Open Milling

The maze on the first floor echoed with the occasional sound of explosions. The relentless blasts left no trace of the slime-like creatures writhing like mucus—even their magic cores evaporated under the scorching heat.

"Does your magic never run out?" Niya had grown so bored that she sat cross-legged in a corner, propping her cheek on one hand. The shockwaves from Ye Chuan’s fireballs occasionally rustled her hair, the flickering flames reflecting in her eyes.

She wasn’t sure what word to use to describe Ye Chuan.

[Freak]?

That didn’t seem extreme enough. Silent-casting magic was one thing, but even the endless barrage of fireballs didn’t seem to tire him in the slightest.

Not even high-level mages could unleash spells so recklessly, could they?

Niya knew a fifth-tier mage who would babble an incantation before conjuring a single fireball—one that wasn’t even as powerful as Ye Chuan’s.

"Quite a lot of them." After clearing out the slimes, Ye Chuan exhaled slowly.

He was feeling a little worn out.

"Let’s go. Time for the second floor, right?"

"Yep." Niya sprang up from the floor with a bounce and followed beside him, curiosity brimming. "Do people from your homeland all know silent-casting magic?"

In Niya’s eyes, Ye Chuan’s hometown had instantly transformed from a remote village into a mysterious, reclusive land.

If an entire village could cast without chanting, how terrifying would that be?

"No, probably just me." Ye Chuan replied.

After all, even Lilith had to shout something like "Balala" when using magic.

"Figured." Niya swayed her head side to side.

If everyone could cast silently, the mages in the Magic Tower would probably lose their minds. Even the Tower Master, as formidable as they were, likely hadn’t mastered silent-casting.

"This is the entrance to the second floor." Niya pointed at the stone staircase ahead.

"Let’s go."

Ye Chuan stepped inside. The layout was similar to the first floor, though the colors were slightly different, and the air carried a metallic tang of blood.

The lighting was dimmer too.

"Kinda dark." Ye Chuan glanced around.

"The third floor has no lights at all—or so I’ve heard from adventurers." Niya also scanned the surroundings before leading Ye Chuan in a direction. "This way."

"Mm."

The deeper they went, the darker it became.

Ye Chuan looked up and spotted faint, swaying lights in the distance.

"Are there Glowspider Toxins on the second floor too?"

"Glowspider Toxins… aren’t those my target?" Ye Chuan extended his spiritual sense—quickly locking onto a spider the size of a large hound in the distance.

Its body was ash-gray, about five feet in length and width, with eight segmented limbs adorned with suction-cup-like organs that kept its massive frame firmly stuck to the wall, motionless.

The lights Ye Chuan had seen earlier turned out to be bioluminescent insects clinging to the creature’s body.

"The Glowspider Toxin King is the real target. This one’s just a regular variant." Niya explained.

"The glow on the Glowspider Toxins comes from symbiotic fireflies living on their backs. Those bugs emit light to lure in small prey attracted to brightness."

"After hunting, the spiders leave behind scraps to feed the fireflies."

"Pretty interesting." Listening to Niya’s explanation, Ye Chuan found this ecological symbiosis oddly fascinating.

The number of glowing lights multiplied. Noticing the abundance of Glowspider Toxins, Niya warned,

"Be careful. Glowspider Toxins are fast, and their venomous silk carries a [Paralyzing] neurotoxin. For physically weak mages, it’s a deadly counter. Once ensnared, you’re in trouble."

"Then I just won’t get close." Ye Chuan chuckled.

"At that range, your fireballs won’t hit." Niya said.

"Who said that’s all I can do?" Ye Chuan raised his hand.

"Magic Beam—light it up."

A magic circle instantly materialized in his palm, and a massive beam several meters wide erupted, transforming into a sea of particles that engulfed the distant Glowspider Toxins!

When the light faded, nothing remained—not the spiders, nor the webs clinging to the walls.

"Was that power just a casual cast too?" Niya asked.

Did he really not need to chant?

"I must still be dreaming." Niya muttered.

"Escaping reality now?"

"Forgot to mention something…" Niya said. "The Glowspider Toxin King’s body is covered in a special silk with extreme magic resistance. It can even reflect some spells."

"It’s only Tier 3. How troublesome can it be?" Ye Chuan smirked. He was a full realm above the creature—not to mention his own ability to fight beyond his level.

Niya just shrugged.

She was only sharing what she knew.

The entrance to the third floor was quickly found. True to Niya’s words, it was pitch-black inside, devoid of any light.

A floating orb of illumination magic flew ahead, revealing the stone bricks of the staircase.

But the next moment, Ye Chuan noticed countless green lights flickering to life in the darkness—dense and countless, like pairs of eyes staring back!

"Whoa, this many?" Niya was startled by the sheer number of fireflies, surprised at the sudden infestation of Glowspider Toxins on the third floor. The thought of countless spiders lurking in the shadows made her feet feel glued to the ground.

"Scared?" Ye Chuan teased.

"Tch. I just prefer the scenery on the second floor—wanted to stay a bit longer." Niya retorted.

"Fine. I’ll go down first."

"Good luck." Niya said quickly, though she worried he might die inside. "Be careful. If you perish down there, it’ll be a pain to fish your corpse out for revival."

Revival?

Though puzzled, Ye Chuan leaped in without hesitation.

The moment he landed, a biting cold pierced through him like needles, accompanied by an indescribable stench.

Ye Chuan glanced around. With just a sweep of his spiritual sense, he realized he was already surrounded by thousands of spiders.

"These things are only at the Foundation Establishment level—just a lot of them." The thought of being encircled by spiders made Ye Chuan’s skin crawl.

Amid the swarm, his senses picked up a far stronger presence—around Tier 4, roughly Golden Core level.

"Same realm?" Without hesitation, Ye Chuan pulled out his Soul Banner and planted it into the ground.

"Whatever. Time to refine!"

Activating the banner, ghostly wails erupted from within as dozens—no, hundreds—of spectral chains shot out, impaling the surrounding spiders in an instant!

Sizzle—

Amidst the shrieks, the souls of the Glowspider Toxins were forcibly ripped out by the chains and devoured by the banner.

[Absorbed Foundation Establishment soul. Artifact boosts host attributes by +0.4%]

[Absorbed Foundation Establishment soul. Artifact boosts host attributes by +0.2%]

[Absorbing a Foundation Establishment Realm soul, artifact boosts host attributes by +0.3%]

……