VERSATILE: ALTERNATE WORLD

There are still some various records that Lucia gathered and according to her, some of them are connected to the diary and some are just manuals for the machines. Even though they are just manuals, Lucia insists on bringing them along with us. It will be useful later on but I still have no idea how this will be useful if she says so, then that's what I will believe. Besides, she is the one who can understand how those work, so I have no qualms about it either.

Queen Tanya and the rest didn't move to the next floor immediately and decided to rest for a bit. With all of the liquid golems they have suppressed, it is not surprising that they wanted to sleep for a bit.

As for me, I tried to tinker with the machines for a bit. They are new to my eyes so checking on them and trying to see how they function is fascinating. Lucia helped me understand what are the button's purposes, how they work, and what they do when the buttons are pressed.

"These things are too complicated even by my standards. I know I am not a techie guy but even I know my hands-on technology and this stuff is something beyond me."

"They are just tools that have overcomplicated stuff here and there, usually with just a single purpose. And since they were made during the Primordial times, people on that day tend to overcomplicate matters to ensure nothing goes wrong. But the more complicated they are, the more simplistic their main usage will be," Lucia explained.

Queen Tanya butt into our conversation. "People from before like to create things like this that works well from their intended but since they are so well made, they, in turn, inspired current people to develop their own improved versions of these machines which in turn become the machines and gadgets people use nowadays. It's a copy-and-paste inspiration."

"So in short, there is no originality to most current stuff we see nowadays and most are inspired or directly related to old stuff that existed a long time ago? Man, people really do not want things to go to waste and harvest every single little drop of usage," I scratch my head. All of this can also be applied in the real world as well.

"It's just how things work. Without the ancestors and their knowledge, the current society won't be developed and they will remain passive."

After a lengthy discussion about the machines and how they work, everyone has rested enough and we slowly descend to the 4th floor. This time, it was a grand hall, almost identical to a throne room minus the throne that should be present, instead, what awaits us is a giant machine that seems to hold the whole ruins. And along the machine are the mechanical monsters plus the liquid golems.

Among the monsters we fought on the previous floor is a blob of both the machine and the liquid stuff present at the center, bobbing around like jelly. It's quite big as it has a length and size of a school bus.

"Hot dang, and here I thought it will be just one big boss but it was actually consisting of all the monsters we fought in previous floors huh? I think I can see now what the diary meant by being overwhelmed. Even I feel overwhelmed and I am not experiencing what he experienced," Queen Tanya shook her head.

"It seems our final destination is the big machine. And to reach there, we will have to get rid of these machines."

"Well then, let's get our work done then," I pulled out my Versatile Weapon and ready my magic spells in my other hand.

"Ha...let's get rid of them, fast."

The moment we touched the floor after descending the stairs, the machines gathered there all turned to where we are standing and immediately swarmed us without any hesitation.

Lucia didn't flinch and spread her flames out, leaving all of the monsters who tried to get to us to burn. Queen Tanya is still holding back as she still hasn't pulled out her weapon but her attacks are quite sufficient enough that she is doing more than what the other peeps are doing.

As for me, I am doing my best while destroying every single monster that tried to attack us. My quick reflexes and judgment easily break those little guys immediately and precisely destroy their cores. But even with our quick suppression of the monsters, they are numerous and it seems like we were stuck from where we are until now even though we have felled a lot of those monsters in battle.

"I am not seeing an end to these monsters, should we get some AOE damage?" I suggested.

"I think that is for the best, Master. If we rely on just single-target attacks we will take a long time before we can even move out of here. We have to wipe them out in groups."

"Gah, damn it, no choice then," I casually pull out a scroll in my inventory, the scroll of [Tornado Sweep], an AOE skill that sucks any enemies it passes by.

I charge forward before tearing the scroll into two pieces, enveloping myself into a twister, and immediately sweep through the monsters. The golems are brittle creatures, they get sucked in, they are churned by the violent winds and they slowly die. Quick, fast, and easy.

"Oooh, that's a quick way of dealing with things, but I would have wanted you to at least break them without killing them so I can at least finish them off," Queen Tanya scratches her head as she watch the whole thing unfold and all of the monsters that got sucked in, dies.

No response can be sent back to her while I am up here in the twister, controlling it, I am far too busy dealing with the monsters that it's hard for me to even speak while doing this.

A few seconds later, I am done with the task and almost all of the golems present earlier are now dead and had their cores destroyed. The remaining stragglers are now being taken care of by Lucia, Queen Tanya, and the other men. Now that most of them are gone, we are having a much easier time dealing with them.

Now that most of the monsters are gone, the only thing that remains on us is the giant blob we have seen earlier. I frown as to why it seems to be not doing anything. It was like it is not acknowledging our presence and is just there, waiting for something or just casually ignoring us.

"Master, if this guy does not move no matter what you do, I will try to find a reaction to this one from the inside."

I nodded in response. If this blob does not react to anything I do, then destroying it from within is the best course of action.

Swinging my Versatile Weapon, I cast [Triple Slash] to the blob. Flesh explodes as the skill made contact with it but there's no reaction whatsoever.

I continue to fire attacks at it and even combine some elemental damages but not even those are working as well.

"This f*cker is either too sturdy or just that numb to all the things I am doing it with. It's not even moving beside its normal wiggles."

"Then, I guess it's time to burn up what's within it."

Lucia's hands exploded in flames, flames hot enough that metal will burn like firewood from it.

"Swallow the flames of hellfire that burn everlastingly."

FWOOOOOM!

Flames engulf the insides of the blob. At first, the blob didn't show any reaction or any kind of violent reaction coming from the attack but it didn't take too long before I realize the body it had before is now melting like plastic burning.

The blob seems fine at first but soon enough, the reaction that seems to be lacking from the blob finally appeared. It was sudden and we didn't prepare for it.

"GLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

An echoing "glo" sound can be heard all over the place that everyone including myself had to stop what we are doing as we cover our ears.

"W-what is happening?!" I gritted my teeth as the voice seems to sink through my brain.

"Agh, it seems to be an abomination of a machine to be able to bring out that kind of noise. However, I think what you guys did earlier work well. I will just amplify the pain to this thing then," Queen Tanya who is still covering both her ears, swings one of her fingers to the big guy and cast a spell.

"Burn, amplify the burn, burn to ashes, and burn to nothingness. Ashes to ashes, everything will return to ashes. Now burn!"

Flames exploded inside and outside of the blob the noise it was making and most of the flames. It's much more intense than the flames that Lucia made before. Or rather, she used the flames that are still burning on the blob and added some "fuel" to it for it to continue burning and explode in intensity.

"Now. we just wait for this guy to burn and we can proceed."

Even now, Queen Tanya has yet to pull out her weapon. Until now, she is still holding back, and until now, she is just fine dealing with enemies who are nothing to her.

We watch as the flames continue to burn, and the noises the blob is making are slowly fading as well. Just like the chant, everything will return to ashes.