part1 · 071-ep71

Episode 71: The Path of Ten Years

Ren stood before a giant door.

"..."

The door before him was bigger than any he had ever seen. From beyond it came a presence stronger than anything he had ever felt.

"...So this is the floor-100 boss room."

Ren gazed quietly at the door. A long time had passed since he'd entered the dungeon.

The boy who'd been fifteen was twenty-five now.

"...Ten years, huh."

The moment the words left his mouth, everything he'd been through rose up in his mind.

Even after learning Water Magic on floor 31, Ren had kept on fighting.

And—

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Floor 40.

A floor drowned in deeper water than any before it. Giant fish and sharp-fanged monsters lurked beneath the surface.

Wielding Water Magic, Ren cut them down one by one as he advanced.

And in the deepest part of the floor, a giant monster was waiting.

A colossal sea serpent covered in black scales from head to tail. Two horns on its head, and a body so long it filled the water.

《Name: Abyss Serpent》

The floor-40 boss.

The monster opened its mouth. A huge volume of water spiraled into a vortex and came surging at Ren.

"...!"

Ren countered with Water Magic. But the water pushed him back.

"...Strong."

In the water, the monster held an overwhelming advantage. Dodging its attacks, Ren studied how it moved.

A head-on fight was unwinnable.

Then—

Ren used the current itself to move, evading the monster's attack and slipping straight into close range.

He thrust his sword — but hard scales turned it away.

"...Tough scales."

Ren fell back, concentrating magic into his sword.

Then, riding the current, he accelerated all at once. His sword plunged into a gap between the scales.

The monster's body writhed. Ren wrenched his sword free and pressed the attack.

Blow after blow—

until the final strike pierced the monster's vital point. The Abyss Serpent sank.

"...Got it."

Ren let out a breath. At the back of the boss room sat a treasure chest.

He opened the lid.

"...Gloves?"

Inside was a pair of black gloves. Ren took them and used 《Appraisal》.

《Name: Magic-Sealing Gloves》

《Type: Magic tool》

《Effect: Weakens the wearer's status》

《Notes: Weakening strength adjustable with magic》

"Weakening..."

A magic tool that made its wielder weaker. Normally, a power no one would need.

But Ren thought back over his fights. Monsters that had once given him trouble, he could now dispatch with room to spare.

"...Maybe I'll try fighting with a little less strength."

Ren put on the 《Magic-Sealing Gloves》 and adjusted the degree of weakening.

Strength drained from his body.

"...About this much."

Ren went after a monster nearby, fighting with his power reduced.

If he still had room to spare, he strengthened the weakening a little. If he sensed danger, he reverted at once.

That was how he tuned himself to the very edge of what he could handle.

He never took reckless risks. But he always kept the pressure on himself.

And every time, 《Survival Adaptation》 activated. And little by little, Ren grew stronger.

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Floor 41.

Beyond it lay a zone of raging wind. Monsters rode the wind to move, attacking from long range.

Ren fought back, alternating between Fire Magic and Water Magic. Even so, against wind-wielding monsters, landing a hit was hard.

Fire got fanned astray; water got blown off course. And when he tried to close in, the wind shoved him back.

"...As things are, this'll be rough."

Ren studied the monsters' movements. To fight the wind, he needed to understand it himself.

"...I need Wind Magic."

He watched the flow of wind the monsters raised. How could he command the wind too?

He moved his magic again and again. It wouldn't cooperate.

Nothing like water. How was he supposed to grasp something formless like wind with magic?

"...This is a tough one."

Even so, Ren didn't give up. Trying again and again, failing again and again.

Even mid-battle, he kept observing the flow of the wind.

And—

the flow of his magic and the movement of the wind overlapped.

《Survival Adaptation activated.》

Wind swirled around Ren.

"...I did it."

《Wind Magic》.

A new power. At first, all he could raise was a little breeze.

But the more he used it, the better he handled it. Combining it with Fire Magic and Water Magic broadened the way he fought.

　　　　　◇

From then on, his fighting changed, little by little.

Casting magic. Using body strengthening. Concentrating magic where it was needed. Switching between his powers as the situation demanded.

The more he fought, the more refined his movements became. Eventually he could fell monsters that once would have given him real trouble with room to spare.

So Ren began strengthening the gloves' weakening, little by little.

His strength dropped. His reaction speed dropped. His magic weakened too.

Even so, he fought the monsters with ingenuity. He was never slacking off.

He pared down his own strength and fought to his limit in that state — then scraped out wins at the very edge.

Fighting like that triggered 《Survival Adaptation》, again and again. Once he could win even while weakened, he'd strengthen the weakening a little more.

And with every cycle of it, Ren grew a little stronger.

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Floor 50.

An enormous space. Wind spiraled through it, blasting upward from below.

At its center stood a single monster.

Huge wings. Sharp claws. A lion's body with the head of an eagle.

"...A griffon."

The monster spread its wings. The next instant, it came at Ren at terrifying speed.

Ren leapt sideways. Claws gouged the ground.

He counterattacked at once — but the griffon beat its wings and soared into the air.

"...Troublesome."

Blades of wind came flying from above. Dodging them, Ren never stopped watching the monster.

Fighting from the ground was a losing proposition. Ren used the wind's flow to leap.

He closed the distance to the griffon in one burst. The monster raked its claws.

Ren twisted out of the way, slipped inside its guard, and thrust his sword.

But the griffon flared its wings wide and pulled away.

"...Still not enough."

Attack after attack. Their blows crossed again and again.

Taking wounds, Ren read the monster's movements bit by bit.

Then—

an opening, for a single instant.

Ren rode the wind to accelerate all at once. The griffon turned.

Too slow.

The sword sank in deep. The griffon dropped to the ground.

"...It's done."

Ren exhaled slowly. At the back of the boss room sat yet another treasure chest.

He opened the lid. Inside was a pair of shoes.

"...Shoes?"

Ren picked them up.

When he'd first entered the dungeon, he'd worn shoes. But years of constant fighting had worn them down, until at last they were falling apart.

He'd repaired them over and over, but even that reached its end. In the end, he'd thrown them away partway through his journey.

Ever since, Ren had walked the dungeon barefoot.

"...Takes me back."

Shoes in his hands for the first time in years. Ren regarded them with a touch of feeling.

Then, slowly, he slipped his feet in.

"..."

The feel of something wrapping his feet. No longer the direct cold of the ground.

Ren glanced down at his feet — and at once felt magic coming from the shoes.

He used 《Appraisal》.

《Name: Gravity Shoes》

《Type: Magic tool》

《Effect: Adjusts the gravity acting on the wearer》

《Notes: Gravity strength adjustable with magic》

"...Gravity."

Ren stared at the shoes. Combined with the Magic-Sealing Gloves, he could burden himself even further.

"...These'll work for training too."

Ren strengthened the gravity just a little.

"...Heavy."

His body sank. His feet grew heavy.

Even so, he took a step.

"...I can still go."

Another step. And another.

Adjusting the gravity as he went, Ren pushed deeper into the dungeon.

　　　　　◇

And—

Floor 60.