Chapter 25

"Phew, now that I'm getting used to it, maybe I should change my class..."

I spent a whole day holed up on the fourth floor and successfully established a hunting method.

First, I cast [Ice Wall] and then hit the front line with [Fire Burst]. The shockwave blows them away, completely opening up the front, so I can immediately follow up with [Fire Burst] on the back line to take them down.

Then, I finish off the front line one by one with [Fire Arrow] once they can no longer receive healing.

Thanks to the existence of powerful magic, I can now hunt monsters in an interesting way.

Thanks to this, my Mage level has risen to 27, but I decided that it would be better to level up other classes to boost my overall stats rather than continue with a class that is difficult to level up.

So, while trying not to break the good momentum, I decided on my next class...

Name: Tim

Age: 16

Class: Priest Level 1

Strength: 119

Agility: 102

Vitality: 102

Magic: 175 + 1

Spirit: 130 + 2

Dexterity: 122 + 1

Luck: 108

Status Points: 53

Skill Points: 164

Unique Skills Acquired: [Status Manipulation]

Skills Acquired: [Swordsmanship Level 6], [Bash Level 6], [Healing Level 5], [Skill Point Increase Level 5], [Status Point Increase Level 5], [Experience Gain Increase Level 5], [Light], [Trap Detection Level 5], [Trap Disarm Level 5], [Backstep Level 5], [Item Appraisal Level 5], [Dagger Mastery Level 5], [Fire Arrow Level 6], [Ice Arrow Level 6], [Wind Arrow Level 6], [Rock Shot Level 6], [Meditation Level 6], [Wall Level 6], [Burst Level 6], [Magic Focus Level 6], [Bless Level 5], [Cure Level 5]

I chose Priest, another magic class, as my next class.

This way, I can quickly regain the stats necessary for hunting on the fourth floor.

To avoid significantly reducing the power of my magic, I allocated about 30 points to [Magic].

I immediately found a monster as I searched around.

The fourth floor has fewer adventuring parties hunting, so the number of monsters that spawn is high.

If I can hunt efficiently, it's possible to achieve a higher kill count than on the third floor.

"[Ice Wall]"

I cast an ice wall in front of me,

"[Wind Burst]"

and blow away the Warrior Goblins and Warrior Kobolds with the force of the wind.

"Still, the power seems to have dropped a bit..."

A healing spell from a Goblin Mage flies, and they try to get up.

From the feel of it, they don't seem to have taken much damage.

"But, as long as they don't get close, it shouldn't be a problem."

I raise my short sword and increase my magic as I prepare the next spell.

"[Rock Burst]"

Rocks fly and explode upon hitting the front line.

"Kobubu!"

"Goblin!"

That one hit took down the Warrior Kobold and Warrior Goblin.

"Maybe it's easier because the formation doesn't change much."

Indeed, the power has dropped, but I have a feel for how long it takes to take them down, so it's easier to gauge the distance.

"For now, I'll keep going until I use up the mana potions I brought."

I take a mana potion to restore my magic and start walking around the fourth floor of the dungeon in search of the next target.

"Good work, Tim. You're really getting the hang of hunting on the fourth floor."

The next day, when I visited the Adventurer's Guild to pick up my consumables, Salome greeted me with a smile.

"Thanks to you. Once I set up a wall, I can defend against ranged attacks, and if I can take them down with magic before they get close, they're not that scary."

If the monsters coordinate their attacks, it means that if you know how to break their coordination, it's not a big deal.

"You make it sound easy, but soloing is as strong as a party on the third floor."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, in other words, your current strength is equivalent to a party on the seventh floor."

Yesterday, my Priest level went up, so I have more leeway. However, since I'm solo, I can't be too happy even if I hear about party levels.

"The amount for the magic stones from last night is one gold coin and 45 silver coins. I'll deduct the cost of potions and mana potions from that."

The final amount was 60 silver coins.

I need mana potions to hunt without rest, but drinking them increases expenses, so there's no choice.

"What should I do..."

If I switch back to fighting with weapons now, my efficiency will drop drastically because my stats are heavily weighted towards magic, making it impossible.

"Do you need any advice?"

Hearing my mutter, Salome tilted her head.

"No, it's fine as long as I'm not in the red."

In the short term, my income will decrease, but if I can take them down with one magic spell, I can turn the situation around.

Since I'm prioritizing leveling up to beat Walter, there's no choice but to accept this.

"By the way, speaking of being in the red, it reminds me..."

"Hmm, is something wrong?"

When I asked, Salome put her hand to her mouth and thought.

"Tim, you bring in a lot of magic stones, don't you?"

"Well, yeah..."

I've been hunting monsters in the dungeon almost non-stop. With my luck exceeding 100, magic stones drop regularly.

"Do you keep the drop items for yourself?"

One of the attractions of the dungeon is the drop box that appears when a monster is absorbed.

Sometimes rare items are inside, and if you're lucky, you can get a lot of money from just one.

"But... I haven't gotten a single one."

"Really?"

I receive a doubtful look, but it's true.

"Is that rumor true, then?"

"What rumor?"

I ask Salome, who is thinking with her hand on her mouth.

"It's just a rumor, but there's one that says drop boxes don't appear unless you're in a party."

"That's ridiculous..."

"Actually, I sometimes hear stories about high-ranking adventurers soloing the dungeon, but even they don't get drop boxes when they go in alone."

If Salome says it, the information is probably accurate.

Now it's my turn to put my hand to my mouth and think.

It's certain that luck is related to the drop of magic stones.

And my current luck isn't that bad compared to Yugo and the others.

The idea that drop boxes don't appear unless you're in a party is a bit questionable, but...

"Could it be!?"

"Huh? Did you figure something out?"

"No, nothing."

I wave my hand to deny it, but I can't shake the idea that popped into my head.

I turn away from Salome, who still looks unconvinced, and head towards the dungeon, muttering to myself.

"If the condition for dropping a drop box is as I think..."

I look at my luck number and status points.

"To drop it solo, I might need to make various sacrifices."

I force a dry smile to negate my ridiculous idea.