Unknown to just how many people had recently taken an interest in him, Orion was currently diving deep into the Dungeon. This time, however, he was having fun experimenting with magic and sorcery.
"Gawk."
A sound echoed from deep within the Dungeon. The dark, narrow corridor opened into a wider space where Orion met his first assailant.
An Orc.
From Floor 10 onward, adventurers could encounter Orcs in the Dungeon—large, fat monsters with strong bodies and weak brains. They were powerful but slow. Fighting them was relatively easy as long as one maintained distance and had enough firepower to pierce their tough hide—or was fast enough to get close without being hit.
Fortunately for Orion, he was both.
Taking out his staff, he began with Glintstone Pebble. Compared to what players obtained in the later stages of Elden Ring, it was a rather weak attack, but here it worked just fine.
Orion raised his staff and, with a swing, released a fist-sized magical stone at the Orc.
It flew forward and smashed into the Orc's head, earning a loud growl before the fat monster stumbled backward and fell to the ground.
[I still fail to see what's so fascinating about throwing rocks at monsters. If anything, the Discus of Light could have beheaded this creature in a single strike.]
Marika grumbled, making her dissatisfaction known.
"I don't disagree. Discus of Light is a better attack with even lower mana cost," Orion admitted easily.
[Then why?!]
Marika asked in disbelief, wondering why anyone would use those vile sorceries after knowing incantations were superior.
"Time, my dear goddess. Time."
"Incantations require a long chant. Sorceries are more about mathematical calculation. With proper training, the calculation time can be minimized—almost reduced to zero. Most of the time, we reuse the same formulas with only slight modifications.
"Incantations, though, take time.
"Yes, they are stronger, but I can fire two—maybe three—spells in the time it takes to prepare one incantation."
Orion explained calmly.
This had never been an issue in the game, but reality was different. Incantations in reality were somewhat stronger since they drew power from faith. The entity one drew power from determined how strong the incantation would be. That was why incantations were not always reliable—they depended heavily on the deity providing the power. However, if the deity was benevolent, the incantation could outclass sorcery in both power and mana efficiency.
No wonder his Golden Order incantations were so strong. Grace had practically adopted him at this point.
Sorcery, on the other hand, was based entirely on calculations and mana consumption. Stronger spells depended on two factors: complexity and mana cost.
A simple example would be the two spells Orion was currently using.
Glintstone Pebble required low Intelligence and low mana consumption—but that also meant it wasn't very strong.
Carian Slicer, on the other hand, was highly cost-effective in terms of mana but required greater mental focus. The game's stat requirements didn't exactly exist here. In reality, Slicer demanded more from the sorcerer's mind. In return, it provided impressive cutting power—especially given how quickly it could be cast with enough practice.
The idea was simple: either mental strain or mana consumption had to increase for a sorcery's power to rise.
Marika merely huffed.
The Orc groaned, already trying to get up with its skull cracked from the earlier attack. The Glintstone Pebble had done damage—just not enough.
"Well, let's fix that," Orion grinned as he rushed toward the struggling Orc. His staff glowed with cerulean light, forming a blade at its tip.
Carian Slicer.
With practiced ease, Orion slashed open the Orc's leg, forcing it to fall again. Another Slicer struck directly at its neck—beheading it in a single stroke.
Orion stared at the clean cut, impressed by how effortless it had been. Aside from the annoying calculations required each time he cast it, each Slicer strike carried cutting power nearly equal to his Unsheathe attack with the Uchigatana.
And the mana drain was minimal.
'Not bad…'
Once finished, he looked past the fallen Orc, which was already beginning to disperse—though not at the absurd rate seen in the anime. At this pace, it would take hours or even days for the body to fully reabsorb into the Dungeon.
Orion didn't plan to wait.
He pulled out his knife and began cutting into the Orc's hide—the only worthwhile material from its body. That, and the magic stone inside it.
By the time he dug out the stone, mist had begun to gather around him, and a chilly breeze swept across the area.
"Cold…" he muttered, watching vapor rise from his breath.
He seemed to remember this place. It looked like the same area where Bell had once fought a group of Orcs—where Lily had stolen his knife.
At least, he thought so. His memory wasn't perfect.
However, when he noticed multiple silhouettes—large enough to swallow him whole—he realized he might be right.
They were Orcs.
And they were approaching in a group.
He had made enough noise to attract them, after all. Though there were only six or so. Calling them a horde might be an exaggeration—it was just their size that made them seem overwhelming.
[Still not planning on using incantations?]
"Of course not. In fact, I have the perfect spell for this."
Orion's eyes gleamed. Since he had time, he planted his staff before him and began chanting, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark,
I beseech thee, combine with my deep crimson."
Excitement surged through him as his mana moved—an entirely different magical system from either Elden Ring or Danmachi coming to life.
This was the strongest known magic in the world of Konosuba.
"The time of awakening cometh.
Justice, fallen upon the infallible boundary,
appear now as an intangible distortion!"
Magic twisted and spiraled, darkness swirling chaotically until the gathered mana condensed into a blazing mass of power above his staff.
"I desire for my torrent of power a destructive force—
a destructive force without equal!
Return all creation to cinders,
and come from the abyss!"
The energy grew violent, ready to erupt at any second. Orion could feel it slipping from his control the longer he held it. For once, he felt genuine respect for Megumin's mastery of such a spell.
"EXPLOSIONNNNN~~~!"
The energy detonated directly toward the advancing Orcs. It descended like lightning, and in the next instant, the entire mist-covered area lit up in blinding light.
A thunderous boom followed, shaking the entire floor—perhaps even the Dungeon itself.
The explosion wasn't quite on Megumin's level, but it was close. And far closer to the caster than it had any right to be.
Even Marika shielded her face from the shockwave.
Orion stood there, breathing heavily. His mind spun from the sheer mana expenditure. He had nearly driven himself into Mind Down.
If not for the Cerulean Flask already in his hand—which he immediately drank—he might have lost consciousness.
Only once his mind stabilized did he examine the aftermath.
There wasn't much to see.
Forget the Orcs—even their magic stones had been completely vaporized. All that remained was a large, charred crater. The mist had vanished as well.
Silence filled the air.
Silence—and the distinct feeling that the Dungeon was not pleased with him.
"Perhaps I shouldn't use that spell again until I learn how to lower its power and make it more precise," Orion grimaced. Outside of raw destruction, the spell was completely impractical. Even the Orc hides and stones he intended to harvest were gone.
Sigh.
[That may well be the wisest thing I've heard from you all day.]
Marika snorted, arms folded in irritation. She had warned him this would happen.
Orion wanted to soothe his goddess's irritation, but he sensed more monsters approaching. He had made far too much noise.
"Let's move first," Orion said, darting away while he still had the chance.
That explosion had drawn every monster on the floor to that location. As a result, once he left the area, he encountered none for the rest of the floor.
And by the time he reached the end—
He once again stood before the dreaded Boss Fog.
"HERE WE GO AGAIN!"
xXx
A/N : So I took some liberties to define the power system on elden ring here. Becuase otherwise there wouldnt' be any distinction between Incantations and Spells.
This I believe give both more personality and characteristics. Hope you like it. And of course, tell me if there is any mistake, I'll fix it asap.
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