34 Chapter 34: Althansaral (1/2)

After resolving himself to temper his body, Wilhelm didn't waste a single minute. His old training techniques were out-of-date and useless for his current prowess, so he developed an entirely new training regiment. He practiced his dagger skills in the morning, his hand-to-hand combat in the afternoon, and exercised in the evening. It was a simple, yet effective routine.

He would exercise in the mana-filled water, practice his daggers on the nearby monsters, and shadow box to strengthen his hand-to-hand combat. In his downtime, before bed, he attempted to improve his sleight of hand and acrobatic expertise further. All of this was so that he could become well-versed in his fundamentally new body.

Like this, days slowly turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Wilhelm enjoyed his harmonious days of only training, eating, and sleeping on repeat.

Unlike before, when he was stead-fastly attempting to escape the dungeon, Wilhelm was progressing at a much slower pace. His stats had only gone up a few times in the past few months, but his expertise had grown astronomically. The streamlined muscles that decorated his body was a testament to this fact.

However, not only was his process different, but the way he viewed things changed a little as well, albeit slightly. Perhaps it was due to his class advancement, but Wilhelm was much more relaxed than before. No, it couldn't even be considered relaxed. It was both refinement and sophistication. He completed most tasks in an elegant manner, except when burying bodies.

Nevertheless, all good things must come to an end. ”I suppose it's about time… the monsters on the second floor have grown scarce.”

Wilhelm extended his shoulders and tied his long hair into a pony-tail, using a piece of torn string. His now red eyes glimmered within the dark as he made his way out of the enclave. It had been somewhat of a home to him, but he felt no emotional attachment to it; he always knew that leaving had been inevitable.

Strong confidence exuded from Wilhelm as he made his way through the narrow caverns, up to the next floor. Over the last few months, he had mapped out not only the entire second floor but also got increasingly more used to the dark atmosphere. Of course, his 'Night-Eye' ability made this objective much easier than it should have been for just any ordinary traveler.

Like this, Wilhelm gradually made his way up the spiral staircase made out of weathered limestone. Vines intertwined with each other and intersected around each step, revealing an almost beautiful passage. Wilhelm couldn't help but admire the small flowers which were flourishing on every additional step.

It was a stark contrast in comparison to the rest of the lower floors; it was mesmerizing. Yet, the steady footsteps didn't falter in the slightest.

'I suppose not everything inside of this dungeon is repulsive.'

Wilhelm thought.

He didn't squander much more time on the staircase and soon arrived in front of a thick, wooden door. It was relatively dull and didn't appear to possess any out-of-the-ordinary characteristics. In fact, it was so casual that Wilhelm couldn't help but squint his eyes and grasp the dagger at his waist.

Wilhelm lightly pushed on the door as he held his daggers close. Although he had mapped the entire second floor, he never trespassed the staircase. Everything behind the door was unseen and new territory to explore. As such, Wilhelm strained his eyes to see what was inside of the darkroom.

'Nothing?'

As he thought to here, a sconce suddenly lit up on the eastern side of the spherical chamber. It didn't stop there, a few more flames were lit, and the entire room began to vibrate with life. It wasn't enormous, but the flickering flames emanated a slightly eerie atmosphere.

Wilhelms muscles tensed up as he observed the dark figure in the middle of the room. It wasn't nearly as grotesque or excessive in size as the rest of the monsters in the dungeon. No, it was normal… as if it were the silhouette of a human. White hair cascaded down the unknown figure's shoulders and drooped down to the ground.

”Welcome to my lair, human,” a deep voice reverberated throughout the lit halls.

Wilhelm raised his daggers and waited for the strange being to finish its speech. Of course, dallying wasn't his primary intention, so he scanned for any weaknesses and possible escape routes while the thing continued to talk. If he had learned anything in the dungeon, it was to use the overflowing arrogance of these creatures against them.