Chapter 7

After finishing lunch... I immediately headed towards the entrance of the dungeon.

By the way, today's lunch was a bowl of beef bowl from a chain restaurant. I ordered a mini size with no toppings. This wasn't because I eat little... it was more of a declaration of my resolve to earn money in the dungeon and escape my poor life.

At the entrance of the dungeon, I scanned the QR code on the sign and opened the map. The maps for the first to third floors, which are essentially a tutorial for beginners, are generally available for free online.

My goal is the fourth floor. I'll rush through the first to third floors and start hunting Lesser Rock Golems.

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When I reached the fourth floor... two Lesser Rock Golems immediately appeared before me. First, I fired Mana Ball V2 repeatedly at the one on the right.

After 14 shots, the Lesser Rock Golem shattered, leaving only a magic stone on the ground. The power tripling reduced the number of shots needed to about a third. It's roughly as I calculated. Using the same method, I fired Mana Ball V2 repeatedly at the other Lesser Rock Golem and blew it to pieces.

This time, instead of a magic stone, a piece of clothing dropped.

When I approached to collect the drop... I realized it was made of leather. It's probably a leather armor. Since it's an item from the dungeon, it likely affects HP or defense, but I'll check that when I get back.

While thinking about this, I picked up the magic stone and the leather and put them in the plastic bag I brought.

＜Koyuki Koji has leveled up＞

A little later, I heard that voice in my head, but for now, I'll ignore it. If I level up this frequently, checking each time would be endless. I'll open the status window when I feel like taking a break.

With that in mind, I started looking for the next Lesser Rock Golem.

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After about an hour of hunting Lesser Rock Golems...

＜Koyuki Koji has leveled up＞

＜Skill: "Mana Ball V2" has evolved to "Mana Ball V3"＞

After hunting about 10 of them... such a voice flowed into my head.

...Not only did I level up, but my skill also evolved simultaneously. I should probably check it out. I've leveled up a few times, and while I'm not physically tired, I feel like taking a short break.

"Open status"

So, I chanted and opened the status window.

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Koyuki Koji

Lv.6

HP 72/72

MP ∞/70

EXP 10/1200

●Skills

＜Active＞

- Mana Ball V3

＜Passive＞

- Dungeon Inner Magic Element Arbitrage

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I've leveled up to 6. My HP max has tripled, and my MP max has more than doubled. The number of shots needed to defeat a Lesser Rock Golem decreased with each level up, so that's reasonable.

The only thing left is to see what Mana Ball V3 is actually like. To check, I tapped "Mana Ball V3" on the status window.

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●Mana Ball V3

An evolved version of Mana Ball.

The damage per MP is 1.8 times that of Mana Ball (1.5 times that of Mana Ball V2).

It can penetrate the null attribute attack resistance of monsters up to the 20th floor.

【Evolution Condition】Use Mana Ball V2 100-10,000 times (the number of uses required for evolution depends on the frequency of use)

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This was the explanation that came up.

The power is 1.5 times that of Mana Ball V2... it's increased significantly again. And since I've only fired about 100 shots since coming to the fourth floor... it seems I've met the evolution condition with almost the minimum number of uses.

I thought it would take continuous firing to meet the minimum number of uses... but apparently, firing about 100 shots per hour is enough. It's a bit of a letdown. That was my impression.

As I was about to close the status window... I noticed something incredible written in a line I had skipped.

It can penetrate null attribute attack resistance... Does this mean I can defeat the monsters on the 8th floor with Mana Ball V3?

I should ask Mr. Kudo about this.

I decided to pause my hunting and head to the counter to sell the drops I had collected (except the leather armor) and negotiate for an increase in the authorized floor.

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My steps were quick as I ran through the 3rd to 1st floors. It wasn't just that I was in a hurry... I physically ran faster than when I came in.

Is this a result of my increased stats improving my physical abilities? Well, if not, I'd probably be toyed with by the speed of the monsters in the deeper levels... so it's probably safe to assume that's the case.

While thinking about this, I lined up at the counter labeled "Drop Item Exchange / Service Counter." I'm looking forward to seeing how much the magic stones will be worth and if the authorized floor will increase.

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