Chapter 22: PREPTIME
BZZZZT BZZZZT
To Ivan who had entered the labyrinth in search of things to better his craft, even being in the dungeon was starting to get on his nerves.. He wanted nothing more than to get to the end and walk away with what he rightfully deserved for enduring this hell. He even started contemplating if this dungeon was just some sick bastard's form of entertainment.
Whether or not the creator was still alive, Ivan swore if he ever met them then he'd beat the shit out of them for all of his losses. Even though the dungeon held hundreds of years of history he didn't think it'd be odd to believe that its creator, powerful enough to create the dungeon, might still be alive.
In fact, in this world of magic and hypothetical gods, he'd be quite surprised if someone who can create things to this extent met an early end.
Putting down his newly crafted backpack, Ivan sat on the floor in a crisscross position, holding his fist to his chin as he contemplated his next set of actions.
Currently he resided on the 85th floor. He wanted to make sure he had strong enough gear so he spent a few days on this floor traversing from floor to floor collecting useful minerals and the hide of powerful monsters.
Time and time again his gear had faced destruction at the hands of some monsters with corrosive properties or even those whose only ability was to explode upon contact.
The 77th floor was particularly horrific as he spent most of his duration there avoiding a swarm of suicidal butterflies hell bent on blowing him up.
Though all it took to defeat them was to form a wall between him and them, what was truly terrifying was the quietness at which they traveled. That and top of their numbers meant he had no time to rest before another swarm sneaked up on him. From what he guessed they possessed some sort of heightened sense of smell.
But not minding all that, Ivan decided a new piece of apparel was in order.
Shifting over to a corner of his safehouse, he laid his hands on a small wooden crate. With a few jiggles at the hatch, it had finally become loosened as the contents were revealed to the air.
Ignoring the bright light that shone from the crate, Ivan stuffed his hands in and made a grab at the memorabilia stored at the bottom.
It was a small object, well it was actually about the length of his forearm. But compared to its origins this little thing was actually only a small part of a bigger puzzle. Ivan rubbed it fondly before smiling wickedly at it.
After he took over the 66th floor he spent about a day just to recuperate the injuries he sustained from his battle with the Behemoth. Now what did he do right after he recuperated? Well of course he climbed back up the stairs to check up on his good old friend the Behemoth.
His original plan was to just open the doors and see if it was still there but the moment the doors flew open he spotted something special not too far from where he was standing. Something that made all the trepidation he felt evaporate, as his heart became clouded by greed.
That being a chipped piece of the Behemoth's horn. Honestly he knew there was nothing special about its properties other than being super durable but just the thought of returning to fight it with a helmet adorned with its very own horn made him boil with excitement.
It had seemed the Behemoth returned to its battle ready state as it readied itself for the next party of heroes, as such both it and the army of Traum Soldiers were nowhere to be seen.
But of course he wasn't going to risk his life just to spit in its face, so forming a crude lasso out of jungle vines, Ivan reeled it towards him at a slow pace.
He wasn't sure how it detached from the Behemoth but he did hypothesize that maybe its collision with his iceberg created enough of an impact that it broke off but for now he wouldn't jump to any conclusions.
And that's how he ended up with it right now. Grabbing the strongest metal available to him, Ivan moved on over to a table he transmuted and laid out the materials on it.
Then, hovering his hands over them, Ivan closed his eyes and formed his ideal image for his helmet. What he wanted was something that covered his face, something that protected him from burning his own skin off the moment he transmuted a cloud of steam.
Ideally it would have an appearance similar to that of the Behemoth. A metal plated helmet with vertical slits for his eyes to peer through. Molded sides with the horn fixed in place divided to be placed on both sides. The metal would protrude slightly from the top as it rounded down towards the back. And to end it all a red cloth that dangled loosely from the end, something that was more for fun than function.
Nodding satisfied at his work, Ivan adorned the helmet for a bit to confirm whether it'd be feasible to use in combat.
"Very nice! Nice indeed!" He was ecstatic with both its functionality and appearance. Doing a few movements around the room, he calmed down his excitement and moved on to his next piece of work.
Whatever awaited him on the 100th floor, he wanted to be absolutely prepared.
Pulling out his remaining materials, Ivan gently sat them on the table before lording over them once again. But this time he was going to form something more simple. It wasn't flashy and hell he'd probably not need it but he'd rather have it and not need it then cry on the floor as he bled out.
What he was going to make this time was a simple set of chainmail armor. As for what exactly a set entailed then he means to make two chest pieces. One would serve as his wear at all times and the other as a spare just in case.
They weren't all too expensive with his transmutation ability so he didn't really see a reason to not go all out. These deeper floors were becoming more dangerous as his encounters with monsters that were equipped with tools and other weapons became more frequent. Having that little extra resistance to sword slashes didn't seem like a bad idea. And the flexibility of the armor only made it even more tempting.
Placing it under his robes, Ivan decided he'd keep it on at all times to become adjusted to the feeling. While it wasn't exactly restrictive the foreign feeling it gave as it hugged his body was a little distracting.
If he had to compare it to something then he'd say he felt the pain of a dog forced to wear a sweater. It was a new feeling that sort of freaked him out in that sense.
Especially the moments where the cold steel touched his skin.
"Mhmhmh, now that makes both the helmet and chainmail armor. What's next on the list….. I suppose some extra defense for my chest is in order."
Though the chainmail was fine and dandy, Ivan wanted it to be the last resort of sorts in terms of armor. Something that stays hidden unless it is absolutely needed.
As such he thought of making a chest plate that would stay in the forefront.
This is it. Pulling out some more materials out of the crate Ivan laid them all out on the floor this time. It wasn't that he was particularly going to make something super extreme but rather than using metal this time he wanted to use the protective plates he harvested from some giant armadillos he fought back on floor 80.
The chest plate he would form now would be one focused purely on his abs and heart area. As his water transmutation fighting style relied on his ability to close the range between him and his enemies he didn't want to have encumbering armor that restricted his movements.
He wanted to focus on his vitals other than anything, and as such his armor reflected that.
Despite not being made of the same metal, the chest plate he formed of protective plates resulted in the same color as his helmet. A coincidence he was happy about as the fashion of his armor was something he cared about.
Sliding it on, Ivan pounded the bulky area on his chest, satisfied by the sound it made.
Well it's not like he's an expert blacksmith so he wasn't sure if the quality of the armor was good or not. For now he was satisfied so long as it protected his life. That itself was enough for him.
'But the future floors huh….' Ivan looked at his relatively new gauntlets. In fact they were the first thing he formed since opening up another safe house here. They were after all his main tools for combat so of course they were going to be his first upgrade.
Soon his adventure down here in Orcus would be over. For the first time in a while he'd be able to see the light. For the first time in forever he'd be able to have contact with a living being that didn't want to rip him apart and devour his insides.
Just the thought of it all brought a tear to his eyes.
``Finally, soon I could have some real food!" Ivan exclaimed aloud.
Though he currently resides on the 85th floor, let it be known that he's already adventured down to the 90th level. He only decided to make a base at the 85th floor instead of the 90th because of the irritating flying types there that would no doubt pester him.
With that in mind, Ivan got off his feet and equipped his freshly made gear.
"Onwards! To the 99th floor we go!" Speaking to no one in particular, Ivan pointed exaggeratedly into the air before marching to brace the rest of the dungeon.
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hmmmmm~?" Ivan rhythmically tapped the chin of his helmet as he pondered the situation in front of him.
As someone who realized the futility in facing monsters unless absolutely necessary, he knew that besides harvesting the materials that their bodies were composed of there were no advantages in instigating a battle with them.
There was no exp gain, no title gained that would bump up his stats, hell it's not like they'd even drop some powerful relic as they exploded into a cloud of smoke.
It was precisely because of these reasons he used his advantage as a solo adventurer to slip by gangs of monsters and instead rush to the ensuing levels. At least in his opinion large companies of adventurers would attract the attention of the whole floor before they've even made it halfway through.
Ivan removed his hand from his face before pulling a rag from his robe's pocket and wiping the blood from his gauntlet.
In a way the only reason he made it this far into the dungeon was because instead of clearing it 100% he instead went through it as if he was trying to obtain some world record.
But despite his somewhat shameless tactics here before him stood a sight he believed no one else alive in the world has ever seen.
Having thoroughly cleansed himself of the dry blood that stained his gear, Ivan stuffed the rag back into his pocket and crossed his arms in front of him.
Silently, he stared at the grand doors that stood 30 meters in length. His heart started beating rapidly. He fought the impulse to just push against them as he bit his lips in anticipation.
The goal of this adventure stood right before him. The entrance to the 100th floor.
It had been a long and arduous journey for Ivan. One filled with loneliness and desperation. And yet it could all end here.
So far he was satisfied with the results of his expedition. He formed new gear, learned greater strength, had valuable experiences, all in all this trip was a success to him.
But he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Stuffing down his impulses, Ivan turned away from the doors. Rather than repeat a situation like the one on the 65th floor, this time he had thought of bringing everything he could.
Each step he took away from the doors became heavier than the last.
'Tomorrow…' He said to himself. 'Tomorrow is the day!'
And with such resolutions, he made his way back to base, taking the remainder of the night to prepare for the potential final battle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello everyone, it's me again. This chapter was a bit difficult to write as I was constantly distracted by the pain I feel in my right arm. But hey in the end I got it done.
Next time the doors to the 100th floor shall be open. This chapter was just to finalize a few things before things really began on floor 101. So first I 'd like to apologize to those of you who were expecting an exciting chapter today. Sorry that I couldn't deliver a quality chapter.
Anyways I'd like to thank those of you for once again reading, may you have a great day/night! Ciao!
If you want to support me and read ahead 10-15 chapters, you can check out my p.a.t.r.e.o.n right here: https://bit.ly/ardoaleister
Discord: https://discord.gg/tQ5TWbYd9t
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone