Chapter 10

"Let's head to the dungeon today."

"…You never told me that."

Sylvia glared at me with a look of exasperation. Of course, I hadn't told her.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine. We'll be in and out in no time."

"Is that so, Second? If you say so... but I'm not falling for it! What are you planning to do this time!?"

"It's for you, Sylvia. You want to learn the Rook Archery, right?"

"…Well, I guess I do want to learn it if I can."

"Then it's settled."

This time, we'll be doing laps in the Beta-Class Dungeon, Rois. It's a relatively easy dungeon among the Beta-Class ones. Our goal is for Sylvia to learn Rook Archery and for me to learn Knight Swordsmanship and Rook Swordsmanship.

Dungeons are ranked into three classes: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Alpha is the highest, Beta is the middle, and Gamma is the lowest. There are the most Gamma Dungeons, with nine, followed by six Beta Dungeons and five Alpha Dungeons. There is one more dungeon above these, but it's not worth mentioning right now.

There are three reasons why we're going to the Beta-Class Rois Dungeon this time.

The first is the attack power of the monsters. I've already gained a fair amount of experience and my stats have grown, so even without armor, the attacks from Gamma-Class monsters don't deal much damage to me. Therefore, to meet the condition of "a monster that can reduce the player's HP by 50%," it's easier to get hit once by a Beta-Class monster than to be repeatedly hit by Gamma-Class monsters.

The second reason is the low HP and VIT of the monsters. All the monsters in the Rois Dungeon are attack-specialized. However, while they have high STR, their HP and VIT are about two-thirds of what you'd expect from monsters of the same level. This means that while the enemies have high attack power and need to be approached with caution, they are easy to defeat due to their weak defenses and low HP.

The third reason is the dungeon's reward. When you clear a dungeon, which means reaching the bottom floor and defeating the boss, you can obtain a reward in the form of a drop from the boss. The boss of the Rois Dungeon is the "Flame Wolf," and one of its drops is the "Flame Wolf Bow," a rare weapon. It's an excellent great bow with a fire attribute effect, and it was a popular weapon that all magic archers used as they progressed from intermediate to advanced levels.

In short, our goal this time is to complete the conditions for skill acquisition while also aiming for the drop.

I think our skill ranks are well-adjusted. Thanks to the Di-Quest strategy, Sylvia's experience points have skyrocketed, and her "Archery" skill has been significantly leveled up. She has reached the first rank in both "Keima Archery" and "Silver General Archery." Additionally, my "Swordsmanship" skill has reached the third rank in "Keima Swordsmanship" and the first rank in "Silver General Swordsmanship."

This is the bare minimum skill rank required for us to clear the Rois Dungeon together. If necessary, I can also use a bow to make up for any lack of firepower, and I've brought plenty of high-quality healing potions, so I'm confident we can clear it without any issues.

"Alright, here we are."

It's a half-day's ride from the capital, Winston. One of the reasons we chose this dungeon is its proximity.

"Are we really going in? Is it safe?"

Leading the anxious Sylvia, I stepped into the Rois Dungeon without hesitation. It's a vast cave-like dungeon surrounded by slightly reddish rocks.

"Is this... blood...? No, is it just the color of the rocks...?"

Sylvia, who has been trembling with fear, is looking around nervously while holding her longbow and following behind me.

"There they are. Try to take them down with Silver General if possible. And when you gain enough experience, focus on leveling up. If you're not used to it yet, practice combining Keima and Silver General."

I spotted the enemy about 20 meters ahead. They are Flame Lizards, and there are four of them. No problem.

"I... understand...!"

Sylvia, though hesitant, has successfully activated her skills. She seems to be doing fine.

Her first shot was a combination of "Keima Archery" and "Silver General Archery," both at the first rank. The arrows, accompanied by a silver effect, hit the Flame Lizard's chest from a distance, creating a large hole with a loud thud.

"......Huh?"

Sylvia opened her mouth in surprise, her voice dazed.

The Flame Lizard died instantly. In the meantime, I used "Infantry Swordsmanship" to deal a single hit to each of the remaining three, drawing their attention, and then finished them off with "Fragrant Chariot Swordsmanship." "Infantry Swordsmanship" is a regular attack, while "Fragrant Chariot Swordsmanship" has a piercing effect.

The conditions for learning "Knight Swordsmanship" are: "Using 'Fragrant Chariot Swordsmanship' to simultaneously kill three monsters with a single strike" and "Using a combination of 'Fragrant Chariot Swordsmanship' and 'Keima Swordsmanship' to pierce the vital points of two monsters 10 times in a row." I've already met the first condition.

"What's wrong?"

When I called out to the dazed Sylvia, she snapped back to her senses.

"Lord Second, could it be that I've become incredibly strong...?"

She's only just realized this now.

"I promised, didn't I?"

When I smiled at her, Sylvia's eyes widened for a moment before she broke into a radiant smile.

She's quite beautiful when she smiles like that... I almost want to tell her to keep that smile forever.

After that, we quickly progressed through the Rois Dungeon. The overly enthusiastic Sylvia, shouting "Lord Second!" and "Amazing!" and "Thank you!" and "Amazing!" was in great form and was very useful as a support. I made the right choice in bringing her along.

"I'm going to become a magic archer!"

She's suddenly very motivated. It seems she was half-doubting her own abilities until now. Regardless, it's good that Sylvia is in high spirits.

"Whoa. Sylvia, stop."

After about six hours of progressing through the dungeon, we stopped.

By this point, we had defeated nearly 3,000 monsters, and Sylvia's "Rook Archery" learning condition was down to just one more.

The reason we stopped here is that our "target" monsters have appeared.

They are the Flame Trolls. These large monsters have extremely high attack power, but their bald, glowing heads are an obvious weak point, and a headshot with the first rank of "Silver General Archery" will definitely take them down in one hit.

There are three Flame Trolls. Perfect.

"Stay at least 15 meters away and aim for their heads with a combination of Keima and Silver General. Shoot when I give the signal."

"Understood. But... what are you planning to do?"

"Just go with it. Whatever happens, don't panic."

After giving Sylvia her instructions, I approached the Flame Trolls.

My HP is full, and based on my VIT stats, I should be able to withstand six critical hits from the Flame Trolls. I'll be fine. I'll be fine.

No, I won't be fine. I'm really scared. But I absolutely need "Rook Archery" for the backline...

Ah, I'm right in front of them now.

One of the Flame Trolls targets me.

It raises its large club...

"Lord Second!!"

...At that moment, I don't remember what happened clearly.

A shock that shook my brain. My consciousness flying away. What is this? I never agreed to this.

"Cough..."

I fell to the ground, spitting out blood and broken molars.

My HP hasn't been reduced by a quarter.

Shit... Will my molars heal? In Mevion, even if an arm is severed, it can be healed with a potion, but there's no guarantee in this world.

This might be bad...

"...Not yet..."

In my blurred vision, I clutched a high-quality HP recovery potion and muttered. The pain and shock were making it hard to think clearly.

But, you know, you want to look cool in front of a girl, right? I thought I could at least withstand one more hit. I don't want this pain to be in vain.

I glanced at Sylvia. She's far away, but it looks like she's waiting for me.

"...Ah!"

The Flame Troll charges at me. A scream almost escapes my throat, but I suppress it with all my might.

...Hang in there. If I run away, I'll be looked down upon. If I panic, I'll be seen as a coward. I'm the best in the world. In this world, even as a side character, I'm the best. Sylvia needs "Rook Archery" for that. This is where I need to push myself. I won't die. Make up your mind! Endure, you're a boy! It's pride! It's determination! If I can endure this, I'll become a legend! Sylvia will definitely fall for me! Probably!

I know it's a crazy thought, but if I don't keep telling myself this, I might drink the potion right now...

"---Ugh!!"

The club, swung like a golf club, sends me flying into the wall. My lungs are crushed, and I can't breathe.

HP... Okay. Okay!

"U... Ugh!"

It was a weak, mosquito-like sound.

But Sylvia understood.

Bam! The deep bass of "Keima Archery" and "Silver General Archery" rang out, and the head of the Flame Troll in front of me exploded into pieces.

Ha, take that...

...

"...Alright."

Two more to go.

I drank a potion, checked that my molars were still intact, and almost cried.

I can't stop now.

If the damage doesn't heal, I could have a reason to stop... but...

Ah, I want to stop... but I can't back down...

...But I have to do it. I'm the best in the world.

The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world.

The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world. The best in the world.

Muttering to myself, I approached the remaining two Flame Trolls.

"You idiot! A complete idiot!!"

After everything was over.

Lying on the cold rock.

Sylvia, hugging me and crying, scolding me.

Complete victory---

Thank you for reading.