Part Seven

6th Grade Grudge Magic Spell [Malignancy] – An intermediate Grudge Magic spell that releases a cloud of Grudge over a wide area. Any beings that absorb the Grudge without possessing sufficient resistance to it will begin to deteriorate. Significant exposure could result in organ damage or the development of tumors.

7th Grade Grudge Magic Spell [Possession] – A Grudge Magic spell designed to use the hatred contained in Grudge to possess the bodies of others, regardless of whether or not they’re still alive. Living targets affected by this spell are forcibly trapped within their own bodies.

Note: because targets’ minds are not actively suppressed or controlled by this spell, they will still be aware of everything that occurs during the duration.

You know, I feel like these spells only get worse and worse as I go deeper into the Grimoire. [Rot] and [Mental Decay] are bad enough, but these two are downright nasty. Are you seriously telling me that [Malignancy] can cause cancer? I know I was only joking when I said this stuff was like a biological weapon, but I’m beginning to think it’s more true than I know. What on earth are the next spells like? And why do I really want to know?

Since I’d finally trained Grudge Magic up to C-Rank, I thought it was about time to begin learning new spells, especially since I currently had to sit and wait for a little bit. Actually, I’d been doing this a lot lately, not just right now.

Hm, they should be just about done. A few more minutes and then they’ll-. Oh, it finally died. Good.

I’d heard the large monster behind me finally go still before breaking down into particles of light, signifying that it had finally died. Once the light faded, I hopped off the ledge of the building I’d been sitting on, before walking over to retrieve the small crystal left behind.

I hadn’t noticed when I killed the four-armed monster, but it too left behind one of these crystals. Each one was a part of a larger device, and were apparently how I was to find my way to where the Mid-bosses awaited. Honestly, I found the whole thing kind of contrived, but I had little choice in the matter.

By this point, I’d realized that I was going to be in here for weeks, if not months. That had worried me at first, but then I’d remembered that I’d been in the Labyrinth for a month but only nine days had passed. Obviously these Nightmare Dungeons employed some type of time dilution. Once I’d come to that conclusion, all my worries about how long it would take had melted away. While it would still be bad for me to take too long, there was little I could do about it. I was trapped in here until I cleared the Dungeon.

I was planning to take my time while still making steady progress, and building up my strength in the meantime. If all went well, I’d come out not only with my new Class abilities, but greater mastery of my Skills as well.

Okay, now on to the next thing-. Oh, now they’re back.

Three spheres of black mist shot towards me, each racing to outdo the others. They’d already seen me, and were now trying to be the first to tell me what they’d found. Honestly, I’d like for them to be more calm about the whole thing, but what was I gonna do? They were newborns.

*…* *…* *…*

“Geh! Would ya knock it off! I don’t need all three of you talking over one another.”

>………

“Haaaah, that’s not much better. Just tell me what you found one-by-one, or I’ll let Ash eat you.”

!...! !...! !...!

If it wasn’t clear by now, the three spheres were more familiars, Dread Apparitions I’d created to help me scout out the Dungeon. Unfortunately, they were far, far, far, more annoying than my original Spirit, who I’d nicknamed Ash because of the new powers it got from its recent evolution. It could now suck the life from dying creatures, causing them to fall apart into, you guessed it, ash and dust. I’d actually been creeped out by it at first, but since it could now eliminate weak Undead by simply siphoning away the Miasma that kept them alive, it had become extremely useful.

*…*

Hearing its name, Ash stirred from where it had been sleeping in my shadow, peeking out at the juvenile Spirits and causing them to tremble in fear. Given the fact that even I’d have a hard time fighting it now, I understood the reactions of the much weaker Spirits. I glared at Ash, causing it to flee back into my shadow.

Dread Hunter

Rank: C

Status: Bound – Familiar

Description: A Dread Spirit specialized in the hunting of Dark-Aligned beings that thrive on Grudge or Miasma, particularly the Undead. Dread Hunters are rare, but are too reliant on their Miasma siphoning ability to be truly threatening. A well-placed spell has the potential to easily break their Core, and Holy Magic will outright obliterate them. Still, they have their uses, and are sometimes seen as the familiars of Dark Mages, particularly Necromancers that keep one around to dispose of unruly Undead.

Because Ash now had a Core, it could no longer disperse itself like before, though it had gained the ability to move through shadows in exchange. Because of that, it could launch near-imperceptible surprise attacks on the Undead, making my exploration much easier.

Still, I couldn’t get cocky. While most of the Undead in the streets were weak, there were powerful B-Ranks mixed in, disguised as low-ranking Zombies and Skeletons. I’d nearly run into one such enemy and died for it, so I was especially weary of using the main streets now. Much better to go through the sewers and avoid the whole mess entirely.

“Okay, I needed thirty crystals to make the compass thingy, so if all three of you found one, then we’ll be good to go once we deal with them.”

I wasn’t sure exactly, but the stronger monsters on top of buildings were likely field bosses of some kind, as each one I killed dropped a crystal. Each one killed got me one step closer to getting out of here, but there was a problem. Very few buildings could be entered, and not all of the ones that could had a monster waiting at the top.

That was the main reason I’d created the new Spirits. They’d go out and find monsters for me, then guide me towards them through the sewers. It was slow going, but considering that I’d already found most of what I needed, it was be a lot easier than I’d first imagined.

Heheheh, those bastards won’t know what hit them.

***

“BROOOOOAAAAAGGGGHHHH!”

Okay, I may have bitten off a slight more than I could chew with this one. But wow, it sure is angry with me. Wonder what I did to piss it off so badly?

Most of the Fiend-Type field bosses I’d encountered had been humanoids of some kind, albeit highly twisted, but this thing seemed to be a combination of various bony limbs attached to a giant ribcage, like some child had put together a Skeleton all wrong. Inside the ribcage was the head of a skeletal beast which occasionally roared or shot fireballs at me.

The head was likely the core of the monster, because it just repaired any bones I broke. Even my magic wasn’t very effective. Honestly, this felt an awful lot like fighting some kind of skeletal octopus. Each limb thrashed around like it had a mind of its own, which made it extremely difficult to dodge them all. I was already covered in small scrapes and cuts.

The only saving grace was the fact that each limb was individually weak, and barely had any force behind their blows. If not for that, I likely would’ve been shredded long ago.

Tch, of all the time for [Rot] to not stop a monster's regeneration. Its using magic of its own to repair them, but I haven’t a clue what kind or how to stop it. And I doubt this thing’ll just conveniently run out of mana for me. The only thing I can think of is to firebomb the hell out of it and hope that breaks it apart enough that I can capitalize on the opening.

*…*

No Ash, I will not let you help me. The last time I did that, you nearly got me with the spell you used! I may be somewhat resistant to Miasma, but Grudge Magic seems to be a different case. Hell, the Grimoire even says to be careful with those spells since basic Miasma resistance isn’t enough to protect me.

*…*

Oh? Hm, that could work, but what about if they get hit by a fireball? The poor things could get blown away in a single shot.

*…*

Well yeah they’re disposable, but it’s not like I just want to throw them out at the first chance I get. The Undead may drop Gems of Hatred fairly often, but it’s not like they grow on trees in here.

*…*

Uh-huh. Okay, now that could work. There’s still the chance of the aforementioned friendly fire, but it’s safer than any other plan we’ve come up with. Just rein it in this time. I don’t need a repeat of yesterday.

Giving commands to all four of my familiars, I hurled several Combustion Bombs at the monster at the same time, before diving backwards. The explosions tore over half of its limbs apart, and dazed it long enough for the juvenile Spirits to get in position.

Dread Apparitions aren’t really capable of fighting. Since they’d yet to develop a Core, they were mostly incapable of casting spells above the zeroth grade. All they could really do was spew little clouds of Miasma at enemies, so I usually had them stay back during battle.

However now, the skeletal monster was in disarray, and even those little Miasma clouds could cause fatal damage if they hit the wrong place. The monster couldn’t afford to ignore them, especially once I started casting [Rot] at it. It used its remaining limbs to block the projectiles, and blew the juvenile Spirits away with a gust of wind from its mouth. Fortunately, none of that was meant to kill it, just distract it.

*…*

Ash's normal transmissions felt calm, or maybe aloof would be a better word, but this one felt almost gleeful, viciously so. Mana swirled around the Spirit, and more was gathering every second.

Seeing that, I ordered the juvenile Spirits to retreat, causing them to disperse just seconds before a massive spear made of Miasma slammed into the monster's ribcage, causing both it and the head inside to turn to dust. The few remaining skeletal limbs fell to the ground before dissolving into light.

*…*

Once again, Ash's transmission felt different from before, though this time it felt more boastful than anything else. Its magic was a level above mine, though that was only natural. A Spirit’s Core functioned not only as an internal mana battery, but it also produced mana at a much faster rate than a mortal’s body would. Though this was all information that Ash had given me, so it could be biased.

Still, even though the spell had finished off the monster, which was all well and good, it had also caused me additional issues.

“…”

*…*

If Spirits could nonchalantly whistle, Ash would be in the world championships right now. The blasted Spirit was ignoring my pointed glare, and continued to examine its handy work, extremely pleased with the outcome of the spell.

“So, Ash? Are you gonna go get the crystal, or do I have to shatter your Core?”

*…*

“Uh-uh, you’re not getting out of it this time. How the hell am I supposed to get it, when half the fucking building's covered in Miasma? Hmm?”

*…*

“And how are they supposed to move it? Each crystal's about as big as my fist. They can’t really interfere with physical objects, but you can. Now get in there, or I’m confining you to my shadow for the rest of the Dungeon.”

*…*

Ash had grown awful willful recently, likely because of repeated evolutions. Thankfully, whatever bound the two of us made it so that my familiars couldn’t ignore my commands, though there was more leeway there than I’d like. Take earlier or instance. I’d told Ash to rein in its spell, and it did, but only a little. Only half the building ended up covered in Miasma rather than all of it. It was like trying to make a deal with the devil. You had to watch your wording or risk getting stabbed in the back.

Haaaah, I may have to restrict how much Miasma and Grudge I give the juvenile Spirits going forward. If they evolve too fast, all four could up rebelling against me. Maybe this is just what I get for creating Spirits literally made of residual hatred. It kinda seems like a bad idea in retrospect