Read Novel Full Chapter 576 576: Floor 2 - Hollow of the Sunless Tide
Chapter 576 576: Floor 2 - Hollow of the Sunless Tide
Jack stared at the damage notification, his mind struggling to process what he'd just witnessed.
Thunder Stomp was one of his more powerful abilities that channeled massive amounts of magical energy through the ground to deliver devastating electrical damage.
Against normal enemies, it dealt damage calculated at Magic × 6, which, with his current stats, should have produced over eighty thousand damage.
Instead, the three Terror-ranked serpents he'd struck were barely scratched, the pathetic [-14 HP] floating above their heads seeming almost mocking in its insignificance.
The serpents charged forward, clearly not impressed by an attack that had done less damage than a child throwing a rock.
Jack's right hand moved instinctively, gathering lightning for another strike.
This time, he channeled more power, activating Thunder Mantle to enhance the output before releasing Thundershock at maximum intensity.
The crackling bolt struck a Dread-ranked wind serpent dead center.
[-7 HP]
"What the hell?" Jack's confusion was evident in his tone as he watched the creature barely react to what should have been an overwhelming assault. The damage had actually decreased despite him using more power than in the previous attack.
Father Caelen moved to engage with his staff, the old priest's decades of combat experience making him adapt quickly even when Jack's usual overwhelming force wasn't working.
"The floor's mechanics have changed again. Your attacks aren't functioning normally."
Jack's mind raced through possibilities and tactical assessments, trying to identify the pattern.
The first floor had reversed damage into healing.
This floor was doing something different: his attacks were landing and causing damage, but the numbers made no sense relative to the power he was channeling.
A Nightmare-ranked earth serpent lunged toward his position, its massive bulk creating tremors as thirty feet of armored scales moved toward him.
Jack responded with Arc Blast, channeling a sustained lightning stream that would normally vaporize enemies in seconds.
The serpent took the full force of the technique directly to its face.
[-3 HP]
The creature barely slowed, its charge continuing unabated as the devastating attack produced damage so minimal it was essentially meaningless.
Jack was forced to dodge using Lightning Steps, his enhanced agility carrying him clear of the massive jaws that snapped shut where he'd been standing.
"This doesn't make sense," he stated flatly, his analytical mind cataloging the inconsistency.
"More power produces less damage. Thunder Stomp dealt fourteen, Thunder Shock at full power dealt seven, and Arc Blast dealt three. The pattern is inverse; the stronger the attack, the weaker the result."
Father Caelen blocked a Terror-ranked fire serpent's strike with his staff, the blessed wood holding against scales that burned with internal heat.
"Then try the opposite. Use minimal force and see what happens."
Jack recognized the logic immediately.
If the floor inverted power-to-damage scaling, then his weakest attacks should, in theory, produce his strongest results.
He extended his right hand toward a Dread-ranked water serpent, gathering lightning with careful control that limited output to barely perceptible levels.
The electricity that formed between his fingers was pathetic.
A weak static discharge that looked like it might struggle to power a light bulb, let alone harm a creature designed to withstand a magical assault.
He released it with a casual flick of his wrist, the anemic bolt drifting toward the serpent with speed that looked like it might not even reach the target.
The notification that appeared almost made him laugh from the audacity of the damage.
[-1,847,293 HP]
[Dread-Ranked Water Serpent Eliminated]
[+2,500 EXP]
[+750 Death Tokens]
[+1 Dread Core]
The serpent exploded, its entire body vaporizing under damage that exceeded anything Jack had achieved, even with his most powerful cascade of buffs and combinations.
Tissue and bone scattered across the inverted forest floor as the System registered instant elimination from an attack that had used a fraction of a fraction of his normal output.
Jack stared at the space where the creature had been, his mind processing the implications that fundamentally inverted everything he'd learned about combat optimization over his entire existence in this world.
"Inverse scaling," he stated quietly, tactical certainty settling over his confusion. "The floor doesn't just reduce damage from powerful attacks. It actively inverts the relationship between power input and damage output. The less force I use, the more destruction I achieve."
A System notification appeared in his vision, text materializing at a pace that made it seem as if it had been waiting for him to reach this conclusion before providing confirmation.
[Floor Mechanic Identified: Inverse Power Scaling]
[Each floor of this dungeon is unique, designed to test your limits and your mind. Standard combat tactics will fail. Adaptation is survival. Power is weakness. Weakness is power. Navigate accordingly.]
Jack disregarded the alert, his focus immediately shifting to recalibrating his strength in an environment where his primary asset had become his most significant vulnerability.
Training had conditioned him to maximize output, to channel everything into devastating combinations that overwhelmed enemies through sheer force.
Now he had to learn restraint.
Attack with minimal effort.
Turn apparent vulnerability into overwhelming advantage.
He tested the theory methodically, extending his hand toward a Terror-ranked lightning serpent and releasing static discharge so weak it barely qualified as a magical attack.
The pathetic spark drifted forward with lazy speed.
[-923,847 HP]
[Terror-Ranked Lightning Serpent Eliminated]
[+1,750 EXP]
[+525 Death Tokens]
[+1 Terror Core]
Another instant elimination, the creature ceasing to exist under damage that would have seemed impossible minutes ago.
Jack's understanding solidified.
The floor's mechanics weren't just unusual, they were perfectly inverted. His weakest possible attacks became weapons of mass destruction.
"You take care of anything that gets too close," Jack told Father Caelen, already figuring out the best spots. "I'll pick off targets from a distance with low-power shots. Anything that slips through gets sent to oblivion."
The old priest nodded understanding, golden light gathering around his hands as he prepared to support with the same reversed healing mechanics that had worked on the first floor.
"Understood. Though I have to say, watching you fight with restraint rather than overwhelming force is deeply strange after seeing how destructive you are."
Jack's response was interrupted by three Nightmare-ranked serpents coordinating an assault on their position.
A fire-affinity creature whose scales burned with white-hot intensity, a darkness serpent that looked like a shadow, and a wind-based serpent whose body moved with supernatural speed.
He extended both hands, gathering electricity in each palm with control that limited output to barely measurable levels.
The weak lightning barely crackled, looking pathetic compared to the massive threats charging toward them.
Jack released both attacks simultaneously, the anemic bolts drifting forward like they were struggling against air resistance.
[-15,293,847 HP]
[Nightmare-Ranked Fire Serpent Eliminated]
[+50,000 EXP]
[+2,700 Death Tokens]
[+1 Nightmare Core]
[-14,982,193 HP]
[Nightmare-Ranked Darkness Serpent Eliminated]
[+50,000 EXP]
[+2,700 Death Tokens]
[+1 Nightmare Core]
Both Nightmare-ranked threats detonated simultaneously, their enhanced durability meaningless against damage exceeding fourteen million from attacks that had required almost no mana and minimal effort.
The third serpent, the wind-affinity creature, tried to evade, its supernatural speed carrying it clear of the initial strikes.
Jack's follow-up was almost lazy, right hand extending in a casual gesture that released static so weak it might not even qualify as an attack under normal circumstances.
The pathetic discharge drifted after the fleeing serpent with speed that would have made a snail look fast.