Chapter 17

"Is that you, Sukuna-san! I watched your morning stream!"

"Ah, thank you. Let's both do our best."

I shook hands with the fifth elf player wearing a hemp shirt and waved goodbye. I was currently strolling along a road in the northern plains.

Perhaps because it was the middle of a holiday, the northern plains were much more crowded compared to the south. Just walking along the road, I couldn't even encounter any monsters. I didn't have any reason to target boars anymore, so it was fine, I guess.

More than that, it seemed that the players in the northern plains weren't playing the game too seriously. Everyone seemed to be taking a leisurely stroll, and the atmosphere was so relaxed that people who recognized me would often ask for a handshake. It was a very peaceful field.

By the way, the named boss monster of this plain, as I heard from Rin-chan, is called the "Immovable Magic Boar, Dordra." It's said to be a party-named monster with a level over 40. It's apparently a real disaster, appearing randomly and destroying everything before leaving. However, it doesn't appear very often. It's considered good if it shows up once every three days.

"Rin-chan told me there's a Dordra. I wonder if it will appear?"

Since the journey to the "Cave of Trials" was so boring, I muttered this, and the listeners reacted to the name.

"Dordra?"

"What, a dragon-like name?"

"It's the named boss of the northern plains."

"It's a huge boar, about 10 meters long."

"Whoa!"

"Monsters are so ridiculous."

"What's that, scary."

I hadn't heard that from Rin-chan.

After about an hour of chatting and walking, I saw the entrance to a large cave. The cavern, which seemed to be dozens of meters wide, looked more like a regular cave than a dungeon. If it weren't for the tattered sign that read "Cave of Trials," I would have doubted it was a dungeon at all.

"Let's go to our first dungeon."

Pushing through the sparse crowd of people, I stepped into the dim cave. The inside of the cave was quite open, and the dim light sources on the walls provided enough visibility. It might be more accurate to call it a mine. The well-maintained path also reinforced this impression.

"According to Rin-chan, the recommended level for this dungeon is an average of 10 for a party. If you're solo, you can go in at around level 15 if you bring enough recovery items. I'm good to go!"

"Arrogant girl"

"Don't jinx it"

"Level 21 is cheating, right?"

"It's the reward for defeating the boss."

"It was an accident, so it can't be helped."

"Are there different types of monsters?"

"Ah, bat monsters and goblin types. The bats are called 'Bat' and 'Giant Bat.' They're irregular flying monsters, so many people struggle with them..."

As I answered the listeners' questions, I noticed a monster's reaction within my detection range. I pulled out a throwing knife from my belt and played with it in my palm. It was hard to see in the dark and with the camouflage, but I could see a bat monster hanging from the ceiling.

"Hey!"

I flicked the knife like a dart, and it pierced the bat's neck before it could react. I caught the knife that fell from the shattered monster and put it back in my belt.

"You can take them down easily like this."

"How did you do that?"

"Amazing!"

"Throwing weapon expert"

"Powering through with PS is hilarious"

"Can you show us a more general method?"

"Actually, they're not very fast, so you can take them down easily once you get used to it. It's like this."

I knocked down three bats that seemed to have come from a group of players ahead of me with a mace. They didn't have the durability to withstand even a throwing knife, so they were easily defeated.

"In the worst case, you can just swing your weapon or use an area-of-effect spell to clear them out. It's a waste of MP, though."

Bats are the weakest monsters in this dungeon. Even if they bite you, it's almost no damage for players at this level. They don't have any poison, so they're not scary if you handle them calmly.

"The goblins are the scary ones. They're generally weaker than wolves, but there are three higher-level types: Hobgoblins, Goblin Mages, and Goblin Archers. Usually, there's one of each in a group."

By the way, a group usually consists of 5 to 7 goblins. If there are ranged attackers, they can be quite troublesome.

"However, it seems that the party ahead of me has already taken care of most of the enemies."

"Ah"

"That's why there are no enemies."

"The player base is saturated right now."

"There's a bit of a race to get ahead."

"Since the penalty for death is low for players under level 20, it makes sense to push ahead once you're strong enough. There's not much that's exclusive to the starting town, apparently."

I continued to walk leisurely, knocking down bats that attacked me. I gained a sad amount of experience, matching my level 3 display.

☆

Before I knew it, I had reached the boss room without encountering any goblins. This dungeon was a straightforward path, and there was no treasure to find.

"The people ahead are fighting, so we'll wait a bit."

Those rascals who took my goblins. Of course, I'm joking; they actually made it easier for me.

"Do you usually play games, Sukuna?"

"I used to play every day about six years ago. Rin-chan likes games, right? We used to play together. I haven't played much recently, though."

While waiting in front of the boss room, I took the time to answer the viewers' comments. If I were alone, I could have just waited idly.

"How old are you?"

"Same as Rin-chan. We're childhood friends."

"Why are you so agile? Do you play sports?"

"I don't know. I can because I can... I guess that's the best way to put it."

"Do you like melee weapons?"

"Are they not easier to use than swords? I guess I like the feeling when I hit something."

I answered each of the harmless questions. With only about 300 people watching, I could keep up with the comments.

Then, the closed door began to open on its own. The boss battle must have ended. Whether they won or lost, it was my turn next.

"Let's go, then."

I stretched and slipped through the door, which slowly closed behind me. No escape, of course. Considering the light death penalty in this game, gathering information while retreating wasn't very useful.

The boss room had a corridor leading to a large hall, about the size of half a schoolyard. In the center, the boss was sitting cross-legged, waiting.

It was about 2.5 meters tall, with prominent red muscles and two horns on its forehead.

"Red Ogre, level 13... honestly, it's a bit of a step down after fighting Aria."

Still, it's a boss monster, so I shouldn't be complacent.

I pulled out my super mace and charged at the roaring ogre. By the time I got here, I had leveled up seven times and had adjusted to the heightened physical senses. I grinned as I moved much more smoothly than when I fought the red wolf Aria and struck the ogre's club with my mace.

"Whoa?"

With a loud "Clang!" our weapons clashed. Even though I was at a disadvantage, it seemed our strength was fairly matched.

"You're stronger than I thought. I underestimated you a bit."

However, its speed was woefully lacking. I dodged the club that swung down again and struck the red ogre's shin with all my might.

"Ughhhhhh!?"

"Even without being Benkei, you know where it hurts."

The damage was about 10%. Considering skill usage, I probably needed to hit it 6 or 7 more times to defeat it. Even accounting for the game's usual rage mechanics, it seemed I had plenty of room to spare.

And 10 minutes later.

"I've become too strong..."

Surrounded by many "You're right" comments, I watched the boss explode into polygons.

---

"You have defeated the dungeon boss monster: Red Ogre."

"You have cleared the dungeon: Cave of Trials."

"The path to the second city: Dualis has been opened."

"You have obtained bonus stat points."

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