Chapter 8 Conquest Begins

(New skill created, Clone)

Clone - The ability to make an exact copy of the caster. The copy of the caster is autonomous and doesn't require the caster to control, the clone will think and act just like the caster would. (Current limit 1 clone)

What the heck, so basically, I can make another version of myself that will think and act just like I would?! That means I can use my clone to farm exp on this floor while I go to the next floor or vice versa!

(That is correct, the best part is the stronger you get the more clones you'll be able to create in the future)

Man, this just keeps getting more broken by the minute, one day I'll be able to make an army of clones and I'll rule the world! Mwahahahahaha, just kidding, or am I?

(…...Shameless)

Hey hey hey, my wins are your wins.

(You do have a point, ok continue on with your plans for world domination ha-ha-ha)

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After resting for the night I decide to test out my clone skill and make my preparations to concur the second floor of the crypt. My clone and I go around the floor and collect resources for my trip, food and crystals, making sure there is enough food for a long expedition and taking some crystals to experiment with and see what all uses they have.

Today is the day, I am setting out to the second floor.

Leaving my clone here to manage the floor and gain monster cores along with doing some research into the crystals and using the craftsman skill. While the original me sets forth on my mission to concur this crypt and then the world, just kidding, well at least about the world part.

Hey Neph, where is the entrance to the second floor anyway? I don't remember seeing it while I was exploring the forest.

(Ah, that's because it's a teleportation circle located here in the castle)

What, Really? A teleportation circle? That's pretty freaking awesome!

(You just need to go to the underground teleport hub under the castle and you'll be able to go straight to the second floor)

Aright! Let's go then. I head down to the teleport hub, after opening a very ornate door that leads to a room roughly five hundred square feet, and in the center is a majestic looking magic circle. I walk up to the circle and examines it, it's filled with weird looking runes and symbols made out of gold while the connecting lines of the circle are pitch black making the circle look majestic and regal.

Now this is what I call a magic circle, did you make this Neph?

(I sure did, it's one of my best works if I do say so myself)

I have to agree with you on that buddy, I hope one day I'll be able to make something this grand. Ok let's see how this works. I step into the center of the circle and immediately receives a message through the system screen.

(Would you like to travel to the second floor) (yes) (no)

Yes!

(Beginning teleportation)

(Please keep your hands and feet inside the circle at all times)

What the heck? Hahaha someone has a sense of humor.

(Teleportation complete)

(Welcome to the Second Floor of Nephelium's Crypt)

I step out of the circle and find myself on a stone platform overlooking a huge plain filled with every color of flower you could ever think about. It's probably one of the most beautiful sights anyone has ever seen in their life.

Wow, this place is beautiful, I remark as I walk down the steps of the platform and heads into the field of flowers basking in the beauty all around me wondering which way I should travel.

I look around and to the north there appears to be a mountain range, to the east it looks like there is another forest like the one on the first floor, to the south is the teleport circle and to the west is nothing but flowers as far as the eye can see.

So, mountains or forest, mountains or forest, hmmm decisions, decisions. Well since I went through a forest on the last floor, I think a change of scenery is in order, so I guess I'll go to the mountain range and see what kinds of monsters I can find there, I decide after a few seconds.

I begin to traverse the vast plain of flowers heading towards the mountain range to the north, after several hours of walking I finally near the foothills of the mountain range.

That took a lot longer than I thought it would, these mountains are definitely further from the teleport circle than they appear. As it stands it will still take me another couple hours to reach the foot of the first mountain, I mutter to myself.

Finally, it took an entire day, but I finally made it here, I begin to set up camp since the light from the fire crystals are starting to dim. Since exploring a new area in the dark isn't wise, there could be hidden paths or traps that won't be easily discerned. After finding an open area with a few trees and a decent size fire crystal I relax and eats a couple Eclipse mushrooms and Golden Peaches and drink some water.

Ok, now that I've eaten, I should get some sleep, casting Aegis to create a dome shield around the camp, five feet in diameter, that way I can sleep in peace and won't have to worry about any monsters attacking.

Morning comes as the fire crystals start to brighten slowly.

I wake up and check around camp with awareness making sure there aren't any monsters lurking in the shadows waiting for the shield to disappear before they attack.

Aegis is deactivated, and I begin to wonder, hmm I wonder why I haven't come across any monsters so far?

Hey Neph, aren't there monsters on this floor?

(There are, don't worry you'll run into them eventually, I don't want to ruin the surprise)

Tsk, ruin the surprise huh? Fine, I guess I'll just keep going and "get surprised".

Alright let's head out, making my way to the base of the first mountain and notice a worn looking path leading up the side of it leading into the mountain range. Hmm, so I guess there seems to be a lot of foot traffic in and out of these mountains, I wonder what is causing the foot traffic though.

Following the path to see where it will lead, I makes sure to pay attention to my surrounding and pay attention to my awareness in order to react to an attack at a moment's notice. Hours later with not so much as a hint of monsters I arrive at the end of the path. Before me sits an enormous ornate carved stone door, its twenty feet tall by twenty feet wide.

Now this is what you call a door, either whatever uses this door is massive or something is overcompensating for something.

Now, let's see if it's unlocked, as I walk forward and place one hand on either door and starts to push them, surprise, surprise they slowly start to open. Well, that's unexpected, I figured it would either be locked or at least a lot harder to push open but for some reason these doors feel light as a feather. Whom ever made them is a very skilled craftsman if they can make solid stone feel this light, I comment to myself.

(New area discovered)

(Welcome to Marbelium)

Marbelium? Why am I getting a notification and a name for a place I'm entering now? I never got a notification telling me the names of places on the first floor.

(That's because of our merged souls, since I made this crypt after all, now you'll be told the name of a place when you enter it. You'll only be told the name though, so don't expect spoilers on what kind of monsters you'll face in them).

That explains it, too bad I can't find out what kind of monsters though, then I could come up with some plans preemptively. Oh well, at least I'll know what the places I visit are called though and knowing is half the battle.

Once the doors have finally swung open, I slowly makes my way through the doorway into a corridor of chiseled stone that looks a lot like marble. There are evenly spaced lanterns that have fire crystals in them that illuminate the area. Following the corridor for several hundred feet before it opens up into a bigger dome like chamber with pillars carved out of the same marble-like stone. Opposite the corridor leading to the main doors, appears to be yet another corridor, it's really weird that there would be this random chamber between these two corridors, unless it's used as a sort of gathering place for before they exit through the double doors that lead into the mountain.

After entering the opposite corridor, I follow it for several hundred more feet, while walking I admire the craftsmanship of the corridor; the stone is literally one solid piece, there isn't a single seam anywhere to be found. It's as if it was literally carved straight out of the mountain and polished to create the finished look.

(You are correct, it is indeed one solid piece of stone, and that stone is in fact the mountain itself. The monsters that live here are master craftsman that pride themselves in their work and it can take them anywhere from decades to generations to complete a project)

Are you serious, that means these monsters have intelligence, doesn't that mean I might now have to fight them? Well that would be nice if I didn't have to fight them but that means I'll have to find another source of cores somewhere else.

While I am walking into Marbelium, my clone is busy inside of our floor hunting monsters. Now that the monster's ranks have been increased we able to gain more higher ranked cores from every kill.

Status:

Race - Goblin

Title - Nephelium's Successor

Soul Rank - Mortal (progressive)

E Rank

Strength - 80 (20)

Intelligence - 150

Stamina - 80 (25)

Dexterity - 80 (15)

Vitality - 80 (20)

Agility - 80 (25)

Magic - Infinite

Luck - Blessing of Fortuna

Available Attribute Points - 28

Skills:

Awareness Rank F

Slash Rank F

Appraisal Rank F

Sneak Rank F

Craftsman Rank F

Aegis Rank E

Hallowed Ground Rank E

Magic Bullet Rank E

Innate Skill

Creation (Active) Divine Rank

Blessing of Fortuna (Passive) Divine Rank

Genesis (Active) Divine Rank