I folded my legs and sat down after pulling all the things inside the chest. The bounty inside was more valuable than the all other four floors combined. That’s a little bit fucked from a balance standpoint. The first thing I got out of the way was an armor set. I inspected them first since I couldn’t use them. It looked similar to what Brad Pitt wore in the movie Troy. Except, you know, with the creature parts. The helmet was made out of the scales of the green head and offered good defense with lightning resistance.


    The cuirass looked like it was made out of orca head’s skull and offered excellent defense except it didn’t cover the shoulders or arms. The greves ended with claws akin to what bug knight had and increased not only one’s agility by 5 but also offered poison and acid resistance. I can’t say that the design was my cup of tea but they offered better protection than most of the armors in Eluton’s store. Also if all of them were worn, one could use Regeneration once a day.


    (Orca Fang Blade)


    (Power:10)


    (Durability:275)


    (Crafted from one of the sharp teeth of the orca-headed hydra, this dagger has a serrated edge that can cause bleeding wounds.)


    (Bloodseeker: If the User causes bleeding Power stat of this dagger will increase by 5.)


    I already had Bite of Binding Centipede as a dagger though I never had the chance to use it yet. This one didn’t look better than it since its base Power was lower. I wasn’t really that big on using daggers. Carrying one was better than carrying none but if it wasn’t for Lily’s influence I never would have known beyond the basic knife fighting military thought us.


    I sighed remembering how him starting knife-throwing competitions would get us in trouble.


    (Verdant Victory Banner)


    (One use)


    (By planting this banner on the ground you can boost all resistance against mental status effects and stamina replenish the rate of allies by 50 percent. All allies receive +1 to all stats. This item disappears after one use.)


    I tilted my head and inspected the banner. It depicted one archer, one swordsman, and one puppy defeating a three-headed hydra. It was cool. Looking at it I understood why kings had their paintings made. This shit made me look like a legend. The effect of it was pretty good too though it was a shame that it was a one-time use. Maybe I could absorb it and reuse it time and time again?


    …


    The thing about absorbing things with options was I had to understand how they worked before I absorbed them. I could absorb a weapon without options after I grasped their shape, weight, and balance but options mixed stuff up. I had to use Gaia Burst and Wurmblood Resonance several times before I could absorb my hammer. The reason why my new shield was currently several hundred meters away from me was because of this very reason. I haven’t had the chance to use Ward of Protection!


    I knocked on my head several times. I came to this dungeon to use my skills in real fights but I had too many options. I could have used Frost Booster against the hydra or monarch. I could have drank the potions. Maybe I could have fired Ward of Protection immediately after the first attack of the hydra.


    My brain couldn’t keep up with all the skills and items I had.


    "Maybe there''s a skill or technique that can help me with mental clarity and concentration," I pondered. I was quite confident in my ability to multitask but as my skillset and item selection grew, I struggled. Where is a helpful AI when you need it? I miss the assistant AI my power armor had. It went full stupid sometimes but it was still useful.


    Anyways. I picked up a red gem with a single rune etched upon it. At first, I thought it was just another mana stone but…


    (Titan Slayer’s Rune)


    (20 uses)


    (You can invoke the power in this rune once a day. When invoked, the Titan Slayer''s Rune enhances all of your stats by 30 percent when facing an enemy twice your size. The bonus increases to 50 percent against foes three times your size and peaks at 80 percent when confronting adversaries five times your size.)


    As I examined the Titan Slayer''s Rune, a sense of excitement and anticipation welled up within me. 80 percent! If I fought against a 10 meters tall enemy I would get a whooping 80 percent stat increase. If Nidhogg was as big as the hydra then this could make my battle against it much, much easier! If I get this one I had no problems giving everything else to Elandris.


    Okay, maybe except for the spear I was currently eyeing. It was nearly two meters long. The handle was mostly jet black. Its blade was a dark shade of purple. The blade resembled a long fang, extending to cover the edges of the handle.


    (Chimeric Hydra''s Fang Spear)


    (Power:20)


    (Durability:600\600)


    (Forged in the crucible of mythical battles, Chimeric Hydra''s Fang Spear strikes fear into the hearts of monstrous creatures. Infused with the essence of the three-headed hydra this spear carries the power the slay the same creature it originated from.)


    (Chimeric Fury: Carrying the characteristics of the chimera hydra, every strike dealt with this spear has a 30 percent chance to paralyze, poison, or ignore 5 Defense, reflecting the diverse nature of the chimera''s influence.)


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.(Elemental Voracity: Once a day, the spear can absorb an elemental-based attack, showcasing the gluttonous nature of the hydra it came from. The absorbed attack not only repairs the weapon but also temporarily increases its Power, allowing for devastating counterattacks.)


    I knew that greeding over another weapon after complaining about how having too many choices confused me was dumb. But seeing how cool that spear looked and how good it was… Any man who held a good weapon before couldn’t blame me for wanting it.


    I sighed and put down the spear. Some other noticeable drops included Boots of Fleetness, Singing Sword of Harmony, and Cloak of Shadows. The latter one especially was noticeable to me as it was similar to one Morrigan wore before it was destroyed during our fight in the forest. Maybe this could replace it with the right enhancements.


    The last important stuff was the stat-boosting crystals and the potions. I couldn’t fully identify both without Elandris and I also wasn’t so interested in them. I was sure that stat-boosting crystals weren’t effective on me and drinking potions in the heat of the battle was still alien to me. Still, stat-boosting crystals were very valuable. From my talks with B?rü and Ama, I knew that they were sought after since they could power up a civilian or lower-level soldier without needing any time or resources. Since the economy of Whifur was based on dungeon conquering and they still didn’t have a properly structured military force, they were used to strengthen anyone willing to fight and hunt. I wasn’t sure if Elandris would want them, with elvish dislike to absorb mana but maybe they were just different enough from absorbing mana for elves to use them? I had to ask him when he returns.


    When I felt the presence of several people approaching my location my heart rate suddenly shot up. A possible threat?


    “Ah.”


    I looked at the bracelet. Of course, I called Morrigan to here. I rose up to my feet, surprised I wasn’t feeling sore after a battle that intense. I guess I should thank my new title for that. I turned in the direction where I felt them and saw that Morrigan, Lily, and 20 fully armored and armed beastkin marching toward me. Ugh. I should be thankful that she cared this much about me but this was a little too much. I waved to Morrigan and she leaped to my side, leaving her man behind. Lily on the other hand was inspecting what remained of the forest with a disgusted face.


    Morrigan stopped several steps in front of me. She first inspected me, then the loot sorted on the ground, then the massive hydra behind me silently. She took a deep breath and I got ready for the scolding I was about to receive.


    “When you said you want to test out your abilities alone and wanted me to set up a dungeon, I figured you would clear one of two floors and return back.”


    She took another deep breath.


    “5 floors! 5 floors! The entirety of the Chimera Garden! Not only that but one of the floors changed drastically!”


    She pointed to the hydra.


    “What is this!? Why there is a massive, city destroying hydra here? More importantly, why have you fought it? You were supposed to retreat and report back to us!”


    Her behaviour was different than her usual but it wasn’t that weird. It was normal to react like this to this hydra. I scratched my head, a sheepish smile playing on my lips as I faced her. Lily, who had finished examining the surroundings, joined us.


    “This place is ugly.”


    Morrigan’s head snapped back to him, her teeth flashing. Lily raised his hands defensively and stepped back. The beastkin stood several meters behind him silently, probably afraid of Morrigan’s wrath though this didn’t stop them from eyeing the items and the hydra.


    “You could have died! Have you ever stopped and thought what I would feel if you died? What Lily and Larve would have felt?”


    I looked at Lily for help but he raised his hand.


    “Sorry pal, but I am enjoying you getting roasted. Plus, you need to learn not to get into dangerous situations.”


    Damn you, Lily. Morrigan crossed her arms and looked at me, reprimandingly.


    “An explanation is in order.”


    I took a deep breath. I glanced back to hydra for any signs of Elandris and noticed him coming forward with his bow in his hands. An arrow was on the string. Morrigan also noticed him and put her hand to her dagger.


    “Okay, both of you. Elandris, this is Morrigan Blackclaw. Morrigan, this is Elandris. We don’t have enemies here.”


    Morrigan''s stern expression softened as she glanced at Elandris, and she withdrew her hand from the dagger. Elandris, in turn, lowered his bow. Lily was visibly excited to see an elf in the flesh. I really hope that he won’t start to flirt with him.


    “I knew your father, Adriel Blackclaw. We met when he first came to ask permission to live here. He was an honest and strong man. My condolences.”


    Morrigan accepted his words with a nod.


    “Thank you. May I ask why an elven ranger is here? We didn’t break any vows and this place is allowed to us.”


    Elandris looked at the beastkin behind her. He didn’t want beastkin’s help to subjugate Nidhogg before when I offered him help. That’s why he didn’t want to talk in front of this many people. I was sure he didn’t even want to talk to Morrigan about it but with Morrigan being one of the leaders of Whifur keeping his silence could lead to problems.


    “Have you finished getting the important parts?”


    I asked him. His eyes lit up for a second, understanding what I meant.


    “Some still remain. I got the heart, eyes, some scales, and venom sacks but it is a huge beast.”


    I turned out to man Morrigan brought.


    “Can you guys deal with it before it gets absorbed back into the dungeon? Your payment is here when you finish.”


    I pointed to the gold pile I got from the chest. They looked at Morrigan for approval and she nodded. After they got away from us to harvest the hydra I took a deep breath to explain.