After leaving the Dungeon and returning home, I asked the goddess to update my Falna.
“It’s been a while since the last update, hasn’t it?” Goddess Istarot said as she gently stroked my head.
“It has,” I replied.
Ever since I’d been chased out by Goliath, I’d been so busy sweeping through the Middle Floors that I hadn’t had time to update my Status.
Now that I had a clear target in Goliath, I was also curious to see just how much I’d built up.
I lay face-down on the bed as usual.
The warm, ticklish sensation on my back felt familiar.
But this time, the goddess’s reaction was a little different.
Her hand, which had been steadily tracing my back, suddenly paused.
“Oh my...”
She murmured softly, her voice tinged with surprise.
“What is it, Goddess?”
“No... Nia, your growth rate is... I can hardly believe it.”
She helped me sit up, then showed me the new parchment with an expression of awe and admiration.
────────────────
Nia
Race: Pallum
LV2
Strength G 288 → E 451
Endurance G 254 → E 422
Agility F 311 → D 598
Technique F 378 → D 555
Magic F 355 → D 589
Development Ability
Genius I
《Magic》
[Enchant]
• Chanting style: “Let fate be bestowed.”
• Enchantment magic
• Permanently bestows random effects on equipment
• By consuming additional Mind, a desired effect can be guaranteed
• By consuming additional Mind, effect level can be increased
《Skill》
[Master of Arms]
• Rules over weapons
────────────────
“...That’s insane.”
I blurted out a curse before I could stop myself.
It was a result that was hard to believe had come from just a few days.
Strength and Endurance had skipped F rank entirely and settled straight into E rank.
Agility, Technique, and Magic had shot all the way up to D rank.
In particular, Agility and Magic were already close to C rank.
It was the result of obtaining the overwhelming weapon Kratos and slaughtering Middle Floor monsters one-sidedly.
The Genius ability seemed to improve not only my judgment in combat, but also the efficiency of Excelia gain.
“At this rate... LV3 really isn’t far off.”
Goddess Istarot hugged me tightly, overcome with emotion.
I let myself sink into her arms, staring blankly at the numbers written on the parchment.
At this rate of growth, maybe taking down Goliath wouldn’t be such a distant dream after all.
Maybe, if I pushed now...
No, not yet.
If I rushed in half-baked like last time, I’d only end up running away again.
I had to challenge it only when I could definitely overwhelm it.
“Goddess, I’m going back to the Dungeon tomorrow.”
“What? You need to rest for at least one day!”
“No. You have to strike while the iron is hot. I don’t want to stop this momentum.”
At my firm words, she finally let out another sigh and nodded.
The next day, I headed back to the Dungeon.
This time, my goal was to push past the 18th Floor and clear the 19th through 24th Floors, the deep end of the Middle Floors.
I was going to see the end of the Middle Floors.
By now, the 18th Floor was somewhere I could reach with my eyes closed.
After passing through Rivira, I finally stood at the entrance leading down to the 19th Floor.
From here on, it became a forest zone known as the Great Tree Labyrinth, packed tightly with enormous trees.
Between the giant leaves that blocked out the sky, faint light from the crystal ceiling seeped through, leaving the whole area dim. Beneath my feet, thick layers of damp fallen leaves had piled up.
Massive roots twisted together like walls, making this place look exactly like a labyrinth that would burn down all at once if set on fire.
I’d better be careful.
I floated Kratos into the air and stepped into the forest without letting my guard down.
Before long, a familiar but unpleasant shadow emerged between the trees.
Bugbear.
And not just one.
Three Bugbears were glaring at me from behind a huge tree.
Their eyes were far more ferocious than the abnormal specimen I’d encountered on the 8th Floor.
“Grrr...”
They slowly closed in, surrounding me.
The memory of being driven to the brink of death by a single one last time flashed through my mind.
But now, things were different.
I hurled Kratos straight ahead.
The massive greatsword roared as it charged at the nearest Bugbear.
The monster quickly used the tree beside it as a shield and slipped away.
Kratos split the tree clean in two, but failed to land a fatal blow on the monster itself.
In that instant, the other two lunged at me from the left and right.
“Not stupid, huh.”
I drew my bow with one hand.
It had been a while since I’d taken this out...
While Kratos drew their attention, I calmly nocked an arrow.
I’d only raised the enchantment level on my old bow.
With Sharpness 3 and Piercing 2 on it, it would still land a solid hit.
Whoosh!
The arrow flew like a streak of light and pierced the right Bugbear’s eye dead on.
“Kraaaah!”
The monster screamed and rolled across the ground.
Without missing the opening, Kratos changed direction and smashed into the left one’s waist.
Crack!
With a horrific splitting sound, the monster’s upper and lower body were torn apart.
The last remaining one, instead of raging over its comrades’ deaths, was overcome by fear and started to flee.
But Kratos was faster.
From behind the fleeing monster, the great blade slammed it straight into the ground.
“Nice... this combo works.”
I muttered in satisfaction.
Let Kratos handle area attacks and tanking, while I used the bow to target weak points and land precise strikes.
Maybe from here on, I’d just keep increasing the number of swords I controlled and let this become my fixed combat style.
After that, I kept exploring the 19th Floor, hunting Bugbears, Battle Boars, and the occasional other monster that appeared.
I gradually grew used to fighting with the combination of Kratos and the bow.
That was when I reached the 24th Floor.
The atmosphere here was quite different from the previous floors.
The giant trees that defined the Great Tree Labyrinth were still there, but the forest was less dense, and wide clearings opened up here and there.
Crystal light from the ceiling reached the ground more easily than in other places, and the rare medicinal herbs growing below gave off a faint glow.
It was easy to see why pharmacists were said to love posting quests for this area.
I sat down on a rock in one of the herb-free clearings to catch my breath.
That was when it happened.
“Kraaaah!”
A sharp scream rang out from the nearby forest.
I turned toward the sound.
In a wide area thick with herbs, a party of adventurers was surrounded by unknown monsters.
They looked somewhat like tigers walking on four legs, but they were much larger, and sharp bones jutted out from their backs.
Their movements were unbelievably fast.
They darted between the trees and rocks like the wind, toying with the party.
Ligerfang.
Those should be monsters from the 17th Floor, shouldn’t they?
And a party that had come this far was getting beaten by Ligerfangs?
The party was already on the verge of annihilation.
The frontline tanker had collapsed with his shield broken, and the rear mage was so terrified he couldn’t even chant properly.
Those Ligerfangs looked like they were all enhanced variants.
Were the enhanced types cooperating with each other?
Come to think of it, in the original story there was a monster that ate Magic Stones called a Moss Huge. It had developed intelligence enough to suppress monster instincts, and learned that instead of killing its own kind one by one to eat their stones, it was more efficient to kill adventurers and eat the large number of Magic Stones they had collected.
These ones seemed to be a similar case.
“Damn it! They’re too fast! I can’t land a hit!”
The swordsman who seemed to be the party leader shouted desperately, but his blade only cut empty air.
One of the Ligerfangs circled behind him and raised its sharp claws.
I stood up.
I didn’t want to get involved in trouble, but I couldn’t just stand by and watch people die in front of me.
I sent Kratos flying.
Clang!
The Ligerfang about to pounce on the party leader was struck from behind by the massive sword and knocked aside.
Kratos didn’t stop at blocking the attack; it unleashed a shockwave that pushed back the other monsters nearby as well.
“W-what...?”
The party leader stared blankly at the huge greatsword floating in the air.
Only then did they realize who had saved them.
“Th-that is... a greatsword!”
One of the party members shouted.
So I’m just being called “the greatsword” now?
I still don’t even have an epithet...
The remaining Ligerfangs all turned their attention to me at once.
For the first time, wariness appeared in their eyes.
“Grrr...”
They circled around me, looking for an opening.
But I had no openings to give.
Spinning Kratos through the air, I said quietly to them, “Come on then.”
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