Only the fact that the eighth-class monsters had already been cleared on this level gave me a slight chance of victory. I soared into the air but was almost immediately knocked to the ground by some winged abominations.


    As I plummeted, I focused my aura on the tip of my spear and struck. Because the monsters below were densely packed, the attack had a devastating effect, tearing dozens of them to shreds. Landing on a gruesome mixture of flesh and stone, I managed to launch a blood attack against the mass of creatures closing in from afar.


    As an inferno erupted there, I hacked at the nearby monsters with my spear. A brief lull followed, during which I took precise shots at hundreds of airborne foes. Once I had somewhat cleared the skies, I attempted to break out of the encirclement to find a location where at least some rock could cover my back—because fighting on all sides was bound to end badly for me.


    I could say I succeeded, if not for the fact that my acceleration toward the cliffs came more from the monsters’ blows than from my own actions. Somehow securing myself on a broad mountain ledge, I started slaughtering the winged creatures that swarmed me.


    For the moment, my position gave me an advantage, as I had time to eliminate those in the air while those on the ground scrambled up the rocks, trampling each other in the chaos. Within minutes, the sky was entirely clear, and I turned my attention downward, scorching everything that moved.


    I was damn exhausted, but even more furious at the Nine-Tailed. If he appeared before me now, I’d crush the bastard with a single glance. But Louis wasn’t here—only the monsters, whose complete extermination took several days.


    After the battle, I spent another two weeks collecting dark violet cores. In the end, my storage held more than three million sixth- and seventh-class cores. The thought crossed my mind that dumping such an amount onto the market would crush the empire’s economy. I’d find a better use for them.


    After a good rest, I headed for the exit of this godforsaken dungeon. And that’s when I let my guard down. I wasn’t paying attention. And I walked straight into a trap.


    The moment I entered the passage cave leading upward, a spell bound me. It was as if I had been encased in steel—I couldn’t move, not even my eyes. Ahead of me, beyond a protective barrier, two figures emerged: the Nine-Tailed and a naked, shriveled old man, more animal than human, with filthy, matted hair and nails that looked more like the claws of some mongrel dog.


    — Honorable Rom, I told you he’d come here! — Lui exclaimed.


    I wanted to curse at the bastard or at least spit on him, but my tongue wouldn’t move.


    — Hee-hee-hee-hee, — the old man cackled hideously. — You’re right, boy, you’re right…


    The old man approached and jabbed a finger into my chest. I didn’t see it, only felt as his claw effortlessly pierced my aura’s defense and slid between my ribs. The pain was excruciating, but I couldn’t even hiss. Instead, the old man howled, yanking his hand back and shaking it wildly in the air.


    — The Mana of God! It’s real, it really exists! I was right! — He turned to Lui and commanded, — Take him!


    The Nine-Tailed stepped up to me.


    — No hard feelings.


    He touched my head, and everything went dark.


    I came to, hanging in midair, suspended by a thick chain in some cave. My hands were shackled, with chains fastened to a hook in the ceiling, which glowed with a blue magical seal.


    I moved my legs and heard the rattle of more chains. Looking down, I saw identical shackles on my ankles, their chains leading to another hook in the floor, also marked with a glowing seal.


    Damn. This was bad.


    I tensed my muscles and tried to shatter the shackles with my aura. The chains flared with blue flames and instantly suppressed it. I tried again with the same result.


    Alright, I got the message. I couldn’t use blood magic either—I couldn’t ignite it near myself.


    Shit. What kind of magic was holding me? My master once said that mages were the most treacherous beings in this world. Now, I was learning that firsthand.


    — …Three months, boy. You have three months, and then you will return him to me. Understood?


    Rom and Lui were approaching.


    — Yes, Honorable Rom, I understand your order!


    — I’ll kill you, you gray-haired scum! — I snarled at Lui as they stepped closer. — I’ll kill you and wipe out your entire cursed kin!


    I was boiling with rage. That bastard had set me up for a battle with monsters beyond my level, then lured me into a trap. I would kill him. If I survived, I would kill him.


    — Yeah, yeah. They all said the same thing. And they all died.


    The Nine-Tailed’s eyes flicked to my left. I turned my head and saw several skeletons, hanging just like me.


    — You beast-born son of a bitch, pray that’s how it ends. Otherwise, you’ll die in agony like no creature has before!


    Lui turned back to the old man.


    — Honorable Rom, I must go. I will return in three months.


    He left the cave, while the old man started circling me.


    — So, boy, where are you from? What are you?


    In response, I unleashed my bloodlust, directing all of it at him. The old man yelped and scurried back, scratching his shaggy head.


    — Boy, I’m speaking to you civilly, and you show me aggression?


    — Just die already, you decrepit freak. Your coffin’s been waiting for you.


    The old man twitched a finger, and a magical circle flared before his hand. Out of the darkness, a metal spike flew at me, hammering against my ribs and skull. No effect.


    — Hee-hee-hee-hee-heee! I’ll teach foolish children to respect their elders! I’ll teaaach them!


    He tossed the now-bent spike aside and asked again:


    — Boy, what are you? The Mana of God flows in you—don’t lie to me, speak honestly!


    — Or what? You’ll beat me again? Piss on you, you stinking bastard.


    — Hee-hee-hee-hee-heee! A foolish calf is a foolish calf!


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    It was clear that the old man was completely insane. He waved his hand, and a magic circle flared up again. The air in front of my face twisted into a tight rod, which started beating me across the head and cheeks. After dozens of blows, my jaw finally cracked. I could have set it back with my aura, but I didn’t—yet. The old man stopped.


    — So, did that knock some sense into you?


    — Ismoiii… — was all I could say.


    — Hee-hee-hee-hee-heee! — The old man rushed toward me. — Here, here, let me help!


    The moment he got close, I struck him with my bloodlust again.


    — Yiiiiii! — he shrieked. — Foolish calf! Stupid beast!


    Rom spun around, clutching his head, and ran out of the cave. I was left hanging alone.


    When the old man’s screeching faded, I set my jaw back in place with my aura. A thin stream of saliva mixed with blood dripped from my mouth.


    — Thudum! — said my heart as soon as my blood touched the ground. — Thudum!


    What? What was that? I had never felt such a reaction in my body before. I closed my eyes and focused. Took a deep breath. The amount of monster mana here was far greater than on the twenty-fifth level. So where was I now? The thirtieth? Lower?


    I focused again. What had my blood reacted to so strongly? The stone floor. I looked down. The same black rock. Lower, and lower still…


    Finally, about ten meters below, I felt—no, I saw—a powerful river of monster mana. It wasn’t gaseous, like on the twentieth levels, but condensed, liquid, like water, flowing somewhere in a broad stream right beneath my feet.


    Holy hedgehogs! What level was I even on?


    I want that mana, I realized. I want all of it!


    I tried striking the floor with my aura to shatter the stone, but the magic seal activated again and dispersed the blow.


    Fine. What if I go slowly?


    I carefully extended a hair-thin strand of aura and laid it on the floor. Nothing happened. Then I guided it through the rock down to the river and detonated it there.


    A small stone, about the size of a walnut, broke off and was carried away by the current.


    It worked!


    For the next two days, I kept hanging in my chains, chipping away at the rock. It was slow going, but I saw that the mana level had risen almost a meter closer to me. That gave me hope—if I could submerge the lower magic seal and absorb that river of mana… I’d definitely have a chance!


    On the third day, the old man returned. I stopped chipping the stone the moment I sensed his footsteps.


    — Boy, are you ready to talk?


    What should I do? Keep resisting, or try to get some information out of him?


    — Old man, let’s make a deal. One question from you, one from me, and I go first.


    — Hee-hee-hee-hee-heee! The little calf has become tame! Alright, ask what you want!


    — Alright. I already know that you’re Rom and that you’re a mage. What circle of magic do you belong to?


    — You’re right. The eighth. Who are you, Aney…? Are you human?


    — That’s two questions. Don’t break the deal if you want answers. I’ll answer the second. Yes, I’m human. Why did you capture me?


    — Hee-hee-hee-hee-heee! What a clever calf! Alright, alright… You interest me. The Mana of God flows in you! Where did you get it?


    — Mana of God? Old man, your mind’s gone. I’m no mage, I’m a Battle Ancestor. I don’t use magic. You can check—I don’t have a single magic circle. What is the Mana of God?


    — You didn’t answer my question! — the old man snapped. — Where did it come from? Where does the Mana of God in your veins come from?!


    He ran up and jabbed his finger into my thigh.


    I screamed and struck him with my bloodlust as hard as I could.


    — Iiiiii! — Rom screeched, wiping blood from his nose.


    He shot me a sidelong glance and ran out of the cave, muttering something under his breath.


    I patched up the hole in my thigh with my aura. A few white-golden drops fell onto the magic seal and instantly evaporated into mist.


    Damn crazy bastard! But a few more blows like that, and I’d turn his rotten brain into mush.


    I went back to chipping away at the rock beneath my feet.


    Rom returned a few days later.


    — You lied to me! You hit me! You promised we had a deal, and then you hit me!


    Tears rolled down his filthy cheeks like a child’s.


    Yo, his mind was completely shattered.


    — Old man, you stabbed a hole through my leg, so that’s on you.


    — You hit me… hit me!


    — Alright, Rom, I hit you. Let’s forget about it and start over.


    The old man paced back and forth, scratching his head.


    — Fine. Where did you get the Mana of God?


    — I don’t know what the Mana of God is. Can you explain?


    The old man’s eyes gleamed. He was thinking about something, but I had no idea what.


    — Alright, you seem so dumb it can’t be helped, so I’ll tell you something. — He stopped and turned his head toward me. — The Mana of God is what I’ve been studying for the last few hundred years. It’s the work of my life! And it flows in your veins. It’s the mana of the so-called Old God, the precursor of all magic in the world, so to speak. It is magic in its purest form! So where did it come from in you?


    He stared at me without looking away. Trying to appear as honest as possible, I said:


    — I don’t know. I was born this way. You say my blood is magic in its purest form. But then why can’t I use magic? I’ve tried many times to cast even a first-circle spell, but I don’t feel magic at all. So you’re wrong—there is no Mana of God in me.


    — You idiot! External magic circles are crutches for mages! You don’t need them—they must be inside you because you are magic! Give me a drop of your blood, I want to study it!


    Circles inside me?! What was he rambling about?


    — Alright, here you go!


    I squeezed a drop of blood from my fingertip and flicked it toward him.


    — Not in my hands, you fool! My time magic instantly destroys anything that touches me!


    Whoa! Now that was both interesting and dangerous. The old man caught the drop with some spell and held it in the air near his eyes.


    — Astonishing! It’s a miracle! I wasn’t wrong, I was never wrong—it exists! Hee-hee-hee… Hee-hee-hee-heee!


    He ran out of the cave. Well then, good luck! I grinned maliciously when I heard the sound of an explosion and the pitiful yelp of that old bastard. I hadn’t given him a small drop. I doubted he’d be back anytime soon. I returned to chipping away at the rock beneath my feet.


    Days passed, I worked, and the old man didn’t return—which was only to my advantage. Progress was slow, but I could already feel the river of mana pressing from below, making the stone crack quietly. The golden mist was beginning to seep through the cracks in the floor. Suddenly, I sensed Rom approaching the cave.


    — Aney! Why?! Why is your Mana of God unstable? What’s wrong with it?


    He looked terrible, even two weeks after the explosion.


    — Rom, — I tried to calm the lunatic — relax and explain what happened.


    — The mana—your mana exploded the moment I stepped away from the cave! What’s wrong with it?!


    Should I deceive him?


    — Rom, I can’t say for sure, but I have a theory…


    — Speak!


    — I think it’s because your magic suppressed my aura. It was fine before.


    The old man froze, deep in thought.


    — No, no, no, no! You’re trying to deceive me! You want to kill me! I can see it!


    Damn, the old bastard’s brain was mush, but this he figured out.


    — Rom, we’re almost friends—I don’t want to kill you. I really think that’s the problem.


    — You’re lying! You’re lying to me! Give me more blood!


    The old man lunged at me, but I struck his mind with all the bloodlust I could muster.


    — Iiiiii! Iiiiii! — Rom rolled across the floor, clutching his head.


    Blood poured from his nose, eyes, and ears. He tore at his hair, whining as he crawled away toward the cave exit.


    — Just die already, you bastard! — I wished him farewell and resumed breaking the rock.


    A few hours later, the cave floor began to crack loudly, thick yellow steam bursting out, condensing on the walls and ceiling before dripping back down. The magic seal beneath my feet started to dim and weaken in the places where small pools of monster mana had formed.


    I jerked my legs—once, twice… The hook was slowly pulling out of the stone, crumbling the rock around it. Gathering every bit of aura I could into my legs, I yanked it upward again.


    With a deafening explosion, the hook tore free from the floor, shattering the last centimeters of rock. A massive fountain of mana shot up to the ceiling, engulfing me completely.


    Finally!


    I unleashed my aura, shattering the damn shackles on my wrists and ankles, and dropped straight into the golden river surging from the depths. I swam in it—I absorbed it. Every muscle in my body began to transform. Slow-twitch fibers, fast-twitch fibers, countless tendons—everything was changing in mere minutes!


    I felt it—the moment of breakthrough was near. Waves of power sent sprays of liquid mana flying, smashing into the cave walls, making them crumble and tremble. Massive chunks of rock broke free from the ceiling, crashing down.


    — No! Nooooo!


    From the cave entrance, Rom screamed.


    — My Mana of God! It’s mine! Give it to me!


    The crazed old man tried to move toward me against the mana’s raging current, casting spells—but in this storm of mana, it was useless. I watched as, despite his protections, the monster mana began corroding his skin and flesh, exposing his innards. And yet he stubbornly pressed forward.


    A thick beam of light shot upward, punching through the ceiling and into the sky. I saw the cave collapse like a house of cards, billions of insects burning in the heavens, plunging the level into absolute darkness…


    When everything fell silent, I descended to the ground.


    The river was still flowing, but no longer as a massive stream—just thin trickles. I looked around, found a suitable chunk of rock, and pushed it over the opening, sealing the mana’s path. I might need this place again.


    A Higher-tier Battle Ancestor! I did it!


    To my surprise, old Rom was still alive. His body, shredded by monster mana and my breakthrough’s explosion, was still twitching. I stepped closer and looked into his lidless, bulging eyes. He tried to say something, but from his torn throat came only unintelligible gurgling.


    — Every task must be seen through to the end.


    I repeated my teacher’s words and flicked my index finger. The crazed old mage’s brains splattered several meters around.