Chapter 64 - The War Within Ourselves (Part One)

After reaching the sixth floor, the hologram was showing something different. 'Floor has been cleared. Points rewarded. +5000 each. Setting new record time, +3000 each. Rewards have been calculated for setting new record time... Rewards have been calculated. One wave lesser on each floor until the end. Crystal cores have been calculated'.

Then two options popped in front of him. 'One. Convert all crystals into Elemental Monster Cores. Two, retrieve them as they are'. Lucas was thinking about which one to choose. He voiced his doubt to Valentine. "Well, The monster cores sometimes have great value, but the Goblins don't have much value, and even their families too. There are two cores which are of high value, but I don't know if you will be able to obtain them", he said.

"So, changing them into Elemental Monster Cores is the best choice?", he asked. Valentine confirmed his suspicion, and Lucas discussed it with everyone. Everyone agreed wholeheartedly with his point of view, and thus they chose the option to convert everything into Elemental Monster Cores.

"Now, I will be able to upgrade my weapon. Finally!", he thought. Soon, five pouches appeared, and in it, there were crystals of the five elements, Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Lightning. Michelle on the other hand got crystals of her element. Instead of Wind, she got Darkness. 

"Seems like this thing is rewarding us accordingly", thought Lucas as he put it into his inventory while no one was looking. "After this, if I get any good materials, I can forge their new weapons. Plus, I think I have just the perfect design for Tobias", he thought. After that, there was a buzz, signaling the start of the first wave of the sixth floor.

[Intermediate Tier Beasts - Orcs]

"Well, at least the difficulty level hasn't changed yet", he thought as he told everyone to fight the oncoming orcs. Robert didn't use any other techniques, and he only used what he saw from Lucas. He was trying to bring his Third Form to Lucas's level. "Maybe this was what Dad was trying to teach me for a long time", he thought as he cut down a few more orcs.

After twenty minutes, everyone had slain the orcs, and they sat down for a quick break. The timer was going down, and the person to fight was decided. "Let Michelle fight this one", said Lucas as he was panting. Michelle nodded her head and got ready as the countdown reached Zero.

[Legendary Tier Beast - Grenzo, The Dungeon Warden]

[Grenzo, The Dungeon Warden is a legendary goblin, who can command troops in wars. His strategies have always brought the Goblin community praises. But he also has extremely great battle prowess. He is well versed in the 'Art of Reverse Magic']

"What is this Reverse Magic?", he thought. "Reverse magic. A type of magic that can only be used by specific people and species. The magic involves the art of breaking it down and changing it to anything they like, like Reverse Engineering something. But this is with Mana", said Valentine. 

Lucas was shocked when he heard that. "So like Manipulating?', he asked. "No. Manipulation is where you take the element, and change it in the same element. This is breaking it down, and converting it. For instance, let's say you cast a [Fireball]. Now, I reverse engineer it and break it down. Now, I can change it into anything I want. It can be in any element, even the rarest ones", he said.

Now, Lucas was terrified. "If this is what we're facing on the sixth level, what will we face as we go higher up?', he thought. The thought excited him and brought fear into him. "I don't want to die", he muttered.

Everyone looked at Grenzo in awe and fear. In all their life, they have never seen something like this. Grenzo was standing tall, at a height of fifteen meters. He had a hunched back and was holding onto a staff on his right. He had a wide smile and had some hair protruding from his bald head. He also had a thick beard on his face, making him look old and yet, menacing.

Michelle gulped. "Alright, let's do this", she took a deep breath. Lucas wanted to warn her, but he held his tongue back. "Do not tell anyone that you are an awakener. Anyone", sounded Ben's voice in his head. He knew vital information, but he couldn't say it. "This sucks. I so badly want to share it with her", he thought.

"But we must first learn, how far are they willing to go for you? Do they have the potential to become comrades and true friends? Or will they be the kind that stabs in the back as soon as they see little benefits? We must learn of everything before we reveal it. This is more important than you think", said Valentine. 

Michelle took a deep breath and readied her usual stance. But as soon as Grenzo made his first move, she dodged. She raised her hands and a ball of darkness formed. "Let me see if this has stabilized this time", she thought as she blasted it towards Grenzo. The ball, which was going towards Grenzo, began to grow in size. "Begone, and may the Darkness welcome you", she smiled as she saw it connecting.

Grenzo's smile grew wider as soon as he saw the sphere. The staff in his hand began to light up. The ball of darkness, which was supposed to hit him, began to shrink. The ball broke apart, and it formed into swords. The swords were made of both Darkness and Light Element. There were almost around three hundred of them floating behind him. He cackled as he let it go.

The swords came crashing down on her, and she began to deflect the Light element ones. Her scythe was beginning to get damaged. "But it never got damaged", thought everyone. Lucas fell to the ground when he saw that. "But that can't be... Master said that they never make an appearance", he muttered as sweat was dripping down his forehead. There was a hint of fear on his face.

"What is it? Is it something that we must be concerned about?", asked everyone. Lucas didn't want to explain, but there was no use in hiding it since he already said it. "I guess it's best to go through", he thought. He then began his explanation. 

"Long ago, there were fourteen weapons that made it to Earth. These weapons are what we now know as 'Fourteen Lost Legacies'. Adventurers, Explorers, Thrill Seekers, Prestigious Masters, you can name every one of them. They have all tried to go in search of these Legacies. But what they lost was their life in search of it. Rumors are said that these Legacies choose their owners", he paused and looked at Michelle's weapon. 

Everyone was shocked. "So are you saying that she is wielding one of them?", asked Robert. As a son of a prestigious family, he has heard of them. He knows about the Fourteen Legacies, and he knows of the countless people who have gone in search of it. Lucas continued. 

"I suspect what she holds, is just a fragment of the real thing. Or maybe, it's a test from the real thing. To see if she is worthy of wielding it. There has only been one wielder of the legacies so far, and we all who that is", he paused. He let the information sink in. "It's the one and only SSS+ Rank holder", they said in unison.

Lucas nodded his head. "So, if she is to be the wielder of another Legacy Weapon, that will make her a potential SSS+ Ranked person", he said. Michelle was now doing her thing, dancing with Grenzo. Everyone turned their heads to see at her, and they all saw her in a new light.

The scythe was beginning to see cracks on its surface, and the handle was all messed up now. "Death, I know you are not going to acknowledge me anytime. And you know what? I don't care. I don't care if you acknowledge me or not. I don't care if my parents acknowledge me. I don't even care if anyone here acknowledges me? And you know why?", she stopped as she jumped back down.

"I'm tired of living to impress. Living up to people's expectations. Listening to people's words, and getting depressed. Whatever I do, it will never be enough! And yes, it applies to you too, Death. You have been with me ever since I was ten. And these eight years, all you ever did was criticize me", she said. 

She then jumped into the air and wanted to slice the scythe into the head. Grenzo moved sideways. "And you know what, Death. You are right. I will never be enough. Maybe you must find someone else. I'm not the best out there, but I know one day, that I will have the strength. One day, you will know I am worthy", she said. Tears were now streaming as she fought.

Memories of her training began to appear in her head. "And yes Death. You are superior. I am inferior. I can never win against a superior being. I know we made a pact, but that was with a little girl who was devoid of affection. Who's only pleasure lied in seeking her parent's approval. And did I?", she paused.

She threw her scythe down, but Death didn't stop listening. "Show me, little girl Show me that you aren't that scaredy-cat from before. Show me your resolve. Show it to me", he thought. She cast her darkness ball and began to manipulate it into a scythe. She made double scythes and used the Aura of Death to make it stable.

But she didn't move. "You won't acknowledge me, Death? That's fine because with or without you, I will make it to the top. And that day, I will show you how worthy I am to wield you", she said in a loud voice. Everyone could hear it. "So it is a Legacy Weapon", smiled Lucas. He was nervous. 

"Domain of Darkness", she said and released all of the darkness element magic that was within her.