Half of the lecture passed with everyone messing up their plates left and right. Lev was one of the few who could reliably carve three working formations on them, which made sense. Others didn't have a class, let alone attributes similar to his.

  Nolan is fairly talented, huh? Lev observed. He has only messed up once and on his first try.

  The arrogant boy from the first day was also doing great. Similar to Nolan, he only had one ruined plate.

  Compared to them, Lev had turned four more to dust. It was oddly fun to mess with the harmless runes.

  "What did we learn today?" Edward addressed the class.

  Nobody spoke up at first before Nolan hesitantly raised his hand. Edward encouragingly motioned for him to go on.

  "That, uh, formations clash if they aren't matched with other synergetic formations."

  "Aptly put," Edward smiled. "What else?" he looked at the rest of the class.

  "Multiple formations amplify the strain on the material?" Lev guessed based on what he'd heard.

  Edward rubbed his chin, "Not exactly. The strain is increased, yes, but there's no exponential increase like you are implying. More like each formation puts additional pressure on the plate as opposed to multiplying the overall strain."

  Lev nodded and leaned back. That was the only real question in his mind and Edward had cleared his doubts. Going by the new knowledge, cramming multiple synergizing formations into equipment was probably the next step of enchanting.

  Some other questions were answered before it was time for the second exercise. The whole day only had two of them, and for good reason. The students were told not to try and get a General Skill right now, and for good reason. The better the base, the better the future levels.

  For the last exercise, Edward wanted everyone to fit all three runes into a single formation. Each rune should be scanned for overload and have a cutoff rune at the end.

  To Lev, it only seemed tricky at first. By simply ending each main rune on the cutoff rune and making an overload for each, the formation was done in a few minutes.

  ****

  "Hey," Lev called out when he was done messing with the formation. Nolan finished the rune he was forming before replying, which Lev didn't mind.

  "Oh, you were serious. Here, there's plenty in the bowl still," the boy pushed the half-full bowl to Lev.

  "Of course I was. Surely, there are paints out there that thoroughly outclass normal carving. I at least want to learn how to use them."

  Nolan agreed, "There are. Several times cores are painted to increase the rate of charging for enchantments and improve the strain. Since cores have a limited lifetime, it is important to prevent them from disintegrating quickly. Painting them to increase their conductivity is the only major way to do that. Other than that, carved pathways are also coated in high-end paints to hold more mana and counter the strain."

  Lev blinked. He didn't know of those things, and neither did his mentor ever bring them up. He was actually grateful for that. Learning things like this was surprisingly fun.

  "I'm assuming painting is more complex than just "painting a surface" at those levels?" Lev probed. He didn't think Nolan would shy away from explaining but he still kept the question broad, just in case.

  "Yeah," Nolan agreed without any visible hesitation. "Several different fluids and treatments are used before painting. I don't know much about them but I once heard someone mention coating the surface of a weapon with some substance to prepare it for enchanting. Only guesses from that,"

  Lev chewed on that information. He was under the impression that carving would be the end of it but clearly not. Those things were irrelevant for now though, so he put them out of his mind.

  "Painting at higher levels is much more complex than carving," Edward commented, having observed their conversation. "Beyond that, worrying about it is useless. Focus on the next few steps, not the distant milestones."

  Nolan and Lev shared a glance. Lev was just curious, but the boy seemed somewhat unhappy. He wondered what Nolan's ambitions were to make him consider things so far into the future. Lev's own goals at least, were something he could do nothing about except fulfill step by step.

  Forming a syringe without a needle, Lev started painting and pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind.

  ****

  The flight to the spider dungeon went uninterrupted. Entering the portal, Lev immediately formed an arrow and filled it with lightning mana and a small amount of fire mana before looking for a stray spider.

  It didn't take long and neither did it survive long. The whoosh of the release of his bowstring was the only indication before the arrow pierced its face.

  Empowered by the new 2nd rank of Colorful Destruction and Rapid infusion, the mana stored in the arrow wreaked havoc inside its head and fried the brain before exploding it in a shower of gore.

  [

  You have slain [Gray Spider - Level 130]

  ]

  One shot.

  Lev considered the implications while harvesting the core. That arrow barely took 1% of my total yet a single well-placed shot was enough. If I use chains to hinder their mobility, the difficulty of hitting a moving target should be significantly reduced as well.

  Lost in thought, he absently gazed in the direction of the dungeon boss.

  Can I clear the dungeon by myself now?

  Giving it some serious consideration, Lev decided to go for it in the safest possible way. Since he already knew where the boss was, clearing the rest of the dungeon would be pretty simple and easy.

  Since he also had half a dozen hours before he would be losing out on sleep hours, waiting for mana to regenerate would also be possible to be best prepared for the fight.

  Lev flew around the dungeon, ending spiders left and right with precise shots. When he faced duos, one of them died quickly from a sneaky arrow while the other was tangled by his chain and murdered swiftly.

  Chains were quickly becoming his favorite. Surrounded by trees, they just needed to be strong enough not to shatter, which was manageable by using two of them instead.

  The result was the trees they were tied to easily weathering the charging spiders, stopping them in their tracks. The chains on the other hand, strained to stay intact but managed. So far, they had yet to crack even once but that would probably change soon.

  Now, how do I go about this….

  The option to simply blast the trio of spiders at once was tempting but Lev held himself back. The lances would bottom out his pool too quickly.

  Seeing no other choice, Lev prepared an elaborate trap and fired at the leftmost spider, aiming to end it before the fight even started.

  The arrow shot forward as a blur, piercing the gray exoskeleton and releasing the lightning mana in its head. Lev quickly flew away, luring the remaining two away before he paused momentarily.

  There was no notification.

  With no other choice but to keep going, Lev slowed down a little to allow the charging spider to leap on him. It didn't let the opportunity go, its limbs tensed, primed to jump.

  Just a little more… Now.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Two chains swung down from above, piercing the abdomen of the mid-air spider with their bladed ends. With no chance at dodging, the chains grew taut, leaving the spider swinging while putrid blood sprayed out like a geyser.

  Lev, who was waiting for the monster to be rendered immobile, swiftly ended its life with a lightning arrow through its eyes.

  Uncaring of its fellow spider's death, the last of the spider chased with reckless abandon. Lev didn't risk firing arrows and wasting mana on a monster that, while slow, had a high chance to dodge.

  He circled to the second trap and lured the spider into leaping again. The insanity-addled monster didn't think twice before making the same mistake as the last spider, giving Lev a clear shot to finish it off.

  The entire time, Lev was straining all his senses for any trace of movement. Even now, there was no sign of the first spider he'd failed to kill.

  Playing it safe, Lev ascended beyond the treetops and looked for it. To his surprise, the monster had barely moved from its original position. Time and time again, it tried to follow the pesky human but its limbs only twitched before it went still again.

  Lev put an end to its misery with a precise shot.

  ****

  The total number of monsters in the dungeon, Lev found, was 40. Five trios, eight duos, eight solo spiders, and the boss.

  [Juvenile Gray Spider Matriarch - Level 193]

  That's a big jump in levels, Lev noted. The last trio of spiders and the boss were forming a huge web in the center of the dungeon. Curiously enough, they just continued to expand it without pausing the entire time Lev observed them from afar to regenerate mana.

  The normal spiders too, were higher level.

  [Gray Spider - Level 148]

  [Gray Spider - Level 147]

  [Gray Spider - Level 148]

  Lev wasn't ashamed to admit he had debated turning back the moment their levels were revealed. By killing all the other spiders, he had only gained a few levels, which wasn't a big enough boost to bolster his confidence.

  [

  Mana Tempest has reached Level 116

  Mana Tempest has reached Level 117

  Colorful Destruction has reached 2nd Level 2

  Rapid Infusion has reached 2nd Level 2

  ]

  Lev put the points into Intelligence. There was no point in putting them into Wisdom when that only increased his regeneration slightly without giving any instant mana. It would be of no help in the upcoming fight.

  Intently gazing at the four remaining spiders, Lev mentally prepared himself. These were the last obstacles between him and a potential title. He wanted to at least give the fight a shot. With over half of his pool available, winning was still possible.

  With a deep breath, Lev formed two lightning lances and a lightning arrow, intent on finishing off the normal spiders before the fight even began.

  Taking the speed of projectiles into account, Lev launched the lances an instant before he fired the arrow. Despite that, the arrow reached the leftmost spider first, turning its brain to mush.

  The first lance missed its intended target of the spider's brain by a few inches yet still killed it with the resulting explosion of lightning. The last lance missed outright as the spider jerked out of the way in the nick of time.

  Lev tsked, eyes trained on the matriarch. The slender spider screeched as she looked for the attacker. Lev willingly revealed himself for a moment to lure it into his trap.

  The matriarch didn't disappoint and gave chase immediately. Its slender limbs moved with eerie grace, sending a jolt of fear down Lev's spine at how quickly it ate the distance.

  Gritting his teeth at the gross miscalculation, Lev overloaded his barrier manipulation skill and flew through the dense canopy as fast as he could manage. To favor speed, Lev forewent pestering the matriarch with attacks entirely.

  Sending a single glance behind him, Lev redoubled his effort when he saw that the matriarch was still faster. Not only that, weaving between the thick trunks proved ineffective, the monster even better than him at swift maneuvers. The last normal spider also followed behind in the distance.

  His heightened perception and adrenaline were the only reasons Lev discerned the matriarch's odd twist in the nick of time. He hastily darted to the right, putting a trunk directly between him and the spider.

  His precaution was rewarded when the entire tree shook. Lev imagined there was a basketball-sized hole in the part where the ball of web threads had slammed into the tree.

  His armor might have survived the impact but the sticky nature of the ball would've been his end.

  Sending a fearful glance behind him, panic gripped him when the matriarch was visible only a dozen meters away. It was catching up too quickly, which forced Lev to take action earlier than expected.

  Lev formed a barrier ball and dumped a large amount of fire mana into it as the spider's posture changed. The ball of fire and the ball of web collided mid-air, illuminating the flora in bright shades of red and orange.

  Even then, the matriarch was entirely unharmed but the detour to avoid the explosion had put some distance between them. Lev's first trap was just ahead, so he put his plan into motion. Slowing down, Lev summoned his bow and filled an arrow with a small amount of lightning mana.

  The spider dodged it with disturbing ease, ducking under the arrow to let it fly overhead harmlessly. Lev shot one arrow after another with unwavering determination, noting the moment his prepared chains entered his range of manipulation.

  With a deep, steadying breath, he landed on the ground. The monster screeched in triumph, the sound damaging his barrier armor and stunning Lev for a short moment.

  What the hell is going on!?

  There was no more time to consider the weird attack. The matriarch descended on him without missing a beat, intending to impale him on one of her limbs. Lev ducked low and flooded the durability rune carved inside the armor, feeling the slender limb scraping against the back of his barrier armor.

  Yanking himself to the right, Lev baited the matriarch into attacking again before two chains swung down in a wide arc to impale it.

  The spider slapped them away with contempt as if taunting Lev.

  Fear and nervousness took a backseat as Lev's expression hardened, then eased into a grin. If that was how it wanted to play, then so be it.

  Giving up on all but one trap, Lev ascended high above the treetops. The matriarch and the other spider, having caught up a moment before, followed. He folded his arms over his chest, gliding back with deceptive slowness.

  Every time the spider launched the web ball, two shields slapped it away. Its limbs almost found purchase on Lev several times but he darted back at the last moment, now taunting it back.

  Screech after screech rolled over him, the unholy sound ignored and powered through despite the wetness dripping down Lev's ears.

  Flying higher, Lev summoned his bow again and fired a lightning arrow. From the weird angle, the spider ducked it easily. The arrow hit a thick tree in the distance, the thud producing a small clinking sound.

  Lev ignored that and fired more arrows while circling the same spot. The monster jumped, screeched, and fired thread balls without pause, all of which were deftly countered or stubbornly resisted.

  Abruptly, he dove. The monsters both followed without pause, weaving between the branches with ease befitting their home turf advantage.

  Lev evaded thread balls and erratic limbs left and right till the matriarch inevitably dove down.

  Got you.

  Two chains attacked from its sides, their bladed ends primed to dig deep. The spider twirled mid-air, redirecting one at the last moment while the other pierced its side.

  Lev barely resisted falling flat as the loudest screech so far washed over him. Vision swimming and mind in a world of pain, he wobbled to his destination while the second spider smashed his chain to bits.

  Wounded and slightly slowed, four more chains dove down and sought to entangle the monster.

  The first was slapped away by a limb, and the next two only dug a little into the spider's abdomen.

  Seeing the matriarch's face about to be impaled, the second spider jumped in the chain's trajectory, heroically absorbing the blow. It may have saved the matriarch but the bulk blocked the boss' vision.

  Four lances brimming with lightning and traces of fire mana descended in an instant, most of them blocked by the normal spider. The large blast set the surrounding flora ablaze, the smoke obscuring Lev's form.

  Four of the still-intact chains swung back down again, dodged deftly by the matriarch as the second spider succumbed to the accumulated grievous wounds.

  Angry, hateful screeches washed over the area with enough intensity that the surrounding fire wavered. One of the nearby trees groaned, the accumulated damage too much for it to stay upright.

  The matriarch didn't notice the arrows embedded in the damaged trunk, repeatedly fired by Lev at the same spot. It only had eyes for Lev, hellbent on bringing him down.

  Lev obliged, revealing himself by floating out of the smoke a few dozen meters away. Bracing himself, four of Lev's shields enchanted with durability runes deflected the monster's limbs while he weaved between the rest.

  With two lances ready to launch at the edge of his manipulation range, Lev put the last part of his plan into motion. The four chains targeted the back limbs while Lev veered sharply to the left, giving way to the lance seeking to impale the monster. All the while, a nearby tree continued to creak ominously.

  In a majestic display of agility, the monster sacrificed two of its long back legs and jumped over the incoming lance, right in the path of the second lance.

  Even then, it jerked at the last moment and saved its face from being impaled. The lightning mana seared into its body, stunning it for a long moment before the matriarch found its bearings.

  Lev just floated in place, calmly gazing upon the barely standing monster, and gave it a middle finger. Even if all his attacks failed to put it down, the trunk hurtling down sure did. Two bright and overloaded thick chains pulled down the tree, the tools responsible for the poor state of the falling trunk.

  [

  You have slain [Juvenile Gray Spider Matriarch - Level 193]

  Mana Tempest has reached Level 118

  Mana Tempest has reached Level 119

  Mana Tempest has reached Level 120

  Colorful Destruction has reached 2nd Level 3

  Colorful Destruction has reached 2nd Level 4

  Colorful Destruction has reached 2nd Level 5

  Rapid Infusion has reached 2nd Level 3

  Rapid Infusion has reached 2nd Level 4

  Superior Senses has reached 3rd Level 1

  Arcane Barrier Manipulation has reached 3rd Level 1

  Unerring Volley has reached 3rd Level 1

  Mage Conduit has reached 3rd Level 1

  You have earned the title: Solo Dungeoneer

  You have cleared your first dungeon.

  You have cleared your first dungeon solo.

  You cleared your first dungeon against monsters of a higher average level.

  +10 to an attribute of your choice.

  This title has a myriad of upgrade paths. Step forth and carve out your own destiny.

  ]