Chapter 236 234: Speed running a level 2 dungeon (Part 1)

Chapter 236 234: Speed running a level 2 dungeon (Part 1)

The next steps were laid out clearly: Val needed to find out and destroy some pesky, obstructing vines, defeat the formidable boss that ruled over the first layer of the dungeon, and then locate the hidden entrance that would lead him to the dungeon's second layer.

Val crackled his knuckles and felt the joints pop satisfyingly, washing the exhaustion away.

'Alright, time to find those vines. The Heavenly Eye skill should do the trick.'

'The vines can be easily located if I use the Heavenly Eye skill. Let's activate it,' Val thought to himself.

He cast the heavenly eye skill.

As a result, his eyes seemed to have gained the power to not only look through objects but also take in the entire view of his surroundings.

He could see through things now, and his vision expanded in every direction like an omniscient God.

Nothing could hide from his sight now.

With the Heavenly Eye skill activated, the hidden details of the dungeon world became apparent to him.

Consequently, the horror hidden by the forest's canopy also came into his view.

His rapidly expanding heavenly sight pierced through the dense foliage and the thick canopy of trees, extending upwards toward the sky. What he found there was beyond belief!

Instead of the familiar sun or moon that one might expect, an enormous eye floated in the sky. The eye was yellow and glowing, and it seemed like the dim light that filtered through the trees was actually coming from this massive eye.

It was completely bizarre. The eye seemed to glow with an unsettling luminescence that would have sent chills down anyone else's spine.

For a moment, Val was taken aback.

A sky with an eye instead of a sun or a moon was a sight that would have rattled anyone to their core. It was the kind of sight that would give most people nightmares for weeks. Thus, it made sense that even he was affected.

However, thanks to his emotional impairment and unfeeling traits, he quickly regained his composure.

He took a deep breath, thinking,

'Well, that's another thing to add to the list of oddities in this place.'

Why is there a giant eye in the sky?

And what function does it have?

When these thoughts popped up in his mind, he decided to search for the answers himself.

He cast Detect with his gaze glued to the giant eyeball.

[System Notification: Eye of the Abyss has been detected. If it looks at you for longer than 15 seconds, a curse will activate. The curse will send you directly to the most hazardous area in the dungeon's second layer, known as the Spider Nest.] The system notified him.

The curse was dangerous but could also be counted as a shortcut to the dungeon's second layer.

Val read the message and quickly thought he'd better steer clear of that giant eye for the time being. He had a bunch of tasks to finish on this first layer of the dungeon, after all. Plus, he didn't even know if he could make it back to this layer once he was sent to the second one. So, why take the risk? Better to play it safe for now.

Shaking off the unease that the floating eye had given him, Val turned his focus back to the job at hand. He reactivated his Heavenly Eye skill to scan the forest for the troublesome vines he needed to take care of. The skill revealed dozens of the gnarly things, twisted around trees and snaking along the forest floor.

"Time to get moving," he thought.

He began to walk through the forest, heading towards the first vine, which was a considerable distance away from his current location.

As he moved through the forest, the thick foliage and the overarching canopy of the forest gave him some cover, helping him avoid catching the eye of that creepy Eye in the Sky.

There were spots in the forest where the canopy cleared up, revealing the sky above, but Val was careful. He took the long way around those open spots. He didn't need to get cursed and sent off to who knows where just because he was in a hurry.

After walking for 15 minutes, Val finally found what he was looking for.

There it was, a vine all twisted and coiled around a tree like a snake The vine was surprisingly fast, cutting through the air with a whooshing sound that was kind of intimidating, actually. Not to ready to strike.

The moment Val got near, the vine sensed him and sprang into action. It shot out towards him like a viper lunging at its prey.

The vine was surprisingly fast, cutting through the air with a whooshing sound that was kind of intimidating, actually. Not to mention, it had this sharp, triangular point and it was zeroing in straight for Val's head.

Val sensed the attack before it was launched. With just a slight tilt of his head, he dodged the vine's deadly point.

In the same breath, he swung his sword. The sword moved so fast, it was like a blur. The force from the sword's swing even produced a gust of wind that was sharp like a blade. This gust of wind had a devastating effect.

One moment the vine was there and the next it was cut clean, along with the tree it was wrapped around by the sharp gust of wind.

"This is the benefit of having 50 points in my strength. With a strong swing of my sword, I can produce such a mighty gust that it can split trees and monsters into halves," Val felt pleased.

"Master, you've really grown after absorbing all those cores," Voidslayer said, happy for Val.

"Yeah, I have." Val gently smiled.

Then, he quickly moved towards the other solo vines he had located earlier. One by one, he dealt with them, all in the same, efficient manner.

Deep within a secluded part of the forest, there was an area taken over by sentient vines that had a thirst for blood.

It was a clearing with no covering.

Val found himself approaching it. Knowing he had to deal with these vines but also wary of exposing himself to the eye in the sky, he hid in the shadows, taking refuge under the dense canopy of trees that surrounded the clearing, planning to take care of them from there.

His eyes narrowed, a sharp glint of determination flashing through them as he stared at the writhing vines ahead of him.

Val made up his mind. He was going to use the Hellish Fist Skill to deal with them. Sure, in this situation, it was a technique that would start a forest fire, which would spread rapidly and turn the whole forest to ash. But honestly, he couldn't be bothered about the environment right now. Not to mention, he was never an environmentalist.

Besides, his focus was on clearing the first layer of this eerie dungeon, and he was pretty darn confident he'd make it to the second layer before the blaze got too out of hand and turned on him.

Rustle!

Perhaps sensing Val's lethal intent, the vines started to move, creeping menacingly in his direction. Not wasting any more time, Val extended his hand and began to perform quick, repetitive punching motions in the air. Each punch activated his Hellish Fist Skill. Flames burst forth from his fist, transforming into fireballs that rocketed towards the vines. Each fireball erupted the second it made contact with the gathered vines, setting the sinister vegetation ablaze.

Set ablaze, the vines writhed and twisted as if feeling agony, before finally collapsing to the ground. n.-O--V/-E-.L--b((I()n

The hellish flames didn't stop after extinguishing their souls; they continued to consume the physical body of the vines, reducing them to a pile of smoky ashes.

Moreover, the fire didn't stop at just the vines.

As Val had anticipated, the surrounding trees also caught fire, and a hellish wildfire began!