Elliot wanted to test just how much burst damage his evolved form could dish out instantly. Basically, calculate his DPS (Damage Per Second) the total damage dealt divided by the time it took.
In other games, you'd usually test this on a slow monster with high HP and low defense. Elliot hadn't found a perfect test dummy yet, so this slow-moving Fire Lizard would have to do. After all, it had the highest HP of any monster he'd encountered so far.
Instantly, the damage from both skills landed.
-2881!
-2621!
Two absolutely massive damage numbers popped up. The Fire Lizard didn't even have time to react before it was instantly obliterated by the two devastating attacks.
A total DPS of 5502! Even if the Fire Lizard had three lives, it wouldn't have been enough. A monster with 3000 HP would have been vaporized on the spot too.
Sure, the Fire Lizard was technically a low-tier monster for this stratum, but its 1300 HP was still pretty tanky. A reincarnator at Elliot's level might have needed ten or twenty hits to take it down. But against Elliot? Dead in one second, with enough damage left over to kill it twice more.
And his [True Man's Slash] still had 29 seconds left on its duration.
Sigh, Elliot thought. These monsters... none of them can put up a real fight.
….
Arriving in the Middle Stratum seemed to energize Kumoko. The intense heat here somehow got her adrenaline pumping, making her feel excited, like she'd mainlined caffeine.
Elliot's initial plan was to head straight deeper into the Middle Stratum and take down the local boss, the Lord of the Lava Sea.
After their recent grinding, both he and Kumoko were well past Level 10. The EXP required for levels beyond 10 grew exponentially.
Killing Level 6 or 7 monsters, no matter how many, wouldn't provide enough EXP anymore. To level up efficiently, they needed to hunt much stronger monsters.
Kumoko's abilities had improved significantly. While still nowhere near Elliot's level, she wasn't completely helpless anymore.
[Poison Enhancement LV 5]
[Cutting Thread LV 6]
[Heresy Magic LV 2]
[Enhanced Vision LV 4]
[Burst LV 8]
...
She had a ridiculously long list of skills now. Elliot knew, however, that many of Kumoko's most broken abilities were granted by the administrator D and would likely be taken away later.
But by that point, those skills would be largely irrelevant to 'White' (Shiraori), as she'd essentially become a god-like being.
Anyone familiar with the original story knew that Kumoko would eventually be named Shiraori and inherit parts of Wakaba Hiiro's memories.
Wakaba Hiiro was one of the highest-ranking gods, using that name as a disguise on Earth. So, Wakaba and Kumoko's original human self were actually two different people.
ROOOAR! A beastly roar echoed nearby.
Elliot instantly tensed, pulling Kumoko aside into hiding.
[Earth Dragon Kaguna LV 26]
HP: 4198/4198
Average Attack: 2147
Abilities: Appraisal Failed!
Another Earth Dragon, the same race as Elliot, but much bulkier, radiating immense power, appeared seemingly out of nowhere behind them, near the entrance connecting the Upper and Middle Stratums. Its stats were actually slightly higher than Elliot's current stats!
"Earth Dragon Araba's brother?" Elliot murmured. Araba was Level 30; this one was Level 26. Maybe it was Araba's younger sibling.
"E-Earth Dragon... H-His stats... look even higher than yours," Kumoko stammered, terrified. Elliot's stats were already monstrous; seeing another Earth Dragon with even more ridiculous numbers was overwhelming. All four-digit stats! It was terrifying, clearly a dominant creature. Who could possibly win against that?
Earth Dragon Kaguna opened its mouth, and a beam of light erupted, aimed not at them, but at another large dragonoid creature nearby an Earth Drake.
Drakes were lesser dragon-kin, lower on the evolutionary ladder.
This particular Drake was also a high Level 25, but its stats were only about half of Kaguna's. Still, even half of Kaguna's stats made it stronger than most creatures in the labyrinth.
But Kaguna's attack was utterly overwhelming. Like swatting a fly, it instantly vaporized its lesser kin. The shockwave alone was powerful enough that Kumoko had to cling desperately to Elliot's leg to avoid being blown away.
After killing the Drake, Kaguna blinked slowly, as if confirming something. Elliot knew exactly what it was looking for: [Heresy Magic].
That's right, killing one's own kind granted the [Kin Eater] title and the accompanying [Heresy Magic] skill.
Earth Dragons, with their incredible physical resilience, feared soul attacks above all else.
The best way to counter such unorthodox magic was to possess it themselves.
However, Kaguna seemed disappointed. Killing the Drake didn't grant the expected skill. Drakes were lesser beings, not true, noble Earth Dragons like itself and Elliot. They weren't considered the same "kin," so the title wasn't awarded.
Then, Kaguna's gaze fell upon Elliot. It could instantly recognize that Elliot was, like itself, a pure-blooded, high-quality Earth Dragon. Killing him would definitely grant the coveted Heresy Magic.
Elliot met its gaze steadily. He wanted that Heresy Magic too. While his stats were slightly lower than Kaguna's right now, a fight between them wouldn't have a guaranteed outcome.
The tense standoff between the two powerful Earth Dragons created an oppressive atmosphere, making weaker creatures like Kumoko feel suffocated and uncomfortable.
The air felt thick, heavy... painful. Earth Dragons were truly the most broken monsters in the labyrinth. There was no way Kumoko, in her current state, could possibly fight one.
From the attack she just witnessed, Kaguna hadn't even used much mana. That incredibly destructive beam was probably just a minor skill for it, nothing special!
That was the difference between an Earth Dragon and a spider. Kumoko always had to carefully manage her mana in fights, while Earth Dragons could apparently spam powerful skills casually! Kumoko hugged Elliot's leg tighter, sighing internally.
As a superior dragon race, Earth Dragons weren't numerous, but every single one was unbelievably strong.
Good thing her teammate was an Earth Dragon. If she encountered Kaguna alone, her only option would be to run for her life.
The standoff lasted only a short while. Then, the Earth Dragon named Kaguna, apparently deciding not to venture into the Middle Stratum right now, turned its head high and slowly walked away.
Kumoko let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Thankfully, Kaguna hadn't decided to attack. A fight between two Earth Dragons would have likely caused catastrophic destruction.
"Phew, that was close."
"So scary..." Kumoko took a deep breath. Right now, against any Earth Dragon, all she could do was flee. That species was just too terrifying.
Sensing Kumoko's fear, Elliot turned his head towards her. "Nothing to be scared of," he said calmly. "Once you level up enough, creatures like that will be easy kills."
"Are you kidding me?" Kumoko tilted her head incredulously.
That was an Earth Dragon! A monster with over 4000 HP at only Level 20-something! That light beam attack could have easily killed a hundred spiders like her! How could she ever beat an Earth Dragon?
Elliot just gave a noncommittal shrug. Once Kumoko broke through the Middle Stratum, her abilities would mature significantly.
With skills like Space Magic, Patience, Abyss Magic, Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, etc., even the Level 30 Araba wouldn't be her match. What was this Level 26 Kaguna in comparison?
"Acquired Skill: [Heat Resistance]." Just then, a system notification popped up in Kumoko's mind.
Finally! Fire resistance arrived! With Level 1 Heat Resistance, she could negate some of the environmental damage.
Now, her natural health regeneration should be enough to offset the burning effect, stopping her HP from constantly decreasing.
"Let's move out," Kumoko declared, clenching her fist (or leg?). The Earth Dragon was so strong; she couldn't afford to hold him back!
….
you can join my discord server: https://discord.gg/5Y7uZ2kN2Y
Or in short just click in join via invite link in your discord and enter this code: 5Y7uZ2kN2Y