Arifureta: Dark Lord

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Reiji continued his descent through the labyrinth, surpassing the 50th level since encountering the Tar Shark. Time became a blur in the labyrinth's depths, and he lost all sense of the days slipping away.

Despite the treacherous nature of the dungeon, Reiji's progress was astonishing. He faced countless brushes with death, battling monstrously powerful creatures that defied belief.

Among the adversaries he encountered was a massive rainbow-colored frog capable of spitting poison and a peculiarly familiar giant moth resembling Butterfree.

Reiji relied on Ambrosia to survive the poisonous assault from the frog, which ravaged his nervous system and caused agony akin to his first encounter with monster meat. Using his Shadows, Reiji reached his container and consumed the life-saving elixir.

During his journey, Reiji acquired new Shadows: the Poison Frog and Centipede. However, the sight of the segmented centipede's attack, resembling an army of repugnant insects emerging from a loathsome kitchen, haunted him the most.

To combat the overwhelming numbers, Reiji enlisted the aid of his Shadows and unleashed wide-ranging attacks like {Lightning Field} and Icy Tundra.

On a particular floor, tree-like monsters resembling RPG Treants employed their roots for underground assaults while whipping their branches menacingly.

The true threat of these faux Treants lay in their unique ability. When cornered, they violently shook their heads, flinging crimson fruits toward their adversaries. Surprisingly, the fruit held no poison but offered a delicious, watermelon-like sweetness that surpassed Reiji's expectations.

Needless to say, Reiji had made a few of them a part of his growing Shadow army.

Once his craving for the fruit was satiated, the population of Treants neared extinction. Undeterred, Reiji forged ahead, descending another 50 floors with seemingly effortless ease. Yet, the labyrinth's depths showed no sign of relenting, stretching endlessly downward.

Reiji's current stats:

╔.★..═════════════════╗

Name: Reiji Sukehiro — Age: 17 — Gender: Male — Level: 31

Job: Dark Lord

Strength: 1030

Vitality: 1260

Defense: 1050

Agility: 1300

Magic: 1750

Magic Defense: 1750

Skills: Language Comprehension — Physical Resistance — Dark Magic Efficiency — Spear Proficiency — Darkness Affinity — Darkness Manipulation — Spell Melding — Increased Mana Recovery — Stealth — [+Image Composition] — Necromancy — Shadow Manipulation — Detect Presence — Detect Magic — Dark Lord's Haki — [+Mana Manipulation] — [+Tri Elemental Affinities] — Iron Stomach — Lightning Field — [+Air Dance] — Gale Claw — Poison Resistance — Paralysis Resistance — Petrification Resistance.

╚═════════════════. .★.╝

Reiji possessed twelve Shadows out of the fifty his capacity allowed. Finding suitable monsters worth transforming into Shadows had proven difficult, as they offered no usefulness, power, or intrigue.

Although Reiji had discovered the stairs leading to the next floor, a location on this floor stood out as distinctly different to him. An ominous atmosphere pervaded the space around a room at the very end of one of the side passages. It contained a set of majestic double doors, each three meters tall, with a Cyclops statue on each side.

"Intriguing," Reiji murmured as he approached the imposing doors, attempting to push them open. However, his efforts yielded no results. Undeterred, he tried an alternative approach. Placing his hand on the door, he infused it with mana, activating his {Lightning Field} ability.

A sudden jolt of red lightning surged through the door, forcefully throwing back his hand. Smoke wisped up from his singed fingertips.

Cursing under his breath, he swiftly consumed some Ambrosia to mend his injuries. Within moments, a deep roar echoed through the room, resonating with immense power.

Quickly retreating, Reiji observed in awe as the two Cyclops statues came to life, demolishing the walls that had encased them. Their petrified skin swiftly regained its color, transitioning from gray to a dark shade of green.

These cyclopes perfectly embodied the fantastical descriptions associated with them. Each wielded a colossal sword, nearly four meters in length, seemingly conjured from unknown origins.

Presently, they struggled to free their lower halves from their stone prisons, driven by an unwavering determination to eradicate the unwelcome intruder.

Wasting no time, Reiji's shadow expanded behind him, and his loyal shadows emerged from its depths. With a simple command of "Go," they sprang into action, engaging the cyclops on the right.

Out of all the shadows under his command, it was only the Claw Bear and the scar-faced Twin-Tailed Wolf that exhibited significant growth, reflecting their exceptional progress. Reiji couldn't help but marvel at their development.

‘Even though these monsters possess higher levels compared to the others, I have been diligently focusing on raising the levels of all my shadows,’ he contemplated. ‘Not only have they been fortified by my overall increase in strength, but also by the augmentation of my mana capacity.’

‘With my improved mana control and enhanced stats, I possess an ample reserve of mana to regenerate and further empower them.’ Reiji's relentless dedication to nurturing his shadows had yielded impressive results.

Leading the charge was the formidable Claw Bear, a towering creature with a muscular frame and razor-sharp claws that left deep imprints on the ground. With unwavering determination, it lunged at the Cyclops, conjuring powerful gusts of wind with each swipe of its claws, aimed at striking its target.

Following closely behind the Claw Bear was the scar-faced Twin-Tailed Wolf, a sleek and agile creature that moved with remarkable speed. Crackling with electrifying energy, its two magnificent tails released bolts of lightning that arced through the air with deadly accuracy.

The strikes from its tails were directed at the Cyclops, gracefully dancing through the air as they closed in on the creature's head.

Among Reiji's formidable allies stood his newest Shadow, a Giant Frog. Despite its imposing size, the creature exhibited remarkable agility. With its throat filled with toxic gunk, it unleashed a relentless barrage of poisonous projectiles toward the Cyclops.

The viscous gunk struck the Cyclops' eye with precision, allowing the potent toxins to swiftly infiltrate its system, wreaking havoc on its massive frame.

Writhing in agony, the Cyclops was temporarily paralyzed and rendered vulnerable within the wall as the poison coursed through its veins. Sensing the opportune moment, the rest of the army swiftly moved in to deliver the final blow.

Displaying calculated brutality, the Claw Bear unleashed its Gale Claw technique, tearing through the air with lethal force, while the pack of Twin-Tailed Wolves simultaneously released a synchronized Lightning Field, enveloping the Cyclops in a torrent of electric bolts.

The devastating impact struck true, targeting the Cyclops' weakened eye socket and shattering it, reducing it to a grotesque mess of mangled flesh and shattered bone. The violent force caused the wall behind the Cyclops to quiver, and the scene was marred by dark splatters of blood on the wall behind it.

The cyclops on the left stared blankly at its now-deceased companion. Meanwhile, the fallen cyclops twitched momentarily before collapsing forward, causing the entire room to tremble as its massive frame crashed into the ground, raising a dense cloud of dust.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not kind enough to wait for you to break free," Reiji remarked calmly, his words laced with a hint of ruthlessness. The remaining cyclops displayed a bloodcurdling expression on its face as it turned its gaze toward Reiji. 

Though it remained silent, its contorted features clearly screamed, "How dare you, you bastard!"

Reiji maintained an unwavering stare, meeting the cyclops' gaze with absolute stillness. After a prolonged moment, the cyclops grew weary of the impasse and unleashed a thunderous roar before charging at Reiji.

However, before it could cover even five paces, it abruptly face-planted into the ground, collapsing with a resounding thud. "You two make for an interesting pair. And as such, you're going to become one of my Shadows," Reiji declared, a touch of amusement in his voice.

Approaching the fallen cyclops, Reiji halted, his face mere inches away from its vacant eyes. With a deliberate gesture, he extended his hand, forming a gun-like shape with his fingers and aiming it at the Cyclops' head. Concentrated mana gathered around his fingertips as he softly muttered, "Bang!"

To his surprise, an unexpected occurrence unfolded before him. The cyclops' body emitted a brief glow, and its skin seemingly repelled the bullet that was meant to end its life. Perplexed, Reiji's eyebrows furrowed as he voiced his confusion, "Hmm?"

It didn’t take him long before he realized it was his special magic. “You're just making this all the more worth it, however…Don’t get cocky your still breadth my feet after all.” Though it was still face-down on the ground, the cyclops smirked contemptuously at him.

Unfazed, he retracted his hand and aimed a kick at the Cyclops’ head. Thanks to his Steel Legs skill, Reiji’s kicks were as powerful as the Kickmaster Rabbit’s had been. His foot traced a neat arc through the air before slamming into the Cyclops and turning it over on its stomach. He then pressed his spear to its eye.

Without being able to discern the cyclops' exact emotions, Reiji sensed a hint of panic emanating from the creature. Ignoring its distress, he focused his attention on his own actions. 

Coating his spear with a layer of mana, he swiftly thrust it forward, piercing through the cyclops' eye and driving it deep into its skull. Descending from the lifeless body, the Shadow Soldiers seamlessly merged back into Reiji's shadow.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Reiji proceeded to carve off a portion of meat from the cyclops while once again examining his Status to understand its skill. 

"Diamond Skin, huh? A pretty useful ability. I believe it's time to give you a more significant role than just guarding a door for an unknown period."

"Arise," Reiji commanded once again, and the shadows obediently swirled around their bodies, enveloping them as they emerged from the ground. Standing tall with their swords at the ready, they knelt before Reiji, bowing their heads in reverence before finally merging back into Reiji's shadow.

Turning towards the door with curiosity, Reiji carried the two fist-sized mana crystals and placed them in the designated indents. They fit perfectly, and after a brief delay, dark red mana began pouring into the magic circles.

A distant snapping sound reverberated through the air, and the light in the room started to fade. Simultaneously, mana diffused through the space, causing the walls to glow with radiant light. The sudden brightness overwhelmed Reiji momentarily, but he quickly adjusted and cautiously pushed open the door, his senses on high alert for any potential traps.

The room beyond the door greeted him with pitch-black darkness, devoid of any visible light sources. However, his Night Vision combined with the spill of light from the previous room allowed him to discern his surroundings to some extent. The interior of the room resembled the marble-like substance he had encountered in the church cathedral.

Two rows of sturdy pillars stood at regular intervals, extending all the way to the end of the room. In the center stood an enormous cubic slab of rock, it is surface glossy and gleaming under the reflected light from the room behind.

As Reiji's foot made a clicking sound against the pavement, a faint and hoarse voice rang out in the distance.

“…Is anyone there?…”