BXBX NOVEL Chapter 121: Three Rooms, Three Runic Locks
His current hygiene and appearance weren\'t the best but he was trying his hardest to at least stay as clean as possible, purchasing huge bottles of water in the system, and using them sparingly to clean his face and body.
A few hours ago, he successfully killed another (C-) ranked creature, the kobold captain, after two hours of intense combat, allowing him to earn 2000 points in a single quest.
As he walked towards his destination, Shye opened the system and looked at his status.
Status:
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[Name]: Shye Crowley
[Level]: 60
[Class]: Warrior
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[Skills]: [Appraisal Lv.2] [Dash Lv.3][Power Slash Lv.4][Enhanced Reaction Time Lv.2][Stoic Lv.3] [Destructive Chop Lv.3] [Rush Stab Lv.3][Draconian Roar Lv.1][Boost Lv.1(Rare)]
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Talent: [???(???)] [Greatsword Meister (Rare)]
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Blessings : [Blessing of Lesser Intelligence(Permanent)
[Attributes]
[Strength: 125 (95+29.5)]
[Intelligence: 37 (38-1)]
[Agility: 110 (95+14.6)]
[Dexterity: 114 (96+17.8)]
[Stamina: 70 (61+9)]
[Vitality: 95 (82+12.6)]:
[Wisdom: 25]
[Back] [Exit System]
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\'I\'ve already become this strong without me noticing huh…The life-and-death battles really do come with huge rewards…\' Shye muttered as he continued traversing the labyrinth with a contented smile on his face.
By now, he was sure he had already explored the entire labyrinth.
Most of the low-ranking kobolds were dead and there were only a few kobolds left, mostly kobold captains.
What frustrated him was, that he couldn\'t find an exit, thus, he had to check every single room inside the labyrinth which he didn\'t want to do at all.
The rooms were dangerous, not only were there higher leveled traps inside, it was almost guaranteed that a kobold captain resided in a room.
A few months ago was Shye\'s first attempt at exploring a room and it ended in a disaster that almost cost him his life.
Not only was he struck by a poisonous arrow, but he also almost died as a kobold captain managed to land a lethal slash on his chest, resulting in a grievous wound.
If not for his vast knowledge of the hallways and a safe hiding spot close by, he would\'ve died already.
Fortunately, he managed to survive the disastrous encounter, and now, he was the one actively hunting the kobold captains for points.
After all, the bastards give a shit-ton of points as a reward once killed.
Thus, although it was always a close battle, with every kobold captain killed, the feat slightly became easier and easier.
As of now, only three rooms were left unexplored.
The three rooms were locked by some sort of runic locks which Shye had to study and solve before he could attempt opening the rooms.
He was quite lucky because the runes could be appraised, allowing him to learn which set of runes were the locks a part of.
After diligently studying different sets of runes for a few months via the upgraded Adventurer Encyclopedia, Shye finally managed to solve how to unlock the runic locks, increasing his intelligence and wisdom attributes in the process.
Today, he planned to open the three mysterious locked rooms, giving him a slight sense of both anticipation and nervousness.
The interconnected rooms demanded a specific sequence of lock activation, requiring him to channel his mana through the runic nerves using precise runic procedures.
The task was quite complicated for him though, especially given his limited mana pool.
Unlike mages and priests who utilized mana for their skills, as a warrior, he primarily relied on stamina to trigger his abilities.
Still, as long as he didn\'t make any mistakes, his current mana pool, albeit a little small, was enough to open the runic locks.
Fully prepared to take on the locks, Shye stood in front of the first runic lock.
With a determined look on his face, he placed the palm of his right hand at the rune before closing his eyes as he focused on making the mana flow correctly using the first runic procedure.
As his mana flowed through the runic veins, the first runic lock slowly lit up, getting brighter and brighter with each passing minute.
Then, after what seemed like months of mental torture for Shye, a loud clicking sound rang from the first rune, permanently lighting the rune up even after he removed the palm of his hand.
\'Haaaahh…Haaaahhh…What the hell, that was way harder than I expected…\' Shye inwardly complained as he panted in exhaustion.
There were still two more runic locks to unlock so he can\'t afford to relax.
Empowered by his longing to leave the goddamned labyrinth, Shye immediately proceeded towards the next runic lock, dead set on escaping the dark and gloomy place.
Then, just a few minutes later, he arrived in front of the second lock.
Shye resolutely stared at the lock as he took out a few mana potions he purchased from the system, opened the loose corks, and drank the potions to replenish his dried-up mana pool.
He then took a deep breath and this time, placed both of his palms at the second runic lock before using the correct runic procedure to unlock the second rune.
Just like the first rune, the second rune slowly lit up as Shye, fueled by his desire to find an exit, desperately resisted the agonizing mental torture.
Fortunately, just a short while after, the second rune was successfully unlocked with a loud clicking sound, leaving Shye gasping for air as the temples of his head ached in excruciating pain.
\'Shit…Should\'ve…upgraded…my intelligence and wisdom…\' Shye muttered in regret as he forced himself to stand up before proceeding to the last runic lock, unsure if his mental strength would allow him to finish the job.
Still, he braved through the pain and continued walking.
He didn\'t know if one of the rooms was an exit but he could only hope so, otherwise, he was doomed to rot inside this labyrinth for an eternity.
Again, after a few minutes of walking, he finally arrived in front of the third runic lock.
Fortunately, he decided to wipe out most of the kobolds before attempting to unlock the rooms or he would\'ve been in trouble had the kobolds attacked him while he was mentally exhausted.
Before attempting to unlock the third rune, Shye drank three regular mana potions and one potion of enhanced focus which he purchased for a total of 400 points before placing both of his hands at the two minor runes just beside the huge major rune in the middle.
The problem was…He was alone. He needed one more contact point from either the balls of his feet, which was theoretically and physically impossible, or…his face…to activate the major rune.
Left with no choice, Shye cursed at the wind as he slowly placed his face at the major rune in the middle, looking extremely stupid.