Chapter 6

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44th Floor

This floor is thick with fog. The visibility is poor, and it’s not a suitable place for experimenting with my skills... I could feel my excitement cooling down.

More than that, I chuckled at myself for forgetting such a thing due to my heightened spirits.

"Sir Luke, the visibility is quite poor, but no monsters have attacked us so far."

"Thank you, Lucifer."

In the past, when we were in a party, Jack would set up a barrier, and we would hunt the monsters that got caught in it as we progressed.

The number of monsters was moderate, but they weren’t particularly strong. We had just ascended from the path that Lucifer described as 'relatively easy.'

I sighed and began to ponder.

It has been proven that the unarmed combat techniques I use are not for offense but for defense. In the past party, no one protected me, so I had to ensure I could at least protect myself to some extent...

To utilize unarmed combat, it is crucial to carefully observe the opponent’s appearance, breathing, gaze, and movements, which means relying heavily on visual perception.

I had intended to use unarmed combat, prioritizing evasion and trying various things, but it’s understandable that I would sigh in this environment.

(First, I need to clear the vision... Hmm? What if I 'wash' this 'fog'...?)

When an idea strikes, act immediately. I placed my hand in the fog, imagining it being washed away cleanly. Compared to the invisible 'sin' that Lucifer dealt with, the visible 'fog' should have a higher chance of success.

"Wash"

Once again, countless particles of light flew about and dissolved into the thick fog.

"Every time I see it, it’s beautiful..."

I heard Lucifer’s voice from behind.

(Will it work...?)

The moment the last particle dissolved into the fog, the fog wavered and disappeared with a whoosh.

"Done... The visibility is secured."

The fog cleared for about 30 meters. While I couldn’t clear the entire floor, this was enough to manage. The 'fog' responded to the 'washing.'

(The target of 'washing' can be 'anything'...?)

This hypothesis seems highly plausible.

"Sir Luke!! That’s amazing!! To be able to interfere with the environment...! It’s truly the power of a god!"

Lucifer looked around, marveling.

"Thanks to Lucifer’s perception, I knew there were no monsters around, so I could take my time to think. Thank you."

"N-no!! Of course! But I’m glad I could be of some help to Sir Luke. Thank you very much."

Lucifer, slightly blushing, looked incredibly cute. I felt myself blushing too.

(About 30 meters... More than enough results... But let’s try narrowing down the conditions... Instead of 'securing visibility,' let’s 'wash' all the fog in this room...)

I imagined the same place again.

"Wash"

I muttered, but no particles of light appeared...

(Why...? The conditions haven’t changed. There’s still fog in this room. Does the 'power' not reach a wide area...?)

While deeply thinking, I walked and encountered the fog. It didn’t seem to be a barrier that followed me.

It’s reasonable to assume that the fog was only 'washed' to the extent of securing visibility from that spot...

I entered the fog and thought again. I had a feeling I was missing something. When I 'washed' the usual clothes and equipment, it was different from 'sin' and 'fog'... The failure earlier...

I searched for common factors while walking around.

"Hmm..."

"Sir Luke?"

Hearing the worried voice, I turned to Lucifer.

"Ha ha. It’s okay? I’m just experimenting. Don’t worry?"

"Hehe, understood."

Lucifer brought her beautiful hand to her mouth and laughed happily.

(What beautiful hands... I held those hands...)

Recalling the earlier sequence, my cheeks felt warm, but then everything clicked.

"That’s it! Lucifer!! I was 'touching' your hand, right?!"

I took Lucifer’s hand, and she blushed deeply, smiling happily.

"Y-yes! You held my hand!! And... you’re still holding it!!"

"Thank you! Lucifer!!"

"N-no! Whenever, wherever, as many times as you like, use them as you wish!!"

Lucifer’s dreamy golden eyes were incredibly alluring.

"Y-yeah! Thanks!!"

Blushing, I extended my hand again in the fog to confirm if my earlier answer was correct.

(Okay. Let’s try 'washing' all the fog in this room again. If my hypothesis is correct, it should work...)

"Wash"

As I chanted, particles of light shot out at an incredible speed, leaving trails of light. The burst of light centered on me was like a flower blooming with light.

"Ah!! Sir Luke!! This is...!?"

Lucifer’s eyes widened in amazement, and she smiled. Lucifer, illuminated by the trails of light, looked like an angel.

"Hehe. I’m still experimenting. I failed earlier, but I tried 'washing' all the fog in this room again!!"

"That’s amazing! Why did it fail earlier...?"

"I’m not sure yet, but it doesn’t work unless I ‘touch’ something!! There was no fog in the earlier spot, so it didn’t work. Thanks to Lucifer’s beautiful hands! Thank you!"

"N-no! ...Sir Luke... If I can see such a beautiful sight... No, if I can be with Sir Luke, even this dim dungeon isn’t bad!!"

"No, no, that’s not right! We need to go under the sun and moon... We need to go outside!"

"Hehe. Thank you."

Lucifer smiled without a care. My heart felt itchy and uncomfortable... As I was puzzled by this unfamiliar sensation, Lucifer spoke.

"Sir Luke. The experiment was a success...? It’s incredible. And... I could see the target’s form."

Hearing this, I looked away from Lucifer and saw the creature in the dim, fog-cleared dungeon.

(Snake Spider...)

A giant snake’s head about 3 meters long with a giant spider’s body about 15 meters long. It showed its long tongue, as if it had spotted prey, and its sharp spider legs tapped the ground, checking the sharpness.

(The snake’s fangs should be poisonous. The spider’s legs are so sharp they can be used as swords...)

We had reached up to the 49th floor... Of course, I had all the information about the monsters up to that point. The Snake Spider was definitely rated 'A+'...

I was always prepared to provide support in any situation, so it was natural.

"Lucifer!! Don’t interfere!!"

"...Yes!! Sir Luke!!"

In the tense situation, I was excited about my first solo battle, mimicking my father’s way of speaking. My father, who died on the 50th floor, was my ideal, so it was inevitable that I was influenced by him.

(How about using 'washing' in combat...?)

I stood in front of the giant monster, not feeling fear but excitement.

Next chapter: "Combat Experiment" VS Snake Spider

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