaos and madness on the surface."
"So he approached you, and he also approached the remnants of Evilus, making the three sides join forces and forming an alliance, acting together to destroy Orario."
"And that's why the remnants of Evilus appeared on the 24th Floor and helped you block us, because you were on the same side."
"Enyo, and the servant loyal to him, were there at the time too, right?"
Riezel looked at the skull-masked man, who was frozen in place, and spoke with a faintly mocking look.
"But he should be pretty troubled, because the Corrupted Spirit behind you, hybrids, isn't something that will just obediently listen."
"She has her own desires, desires beyond just destroying Orario."
"And that desire is to devour her own kind and gain more power."
What the Corrupted Spirit truly wanted to devour was not monsters, nor monsters' magic stones, but those who were the same race as her—spirits.
As a spirit herself, albeit now corrupted, she desperately craved the flesh and blood of her own race, craving those who were the same as herself, calling it, in nicer terms, wanting to become one with them.
"Enyo and Evilus, who needed the Corrupted Spirit's power, could only obey her demands and search for someone of the same race as she desired."
"That's why those Violas appeared on the surface during Monster Feria. It was because she wanted to find an individual who possessed the power of the spirit, so Enyo and the remnants of Evilus transported Violas, who was like her extension, to the surface."
"Unfortunately, I defeated those Violas, but last time, on the 24th Floor, you finally found that individual."
That was Aria, as named by Revis.
That was Aria, as named by the skull-masked man.
That was Aria, who had a profound connection with Ais.
"Aria was a spirit, and the reason Ais has a spirit's blood flowing within her is that she was Aria's daughter—a human who possessed the blood of a spirit."
Why was Ais's 'Wind' so abnormal, so powerful?
Simple.
It was because her 'Wind' was the power of a legendary great spirit—it was the miracle possessed by a god's avatar, a power capable of creating heroes.
"So? Was that detailed enough?"
"Do you still think I know nothing and understand nothing?"
"Or do you want me to say your name too before you admit that I understand?"
By this point, the way Riezel looked at the skull-masked man had become full of ridicule.
"It's not impossible. I don't care to remember your name, but unfortunately, my memory is good."
"I'll expose your identity."
"Your name is Olivas Act. You used to be part of Evilus. You only became a hybrid after you died in the Dungeon and were remade by the Corrupted Spirit. You completely defected to the Corrupted Spirit's side and abandoned Evilus."
"I'm right, aren't I?"
At this revelation, the hybrid named Olivas finally broke out of his frozen state.
"Y-You..."
Having been exposed completely, he staggered back several steps in shock, and the white skull mask on his face cracked and fell apart.
Behind the mask, the face of a man with long white hair appeared.
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