6 Into the Dungeon!

After breakfast and a quick, warm bath. The first thing I did after getting dressed is pull out the training manual for the style used by the wielders of the Gunblade.

The style in the manual is called, Renzokuken.

In this style there are 8 main strikes consisting of simple slashes to even stabs. Horizontal sweeps, vertical swipes, feints, counters, guards. Other than the main 8 attacks, there are other techniques I can learn from the style making me even more formidable in combat. To unleash all 8 strikes perfectly, while simultaneously making use of the Gunblade's vibration function, which I opted to call the Critical Strike, would lead me to perfecting the Renzokuken swordsmanship style.

Additionally, I can even add Warp into the equation further improving it into my own personal style.

Renzokuken also comes with 7 special attacks that can be practiced and mastered for me to use individually or as a finishing attack upon using any of the strikes in the style. The attacks are Rough Divide, Fated Circle, Blasting Zone, Lion Heart, No Mercy, Demon Slice, and Bloodfest.

(A/N: Added Seifer's limits into the mix for the hell of it.)

Rough Divide is the initial move, as well as the weakest. It allows the user to to build up energy, charge the enemy, and slice with an upwards diagonal cut, which causes an explosion.

Fated Circle is the special move in the Renzokuken. By jumping into the air while charging up energy into the Gunblade, the user can, at the peak of the jump, spin in a circle unleashing a shockwave that will damage all enemies surrounding you and even knock them away. This will give you plenty of breathing room afterwards.

Blasting Zone is the third special move. By raising the Gunblade over head, the user proceeds to charge up and extend a pillar of energy that reaches the outer atmosphere, then slams the Gunblade into the ground and hitting all enemies in front of the user with the pillar.

No Mercy is a brutal attack that can only be used together with the Fire spell. Casting Fire on the target or targets, the use spins his Gunblade around and starts focusing energy into it. In an upward slash-motion, the user launches circular blades of energy that blasts through the foes and continues towards the sky, dealing exploding damage to the targets.

Demon Slice is a move that starts off similar to No Mercy. By casting a fire spell on the target, the user the takes on a stance and starts spinning, forming a whirlwind around the user. The Gunblade will then work like a circular saw's blade as the user twirls. Approaching the target as a tempest, the user then slices the target multiple times, lifting the enemy into the air, before delivering a blow that sends the target crashing head-first into the ground.

Bloodfest is the second strongest attack in the style. After unleashing fire spells on the target, the user will then jump high into the air and swing the Gunblade twice, vertically and horizontally, forming a fiery cross beneath the feet of the targets which then explodes. The targets are then send falling into a dimensional hole, before falling out of a similar cross shaped hole from above and crashing into the ground heavily damage or possibly dead.

Lion Heart is the strongest move in the Renzokuken style allows the user to strike the target 17 times rapidly dealing massive damage, or possibly out right killing the target in the process.

Those are the main special attacks of the style to be noted, however there is another skill in the style that stands out. It is a counter attack called Zentetsuken Reverse. From what I can remember, it is the reversal technique Seifer used to return Odin's Zentetsuken and slice the summon in half, before Gilgamesh comes in and wrecks him. If used right and my timing is perfect, I could potentially return my opponent's sword attack back at them instead of taking it myself. But the difficult of pulling off this technique is great.

I thoroughly study the training manual, reading it over and over again for well over an hour before jolting down every detail to memory. I may not have photographic memory like some of those genius types of people, but when I put my mind to it I won't ever forget anything that has my interest.

"Now I can go to the dungeon!"

I rush out of my room after locking up and make my way towards the dungeon.

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##The Dungeo- Beneath Babel.##

The dungeon. A seemingly alive place, that spawns monsters from the walls and ceilings, capable of repairing itself of any damage all on it's own. Barring a deep hatred for the gods. The dungeon is vast with the floors becoming progressively larger the deeper it gets. To reach the 50th floor, it would take a normal party at least 5 days. While the upper floors can be easily soloed, apparently it is advised that people form parties and team up starting from the middle floors.

For my, I'll just try my luck. When I awaken the ability to call forth summons, then I'll not be considered a solo adventurer.

From what I remember, floors 1-12 are the upper floors, then it goes into the middle floors where things start opening up. I'll gradually make my way through the upper floors to get the hang of things and build myself up some funds. I'll need my own house soon.

I watch adventurers gather to chat merrily before braving the dungeon below as enter the entrance area of the dungeon. There are countless people here and it often makes me wonder how it never gets crowded down there, but to be honest, quite a few of them will probably never return. Other than monsters, other adventurers with malicious agendas, traps. There are plenty of ways a person can die inside.

I have no intention of dying anytime soon.

I bravely take first step into the dungeon, a wide hallway on the 1st floor called the beginner's Road.

##First Floor.##

Proceeding cautiously I draw out the Gunblade. Soon enough my first monster appears.

A Kobold. A bipedal, furry, dog headed monster carrying around a simple, yet crude, rusty short sword. It crouches down and starts sniffing around before noticing me. Growling at me menacingly it charges at me quite quickly.

*Bark!*

It barks at me like the dog it resembles before swinging it's short sword at me. Using warp, I sidestep around the kobold and hop back a few steps and charge up some mana.

[Scan!]

After casting the spell a faint yellow aura appears surrounding the kobold showing me that it is matched equally with me strength wise. Considering I am a fresh adventurer with no experience in combat, it makes a whole lot of sense.

"Hm? What's this?" It's barely noticeable, but I can vaguely see white dots on the throat of the kobold, on the chest where the heart is located, and among many different places that could be considered lethal if stuck. "Seems like my constant use of Scan on the way to the city paid off. It now shows me the places I could strike to deal critical or even lethal damage to the monsters."

The kobold charges at me once again and tries to stab me in the throat, but with the use of warp I step to the side and swing the Gunblade right across the "Kill Spot" as I decided to call it, on the kobold's throat. With the pull of the trigger, the force of the attack slices through the kobold's neck, easily decapitating it in a single blow. I had to jump back a few steps to avoid a fountain of blood.

"Man, seeing a fountain of blood and a decapitated head in reality is kinda unsettling." I say watching as the body collapses on the ground into a heap, the head rolling to a stop next to my feet. Before I can react, the kobold's body shines faintly for a split second and a barely translucent, but small amount of aura seeps from the dead kobold and is drawn into my body.

"What..." I hold my hands out and gaze at them for a moment after the aura seeps into my body. A strange, warming sensation, one that feels of.... strength flows through my body. "It's very little, but it feels as if I was... strengthened? My body and magic seemed to have gained a small boost."

I am surprised at the sudden small boost of strength I have been given upon killing the kobold. This now gives me something else to research now that I have discovered it. I walk over to the body of the kobold as it dissolves into nothingness and leaving behind a magic crystal. Storing the crystal into my ring I starting thinking more about the aura I have absorbed.

"I know I grow much differently than the other people in this world who mainly get their strength from the falna bestowed by the gods, but before now I never knew how." I pause before continuing, "Now I believe I have discovered how I grow. It seems that whenever I kill a monster, I absorb some of their essence, or Aura is what I'll call it, that will strengthen me gradually."

This is still theoretical for me at the moment, but I intend to experiment with this discovery. How much can I absorb and how much can it strengthen me just by fighting these weaker monsters? None-the-less I am happy I don't need to join a familia to gain true growth. I can retain this freedom of mine.

I continue to hunt through the first floor for a bit, killing monsters which mainly consists of single kobolds or the unglued green midgets known as goblins, and absorbing their aura. I can feel my strength slowly growing with each kill and this makes more more excited to keep on fighting.

On the first floor it's mostly just single monsters, but once I reached the second floor they start coming in pairs and I'm also introduced to a new monster called a Dungeon Lizard. A mean and aggressive lizard that is quick to attack at the first sight. Once I hunted for a while on this floor, after resting for lunch, and continuing on for the afternoon. I return to the guild to turn in my bounty of magic crystals.

"You got all of this in a single day!" Eina asks in shock causing me to chuckle.

"Yes ma'am!" I said cheerfully before putting my index finger to my lips, "Trade secret so don't ask where I stored them."

She could only nod at that before counting the crystals and paying me for my daily bounty.

"If you bring in this many crystals everyday then you'll be rich in not time." She says looking impressed at my earnings from a single day.

I nod and smile confidently, "Well, I need to save up enough money this month before being able to get my own place. Can't stay in an inn forever."

"That's true, especially places like the Siren's Kiss or Fairy's Delight. Those places are an insult to all women!" Eina nodded understandingly, but a hint of disgust at the named inns that have servers who would willingly serve the patrons 'every' need.

"Yea... hehehe..." I slipped out after cashing in and hopefully avoid looking suspicious.