Chapter 32

I began peeling the skin off the orcs, but I didn't take their skill "Skin Hardening."

This is because orc skin is highly valued as a material. The reason is that armor made from the skin of orcs with the "Skin Hardening" skill exhibits excellent defensive properties.

(I might have the blacksmith make me a shirt and pants from this orc skin.)

The adventurers who passed by earlier seemed slightly put off as they continued on. Still, it took a while to skin the three orcs, including the orc (subspecies), and about an hour has already passed.

During that time, a Poison Grizzly attacked, drawn by the smell of blood, but I instantly killed it and took the skill "Poison Resistance LV1."

After finishing skinning the orcs, I continued through the dungeon. I found a treasure chest along the way, but I had to give up because I lacked the lock-picking skill. In the dungeon, treasure chests can be either locked or unlocked. You can get the contents of an unlocked chest directly, but if you try to force open a locked chest without a lock-picking skill, the chest will disappear. Some chests are also trapped, but the higher the level of the dungeon, the better the items you can get from the chests, so jobs with lock-picking skills are highly favored in the dungeon.

(Well then...)

"Old man, you're not just a pervert, but you also have a peeping habit?"

When I asked the empty space, Joseph appeared with a slightly surprised look.

"How long have you known?"

Joseph was wearing a gray cloak. I looked at it with my Otherworldly Eye.

Hermit's Cloak (Level 5): Nullifies Detection Magic and Scouting up to Level 3

"I have a companion... someone skilled in stealth. He's been following me since morning. Do you need something?"

"The next room is the boss room, and I thought about stopping you... but has the kid gotten stronger since yesterday?"

I considered a rematch from yesterday, but the old man is incredibly strong, so I decided to hold off for now.

"If you're done, let's go."

The old man said from behind, "Let's go back after defeating the boss today," but I had planned to clear up to the 10th floor from the beginning. If it gets too late, I don't know what Nina will say.

After a while, we arrived at an open room with a crystal on a pedestal.

(I'm sure if I touch this and think about moving, it will take me to the boss room.)

The floor with the boss is different from the usual floors; you move by touching the crystal. If there are stairs, the boss isn't there. If there's a crystal, it's the boss room—very straightforward.

I refreshed my buffs and touched the crystal. As I thought about moving, my head spun for a moment, and I found myself in the largest room I had ever seen.

(What if the boss attacks during this moment...?)

Looking around the room, I saw no monsters, but about five human corpses were scattered around.

Some were severely damaged, reduced to bones. Looking at a relatively intact corpse, I recognized it as one of the adventurers from earlier.

"Ooh!"

Turning toward the sound of a monkey's cry, I saw six monsters appear.

They hadn't been detected by my scouting earlier, so they might appear after a certain time following the intrusion of adventurers.

I checked the stats of the monkey monsters. One, about 2 meters tall, seemed to be the boss, but among the other 1.5-meter-tall monkeys, there was a named one.

Name: Gubido

Race: Great Magic Ape

Rank: 4

Level: 28

HP: 886

MP: 234

Strength: 493

Agility: 303

Vitality: 408

Intelligence: 60

Magic: 189

Luck: 30

Passive Skills:

Agility Boost LV1

Strength Boost LV3

Active Skills:

Combat Techniques LV2

Necromancy LV1

Unique Skills:

None

Name: Bido

Race: Magic Ape

Rank: 3

Level: 26

HP: 647

MP: 177

Strength: 385

Agility: 212

Vitality: 306

Intelligence: 56

Magic: 124

Luck: 26

Passive Skills:

Agility Boost LV3

Strength Boost LV2

Active Skills:

Combat Techniques LV2

Black Magic LV2

Unique Skills:

None

These stats weren't just for show. The rank of 4 is the highest among the monsters I've encountered today. The magic apes, perhaps underestimating me because I'm alone, approached with mocking cries. Annoyed, I cast Flame Lance at one of the magic apes.

"Kiki!?"

They seemed surprised but easily dodged. The magic apes then cast Fireball and launched them all at once, but I countered with my own Fireballs.

My Fireballs penetrated theirs and headed toward the magic apes.

They didn't expect to be defeated by the same magic, and two of the magic apes were hit by my Fireballs.

"Booaaahh!!"

The difference between my Fireballs and theirs was significant. The magic power I infused was at least double, and I launched them like bullets, spinning them for added effect.

Since one Fireball wasn't enough to kill them, I followed up with two Flame Lances each, targeting the rolling magic apes. They thrashed around after being pierced in the chest and abdomen but eventually died.

I cast another Fireball at the remaining magic apes, and the named one, Bido, used the black magic "Earth Wall" to create a wall of earth, blocking my Fireballs. Behind the wall, the Great Magic Ape, Gubido, watched excitedly without joining the fight.

Two unnamed magic apes used their agility to close in. They attacked with their claws, but I blocked with my obsidian greatsword, stole their skills, and used the sword technique "Instant Flash" to take them down. The last one, terrified by the quick defeat of its companions, was punched in the face with a magic-infused fist, causing its eyes to pop out, and it died instantly.

(When facing weaker opponents, I can take my time and steal their skills while fighting.)

The named magic ape, Bido, looked panicked and glanced at Gubido, but Gubido didn't seem inclined to help and instead roared, urging Bido to fight.

"Kikii..."

Realizing that he couldn't win in a magic battle, Bido charged at me in close combat. I cast the black magic "Earth Wall" under Bido as a counter. Bido tried to dodge but left an opening, which I didn't miss. I wrapped my magic-infused fist around my foot and kicked him in the lower abdomen with all my might.

The magic, which seemed to have increased in hardness and weight, had incredible power, and Bido flew like a rubber ball, slamming into the ceiling and floor multiple times. He tried to get up but collapsed, exhausted.

Finally, Gubido seemed to understand the situation and roared in anger.

Magic power rose from Gubido, and he began to chant a spell I had never heard before. The dead adventurers started to rise.