Nameless King

[Do you want to use the necessary materials and develop the Lightning Lizard's Dash to Lightning Boots?]

'Yes.' Said Wain to himself, and the next moment a pink soul and a rune flew out of his body. They merged and turned into a new, more complex, and powerful rune, penetrating Wain's glabella.

Wain immediately felt a significant surge of strength. The strong skill made his Soul Altar stronger and more resilient. It didn't increase his strength, but it had a favorable effect on his well-being.

"It felt fantastic. After a while, I took another step forward. It was also my first skill that I had improved twice already. I need to experience its power." Mumbled Wain and decided to use Lightning Boots.

With Lightning Lizard's Dash, Wain was able to cross the mark of more than ten meters in an instant. But, it was a dash, not free movement. 

If he wanted to get to the other side, he had to use the skill again. It was inconvenient and required some energy. Now, however, that problem was not to be.

'I haven't recovered yet, but it's my body that's injured, not my energy reserves. I can use the skills if I'm careful and don't overdo it.' Thought Wain, and the next moment Soul Essence headed for his feet.

Then sparks appeared around his feet, which slowly thickened and increased in number. They gradually turned into tall boots, almost reaching his knees.

"Not bad, but in my current state, I shouldn't use this skill for long. The description said that this skill puts a lot of strain on my body and especially my legs, and I can already feel it." Mumbled Wain and, in the next moment, took a step forward.

A moment later, he passed the five meter mark, and Wain didn't need to activate the skill again to do the same. He took another step and ended near the tree, then another and another.

Unlike Lightning Lizard's Dash, Wain could move in any direction at any angle. He could now run in a circle, a short zigzag, or an undulating line with no problem.

It was no different from normal walking, only Wain was several times faster. But, after three minutes of testing, Wain felt his legs begin to ache.

'I see. Given that I'm wounded now, I'll be able to use this skill for about five minutes in my normal state. That should be enough for most battles.' Thought Wain and ducked as if preparing to jump.

Then he bounced off the ground and jumped more than five meters, climbing to the branch of the nearest tree.

Wain canceled the skill and muttered, "Damn, I'd bleed a little more. However, if I use Code of Light and Darkness during combat, my stats will get a little higher, and I can use Lightning Boots a little longer."

Wain was pleased with the skill he received. He knew he was acting recklessly now as the logical thing would have been to wait until he was healed and then use the skill. 

But, Wain was often impatient, and he couldn't and wouldn't fix that.

For the next few hours, Wain sat in a tree and recovered. When the sun went into the sunset, and the moon replaced it, Wain decided he was ready for action.

Wain jumped down from the tree and headed toward the pond, instead of which there was now a massive crater.

Wain looked up at the sky and muttered, "The moon here is quite beautiful. I have rarely seen a moon this bright. It looks like a small, blue star."

He took a step forward and then stopped. Wain frowned and said, "Wait, there's a moon and a sun?"

It was usual for Wain that the planet was lit by the sun or the moon all the time, so he didn't think it was strange at first that Dungeon had a sun and a moon like in the normal world.

"Is it supposed to be like this? Or is this place unique? Perhaps it depends on the area and size of the Dungeon? Moreover, this sun and moon may not be real." Mumbled Wain and headed onward. 

As Wain approached the crater, he saw a downward slope. It was deep, and Wain couldn't even see the end.

'Hmm, this island is above where the rooms of the underwater temple dropped off. It looks like the continuation is at the bottom, and it's a direct way down there. Was this stingray some sort of guardian of the passage?' Thought Wain.

The vertical tunnel down was not empty. It was filled with water so the Merfolks could get here if necessary. That meant Wain would have to hold his breath for a while again.

'All right, let's go.' Thought Wain and jumped down.

...

More than five hours have passed since Wain entered this Dungeon. During that time, some people had also found a well by the sea. 

They were not members of Gisle's group. Because his people were building a base in the forest and clearing the area of monsters.

Those people who found the well with murky water came to the beach for reconnaissance and subsequent hunting. Their base was not far from this place.

"This is Dungeon?" A muscular, middle-aged man said, puzzled. He had come to the beach to hunt monsters, which meant he was pretty strong since he had the guts to do it. 

The same was true of his allies. Their group numbered five men, each of whom was pretty strong.

"Do you want to go there? It's nighttime, and I don't think going to Dungeon is the best decision." Said a tall girl with long blond hair.

"Don't be silly. The Dungeon is a real treasure box. It's dangerous there, but it's the best place to get large amounts of Soul Essence and rare rewards!" Said the man and dove into the water.

"Damn, you never listen to me!" The girl said disapprovingly.

"No, he's right." The skinny guy joined the conversation. "We were lucky enough to find Dungeon, so we shouldn't miss this opportunity. We have to act fast, so someone else doesn't find this place."

The girl frowned but eventually nodded. She understood that there was logic in what they were saying, but she preferred to act less risky. A minute later, they plunged into the well and were in the Dungeon.

...

By then, Wain had been floating for about three minutes. He wasn't worried about running out of oxygen since he had already seen the end.

Wain found himself in a spacious hall and saw passageways in front of and behind him.

'Looks like if that octopus hadn't shown up, I would have come in from that side. However, considering I got a soul with the lightning attribute, I'm even lucky.' Thought Wain and headed forward.

He didn't go back and explore rooms he hadn't already been in. In his opinion, if the Merfolks decided to summon the octopus, they were trying to protect something valuable or important.

Wain entered a long, wide hallway at the end of which was a massive, iron door. It looked like an enormous gate.

Several Merfolks were standing next to the gate, but they differed from the ones Wain had fought before. The guards were twice as tall, dressed in bulky armor, and armed with long tridents.

There were only two guards, but they could defend the gate against any threat. Of course, Wain did not back down. On the contrary, he was glad to have met such powerful opponents.

'Hmm, I don't see the usual Merfolks anywhere, were the ones that fought me last? No, that's unlikely. They're probably busy doing something.' Thought Wain.

As Wain took a few more steps, the guards turned their attention to him. Wain immediately prepared to fight, and a plasma sword appeared in his hands.

One of the guards clutched the trident tightly in his hand and threw it at Wain a second later. The force of this throw was enormous, and the trident reached Wain with lightning speed.

Wain's eyes flashed, and he ducked at the last moment. The trident flew over his head and thundered into the wall behind Wain.

"Holy shit, that's speed. If I hadn't been ready to attack, my head would have been nailed to the wall by now." Proclaimed Wain, and there were electric shocks on his legs the next moment.

Wain took a few steps forward and instantly found himself in front of the unarmed guard. Merfolk didn't expect Wain to get close to him so quickly, which put him in a vulnerable position.

Wain swung his sword sharply, but the guardian reacted in time to defend himself with his hands. The monster's armor was strong enough to allow it to withstand Wain's furious attacks.

The second guard decided to take advantage of this situation and attack Wain. Since at that moment, he was wholly focused on his opponent.

The guard swung his trident and tried to pierce Wain's body, but suddenly Wain stopped attacking, threw his sword aside, and grabbed the blade of the trident with his hand.

The guard didn't expect Wain to be able to react, but then the guard's eyes widened in surprise as Wain smirked. At that moment, the guard realized that this was part of Wain's plan.

Then Wain pointed his hand at the guard's head, and there was a loud click. The guard's head exploded like a watermelon, but Wain wasn't going to back down. He could keep attacking.

He gripped the trident tightly and plunged it into the second guard's chest. The trident was sharp enough to pierce the monster's armor and pierce its heart.

Wain clapped his palms together, shaking off the dust, and smiled as he watched the two blue souls fly in his direction.