9th floor from the bottom

"So I'd like to ask, how did I end up like this again?"

"We encountered a rare class hostile entity, master underestimate and mocked said entity insinuating it's anger. Master confidently attack the entity with [dark bolt] but it was nullified by the entity leaving master slack jawed. Before master regain master's composure I charge the entity but it caught me with [shadow hands] and toss me towards master, seeing my trajectory master did not evade and catch me instead. The entity did not waste the opportunity and launch several [dark bolt], seeing..."

"Stop, just surmise it please."

"Surmising, we met hostile entity, we made a blunder, master lose consciousness from protecting me, I defeated said entity."

"Okay, now can you tell me as to why did you tie me up with this thing?" Holding my patience I could feel my nerve throbbing.

"As there might be more hostile in our path, I decided it'll be inefficient to carry master as such I used the dead entity Shadow Rage Wulf as a sled and tied master over it to prevent master from falling." It replied as it keeps dragging the 'sled'.

"Alright I can understand that but do you have to make it face to face with me and why are you even still dragging me now that I'm awake?!" Asking the hundred dollar question, I snapped.

For a moment it stopped and I could feel it's gaze against my back and for a moment, I had hope it would release me but it soon resume walking with an increased pace. It might be my homunculus but I seriously considering to beat it up.

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

1st month of Junar, 1661. ???

A spacious pentagonal room a six blood red robed people chant in unholy words, circling an altar with a bare man struggling with the chains holding him.

Next to the man, the leader of the cult clothed like the others except for the golden outline on their robe, raised the bloody dagger in his hand and thrust it down the man's heart.

Blood flows down the bloody altar and move through the gap between tiles, from a bird's eye view one could tell that the whole room is a massive magic circle but the blood painting it is incomplete.

Pulling the dagger out, the leader walk out of the room as two more member went in, dragging another sacrifice with them.

"Our Lord demand to know the progress of the ritual." Spoke a man in golden armor as soon as the leader got out.

"Do not worry good general, it will be finish in time with your preparations. Then the devil's army will be his to command!" The leader answer with a formal bow.

"I ask you for the progress, not words of flattery!"

"We are halfway to completion my Lord, we just need at least another year and roughly 15,000 more sacrifice before it is complete."

"Hmph, we will provide the sacrifice. Be sure not to fail us, scum." Scoff the man before walking away.

Under it's hood the leader sneer mockingly "yes, we will not fail for our true Lord wants this world. It is you who shouldn't fail us, foolish mortals."

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

10th floor from the bottom, boss room.

"A little help here would be nice!" I yelled as I swat away the rain of knife like petals launch by the boss before jumping over and maneuver mid-air to avoid it's sliding roots and slashing vines.

"Negative, according to my calculations master chance to win alone is as high as 87%. It is unnecessary for me to interfere and it would be more effective for me to gather more knowledge in the meantime." It replied as it flip another page of the bestiary.

The moment we entered this damn plant have been continuously attacking us, leaving me with time to scan it lest I risk taking a hit. The body of the boss look like hundreds of telephone pole size stems entwined together up to two stories high before joining together to a "head" with the face that of a chomper plant surrounded by thousands of colorful flowers. Between the flowers, eight thorny vines protrudes and moved at breakneck speed while it's bamboo sized roots covered the center of the room in a circular manner.

For a good while it was testing the waters by only using it vines, as I got closer it's roots started shifting around and tried to either trip me of bind me before the flowers around it's face burst and regrow in an instant, the petals left then would flew and assault me before turning to some kinda yellow dust.

It had tried attacking "thing" but it quickly evade and move out of the boss's attack range then proceed to laze around. Damn it where did your reliable self go, was it only a trick? I really regret letting it read those damned books.

"Ranthery; plant type monster; boss class; grade: rare; status range: 1850-2200; level range: 198-212; recorded skills: petal dance, vine cutter, roots bind, critical smash, chomp, paralytic spore, disorienting scream; strong against earth element, null against wind, weak against light."

Upon hearing it's answer I broke off from engaging the vines and cast [shine]. Similar to a flashbang, [shine] create a flash of blinding light along with a loud high frequency noise in a short radius to overload one's sense and disorienting them. In this case only the light is effective as it screams in pain and it's vines seem to shrunk a bit while it's flowers wilted off.

Of course the effect of [shine] does not affect me or "thing" as I will it so, it just cost more mana with that specifications.

Not wasting a second I dash below it and launch [blade dance], a battle art I learned recently. It is not much of a dance as the name implied as it is just as many successive strikes in fluid manner as possible until one breaks off.

I managed to launches eight strikes before falling back, six strikes cuts off six vines while one is a miss and the other is blocked.

With the flowers gone and six vines less, the previous pressure is pretty much none existence now. Launching two [fireball] with empowered explosion using [fire blast] as distraction and cover, I quickly get behind it and clip off it's "head".

I land accompanied by a heavy thud from the stem in front of me, unlike the usual monsters this one quickly wilted until only ashes remains. That if you don't count the gleaming green melon sized Mana crystal within it.

After storing the crystal I quickly Walk towards the big double door where "thing" already awaits my arrival, with this kinda boss I think I can pretty much guess the theme of the floors ahead.

"You took 23 minutes 58 seconds, try harder next time." It told me as I pass by it.

"Shut up, you didn't even contribute much." Although I try to sound displeased I couldn't help but smile, I sure regret letting it read those trashy novels but I would never regret giving it permission to act based on what it has learned.

"You ready?" I asked as I placed a hand on the door.

"Would it stop you if I say no?"

"Hahaha nope, I won't"

Let's head to the "garden" shall we?