Chapter 14: Yue Chen

"Harvest Month?" Lu Cang asked in a tone of confusion.

Iz looked at Lu Cang, his expression somewhat surprised...

"You don't know about the Harvest Month?"

Oh no, it seems I accidentally asked something far too nonsensical.

I really need to be more careful with my words.

Just as Lu Cang was thinking of how to smooth things over, Iz rubbed his chin thoughtfully: "True... perhaps there are places in this world that the authority of the gods cannot reach."

"To think you actually came from such a distant place..."

Iz let out a soft exclamation.

That was close...

It seems I managed to bluff my way through. Even though he's a good person, I have a feeling it wouldn't be great if he discovered I don't actually belong to this world...

At least until I am thoroughly familiar with this world, it's best to keep my identity as a transmigrator hidden.

"The Harvest Month—its full name is the Month of Lucky Harvest."

"It usually occurs in the ninth month of the year, and the lunar cycle is called Yakatictor."

What is a lunar cycle...

And what is Yakatictor.

Lu Cang was curious about these questions as well, but he decided to save them for when he had time to look through some books.

What Iz was talking about should be common knowledge.

That should be easy enough to find in a book.

Iz continued his explanation: "During this month, various types of resources appear more frequently, making it easier to obtain higher-value treasures. Additionally, ordinary monsters will exhibit rarer drops that shouldn't normally exist."

"Therefore, adventurers often flock to dungeons in large numbers during this season."

It sounds like some kind of drop-rate buff...

However, it also feels like it hides a great deal of danger.

Stimulating the adventurers' desire to explore dungeons—greed might just lead to their deaths...

It feels like a trap.

"If the Harvest Month is early, we must also prepare to explore large-scale dungeons."

"But, of course, not right now."

Iz collected all the corpses of the Shadow Leopards back into his storage space.

Lu Cang continued walking deeper into the dungeon alongside him.

This dungeon was different from the one he encountered right after transmigrating.

So far, he hadn't seen a single fork in the road.

The dungeon he encountered when he first arrived was a labyrinth of paths, with various intersections everywhere that were dizzying just to look at.

But this dungeon was almost a straight corridor, with traps clearly visible under the light of the illumination spell.

As Lu Cang and Iz explored further inward, they encountered other magical beasts.

Eight Shadow Leopards.

Two Shadow Spiders...

Spiders. The first time Lu Cang saw a spider several times larger than himself, he jumped in fright.

But in the next second, Lu Cang raised his hand and unleashed seven fireballs simultaneously against the spider's body.

An explosive burst of light covered it.

The spider was burned directly into charcoal.

The Fireball spell Lu Cang released was far more powerful than that of an ordinary mage.

So far in this dungeon, Lu Cang had yet to encounter a monster he couldn't kill with a single spell.

It seems...

As his proficiency level increases, the boost to his magical power is quite significant.

According to Iz, if an ordinary Level 1 mage were here, it would take at least thirty to forty fireballs to kill this Shadow Spider.

Yet, Lu Cang's seven-shot volley could instant-kill it.

The second time he encountered a Shadow Spider, Lu Cang deliberately controlled the number of fireballs that hit.

One fireball...

It wasn't an instant kill, but it battered the spider until its entire body was engulfed in flames, leaving it wailing in agony.

As it attempted to shoot shadow silk from its tail toward Lu Cang, Lu Cang's second fireball followed immediately.

The silk was incinerated instantly upon contact with the fireball.

The residual force of the fireball did not diminish, continuing to smash into the Shadow Spider's body.

Boom!

Under this strike, the Shadow Spider fell backward amidst the flames, motionless.

Two fireballs...

Could take down a Shadow Spider.

Other Level 1 mages needed about 30 to 40 shots?

In other words, my average single fireball is equivalent to the strength of 15 to 20 shots from others. A seven-shot volley...

Lu Cang calculated in his mind; it was roughly equivalent to the strength of 95 to 140 shots.

Furthermore, it seemed the first fireball had already nearly killed it, and the second was merely finishing it off. The actual estimate should be even higher.

Essentially, a single casting of his spell had a lethality over a hundred times that of other mages of the same level.

Is this the benefit of a God-tier talent?

Lu Cang marveled silently to himself.

Speaking of which, he hadn't gained a deeper understanding of his talents yet.

When he first changed jobs, based on what Kumironi said, there should be even more complex mechanisms to talents.

He should find some time to research this...

If he couldn't find relevant literature, he would ask Kumironi and the others.

Lu Cang still didn't want to casually expose his shortcomings regarding "common knowledge."

Besides, asking about everything would be annoying; Lu Cang wanted to minimize the trouble he caused Iz and the others.

Shadow Spiders, Shadow Leopards, and besides those...

He also encountered a Shadow Demon.

A pure shadow—a mass of darkness that remained on the wall even under the illumination spell.

It was a good thing he had the illumination spell; otherwise, it would have blended perfectly into the shadows, making it impossible to detect.

"A Shadow Demon."

"A Tier 2 magical beast. While in its shadow state, physical attacks have no effect on it, and magic attacks targeting physical entities will not cause it damage. Only light-based attacks are effective."

"However, while in its shadow state, it also cannot pose a threat to us in our physical forms."

"It will only leave the shadows to attack us when our gaze is not fixed upon it."

The shadow followed Lu Cang along the wall.

It would occasionally circle behind him, but Lu Cang was always able to track it with his eyes and maintain awareness of its presence.

Its movement speed wasn't fast, making it easy to notice.

Iz: "In other words, as long as you keep your eyes on it, you are safe even if you cannot damage it."

"But in actual combat, having such an enemy is still a threat."

"Come, chant with me."

"Lord of the Dawn's Light, I pray for a beam of radiance to pierce the darkness for me."

Lu Cang chanted following Iz Palut's language.

A cross-shaped sword of light condensed in his hand.

[Cross of Light (LV: 5)]

Lu Cang felt that this cross-shaped light sword could be briefly held in his hand... to be used as a weapon.

Or, it could be thrown directly.

Lu Cang gripped the light sword and hurled it at the Shadow Demon!

*Clink!*

"Aaaah—!!"

The cross of light struck the Shadow Demon's body, and a cry of agony erupted from the shadow.

Immediately following this, the shadow extended two dark hands, lunging rapidly toward Lu Cang!

Lu Cang retreated several steps.

"I pray for light to pierce the darkness."

The light sword condensed in his hand once more!

*Clink—*

The light sword pierced one of its arms; once struck by the light, that arm became unable to move.

"Light."

*Hum—*

In Lu Cang's hand, the cross condensed again, brighter and larger!

This time, the shadow suddenly expanded, instantly reaching Lu Cang's feet.

Small, dark hands suddenly erupted from the ground!

Lu Cang leaped backward violently while simultaneously thrusting the light downward!

[Cross of Light (LV: 10) — No chant, a larger cross]

Unlike the illumination spell, this Cross of Light could be released without a chant.

*Whoosh!*

*Bang!*

*Bang bang bang!*

The shadow began to chase Lu Cang rapidly, and Lu Cang began to run, smashing light crosses behind him as he fled!

The shadow continued to stretch toward Lu Cang's position, but every time it was struck by a light cross, it was forced to pause.

Moreover, every time Lu Cang released a light cross, its power was significantly greater than the last.

Soon, the Shadow Demon, pinned to the ground by thirteen light crosses, ceased all movement.

The shadow continuously shrank until it finally turned into a pitch-black husk, falling onto the floor of the cavern.

(End of Chapter)