Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Puffles refused to further comment on his behavior. Still a little confused, Seth tried to loot the body of the demonic millipede. He got a few rare-rated scraps of its carapace that were fit for making armor.

Since he took no hunter with him, he could only use the loot function of the system. The following floors after the anticlimactic boss battle had no increase in level. The difficulty rose because the beasts on these floors used abnormal status attacks like poison, sleep, or paralysis.

Unfortunately for them, the only person susceptible to those effects was Seth, and he stayed out of reach, practicing his <Earth Magic> from the back of the party. Only a few status effects worked on the golems.

One was when a vicious toad covered them in viscous slime. It managed to slow their movements. Another was a kind of roly-poly-like insect monster that managed to stun them by crashing into them. These physical attacks were able to influence the golems to some extent.

It was not a problem though, since the bard was able to cover them from the back. While Seth was using earth and fire spells, Oz was playing music that weakened the enemy. It had not been necessary for both of them to intervene in the earlier sections, but slowly the full power of the team was drawn out by the dungeon.

With every monster being above lv. 70, Seth's experience gauge quickly filled up and he leveled again after finishing floor 35. The golems didn't stagnate either,. With their stats constantly rising, they were about equal to Seth's level, which was now 65.

The blacksmith was quite happy with the progress, but he knew that it would not stay this easy the higher his level got. For one, obviously, he needed more experience the higher his level became. Another reason was that high-level dungeons were not that common.

There was a reason why many adventurers stagnated around level 70-80. There were not many dungeons with a higher level cap. To level up while killing monsters of the same or only slightly higher level, one needed to kill hundreds of them.

Taking this into consideration, it was no wonder that it was hard to book a dungeon in a big city like Delta. But out here, Seth could monopolize the dungeon and, with his golems, the experience.

In this manner, they proceeded to floor 40. Entering through the mighty wooden gate they faced not a big open boss room, but a cave full of narrow spaces, filled with stalagmites, stalactites, and naturally formed columns.

"Ohohoho, I see a bunch of strong and brave warriors have come to offer themselves as a blood sacrifice!" they heard a cackling voice.

It was the first sentient enemy Seth ran into on this dungeon run.

"Kukuku, a tasty little mage, and four delicious... --SNIFF-- Those are not living creatures. And not even undead," the voice concluded in disappointment.

With a dramatic entrance, a giant manbat win wide robes appeared within a column of light, that was somehow falling from the ceiling. It was the first source of light Seth came across in this dungeon, and it was used as a spotlight...

"Little Mage with his puppets, I, Vampire Lord Nigo, greet you, and thank you for your sacrifice."

Vampire Lord? This giant, ugly bat was supposed to be a vampire? The blacksmith still remembered Valen. Although he had turned into a similarly giant and ugly bat, his human form conformed a lot more to Seth's picture of a Vampire Lord.

"Actually, I'm not a mage." he rebutted the boss.

Using <Observation> on the vampire, he found it was an lv. 75 boss.

"Oh, but didn't you use fire and earth on your way here? What are you, if not a mage?" the bat asked with a sardonic grin as if it got a special kind of kick out of seeing adventurers despair when they learned that the Vampire had watched them the whole time. But it was disappointed again when Seth answered without really caring.

"I am actually a blacksmith and a bard. Didn't you see my Lyre?" Seth informed the beast.

"A bard?.. and a blacksmith?!" the bat exclaimed and started laughing. It even bent over and hit its thigh, laughing.

"Why did you even correct me? Calling yourself double trash so proudly, Pff!" it uttered in between laughing and gasping for air.

Seth's eyes turned cold. Although the boss seemed talkative, the blacksmith just lost any interest in a conversation. He simply couldn't understand where this disregard for his classes came from. It wasn't his first time, but the bat obviously saw what he did in the dungeon and still immediately underestimated him the moment he knew his class.

He could only shake his head.

"Get him," he ordered the golem knights with a cold tone.

The golems charged at the vampire who hurriedly tried to recover from his laughing fit, as he was attacked.

Seth on the other hand brought out his bow, the Mind Reaper. Using simple iron arrows, he started peppering the vampire who was frantically evading the golems' and his attacks. Even when the iron arrows hit, they did little actual damage.

But this was what the blacksmith wanted. He did not want to grant it a quick death. He wanted to inflict pain, and the Mind Reaper's effect to cause terrifying pain, decay, infection, and poison were perfect to humble this beast.

Every arrow that stuck, was accompanied by a howl of pain from the vampire. But even after ten hits, neither the mind decay nor the soul decay effect had proc'd. It didn't really matter, by the time Seth lowered his bow, the vampire was covered in deep cuts, bruised, and rotting wounds.

The golems' swords and maces had really done a number on the Vampire Lord, who more resembled a rag than his imposing stature from before.

"Hold him down," Seth ordered and each of the golem knights grabbed one of the vampire's limbs.

Vampires had a quick regeneration. Even with all the rot going on, the bones broken by the golems would quickly reset and heal. If not held down, he might have managed to run away.

"You are still conscious, right?" he asked the captured boss.

"Urgh, kill me already. What do you want from me?" the bat answered with difficulty.

"Good, you seem to be conscious and sane. I think you are perfect to serve as an audience for my new music. I will inject some respect for bards and blacksmiths into you."

Seth's smile made the vampire boss shiver.

~Is that really necessary, mom?~ Tatzsel asked shyly.

~I do agree that the bat needs to be punished, but even the great me thinks this is going a little too far.~ Puffles agreed with Tatzel.

"You two just shut your ears. It's still incomplete, but I want to see the effect on a live subject."

"You...what are you trying to do with me?"

"Don't worry, all you have to do is to listen," Seth answered calmly, but his smile made had the opposite effect on the vampire.

~I don't know what you guys mean, it's not that bad.~ Oz supported Seth.

The bard grasped the demonic lyre and started playing the prototype of a song he was currently working on.

…

<Ding! You have leveled up! You are now lv.66!>

<Ding! Title: "Composer of Death" gained. "You have taken a life with an original song" Damage done by sonic attacks is increased by 10%>

Seth was a little perturbed that the title's effect called his music "sonic attacks". It made him a little sad. After he looted the vampire's corpse that had blood flowing from all orifices, the only thing that bore witness to his song was the completely destroyed cavern.

Columns, stalagmites, and stalactites had all crumbled during his performance. They left behind a scene of destruction that would make any speleologist and cave explorer cry in regret.