Chapter 2

When I opened the stone door, a cave stretched straight ahead, about 4 meters wide and high.

Although the floor was somewhat uneven, it was easy to walk on, not much different from concrete.

Additionally, the moss growing along the walls emitted a blue light, providing visibility as good as daytime.

What a convenient dungeon this is.

I tried to appraise the blue glowing moss using the Otherworld Appraisal.

【Result】

Name ≫ Luminescent Moss (Blue)

Description ≫ Moss that absorbs magic from the air and glows blue. Commonly found in dungeons.

This is what the appraisal showed.

For now, I held a dagger in my right hand and a shield about 50 cm in diameter in my left, and approached cautiously.

As I cautiously moved forward, I soon heard several footsteps and the sound of metal scraping from deeper inside.

Something was approaching at an incredible speed.

I took a deep breath and switched my mindset.

The enemies gradually came into view, with green skin and sharp eyes staring at me.

There were three of them, and the one at the back wore something like a helmet on its head.

As they got close enough to recognize their faces, I was certain of their identity.

They were goblins.

They had abnormally high noses, ears that extended sideways, and a very ugly appearance.

I think they were about 140 cm tall.

I decided to use the Otherworld Appraisal just in case.

【Status】

Race ≫ Goblin

Level ≫ 5

It seems that with Otherworld Appraisal Level 1, only the race and level are displayed.

Still, do monsters have levels?

As the first monsters, goblins are quite orthodox, but it feels a bit challenging to face humanoid creatures right away.

There are three of them...

Alright, let's switch gears and start the first battle.

"Water Jet"

I cast a water spell at the feet of the leading goblin running towards me.

Fortunately, it hit the front one, and when it fell, the others were also knocked down.

I quickly switched my weapons to a longer spear and ran forward, thrusting it into the head of the fallen goblin.

The goblin turned into particles of light and was absorbed into the ceiling and walls.

Wow, this dungeon is truly fantastical.

One of the fallen goblins started to get up a little distance away, so I threw my spear at its chest, and it let out a scream, "Gyooee!"

As the goblin screamed, the armored goblin got up and came at me with a dagger in one hand. I took an axe from my item box and threw it with centrifugal force, hitting it in the face and making it disappear.

Lucky, got a headshot!

The goblin I had stabbed with the spear also disappeared after a while without struggling.

Then, something dropped where the goblin's body had been.

I appraised it:

【Result】

Wooden Clubs × 2

Rusty Dagger × 1

It seems to be a drop.

Seriously, wooden clubs are useless.

The rusty dagger might be usable as a throwing weapon, so I decided to keep it.

Phew, not bad for a first battle, right?

Maybe these weapons are pretty strong?

I think I'm still weak, but it feels like a pretty high-performance weapon to die from one stab.

I've been using them quite casually, but from now on, I'll be more careful.

I retrieved the spear and axe and put the axe back in the item box.

Man, being a NEET has its perks.

Switching and operating the menu screen is a piece of cake.

The ability to quickly change weapons is also due to this.

I took another deep breath and started walking forward.

As I walked and swung my spear, I noticed a change in my body.

"The spear feels lighter than before. Maybe there are some status parameters or something. Is this part of the mask data?"

If there are, maybe the growth rate changes based on actions?

While thinking about this, I heard footsteps from a distance again.

More goblins.

For this battle, I used centrifugal force and my waist to throw a lot of weapons from a distance.

After the battle, the spear felt even lighter.

Over the next two hours, there were several battles, and I tried various tactics.

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

"Phew, it's quite tiring. But, I've established a pretty good strategy for dealing with goblins."

I also noticed something.

It seems that my strength and speed are increasing based on my actions.

Since there's a status screen, there might be levels as well.

Monsters seem to have levels, after all.

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

After another hour of advancing, I found another stone door in front of me.

"This must be a boss battle. Still, only goblins have appeared so far. The boss here must be a higher-level goblin."

I've noticed that I tend to think about this situation in a game-like way.

I don't feel much aversion to seeing blood from weapons, and I don't feel particularly bothered by the goblins' screams.

Before the boss battle, I feel more excitement than tension.

Probably because I can feel myself getting stronger little by little.

I also gained a new water spell, Water Floor, which creates a layer of water on the ground to hinder the enemy's movement.

It doesn't have direct offensive power, but I think it could be useful depending on how it's used.

I've only used it on low-intelligence goblins so far.

I suppressed my racing heart and opened the door.

This time, it opened easily without needing a lever.

My strength must have increased.

Inside, there were four familiar goblins and one goblin over 2 meters tall sitting in the center of a circular room.

I checked the enemy's status.

【Status】

Race ≫ Goblin Captain

Level ≫ 15

Skill ≫ Leadership

Three times the level of a regular goblin, fitting for a boss.

My Otherworld Appraisal level has increased to 2, so I can now appraise skills.

Leadership means it might be a bit tricky to take down.

Alright, I've decided on my strategy.

The Goblin Captain let out a loud roar, "Gooooh!"

At the same time, I cast "Water Floor" to hinder the enemies' movement.

It worked, and all five enemies were within the spell's range.

I ran around the edge of the area, throwing weapons at them.

Throwing, throwing, and more throwing.

This is my strategy, and I won't let anyone call it chicken.

This method allows me to maintain a safe margin while increasing my strength, agility, and stamina.

I feel like I'm moving faster than usual.

The four goblins were easily taken down with thrown weapons, but there was a problem.

The Goblin Captain was deflecting my thrown weapons with a wooden hammer.

I stopped my throwing strategy and thought for a moment.

The Water Floor spell is about to run out.

After this, I won't be able to use magic due to my MP (hypothetical) running out.

The Water Floor spell gradually consumes MP while active.

This might be the biggest pinch since entering the dungeon.

The throwing strategy isn't working, and I won't be able to use magic much longer.

My only option is close combat.

The enemy has a large hammer, so I equipped two small daggers.

When I canceled the spell, the Goblin Captain grinned.

I immediately charged at him.

First, I threw a dagger to block his hammer.

As expected, he deflected it with his hammer.

I closed the distance and stabbed his leg with the other dagger, but it was unexpectedly hard and didn't penetrate deeply.

He swung his hammer horizontally, but I narrowly dodged by rolling.

"Phew, I almost died there. Goblin-chin."

It seems difficult to deal a fatal blow with short-range weapons.

I equipped a spiral spear.

I charged again and threw a dagger at his feet, but it was deflected by the hammer.

I then threw the spear at his upper body and managed to pierce it, but it was still shallow.

I kicked the pommel of the spear, and the enemy screamed.

I used the enemy's hammer as a stepping stone and, in mid-air, struck his face with the hammer I had equipped.

A sickening sound came from the Goblin Captain's neck as it bent 90 degrees.

His massive body fell backward and turned into light.

I sat down on the spot, feeling like my legs had given out, and looked up at the ceiling.

"Phew, it's over. I really thought I was going to die. These weapons didn't work at all. Maybe my strength parameters are just low? Oh well. I wonder what drops I'll get. After all, it's a boss."

I appraised the drops from the goblins and the Goblin Captain.

【Result】

Goblin Meat × 3

Rusty Dagger × 1

Select Skill Scroll × 1

Ugh, can you even eat goblin meat?

Well, at least it's some food.

The rusty dagger is the usual.

The real question is this, the Select Skill Scroll.

I appraised it, and the details appeared.

【Result】

Name ≫ Select Skill Scroll (Intermediate)

Effect ≫ Choose one skill from the list and acquire it.

List ≫ Cold Resistance, Night Vision, Throwing, Super Dynamic Vision

Wow, I can gain a new skill!

This is a tough choice. I want Throwing, but I feel like I've been getting better at it over the past few hours.

I want Night Vision, but it's not that important right now.

I think I'll go with Super Dynamic Vision. I've heard that people who are good at sports have highly developed dynamic vision.

Click.

<You have acquired the Passive Skill: Super Dynamic Vision. Rarity 5, Platinum Skill. Congratulations.>

Whoa, what? I was startled by a sudden female voice in my head.

<Furthermore, you have acquired the Skill: Early Maturity. Rarity 6, Unique Skill. Congratulations.>

The same female voice spoke again.

I was a bit surprised but decided to check my status.

【Status】

Name ≫ Amagawa Hotaru

Title ≫ Number 1

Skills ≫ Passive ≫ Super Dynamic Vision Lv.max

Early Maturity Lv.max

≫ Active ≫ Otherworld Appraisal Lv.2

Item Box Lv.max

Magic ≫ Water Magic Lv.5

Equipment ≫ Light Wooden Mace

The status screen, which had shown no changes before, had changed significantly after defeating the boss.

Otherworld Appraisal went up to Level 2, and Water Magic to Level 5.

The skill section is now divided into Passive and Active.

I checked the details of the newly acquired skills.

【Skill】

Name ≫ Super Dynamic Vision

Rarity ≫ 5 (Platinum Skill)

Status ≫ Passive

Effect ≫ Your dynamic vision is enhanced 2.0 times. Provides a bonus to action-related skills.

【Skill】

Name ≫ Early Maturity

Rarity ≫ 6 (Unique Skill)

Status ≫ Passive

Effect ≫ You mature early. Your growth rate is 2.2 times normal. This skill will disappear once you reach a certain level of growth.

I'm not sure what the rarity indicators mean, but these seem to be good skills.

I'll test them out later.

Next, I checked my Water Magic.

【Water Magic】

Water Sorcerer

Water Jet

Water Floor

Water Bullet

Water Bind

Wave Water

A new spell, Wave Water, had been added.

It seems to be a spell that creates a wave of water by thrusting your palm forward. The closer you are to the target, the more powerful it is.

This is for close combat.

And! Finally!

I had expected this, but Water Bullet and Water Bind were also available.

Water Bullet is a spell that fires five water bullets simultaneously.

Moreover, they have homing capabilities, making it an excellent spell.

Water Bind is a spell that traps the target in a sphere of water. However, it has a limited range, so caution is needed.

This greatly expands my combat options and brightens my prospects.

I got up from my resting position and descended the stairs that appeared after the boss was defeated.