Cultivation Through Artifacts

The fight went on for about five minutes before it finally came to an end with the victor being the group of beings while the loser being the Ice Dawdler.

However, although it seemed a fast and one-sided massacre from the sideline, the consequences after everything calmed down were not as light as one would have imagined them to be.

Several beings at Limit Breaker got injured, one even losing a limb from failing to dodge the Ice Dawdler's corrosive webs in time, while the chests of the Ascender Stage beings moved up and down in a seemingly rapid manner, showing how exhausted they really were even though they have just fought in a large group against a single enemy!

"Is this even considered normal? How was this beast able to possess so much strength? This makes no sense!" Vern, who had several wounds all over his green skin which showed his flesh spoke loudly, not accepting the fact that a single creature was able to stand its ground against them, a group that had several Limit Breakers and a few Ascenders for such a long time!

"Yeah, it makes no sense at all." one of the beings that had an appearance of an angel with white wings spread wide behind her back nodded and said, "I have fought many beasts and creatures in the past that had the strength of an Ascender, but this was completely different. It felt almost as if I was fighting not one, but several on the same stage at once!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, all of their complexions showing confusion, worry, and disbelief.

"Although I do not know why each beast in this dungeon is much stronger on the same stage than those outsides, I am pretty sure our questions will be answered at the final floor. Now rest for the time being and try to recover your strength as much as you can. Once everyone is ready we will keep going and ascend to the second floor." Astro said loudly and walked to where Khal and Darla were.

"Why didn't you join the battle?" once he was finally in front of Khal, Astro asked, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"I just thought it would make no sense for me to help until it was not entirely necessary." Khal shrugged casually as he looked around with his Heaven's Eyes.

"You... Haven't you become too arrogant since the last time we have met?" Astro's mouth twitched as he asked.

Khal turned to look at Astro and after pondering for a while he shook his head, "Arrogant? No. Confident in my own abilities? Definitely."

"Arrogance and confidence sometimes look the same but at the end of the day, they are two completely different things. However, when the latter turns into overconfidence, it is pretty much the same as arrogance with the sole difference that arrogance comes from one's pride while overconfidence does not."

"Yeah, I am well aware of that." Khal nodded before he summoned a golden pill into his hand and extended it toward Astro, "Take this. Your internal organs had been slightly injured. In the long run, they can easily take you into your grave."

Astro frowned when he heard Khal's words and quickly used a technique to check his body, only to find with a shock that Khal was indeed right. Without him noticing it, several of his organs had been damaged and if he won't heal them soon they can easily cause his death during another fight in the future!

"But... How?" Astro asked as he accepted the pill and swallowed it.

"I told you, I am confident in my abilities." Khal smiled coolly, leaving Astro speechless.

Time passed quickly and half an hour later the group was finally able to proceed on with their task again as almost everyone recovered back to their peak condition.

Or at least everyone except the one with the lost limb; it was apparent that he needed more than consuming recovery pills one after another to fully heal his lost arm.

The group walked through the frozen landscape with raised guards, but except for the first beast that Khal killed and the second one that was slain by the group, they have met not a third one.

Thus, they were able to ascend to the second floor with ease using the staircase inside the pillar.

And luckily, when they arrived on the second floor which was not a frozen land filled with hills of ice but a wasteland filled with wide and long fissures loaded with scorching magma, the group met with no beasts neither there nor on the stormy third floor!

"I can't believe we were able to reach the fourth floor without fighting with another creature since the first floor," Darla mumbled quietly, her eyes scanning her surroundings while she stood on top of a big rock.

Currently, they were in the middle of a large swamp where the color of the water was deep green and the trees on the sides that stood around 5 meters in height were deep black. There were even small water lilies all around the place, each having the color of either white or yellow.

"Don't lower your guard just because there were no creatures until now. The real game only starts from now on." Khal said calmly and with slightly narrowed eyes watched as about three to four hundred meters away the water began to bubble while a huge frame moved toward them with neither fast nor slow speed.

"It seems we finally have a company," Khal said calmly, pointing at the creature in the distance that began to approach them.

Astro who was on Khal's side followed his finger and when he noticed the creature he quickly ordered everyone to stand in position and get ready for battle. 

In a flash, every expert took their positions in a hundred-meter radius with raised weapons and vigilant eyes while Khal, as previously, just walked to the rear ready to watch the fight unfold with no intention to help.

However, just as Khal was about to relax and wait for the fun to start, his face suddenly changed and quickly spun around, only to see another creature in the distance approach their location!

What's more, this creature's aura was way stronger than the one on the front despite each standing just around the Middle Phase of the Ascender Stage!