"Harvest Moon?" Lu Cang asked, his tone filled with confusion.
Iz looked at Lu Cang, somewhat surprised...
"You don't know about the Harvest Moon?"
'Oh no, I think I accidentally asked a really strange question.'
'I'm still not being careful enough with my words.'
Just as Lu Cang was thinking about how to smooth things over, Iz stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I see... Perhaps there are places in this world that even the Authority of the gods cannot reach."
"To think you came from a place so far away..."
Iz sighed softly.
'That was close...'
'Looks like I managed to fool him. Even though he's a good person, it still feels like a bad idea to let him find out I'm not from this world...'
'At least until I'm completely familiar with this world, it's best to hide my identity as a Transmigrator.'
"The Harvest Moon. Its full name is the Fortunate Harvest Moon."
"It often occurs in the ninth month of the year, when the Moon is Yakadikto."
'What's a Moon...?'
'And what's a Yakadikto?'
Lu Cang was very curious about these questions, but decided he'd look them up in a book when he had the time.
'What Iz said should be common knowledge.'
'It should be easy to find in a book.'
Iz continued to explain, "During this month, the yield of materials from all sources increases. It's easier to obtain more valuable treasures, and even common monsters can have rarer drops that they normally wouldn't."
"So, during this time, Adventurers tend to flock to Dungeons to explore."
'Sounds like some kind of loot-drop-rate-increase event...'
'But it also feels like it's hiding a lot of danger.'
'It stimulates the Adventurers' desire to explore Dungeons. Their greed might lead them to their deaths...'
'It feels like some kind of trap.'
"If the Harvest Moon is early, we also need to prepare to explore a large-scale Dungeon."
"But not right now, of course."
Iz collected all the Shadow Cheetah corpses into his Storage Space.
Lu Cang walked with him, continuing deeper.
This Dungeon was different from the one he had encountered when he first transmigrated.
So far, he hadn't seen a single fork in the road.
The Dungeon from when he'd first arrived was a labyrinth, with different forks everywhere. Just looking at it was dizzying.
But this Dungeon was almost a straight corridor, and the Lighting Technique made any traps clearly visible.
Lu Cang and Iz explored a bit further and encountered other Demons.
Eight Shadow Cheetahs.
Two Shadow Spiders...
Spiders. The first time he saw a spider several times his own size, Lu Cang jumped in fright.
But the next second, Lu Cang raised his hand and simultaneously blasted the spider's body with seven Fireballs.
A violent burst of flame engulfed it.
The spider was instantly burned to a crisp.
The Power of the Fireball Technique Lu Cang cast was far greater than that of an ordinary Mage.
So far in this Dungeon, Lu Cang hadn't encountered a single monster he couldn't one-shot with his Magic.
'It seems...'
'As my Skill Proficiency Level increases, the boost to my Magic's Power is pretty impressive.'
According to Iz, it would take an ordinary Level 1 Mage at least thirty to forty Fireballs to kill this Shadow Spider.
Yet Lu Cang's seven-shot volley of Fireballs could kill it instantly.
The second time he encountered a Shadow Spider, Lu Cang deliberately controlled the number of Fireballs that hit it.
One Fireball...
It wasn't an instant kill, but it set the creature's entire body on fire, and it let out a painful wail.
As it shot Shadow Spider Silk at Lu Cang from its rear, Lu Cang's second Fireball immediately followed.
The moment the silk came into contact with the Fireball, it was instantly incinerated.
The Fireball, its power undiminished, continued on and slammed into the Shadow Spider's body.
BOOM!
With that hit, the flaming Shadow Spider fell backward to the ground and stopped moving.
'Two Fireballs...'
'...can take down a Shadow Spider.'
'Other Level 1 Mages need about 30 to 40?'
'In other words, one of my Fireballs is equivalent to 15 to 20 of theirs. A seven-shot volley...'
Lu Cang calculated in his head. That was roughly equivalent to the power of 95 to 140 shots.
'Besides, it seemed like the first Fireball had almost killed it already; the second one was just to finish it off. The actual estimate should be even higher.'
'So a single cast from me has over a hundred times the killing power of other Mages of the same Level.'
'Is this the benefit of a Divine Talent?'
Lu Cang marveled silently.
'Speaking of which, I don't really have a deep understanding of this whole Talent thing.'
'Back when I changed my class, it sounded like Kumironi meant that Talents have a more complex mechanic to them.'
'I'll have to find some time to research it on my own...'
'If I can't find any relevant literature, I'll go ask Kumironi and the others.'
Lu Cang still didn't want to casually expose his weakness when it came to "common knowledge."
Besides, asking about everything would be annoying to others. Lu Cang wanted to avoid troubling Iz and the others as much as possible.
Shadow Spiders, Shadow Cheetahs, and aside from them...
they also encountered a Shadow Demon.
A pure shadow, a dark patch that remained on the wall even under the Lighting Technique.
Actually, it was a good thing they had the Lighting Technique; otherwise, it would have blended in with the shadows completely, making it impossible to spot.
"A Shadow Demon."
"A Tier Two Demon. While it's in its shadow state, physical attacks have no effect on it whatsoever. Magical attacks that target physical bodies won't harm it either. Only Light Element attacks are effective."
"However, while in its shadow state, it can't threaten us physically either."
"It will only leave the shadow and attack us when our line of sight is not on it."
The shadow stuck to the wall, following Lu Cang as he walked.
It would occasionally circle behind Lu Cang, but Lu Cang's gaze always managed to follow it, keeping it in sight.
Its movement speed wasn't fast, so it was easy to keep track of.
Iz said, "In other words, as long as you keep your eyes on it, you're safe, even if you can't damage it."
"But in an actual battle, having an enemy like this around is always a threat."
"Come, chant with me."
"O Lord of Light at dawn, I pray for a ray of light, to pierce the darkness for me."
Lu Cang chanted, following Izparut's words.
A cross-shaped Light Saber materialized in his hand.
[Cross of Light (Level: 5)]
Lu Cang could feel that he could hold this cross-shaped Light Saber in his hand for a short time... and use it as a weapon.
He could also throw it directly.
Lu Cang gripped the Light Saber and hurled it at the Shadow Demon!
CLANG!
"AHHH—!!"
The cross of light pierced the Shadow Demon's body, and a pained wail came from the shadow.
Immediately after, the shadow stretched out two shadowy hands, reaching rapidly for Lu Cang!
Lu Cang retreated with a series of quick steps.
"I pray for light, to pierce the darkness."
A Light Saber materialized in his hand once more!
CLANG—
The Light Saber pierced one of its arms. Pinned by the light, the arm could no longer move.
"Light."
VMM—
In Lu Cang's hand, the cross materialized again, brighter and bigger!
But this time, the shadow suddenly expanded, instantly arriving at Lu Cang's feet.
Small, dark hands suddenly erupted from the ground!
Lu Cang leaped back sharply, simultaneously thrusting the light downward!
[Cross of Light (Level: 10) — No Chanting, Larger Cross]
Unlike the Lighting Technique, this Cross of Light could be cast with no Chanting.
SWOOSH!
BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The shadow began to chase Lu Cang rapidly, and Lu Cang started running, throwing Crosses of Light behind him as he fled!
The shadow continued to stretch in Lu Cang's direction, but it had to pause every time it was hit by a Cross of Light.
Furthermore, each Cross of Light Lu Cang unleashed was much more powerful than the last.
Soon, the Shadow Demon, pinned to the ground by thirteen Crosses of Light, stopped moving completely.
The shadow shrank continuously, finally turning into a pitch-black husk that fell to the cavern floor.