CHAPTER 166 - SECOND FLOOR

Bakir bore witness to the entire process, its heart aching with the loss of a thousand of its kin. However, it was well aware of the fact that its own life was worth more than a thousand half-dragons.

With the aid of his new title, Han Wu once again felt the familiar power of the Black Dragon King Transformation surge within him. What was once an ability had now been unlocked as a title. He transformed before Bakir’s eyes, the nostalgic energy radiating outwards and rapidly covering his body in dense black scales.

The sight of Han Wu’s new form almost compelled Bakir to fall to its knees in prayer. This was an innate instinct stemming from its very bloodline, one it could never suppress regardless of how powerful Bakir itself became.

“The Great Dragons’ authentic bloodline...” Bakir whispered, its voice filled with awe and reverence.

With his Black Dragon King Transformation fully activated, Han Wu’s strength soared, elevating him to a level on par with High Lords. He was now fully confident in facing the remaining six floors.

“Wait for me. I will free all of you upon my return,” he said, ascending into the air with powerful beats of his wings. He had finally achieved enough strength to gain entry to the second level of the Sky Palace.

Bakir watched intently as Han Wu vanished into the enveloping darkness, then softly murmured, “Please, oh Great Dragon, quickly return and free your kin...”

Han Wu successfully entered the second floor of Sky Palace. This floor looked more like an ancient ruin than a dilapidated palace. Before long, he spotted a narrow entrance before him. However, the nature of the monsters sealed within remained a complete mystery to him.

In a moment of self-reproach for his oversight, he slapped his forehead. “Ah, crap! I totally forgot to ask Bakir about the second floor!”

However, it was too late to go back. The risk of being teleported to a random location on the first floor was too high to consider retreat. He had no choice but to venture into the unknown.

He walked slowly down the dark corridor, drawing out an illumination source from his spatial ring to cast some light around him. However, due to the rules of the second floor, the illumination from his fire was restricted to a mere five-meter radius.

Even with his enhanced vision, Han Wu could, at most, see objects up to fifteen meters away. Anything beyond that was obscured by an ominous darkness. He maintained his steady pace until he came upon a split in the corridor, where three identical paths lay before him.

Having no idea what kind of treacherous trap might be lying in wait, he decided to play it safe and summoned three smaller-sized Gold monsters, sending one down each corridor to scout ahead. Two hours ticked by, and to his surprise, none of his summoned creatures had died. Moreover, while waiting, he even managed to acquire the Silver Noble Soul Liberator title.

The title came with two effects, the first being a passive skill called Noble Soul’s Gift. He would be able to obtain a random piece of equipment that a Noble Soul had used during their lifetime, provided he successfully liberated them. The second effect, Noble Soul’s Trust, set the default affinity of Noble Souls toward him as Friendly.

Han Wu stared at the new title with confusion. It seems my summoned monsters were responsible for the deaths of these Noble Souls... But why in the world are they friendly towards me even though my monsters killed them? Are they masochists?

With much confusion, he recalled his monsters, intending to explore the path on his own. To his surprise, his monsters didn’t return alone; they brought back hundreds of Noble Souls with them. Each of these beings was armed with a different weapon, and they attacked Han Wu on sight. Given the narrow space in the corridor, Han Wu transformed his Genocider greatsword into a more manageable short sword and began to fight back.

With his newfound strength, he cut them down effortlessly. As he did, he noticed that the Noble Souls seemed to smile as they were destroyed, as if finally freed from their shackles. This piqued Han Wu’s interest even more. What exactly were these Noble Souls? Were they trapped here?

As he continued to eliminate them, the familiar progress bar flickered into view. Killing hundreds of Noble Souls had granted him an 11% increase on the progress bar. Once the bar was completely filled, he would gain access to the third floor.

Han Wu wasn’t content with just filling the bar, however—he intended to clear the floor perfectly. To achieve that goal, he not only had to raise the progress bar to 100%, but also had to defeat the strongest monster on the second floor.

Han Wu delved deeper, relentlessly slaying the Noble Souls he encountered. Strangely, as he did, more and more popped up around him. It became evident that his Noble Soul Liberator title was effectively acting like a magnet, drawing them directly towards him regardless of how far away they were.

Han Wu was, however, beginning to develop a headache. The Noble Souls were utterly relentless in their attacks, and the cramped, narrow corridor made defending against them incredibly tough. Fortunately, his ten Gold monsters stepped in and helped him share the burden, even if only temporarily.

While his Gold monsters were locked in battle with the Noble Souls, Han Wu focused on plotting a map. He carefully marked down the path he had already taken to ensure he would not get lost in the maze-like corridors. He spent a considerable amount of time in the dark eliminating uncountable Noble Souls, and even crossed paths with many adventurers during his journey.

After a period of exploring the corridors and diligently marking his progress on the map, Han Wu once more encountered a split in the path, with three paths stretching before him yet again. Referencing his map, he deliberately chose a corridor he had not yet explored.

While walking, he suddenly noticed a faint light emanating from the far end of the corridor. To him, this light was a welcome sight, especially after spending such a long period in nothing but darkness. Without hesitation or fear, he stepped forward, soon finding himself at the edge of a vast, open space.

Inside the vast opening, a massive entity resided. Its numerous tentacles writhed unsettlingly in the air, a sight that immediately sickened Han Wu. What truly shocked him, however, was the immense pressure emanating from the creature, which appeared to be even more powerful than Bakir himself.

Though half-dragon Bakir was categorized as a Platinum monster, the colossal entity looming before Han Wu appeared to possess a strength on par with, if not surpassing it to the Diamond ranks. Recognizing the immense power of his adversary, he finalized his preparations for the impending battle and underwent his own transformation.

His transformation complete, Han Wu found his strength soared to the level of a High Lord, which was synonymous with the Diamond rank within the Title Civilization. With his Genocider greatsword firmly in hand, he lunged into the attack. The massive entity, however, instantly detected his approach and lashed out with a tentacle, easily intercepting him and sending him flying.

Even with the protection of his dragon scales, Han Wu felt a sharp sting on his skin. It also appeared that the entity’s attack wasn’t merely a physical blow but also inflicted spiritual damage. It was only due to the remarkable resilience of his spirit that he managed to resist its full effect; otherwise, the strike would have been fatal.

Han Wu quickly realized he was outmatched, even with the power granted by his transformation. However, he still had a card up his sleeve. Activating the third effect of his Monster Slayer title, he chose to tribute his summoned monsters, permanently sacrificing them in exchange for a temporary power boost.

With the sacrifice of his ten Gold monsters, Han Wu felt an exhilarating surge of power blossoming throughout his body. Gripping his greatsword, he charged at the colossal monster once more. This time he wasn’t whipped away by those tentacles; instead, he carved through one with ease and plunged his greatsword directly into the monster’s heart.

Having critically wounded the monster by striking its vulnerable point, Han Wu wasted no time in delivering the final strike. Upon the creature’s death, a large orb of light drifted from its remains and merged with his body. His level surged significantly, elevating him to level 90, leaving him just 10 levels shy of reaching level 100.

As the monster fell, Han Wu was granted the Diamond Noble Soul Liberator title, accompanied by a clear notification confirming his perfect completion of the floor. Only then did he realize that the creature he had just defeated was not only a Diamond rank monster but also the boss of the second floor, which perfectly explained its immense power.

Glancing over the spot where the colossal monster had fallen, Han Wu discovered the equipment it had dropped. It was a Diamond necklace with one powerful effect: resistance to mental corruption. Although he had no idea how to activate the necklace, he decided to wear it nonetheless. As he did, he felt his spirit become stronger and more relaxed, and he even noticed his breathing becoming easier.

“Time to head to the third floor. I wonder if they’ve already dealt with the Light Palace Lord,” he muttered, entering the third floor.