part1 · 067-ep67
Episode 67: The Floor-30 Boss
Pushing deeper into floor 30, Ren at last came to a stop before a giant door he knew well.
Floor 10. Floor 20. And now floor 30.
A door leading to a boss room, appearing every ten floors. For Ren, this was the third time.
"...Another boss, huh."
An overwhelming presence pressed through from beyond the door.
More than the floor-10 boss. More than the floor-20 boss.
Clearly stronger.
Ren rested a hand on the sword at his hip.
"...Let's go."
Slowly, he opened the door.
—Creeeak...
Beyond it stretched an enormous chamber. The ceiling was high, and the walls were set with ore that gave off a pale light.
And at its center stood a single monster.
"...Huge."
A giant beast covered in black fur. Four legs. Sharp claws. Two horns growing from its head.
The moment Ren stepped in, the monster slowly raised its head.
Their eyes met. In that instant, the air changed.
"...So this is the ruler of this floor."
Ren used 《Appraisal》.
《Name: Grand Bear》
《Type: Monster》
《Status: Good》
《Danger Level: High》
《Strength: Extremely High》
《Defense: High》
《Agility: High》
《Magic: Low》
《Unique ability: Herculean Strength》
《Attacks: Claw strikes, charges, bites》
《Weakness: Abdomen》
《Trait: Possesses high physical abilities》
"...So it can show me this much now."
Ren readied his sword.
The next moment—
the Grand Bear kicked off the ground.
"—!"
Fast. A speed impossible to imagine from that bulk.
Ren leapt sideways.
—Boom!
The spot where it had been standing a moment before caved in.
"...A charge, huh."
Just as the appraisal had shown. The Grand Bear squared its body and swung an arm.
"Claw strike!"
Ren deflected it with his sword.
—Clang!
"Gh...!"
His arm went numb.
Heavy.
Ren put distance between them at once. The Grand Bear came at him again.
A bite, this time. Ren ducked low to evade it.
"...I see."
The information from Appraisal proved useful in a real fight. But knowing wasn't the same as an easy kill.
The Grand Bear was fast, and every blow was heavy. Hunting for an opening, Ren chipped away with attacks of his own, little by little.
"There!"
He swung.
—Slash.
The blade tore into its shoulder. But it was shallow.
"Tough...!"
The Grand Bear let out a furious roar. The next instant, it charged again.
Ren dodged sideways and slipped around behind it.
"The abdomen...!"
He went for the weak point, swinging with everything he had.
But the Grand Bear twisted its body.
—Slash!
Not the abdomen. The blade carved into its flank instead.
"Damn it...!"
He'd been so close.
The Grand Bear whirled around, swinging its arm full force.
Ren dodged.
But—
the tips of its claws raked across his side.
"Gh...!"
Blood flowed. His body froze for a heartbeat.
In that instant, the Grand Bear brought down its final blow.
"—!"
Ren twisted reflexively. The claws ripped open his shoulder — but he'd escaped the killing blow.
He dropped to one knee. His breath came ragged. His vision swam.
Even so—
《Survival Adaptation activated.》
"...!"
Heat welled up from deep within him. A feeling he'd known many times before.
His body was changing to meet the danger before his eyes. His senses sharpened.
The Grand Bear's movements came into focus, sharper than before. The instant of each attack. The placement of its feet. The shift of its weight.
Every last detail reached him as pure instinct.
"...I can see it."
The Grand Bear came barreling in. Ren moved.
Faster than ever before.
And—
swung his sword as they passed each other.
—Slash!
A deep gash. The Grand Bear staggered.
Ren didn't stop. He gathered magic into his right hand.
"Fire Magic!"
He slammed flame into it at point-blank range. The Grand Bear reeled backward.
In that moment, its abdomen lay completely open.
"Now!"
Ren closed the distance in one burst and swung with everything.
—Slash!
The blade found the weak point. The Grand Bear's body swayed hard.
And then—
slowly, it fell.
Thoom...
The giant body sank into the ground.
"...Hah..."
Ren stood where he was, breathing hard.
He'd won. But it had been no easy fight.
Even knowing the weak point from Appraisal, hitting it was no simple task. Even so — without that information, he couldn't have won.
"...Appraisal sure is handy."
Ren looked at the fallen Grand Bear.
The floor-10 boss. The floor-20 boss. And now the floor-30 boss.
The deeper the floor, the stronger the bosses became, without fail.
"...Next time, it'll be even stronger."
Ren sheathed his sword.
That was when it happened.
He noticed something at the back of the boss room.
"...What's that?"
He walked closer. A treasure chest sat there.
"...A treasure chest."
There had been a chest when he beat the floor-10 boss. There had been a chest when he beat the floor-20 boss.
And this time, too—
"What's inside this one?"
Ren stood before the chest, slowly reached out, and touched the lid.
"...Might as well open it."
The moment Ren moved to open the chest—