Reaper's Resurgence - Book 1 - Chapter 89 - Thunder Highlands (Patreon)

As I mentioned on the WBM post, I already wrote today's chapters earlier and am just posting them now that I got home.

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                                                                      Alexia

Unlike the Crawling Caverns, the Thunder Highlands starts me out in a rather large and open plain with a lot of thunder and lightning striking down everywhere. Meanwhile random spires of what look like metal are sticking out of the ground in natural-looking formations that are acting as lightning rods. But not all of the bolts of lightning are hitting them, leaving the ground charred slightly from the impact.

Not as charred as I thought a lightning bolt would leave the ground though. Which makes me wonder if the grass and soil have some metal in them too or just something else that lets them conduct the electricity without being burnt.

It’s too bad you can’t actually interact with or destroy the environment in a dungeon unless that particular spot of the dungeon was made specifically to be destroyable. So we can’t just take this metal back with us.

I continue to look around until I find some sort of horse monster wandering around.

{Lesser Kyre – Level 2}

A kyre? A little surprising to see one of those here.

Basically a lesser kirin, but a lesser version of that lesser version.

Only level 2 though, so I proceed to walk past it, ignoring the monster.

Unlike in the Crawling Caverns, killing everything here is just a waste of my time. Since they don’t give me anything in return.

The lesser kyre looks frightened by me anyways as it runs away the moment I get near with some electric charge building up around its feet in the process. And I let it get away before following after it, deciding that it might be able to lead me to the next area of the dungeon.

I hope.

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A grin stretches across my face half an hour later when I find myself standing on a hill overlooking a large herd of kyre. One surrounding a lake with lightning striking all through them, hitting the kyre from time to time and supercharging them to their apparent pleasure. To the point that the lightning isn’t even striking the metal.

Guess it’s attracted to them. That or they’re just drawing it to themselves through magic.

Well, putting the stark white lightning absorbing horses with horns aside, I focus my attention solely on the random arc with a portal sitting right in front of the lake in the middle of the herd.

There’s the way to the next area.

I quickly begin teleporting down the hill and through the kyre, each of whom runs away from me the moment I get near. And soon enough I enter the portal and find myself appearing in a place similar yet still different from where I just was. Just with no kyre, with more metal spires, and more lightning.

Instead of the lightning horses, there are now lightning birds. Just like the thunder hawks, except eagles this time.

Although instead of the level 1s through 10s that were in the other area, the birds I can see from here are levels 10 through 15. But I wouldn’t be surprised if their leader, wherever they are, is a higher level.

I let out a sigh before beginning to search for the way to the next area of the dungeon.

This is gonna get boring really quickly until I find monsters that are actually at my level. But the only one here at my level is the final boss, so that’ll take a while.

I glance at the corner of my vision while thinking about the Dungeon Map skill, and a little mini-map appears with the areas of the dungeon that I’ve already been in filled out. And to my surprise, I find a little treasure chest marked on the map just a hill away from my location.

Interesting.

While ignoring the fleeing birds that fly away in terror the moment they spot me, I begin teleporting over to the place marked on the map, where I end up finding a rather large spire of metal at that exact location.

Guessing there’s a hidden area somewhere here?

I walk around the spire of metal twice, not finding anything before I eventually just frown at the thing.

Doesn’t look like there’s any crevasse or entryway into the spire. There could always be some sort of tunnel nearby leading inside, but…

I purse my lips for a second, folding my arms as I consider my options.

Eventually I nod my head to myself and raise a palm to the spire of metal.

Then I sent a few Quantum Bolts at it, making it glitch apart and blow up with each one until I eventually reveal a loot box at the center of it.

Nice.

Violence is always the answer.

I frown and tilt my head slightly at that thought.

Actually, is it violence if it’s just a spire made of ore and metal that I’m blasting apart?

I’m just gonna go ahead and say it’s not and leave it there.

With a slight nod of my head, satisfied with the answer to that little internal dilemma, I step up to the loot box and place my hand on top of it, making a ring very similar to my current basic spatial ring appear above it.

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Lesser Spatial Ring

Description: This spatial ring can hold thirty cubic meters of non-living matter and it has been created to perfectly fit the original finder, Alexia Knight, on their index finger.

Stats Bonus: +10 MAG, +10 MEN

Requirements: Must have one elemental affinity beyond D Grade.

Item Tier: 2 (Item Tier increased by one due to the Legendary Feat, The First Clear)

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Oh? That’s pretty good. An upgrade to my basic spatial ring with a carrying capacity of three times the other ring’s. It also gives twice the stats and has the same requirement.

The First Clear’s bonus is already coming in handy. I wonder if it’ll affect Nest clears too though? Since I’ll be heading back to the Nest after clearing this dungeon. I would’ve dealt with it sooner, but I don’t want to risk someone else reaching Tier 2 before me.

My old ring should work nicely for Astrid, so I’ll drop by and give it to her on my way to the Nest. Assuming she’s out of the dungeon that is.

She probably won’t be though. In which case she’ll have to wait.

I quickly put on the new ring before beginning to look around for the next area.

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