Umbreakable

.

.

.

—-----------------

"As I thought… Nothing happens." Silver said as he took his hand off the scale

This scale is extremely resistant to Magic, so much so it may as well repel it back. My hand is tingling just from this short exchange.

Whenever my Plasmids try to seep into it, they just scatter and pure Magical Power is rebound back into the atmosphere, in other words, they're dissipating.

This is just one step back from the Juggernaut who will absorb and redirect any Magic applied to it, and to a certain extent, this is worse than it.

Having magic rebound is sure bad but you can still overwhelm or break the Juggernaut's shell, in this case, the scale as a whole seems to be resistant to it.

Well, it could be partially due to my Low Level and the natural weakness of my Plasmids, but I find it hard to think Riveria would be able to damage it at all, even if alone.

The Dragon would have an entire wall of these scales positioned above each other like a castle's walls, so the defensive potential of one lone scale like this isn't really going to define the Dragon's true defenses.

Much less one that's been sitting in the sun and rain for 1000 years.

Although, the most annoying part of this is that were it not for my Plasmids' change, they may have affected it... Or maybe not, there isn't really a way for me to confirm it...

This scale is way more than it meets the eye.

"Hum…"

I wouldn't say this is Anti-Magic, but I can't deny it is either.

The Magical Power isn't vanishing... Still, what do I call this?

... Once I grow much stronger, I can try this again, but if it persists, then I either repeat the process, or I'll have to admit that Magic is useless against the Dragon.

'With a pensive expression, Silver changed tactics.'

'His right index finger changed in both color and texture, becoming akin to stone.'

/SCREEECH/

"..."

'Silver scratched his now rocky finger across the diameter of the scales, and a long white line was formed on its surface.'

'But as he inspected the line, his eyes twitched.'

Shit… You ought to be kidding me… Fuck.

... Although it looks like I scratched the scale, the only thing I did was clean it.

It's thin and faint, but there's a layer of a strange material covering it… The bulk underneath it remains intact.

The material itself is likely oxidation or some sort of natural degradation, maybe the solidified minerals of the oils covering the Dragon's scales, it could be a mix of those as well.

It's just a bunch of dirt… And by the looks of it, even if I remove it, there doesn't seem to be any change in the scale's anti-magic property or structural integrity... Unless In were to try and check it on a molecular level.

Just to show how ridiculous this is...

This is… Extremely abnormal.

I've just changed my finger to the hardest natural mineral composition I know, something I took from a Tear long ago… 

It's a material that if put on a scale, it would have a Hardness value of 12.1

This old scale is harder than that too? Or is there a problem with my Plasmids? I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, this is the first time I'm trying this after such a long time...

Maybe it's my current strength, causing the formation of the mineral to be incomplete or defective, after all, I'm far from being able to control molecules, much less the atomic structure of objects.

Even before, that was something hard to do, albeit not entirely impossible either.

Going solely from my memories could be causing problems given the different sources of power for my Plasmids and simply the fact I may be rusty...

'Covering his forehead as he frowned, Silver eventually shook his head as he remembered the world he was in.'

Right, in the first place, it makes no sense to compare or try to pull Physics into things.

In the Lower Floors you already have monsters with Diamond-like shells, why wouldn't the scales of the Black Dragon be harder than those?

The Dungeon is constantly trying to form new and impossible shapes and biologies with powers that may as well surpass those of the Gods... Emphasis on the euphemism...

With the creation of this world being a mystery the Gods keep tightly under wraps, the Dungeon's ability to create and evolve beings is many steps ahead of that of Nature itself.

It may be a bit of an exaggeration but it wouldn't be wrong to say that, if the Dungeon is akin to the Gods in some aspects, who themselves are beings whose origins can be said to be akin to that of Nature, then the Dungeon could be said to be it's will.

The will of Nature.

Though of course, Gods won't ever reply if asked such questions, they will either dodge the question, play around it, try to shoo the person off by saying they wouldn't understand, or something along those lines.

I wouldn't be surprised if they replied with nonsensical jokes such as: "I AM MEGAMAN!"

"Sigh..."

But in any case… Hardness is one thing… The question is, how durable is it?

'Silver looked around, knowing full well he couldn't let anyone else see what he was about to do.'

/Fwoop!/

'In an instant, he grabbed the scale, switching it for a dummy one of similar proportions.'

'And a moment later, he disappeared with it, leaving behind only a failsafe in case a monster somehow made its way through the "gap" in the Village's defenses.'

'From his perspective, a single scale was more than enough to completely isolate the entire Valley from all monsters, much less a few dozen…'

'No one would notice one missing.'

…

/SHUA!/

'A few dozen mountains to the North…'

/Snap!/

"Okay, time to work, make some tests, just like the good old days at my lab." Silver said as he snapped his fingers before he stretched his arms and legs

/THUD!/

'Silver took the scale from his inventory, and it hit the ground with a rather powerful thud!'

"Well… I expected it to be heavy, but it's not as massive as I thought. Still, that in itself isn't something to be surprised about."

It seems to be slightly underneath my weight, about 80 to 90 kg… But even then, despite the scale being light for its size, if the Dragon has thousands of those around its body…

How would it even fly? 

Even if Dungeon monsters have stupid large proportions or questionable biological features, they usually still obey some rules.

It's not like you can have a horse walk on air just because the Dungeon wants to, it would have to have a magic of some sort for it to do so and maybe be within a special environment where it can put said abilities to test.

Magical Organs but still fleshly objects...

The only beings that can wish something to happen and defy natural order would be the Gods with their Arcanum, but what can they do with those is as much of a mystery to me as what lies beyond the edge of the observable Universe.

From the small critters that habitat the Dungeon to the Boss Monsters, every creature follows a certain biology.

It's the reason why if I cut a creature's neck, its bones, innards, and whatever will spill out, as for what they turn into dust after is because their bodies are mostly composed of Pure Magical Power converted into other forms of energy, which all dissipate at once leaving behind only a bunch of... "Gunk".

Monsters aren't a solid block of ash that explodes when they die, though the process through which their flesh turns into ash is something I've been trying to understand for a while as well...

Even the gigantic Wyverns in the Deep Floors have humongous wings and extraordinarily powerful muscles to support their flight unimpeded.

Though in exchange for that and their monstrous breath attack, they're mostly inept in close-quarter combat, relying mostly on their size, sharp talons, and muscles to deal with adventurers.

Nonetheless, if an adventurer reaches them, they would end up as the least of his problems.

Monsters were usually paired together to impede adventurers, it's not every time you see a monster that is an "all-rounder"...

'There are many studies on monsters and their biology, the problem is that the people of this world… Or better put, adventurers aren't really interested in progressing said research that much.'

'Since adventurers are the only ones that can go deep in the Dungeon and the fact it's considerably difficult to bring back a monster's body to the surface, regardless of their size, it's no surprise most of the research is either assumptions or only detailed when it comes to Upper Floor monsters or from the monsters that live in the surface.'

'A monster's body can easily be destroyed if handled roughly and only professionals can properly subdue or kill them, something that won't always work as one goes deeper, meeting monsters that are either too hard to be moved due to their size, or impossible to contain due to their physical features.'

'Good luck containing Deep Floor Monsters that are usually a few meters in height...'

'Some assume the Dungeon doesn't need the Monsters to live for long, thus explaining their unusual biology which has no need to last long.'

'There is some semblance of truth to that as more often than not, that is the purpose of a monster to blow up and die with the adventurers, end of the story.'

'But no one really knows what the Dungeon thinks, because at times, it takes a lot of care to its residents, and other times, it'll completely and utterly fucks them…'

'But as some may say, so is nature and evolution itself…'

'As for the reason there aren't that many monster carcasses being brought back to the surface, aside from all the reasons stated above, is due to the depths of the Dungeon.'

'Just imagine bringing back the body of a molten giant from the 50ish floors back to the surface, absolutely impossible.'

'That is why most research is made directly on the field, the problem is if any is done at all.'

'How many Familias can step into the Deep Floors? From the Guild's ranks, likely only B Rank Familias have someone strong enough to be there, but that doesn't mean they can go there, much less conduct research.'

'If Silver was to step back and form an expedition with every member of his Familia, they would likely only be able to reach the end of the Middle Floors... Maybe not even that, they would only be able to safely reach Rivira before turning back.'

'If every Level 2 in their Familia led the way that is, so in other words, they would be carried there... Not that they would succeed since the number of Level 2 adventurers in the Familia is not even 10% of its numbers.'

'That is why the Hestia Familia is ranked as an F Rank Familia, although after the War game, which Silver predicted would increase their Rank to D, and the subsequent Recruitment, that value was about to change even further, and not by a single Rank...'

'He wouldn't be surprised if the Hestia Familia was announced as a B Rank Familia, though in the end, that was up to the Guild.'

'If D Rank was too low and B Rank was too much, then why not the middle ground?'

'In any case...'

"Sigh, monsters and their uniquely nonsensical bodies…"

"Enough lazing around, time for experiment number 1…" Silver said as he looked around

/Pull…/

'Silver pulled his Halberd from his inventory, resting it against the ground as he planned his next few steps.'

"I don't think I'll be damaging it at all… But I might as well give it a try."

/Inhale… Exhale…/

"Phew…"

/Transform…/

/Crunch... Crack.../

'From that point on Silver's body began to distort gruesomely, his muscles changed shape as they moved beneath his skin like worms...'

'His back hunched, his legs grew thick, his skin changed colors, becoming darker and rougher like stone, while his tendons changed position as they tensioned beyond the limits of the Human body.'

'Well… That of an adventurer too.'

"Phew…"

'In this mix of Plasmids, Silver couldn't even speak, he barely even thought anything as he focused his entire being on his task. That of turning his entire body into one giant spring muscle.'

'There were many creatures in the world that possessed hunting methods that involved tensioning energy within them to release it on any unsuspecting prey.'

'It was just that none could compare to how unhinged his' was.'

/Crunk…/

/FWOOOOOSH!/

'Just as every fiber of his body locked in place… Creaking loudly, he let go of all said energy, snapping onto the scale with the blunt end of his Halberd!'

'Together with his transformed body, Silver used his Plasmids to propel his body, decrease the air resistance, and consequentially increase the Gravity at the point of contact doing everything in his being to maximize the power of his strike.'

/BAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!/

/SHATTER!/

/SHUAAAA!/

'The flat end of his Halberd struck against the scale like a meteor crashing against the earth, and for a moment, a flash of light overtook that of the sun at the center of the mountains!'

'The mountains around Silver shook as the snow pilled upon them began to fall like tsunamis...'

'The ground he stood on completely collapsed as the scale vanished amidst the exploding debris!'

'Mayhem descended upon the fields as the entire world was uprooted, trees had their roots scattered and birds flew to the skies!'

'And if they hadn't already been knocked out by the sound any other land animal in a 300 M radius of him was swiped off their feet if not straight up killed by the shockwaves of the impact!'

'For those that survived, ear pain to deafness would soon follow as they bled...'

...

/...Booom.../

"Hm?"

"What is it?" Hestia asked as she looked at Artemis

"Did you hear that?" Artemis asked as her ears perked up

"No? Did you hear anything?"

"..."

"Don't be so tense Artemis, with those scales around even if there are monsters around, they'll never be able to get here." Hestia said with a smile as she tapped her back

"Even if they do, they wouldn't really be able to do anything would they?"

"... You're right." Artemis replied as she exhaled lightly

"Anyway! As I was saying..."

...

'Far away amidst the mountains, an old man looked far into the distance as his white hair swayed in the wind...'

/... Shua.../

'Faint wind passed through his body, blowing his clothes away as his gaze focused somewhere beyond the distance hills, far away...'

"Hm..."

"Grandfather?" 

'A little boy approached the old man, holding onto a small scarf due to how cold it was, breathing lightly as air condensed in front of his lips.'

"Little Bell... Didn't I tell you to stay indoors during the cold?"

"But you went out on your own and I..."

"Shh... I'm not scolding you." The old man said with a chuckle as he saw the boy panic

"Hm... What are you looking at?"

"... Nothing much, I just... Got reminded of something of the past, that's all." He said as he turned around, grabbing onto the boy's hand

"Let's go back before you get sick, if that red-haired sister saw you like this she would have a heart attack wouldn't she?"

And kick my ass in the process...

"Let's go back, I'll heat you some milk."

"~Yay!~"

...

'Even far away beyond the mountains and into the distance, the echoes of his strike reverberated throughout the entirety of the Beol Mountain range.'

'Animals and monsters alike raised their heads as their ears perked up as the tree leaves rustled in the wind...'

'This was the strength of a Level 6 Adventurer, someone that could cause mountains and rivers to tremble and topple…'

'By far, this was the most extreme game of wack-a-mole ever replicated…'

/SPLAT!/

/SPLURGE!/

"URG!!!!"

'The moment the entire energy in his body was released, the recoil of the counterforce soon came, blasting his entire skin out as it rippled across it, causing his muscles to rip apart like towels snapping in the middle.'

'Some muscles unlodged themselves from his bones as they cracked under the violent force.'

'Even though Silver had changed the constitution of his bones to that of a metal, they still failed catastrophically, snapping in the middle like twigs…'

'Well... The best metal he could employ as an adventurer's bones were already stronger than most metals anyway, especially the bones of an adventurer with High Constitution and the appropriate Development Abilities...'

'His entire body had been torn apart, his arms were the most damaged while his head suffered the least injuries, although his eardrums had been blasted open, his teeth completely caved in, one of his eyes popped out of his skull, and...'

'... His head wasn't looking that good, to be honest.'

'His legs had burst open due to the force and most of his thorax area was now pure muscle that slowly fell from his body, exposing his internal organs.'

"Huhh... Huhh..."

OUCH Ouch ouch ouch… It hurts, a lot! I can't breathe… Phew, not as much.

'Severing his nervous connections in pretty much every single inch of his body, Silver completely and utterly crippled himself to save his mind from the rivers of pain that followed his own attack.'

'The only reason he still stood was because, despite the immense Physical devastation his body had undergone, he still had most of his Mind to use his Plasmids.'

'And without the pain to disrupt his concentration, he could fully focus on recovering... Otherwise he would die... Fast at that.'

'From the very moment he struck the scale he began healing himself, knowing full well that if he was even a single second late, he would likely die... And a very miserable one at that.'

'Death to rebound of one's own strength? That seemed like something a villain would experience, not him in the middle of the mountains!'

'As such, before he checked out the condition of the scale or the damage he caused, he began working hard by fixing himself.'

'The broken bones and muscles, together with their pieces were placed back where they belonged, starting with the most important organs.'

'He didn't even clean them, opting to do so after he had recovered to some degree...'

'His snapped muscles were tied and glued back in position.'

'All of the internal and external bleeding was corrected, and his opened vessels were closed as he pulled back as much of his lost blood into his system as he could, stitching back his blasted heart, allowing him to stop focusing his attention on regulating his blood flow..'

'Once that was done, he quickly regenerated his skin, or in better words to depict what he did, it was more like gluing it back in place as he stitched it back up.'

'Even though Silver couldn't quite regenerate entire body parts from 0 at once, he could rather "easily" glue back what he lost, especially if a cut was smooth.'

'Not entirely something that can be said about this case…'

'It was a terrific sight to behold.'

...

/Fwoosh…/

'A few minutes later, after his body had returned to a somewhat optimal state, with his right hand, Silver recalled his Halberd, which had been flung across the skies and into the distant mountains…'

"Urg… I'll never try this again… For many reasons." He said as he looked at his weapon

'After he struck the scale, the rebound force was so great it sent it flying as his fingers ripped apart.'

'And now… It's appearance said it all.'

'The hammer tip of the Halbert was almost completely flattened, like a plate, while its shaft was now curved by around a 30-degree angle.'

'It was impressive the metal had held together in the first place... Something that couldn't be said for all of its parts...'

'Its tip was now nowhere to be seen, although Silver already knew where it was, while the frontal edge of the Halberd now possessed many cracks along its edge.'

'Thankfully, the Halberd was a one-piece item, something almost impossible for any blacksmith to do, but not a Divine one, otherwise, it would've broken into pieces like a Lego character's death animation…'

/Shine…/

'The Halberd shone faintly in his hand for a moment before the lights flickered off…'

"Yeah… I know..."

"Sorry buddy, I won't do this ever again." Silver said with an apologetic smile as he closed his eyes in pain

I don't quite know if the Halberd is alive, but it's something far greater than just a piece of emotionless metal.

It seems that even though it was made to take a beating, this time, it was a tad much…

Or maybe it's complaining I did all of this outside of combat... It didn't even get this battered last time when I used my Skill on it against Phryne...

"Phew… Shit… Hephaestus will fucking kill me…" Silver cursed out loud as he touched his forehead, only to recoil a bit due to the pain he was feeling

My entire body is in tatters… How much strength did I even use?

It's hard to compare it to a standard because not only am I unordinary, none of the adventurers over Level 6 are either.

There is no average, they're all irregulars in their own right…

Hum… Well, if I were to make a guess based on Phryne's strength… Probably something along the lines of a Level 7? Maybe even a bit higher if I'm taking her as the norm.

Right now, my Physical constitution is around that of a Level 5, high Level 5 to 6 perhaps, already counting my Plasmids.

So by exerting the Physical strength of a Level 7, two levels over that by tensioning my body like this… Maybe even more than that.

There is the concept of the strengthening from Leveling up from 4 to 5, then from 5 to 6, and finally from 6 to 7, so it's hard to say if my Stats, even if high, can make up for this massive gap between Levels, not to say I've yet to update my Status ever since I became Level 4 over a month ago.

The problem is that almost every Level 5 adventure onwards is special in its own right, so maybe that is in itself the average...

A Rank in a Stat at the very least?... Hum...

It makes sense I almost exploded. My Stats aren't meant for this degree of physical power.

Well, in the first place, it would be impossible to display such strength anyway, I was just a fool for overusing my Plasmids in such a reckless way.

"Now then…"

How much damage did I cause to the scale?

I don't expect much but at least some sort of light indentation…

/Pull…/

'Like a fisherman pulling a fish, Silver pulled his prize out of the broken ground.'

"... How far did I send this damn scale?" He asked out loud as he kept pulling

'Given the shape of the scale, Silver had hammered it deep onto the soft earth, passing even the hard rock layer underneath him.'

Over twenty meters deep… Damn… I'm quite strong...

Normally I apply my strength to Monsters, and the Dungeon itself is also super sturdy, growing sturdier on average as one goes down, so I don't know how strong I am.

My idea of strength is rather distorted.

I can't really go around destroying things above ground to test that out, but it puts things into perspective.

Adventurers are monsters to real people, it's no wonder they are treated with such respect outside of Orario.

In Ancient times, even a man with the strength of a Level 2 adventurer was likely already strong enough to establish his own territory.

At a time when the Gods stood in Heaven watching over the mortal plane with no choice but to send their Spirits down with their relics to aid the mortals, be it out of pity, understanding, or entertainment...

A time when a Level 4 warrior was seen almost like a God... And those stronger than that... Were marked down in history, eventually even becoming Gods, even if in name only.

But when the Gods themselves descended and they refuted the existence of said beings... The faith of many crumbled down into pieces.

Can the Gods be said to be cruel for their honesty? Should they have lied and kept the people in ignorance?

Of course not, the Gods don't want that, maybe it's their own form of sympathy... They want mortals to show them their worth and to not live in endless delusions...

At least, most.

"Well, anyway, time to see the results."

/PULL!/

/Shua shua.../

/Thud/

'Silver dropped the scale at a smoother ground further away before circling it with his arms behind his back… Only for his expression to darken severely.'

"Nothing… No changes."

No, there was something... I peeled off the layer around the scale, but only that.

/Clunk.../

"Haa… At least I know that if the Dragon appears, I can give it a nail polish…" Silver said in an ironic tone as he tapped the scale in frustration

"..."

'Silver stared at the scale in silence for a few moments before he focused once more.'

No damage, huh... And it's not like this is my ordinary strength either, this is something I'll never really be able to perform in combat... Nor will I ever try.

By the time I finish changing my muscles an adventurer my Level would've cut my neck off.

It's not a fast transformation, nor can I make it so.

This is a meaningless test that proves nothing but the fact the Dragon is as scary as I imagined.

Just when will I have the chance to display such strength on a daily basis? Casually I mean?

When I'm Level 5? 6?...

"How upsetting, frustrating, and downright nerve-wracking… But expected."

I'm only Level 4, and the Heroes that fell to the Dragon were likely all just as talented if not more than me, double my Level, being able to jump Levels and accumulate strength beyond their wildest imagination while also holding the best items and while under the best of buffs.

If I could damage it now, then their deaths would've been strange and maybe even worthless.

"Sigh… This is another wake-up call." He said as he kicked a stone away

The Dragon is not a fairy tale, it's a monster, and it'll come one day.

I have to get ready… And so does Orario.

That was why Evilus was made in the first place... Even though that's not their goal right now.

"Sigh, Erebus, are you there in the sky, watching me fail?" Silver asked as he looked at the clouds above

"Are you together with the Souls of the Heroes that died as well? Do you all think I'm pitiful? Because I sure as hell do." He said with a chuckle

"Would it take too much for you to steal a Divine Artifact and send it down for me? Let me borrow it for a few moments..." He said with a sigh as he kicked another stone away

If there's any Gods watching me... I wonder how they would feel...

'For a fleeting moment, an idea went through Silver's head, but he pushed it aside for now, deciding to test other things first.'

"Anyway, if pure strength doesn't work… Maybe other approaches will?"

How about… Heat?...

"Pfft… I'm stupid for thinking about that..."

As if a Dragon would have fire as its weakness… Its scales are likely strong enough to resist its own breath attacks if it has any...

But knowing the Dungeon, it would be strange if the Dragon didn't have one.

How hot would the Black Dragon's flames be? Several times that of a volcano erupting at full force?

I don't even want to think about it...

"However, what if it's not ordinary fire?"

/Fire…/

'With a weak spark, a white resplendent flame ignited at his fingertips…'

"..."

'But before he placed his hand on the scale, Silver stopped, hesitating for a moment.'

Is this a good idea?

... Hestia told me to never let this flame extinguish, but if I put it on the scale, wouldn't that just happen?

But these flames aren't magic, they're… Uh… Something else?

Half Arcanun of sorts?... I'm stretching the concept a little...

Is the Dragon that capable? 

'Questions and more questions popped up in Silver's mind, and in the end, he closed his eyes, following his heart...'

"..."

/Shwoosh.../

'In the end, he retracted his flames.'

I'm not the kind of person to perform such extreme tests… Most of the time… But even in those intense situations, I usually have a plan in mind because the danger stems from something that doesn't immediately kill me.

Well, I'm not entirely sure what will happen if the flame extinguishes and Hestia doesn't seem comfortable with telling me that and neither am I interested in knowing.

It's not even worth it anyway, even if I can confirm I can burn it, so what? Nothing will change.

"Maybe nothing will happen as long as I don't let the flame itself die, but for now, I have other tests to run."

The flame's core is within me, but I can't be sure nothing will happen if I let one of its tongues extinguish, even if it is one that initially spread from the center.

If shit hits the fan when the Dragon comes, then if I have no other option…

/Fua!!/

'Throwing those thoughts at the back of his mind, Silver pulled another flame from his inventory, a blue one this time…'

"... It's been a while since I pulled this one out…"

It's too dangerous for its own good anyway.

A flame that only burns on organic materials, and it spreads quicker than fire on pure alcohol… While also being close to impossible to take off...

This isn't something I'm comfortable with managing in the open.

The only 'problem' with it is that it's weak and that it's a "magical" fire of unknown origins.

I normally keep it contained since I want to research it in the future, but now's a good time to use it.

"First… I have to unseal it…"

'Because the flame was quite beautiful, Silver kept it as an ornament for his Office, but to make sure a clumsy Haruhime or a curious onlooker like a certain Pallum girl and Goddess wouldn't knock it down and spread chaos in the entire city, Silver sealed it in the most complex of boxes.'

'Of course, he usually brought the flame with him whenever he left his Office, but safety was never too much…'

/CRUNK!/

"Now then… Do your magic little flame…" He said as he used telekinesis to pull a small wooden shard from the box, throwing it atop the scale as carefully as he could since he didn't want the entire forest around him to burn blue

/TSSSss...sss…ss.../

"..."

How anti-climatic.

'The moment the flame hit the scale, it burned and flickered for a moment before vanishing with an unstable snap.'

Hum… Oh? It actually left a little mark on it.

A little flame like this… Sigh.

'Silver thought of the flame's original owner and the terrible fate he had been thrown into.'

'But if not for said fate, he wouldn't have awakened his abilities in the first place.'

"The flames burn the scale as it tries to consume it, but it's too robust for it."

If it burned a little stronger, things would be different.

"Well… For a little spark, it did more than me. That's already commendable."

Even in death, your power was strong enough to leave a tiny mark on the OEBD, if he is watching from heaven with the Gods, hopefully, he is proud.

"Moving on with these meaningless tests… How about something corrosive?"

'Tapping his chin, Silver raised his right hand, and with a light pull, he dislodged his index finger from his hand.'

'If Hestia were here to see it she would've fallen unconscious by now…'

/Bubble…/

'In the wound where his finger previously was, green bubbles began to pop from within his exposed vessels, slowly releasing a strange compound onto the air that condensed into a long viscous string of liquid.'

'Meanwhile, with his left hand, Silver isolated the space around him, be it heat or any excessive contaminants from the air, creating a near vacuum environment.'

'He did this because this Acid was so sensitive it would immediately explode when in contact with air, releasing deadly fumes into the atmosphere.'

/Sizzle…/

"Hum… Nothing? How boring, this Acid has a Pka of -41… This would dissolve a person in no time, but then again… Some monsters can do that faster and neater."

Wait… It is… A bit shinier... Great.

Just as planned, I'm one step closer to being a Dragon's manicure.

"I concede, these monsters are too nonsensical." Silver said in annoyance as he spat some dirty blood on the ground

This is about as much as I can do right now… It is a bit disheartening but I'm not too upset about it either.

Even if I had stronger corrosives, many monsters in the Dungeon have rapid regeneration capabilities, and in the end, using a little bit of acid won't really do much in favor.

It can stop them for a while, which is very useful...

But what I can and did before is use acid to blind their senses or corrode away their defenses, though that is more situational, just like using Poisons and Toxins.

By far, those are likely the stronger Plasmids I have available, or maybe the most dangerous.

If I can't blow a monster into pieces, then I can inject a liter of a toxin so abnormal it'll stop its breathing within a few seconds.

By comparison, I've already studied the Poison Vermis' poison… It's one of the strongest ones known to the world and it comes from a monster on the Lower Floors.

Its poison is so potent that the only healer capable of detoxifying it directly is the saintess from the Dian Cecht Familia.

Though I already know there are stronger ones below.

But even that is weaker than a puffer fish's toxin… Albeit it's extremely acidic on top of that…

And on the same string of thought, it's very hard to be poisoned by a puffer fish, they're usually docile and won't really do much to a person unless they really get upset...

While the Poison Vermis will squirt a torrent of acidic poison at you from a few dozen meters away the moment they see or sense anyone other than another monster, and they usually move around in packs, so they're like an artillery unit.

"The reason why I don't use poison on other monsters or people is because… Well… There's no merit to it."

I'll gain nothing if I rely on a nonsensical ability like this to win my victories, and while it may give me a lot of Exilia by helping me defeat opponents much, much stronger than me, the moment I meet with a monster that can resist it, I would likely die.

Still, Excilia by defeating monsters through ingenuity and cleverness is just as important as that which is gained from direct, head-on, life-or-death clashes. 

And the reason I don't train myself with such poison is because I don't think it would count as proper training.

It's not really the same to be poisoned by the Dungeon when compared to myself.

So overall, I just don't use toxins, if I do, then it's weaker ones or to test things out.

"But maybe I should employ them more often…"

Well, that's a question for another day… For now… 

'Silver looked around, exhaling a little.'

"I need to fix this mess."

…

.

.

.

Notes

And... It's over.

Today, Silver realized the Black Dragon is no joke and is in a completely different realm of existence than he could ever imagine.

Despite everything Silver can do and his strength, his Plasmids cannot fully compound into his strength and Status, so he is technically weaker in a head-on confrontation as let's say... Zald or even Otar.

And with his low level, its no surprise Silver was unable to do anything to the scale at all.

I really wanted to have this interaction going for quite some time and I hopped it was entertaining, Silver will surely come back for the scales one day but that will likely take years of development and several Level Ups before then.

Anyhow, these last two chapters were massive, so much so they almost make up for two weeks worth of chapters on their own, so that's about it from me.

See you all next Sunday!