Bang!Kieran pulled the trigger at the monster. The bullet flew right through the gelatinous door and aimed at the spot between the monster’s eyebrows.
As the bullet crashed into the monster, sparks were ignited and the monster’s head was tilted backwards from the force before returning to its original position without a scratch. The monster growled again.
[Shooting: Lethal Attack, Inflicts 100 Damage to Target HP (50 Firearm Weapon, Light Firearm (Musou) X2; Bullets of Blessing: Extra 100 Damage to Negative Energy Being, Authentication failed, Lethal Attack revoked, Target has Immunity to Lethal Damage, High Dead-Man’s Skin, and High Iron Armor, Resisted 200 Damage, 0 True Damage inflicted…]
...
"It’s useless?"
Kieran went through the notification quickly before taking another look at the monster.
Then he reached for the last [Holy Water VIII] on his pack and turned his back to the monster.
If it could resist the effect of the [Bullets of Blessing], Kieran was not sure whether [Holy Water VIII] could inflict any damage to it. Even if it did, one tube of [Holy Water VIII] might not inflict enough damage to kill it.
Kieran made his choice. Rather than risking it, he chose to save the tube for a more difficult time.
He regretted it immensely. If he really was able to kill the monster, the rewards would be luxurious.
Considering he had no way to inflict damage to it though, he would rather explore the cave and search for a way out than stay where he was.
Kieran had no intention of getting trapped underground, as that would mean failing the Main Mission.
He had escaped death multiple times since he had entered this dungeon, and he did not want his life to end in a dark underground pa.s.sage.
Kieran carefully inspected his surroundings.
The dim light source allowed him to see that the pa.s.sage before him was a straight, 5-meter wide, 30-centimeter tall flight of stairs leading up ahead. The walls on both sides were firm and flat.
From where Kieran was standing, the darkness did not let him see the end of the stairs. He had no other options though.
After making sure the stairs would not collapse or activate any traps, he carefully ventured forward and up the stairs.
The process was slow, as Kieran was scared of falling into a hidden b.o.o.by trap. He had to check every flight of stairs carefully.
Even though he had some theories about his current location, and there had to be no traps around, that did not stop him from being careful.
After almost an hour, Kieran reached the top of the stairs.
A sudden light flashed before him.
Two blue flaming skulls had appeared before Kieran. Deep in their eye sockets, blue flames were burning brightly, forming a faint whirlpool-like mirage that seemed like it was trying to suck the souls of the living. The open jaws below revealed extruding teeth that seemed to be letting out a dying howl.
"Evil spirits?"
Kieran instinctively reached for his gun and clenched the handle hard, but he released it after a moment.
Under the blue light of the fire, he saw what the blue flaming skulls really were.
Below the skulls were two big femurs and cervical bones that supported them.
The blue flames did not originate from the skulls themselves. but from an oil-like liquid within them.
Inside the skulls were two small containers that held the oil.
Kieran saw everything clearly as he lifted his dagger over the skulls.
"Is this a lighting brazier?" Kieran said after circling the eerie stand.
Although it looked crazy and absurd, Kieran could not come up with any other explanation.
What concerned him more was how the brazier had been lit if he had not triggered any trap or switch.
Kieran glared intensely at the weird-looking brazier, but got no further answers. He started to inspect his surroundings again.
Although the area was not properly lighted, it was not pitch-black either.
He found himself on an average-sized platform. In front of it were the endless stairs leading up, and behind him was the place he had come from.
The blue light that shone on the rock made the ground and wall reflect an even deeper l.u.s.trous glint that revealed a half-open door.
A weird part of the wall was sticking out on Kieran’s left side. It was only a finger high.
Kieran could feel some kind of breeze from the other side of the odd-looking spot. He was intrigued by the s.p.a.ce behind it.
After he checked his surroundings carefully, he pressed the switch with his finger.
A clear clicking sound was heard, and the whole wall started to turn in the direction that Kieran was pus.h.i.+ng.
When the wall stopped turning, a huge room revealed itself to Kieran.
The room was divided into two by a pathway, and both sides of the room were decorated.
The left side was filled with flasks, beakers, and other unknown instruments used for experiments. They had been placed there neatly and arranged nicely.
The right side was a messy bookshelf almost the height of two fully-grown men. Beneath the bookshelf was a desk. There were books all over the place, forming a small pile.
Thanks to the light coming from outside, Kieran could clearly see the two mummies buried under the pile of books.
After noticing them, Kieran instinctively activated his [Tracking] to look for clues. Meanwhile, he paid close attention to his [Knitted Talisman], looking for any signs of the paranormal.
Everything seemed to be fine though. The mummies were not related to spirits or spectres.
To make sure they were really okay, Kieran observed them carefully.
The fact that there were corpses in such a place proved the value of Kieran’s investigation. He didn’t need his intuition to guide him.
Kieran moved the old books away from the corpses, careful not to damage them.
A slight glimpse at the book’s runes and symbols was enough for Kieran to know that they were very valuable.
They were almost as valuable as the books back in Nikorei’s study.
Kieran made the comparison based on his experience in reading books on Mystical Knowledge.
The less he could understand, the more valuable the books were.
Although this was no proof whatsoever, considering he only possessed a Master Level [Mystical Knowledge], it was all he could do.
"Huh?"
Kieran was surprised when he moved the books away from the mummies and saw who it was.