arc01 · 022-ep22

Episode 22: Why Not Get a Little Carried Away?

A nice deep sleep at school meant the drowsiness was gone by the time classes ended, so I headed for the dungeon with a clear head.

I stayed awake through my afternoon classes, but my head was full of nothing but the dungeon. I am, after all, level 19. Level 20 is already coming into view. Which means a new skill slot will unlock, and I'll be able to learn a new skill.

Right now I'm practically fighting on 【Martial Arts】 alone, but honestly, it's giving me zero trouble.

The reason being: my stats are way, way too high for my level.

　************************

【Name】 Kobayakawa Takeru

【Level】 19

【Status】

　・HP: 460 / 460

　・MP: 56 / 56

　・STR: 91

　・VIT: 88

　・AGI: 141

　・DEX: 89

　・INT: 83

　・LUK: 4

【Held Skills】

　・Plunder

　・Martial Arts (Lv. 3)

【SP】 22

　************************

There's my current status. The AGI is outrageous, but actually the other stats are quite high too. My LUK looks low, but eh—it's just a bit below average, that's all.

Disclosing your stats and skills is basically voluntary—something done of the holder's own free will. In other words, whether you broadcast them or bury them deep is entirely up to you.

Which is why there are people out on the net who publish their own stats.

I've looked at a few real examples from such people and compared them, and————

　************************

【Level】 20

　・HP: 290/ 290

　・MP: 39 / 39

　・STR: 45

　・VIT: 88

　・AGI: 41

　・DEX: 40

　・INT: 39

　・LUK: 7

【Held Skills】

　・Sturdy

　・Impact Mitigation

　・Pack Mule

　************************

or, say, this————

　************************

【Level】 20

　・HP: 360 / 360

　・MP: 44 / 44

　・STR: 110

　・VIT: 69

　・AGI: 71

　・DEX: 70

　・INT: 58

　・LUK: 10

【Held Skills】

　・Sword Arts (Lv. 2)

　・Strength Boost

　・Focus

　************************

or like this.

The second one belongs to a guy the internet apparently used to call a genius—and even he looks like this.

So, like—can't I get a little carried away here?

Apparently the 【Sturdy】 holder's stats are those of a perfectly average adventurer. Sure, I get why numbers like that would be rough without a party. He's probably weaker than the monsters in his level band, or about even with them, so him struggling tracks.

The genius, meanwhile, is all obviously jackpot skills, and pretty strong to boot. His skills seem to mesh well, and against monsters, pushing through with raw power tends to work. With a sword, slimes would be a breeze—C-rank weapons usually come with 【Corrosion Resistance】 built in, after all.

So yeah, that's the landscape—and looking at it, I'm sure you can see I'm doing just fine with 【Martial Arts】 alone.

I know full well that dungeon exploring can't be measured in numbers alone. But going by the numbers alone, the road to being the strongest looks plenty wide open.

◇

Now then—today, as every day, it's dungeon time.

The days of money-grinding are over, my 【Iron Demon】 purchase went off without a hitch, and I made a tidy sum yesterday, so money no longer needs a second thought. In other words: leveling comes first, weapon plundering second.

Running as always, I reach Floor 9 and start hunting monsters at a blistering pace. With no 【Plunder】 in play, I don't have to worry about onlookers either. Around this depth, weekdays are apparently pretty empty anyway. Most D-ranks are part-timers or students, so far-flung floors are hard to visit on a weekday. I only manage thanks to my high stats and going solo. People push parties on you like crazy, but solo has real perks of its own.

At this point, even running the grind on autopilot while my head wanders is no problem.

The only time I focus is when I bust out the hakkei-esque technique on slimes.

I've been getting the knack, so activation flows way smoother than it did the first time. Though it feels less like my body memorized it and more like the 【Martial Arts】 skill is lending a hand. Might be one of those skill-within-a-skill things.

For example, 【Sword Arts】 has techniques like 【Slash】 that tons of people unleash with the exact same motion—those are what get called skills-within-skills.

"Ooh, here it comes, here it comes—!"

The level-up full-heal washes over my whole body, and the announcement rings in my head.

『Experience points gained』

『Kobayakawa Takeru's level has risen to 20』

『Upon reaching level 20, your skill slots have been expanded by 1』

　************************

【Name】 Kobayakawa Takeru

【Level】 20

【Status】

　・HP: 480 / 480

　・MP: 58 / 58

　・STR: 95

　・VIT: 92

　・AGI: 148

　・DEX: 93

　・INT: 87

　・LUK: 4

【Held Skills】

　・Plunder

　・Martial Arts (Lv. 3)

　・(Open slot)

【SP】 25

　************************

"I'll mull over the new skill nice and slow once I'm home—time's still on my side, so leveling continues, shall we?"

Time reads 10 p.m. Call it two hours in, then. Travel shaves down my exploring time, so I want to stay as long as I can. The commute is a pain and a half every single trip—I want to crack the Floor 10 boss soon and get teleport circle access. Be great if I could take it down this weekend.

That would make me C-rank too. Officially one of the pros.

Two requirements to reach C-rank.

・Be level 20 or higher

・Pass the test

Clear both and you're certified C-rank. The test is choose-your-own: take down the Floor 10 boss, or deliver the assigned materials. Obviously I'll go boss hunting, but it seems most people pick the material delivery. That route probably banks on exploration ability more than combat power. When you get down to it, what the guild and the world want is materials—resources, really. Seen that way, raw combat strength alone lets you haul back magic stones by the boatload, which itself certifies your rank. That route makes for the cleaner proof anyway—works for me.

Well then—two hours left on the clock. Let's put them to work.