Chapter 30

Starting from today, it's another three chapters. (3/3)

The new equipment seemed to live up to its name, feeling as light as a feather. Normally, one would feel some weight, but since my status changed, even if I stuffed an 'Iron Knife' into my backpack, I wouldn't feel any burden.

Well, that might be an exaggeration. There might be a slight sense of discomfort.

By the way, two people mentioned the backpack issue. There are countermeasures for the backpack's capacity, but it seems to cost money. Since it was a low priority, it was postponed this time.

My current equipment is as follows:

'Weapon - Iron Longsword' 50,000 yen → 'Weapon - 6th Generation - Goryo San-shiki' 40,000,000 yen.

'Armor - Iron Armor Set' 100,000 yen → 'Armor - 4th Generation - Lightweight Hybrid Armor MK.2' 12,000,000 yen.

"Haha, it's a huge upgrade, isn't it?"

"Shota-san, as promised, I brought a bento today... What would you like to do with it?"

This is an invitation to either eat it in the dungeon or come back and eat it together. Akiko looks a bit anxious, which is endearing.

"Of course, I'll come back and eat it. Akiko, you can join me, right?"

"!! Yes, I want to join!"

"Hehe, then I'll be waiting. Please aim for around 12:30."

"Understood."

"Then, I'll see you off with Maki. I'm the only dedicated one right now, but there's no rule against bringing an agent along."

"Please do your best, Shota-san. Don't overexert yourself. ...Stay safe."

I pet Maki's head to reassure her and do the same for Akiko.

Maki looked surprised but quickly accepted it. Akiko goes without saying.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

As promised, I entered the dungeon, seen off by the beautiful sisters.

This equipment looks so shiny that, just by looking at it, one might think I belong in the deeper levels of the dungeon. However, my main battlefield is here, the second floor.

The morning's goal is to fill in the corners of the 'Automatic Mapping.' Additionally, I want to rechallenge the enemy to see how much the new equipment has changed.

The second floor is really vast, and walking around the four corners of the map takes a considerable distance. Normally, it would take half a day, but I have the 'Swift' skill.

Using this skill, I maintain an acceleration that doesn't cause fatigue, aiming to get used to moving at high speeds. Starting at about 30 km/h, I gradually increase to 40, then 50, and mix in other tasks as I get used to it.

This involves avoiding contact with Killer Rabbits and beheading Goblins as I pass by. This is essentially a random killing spree. Of course, I don't stop, so I ignore any drops and keep running.

What I'm doing now has three purposes. First, to practice swinging my weapon while accelerated. Second, to fill in the map. Third, to aim for a 100 consecutive Goblin kill streak.

This is a three-in-one strategy.

The downside is that it's very tiring and yields no drops.

Just as I was writing the third corner of the second floor on the map, it happened. The sign of a rare monster's appearance.

"Seems like the rare monster appearance is triggered by a 100 consecutive kill streak. Actions like collecting drop items or paying respects are irrelevant."

Smoke billowed up and expanded on the spot.

"!? It's spawning here!"

Surprised by the different phenomenon, I consider two possibilities. One, Hobgoblins can spawn anywhere on the second floor. Two, this corner might be a spawn point.

"I hope it's the latter."

Otherwise, an unlucky adventurer might get involved by chance. But if it's the latter, there should be more reports of sightings. So, it's probably the latter.

Either way, it doesn't matter right now.

"Hey, it's been two days. I missed you. How have you been?"

"GUOOO!!"

The figure that emerged from the smoke was the same Hobgoblin I saw two days ago.

So, there's no difference between the first and second floors?

"Identify"

＊＊＊＊＊

Name: Hobgoblin

Level: 15

Equipment: Steel Greatsword

Skill: Super Strength

＊＊＊＊＊

"High level!?"

"GUOO!"

"..."

I braced myself, thinking it was stronger than before, but I could easily avoid its attacks without feeling any threat. It's definitely stronger than the Hobgoblin I faced before. Its attack power is higher, and it swings its greatsword faster.

But that's all. It's no longer a threat.

"GUO! GUO! GUOO!!"

Just to be safe, I observed and avoided the Hobgoblin's attacks multiple times, but they felt weaker compared to before. Probably due to the heightened 'Luck' and the combined effect of the 'Intuition' and 'Precognition' skills, I can clearly see where the attacks are coming from.

"Even if the level is higher, it's this weak on the second attempt."

"GUOOO!!"

"Enough with the noise!"

Slash!

The sword's trajectory beautifully traced the Hobgoblin's neck. It bled profusely and fell to the ground.

【Level Up】

【Level increased from 6 to 18】

"Wow... This sword is incredibly sharp. I couldn't feel it against Goblins, but it easily cut through the tough muscles of the Hobgoblin. And the higher the level of the opponent, the more experience points I get. Oh, right."

Seeing the Hobgoblin start to emit smoke, I took out a timer from my pocket and activated it.

I brought it because I thought the time it takes for a rare monster to disappear might vary.

Just to be safe, I kept a safe distance in case of any new moves and watched the outcome.

The smoke dissipated slowly, as usual, without expanding.

"...It's gone. The time is probably around 5 minutes. It felt longer than when I was on the first floor. Maybe it's due to the level rather than the physique. This needs further investigation. But if it spawns on the first floor, it would inconvenience other adventurers... Should I cut it down the moment it spawns? But it definitely screams at the start. Based on past trends."

There are so many things I want to try. This dungeon is really fun.

So, I looked down at the new toy, the dropped item.

"Hey, it's been two days for you too."

I grabbed the item I missed out on.

"Super Strength. Of course, I'll use it!"

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