ch1-ch20 · 018-ch18

Chapter 18: The #1 Video of the Year

Running around for an hour made me level up. Guess that's what happens when you're pulling marathon-runner stunts.

Wait, is "stunts" even the right word here? Marathon-runner training?

The lack of other people meant I had the monsters all to myself, so maybe that made it easier to level up.

But the biggest factor is probably that I'm solo.

You can have unlimited party members on the 7th floor since you're not required to go through the boss floor to get there. Unlike the 10th floor, where parties are limited to 5 people.

Still, most people form parties of 5 anyway since you need to think about the future.

Simple math says I'm getting 5 times the experience, plus I have monster spawns all to myself.

And on top of that, with [Gate], I don't waste any time moving around.

I'm basically a level-grinding machine.

"Break's over. Here we go. [Gate]."

Even in the sparsely-populated Chiba Dungeon, there were still some people around, so I'd been dismissing my gates during breaks.

Besides [Gate], I don't use any other MP-consuming skills, so I don't need to worry about conserving magic.

"Ah, crap."

I returned to the 7th floor, only to find three monsters right in front of me.

A hobgoblin with a sword, one with a club, and a goblin with a knife.

I'd forgotten—they were the monsters that spawned right before my break.

The corpses of the ones I'd just killed were still lying around too.

Somehow, I think I'm starting to get it.

I'll still aim for the right edge and run past them.

But I won't distance myself more than necessary.

I pass them at the very edge of my range, right by their flank.

I only create distance during that brief moment while they're recovering from my spear swing and resetting their stance.

This lets me establish my own range again.

(Maintaining your range while moving is crucial.)

If this were sword versus sword, our ranges would clash and I'd need to dodge.

But my spear has longer reach.

All they can do is defend.

I try to vary my targets—legs, shoulders, head—avoiding direct clashes as much as possible.

"Phew. This is exhausting in its own way."

Which one was the 'Gate to Floor 8' again...

"Looks like a pain in the ass."

The new monster on Floor 8 is a spear-wielding hobgoblin.

Among the four hobgoblins in front of me, one is holding a spear.

Hobgoblins are about 150 centimeters tall, but that spear looks to be around 2 meters long.

I'm 170 centimeters with a 180-centimeter spear.

Factoring in arm length, our reach is practically the same.

I came up with a plan.

Take out the spear-wielder last.

I've been targeting only the right edge so far, but if the spear-wielder's on the right, I'll aim for the left edge instead.

"Surprisingly easy to take down."

After slashing left and right like crazy, I ended up one-on-one with the remaining spear hobgoblin, but the fight ended anticlimactically.

That's because hobgoblins only know how to charge forward with their spears held at waist level.

I'd been preparing to extend my reach to the absolute limit by holding the very butt of my spear with my back hand, arms fully outstretched, but just dodging sideways was enough to beat them normally.

"Alright, let's grind some quick levels and head to the next floor."

Along the way, four spear-wielding hobgoblins spawned, but they all charged in a horizontal line, which actually made them easier to deal with.

"Seven o'clock, huh."

I hit Level 9, but it's getting dark.

The western sky is still bright, but visibility in the forest is reaching its limit.

My pouch and pockets are stuffed full of magic stones, so I should head back.

"[Gate]"

I place a [Left Gate] near the 'Gate to Floor 9'.

Watanabe-san should've gone home by now, so I wonder how I'll cash these in.

"Welcome back~. You worked so hard today too~. Were you a professional adventurer~?"

I'd worked so hard that the sheer number of magic stones made them think I'd been here since morning.

"I thought you were here for the first time yesterday, but I see you're the type who works hard during the day~. I'll get you a paper bag~. Here you go~. Put your magic stones in here~. I'll store them for you~."

I didn't get to cash them in, though...

I have 14,500 yen from when Watanabe-san cashed me out this evening, so I guess I'll buy a backpack that won't get in the way and head home.

...My body feels heavy.

Even though I'm riding a bike home, it felt slower than running.

I get back, take a bath, and eat dinner.

After that, I'll watch some dungeon videos.

Spear techniques.

And I want to see videos of the Floor 10 boss.

'Feeding Kensei-chan Orc Meat'

The #1 video of the year.

Two girls get fed orc meat without being told what it is.

When the mage girl hears it's orc meat, she gets genuinely furious, but Kensei-chan says it was delicious. That was the video.

You might wonder why something like this is #1, but these are Quadruple-Rank adventurers—the strongest in Japan. An adventurer party that cleared Floor 40.

Plus, Kensei-chan, who normally never smiles, was actually smiling, and this video spread the recognition across Japan that [Cooking] is Japan's strongest skill.

'Teaching You the Spear's Ultimate Secret'

A video of some armored old guy swinging a spear around, but it was pretty helpful.

He said to make the spear an extension of your body, wielding it from your back hand.

Your front hand just guides it.

Hmm, hmm.

Huh? Wait, spears are normally like 3 meters long?

So this isn't the ultimate secret, it's the basics.

Huh? The basics ARE the ultimate secret? I see.

'5 Girls Taking Down a Minotaur'

The Floor 10 boss is a Minotaur in every dungeon.

A monster over 2 meters tall wearing a cow helmet, a shirtless middle-aged dude covered in blue fur.

He swings a polearm axe and corners the girls.

One acts as bait while the others attack from behind.

The attacker becomes the next bait.

Not exactly helpful.

'Solo Minotaur Subjugation'

A high-speed swordsman gets behind the Minotaur and stabs his blade into its waist area.

The next moment, the Minotaur sprays blood from its entire body and collapses.

Pure Job and stat brute force.

One-shot with a skill.

Completely useless as a reference.

'No Weapons, No Skills Minotaur: You Can Be a Monk Too'

A video of two middle-aged dudes punching each other naked.