Rise of the System Slayer

After Ares and Slyphir chatted to exchange information, Magnus immediately approached him from behind. "Brother, can we rest a little bit?" Magnus asked, putting on puppy eyes.

It had been three days inside the dungeon, about three hours outside of it. Ares noticed the exhaustion in Magnus's eyes. He sighed, realizing he felt tired as well, and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, we can rest here for a little bit," Ares muttered.

The moment he said that Magnus quickly fell asleep. Ares sat nearby, his eyes fixed on the icy fragments displayed on the screen. He knew he needed a solid plan to gather them. "You can't just rush in blindly," he thought.

In reality, careful preparation is the key to overcoming challenges. "You need to focus on the solution, not the problem," Ares reminded himself, his mind already forming a strategy.

Ares crossed his legs and focused on the screen in front of him, narrowing his eyes while Magnus slept nearby, clearly exhausted from running and escaping from monsters all day.

"Sleeping like a beauty, huh?" Ares thought, smiling at him.

He then shifted his focus back to the screen and asked, "Sylphir, can you show me a map of this cave?"

"Aye aye, sir!" A transparent screen appeared, forming a face that spoke. She then opened the screen, revealing a cave map with red dots showing their current location. Additional details appeared on the map, displayed clearly on the screen.

Ares's eyes widened in amusement as he looked at it. He could definitely use this map to create a solid plan.

"Thanks, Slyphir! It's cool seeing all these details."

"Hmph, of course I am!" Slyphir replied proudly.

As Ares analyzed the details on the map, he raised an eyebrow, curious about some of the markings on the screen."Slyphir, where are we now?"

Slyphir zoomed in on the map, pointing at a red dot. "Here. This red dot is our current location."

Ares's eyes widened as he took a closer look. "Oh, so that's where we are." As he focused on the red dot, he began to understand the layout of the cave better.

After understanding the map, Ares immediately checked his status to see where he could allocate his points.

[System Status Window]

- Name: Ares Langley

- Title: Shadow of the God

- Level: 32 [85%]

- HP: 100

- MP: 510/510

- Strength: 40

- Agility: 20

- Sense: 21

- Intelligence: 31

- Fatigue: 0 

- Skill(s): [Void Manipulation] [Phantom Skill]

 - Summon Space: 52/52

----

- Remaining pts: 0

He analyzed his skills, looking for ways to use them to his advantage. In this cave, he couldn't summon his shadow soldiers, but he knew he couldn't always rely on them anyway. He needed to adapt and find other strategies.

After a few hours of planning and preparation, he was finally ready. Ares approached Magnus, who was still fast asleep and tapped his face."Hey, wake up."

As they walked through the labyrinth, clusters of mana crystals appeared side by side, illuminating the path and guiding them forward. The crystals sparkled with a soft, mystical glow, casting a mesmerizing light across the cave walls.

"Whoa, it's pretty," Magnus thought, his eyes wide with wonder as he gazed at the glowing mana crystals.

Ares felt confused, the question lingering in his mind. He decided to ask Slyphir for answers.

"Slyphir, why are the monsters inside this dungeon so tough? Their levels are low, but they're way stronger compared to the Abyss Widow we encountered earlier before we ended up in this place."

"Hmm, actually, they're not," Slyphir explained. "It's just the effect of the Elemental God. It increases their physical defense and their IQ by 10%."

Ares's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't know this before, and it made him even more curious. He wondered if this was connected to the Demon Castle.

"Slyphir, so this icy cave was created by an Elemental God?""Yes, sir."

"What about the Demon Castle? Was that created by an Elemental God too?"

"Possibly, since the Demon Castle is made of fire, most likely."

After Slyphir confirmed it, Ares finally understood why the monsters he encountered before were different from those within the Elemental domains.

"I see," he murmured, deep in thought.

As they walked deeper into the cave, the red dot on the map moved along with them, showing their current location.

Ares quickly zoomed in on the map and noticed a large area ahead of them. Curious, he tapped on it, and a name appeared on the screen.

[Colosseum]

Within five meters, they saw the huge shadowy door standing before them. Magnus's eyes widened as they approached it, his face showing signs of anxiety.

The door towered at 20 meters tall, its immense height casting a massive shadow over them. Its surface was covered in ancient carvings, each symbol etched with precision, telling stories of legendary battles fought within the Colosseum.

But they had no clue how to open the massive door. Suddenly, Magnus charged toward it.

"Brother, leave it to me," he said, his eyes gleaming with determination.

He kicked and pushed the door with all his strength, using every ounce of his power. But despite his efforts, the door didn't move an inch. Minutes passed, and Magnus was only exhausting himself.

"Move over," Ares said, stepping forward.

Then Ares tried the same approach as Magnus. He kicked and pushed the door with all his strength, but it still didn't budge.

Damn it! Why the hell is this door not moving?" Ares growled, clenching his teeth in frustration.

As Ares continued to push against the door, Slyphir sighed. "What a fool," she muttered, watching him struggle. Ares was the most clueless person she'd ever seen.

"Here, this is the key to that door," Slyphir said, revealing a golden key in front of him.

"Whoa, thanks," Ares said, breathing heavily.

He immediately inserted the key into the hole in the door. As soon as he did, the door began to move slowly, sliding apart side by side.

Then, they quickly went inside, stepping into a massive, ancient Colosseum. It felt as if centuries had passed since it was last used.

Crumbling stone walls stood tall, their surfaces worn by time. Vines crept along the cracked pillars, wrapping around them like the fingers of history. The air was heavy with the scent of dust and old stone.

The arena stretched before them, vast and desolate, its silence almost eerie. It seemed to echo with the distant memories of fierce battles once fought within its walls.

Inside, the Colosseum was shrouded in darkness. Immediately, Slyphir used her power to light their path, and within seconds, everything became illuminated.

"Here," Slyphir began, her voice echoing through the ancient arena. "This stage has multiple floors. Each one contains different levels of monsters. But after you defeat them, you can find artifacts on that floor."

She pointed toward the depths of the Colosseum. "There are three floors. The first floor has monsters ranging from levels 20 to 30. The second floor has monsters from levels 30 to 40. And on the final floor, where the fragment lies, the boss awaits—a creature at level 50."

"Not only that," Slyphir continued, her voice serious, "after defeating the boss, you can obtain a new skill from its body. But don't underestimate it. That boss has a unique power."

She paused, "The monster is granted power by the Elemental Gods, containing twenty percent of their strength. Facing it won't be easy."

Slyphir continued explaining the details, and Ares listened carefully, absorbing every word. Despite his focus, he didn't lower his guard. He could sense a monster lurking just meters away.

Suddenly, one of them sprang toward them. Magnus gasped, shocked by the surprise attack. He barely had time to react, stumbling back as the creature lunged.

But Ares acted instantly, his movements swift and precise. In one fluid motion, he slashed the head off the level 21 goblin, just as Slyphir had warned.

"Magnus, let's go over there before we encounter more," Ares said, his tone serious and unwavering.

As they moved forward, a group of monsters appeared before them—ten goblins ranging from level 21 to 25.

The goblins stood in their path, smirking wickedly. Each one held a knife, their eyes burning with malice as they prepared to attack.

"Oh, let's see how strong they are," Ares grinned, pulling out his two daggers, in each hand.

Without hesitation, he dashed toward the goblins with incredible speed. His movements were swift and precise, his blades slicing through his enemies.

A screen appeared before him, displaying a notifications:

[You have killed a level 21 goblin][You have killed a level 22 goblin][You have killed a level 24 goblin][You have killed a level 22 goblin]

One by one, the goblins charged at Ares, their knives gleaming as they attacked.

But they stood no chance. Ares moved swiftly, his daggers slicing through them with ease. Heads and body parts flew as he tore through their level, his attacks precise and merciless.

Green fluid splattered to the ground, staining the dirt as the goblins fell before him, defeated as quickly as they came.