part1 · 049-ep49

Episode 49: Deeper into the Third Floor

Now level 4, Ren pushed even deeper into the third floor.

He was getting used to using 《Body Strengthening》, too. No more flooding the magic out all at once, like before.

Strengthen his legs only in the moments he needed, route magic to his arms when attacking. That alone had made fighting much easier.

A Grayfang appeared.

"...Again, huh."

Ren readied his spear. The monster pounced.

Body strengthening. Slip sideways. Drive the spear in as they passed.

One blow.

The Grayfang dropped.

"Next."

Monsters kept appearing after that. One. Two. Sometimes a pack.

Ren took them down one by one, surely. With every fight, his handling of 《Body Strengthening》 sharpened.

Strengthen only when needed. Waste no magic. And read the enemy's movement — move first.

"...Getting pretty used to this."

Monsters that would have given him trouble before, he could now kill without feeling much danger at all.

Even so, Ren didn't let his guard down. This was the dungeon. Anything could come out.

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Deeper still.

Then—

The air changed.

"...?"

Ren stopped. It was clearly quieter than anywhere he'd been.

No sign of monsters, either. Somehow, that was creepier.

"...Something's here."

He readied his spear.

One step. Another. Deeper.

Then a broad open space opened up. At its center sat something like a huge rock.

"...What is that."

Ren approached. Not a rock. It looked like some kind of nest.

All around it were marks, as if something had gouged the stone with sharp claws.

"...There's a monster here."

Ren readied his spear at once.

That instant—

Wham!

A great sound rolled out from the depths.

"...!"

The ground shook. Ren fell back on reflex.

Something was coming toward him out of the darkness. Footsteps, closing in.

—Thud.

—Thud.

—Thud.

And—

It showed itself.

"...It's huge."

Clearly unlike any monster he'd fought so far. Its body was more than twice a Grayfang's. Hard scales covered it from head to tail. A long tail.

Sharp claws. And huge fangs showing past its jaws.

Ren re-gripped his spear.

"...This one's different from anything before."

The monster glared at Ren. A low growl rolled through the air. Tension crept into his body on its own.

Running was an option.

But—

Ren took a step forward.

"...Let's do this."

Magic flowed into his body. Body strengthening kicked in.

The monster kicked off the ground. That massive body came bearing down all at once.

Ren readied his spear.

In the depths of the third floor—

a fight unlike any before it had begun.