The Systemic Lands

Chapter 419: 43rd Floor – Brisk Jog Blocked

Chapter 419: 43rd Floor – Brisk Jog Blocked

After resting up in the safe room, I was mentally ready for the last run through this floor. I knew it would be hard, but I was prepared for whatever was thrown at me. I already had the route mapped out. Even with the increased traps, I wasn’t overly concerned.

I just needed to focus, pay attention, and disable the monsters as I came across them. With my packs secured, and my gut heaving, I left the safe room following the passage to the West. Acid Shot. Two crush traps and a blade trap activated in the passage in front of me. I made my way through and checked the next tunnel unit, nothing and then another blade trap. That was when the first level 4 cubic golem rounded the corner.

I moved forward and activated the blade trap with my stub of a left arm. The golem was ripped to shreds. I passed my the trap area checking the spots ahead of me as I advanced. Crush trap, blade trap, another crush trap. The golem had respawned and was coming up behind me. I raced back and used Acid Shot at the angle needed so it couldn’t defend. The monster was disabled.

I paused as I was about to reach the main North South passage as my testing foot had disappeared into the floor. The illusion didn’t break. Another thing about the pit traps, the illusions didn’t disappear when I found them. Acid Shot. No traps on the far side. I backed up and took a running leap over the pit trap.

It was a long jump, but if I committed, I would have the energy. The main thing was that there was no follow up trap behind it or another pit trap. Otherwise, it would have been much worse, and I might have gotten injured or wasted some energy.

My new title on these upper levels was Scrooge. I was miserly about every bit of energy I spent. Since it had a direct impact on how long I had to wait in between floors and my survivability. If I got into a sticky situation, then I would spam out energy to save my life and health. But before then I would conserve every single bit that I could.

Three golems advanced around the corner of the North South passage. I noted the passage was a null skill area. Well, not a problem for me, since I had lured these three golems out. I moved quickly to avoid their attacks.

I was able to pick up on the slight changes in energy in the monsters now that signified their attacks. It was incredibly subtle, small, and detailed, but there were changes that signified changes in their state of energy and the skills they were using.

The more I had observed the monster’s skills, the more I came to the conclusion, that they weren’t using human skills, if they were then they were much better than the skills people got from the skill crystals in the dungeons. That would have been a good meta-point choice, understanding of how monster skills work.

Well not matter. With the three golems disabled I bypassed them and turned to the South checking each new section of floor. I had learned on the previous floors that traps and null skill floors could be combined in areas. Which made it all the more important, I take my time and check each portion of floor to be sure it was safe before proceeding.

Looking ahead, I paused. The room at the center of the floor had been walled off. I went to the end and looked at the passage to the East. It was walled off as well and they weren’t illusion walls as far as I could tell. At least I had explored and mentally mapped out these floors ahead of time.

From what I could tell the general layout was still the same, just that certain passages were cut off. I turned North. I paused at the intersection I had come through and looked East. I could see a golem leaping over the pit trap and advancing on me.

I shook my head and kept making my way North in the null skill passage. Another blade trap, and then another. It appeared this floor was going to make me walk around the entire floor since there was another barrier.

I frowned for a moment as I realized that every route was cut off. Probably a section was removed at the furthest point in this section to get to the next one. Which meant going back North. It was honestly a bit irritating, but not unexpected.

There was only so much these floors could do before they increased the level of the monsters or completely changed. There were a lot more traps, but they were more amusing at this point, since I had left the null skill area and I checked each unit of flooring before advancing.

At the end of the long twisting passage, there was an illusion wall. While they had gotten better the higher up I had climbed in the tower, I was still able to stop them a couple of passage units away. Like an off shade of the normal energy coloration.

After checking to make sure there was no trap behind it, I kept advancing. The illusion wall had been new, but it was needed for me to make my way to the next part of the tower. The safe room, boss room, and golden key room locations were most likely the same and with that the vast majority of issues were handled.

I could just rule out a lot of side passages if they looped back as dead ends and just needed to check the outer circuit to find the next passage forward. I sighed as I found more passages blocking the way to the golden key room.

It was just a weak delaying tactic in the end, since the general floor plan didn’t change. I looped to the South end of the floor and paused at the passage to the North. There was an illusion wall past a number of blade traps.

I activated the blade traps one after another before advancing. I then checked the illusion wall, there was a blade trap right behind it and an actual wall. I backtracked and began checking other passages to the North.

More dead ends and then an illusion wall. I went through and saw four golems standing at the far end past three tunnel units not moving. If it was just one pit trap it would have jumped over. I checked the portion of the floor in front of me. A pit trap.

That meant there were three pit traps. That was why combining monsters on this floor to pressure me was stupid combined with the traps. It let me realize where there was some insane amount of pit traps. Those were the most annoying, since I couldn’t activate them and then cross them.

I backed up and then ran forward. Air Burst. Air Burst.Acid Shot x4. I took out the monsters as I landed. Too much energy, but it was needed. There was no other way to cross so many pit traps. Also disabling the monsters was important in my mind. I made my way East to a North South passage that had the dots of red lighting indicating it was a null skill passage.

The passage North was blocked and I frowned. All the middle passages to the center of the floor had been blocked, but I hadn’t checked for illusion walls. I made my way to the South room and checked North in the middle passage it was blocked.

Letting out a long sigh I knew I could either backtrack or keep moving forward to check the last middle passage to see if there was a way through. If it was me, I would put the passage at the start so I would have to backtrack a lot.

That was the most asshole type layout I could think of, so that was what it probably was. Also the golems were disabled so I would save energy if I went now. I went back over the pit traps and checked the West middle passage. A dead end.

All the way back to the North and checked the middle passage, an illusion wall. That was incredibly annoying. “Thanks Almighty System, thanks,” I muttered. At the very center of the middle passages there was a pit trap in a null skill area. Thankfully I needed to go diagonally, and there was no trap there. So, some careful stepping and I got past it.

I then found the golden key room and there were four golems waiting two passage units in front of me. More pit traps of course. They were less traps and more obstacles with how many there were. I expected every bit of floor to be trapped now.

I just needed one Air Burst to get across and then I disabled the monsters. I then checked the floor around the golden key rod. More pit traps, just like the lower versions of this floor. I went diagonally from one of the monster spawner locations so I only had to use one Air Burst to cross and then go back.

After that there was a lot of backtracking for a third time through the passages I had already went through. Still, I didn’t take things quickly and checked every bit of floor before advancing. The slower pace allowed me to regenerate my energy as I progressed.

Finding my way through the Southeast section of the floor was another hell. Some passages had been closed off and there was an illusion wall tucked way in a supposed dead end with two crush traps on either side.

I shook my head at that. Obvious traps were obvious traps. After that it was just killing monsters and making my way to the boss room, while activating the traps with a wave of my stub in front of me. It was impossible to rush this floor with the number of traps.

There was also no way I remembered all of them from the previous floors and more were added each floor. Trying to memorize them was a sure fire way to die if I got over confident for a second. Thankfully the nightmare of this floor was over.

I put the golden key rod in the boss room door. The door opened and there was a blade trap in front of me which I activated right on the other side of the boss door. As I was about to take off my packs and enter, I noted that all the spawners in the room had activated already.

Of course. I should have realized that the last set of floors would have the boss room activated instantly. I raced forward. A pit trap! Air Burst! Air Burst. I recovered, but I was too late for an alpha strike. The eight spawners unleashed mini-spiders and the boss spawner unleashed the boss Spider Golem.

This had just gone from an easy fight, to a tough fight. I only had about 2,000 energy right now, so I would need to pick and choose my skills carefully. The little spiders leapt at me, and I leapt away to avoid them. They were spreading out as well. Dammit!