part1 · 051-ep51
Episode 51: The Fourth Floor
The next morning. Ren woke at the water.
He washed his face and drank. Yesterday's fight with the Earthlizard had drained him badly.
Today, he'd press on past it.
Floor 4.
Down the stairs he'd found yesterday.
"...Wonder what's down there."
Ren checked over his things. He had no idea what kind of place the fourth floor was. No idea what monsters it held, either.
In that case—
"Keep the load light."
Ren laid out everything he'd gathered, all at once.
Magic stones. A few materials. Other things he didn't need right away.
He'd leave them all in a pile near the water. The magic stones, too — he still had no idea what they were for. No need to carry them.
"Just food and water, then."
Food and water. And his spear.
Everything else, left behind. His load was light now.
"I can move easy like this."
If he ran into a dangerous monster on floor 4, a light body ran easier.
With his things sorted, Ren took up his spear.
"Let's go."
He left the water. Walked toward the stairs he'd found the day before.
◇
A while on, the traces of yesterday's fight came into view. The spot where he'd felled the Earthlizard.
And past it—
the stairs leading down.
"...Here it is."
Ren stood before them. Below was dark. No telling how far they went.
Even so, Ren didn't stop.
One step. Another. Down the stairs, slowly.
Before long—
He took the last step.
"..."
Ren looked around.
Floor 4.
The first thing he felt was the silence. The air was different from the third floor.
The walls and floor were the same sort of stonework. But here and there, something like black stains marked them.
"...What is this stuff."
Ren crouched down. He didn't touch it — just looked.
What it was, he couldn't tell.
Then—
Tap...
Tap...
A sound drifted from far off.
"...Footsteps?"
Ren rose. Readied his spear.
The sound drew closer, little by little.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Ren held his breath.
Beyond the dark. Something was moving.
"...A monster."
He circulated magic through his body. No 《Body Strengthening》 yet.
First, see what he was dealing with.
And—
From the darkness, a single shape emerged.
The first monster he'd ever seen on the fourth floor.
Ren re-gripped his spear.
"...Appraisal."
His first fight on an unknown floor was about to begin.