10 In the dungeon-Part 2.

We were getting deeper into the 6th floor. The monster groups increased slowly, but surely.

It wouldn't be weird to find 4 monsters at a time.

I also dealt with some frog-like creatures. They were essentially large frogs that would attack you by shooting out their deceptively fast long tongue.

They were simple enough to kill if you could avoid their tongue, which was a luxury I could afford with my magic. They were slightly resistant to fire, so I opted to kill them with some wind spells.

''You've been spamming magic for a while now... How are your mind reserves doing? '' said Tsubaki.

''Don't worry, I got it.'' I didn't bother correcting her that my magic didn't use Danmachi's version of mana.

I was greeted with an ambush of four killer ants the moment we entered the 7th floor.

[Red Ant-Lvl1]

HP: 240

MP: -

The killer ant was a large red monster with four legs and two arms. The key to dealing with it was to terminate it quickly to avoid letting it call its companions. But, its hard shell was something that made it hard to do so. More so, for rookie adventurers.

While they were tough and their bite was quite strong, agility wasn't their strongest point.

As long as you abuse their relative slowness and have the means to pierce their shells, it shouldn't be a problem. Well, that might be a bit unfair if going from my perspective.

Just as I finished dealing with the killer ants, my instincts were flaring. I decided to sidestep only to find some purple moth flies that dropped from the ceiling there while protruding some poison.

If I remember correctly, the moth monster should spit poisonous fog or other harmful substances. I decided to deal with them as quickly as possible with fire magic.

Luckily the fog wasn't combustible, or I would have had a different kind of problem....

I put the stones in my inventory. Too bad there was no auto-loot feature.

The monster density only kept getting thicker on each floor. I could also understand why some would say that the dungeon is alive. It seemed almost as if it intent fully threw ambushes and all sorts of gimmicks— the moment you least expect it.

It also didn't help that I was running solo, so I had to deal with all of them alone.

As we were approaching the 10th floor, I could feel Tsubaki drawing close to me. I suppose she intends to step in case of danger from now on.

The 10th floor was mainly occupied by orcs.

A huge pig-headed monster that reaches about three meters in height.

It was insanely strong, each swing of its arm was accompanied by a shockwave, which I made sure to avoid. It wasn't hard due to its massive size and sluggish movement. The most I had to deal with was a group of 3 orcs.

[Orc-lvl1]

HP: 300

MP: -

The most optimal strategy I found was to gauge out its eyes to dismay it, either by a thrust or simple magic projectiles. As such, its already sluggish movements transform into panicked ones.

I would avoid the area around its waist, as it had the toughest hide. I slash at its tendons and render it immobile. It was a free kill at that point.

As I approached the 12th floor, I could see that unlike the floor before, it the area is more open.

I was observing when I could feel Tsubaki's hand on my shoulder '' This is where the middle floors start, most adventurers take years, decades even to reach here. If at all. I would tell you to stop here'' She eyed me ''But you probably would not. would you?''

I didn't answer back, and she must have understood my silent refusal.

''Well. The moment I see you getting overwhelmed, I will step in,'' said Tsubaki with a non-negotiable tone.

''Good for me. I guess, I just need to make sure I don't get overwhelmed.'' I said with a subtle grin.

''Unless you pull some magical power up from your ass.... Your technique is impressive, and your battle instincts even more so. But that can only do so much. The big change in the middle floors is not only the quality of the monsters, but also the quantity.'' said Tsubaki with a hint of trepidation growing when she saw me smile.

I just smiled even wider.

''It's that smile again. What is it this time?'' said Tsubaki as her palm violently hit her face.

[Status]:

Akagi Ken

Level:1

HP: 250--->290

MP: 110--->130

STR: 26--->29

Vit: 25--->27

Dex: 24--->28

Int: 23--->26

Unallocated Stat points: 52

Valis: 52300

-Strength: A824--->S980

-Endurance: B780--->A860

-Dexterity: B730--->S920

-Agility: B730--->S920

-Magic: C682--->A840

Perfect Body: EX

Sword-Mastery: C

SKILLS: Gamer's Body - Gamer's Mind - Instinct(B).

MAGIC: Ele Magic - Non-Ele Magic - Inventory.

''You really did pull a magic power-up from your ass...'' said Tsubaki slack-jawed.

''You were saying?'' I couldn't help but laugh a bit.

''This is unfair, you know that right??'' said Tsubaki with a shout.

''I know,'' I said with a nod.

I always relish in the afterglow of increasing stats. It is almost an addictive feeling.

Unlike the earlier floors, just as Tsubaki said. The diversity of the monster groups increased. There were two SilverBacks and behind them was a Hard Armored.

They were also accompanied by a group of imps.

[SilverBack]

HP: 300

MP: -

[Hard Armored]

HP: 400

MP: -

[Imp]

HP: 200

MP: -

The two silverbacks were the first to spring into action. A large gorilla-like monster that is covered in white fur with silver fur down the middle. They were fairly agile, despite their big size.

As they were coming to me, I was not just dallying around. We were not in an enclosed space anymore, I no longer had to hold off with my magic. I put a sizeable amount of my mana reserves into forming a huge fire wave.

That left the two monsters near death, it was only a matter of sticking my sword in their skulls.

The imps true to their names were small demon monsters that attack in a group and use clever tactics. They would always stay behind and throw rocks.

A couple of them even escaped. Nonetheless, they were easy to deal with.

'They must be the Goblins of the middle floors' I thought as I snickered.

I was left in a 1v1 with the armoured armadillo monster. It has the highest defence in the middle Floors, which makes it generally impossible for a level 1 adventurer to single-handedly defeat it in combat. Fortunately, I was not your average level1.

While it had an impressive defence with its hard shell and a decent amount of strength. It was lacking in other means.

It was essentially the same as the killer ant, except it was in a completely different league.

I would have liked to keep testing it, but I am running out of time. I don't know exactly how much time has passed since we entered the dungeon. It was underground, so your sense of time could get disoriented.

'No matter how hard the outside is, the inside must be soft'.

I went ahead and stuck my sword in its mouth and ignited the tip with a mix of fire and wind magic. The result was an armoured armadillo explosion, it was

a mess.

''Tch. That was impressive, but couldn't you have done it in a better way?'' said Tsubaki.

''If it works, it works,'' I said grinning.

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[One-Handed-Sword Mastery: Lvl 63.]

[Elemental-Magic: Lvl 59.]

[No-Ele-Magic: lvl 14.]

[BlackSmithing: lvl 61.]