During these days, Mark meticulously analyzed his own capabilities. His primary detection methods consisted of Mana Sense, Blind Sense, Air Sense, and Earth Sense. Collectively, this system was known as "Multi-Sense." Additionally, there was Aura Sense, which acted as a primal warning system whenever his life was in immediate danger.
However, the cost of maintaining Multi-Sense was grueling: the constant "Mana Tax" drained his reserves at an alarming rate, and the crushing headaches caused by sensory overload remained a persistent obstacle. Worst of all, despite the heavy toll it took on him, the system was still far from perfect. It made sense, in a way—aside from Blind Sense, these sensory spells were never intended to replace eyesight. They were auxiliary tools designed to detect what the human eye could not.
For a lone blind mage like Mark, a perfect, all-encompassing sensory system simply didn't exist. The demands placed upon him were several times higher than those of an average mage. For instance, standard mages—especially those relying on the Incantation style—required significant time to weave spells through spoken words. In that light, Mark's Stone Bullet 2.0, with its 3-second cast time, high destructive power, and the ability to be cast while moving, was an exceptional feat. This was why most mages traveled with companions; they needed others to provide a distraction so they could afford the time to cast. Mark, however, had no such luxury.
For now, the only solution was to expand the radius of Multi-Sense, sharpen its focus on finer details, reduce the Mana Tax, and build a higher tolerance against sensory overload. Simply put, he needed to increase his mana capacity and usage efficiency. He had currently reached D+ rank and was on the verge of breaking into "C-" -rank.
His spell repertoire also required expansion. Mark lacked both Area of Effect (AoE) spells and solid defensive magic. These deficiencies were glaringly obvious when he was caught in the goblin shaman's trap, where he had been forced to repeatedly spam Air Repulsion just to survive. To handle diverse combat scenarios and make tactical decisions, he needed a variety of offensive spells and magic that enhanced his mobility.
Even after donning his new clothes and seeing his wounds mostly healed, Mark felt no urge to rush into the second floor. In general, Mark wasn't the type of person who enjoyed clearing floors, challenging bosses, or engaging in life-threatening battles for the sake of it. There were no rewards for clearing floors; perhaps if his System featured a level-up or point-based progression, his motivation might have been higher. But for him, fighting was a meaningless chore. Still, he hadn't forgotten where he was—he knew that once he finally emerged from the dungeon, he would inevitably face immense dangers. Thus, after stabilizing his body and practicing mana manipulation, he fully immersed himself in magical research.
Mark spent his days in constant meditation, descending into his Inner World to practice new spells while steadily increasing his mana capacity. Aside from a few new techniques, he spent most of his time refining the spells he already knew, using them as foundations to create advanced variations. He worked tirelessly to cover the weaknesses in his combat style, maintaining his Multi-Sense at all times. Unfortunately, his physical development seemed to have hit a ceiling, so he scaled back his physical training.
Even after the first-floor boss was defeated, new goblins continued to spawn. This turned out to be a blessing; Mark used them as lab rats for all his new magic. He would either engage them in pure combat or test his Mana Reinforcement healing techniques on their wounded bodies. The variety among the goblins' behaviors also helped him focus. Even if they posed no real threat anymore, they were still monsters, and they served their purpose.
As time passed, his mana rank finally ascended from D+ to C-. His Multi-Sense radius expanded to a solid 40 meters, and his magical repertoire grew vast enough to handle various combat scenarios. Confident that he could now execute these spells in real-time combat, Mark decided it was time to descend to the second floor. Standing before the Safe Zone gate, he took a deep breath and stepped through... only to find it strangely familiar.
Mark flicked his own forehead. "Idiot, you're still on the first floor." He retreated back to the Safe Zone and questioned the System. How do I get to the second floor? This gate keeps taking me back to the first.
[State the specific floor you wish to enter while standing before the gate; otherwise, you will be sent to the last floor you visited.]
Mark cleared his throat. "Open Sesame... take me to the second floor." There was no visible change. He waited a moment, then shrugged and stepped through the gate. His confidence was high, and his mood was excellent—until the very moment he crossed the threshold and felt the cold, visceral sting of danger aimed directly at his head.