hotmtlnovel Chapter 132: Ember Caverns & Physique Awakening.
Chapter 132: Ember Caverns & Physique Awakening.
After a day of rest, Evan finally decided to use the Vial he had acquired from the Ten Thrones.
He was eager to use it and kill Lucas, as leaving him unchecked would only complicate matters further.
First, he decided to send the money leaving some he considered surplus for himself. He used the previous account details he had from before to transfer the funds.
He sent two million each, as his army of dead (still small though) was very proficient in earning money, leaving him with only one million CP for his own use.
He then started to head toward the CGA, reasoning that if he used the Vial elsewhere and something went wrong, he would be in a precarious situation.
If he lost consciousness and someone found him, his secrets or his life could be at risk.
To mitigate this, he chose to use the Vial inside a dungeon, as after defeating all the monsters there, he could use it without any concern.
After checking everything in his inventory, he headed outside, closing the door behind him.
He went downstairs and took a ride to the CGA, where the atmosphere remained unchanged.
Hunters were moving back and forth between the hunter market and the association building, with many officials managing them. He quickly headed toward the building and entered it.
Maybe his luck was particularly bad today, as the first person he encountered was none other than Lucas, who was accompanied by his two girls, Ilya and Tess.
However, there was something: a new person had joined their team, a boy at that.
He appeared quite unremarkable for his looks, but the only distinguishing feature was a sword almost as tall as he was, strapped to his back.
He must be the new crew member Lucas had recruited using his cheat.
He backed away slightly into the crowd to avoid being seen and even altered his status to evade notice.
Surely, this guy was using his Dragon Eye to scan other teams.
After waiting for some time, he finally left and approached the desk where the line was relatively short.
He reached the front of the desk on his first attempt and saw a female attendant.
He remembered that Lucas must have come here before.
"Hello, sir, how can I help you today?"
"Hello, I am a D-rank Necromancer, Lv.41, and I am here to find an available dungeon for hunting." He said while altering his status to look like that.
"Okay, sir, but where is your team? We did not allow hunters to hunt solo without permission."
"Oh, don't worry, I have the necessary permission."
He said as he took out his ID and showed it to her, which bore the Wolf mark.
She instantly recognized it and was shocked to see such low-grade individual possessing such a mark so easily.
"Oh, you have the qualifications to enter. Let me see if there are any dungeons suitable for you."
She went to her computer and began checking the dungeon list within that range.
After some time, she returned with a professional smile and said,
"Yes, sir, there is a dungeon 'The Ember Caverns.' Do you wish to raid it?"
"Yes, so is it ready to raid, or do I have to wait?"
"No, you can raid instantly, no need to wait," she said as she typed something on her computer and handed over his ID.
He started to move toward the dungeon area where the dungeon was located.
He
[You've slain Flame Seprent (Lv.50). You've gained 15,000 (×3 Boss Monster, No extra Bonus gained).] [28,626/17,500]
[You've Leveled up to Lv.55] [11,626/17,500]
[You've gained 10 Unassigned Points.]
[
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Skill: Blaze Heal (Lv. 1)
Type: Active | Tier: 0
Mana Cost: 30 MP | Cooldown: 12 seconds
Proficiency: 0%
Description: A unique regenerative skill adapted from monsters, harnessing the essence of flames to mend wounds. By channeling fire as a source of life rather than destruction, the user's body burns away injuries, using controlled combustion to accelerate recovery. The hotter the flames, the faster the regeneration.
Effects:
Flame Regeneration: Restores 20% of the user's missing HP over 5 seconds.
Burn Purification: Burns away minor toxins and infections during healing.
Heat Adaptation: Briefly increases fire resistance by 10% for 10 seconds.
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Skill: Heat Rampage (Lv. 1)
Type: Passive | Tier: 0
Proficiency: 0%
Description: A monstrous adaptation that fuels the user's strength and resilience in fiery environments. The hotter the surroundings, the greater the boost, allowing the user to thrive in intense heat and turn the battlefield to their advantage.
Effects:
Blazing Strength: Increases physical and magic attack by 10% in hot or fire-infused areas.
Infernal Resilience: Enhances defense by 10% when surrounded by flames or high temperatures.
Fireborn Endurance reduces fire damage taken by 5% at all times.
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Skill: Camouflage (Lv. 4)
Type: Active | Tier: 0
Mana Cost: 25 MP per second | Cooldown: 5 seconds
Proficiency: 0%
Description: A survival-based skill that allows the user to blend seamlessly into their surroundings, making them harder to detect. While not true invisibility, this technique bends light and minimizes presence, making it invaluable for stealth, ambushes, or escaping danger.
Effects:
Environmental Concealment: Reduces visibility and detection by 40% while standing still and 25% when moving.
Silent Steps: Lower noise generated from movement by 30%.
Predator's Patience increases the first attack's critical hit chance by 10% if striking from stealth.
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"Hmm, the skills are not bad for a boss like him who got defeat in less than ten minutes but still thanks for the skills," Evan commented as he viewed the skills description but little did he knew that the boss was in mutated state and even above that, the stat he and his skeletons hold are more than enough to defeat three of them in same time if used correctly.
"Then, let's start the real fun," he said as he moved toward the center of the core room, sat on the ground, and took out a certain vial containing a substance too black to see inside.
The vial was extremely cold, and an aura that even gave Evan chills flooded the entire dungeon in seconds.
Even the outside of the dungeon wasn't spared as a deadly aura, un-comprehensible to anyone, began to spread.
The whole city was enveloped in seconds as all the higher-ups, Guild-masters, and even the executives of high guilds came to find the Necromancer felt the approaching chill of death.
The branch manager and vice manager also experienced the same sensation.
No one was able to withstand that aura; mortals and even Tier 4 beings felt the same aura of death, causing many to faint because of it.
Even the monsters outside the city were fleeing, but some seemed to have caught a scent of something, which will be explained in later chapters.
Evan, who was sitting with the source of this energy, opened the lid of the vial, releasing an eerie energy began to fill the core area. The skeletons he had left to defend against any remaining monsters were suddenly empowered, their strength increasing to match his stats merely from energy aura.
Evan was certain it would hurt more if he drank it, but there was no back now.
Just as he was about to drink it, a notification appeared before him, heightening his suspicions.
[The system has detected that the host is using the gift. Please distribute your unassigned stats to maximize the effect of the gift.]
"Okay!" he, following the system advice to secure even a tiny of a life-saving chance
"Core Stats"
◆ HP: 4,200
◆ MP:4,410
◆ Strength (STR):20
◆ Agility (AGL):27
◆ Vitality (VIT):20
◆ Intelligence (INT):41
◆ Endurance (END): 20
◆ Stamina (STA):20
◆ Unassigned Stats:350 → 00
◆ Attack Power:1016.4 | 661.5
◆ Defense:840 + 160
He quickly assigned the stats in an unusual manner to +4 Red stat. Initially, he thought that increasing his vitality might help him survive the situation. After careful consideration, he assigned the stats accordingly.
No notification appeared afterward.
He then picked up the vial again and observed his summon, which now looked exceedingly bizarre. The bone density and power they emitted were high.
He took a deep breath and in one gulp, swallowed the entire contents of the vial, sending it down to his stomach in seconds.
At first, he didn't feel anything, not even the taste, thinking it might be tasteless. However, he soon realized that the reason he couldn't taste anything was that his tongue and mouth became numb within seconds, losing all sensation.
His stomach began to feel cold as time passed. His entire body started to go dormant, but he didn't fall asleep. He initially thought it might be ice-related element physique but later considered that it could be an undead-related physique.
To balance the temperature, he used his fire element to create blazing rings for heat, but nothing worked.
He even had his summon crack the earth around the core area where the lava was, but still, nothing worked.
His entire body went numb, and he felt powerless. Suddenly something inside him began to break, releasing a burst of unknown energy. His summons, which stood beside him, were destroyed within seconds upon contact.
He felt his body again, thinking it might be as good as before.
But the real change began after that. His pores, which had been normal until now, started to release a black substance mixed with blood, similar to what he had drunk earlier.
He started to feel pain all over his body as like needles were being poked from inside out.
It began to cover his entire body. Before he could do anything, he was completely enveloped in the black, tar-like substance and plunged into complete darkness.
His body was now encased in a cocoon-like sphere at the core's center.
Anyone attempting to approach him would face death, as the unstable and deadly power forming around him could kill anyone.
No one in the dungeon knew how much time had passed, as the dungeon portal did not appear for some unknown reason, possibly delayed by the energy present in the room.
Many notifications popped up for Evan, but none reached his view as he was lost in some unknown dimension of his own.
A single notification appeared in his mind.
[Congratulations, host, you've gained the Physique, ##### #######.]
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What did he gain, wish to know then be prepared for next chapter.