The morning after healing Lu.
I had stepped into a certain level of the East Dungeon.
—The third floor.
Unlike the first two floors, the “exploration level”, this place, called the “combat level”, is where the monsters become stronger in earnest.
I am by myself. In my hand is a blue crystal short sword. In addition to my usual armor, which was reinforced with leather from my everyday clothes, I wore a pouch to hold the magic stones I can collect today.
Unlike the upper levels, no one comes here for medicinal herbs collection. Perhaps because of this, it was terribly quiet in the area, and I could even hear my own breathing.
At the end of the stairs is a straight passage. There must be a number of branch routes, and the monsters at the end of each route are different depending on the time. Items and monsters are constantly changing in the dungeon after all. Monsters can even be stationed in areas that were thought to be safe. That’s why adventurers called the levels from here on as danger zone.
However, magic stones, materials, and ancient artifacts are available from this floor and below. If you want to make money, you can’t ignore the combat levels.
“Well, I know that but…….”
I could occasionally hear something stomping in the ground in the distance. When the tension reached its peak, something brushed my cheek.
“Uwaa!”
At the sound of my surprised scream, I hurriedly covered my mouth.
“What’s wrong?”
A golden glow spoke as it hovered next to my head.
“……Did I surprise you?”
It was Solana, shrunk to the size of the palm of my hand. She looks like an elaborate doll, but her expression changes from time to time. Gods can change their size. Her white dress flutters as she floats in the air. Her golden hair and bracelets sparkle, making her look like a fairy from a certain tale.
“I’m sorry for that. Apparently, with this tiny size, I can stay out for a longer time.”
Solana is small in stature but has keen eyes.
“In this floor, the seal is stronger than in the city. It is probably to seal the monsters properly.”
I nodded slightly, wary of my surroundings.
Solana continues.
“If I go out with a big body, I use a lot of force even with just a few movements. It will be inconvenient if I don’t last a few minutes you see.”
The more it affects the gods, the stronger the seal in the dungeon must be. The fact that there are monsters sealed here adds to the sense of reality.
Slowly but steadily, I began to feel anxious.
I should have the confidence. After all, I had defeated a kobold in the exploration level with a single blow, leveled up, and get new skills from Solana. When I was really short on money before, I was willing to take risks so I went running around this floor. Because of that, I know the geography here and I know how to choose my opponent to fight against. But when I think that there is a monster that is not comparable to a slime, I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Is it too early?”
Remembering Lu’s peaceful sleeping face yesterday, I shook my head to free my mind from pessimism.
“……To be free, I can’t avoid it.”
Just how long are you going to be nervous?
After asking myself, I took a deep breath, pulling my chin tightly. Breathing deeply in my stomach is a breathing technique that my father taught me.
“Let’s go, Solana.”
I’m careful not to miss any footprints or bloodstains. Eventually, I found a clear footprint on the ground. Long claws on four legs. The forelimbs and hind limbs are about the same width as my step, which is quite large for a beast.
“……It’s a warg.”
I swallowed. My legs were stuck as if they had been sewn together.
“Hey, let’s turn back for now.”
“Hn? Why?”
I whispered to Solana.
“It’s a strong monster.”
Also known as a beginner killer. It is a wolf-like monster that attacks with its fangs in quick movements. The tricky part is that it’s super-fast. It is said that an experienced party can easily predict it’s move ahead, but a beginner party can be disrupted and overrun in no time.
“It’s rare to see it in the Eastern Dungeon…… t-this is bad!”
The only saving grace would be its habit of not wanting to leave its “territory”. It’s easy to avoid a fight against it that way. If it’s in the path you’re moving forward to, just turn around on the spot.
“It’s better to be cautious.”
The tiny Solana crosses her arms. Her blonde hair and eyes sparkled.
“Just to be sure, let’s review your skills. The skill, golden flame, can constantly improve your abilities. Rion, that means you are stronger than you think.”
Now that I think about it, yesterday, I sprinted at full speed, but I didn’t even get out of breath. I thought it was just a little bit of Solana’s blessing.
“The Golden Flame doesn’t stop there, it consumes magical power to further enhance your physical abilities for a limited time.”
Consuming magical power to bring out further enhancement huh….
Solana raised her index finger.
“It’s a time-limited boost.”
I haven’t tried it yet. I was thinking of trying it out if I still had magical power to spare after I exit the combat level.
Just then, a howl echoes through the dungeon. Then the sound of claws kicking the ground followed.
“D-don’t tell me….”
I didn’t have to hesitate anymore.
“Grrrrr”
A growl came from the corner. Eventually, a dark wolf appeared. Bright red eyes and mouth opened wide to its prey. The warg roared, showing off its ragged fangs.
“I-it’s coming for me?”
I don’t think I’ve stepped into its territory yet!
Fear rises from my chest.
“Rion, you should give it a try.”
Solana’s words were as warm as the sun. Right! There is a God who believes in me. I have ally, someone is watching over me. This is many times more reassuring than I ever thought it would be.
I used my skill to do it.
| Skill, 『Sun’s Divine Protection』was used. 【Golden Flame】is executed. |
The world becomes clearer. Everything was clearly visible. Even though it’s a dimly lit dungeon. I can sense the warg’s breathing, the movement of its paws, and the aim of its fangs.
“There is a time limit for physical enhancement. You have to do it as quickly as possible.”
I kicked the floor and rushed towards the warg. The warg leapt at me but I slid underneath it.
Slow.
Even the super-speed of the warg looked slow.
“Fu!”
I jumped towards the back of the enemy.
—But when I tried to jump at the warg, I misjudged my own speed. I jumped too far. The dungeon has a four-meter ceiling, and I jump up to the point where I almost hit my head.
“……W-what a jump!”
I thrust out the blue crystal short sword in my hand and sent it straight down. I used my entire weight to skewer the warg, who had lost sight of me.
“Guuuh”
Only a short groan remained.
The warg was reduced to ashes and magic stones and fangs rolled around. In a daze, I stroked my limbs enveloped in golden aura.
“There’s a time limit to it, and with your magical power, you can’t do it frequently. That is why it’s a trump card. But it’s pretty dependable, isn’t it?”
I wiped the sweat off my face.
“Yes!”
It’s a very powerful ability. It’s just a trump card huh.
But when I think about it, it makes sense. My power is borrowed from a God, and if I don’t become stronger, I probably won’t be able to become the real “strongest”.
I put the large magic stone of my first warg into my pouch.
I decided to spend the rest of the day fighting monsters on the third floor.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next
Yume Neiji's Works 