arc01 · 034-ep34
Episode 34: A Quiet Rampage
My first expedition was, frankly, a nice long soak in lukewarm water.
Leveling went smoothly, exploring went smoothly—there was no room for a struggle even if I'd wanted one.
With the sound-dampening coating agent worked into my shoes and 【Iron Demon】, a style of appear without a sound, kill without a sound, then peel away at speed and melt back into the shadows was on the table. A full-on assassin. This thing is seriously busted.
Man, I really do owe Aizawa everything here. Without the items she's made me, no way I'd have had this easy a time. 【Movement Arts】 and 【Martial Arts】 are strong, sure, but neither has an ounce of stealth to it.
All of that came from her. And now she's going to keep making me things as my personal supporter. I've got to pay her back properly, too.
Even while my mind wanders off like that, I keep turning goblins and slimes into magic stones one after another.
On this expedition, the magic stones alone look like solid earnings. They're not bulky enough to be a problem yet, but once I make C-rank and beyond, the luggage issue might rear its head.
Magic bags cost an absolute fortune… no way I can buy one. I wonder if Aizawa could make one. Eh, if they were that easy to make, nobody'd be struggling for one.
About six hours of exploring and slaying later, I finally managed to hit level 22.
Levels really are getting harder to come by now. The experience needed must be ramping up.
"Alright, I meant to hit 23 on Floor 9, but this'll do. Floor 10's nothing but enemies I already know, and my stats leave plenty of margin."
And so, with Floor 9 fully explored, I head down to Floor 10.
Partway down the stairs to Floor 10 there's a small safe-zone room in the gap between each pair of floors, and passing through it, I crossed paths with quite a few people.
Definitely the crowd who pitch tents and bed down here. It is the dead of night, after all.
But I'll say this—even in a safe zone, they post a watch. Guess the danger isn't just monsters; it's people too.
Solo, I honestly can't do much about any of that. Best I could do is carry a barrier talisman. Separate from the wear-on-your-body kind that takes damage in your place, there are also talismans that cast a barrier protecting things like tents. Unfortunately, I didn't have one on me. Dang—should've asked Aizawa for that too.
"Well, if I sleep in a corner during the low-traffic hours, it'll be fine. Presence concealment and perception interference should do their job."
And with a sidelong glance at the sleepers, I descended to Floor 10.
◇
『Through accumulated proficiency, the skill 【Movement Arts】 has risen to level 2』
"Whoa!?"
I was mowing down every enemy in sight on Floor 10 when—of all things—my skill level went up before my actual level did.
So what did 【Movement Arts】 become with the new skill level?
・Can now walk (run) on walls and ceilings.
・While moving: reduced stamina drain, plus boosted HP/MP recovery.
…………Isn't that insane?
Huh? This thing's straight-up cheat-tier. It doesn't directly raise combat power, but staying power and mobility jump to another dimension. Net result: a colossal force multiplier.
If it weren't for sleep, couldn't I just fight twenty-four hours straight with this?
Not that I need to push it that far, so I won't. But that's the tier of performance this feels like… A 20-SP skill, all right…
【Movement Arts】—zero info on the net about it, but… if I had a skill like this, I'd probably hide it too. Yeah, I'll keep mine under wraps…
One more secret added to the pile, but it has nothing to do with dungeon exploring.
Either way, I'm going to squeeze every drop out of this skill and climb higher.
So naturally, I gave wall-running a try on the spot.
"Ohhhhh!"
Yelling in a small voice—a feat of multitasking, that—as I marvel at the new sensation. No, this is a little unsettling, actually. When I run on the wall, the ground and ceiling from a moment ago become the walls. Monsters and people look like they're walking on walls. Is this what ninjas dealt with? Moving with this view? Amazing. Well, no idea if they actually existed.
Next I tried the ceiling, but my impressions didn't change much. Things just look like they're walking upside down. But seriously, how does this work? It's flat-out ignoring gravity… Way too much mystery power.
There's no pull toward the original floor at all, so presumably gravity is acting on whatever part of me is touching the surface. Makes zero sense. Incidentally, with a bit of focus I can release it—or rather, just drop back down to the floor normally.
It'll take getting used to, but being able to run free in every direction has skyrocketed how freely I can explore.
Alright, I've got the hang of it—more leveling, then.
Time to hunt, hunt~!
"Fuh——!"
Toss.
"Hah——!"
Fwoosh!
"Seiyah——!"
WHACK!
"Guess a turtle shell really does clang… And here's the domination time I'd been waiting for, but it doesn't feel all that satisfying. Maybe the thrill only exists in games and anime. Would it feel better if there were more enemies—an encirclement to wipe out in one go?"
Hmmmm.
Right around there, the level-up arrived.
『Experience points gained』
『Kobayakawa Takeru's level has risen to 23』
The fatigue blows away, and I feel myself grow stronger yet again.
【Name】 Kobayakawa Takeru
【Level】 23
【Status】
・HP: 540 / 540
・MP: 64 / 64
・STR: 108
・VIT: 104
・AGI: 169
・DEX: 105
・INT: 99
・LUK: 4
【Held Skills】
・Plunder
・Martial Arts (Lv. 3)
・Movement Arts (Lv. 2)
【SP】 8
Smooth sailing, smooth sailing. Everything but INT cracked 100, and stats-wise, I feel like I could take on the boss right now and be fine.
But considering the worst can happen, raising it to 25 first is the surer play.
Exploration-wise, going by the simple map, I'd say I've covered half of Floor 10.
I could keep moving, but I'm hungry too, so I'll head back to the Floor 10 entrance, pitch the tent, and take a break.
Eat, sleep, and enjoy the full expedition experience, I suppose.