The elevator raced downwards at ludicrous speed. The elevators had always been fast, but this one seemed to be the fastest yet. As I descended, what I quickly identified as a spell matrix was slowly being charged, the inscribed runes lighting up in sequence. With nothing better to do, I attempted to figure out what it was for. I had gotten a lot better at reading matrices, at least up to about B-tier. A-tier spells and above had vastly more complicated matrices, and reading them was exponentially more difficult. As for the spell inscribed in the elevator, I could tell that it was at least S-tier, the craftsmanship meticulous and clearly not made by any resident of this world. I just about managed to figure out that it was some manner of shield spell when the matrix was finally fully charged, and a transparent blue dome snapped into place over the elevator.
I had barely time to register what happened when, a second later, the walls vanished and I found myself descending further into a dark void. Curiously, I hopped to the edge of the platform and took my first look at the eighth layer, only to see… nothing. The darkness was pervasive, and even my void feelers told me that there was nothing of note within my range. A quick run around the platform revealed more of the same in all directions. I thought that there was some light further below, but I wasn’t entirely certain if I was hallucinating or if it was real.
For about another minute, the platform continued descending with no change until it came to a sudden halt. I wondered what was going on since the shield was still up, and I couldn’t leave the dome even if I wanted to. I had tried several things, but eventually concluded that I was trapped on the platform until the spell was canceled. I didn’t have to wonder for long, as the elevator started moving once more, this time sideways. My curiosity reached new heights, as after a few more minutes of fast-paced travel, I saw several more platforms appear in the distance.
Spotting them was easy, since they all had a blue glowing shield covering them. While it wasn’t bright, the light they emitted was like a beacon within the darkness. A quick count revealed that there were five other platforms aside from mine, and I was rapidly approaching them. They seemed to be in some sort of formation, and I eventually slowed down, joining the others in hovering on the spot. On two sides of my dome, the number six appeared, matching the ascending numbers on the other domes around me.
To my surprise, every platform was host to another monster. Most of them were lounging around, although eyeing me warily, with the exception of the one closest to me, a massive, mangy, rabid rat. I was clawing and biting at the dome in an attempt to get to me, spraying a suspicious green liquid everywhere as it did so. Wherever the liquid landed, steam rose from the floor, indicating that it was an acid of some kind. While copious amounts of the stuff got sprayed around, neither the dome nor the platform showed any signs of being damaged, proving the futility of the rat's actions.
Curious about what I was looking at, I used the archive to get some more information.
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Giant Plague Rat (T8)
A rat that spreads destruction and disease wherever it goes. Its body is riddled with diseases of all kinds, generating a volatile cocktail that constantly eats at its body. Having developed immunity to all diseases, coupled with a decent healing factor, the rat does not care. They usually display a mindless proclivity towards violence, attacking any living being on sight, no matter its chances for survival. Due to their nature, it is rare to encounter a high-tiered specimen, since they get taken out early in their life due to picking a fight they can’t win.
It is recommended to stay far away from these monsters.
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What a disgusting monster.
Not wanting to look at this ugly bastard any longer, I let my eyes wander over the other monsters that had been gathered here. Two of them stood out, since the dome had been expanded considerably to accommodate their bulk. One of them was an old friend of mine, although clearly higher-tiered.
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Bladed Executioner Snake (T8)
These snakes have an odd fascination with bladed appendages. Getting their first two blades at the second tier, they keep adding more and more with every evolution, eventually resembling a centipede more than a snake. Occasionally, instead of simply adding more appendages, they start evolving in a more exotic way, such as the bladed executioner snake. Their blade appendages lose most of their rigidity, allowing them to wrap the blades around their own bodies as protective armor, as well as flinging the blades at their prey, similar to a whip.
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The giant white snake proudly displayed their odd armor ability, metallic appendages tightly wrapped around its own body, forming a crude metal armor. I could barely spot a larger blade attached to the tail end of the monster as well, which would surely provide some crazy range and power to the mentioned whip moves. The snake noticed my staring and flared out several blades around its neck in a threatening display, reminiscent of a cobra flaring its hood.
Contrary to the still rabid rat next to me, the snake was smart enough to figure out that there was no point in attacking the dome. The threat display looked somewhat comical from my perspective, but that was mostly due to my not viewing these monsters as much of a threat. A normal person would probably shit themselves at the display, but I had just recently tusseled with a tier twelve, so why would I be afraid of some snake obsessed with swords?
Moving on, there was another vaguely familiar monster, occupying the second-largest dome.
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Obsidian Minotaur (T8)
A natural minotaur evolution that went down a volcanic progression. After going through several evolutions incorporating lava abilities and spells, they internalize the searing heat. They use the lava coursing through their bodies to create a layer of obsidian armor that serves as both an offensive and defensive measure. Every time the armor is attacked, sharp pieces break off that the minotaur can control and use as projectiles, quickly replacing the broken parts with freshly grown obsidian.
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I’d almost dismissed the minotaur out of hand as soon as I read that it was using lava-based skills, since I was completely immune to those. It was redeemed by its ability to use obsidian projectiles, which I was definitely not immune to. Still, I wasn’t too worried about it. Again, the gathered monsters were tier eight. I could definitely take them.
Next, my attention was grabbed by a dome that was, at first glance, empty. A closer look, aided by my void feelers, revealed a single droplet of water suspended just above the elevator platform.
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Water Elemental (T8)
A water elemental that has reached the eighth tier. There is little to say about these monsters that hasn’t been said before. At the eighth tier, they can store about ten thousand liters of water inside a spatial pocket within their body, which they can deceptively shrink down to a single droplet. They can also temporarily take over nearby masses of water, which is also their preferred hunting ground. If one is encountered near a large body of water, it is recommended to run away as quickly as possible, alerting local experts to remove it safely.
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That sounded pretty nasty. Water could be destructive, and having such large amounts in control of a monster trying to kill me sounded like a nightmare. I wasn’t entirely certain how to properly defeat a water elemental, but I took a wild guess that it was something along the lines of destroying their core. Which inevitably reminded me of my run-in with the tier twelve once again. What a fight that was. I still got tingly thinking about it. Unfortunately, I suspected that the water elemental wouldn’t put up much of a fight in comparison.
As for the last dome currently present, it contained what looked like a mix between a dog and a human. It had the face of a vicious dog, brown fur covering a long muzzle, yet it looked like it was at peace with itself. Somehow, it was sitting cross-legged, even though its legs looked like they shouldn’t be able to do that. It was wearing a crudely crafted armor made of bones, which I could only assume were collected from defeated foes, as well as a necklace displaying teeth of several shapes and sizes.
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Kobold Spiritualist (T8)
A monster belonging to the Kobold Mage evolution line. Eventually specializing in a more shamanic direction, they call upon spirits and the ghosts of defeated enemies. Individually, like most casters, they are quite weak. But their ability to summon scores of ghostly apparitions to fight in their stead makes them a formidable threat to anyone unable to deal with incorporeal entities. Due to their magical roots, they usually possess spells to cast in conjunction or even buff their minions. It is recommended to take the kobold out from range, not allowing them to capitalize on their summons.
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The kobolds, similar to goblins and other similar monsters, were in that odd category of seeming intelligent, almost civilized. Yet, the system did not recognize them as one of the intelligent races. This had always struck me as odd, especially when I could observe one of them calmly meditating right in front of me. There also seemed to be degrees to this weird categorization, since voidlings and asphons weren’t counted among the races, yet had perfectly functioning societies and intelligence comparable to or exceeding what the system deemed as acceptable.
I had brought it up with the asphons at some point, and all they could tell me was that they didn’t know why it was so. Which made sense, since they hadn’t yet managed to escape their shackles.
I let my gaze wander over the present monsters once again, guesstimating how much of a threat each of them was to me, concluding that I’d be just fine. The system had yet to pop up to inform me of this layer's quest and evolution conditions, so I had no clue what was going on. My best guess was that I hadn’t arrived at the eighth layer yet, floating at some sort of holding point above it.
Thinking back on what little I knew about the eighth layer, the main quest, and the nature of this planet, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on. But, to be honest, the thing that ultimately tipped me off was Orbos’ off-hand comment before I left. He was going to bet on me. To do so, there needed to be some kind of event happening, where betting was allowed. Seeing as this planet was a testing ground of different monsters for the system, combined with the fact that monsters were being gathered in numbered domes…
There would be some sort of fight, and the asphons would be watching, like it was a high-profile sporting event.
I had to wonder if the eighth layer was less of a layer and more of a single event. A one-and-done kind of deal. If so, my victory was all but guaranteed. After all, among tier-eight monsters, I was a magnificent specimen, if I do say so myself. It may sound vain, but there was no denying the fact that I was powerful, and my opponents were run-of-the-mill monsters.
Happy with my deduction and the fact that I felt confident in my ability to finally leave this planet, I settled in to wait for an uncertain amount of time. There was no telling how long I’d have to sit here and wait, so I might as well do some training. Specifically, my meditation skill. The skill was only usable out of combat and increased my mana regeneration, which was nice, but I had neglected the skill a bit, since my MP were already regenerating decently fast. Add to that the fact that I rarely ran out of mana anyway, and a good night’s sleep topped me up; there was little reason to train the skill. Still, I was planning to get stupid amounts of mana, which would probably make the skill more useful in the future.
Just about to settle in, the faint blue glow of an approaching dome caught my interest. I’d experienced three of the events while staying in Lophan, which, considering I spent a few months there, should mean that collecting the required amount of monsters to get a round started should take quite a while. I hadn’t expected another monster to show up so soon, but I was still thankful that I would have to spend less time in this tiny dome. I observed as the dome came closer, eventually stopping near me, the number seven appearing on the dome. To my surprise, the dome contained not one, but six monsters.
It was a pack of wolves which, oddly enough, came in a variety of colors. The big one, obviously the alpha, was sporting majestic black fur, while the smaller ones were red, blue, green, yellow, and pink. They actually looked a little funny, reminding me of the Power Rangers. An old show that I liked to watch before things went to shit due to my gambling addiction. The wolves were all sat on their haunches, calmly looking at the monsters around them, pointedly ignoring the disgusting rat trying to get at them. They had an air of curiosity around them, seemingly analyzing the opposition, similar to how I had just a few moments ago. Except for the alpha.
The black wolf, towering over its pack mates, had its eyes locked on me and refused to look away.