Chapter

ch21-ch40 · 030-ch30

Chapter 30: Kazuno-ri

Yesterday, after I got home, I somehow ended up falling asleep without realizing it.

I must be tired.

I got my adventurer's license on June 1st, and yesterday was June 4th.

It's only been 4 days, but I've been entering the dungeon every day, and for 2 of those days, I also had school.

I'm about ready for a break.

Today, I think I'll head up early.

The current time is 9 AM, in front of the Association's branch office.

I arrived later than yesterday because I was looking for a bag.

My newly bought backpack is already full of magic stones, so I was searching for a good one that wouldn't get in the way.

But if I had something like that, I wouldn't have bought the backpack in the first place...

I even asked my mom for help looking, but we couldn't find a suitable bag.

Then I realized I could just take a larger bag and transfer the magic stones from my backpack.

It took me a while to realize this, so I arrived a bit late.

I transferred the magic stones to the larger bag, stored it in a rental locker, received the rental spear from the same two handsome middle-aged men as yesterday, and headed to the 2nd floor.

From the shadow of a tree on the 2nd floor, I used the "Right Gate" to go to the shadow of a hill on the 16th floor.

Immediately to the 17th floor.

Coming to the 17th floor, I had what I could honestly call my first tough struggle in the dungeon.

It's a shield-wielding orc.

It's equipped with a large shield that hides its massive body.

Each individual one isn't that strong, but they take time to defeat.

When two or three come at me, it takes time, and magic spells come flying.

Anyway, I aim for the feet sticking out from behind the large shield to throw them off balance.

But from my position on the hill, the feet are far away.

Moreover, unlike the monsters I've fought until now, their first move isn't an attack—it's defense.

They keep their distance and don't approach immediately.

They hold up their shields and advance slowly.

During that time, other orcs arrive.

While I take the high ground to make use of Chino-ri, they gain numerical advantage and come at me with the Kazuno-ri strategy.

This is a bad situation.

"[Gate]."

To reset the situation, I temporarily retreat to the 2nd floor.

"Now, what should I do?"

There is a way to break through this.

First, I should stop taking the high ground.

I'll fight on the flat ground between the hills.

Prioritizing mobility, instead of thrusting at their legs like with擦違-sama, I'll sweep or slash.

Finishing blows can wait until I have a free hand.

Keep moving, maintain one-on-one situations, don't let them gain numerical advantage—a systematic elimination strategy.

This is the strategy I used against goblins, isn't it?

Going back to basics, I guess.

There are two problems.

I can't pick up magic stones while moving.

And the fireballs from the orc mages on the high ground.

The magic stone problem—I'll just have to defeat them to some extent, then go back and collect them once the enemies on the hill are gone.

Depending on how quickly monsters respawn and how fast the dungeon absorbs corpses, there will be some magic stones I can't collect, but that can't be helped.

As for the orc mages on the high ground, I'll just have to work hard to climb up.

When I find them, I'll prioritize taking them out.

Come to think of it, this marathon strategy is efficient but super tiring.

"I forgot, but there was something called 'super mode,' right? I think so. And definitely get [Charge・Spear・Endurance Up]."

I think I learned about that kind of thing online before going to sleep yesterday.

The naming sense of "super mode" is whatever, but it's probably worth trying.

"[Status], skill points, [Charge・Spear・Endurance Up], and there we go."

Name: Kasugano Haruki
Job: [Charge Spearman]
Lv: 17

HP: 510/510
MP: 253/255

Strength: 42
Endurance: 42
Agility: 34
Magic: 25

Skill: [Gate]
[Charge・Spear]
[Charge・Spear・Weapon Enhancement・Spear]
[Charge・Spear・Strength Up]
[Charge・Spear・Endurance Up] new
[Charge・Spear・Agility Up]
[Charge・Spear・Aiming]

Skill Points: 7

My HP is completely restored, but now that I think about it, I haven't really received any proper attacks until now.

This time too, I escaped before getting surrounded and attacked.

In martial arts, they say you should train to get used to pain, but will I be okay?

A situation where I'm in too much pain to use [Gate]... I really don't want to even imagine that.

I have leftover skill points, but I don't know what sub-jobs will be available at floor 20, so I should probably wait until I get a sub-job before using them.

If possible, I'd like to choose [Scout] type and get skills like [Night Vision] and [Presence Detection].

"Alright. Back to floor 17, use super mode, and get off this hill. [Gate]."

The 17th floor, once again.

I'm on a hill, but there are few monsters on this hill.

The respawn hasn't happened yet, it seems, and the corpses are still there.

The nearest orc is a shield-wielding one.

Perfect timing.

"[Charge・Spear] activate. [Charge・Spear・Weapon Enhancement・Spear] activate. [Charge・Spear・Strength Up] activate. [Charge・Spear・Endurance Up] activate. [Charge・Spear・Agility Up] activate."

The shield-wielding orc's movements seem to have slowed down.

This must be the effect of [Charge・Spear・Agility Up].

Rather than feeling like my own movements have gotten faster, it feels like everything except me has slowed down.

I'm glad it seems like I won't lose control even if I get too fast in the future.

But the vague sense of time is troubling.

I can't tell how much my MP is decreasing.

([Status].)

MP: 252→251→250

It seems my MP decreases by about 1 every second.

In other words, I can maintain [Charge・Spear] (super mode) for as many seconds as I have MP, but it will probably feel longer than that in terms of perceived time.

MP: 252→251→250→249

It's only been 3 seconds.

When the shield-wielding orc slowly approaches and my MP has decreased by 10, I'll make my move.

My target is the center of the shield.

([Charge・Spear] fire.)

"Fire" as a battle cry might be questionable, but I'm thinking of making "fire" a mental keyword for when I launch attacks that consume MP after charging.

Anyway, the first thing I'll test is whether I can break the orc's shield with 10 MP consumption.

An impact travels up my arm from the spear, which hit the center of the shield.

(Did it fail?)

I thought that, but while the spear couldn't pierce the shield, the orc spun around once.

(Heavy.)

Feeling "heavy" wasn't about the spear's feedback, but about my own first step when I tried to finish off the orc.

The effect of [Charge・Spear] had worn off.

This sensation is similar to when I exit the dungeon.

I felt that for just a moment, and immediately returned to my normal senses.

At the same time, my surroundings stopped feeling slow either.

The orc doesn't seem to understand what happened and can't get up.

One strike to its neck.

(It seems 10 MP isn't the issue for not being able to pierce it.)

There's a large dent in the center of the orc's great shield lying on the ground.

The orc just couldn't withstand the impact; if it had been fixed in place, I probably could have pierced it.

I open and close my hands, but there doesn't seem to be any problem.

The spear tip isn't worn down either.

It seems both [Charge・Spear・Endurance Up] and [Charge・Spear・Weapon Enhancement・Spear] are doing their jobs properly.

"Oops, I still have enemies here."

There are still orcs remaining on this hill.

Next, they can help me practice maintaining super mode.

I run down the hill.