Adam rolled to the side, avoiding two arrows that hit the ground mere inches from his previous position. A third arrow grazed his leg as he rolled, but he didn't stop until he hit the side wall.
He assessed his injuries. The arrow hadn't hit him directly, so aside from a little pain, the injury didn't affect his mobility.
Adam kept his body pressed against the wall. The passage was too dark to see where the arrows were coming from, so it was better to minimize his exposure.
He noticed a few arrows struck the monsters, causing him to grin. "Deserve it."
Maybe they understood his mockery, as the monsters sprinted at him even harder.
'Crazy bastards!'
Adam fired [Mana Missiles]. Each impact forced them back a step, their metal jaws snapping shut with a harsh clang as they tried to push forward despite the barrage.
'As expected, their skin is too hard for me to pierce without using a fireball.' Adam observed.
But the distance between them wasn't wide enough for him to escape unscathed, so he decided to rely on external factors.
He could feel his danger senses tingling, warning him of incoming arrows. He shifted his stance and let the skill guide him.
One monster lunged, and Adam sidestepped, allowing an arrow to bury itself in the beast's chest. The monster collapsed, thrashing as blood spilled.
"These arrows are really special," Adam thought, noting how easily they pierced the monster's skin compared to his spells. "Even if the ruin is already ransacked, the arrows are worth taking the risk."
The second monster tried to flank, and Adam shot [Mana Bolt] to force it back into the line of fire. Another arrow whistled past and struck its leg, pinning it to the ground.
The beast roared, jaws snapping, and spat a stream of acid. Adam ducked instinctively, avoiding the corrosive liquid.
Another [Mana Bolt] staggered the beast, and the next arrow finished the job, piercing through its skull.
Adam panted as the adrenaline wore off. It wasn't an easy battle, as he had to be in constant focus, draining him both physically and mentally. Fortunately, everything turned out for the best.
"It looks like this ruin isn't a monster lair."
The arrow traps were too dangerous for monsters and wouldn't usually risk running to death.
"Which means there's still a chance to get something out there."
Adam looked at the passage swallowed in darkness before grabbing the nearest corpse by the leg and dragging it out of the arrow's range. A few arrows shot at him, but he managed to dodge in time and made sure to collect some of them.
Adam extracted their essence cores and sat against the wall, breathing hard. The fight had drained him more than he wanted to admit. Not only was his mana reserve halfway depleted, but he was also forced to create a new skill, sacrificing 20 spirit points.
"Well, at least the skill isn't entirely useless," Adam thought, trying to console himself.
After absorbing the cores, Adam called his status panel and focused on the new skill.
[Danger Sense — 0★]
Effect: Warns the user of lethal danger within range.
Limitations:
- Short detection radius (20 m at current tier)
- Ineffective against spiritual/soul-based threats
- Does not trigger for non-lethal threats
- Doesn't trigger when the danger isn't directed toward the user
Adam clicked his tongue. Even a simple survival skill had more holes than he liked.
Creating skills with his Visionary wasn't as simple as wishing for an ability and having it magically appear fully formed. He had to define every parameter himself and add some limitations to balance it.
He wasn't Magus yet, so this was the limit of what he could safely craft. With his Gift, he could attempt something higher, but that would be suicidal as High-tier skills cost ridiculous amounts of Spirit Points.
If he forced it now, his spirit points would be sucked dry before the construction even completed.
'Maybe when I complete my first ascension, I'll upgrade the skill. But it will do for now.'
He shifted his attention to the arrows he collected, intrigued by their ability to pierce his shield.
"Fascinating…"
After touching the metal arrowhead, he was surprised to find it absorbing his Mana. Even though the absorption rate wasn't significant, it still surprised him.
'So that's how it works. No wonder it could ignore my shield. It absorbed the mana used to create the shield, making it vulnerable… This is definitely a precious metal and must be worth a fortune.'
He looked at the dark passage with gleaming eyes, his mind racing with possibilities.
If he could collect enough of these arrows, he might be able to craft a great weapon or exchange them for something valuable from teacher Mark.
"I'm sure he'll be green with envy when he sees these babies."
Most dungeons have restrictions that prevent higher-level individuals from entering. F and E rank dungeons, like this one, could only be entered by Adepts. Of course, there were special dungeons that didn't have such restrictions, but most of them were extremely dangerous.
Adam's excitement soon died, and he frowned. He was having a headache thinking about how to get the special metal more effectively. He wasn't foolish enough to just run around and let the arrows shoot him – that would be suicidal.
'I only have less than an hour before getting ejected, so collecting the metals from the arrows isn't cost-effective… I better get to the source.'
Having made up his mind, Adam rose and pressed his back to the wall. He inched forward, keeping himself glued to the wall. No arrows shot him, confirming his guess that the trap was triggered by pressure on the floor.
This trap wasn't built for people who could think. It was meant for beasts that charged down the middle. There must be some sensory mechanism on the ground that triggers the trap.
Adam advanced slowly, always keeping one shoulder scraping the wall, pausing each time his [Danger Sense] tingled even faintly.
Four times arrows hissed through the center of the corridor, passing him harmlessly. If he had walked in the middle, he would have already been injured.
He kept moving until the faint glints of arrow shafts and trigger holes in the opposite wall began to thin out. The corridor widened slightly, and no new shots came.
'Looks like the trap zone ends here.'
Adam moved deeper, leaving the arrow-ridden stretch behind. The passage gradually widened, the ceiling climbing higher until it resembled the inside of a buried temple.
Soon, the corridor opened into a vast hall with cold, dry air. Rows of broken pillars lined the sides, and some scattered debris sealed a few doors.
Only two side-rooms remained intact. But Adam's attention was completely focused on the giant cobra staring at him.