arc03 · 069-ep63
Episode 63: Surpriiise
Well then, let's get today's exploration started, shall we.
The original plan was to sprint all the way to Floor 14 and run the 【Plunder】 verification—but I hit level 30 and went and learned 【Shadow Magic】, so part of me wants to hunt shadow wolves on Floor 11 and level 【Shadow Magic】 as far as it'll go.
The 【Plunder】 verification, in short, comes down to whether it's actually true that 'when there's a level gap of three or more, 【Plunder】's success rate is basically 0%. Up to now I've never fought anything with that kind of level gap, so it never mattered much—but lately a suspicion's cropped up that unless I fight opponents above my level, my growth per level-up might be poor. Which means I really do want to confirm whether 【Plunder】 works on stronger opponents. If it does work, I'd be better off actively taking on opponents above my level. For that matter, judging who's above or below me purely by level feels kind of off in the first place.
As for the shadow wolf hunt, if I chip away at it, it'll hit max level eventually, so there's no need to rush. Today I'll just kill them as I come across them.
Otherwise, I've got to go get caught in a Floor 11 monster house trap to procure the weapons Mio asked for. The Floor 11 traps basically spawn Goblin Swordsmen, so I should have them in no time.
On Floor 12, I'll fight Statue Knights and nothing else, and otherwise sprint straight through to Floor 14.
All right, the plan's set, so let's spend today running like mad again.
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So first, for the weapons, I go charging into a trap room and take on the Goblin Swordsmen.
Took me a bit of trouble to find a room with a chest. Floor 11 has a lot of adventurer traffic, so this part's down to luck.
Incidentally, the fight with the swordsmen was even more of a cakewalk than before, so I don't really have anything to say about it.
If I had to say something, it's that before the fight started I used 『Shadow Dive』 into the chest's shadow, and the swordsman was looking all over the place—that was funny. Yep, I love goblins.
I collected three swords, so I've got no more business with the gobs. Time to blaze flat out along the road to Floor 12.
Any shadow wolf I spot, I hit with 【Plunder】 one after another. Whoa-ho—this kind of efficient leveling is irresistible~~!
Even after running all the way through Floor 11, the skill level was still 3, but it'll probably go up again soon. What kind of technique will I be able to do next, I wonder. Can't wait.
And then Floor 12. There's basically nobody here worth fighting except Statue Knights, so I just blaze through here too. On the ceiling, of course. I've gotten pretty used to this view by now.
Ooh—Statue Knight-kun spotted!
So the adventurers exploring around here really do all pass him by, huh. Poor Statue Knight-kun, ignored by everyone. I'll be your opponent.
It's the day after yesterday, so I've got a decent grasp of how Statue Knights act. I've properly learned that my perception interference and presence concealment don't work on them, and that they pull moves no ordinary humanoid could. So today I'll test out my new techniques while aiming for a completely unscathed victory.
"Hey there, let's have ourselves a match, shall we. I'm actually pretty handy with a sword, you know."
Saying that, I wrap 『Shadow Sword』 around my right arm with 【Shadow Magic】.
Originally I meant to use a sword, so I trained by swinging a wooden sword around. At first I even went to a kendo dojo, but I quit before long and mostly taught myself. Men and kote and all that make no sense against monsters. Obviously you aim for the vitals instead.
First, let's trade one blow, shall we.
I want to know how tough 『Shadow Sword』 is. But if it's weaker than I think and gets chopped clean through along with my arm, that'd be no joke—so I catch his sword on the tip of the part sticking out past my fingertips.
CLANG
Ooh! I can knock it back just fine!
I can't really judge the sharpness yet, but it seems to have decent toughness. A seriously handy technique.
I spring back in a flash, and this time I use 『Shadow Wall』.
At the same time I leave one 『Shadow Clones』 as a stand-in, and slip into his shadow myself.
The Statue Knight destroys the 『Shadow Wall』 and looses a flash of a slash at the 『Shadow Clones』 behind it. The 『Shadow Clones』 scatters into mist at once—but thanks to that, the Statue Knight is wide open too.
I burst out of the shadow behind it without a sound and drive a thrust into its head with my mana-loaded right hand. A double punch of 『Shadow Sword』 and 『Hakkei』. Being able to stab with both blade and fist in one shot is the best, isn't it?
Being the joint-popping type of enemy, the Statue Knight can still move even without the head I smashed off and sent flying.
But it seems to have lost its sight entirely—its sword no longer reads like it's accurately tracking me, more like it's just flailing vaguely, so it stopped being scary at all.
I also activate 『Shadow Sword』 on my leg and slice off everything below its knee. All that joint mobility is exactly what makes them fragile. Still, the feeling of your leg turning into a blade is outrageous.
I finish off the Statue Knight, which can no longer even stand properly.
Since I had the chance, I went wild slashing it all over with 『Shadow Sword』. Frankly, in terms of raw power, a mana-loaded 『Hakkei』 is overwhelmingly stronger, but 『Shadow Sword』 is plenty strong too. After all, the Statue Knight is a hard enemy and I could cut it just fine, and 『Shadow Sword』 itself never broke. It's jumped straight into my main lineup.
"Fuh—a flawless victory!"
Man, that clicked beautifully. Somehow I've gotten strong in that direction without ever taking 【Assassination Arts】 or 【Ninjutsu】 from the SP list…
I don't know its exact level, but if I can beat something probably above my level this one-sidedly, it really feels like I should stop bothering with trash mobs. Aside from making money and farming proficiency, I'll basically ignore them.
Aaaand now, let's keep blazing along to clear Floor 12.
There's still plenty of time today, so I'm going all the way to Floor 14~!
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Along the way I got in touch with Sakurai-san and just ran while we chatted.
When I told her I was blazing along the ceiling ignoring every enemy, Sakurai-san was speechless. Come to think of it, I'd never told her what my exploration actually looks like. Looks like I managed to surprise even her. I could tell from her voice alone that she was startled, but if possible I'd have liked to see her face while it happened. Shame.
Maybe I actually like surprises quite a bit.