No matter how much Zarek grumbled, nothing was going to change, so in the end he finally sighed and focused on moving forward. At the same time, he also decided to keep an eye out for higher-grade first sequence enemies.
But all the monsters that he had encountered so far were first sequence regular grade, and Misery Prime's only skill wasn't helping much either.
Prey Sense was a level one skill that could help the Miseries detect prey—prey meaning someone obviously weaker than them.
So might as well level up the skill and see how it plays out...
Leveling up the skill wasn't something that Zarek wanted to do on a whim, but he had this idea ever since he saw the plus sign behind it. However, he resisted the urge, not willing to squander the precious Infinite Origin. After all, he needed one thousand of it if he wanted Misery to evolve, but thinking about it now, he was only halfway up the dungeon. By the time he reached the end, the amount of Infinite Origin should be more than enough.
With that thought in mind, he didn't waste even a single second and went ahead. As soon as he pressed the plus sign behind the skill, immediately another window popped up in front of him, warning him if he really was sure.
[Use 500 Infinite Origin to level the Prey Sense skill to Level 2]
That's crazy expensive!
Zarek immediately shook his head. With mere three hundred Infinite Origin, Misery Prime's strength was pushed to the peak of first sequence regular grade, and now he had to pay five hundred Infinite Origin just to evolve the skill.
Just as he was deep in thought, Misery Prime, dragging the large Bloodseeker sword, called out in confusion:
"Master, trouble!"
Misery Prime was really confused. It could not see any enemies except its own legion, yet the noble master of his looked clearly troubled.
"Master sad, Misery also sad."
Still, while deep in thought, Zarek felt Misery looking at him. He looked at the sad goblin and didn't know what to say. However, the hesitation he was feeling melted away in an instant and he went ahead and used five hundred Infinite Origin to level the skill.
Immediately the description of the skill changed:
[Prey Sense leveled up]
[Prey Sense Level 2]
[First sequence regular grade]
A inherent skill of the dungeon dwellers, the skill helps the monsters hunt effectively and survive. At level 2, the skill allows the user to detect and avoid slightly stronger beings, thereby hunting prey effectively.
Reading the description of the skill made Zarek incredibly satisfied by his decision.
He couldn't wait to use Summon Link and check the skill's effectiveness.
Meanwhile, Misery Prime also seemed to have realized its only skill seemed to have leveled up and jumped around in excitement. To him, this was not just a simple level up, but a sign it was about to ascend to higher grade.
Just like the scene from the memories, with the tribe chief.
Although the memories were blurry, Misery Prime was sure it was on the right path.
Misery Prime's happiness was also felt by Zarek through the intangible connection shared between them. The little guy's happiness was a little infectious—without even realizing, Zarek himself was smiling.
With even more power than before, Zarek and his summons made their way toward the eleventh floor, with a look of anticipation in his eyes.
Soon his perception shifted, and when he was able to see again, he was back in the rocky caverns, but this time there was a slight change.
Grass!
For the first time, Zarek noticed patches of bloodstained grass in his surroundings. Not just that—the cavern looked even more larger than before. It had gotten so wide that hundreds of people could fit in a single row and still have room to spare.
This change was significant, considering the fact that when he first entered, the cavern was barely large enough to accommodate a few people.
Behind him, Misery Prime looked at his surroundings with extreme alertness, a solemnity never before seen flashing in its eyes.
With its leveled-up skill, it could notice dozens of auras vastly stronger than itself spread all across the floor.
A few of them shone as brightly as its master.
Just then Misery Prime's grip on the Bloodseeker tightened, and in a jerking motion, he effortlessly raised the sword which was larger than his own body, ready to face any enemy.
Zarek was also on edge. His body, as if on overdrive, had adapted to the ruthless world of the sacrificial dungeon at a crazy speed.
To the point, Zarek felt as if he was born for a life like this. These life-threatening battles secretly started to thrill him—the rush of adrenaline when a goblin punched toward his neck was so addictive.
Right now it was only Zarek and Misery Prime alone. He had dismissed the rest of his summons to make sure that they looked vulnerable enough for the other monsters to attack them.
And from how excited they seemed to look, his strategy was working.
Hundreds of meters away from Zarek's position, the ground trembled and air vibrated. A towering goblin over five feet tall in height, holding an iron club in its bulky hand, ran madly, its eyes filled with joy, saliva dripping down its lips.
Finally it sensed prey—soft and tender prey. That crimson monster was also gone and it had also managed to find prey. Life could not get any better than this.
In excitement, the goblin struck one of the stone boulders nearby, immediately crushing it to powder.
A wild laughter escaped the monster's mouth. However, if you looked at the monster closely, you would notice not only was the monster's behavior strange, but it looked different from the usual monsters as well. Its throat seemed to be glowing as if it had swallowed a piece of molten iron.
As the goblin ran, smoke seemed to come out of its seven orifices. Large footprints were forcefully hammered on the ground.
And soon the figures of Zarek and Misery Prime appeared in the distance.