Level: [5]

Enemies:

[Nascent Aberrant: 20]

[Nascent Mutant: 10]

[Emergent Aberrant: 10]

[Emergent Mutant: 5]

[Would you like to challenge the Level?]

"Fuck yeah!"

[Level 5 will begin in 10 minutes, good luck!]

That first brick that paved the path for assault was gaining all the strength he could with his current capabilities. The most obvious and logical action then became challenging the Levels.

Vale was going to go on a Level-conquering spree until it got too risky to continue. From there, the next step would be determined by the factors presented to him, but it would most likely involve hunting beasts in the vicinity. Hopefully, at least…

With how much strength they had now, Level 5, which seemed impossible before, looked weak. Free Aether for the taking, even.

Plus, Vale was excited to test his newfound strength and see Mias in combat. To that end, Ximena was even going to sit out of the fight, and Salome would once again be relegated to damage control. Meaning, Toy, the warriors, Vale, Mias, and Awilix would be the main force combating Level 5.

Even limiting his own Legion's power, Vale was fearless — the idea of losing seemed more of a joke than a potential reality.

Vale lifted himself off the throne and went to take his stance at the entrance of the maze, the place where Ximena had been last time.

Alongside Vale were Toy, Mias, and most of the warriors.

Awilix and Salome were in the crawl space and would let the enemy pass before flanking them as they'd done to the chameleons.

Salome's job wasn't to kill the enemy per se, but to make sure Awilix wasn't killed and react as needed to any unfortunate situation that arose.

Finally, Ximena and two warriors, Nine and Seven, were standing guard in the path to the throne room, much like Vale had positioned them before. This time, Ximena's placement was not out of cowardice, but to make sure the Icy Owl didn't accidentally decimate their foes before Vale and the others got to stretch their legs.

As for the workers… they simply carried on with their tasks.

Vale looked at the eyes of his Legion.

"You all know the plan?"

The warriors replied:

"Of course."

Mias and Toy gave nods before drawing their weapons.

Toy weilded the halbard taller than herself, and Mias weilded…

'Smoke?'

The small man had manifested smoke from his Aether, condensed it, and fashioned it into a smoky sickle, which nestled neatly in his gloved hands. He would have made a crescent scythe, his preferred weapon, but he didn't possess the necessary Aether to spare for such a form.

After all… Mias' main body was smoke, not the human vessel. If he ran out of Aether to control himself, he'd lose form and dissipate into the wind.

Upon learning this knowledge, Vale had awarded the man 50 Aether, but it was still better to be conservative in his approach.

As for Vale's weapon of choice…

While the chipped and rusty swords were once a lifeline for Vale, he had a much better weapon now — his body. He could literally make any part of himself into a weapon.

Of course, what he could manifest and alter was limited. He was most proficient in creating claws like Awilix's — a formidable tool for rending flesh with a higher capability than the shoddy sword.

Finally, he also had his trusty whip, which had been with him since day one. Well, there was also Calumma's spear, but Stacy was the one who was currently wielding it, having some properties that mimicked fencing, which suited her fighting style.

Vale cracked his neck as in the distance he heard echoes of roars scream into the dungeon — Level 5 had begun.

'I wonder what it'll be this time…'

First, it was goblins, then frogs, then cats, snakes, puppies, and now…

"Fish… fish people? What the hell are those?"

Correlation between all his adversaries up to this point fell by the wayside the moment he'd laid eyes on the enemies as they bounded around the corner of the long hallway on their webbed feet and ugly heads.

Vale thought he'd keep climbing up the food chain… but no way these ugly mugs were above the wolves on that web.

There was a mass of tiny purple ones, a smaller group of tiny green ones. Then there was another group of slightly larger dark purple ones, and a proportionally larger group of dark green ones.

They each had the head of the fish plopped on a somewhat humanoid body, and were only a little taller than the workers. They had pudgy bodies covered in scales. They wore odd cloth togas with holes to stick their grotesque limbs through.

They each held a primitive spear, much like Calumma's, but theirs were shorter and all made of…

'Teeth? Bone? Bone that looks like teeth?'

As the stream of enemies continued to pour around the corner, Vale could hear Awilix's frenzied hiss off in the distance, signaling she'd dropped and began her carnage on the other side of the wall.

Hearing that signal, Vale and the others rushed toward the invaders with murderous gazes and weapons drawn.

Mias was the first to crash into the foes.

Immediately, the Reaper of Knowledge showed where the 'reaper' part of his name came from… And as Vale bore witness to that harrowing truth, he became increasingly thankful he didn't have to fight the guy to claim him.

Mias glided into the shoal like a specter, having turned the lower half of his body into pure smoke, and of the rest of his body obscured in the haze, only completely materializing when he wished to strike.

The plum drifted around. Vale watched as the pitiful stabs from the spears fruitlessly impaled Mias' form, but did no damage. Then an arm shaped from the plume grabbed hold of his sickle and sliced a tiny purple fishman down the middle.

[Pisci has been slain]

[+1 Aether]

The pitiful fish stood no chance, its body falling into the ground, soon to be joined by its other brethren, leaving behind only its cloth toga.

[Pisci Ap has been slain]

[+2 Aether]

[Piscari has been slain]

[+2 Aether]

As much as Vale would have loved to watch the smoky spectre continue his effortless culling, Vale wasn't going to let him have all the fun.

Right before reaching the Pisci, Vale formed his nails into claws and summoned his bracer armor, something he could now afford to do in advance.

With an odd expression of glee plastered on his face, Vale swiveled to the side as a Piscari prodded at him with surprising dexterity. But, unfortunately for the little cretin, it stood no chance in the face of Vale, who yanked the spear away and then palmed its nasty face.

Vale palmed its head, then clenched his fist and let his claws sink into the Piscari's brain with ease. Then, he threw the corpse to the side as he jumped back to dodge an onslaught of spears.

[Piscari has been slain]

[+2 Aether]

But soon, Toy appeared to his right and impaled one of his attackers, and Stacy to his left, unleashing a similar treatment with Claumma's spear.

[Piscari has been slain]

[+2 Aether]

[Pisci has been slain]

[+1 Aether]

As Toy's attack crushed the heart of a Piscari, a member of the only unnamed group shot toward her as if it were a projectile.

Vale looked to the side and watched as the dark green fish pushed Toy back and then some, but he was forced to put his eyes forward as two more unnamed dark green fish split toward the air and barreled into him, shoving their spears into his armor.

Their spears bounced off his armor, but for some reason, it seemed like friction wasn't behaving as it usually would, as his feet just kept sliding back.

Vale bent down and put a hand on the ground, which finally put his sliding to a stop, but he'd been launched a considerable distance away from the main fight along with Toy.

The two now found themselves facing three Emergent Mutants.

If Vale were in this predicament before he'd gotten to 300 Aether, he'd be a little concerned. But now? It was simply a minor annoyance.

Toy, who was just a few Aether away from being capped out, swiped at the fish who kicked off the ground and began sliding with surprising speed, forcing Toy to block with the shaft.

'So that's what they can do…'

Once again, Toy was sent skidding away as if the floor were ice.

Vale, before the other two could launch themselves at him, drew his whip from the Nexus of Beginnings and threw the cretins off balance with the relentless lashes.

Then, after one well-placed lash, he sent one of the fish tumbling to the ground and, with an Aether-reinforced leap, descended upon the poor bastard and rended it with his claws.

[Piscari Ap has been slain]

[+4 Aether]

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