Going down and ignoring the monsters wasn't a good idea since they would attack them all at once. If they weren't overwhelmed by their sheer power and numbers, they would be overwhelmed by their sheer weight. The magma will have to fall somewhere, after all, and it would be enough to create a small lake.
Aion covered the body of the first enemy with a thick layer of ice, but even though he used five percent of his total mana, the ice still began to melt and crack. Without any other choice, he froze another. Then he made those two collide against each other, making their bodies crack into pieces, and they didn't explode.
You obtained 1000 experience points.
You obtained 1000 experience points.
"The trick is on their body temperature…" Aion controlled the blocks of ice and tried to make his weapon absorb them, but it didn't work. "... They need a lot of energy to explode, but if they use that energy to keep themselves from cooling down, they can't explode."
Since he got Experience, those were truly dungeon monsters. Still, Aion couldn't understand why he couldn't use their bodies as materials. They didn't have cores either… so it seemed that they were another type of monster that decided to assume the appearance of a magma golem.
After doing some experiments and trying to confirm that, Aion could feel some mana leaving the body of those golems and their heads as well and going down the dungeon.
"This feeling… someone binded some souls to those creatures to make them stronger," Arc suddenly said, and Aion realized that they could feel more or less the same things as him with magic.
"You seem well-informed, grandpa," Aion said. "Can you spill the beans and save some of my time?"
"... In the past, my family also tried to experiment with the souls of monsters. Some people are able to bind their souls to their existences to make them stronger by forcing them to invade other bodies and control them," Arc replied after a long sigh.
"I thought that you were more prideful than that," Aion furrowed his eyebrows. "Why look for more power in such an external manner?"
"I didn't do that, but some of my ancestors wanted more power… even more so once they learned that some mutations can be controlled," Arc explained.
Aion more or less, that was the case since he had so many abilities… if Malon was the one who gave him the system, then it made sense that he learned the trick behind it as well.
"I guess the enemy is controlling the monsters and the core of the dungeon using those souls," Aion said.
"I am aware that such a thing is possible… but I thought that the vessel and the souls must have some connection like it is in your case," Arlana said after she gulped.
"All rules have exceptions. By the way. Where did you get the idea of making me the vessel of so many souls?" Aion asked.
"... One of the final enemies could do that. They used the souls of all the people they killed and forced them to give them even more power," Arlana explained while she was sweating cold.
"Forcing them… you don't have to explain it," Aion shook his head. "As expected, such a thing is possible, but I would rather avoid following that path. I don't know how this enemy can do this, but I guess it must be different from one of the guys who killed me in the future."
"Do you know any countermeasures for this, grandpa?" Aion asked.
"No, I am not particularly familiar with the subject," Arc replied.
"Your weapon can absorb things. You can get the souls if you freeze their bodies and then pierce their hearts since they are there," Annalee said.
"Would it be that simple?" Aion furrowed his eyebrows.
"I don't know how your power works, but it should be stronger than the power of the spell that binds those souls to your enemy," Annalee added.
"... I guess it is worth a try. Thanks, Grandma," Aion smiled.
"Humph," Annalee smirked.
Some people say that even the most cold-hearted people become meek when they see their grandchildren. Aion was fully aware that he didn't have the cuteness of kids, but perhaps he had some level of charm.
Aion froze another magma golem and then brought it close to him. At that point in time, he couldn't help but frown since the enemies weren't reacting in any shape or form… it seemed that they could only follow a few orders, like attacking those who got too close or passed by them.
In this case, Aion's staff didn't have any sharpness in it, so he had to make it sharp by covering it with ice and then piercing the layer and the monster's body with all his might.
"Unbelievable… it actually worked," Arc said, visibly surprised.
"What do you mean by that? It is only natural that it would work," Annalee said, clearly annoyed.
"Hello, hello, can you hear me?" Aion asked when he checked his inventory and saw another soul there. "Who are you, and who was using your soul?"
".... Urgh, where are you? Where am I? Who are you?"
"I hate people when they answer my questions with more questions… this one has even the nerve to ask three at once," Aion furrowed his eyebrows.
"My name is… Lou," the soul's voice echoed around. "We were trying to escape the giant calamities when something happened, and then everything got dark, and then I found myself here."
"Giant calamities?" Aion frowned.
"... That is how we called the final enemies that killed you," Arlana said while trembling all over. "Apparently, they were tall enough to trample mountains with their feet alone… I don't think that you would be able to cancel their spell if they were involved in this, and if this person was running away from them, then he belongs to the future, and only one being aside from the calamities could have done this… the same being that caused the incident where your sisters and their husbands were tortured to death."
"Oh, is that so…" Aion showed a cold glint in his eyes. "I am really itching to meet him, and I guess I am getting closer."