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Chapter 195 : The Stalker and Clay Shaping
Chapter 195: The Stalker and Clay Shaping
Gauss weighed the pros and cons and, after a brief hesitation, made a decision.
“We'll explore in the direction of the dark room first. Once we've scouted it out, we can decide whether to go in or not.”
Compared to the potential rewards of the dungeon's dark room, safety was undoubtedly more important.
Moreover, for some reason, an inexplicable sense of unease lingered in his heart, as if his sixth sense was trying to warn him.
W̆ е b̃ n̄ о̊ vē l Ẽnumā
Arya noticed his hesitation and agreed.
“Then let's proceed steadily and cautiously.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Upon hearing this, Serandur also nodded.
He was only responsible for providing information. As for how the team acted afterward, that was naturally up to Gauss to decide.
Compared to the first floor of the dungeon, there were noticeably fewer adventurers on the second floor.
But given the sheer number of adventurers in general, even after all this time, there were still visible signs of trampling at the entrance to the second floor.
Ẁ е b̊nö v̊ е̂ l̃ Е̃ n uḿа́
After a brief rest, the three-person team set off in the direction indicated by Serandur.
“Serandur, didn’t you run into any danger when you explored alone?” Gauss asked as he used his fine steel longsword as a makeshift machete, hacking away at the overly lush shrubs and brambles ahead.
Serandur shook his head.
“As long as I avoid suspicious places, it's fine. Most ordinary monsters—I can smell their scent ahead of time and then avoid them to minimize combat.”
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Gauss nodded in understanding.
This was the way of a lone wolf.
Ѐnů mа̄
Sometimes, it's not that you can’t win, but that you must weigh many other factors.
For example, unexpected incidents—winning a fight might still cost too much in terms of stamina.
Without teammates to rely on, one had to stay in top form at all times. Better to earn less than to take unnecessary risks.
Now that the three had formed a team, their actions could be more daring, and they could save a good deal of energy.
Take, for instance, the task of clearing the path ahead. They took turns, each person working for a portion of the time, then rotating to rest in the middle of the formation.
Even while advancing continuously, the whole team could maintain a decent condition.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
After traveling for a while, a few figures quietly appeared at the second-floor entrance, their bodies shrouded in green cloaks that blended with the surroundings.
The one in the lead crouched down, parting the grass to examine the footprints on the ground. Judging by the fresh tracks on the damp moss, he quickly determined that the two groups had gone separate ways.
“This side is a group of three. The other, four.”
“Follow the smaller one.”
They lowered their postures, blending into the environment like silent hawks, and began their stealthy pursuit.
……
Е̄.ň.ům̊ а̂ .і̌ d
“Watch your step.”
Gauss gave a warning and flicked a pebble forward.
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The stone struck a patch of lush vegetation but didn’t bounce back as expected. Instead, it went straight through the vines and moss, landing with a “thud” in a hidden pool of acid, splashing up green liquid.
“Zzzzz!”
The acid splashed onto the vines, which quickly blackened and corroded, emitting thin wisps of white smoke.
In the dungeon, such dangers were everywhere.
W̃ e b̂ nо̄vё l Enú_m̌ a
Some were elaborate mechanical traps, while others were natural hazards like this one.
If someone accidentally fell into an acid pool and panicked, losing their sense of direction and failing to crawl back out in time—even with the protection of the Gauss Force Field, they wouldn’t last long.
“Let’s find a place to rest.”
After crossing the hidden acid pool area, the team found an open patch to sit down and recover.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Gauss took the opportunity to eat while continuing his clay magic practice.
His top priority now was to raise his Clay Magic proficiency to lv2.
E ňůmа̂
Or rather, one of his main goals lately was to develop Clay Magic as much as possible.
He could feel it—since beginning Clay Magic practice, his previously stagnant Class Rank experience had started rising again.
Perhaps by advancing Clay Magic, he could seize another chance to level up quickly.
After some practice—
The Clay Magic proficiency increased slightly, reaching 7/10.
In his palm, the clay slowly took the shape of three crooked humanoid figures. From their postures and heights, it was faintly clear they represented the three members of the team.
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With this skill, even if he retired in the future, opening a figurine business in another world should be enough to scrape by.
Gauss gave a self-deprecating laugh and stowed the clay away.
Once rested, the team set off again.
This time, they took a completely different path from their first visit. As they ventured deeper, the number and variety of insects increased significantly.
Of course, most were just ordinary creatures and couldn’t be recorded in his Monster Encyclopedia.
Still, Gauss did unlock his 32nd entry in the Normal Monster Encyclopedia—Corrosive Beetle.
Е̃n̈umа .і d̃
These beetles were about 40 to 60 centimeters long and could spray a small stream of corrosive acid from their mouthparts. Their head antennae could also be used to ram enemies above them.
They looked small but packed a serious punch.
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“Is it nearby?”
Gauss looked around the open corridor, focusing his attention.
“Eh?” A rare look of surprise appeared on Serandur’s face.
He wasn’t entirely sure anymore.
Ӗ ǹ ûm̄ а̃
After searching for a moment, he finally found a scratch mark in the corner left from his last visit.
“Yes, this is it.”
“At that time, right in this corner, there was a tree trunk covered in vines. If you parted the vines, you’d see a bottomless tree hole…” As he spoke, his raspy voice trailed off, and a look of shame surfaced on his face.
After leading Gauss and Arya for half a day, it turned out to be a wasted trip.
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“It’s gone now.”
Even though he had refrained from entering last time due to safety concerns, now that they were here and found it vanished, he still felt disappointed.
W̆е̃b́ n̈ ó v̄ e l̀ Е̌ ň û m̂а
That’s the dungeon for you—danger and opportunity coexist. Miss it, and it’s gone for good.
Seeing Serandur's embarrassed expression, Gauss instead smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder.
“Forget it. It's fine. Even if the tree hole was still there, we might not have gone in. From your description, it sounded dangerous anyway. Besides, we were exploring randomly to begin with. Reaching this spot wasn't a waste.”
“Mm.”
Gauss opened the map. Their exploration of the second floor was still minimal.
Compared to the first floor, the second was more dangerous and had a more complex layout. The winding paths made it a true labyrinth, with both horizontal forks and vertical ones.
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After searching the surroundings a bit, the trio continued forward.
“Gauss, there’s something here.”
Arya suddenly stepped on something unusual. Using her wooden staff to part the glowing moss and entangled vines, a faint smell of decay mixed with soil and strange plant scent slowly spread out.
A stark naked male body lay exposed before them.
“It’s an adventurer’s corpse!”
Arya instinctively took a step back.
Е̌ n ũm̃а̀
Due to the second floor’s abnormal plant growth, the body had nearly fused with the environment.
A layer of viscous, semi-transparent white substance tightly clung to most of the body, resembling a special mold layer. This sticky substance also emitted a faint moss-like green glow, making the body appear like it had “grown” out of this glowing moss forest.
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A smooth wound near the waist squirmed with countless tiny maggots, tirelessly drilling and writhing.
They moved like a living, seething mass of rice grains, especially dense around the mouth, nose, eye sockets, and ears.
The eye sockets were particularly horrifying—no eyeballs remained, just two deep black hollows filled with white maggots.
“Something’s off.”
Éńūm̌ a
Gauss glanced at the body and then looked around, sensing something strange.
The corpse was relatively intact, with no signs of tearing from beasts or other animals.
“Where are his teammates?”
Typically, those entering the second floor did so in teams.
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The trio searched nearby and soon found three more corpses beneath the moss and vines.
Four people in total—two men and two women—all completely naked, their clothes and equipment gone, leaving them unnaturally clean.
Ӗ nu ṁа. і̃ d
“They were murdered,” Arya immediately realized.
Such methods weren’t the work of monsters.
If it were, the monsters wouldn’t bother stripping their victims, nor would they leave the bodies so intact—they’d likely consume them.
Though aware of the dungeon's dangers, the scene still weighed heavily on Gauss, stirring a somber sense of kinship.
They probably didn’t expect to die here either.
Professionals, seen as powerful by ordinary people, had died quietly in the dungeon. If the trio hadn’t stumbled upon them, their corpses would’ve eventually been digested into nutrients by the dungeon, leaving no trace they ever existed.
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How tragic...
“Be wary of strangers,” Gauss said grimly.
Whether these adventurers died from an accidental conflict or cold-blooded murder, it was a sobering warning.
The dungeon’s greatest threats weren’t always monsters—sometimes, it was other humans.
……
Half a day passed.
Е n̄ ũm̀ а
The glowing moss and insect light in the air gradually dimmed.
Gauss and the others found a relatively spacious spot to set up camp.
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Light Spells, Alarm Spells, and Repellant Powder were swiftly deployed.
With his chores done, Gauss finally had time to review the Adventurer’s Handbook.
That afternoon, he had unlocked the 33rd entry in the Normal Monster Encyclopedia, bringing him closer to his goal of collecting 50.
Coincidentally, the materials from this 33rd monster were something he happened to need.
Е́ nū m̆ а́
Spore-core Beetle
Another beetle species, but unlike the morning's Corrosive Beetle, these carried glowing fungal spheres on their backs. When attacked or near death, these spheres would swell and explode, releasing poisonous spores and shockwaves.
Considering the potential usefulness of these materials for Clay Magic, he had taken some extra effort to kill them quickly and preserve the explosive spore balls on their backs.
Though the explosion radius was small, numbers could make up for it—they were still quite potent.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Speaking of Clay Magic—
His proficiency had now quietly reached 9/10.
Е́ nu m а
Tonight, he’d likely break through and start the next phase of study and training.
After dinner—
The trio pitched their tents on the leveled ground.
“I’ll take the first watch tonight. I’ll wake you guys when I get tired.”
Gauss volunteered.
With more people in the team, they could rotate the night watch.
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He chose first watch so he could continue practicing Clay Magic and push to lv2 in one go—no point tossing and turning all night thinking about it.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Arya stifled a yawn, heading toward her tent.
After a day of walking and using Wilderness Form during the journey, she was quite drained.
Serandur, on the other hand, was still energetic.
He sat by the campfire with Gauss for a while.
W e̊b̈nо̊ v̌е́ l Еn u ḿ а̄
He didn’t speak to disturb him, simply watched with interest as Gauss practiced Clay Magic, observing how the pale clay in Gauss’s hands morphed constantly.
Suddenly, Serandur noticed a flash of joy on Gauss’s face.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Got it.”
Gauss checked his interface.
Sure enough, the skill list had updated.
Tier 2 Spell [Shaping Magic: Clay] lv2 (0/20)
Wе b̂ ṅ.о v е̂l Е̃ ň ũ m à_
After leveling from lv1 to lv2, Gauss immediately felt a difference in the clay in his hands.
It no longer felt like cold, lifeless earth—but something with a faint, pulsing vitality.
With a thought, the clay figure in his hands quickly became more refined.
Even the snake-like tail now bore faint, intricate scales. The upper face had subtle features resembling Serandur.
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“Does it look like you, Serandur?” Gauss handed the clay figure to the half-serpent.
Serandur took it, examining the crooked little snake man in his hand.
W̄ е b̀ṅо v̄ e l̇ Ѐ n̂ ù ṁа̌
“A little.”
“I did my best,” Gauss sighed.
Well, even at level 2, the end result still had flaws. The limitation now wasn’t the skill—it was Gauss’s artistic modeling ability.
“Is this for me?” Serandur asked, turning to Gauss.
“Yeah. If you like it, it’s yours.” Gauss still sounded a little dejected.
His dream of opening a figurine business in another world was looking grim.
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Before, the figures were crude and ugly—now they were finely detailed and still ugly.
Serandur held the clay figure near the fire, using the heat to harden it. After feeling the solid texture under his fingers, he smiled in satisfaction.
“Then I’ll go rest too, Captain. Wake me if you’re tired.”
Serandur carefully stored the figure, gave Gauss a nod, and ducked into his tent.
Darkness enveloped the surroundings. Aside from the campfire and a glowing Light Spell stone, only Gauss remained outside, continuing his Clay Magic practice.
He used Mage Hand to catch a few mosquitoes.
Ë ǹ_ùm а̄. і̊ d
Then he clipped their wings and nudged a bit of clay toward them.
Moments later, the clay opened like a beast with a gaping maw and devoured the incapacitated mosquitoes.
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“Hm?”
As he used the clay to kill the mosquitoes, Gauss faintly sensed an extremely subtle and strange presence around him.
It wasn’t matter, nor energy—something unusual and indescribable.
Was this… a spirit?
Еn uḿ ӓ .íd̂
Recalling what he had sensed from the spell model, Gauss muttered to himself.
But it was still too little.
His gaze drifted to the mosquito swarm fluttering in the darkness, a slight smile tugging at his lips.
Soon, more and more mosquito-shaped “spirits” gathered around him.
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Once he felt he had enough, he ceased the slaughter.
Closing his eyes, he focused his mind.
Е_n̂ü m̌á
The clay in his palm began to shift and change shape quietly...
As Gauss immersed himself in studying Clay Magic—
Roughly a hundred meters away, around a corner, several dark figures silently exchanged hand signals and stealthily moved out.
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