Chapter 4

"Good work, Tensui-san."

"Ah, Sakura-san... Thank you."

Sora gave a slight bow.

The woman's name is Sakura Sakuragi. She is a C-rank healer who often casts healing spells at the entrance of the fixed dungeon.

The turning point for the F-rank adventurer to be acknowledged by the much higher-ranked healer was when Sora was severely injured in the dungeon.

Sora could barely walk.

It took a great deal of effort to finally make it out of the dungeon, by which time it was already completely dark.

When night falls, the healers and buffers at the entrance go home.

At that time, no one cast a healing spell on Sora when he emerged from the dungeon.

'After all this, is this where it ends...'

It was at that moment, when he was resigned to death, that Sora's body was enveloped in an especially strong healing spell.

The one who cast the healing spell was Sakura Sakuragi.

"Today, you managed to return safely, didn't you?"

"Yes, thanks to you..."

Since the severe injury, Sakura has been looking out for Sora.

One might mistakenly think, "Maybe she likes me?" but she is quite beautiful.

She must be approached by various men. There's no reason for her to choose the F-rank Sora.

'Probably, she thinks I'm incapable...'

Sora chuckled inwardly.

"How was your harvest today?"

When asked, Sora's face slightly tensed.

It was because his longsword had just been stolen.

He tried not to let it show and opened his mouth.

"Um... not great, I guess."

"Is that so? But don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

Saying this, Sakura placed her hands on her hips like a sister or a mother.

"If you exceed your limits, you won't be able to return."

—Exceed the limits.

In that instant, Sora felt a shock as if struck by lightning. He immediately turned on his heel and started walking towards the dungeon.

"Hey, Tensui-san!?"

"Sorry, Sakura-san. I just thought of something I want to try, so I'm going back to the dungeon!"

"You're going to the dungeon? It's already evening!?"

"It's fine. I'll be back soon!"

As Sora turned, a buffer at the entrance cast a buff on him.

This significantly boosted his physical abilities.

The effect of the buff lasts from one to four hours, depending on the caster's proficiency, but one hour is more than enough.

Sora was about to dash towards the dungeon,

"Ah, thank you for the heal."

He turned and bowed his head.

He wanted to show his gratitude to Sakura, who had cast the first healing spell for him.

With that, Sora returned to the dungeon.

○

Sora's status screen displays more than just his physical abilities.

It also shows his skills.

Earlier, he had been disappointed by the MAX level display and had completely forgotten about it.

"【Limit Break】... Could it be!"

The rank he thought couldn't improve might actually rise.

Thinking this, he couldn't sit still.

He ran deeper into the dungeon.

On the way, he encountered many adventurers returning.

To avoid accidental attacks, he slowed down when he saw adventurers.

Even the time spent passing them was precious now.

After passing them, he immediately sprinted deeper.

After a while, he finally spotted an enemy.

—A goblin.

Especially in this fixed dungeon, Inokashira Park F, the goblins are known for being easy to defeat.

Compared to other dungeons, they appear unarmed and alone.

Sora picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it.

The stone hit the goblin's forehead.

"Yah!"

The goblin staggered slightly.

Sora took advantage of the opening to close in.

Before Sora could attack, the goblin regained its composure.

The damage from the stone was minimal.

But that little bit was crucial.

"Yaaaah!!"

Seeing Sora throw the stone, the goblin let out a strange cry.

It was enraged by the minor damage.

This was exactly what Sora had planned.

The goblin raised its fist.

Sora closed in further, dodging the large, clumsy attack with minimal movement.

He immediately circled around.

He grabbed the goblin's head with both hands and twisted it forcefully.

"Ugh!?"

A dull crack echoed.

The goblin resisted slightly but soon went limp.

When Sora released his grip, the goblin fell to the ground.

By then, it was already dead.

This was Sora's fighting style.

He used his high agility to close in, provoked the enemy into a large, clumsy attack, dodged, and finished the job quickly.

This method was honed through countless trials and errors, unique to Sora's way of defeating goblins.

However, this only worked well with the goblins in Inokashira Park F.

If he tried this in other dungeons, he would be easily defeated.

In fact, he had been defeated before. (Sakura had healed his severe injuries then)

The goblins in Inokashira Park F are weak, but one must never be careless.

Fighting monsters is not a sport; it's a matter of life and death.

A desperate monster is terrifying and must never be underestimated.

There's another reason to be cautious.

Occasionally, a mid-boss known as a "beginner killer" roams Inokashira Park F.

Fortunately, the mid-boss is slow, and many adventurers escape to the outside of the dungeon.

Sora is always prepared to flee immediately if he encounters the mid-boss.

While Sora was catching his breath, the goblin was swallowed by the dungeon with a squelching sound.

When a monster is defeated, the dungeon absorbs its corpse.

After the dungeon swallowed the goblin, a small, transparent stone remained.

This is a dungeon drop.

The one that appeared now was a goblin's magic stone.

It's worth very little, but every little bit counts.

Energy can be extracted from magic stones.

It's the cleanest energy in the modern world.

It's also a vital source of income for adventurers.

Sora put the goblin's magic stone in his pocket and brought up his status board.