Chapter 10

### 100th Floor

There, an unusual atmosphere enveloped the area.

The room was so large it made one’s sense of scale go awry, with a high ceiling. The walls were lined with Big Orders at regular intervals.

And in the center stood the boss, standing tall and proud.

I immediately performed an appraisal.

### [Status]

- Race: Elder Lich (Unique)

- Level: 200

- Skills: Passive - Magic Enhancement Lv.10

- - Chant Disruption Lv.10

- - King’s Glory Lv.5

- Active - Slave Summoning Lv.5

- - Teleport Lv.10

- Magic: Dark Magic Lv.10

- - Azure Flame Magic Lv.10

- - Ice Magic Lv.10

- - Storm Magic Lv.10

- - Subjugation Magic Lv.5

Level 200?!

Seriously, the difficulty just skyrocketed.

Moreover, the number of magic and skills it possesses far exceeds that of the previous monsters.

I took a single step into the room.

In that instant, the Lich from earlier suddenly appeared before me.

"Lightning Speed!!"

I instinctively activated the lightning magic I had just learned and managed to put some distance between us.

I felt a sweat on my neck, a sensation I had never experienced before.

My senses were instantly sharpened to an extreme degree.

Being attacked the moment I entered the room was certainly nerve-wracking.

That must have been Teleport.

If I hadn’t obtained lightning magic on the upper floors, I might have been done for.

While thinking about this, the Lich used Teleport to close in on me, and I used Lightning Speed to maintain my distance. This back-and-forth continued.

Perhaps realizing that this wasn’t getting anywhere, the Lich stopped pursuing and stood still.

Then, it cast several spells I had never seen before.

Whoa, that’s too many.

But did you think I wouldn’t notice, you old Lich?

Yes, the Lich was using those spells as a bullet curtain, while preparing Azure Flame Magic with its hidden hand.

I had seen that magic before.

Azure Flame Magic - Blue Sun, a spell that heats an iron ball to the temperature of the sun and releases it.

However, it has a weakness.

It requires time to charge the heat, and

"Isn’t that spell’s range quite short?"

I used Lightning Speed to instantly move behind the Lich.

Caught off guard by its own bullet curtain, the Lich’s reaction was a moment late.

"Ocean"

I cast the water magic I learned at level 10, causing a vast amount of seawater to flow between us.

"Did you know? The phenomenon of steam explosion. In this world’s lagging scientific knowledge, you probably haven’t even heard of it."

The Liden Frost phenomenon.

When a substance with a high heat capacity is exposed to a liquid with a lower boiling point, it instantly turns into steam and explodes.

I learned this from an anime I watched while on guard duty at home.

Japanese culture is truly amazing.

I used Lightning Speed to escape to the wall, stabbed an Ice Chain into the ceiling, and retreated to avoid being swept away by the current.

Of course, the Elder Lich was also swept away by the wave and the steam explosion.

That spell can’t be canceled mid-cast.

There was no way it could escape.

After a while, the steam cleared, and I could see the pitiful state of the Lich.

I canceled the water magic and descended to the ground.

Well, that was an anticlimactic end.

For a boss on the 100th floor, it was way too weak.

Phew, this was more fun when I fought the Black Scythe.

I wonder if the Black Scythe will show up again, sigh.

Still, I thought Ocean was a difficult spell to use, but it finally got its moment to shine.

As I waited for the Elder Lich to dissipate into particles of light, the drop appeared.

### [Result]

- Elder Lich’s Staff × 1

What?

What?

Seriously? I don’t need a staff.

I’m aiming to be a magic user who can also engage in close combat, so there’s no need to specialize in a weapon.

Then, a staircase leading to the lower floor appeared in the center of the room.

Huh?

Could it be that this dungeon doesn’t end at the 100th floor?

I picked up the staff and descended the stairs.

When I got to the bottom, I saw a familiar door to a resting area.

Seriously, this dungeon just keeps going. Well, whatever. I’ll have to wait a bit longer for my sushi.

To clear my mind, I decided to indulge in some special marbled pork (top grade) today.

Mmm, delicious.

As expected, marbled pork is way better than goblin meat.

But it’s greasy, so I can’t eat too much.

After this little luxury, I went to bed.

******************************

From the 101st floor, the algorithm for the monsters changed.

Monsters no longer appeared in groups but as single entities, and their strength increased dramatically.

In the 101st to 105th floors, colorful giant squirrel monsters appeared.

These weren’t just ordinary squirrels; they used illusion magic, making them troublesome opponents.

I cast area-of-effect spells without regard for MP consumption.

By the time I defeated the 105th floor boss, I was completely drained of magic.

Here, I once again felt the benefit of the Magic Power skill, which increases MP by 2.2 times.

However, the important thing isn’t that!

These squirrel-type monsters dropped spices.

Depending on the color of the individual, they dropped various spices like black pepper, allspice, and cardamom.

I had no choice but to grind for these.

These were the spices I had been longing for.

Now, I could finally eat the marbled pork that had been stored in my item box.

It was worth the wait.

I wanted to commend myself for believing that a monster would eventually drop spices.

So, after my MP fully recovered, I started grinding.

******************************

"Delicious!"

Spices are truly great.

Before, I could only enjoy the natural flavor of the meat, but now it’s different.

"Kuu!"

"Kuu, are you awake? Good morning."

Kuu, who had been in scarf form, slid down from my neck and started staring at the meat I was eating.

"Pon!"

"Oh, Pon is awake too. Good morning."

Pon, who had been in armor form, also de-transformed and started staring at the meat.

"Don’t you guys not need to eat?"

"---"

"---"

How focused are you on the meat?

Well, whatever.

"Kuu, Pon, you can eat. There’s still plenty left."

"Kuu!"

"Pon!"

They responded and started eating.

Even spirits who don’t need to eat couldn’t resist the fragrant smell of the spices.

By the way, this is the second time Kuu and Pon have woken up together.

The first time, I had just gotten out of bed.

They were bowing to each other on the blanket I had been using, as if in an endless cycle.

That must be the spirit way of greeting.

Japan has a similar culture.

As I recalled this, the spirits who had finished eating transformed back into armor and returned to me.

"Hey, Kuu and Pon. Your tails are showing again."

"Kuu!"

"Pon!"

They both reacted similarly and retracted their tails.

Do armor spirits have trouble transforming their tails?

Every time, only the tails don’t fully transform.

While cute, it might make it look like I have tails.

I’d rather not.

Especially, I have no desire to transform into a beast person.

With that, I started my journey through the seemingly endless dungeon again.

******************************

And now, I’ve entered the boss room on the 155th floor.

However, there was no boss inside.

That’s strange.

I listened carefully and heard the sound of wings.

Above!

At the ceiling, a large snake with purple skin and two pairs of wings was flying.

I immediately appraised it.

### [Status]

- Race: Poison Snake Bat

- Level: 245

- Skills: Passive - Enhanced Hearing Lv.max

- - Active - Fly Lv.max

- - Harden Lv.15

- - Shed Skin Lv.5

- Magic: Poison Fog Magic Lv.15

- - Storm Magic Lv.13

It looks like a chimera with a snake’s body and bat wings.

Still, poison fog and storm magic, that’s a dangerous combination.

And it doesn’t seem to want to come down.

To reach the snake, I ran through the air.

This is the Sky Foot, an item I obtained from the 131st floor boss. The Sky Foot can create up to three steps in the air, making it an excellent item.

This height is more than enough with just two steps.

Alright, Mr. Snake.

Let’s fight on the ground.

I ran straight, and the snake’s long tail attacked me.

I dodged it with a normal illusion.

However, I used my third step.

Well, it’s fine.

"Ice Chain Crystal"

This is the Ice Chain spell that has evolved at level 15, with increased transparency and hardness, which I used to bind the snake.

I landed on the ground.

Without the third step, my legs felt a bit strained upon landing.

Meanwhile, the snake was struggling to break free from the crystal.

I used my strength to pull the Ice Chain Crystal and drag the snake to the ground.

Normally, I would use instant freezing through the chain, but the snake has the Harden skill, so it won’t work this time.

"Charge"

I used Charge, a lightning magic skill I learned at level 6, to store electrical energy in my body.

"Black Lightning Strike"

I released a concentrated black lightning from my fingertips at the snake.

The recoil from Charge pushed me back a few meters.

However, that one strike blew the snake apart into light.

This combo’s destructive power is insane.

To shatter such a large body in an instant.

But even though I’ve become so strong, I still feel the recoil from attacks.

This is my second strongest attack.

I checked the snake’s drop.

### [Result]

- Advanced Select Skill Scroll × 1

Wow.

It’s been a while since I got a skill scroll.

Moreover, this is the selectable type I first obtained on the 1st floor.

I immediately held it and appraised it in detail.

### [Result]

- Name: Advanced Select Skill Scroll

- Effect: Choose one skill from the list to obtain.

- List: Poison Resistance, Super Throwing, Staff Mastery, Super Balance

Poison Resistance is attractive, but it’s not necessary for my evasion-based combat style.

Super Throwing, I don’t need you anymore.

I’m confident in my throwing skills from all the practice.

Staff Mastery is out of the question.

So, this one it is.

<You have obtained the Passive Skill Super Balance. Rarity 5, Platinum Skill. Congratulations.>

Another Rarity 5 skill.

Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket when I return to the surface.

But, what does Super Balance do?

### [Skill]

- Name: Super Balance

- Rarity: 5

- Status: Passive

- Effect: Original balance is enhanced by 2.0 times. Provides a bonus to action-related skills.

Let’s see, the effect isn’t clear, so I’ll test it out.

In the end, it seems I’ve obtained another wonderful skill.

At first, I didn’t have a clear image of what balance meant.

However, using it made close combat much easier.

First, my center of gravity moved smoothly, and I could move my body freely, like a professional gymnast.

Then, aerial combat.

I no longer lost my balance in the air and could even dodge attacks.

In short, I can maintain my body’s posture freely, and it feels like I’m