ch21-ch40 · 026-ch26

Chapter 26: Chino=Li

I had gone up to the surface for lunch and a break, but when I returned to the dungeon, someone was at the counter.

And they were beckoning me over.

"Over here, over here. There's an open spot. Come over here."

It was Shiraishi.

Both counter staff had changed, and the other one was a male employee I'd never seen before.

I shot him a "help me" look, but he wouldn't even look my way.

"Hand over your weapon and backpack for storage."

I quickly passed him my license, wanting to get my weapon and hurry to Floor 11.

"Born in 19XX... so you really are a high school student. Kasugano Haruki-kun, is it? I see, I see."

"Hey."

"Right, right~. The weapon and backpack, then~."

Shiraishi disappeared into the back room as if making a quick escape.

"Hmm? This is pretty hefty, isn't it? Are there magic stones inside? You should probably check them. I've got paper bags, you know?"

"...Please, if you would."

She was being too competent to let me complain...

But this was a trap.

Just as I was transferring the magic stones from my backpack to a paper bag, she spoke up.

"Oh, that's a Minotaur, right? You already went this morning~. I could process this for you as a Single-Rank stone, but... you won't, will you~? Watanabe-san would have to handle the paperwork and all~."

She said with a grin.

This girl.

I almost said "I'll do the procedure," but stopped myself. It would be better to have Watanabe-san handle it rather than this girl, so I just held out the paper bag.

"So obedient. How adorable~."

She was just teasing and playing with me.

If I engaged with her, she'd just get more carried away.

I needed to get going quickly.

I could hear voices behind me as I left.

"Listen to this. Apparently, that boy is Watanabe-san's favorite..."

Shiraishi——.

I was back on Floor 11.

Floor 11 was another hilly area.

It was a field with several hills where the differences in elevation and shadows made it impossible to see the entire area at once.

I heard that as you approach Floor 20, the elevation differences and number of hills increase.

It was almost 1 PM, so I had plenty of time before it got dark.

I should make steady progress.

"From here on out, it's orcs, I guess."

Orcs are about 2 meters tall, with pig faces—basically the monster everyone imagines them to be.

The biggest difference from goblins would be their weight.

Unlike goblins, who were skinny and easy to lift even at Level 1, these weigh over 200 kilograms.

Just like in combat sports like boxing, where they need weight classes, weight differences literally carry significant weight in battle.

If goblins are children and hobgoblins are adults, then orcs have combat power comparable to sumo wrestlers.

But that's not all.

From Floor 10 onward, monsters are also affected by stats.

Just like the Minotaur, which had high HP and didn't die instantly even when its heart was pierced, orcs also have increased strength and endurance due to stat effects.

Furthermore, I heard that as you progress deeper into the floors, orcs' levels increase and their stats get higher.

So this means that in the 10-floor range, you're fighting stat-enhanced sumo wrestlers.

"First orc spotted."

I spotted a second and third while I was at it.

From Floor 11, monster spawns are random. Weapons are random too.

A sword, spear, and axe, then.

Right now, I've become stronger after acquiring the [Charge Spearman] job.

Even if three Minotaurs appeared at once, I could probably defeat them.

There's no way that regular monsters on Floor 11 would be stronger than the Floor 10 boss monster.

I'll go for it boldly.

In this area with no trees and only hills for cover, I'll defeat them head-on in order: spear, sword, then axe.

Maybe because of their fat, the spear was hard to pull out, but with the power of my stats, I forced it out and defeated all three.

"All three of them went down in one hit."

That was one hit each, and I didn't even use [Charge・Spear].

It's possible that was just because their HP was still low on Floor 11, but conversely, if I can't exert at least this much power, I probably can't call myself a job capable of fighting beyond Floor 20.

I'll keep defeating them and level up, then move forward.

"[Status]. I'm definitely rising."

Level 12.

I'm starting to get a sense for when I've leveled up, somehow.

When I feel a slight difference in my movements while taking out magic stones, that's proof I've leveled up.

"This field is good for leveling up."

If I get on high ground, I can see my surroundings at a glance, so I know right away where monsters are. And since they can see me too, they just keep coming closer as I fight.

Maybe because they weigh 200 kilograms, orcs take time to climb up.

Even if about 10 of them charge at me at once, I just need to calmly defeat them in the order they arrive.

So this is Chino=Li.

I'm not sure what to think about an area where orcs appear being terrain that orcs are bad at, though...

If there's any drawback, I guess it's that passing adventurers worry about me.

That's because I'm alone, you see.

Even when I'm surrounded, if I just wave my hand to show I've got everything under control, they just say "Good luck" and leave right away, so I haven't had any problems so far.

Once I've leveled up enough, it's time for the next floor.

I continued without issues to Floor 12, then Floor 13.