ROAR—
"Such a pain… you guys."
Cao Ye glanced at the charred ground nearby, his expression full of vigilance.
Hellhounds.
Among the upper floors of the Dungeon, they were considered dangerous monsters.
They usually appeared in groups and possessed the ability to breathe fire.
Combined with their high speed, sharp claws, and fangs, they were extremely troublesome.
Most adventurers bought Salamander Wool to reduce fire damage.
Naturally, Cao Ye had done the same.
Now that he was somewhat wealthy, he had purchased one.
And sure enough—
After reaching the 15th floor, he finally encountered Hellhounds.
Buzz—
As Cao Ye focused on the Hellhounds, his mind moved.
Imaginary Magecraft activated.
A passage connecting to Imaginary Space slowly opened.
A weapon quietly extended outward.
A smile appeared on Cao Ye's lips.
Inspired by Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon, he stored weapons inside Imaginary Space.
When needed, they could be fired like arrows.
After several days of development, Cao Ye had gradually figured out new ways to use both Imaginary Space and Imaginary Magecraft.
However, just as different people awakened different skills and magic—
Even though others might also awaken Imaginary Attribute Magecraft, Cao Ye's version was unique.
Perhaps due to his admiration for the golden king himself—
His style of development leaned toward Gilgamesh's combat style.
Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—
Thud—Thud—Thud—
Weapon after weapon shot out.
They pinned the Hellhounds directly to the ground.
The sharp blades pierced their tough fur and killed them instantly.
Daily Mission: Kill 8 Hellhounds
Progress: 8 / 8
Reward: 10 Diamonds
Mission complete.
Ten diamonds obtained.
With these ten diamonds, Cao Ye finally accumulated 100 diamonds again.
"I've been waiting for this!"
"Now it's time to pull cards!"
After ten full days, he could finally roll again.
Cao Ye was extremely excited.
He didn't even bother leaving the Dungeon.
He decided to draw immediately and test the reward here.
Of course… that was assuming he actually got something good.
"Mazu, please bless me!!!"
The familiar interface appeared.
A card pack manifested in the air.
The seal tore open and ten cards flew out.
All of them faced downward.
Under Cao Ye's gaze, they flipped over one by one.
His heart pounded.
Last time it had taken 30 pulls just to get one useful item.
[Black Stockings]
[Black Stockings]
[Black Stockings]
[White Stockings]
[White Stockings]
[White Stockings]
…
Cao Ye's face immediately darkened.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
"Why is it always stockings?!"
But there was still hope.
The last card.
Suddenly—
A card burst with light.
[Unique Skill: Mana Burst]
"It dropped!!!"
Cao Ye's eyes widened with excitement.
Mana Burst:
A skill that releases magical energy to greatly strengthen the body.
It allows magic to flow into weapons and the body itself, greatly enhancing combat ability.
Looking at this skill, Cao Ye couldn't hide his excitement.
Mana Burst.
In the Fate series, it was an extremely powerful skill.
Even Saber (Artoria) relied heavily on this ability.
According to official descriptions:
Artoria's relatively weak physical body could still fight monsters like Berserker head-on because she used Mana Burst to massively enhance her physical abilities.
With Rank A Mana Burst, even a simple stick could become a deadly weapon.
Of course—
This wasn't the Fate world.
There were no skill ranks like A, B, or C.
But the power of Mana Burst probably depended directly on the user's magic reserves.
Artoria possessed the Dragon Core, which gave her absurd amounts of mana.
But even Cao Ye now had a considerable amount of magic power.
Between constant use of Projection Magecraft, Imaginary Magecraft, and daily absorption of magic stones, his mana had increased significantly.
Even though he hadn't updated his Falna recently, his magic power had grown.
"Mana Burst!"
FLASH—
Cao Ye activated the skill.
Instantly, he could clearly feel his physical abilities surge dramatically.
However, the magic consumption wasn't what he had expected.
Instead of draining a huge amount instantly—
It behaved like a continuous consumption skill.
As long as the ability remained active, magic would gradually drain until exhausted.
This was great news for Cao Ye.
Rustle…
Right at that moment, movement appeared nearby.
Soon several red-eyed horned rabbits emerged.
There were quite a few of them.
"Perfect timing."
"Let me test my strength."
Cao Ye dashed forward.
He grabbed one of the swords that had pinned the Hellhounds earlier.
Then he rushed toward the horned rabbits.
With Mana Burst active, his speed increased dramatically.
It felt like receiving a buff.
"SCREEE!"
As Cao Ye approached, the horned rabbits revealed their true nature.
Despite their cute appearance, they were still vicious monsters.
Slash!
One strike.
The first horned rabbit was cut clean in half from the waist.
The attack was swift and brutal.
At that moment, the other rabbits attacked from every direction.
Cao Ye saw everything clearly.
He easily dodged every attack.
"So light…"
It felt like his body had become weightless.
His speed and reaction time had increased tremendously.
Slash!
Another strike.
One rabbit's head flew off.
With a reverse stab, he pierced another rabbit through the body.
Within just a few minutes—
Seven or eight horned rabbits were effortlessly killed.
The entire battle flowed smoothly.
"Phew…"
Cao Ye exhaled and deactivated Mana Burst.
Once the enhancement faded, his body returned to normal.
The sudden drop in power felt slightly uncomfortable.
But after checking his mana reserves—
He still had more than half of his magic left.
Cao Ye quickly estimated the results.
Using Mana Burst continuously in battle could last about 15 minutes.
If he wasn't fighting intensely, it might even last longer.