Chapter 17

### [Serious Players] Fully Clear the Dungeon! 132nd Floor [For Your Convenience]

128 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

Did it shine?

129 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

What kind of festival?

130 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

First boss defeated?

131 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

Wasn't Masatsugu on an expedition?

132 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

Oh, I see.

That guy's a bit off, you know.

133 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

Did you go to Hokkaido by boat?

134 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

No way, it was a pedal swan.

The oars would break no matter what material they were made of.

135 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

What a pervert!

Did Masatsugu do it!?

136 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

>>135 No flagging

It's probably Masatsugu.

137 Name: Masatsugu★

Hi, it's been a while.

138 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

The man himself has arrived!

139 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

Did Masatsugu defeat the first boss?

140 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

What's the first reward?

141 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

What kind of boss?

142 Name: Masatsugu★

>>139 Yes.

>>140 I'm not sure, still appraising the staff.

>>141 It's like a big lizard.

I'll edit the WIKI and post on my blog when the timing is right, so check it out.

143 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

I hope it's a nice staff! www

144 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

>>143 Go to Montparnasse.

I'm looking forward to it!

145 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

What about that guy?

146 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

What's that, a mystery?

147 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

I've never seen a masked man.

If you mean a fake man, he's here.

148 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

>>147 Go to Montparnasse.

149 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

What about him?

150 Name: Masatsugu★

I thought he might be a famous person.

151 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

I don't know.

If you mean a fake man, (omitted)

152 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

>>151 Montparnasse

153 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

I've never seen him. What about him?

154 Name: Masatsugu★

It seemed like he was trying to tackle the enemy's formation with just his footwork.

He was also very good at cutting off his presence.

He seemed like an interesting person.

155 Name: Anonymous at the Frontline

For Masatsugu to find someone interesting...

Who is he...?

---

The next day, Haruki and Kuren agreed to delve into the dungeon.

100 Gegege per day. After that, they would sell the materials and finish hunting.

They repeated this for three days, and by then, Kuren had grown to the point where she could handle 2-3 Gegege without falling behind.

Growth Acceleration 3 probably boosts experience by about 200%.

"..."

When he opened the skill board for the first time in a while, he found that he had gained one point.

It wasn't because he had reached a new highest floor, so this was an unusual increase.

"..."

Could it be a rare monster?

That was the only possible explanation.

Could he get a lot of points by continuously defeating rare monsters?

However, it seemed that the same type of rare monster wouldn't grant points twice.

Additionally, rare monsters had a low encounter rate.

They weren't the kind of monsters you could find just by looking.

Aiming to get a lot of points by targeting rare monsters wasn't a realistic method.

There was one more change.

- Skills

- Weapon Proficiency

- One-Handed Sword 0 → 1

"One-Handed Sword has improved."

Haruki hadn't allocated any points to one-handed swords.

It seemed to have grown naturally.

It was probably due to the battle with the rare monster. Haruki had learned a technique to swing his short sword smoothly in that battle.

That was likely the reason for the skill increase.

This confirmed that skills could grow naturally.

Thanks to this, he could prioritize which skills to acquire.

"Skills that can grow through battles with monsters can be put off."

He had been considering allocating points to one-handed swords, but for now, he would observe.

It would be more efficient to allocate points when the growth rate slowed down rather than when the skill was at a low level.

"Hey!"

Kuren used magic to easily crush the 100th Gegege's head.

On the first day, she had been using magic with a lot of effort, but now she could activate it as easily as moving her own limbs.

This was probably due to her level-up, or perhaps her body had gotten used to frequent use.

Watching her cast magic, Haruki couldn't understand the principle behind it at all.

The only thing he understood was that her magic was non-elemental.

She couldn't materialize fire, wind, earth, or water.

However, Kuren's skills were still low.

There was a possibility that she could gain attributes in the future.

"Let's call it a day."

"Okay."

"By the way, I'll take a break tomorrow."

"Do you have any plans?"

"No. I want to level up too."

It had been five days.

Because he had been supporting Kuren, Haruki hadn't been able to hunt properly.

In five days, Kuren had grown to the point where she could handle most of the monsters on the 1st and 2nd floors.

So, Haruki thought it was time for him to grow as well.

"That's... I'm sorry, it's my fault."

"Don't apologize. In return, take a break tomorrow."

"I understand. But if we're going to advance, I should be there—"

"Take a break. Even God rests on Sundays, you know?"

Kuren reluctantly nodded at Haruki's firm tone.

He felt bad for Kuren, but he wanted to enter the dungeon alone tomorrow.

Watching her grow, his body couldn't help but ache.

He couldn't afford to fall behind.

Of course, wanting to solo was one reason, but the most important thing was to give her a day off.

Haruki, who had worked without breaks or sleep at a printing company, believed that rest was necessary for a human to live properly.

Especially for adventurers, the body is capital.

If fatigue accumulates, you can't fight effectively.

If you can't fight effectively, it can cost you your life.

Preparation for any eventuality is also part of an adventurer's job.

The next day after telling Kuren to take a break, Haruki checked his equipment and headed to the dungeon.

He had only reached the 2nd floor of this dungeon.

In "Chikaho," he had reached the 4th floor, so he wanted to reach at least the 4th floor here.

Ideally, the 5th floor.

Was that too greedy?

He skipped the 1st floor and headed to the 2nd floor.

The smell of onions stung his eyes, but he ignored it and headed straight to the back.

There was no boss on the 2nd floor.

Ten onions were gathered in the hall in front of the stairs, but they were no match for Haruki.

He kicked them away with tears in his eyes and descended to the 3rd floor.

The 3rd floor had the same layout as the 2nd floor.

It was quite monotonous.

He stopped his mind from wandering and focused.

As he cautiously advanced, a creature about fifty centimeters long appeared from the other side of the corridor.

It had fur that was almost black, sharp claws, and large, cute eyes and nose.

The monster on the 3rd floor was a well-known pest, a raccoon.

"Is it a Black Raccoon?"

What to watch out for were its mobility and sharp claws.

Haruki drew his short sword and got into position.

"!"

He reacted to the raccoon's attack.

He immediately dodged and counterattacked.

The counter technique he had learned from the Kill Rabbit didn't even scratch the raccoon.

"Fast!"

Its mobility was even better than the Kill Rabbit.

However, it wasn't impossible to catch.

He was surprised by the raccoon's speed, but upon analyzing it calmly, he realized that his physical abilities were superior to the raccoon's.

If he could get a bit closer and land a counter, he could definitely finish it off.

He focused, observed, and reacted.

He stepped to avoid the attack.

He turned around.

He immediately swung his short sword,

and the blade slid along the raccoon's body.

"Good, it hit!"

But the raccoon was still alive.

The blade had only grazed it.

He couldn't take its life yet.

Without letting his guard down, he landed two more hits, then three.

By the time the raccoon took its last breath, Haruki had adapted to its movements.

Indeed, he had to watch out for its claws and mobility.

But one raccoon wasn't a problem.

He still had that much leeway.

Should he go down another floor?

After some thought, Haruki decided to continue hunting raccoons for a while.

This time, he was alone.

He would choose a safe method rather than taking unnecessary risks.

After defeating about 100 raccoons and experiencing level-up dizziness six times, Haruki had become able to defeat Black Raccoons with little effort due to his familiarity with their movements.

Thinking it was safe now, Haruki aimed for the 4th floor.

His bag was already full of raccoon meat.

He would make raccoon soup today.

In the Baga Budo, the Hozoin school of spear techniques, they apparently ate raccoon soup at the beginning of training.

By imitating the Hozoin school, he might become a bit stronger.

(Main weapon is a short sword, though...)

He was looking forward to dinner.

While thinking about this, he continued forward to the stairs leading underground.

In the hall, a particularly large raccoon was seated.

"There it is."

This was definitely the boss of this floor.

It was the first time Haruki had seen a boss as an adventurer.

It was about twice the size of a normal Black Raccoon.

It was about 1.2 meters long, about the size of a young elementary school student.

But the volume was vastly different from a child.

If he were hit by a charge, he would probably be sent flying.

"There are no minions."

He observed the boss, predicting the attacks that would come.

He checked his equipment and took a deep breath.

Then, he held his breath.

He approached quickly.

He swung his short sword.

But the raccoon reacted at the last moment.

It blocked with its sharp claws.

"Good. Very good!"

A normal Black Raccoon would have been defeated with that one hit.

But it had blocked it.

A shiver ran down his spine.

From the tips of his cold hands to his toes,

he suddenly felt hot.

No matter how many times he slashed, it countered.

He had to dodge a counterattack.

He circled around and attacked from behind.

It was shallow.

The momentum had been effectively reduced.

It was so enjoyable, so much fun, that he couldn't help but laugh.

The movements, strength, and speed of the opponent.

Everything burned into Haruki's eyes.

He had never seen or felt anything like it.

That's why it was wonderful.

Because this experience belonged to no one else.

It was something only he could obtain!

"Haha!"

He laughed while taking in oxygen.

He was so excited that he almost missed a few attacks.

Dangerous, dangerous.

He needed to focus.

He wiped the smile off his face and concentrated.

He focused his consciousness and converged it.

He analyzed every movement of the opponent's muscles.

He observed and analyzed everything in a fraction of a second.

The opponent was not just a beast.

It had consciousness, will, purpose, and intent to kill.

He felt all of this with his whole body and predicted the future movements.

If he thought a movement was good, he immediately adopted it.

Not this way, not that way.

He moved his body logically and theoretically, imitating it.

By changing the way he moved his muscles, the gap in strength narrowed.

And it narrowed rapidly.

More.

More!

His body, which had incorporated the boss's movements, improved in a fascinating way.

It was so enjoyable, so enjoyable, that Haruki couldn't help but get absorbed.

He clashed with the boss's claws 10, 20 times with his short sword.

Gradually, the patterns of the boss's movements became clear.

He could predict what the boss would do next.

Haruki slightly offset these movements.

It was the counter technique he had learned from the Kill Rabbit.

He feinted a clash and offset it by half a beat.

The claws passed by Haruki's side easily.

The delayed short sword deeply pierced the boss's skin.

"Kyaaaah!!"

The boss's scream echoed through the hall.

Was it high-pitched or deep?

Until now, he had seen creatures that looked like they could speak, but he had never heard a voice.

Was the presence of vocal cords a sign of strength?

At first, the raccoon had attacked with its claws, but when its body was cut, it changed its attack method to a tackle.

Haruki was a bit surprised, but he could predict it by observing the muscle movements.

When he dodged the tackle, the boss crashed into the wall.

The loud sound and impact were different from anything before.

Indeed, it seemed to get stronger when cornered.

However, what Haruki had to do didn't change.

He dodged the tackle and drove his short sword into the boss.

By the time Haruki had inflicted 20 new lacerations, the boss raccoon's vital signs had stopped.

"Ha... ha..."

His breathing was hot.

His throat was dry.

How long had they been fighting? His body was drenched in sweat.

Feeling a slight level-up dizziness from the boss's death, the walls of the dungeon flickered slightly.

"..."

That change made him feel dizzy, as if it was linked to his level-up dizziness.

"Oh. Is this the sign of the first boss defeat?"

The "dungeon glow" often discussed on the "Narou" bulletin board.

This phenomenon occurs when a boss is defeated for the first time.

Of course, it doesn't glow every time the same boss is defeated.

It only happens when the boss is defeated for the first time in the dungeon.

Additionally, there seems to be a small bonus for the first defeat of a boss.

It's like a game.

Or the sweet scent of Laphroaig.

By competing adventurers to enter the dungeon, it lures them into dangerous areas.

Then, it preys on the weaker adventurers.

Many adventurers have lost their lives, captivated by the first defeat of a boss.

It's a typical example of greed in a place where lives are on the line.

Not a pun.

"..."

What's the reward? Haruki looked at the boss and was startled.

The boss he had just defeated was being absorbed into the ground.

It was as if the dungeon was eating the dead monster's flesh.

Was this a phenomenon unique to bosses?

He would look into it later.

Just as he couldn't disassemble the boss raccoon he had just defeated and lost all the materials, a large Black Raccoon claw and a black, rough stone-like object appeared where the boss had fallen.

The raccoon claw was probably from the boss. This was the reward for defeating the boss.

The black stone-like object was likely the first-time-only bonus.

It was quite heavy when he held it.

When he tapped it lightly, the vibration resonated throughout.

"Is it iron?"

It might be iron.

He would have it appraised later.

After putting the boss drop in his bag, Haruki headed to the 4th floor.