Chapter-06 · EP-093
Episode 93: To the Fifth Floor
I defeated the fourth-floor boss and came to the fifth floor.
The fourth-floor boss, the Venom Hairy Caterpillar. Last time, I fought cautiously with a hit-and-run style and lost. But this time was different. I clutched the antidote in my left hand and fought aggressively, pushing forward.
I couldn't defeat it without landing hits. The longer the fight dragged on, the more dangerous it became. So I had no choice but to press it hard in a short, decisive battle.
As a result, I was poisoned three times. Each time a venomous hair pierced me, that intense numbness assaulted my whole body. The feeling in my fingertips vanished, and my legs wouldn't obey. Each time, I threw the antidote Yamashita-san gave me into my mouth and recovered.
I never wanted to be poisoned that many times again.
Each time I was poisoned, I felt the fear of death. The sensation of consciousness fading away. The despair of my body ceasing to move. I didn't want to experience that over and over.
But to skip the fourth floor, I had to clear the sixth floor and unlock the seventh-floor portal. Until then, I'd have to fight that venomous caterpillar many more times.
That said, including the Cure Potion, I only had three doses of antidote left. Using three this time, if I fought under the same conditions, I'd use them up next time. It would be a shame to consume the precious gift from Yamashita-san so quickly.
To avoid that, I had to level up on this fifth floor.
If I leveled up, my stamina and attack power would increase. I should be able to defeat the Venom Hairy Caterpillar more easily. Maybe I could finish it off before getting poisoned.
With that in mind, I steeled myself for consecutive battles until I reached level 5 and advanced through the dungeon.
The fifth floor was a forest stage like the fourth floor. The monsters appearing were quadrupedal animal types like wolves and boars. According to Meiris, there were no gimmicks like poison, so it should be easier to fight than the fourth floor.
Thinking that, I proceeded and immediately encountered three wolves – Grey Wolves.
Three at once. I'd rather fight them one by one.
One of the three charged straight at me. The other two ran to the left and right. They were trying to surround me and attack from my blind spots. Smart for wolves.
The Grey Wolf in front leaped at me. I knocked it down with the buckler in my left hand and immediately swung my wooden sword with my right. The wooden sword hit the Grey Wolf's head with a dull thud.
But the remaining two leaped at me from the left and right. Giving up on pursuing the first one, I jumped back to dodge. As I did, I didn't forget to land a blow with my wooden sword on the right-side Grey Wolf.
When I raised my sword, the three Grey Wolves faced me, growling. They didn't seem to have taken much damage from my attacks. They got back up quickly.
Clearly a step stronger than the monsters on the fourth floor.
The three took turns leaping at me. I blocked with my buckler, struck with my wooden sword, twisted my body to dodge. I repeated attacks over and over, but they wouldn't go down.
Even though I was supposed to be attacking unilaterally, I was gradually being pushed back. I was getting out of breath. My arms felt heavy.
At this rate, my stamina wouldn't hold out.
Monsters were definitely getting stronger as I went deeper. And this time, I was facing multiple monsters at once. Far from consecutive battles, I was suddenly in a huge pinch.
I had to take down at least one for sure. Deciding that, I targeted the one I'd injured first.
But just then, a fourth Grey Wolf suddenly burst out from between the trees. My reaction was slow; I tried to cover with my buckler in a panic, but I wasn't fast enough, and it bit my right thigh.
A sharp pain shot through me. At the same time, the three in front of me, sensing my disadvantage, also charged.
I wanted to attack the Grey Wolf biting my thigh, but it was too close to hit with my wooden sword. Should I draw the dagger from its sheath – no, wait.
I realized the optimal solution.
I raised the index finger of my right hand, which held the wooden sword, and pointed it at the Grey Wolf's neck.
"Cutter!"
I activated the Water Magic Water Jet Cutter. It was only usable in ultra-close combat, but the extremely powerful spell sliced through the Grey Wolf's neck.
Blood sprayed, and the Grey Wolf died in one hit.
The remaining three leaped at me. I couldn't dodge them all and was bitten in turn, but I repeatedly activated the Water Jet Cutter in the same way and defeated all four Grey Wolves.
The Grey Wolves' corpses turned into Magic Gems and rolled on the ground. I looked around and confirmed there were no other enemies.
My whole body hurt. Blood was flowing from the bite wounds on my thigh, left arm, left thigh, and right shin.
I used Healing Magic.
"Heal."
When I cast Heal on the first bite on my right thigh, a sparkling magic circle activated, and the pain eased. But it didn't heal completely. It still throbbed.
I healed the other areas in turn: left arm, left thigh, right shin. Each treatment lessened the pain, but none healed perfectly.
Even though my Healing Magic had reached level 2, its effect was still incomplete. Compared to Yuno's Healing Magic, it was clearly inferior.
But this was no time to complain. Just being able to use Healing Magic at all was a huge advantage for solo exploration.
Also, the power of the Water Jet Cutter was amazing. It had defeated all the Grey Wolves in one hit, even though my wooden sword couldn't take them down with multiple strikes. Cutting the neck, a vital point, probably helped.
Its short range was a drawback, but when I was bitten or grappled, it was extremely effective. A knife might be able to do the same thing, but considering the risk of dropping it or having it get stuck, the Water Jet Cutter was easier to use.
If I kept using this magic, maybe Water Magic would level up to 2 as well.
My injuries were mostly healed, so I decided to keep going.
After that, I repeated the same tactic.
Encounter Grey Wolves. Get close, accepting that I'd be bitten. Use the Water Jet Cutter to finish them in one hit. Heal the bite wounds with Healing Magic.
Honestly, it hurt. Every bite sent a jolt of intense pain. I'd like to avoid it if possible, but I couldn't defeat them with just the wooden sword. On the other hand, a drawn-out battle would drain my stamina.
Even so, this tactic was the most efficient for me right now. If I endured the pain, I could defeat them reliably. And I could recover with Healing Magic.
After continuing these painful battles, I successfully reached level 5.
I hadn't struggled this much since fighting the Acid Slime while injured, had I?
Come to think of it, I also got hurt when I went to save the explorers being attacked by the group of goblins in Shinjuku.
I hadn't been injured much before, but lately, I was starting to feel the true terror of the dungeon.
Still, it was fun. The fun far outweighed the fear.
Feeling the satisfaction of reaching level 5 and the heaviness of my battle-weary body, I decided to call it a day.
The moment I decided to go back, I suddenly got hungry.