As they explored the 6th floor of the Dungeon, Artpe was gradually feeling an odd sensation. No matter how he thought about it this Dungeon was too long.
"What kind of Dungeon is this?"
"Aren't all Dungeons like this?"
"Most Dungeons are 3 floors long. This is abnormal."
Normally, if one looked at the Dungeon entrance, one could generally assess the difficulty of a Dungeon. If a level 5 monster appeared on the first floor, the boss' level was usually level 10 in the beginner's Dungeon.
If there was an extra floor, the boss' level would be around 15. If the Dungeon was longer than expected, it would usually end on the third floor. The boss' level would be around level 20. Even if the beginner adventurers were able to break through the Dungeon easily, they would all be killed in the end.
But this place…
[Humans…. I will kill everyone, who dares to intrude.]
"Hoo-ahhhhhhhhp!"
A level 33 Skeleton was quickly charging towards them. Its eyes were emitting a blue light. Maetel unhesitatingly charged forward to meet the Skeleton. She dodged the Bone Sword way too easily, and she swung a Bone Club acquired from a Skeleton Warrior. It ruthlessly crushed the Skeleton's skull.
From the rear, two Skeleton Archers had been trying to let loose Bone Arrows. Artpe had already taken care of them by throwing Mana infused Bone Daggers towards them. The battle within the 3rd room of the 6th floor ended without any complications.
"We are already on the 6th floor, yet there are no signs of this Dungeon ending!"
"I won again! Hoo-hee-hee."
As Maetel kept winning, she realized that there was pleasure in triumph. Artpe was sure she hadn't acted this way in the past, so he wondered what had happened to ruin the trajectory of her growth. Was Artpe really the one to cause this change? In his past life, if the Demon King had seceded his seat to Artpe, he wondered if he would have been able to bring about a victory for the Demon world against the human world. This was how great his brainwashing was!
"Why is Artpe so good at throwing weapons?"
"You were able to freely control and wield a blunt weapon when you picked it up. My skills aren't as great as yours."
[Maetel]
[Level : 29]
[Blunt Weapon Lv4]
Artpe snorted at Maetel's words as he looted the fallen Skeletons. Maetel was now used to the concept of looting, so she helped Artpe. A silver coin had dropped from one of the monsters. It felt as if it was eons ago(it had been around 4 days) when they had been surprised by the appearance of silver coins. Now the two of them picked it up without being surprised by its presence.
"It feels almost magical when my level increases. I know I am the same person, yet I am well aware that that I can do much more now! Something I would consider to be miraculous in the past is now part of my daily life. Things that I considered to be impossible are within my reach. This really is quite enjoyable."
"Normally, that sensation can be barely achieved only after undergoing countless tribulation. Please keep that in mind."
Of course, Artpe was going through the same process as her, but Artpe had experienced reaching level 350 in his past life. He was able to keep everything in perspective.
Maetel's talent wasn't simply better than others, because she had superior strength and status. It had to do with her constitution and level. Moreover, she possessed an instinct that allowed her to adapt in battle situations. She had the potential to bring out the best result from within herself.
"Currently, we are on par with most mercenaries. I'm talking about career mercenaries, who've been to war."
"What are you saying, Artpe? We are just 12 years old!"
When he heard those words, Artpe sharply glared at her as he spoke to Maetel.
"You should never judge the strength of others based on their appearance or age. This is the first rule of survival."
"Y…yes.."
"Moreover, I don't want you to blame our weakness on our age. Our enemies won't go easy on us, because we are young."
"Yes, all right…. Artpe is too cool."
"You always come to a weird conclusion."
Artpe finished his looting. He checked his equipment, ration and water by habit as he extended his Mana Threads. For the past couple days, he had learned to handle Mana inside a human boy's body. His use of Mana had come a very long way compared to the first time he manifested his Mana. He hadn't confirmed this yet, but if he checked in own information, his Mana Control skill should have developed nicely.
"Mmmmm?"
Something was caught on his Mana Thread. He had been thinking everything was going too smoothly after they had encountered the Elite monster on the 1st floor. It was still a long ways off, but at the end of the 6th floor, Artpe could feel the presence of a monster superior to any monster they had faced up to this point. It was a Skeleton, but it was holding a bastard sword that was most definitely not made out of bones….
[Koo-ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!]
His Mana Thread was severed.
"Crazy!"
The monster possessed self-awareness, and it could handle Mana!? After Artpe assessed the situation, he once again sent several dozen threads into his surrounding. At the same time, he grabbed Maetel's hand.
"Run! Right now!"
"No matter who the enemy is, we should try fighting it first…."
"This is completely different from the Elite Zombie we met earlier! Run!"
"All right!"
The two started running in a hurry. They had doubled back, but a Skeleton was approaching them at overwhelming speed. Each room of the Dungeon was separated by a steel door, and the Skeleton was simply busting through them as it gathered the other monsters under its command. It was the worst type of Elite monster!
"Do you think I'll go down….so easily!"
His Mana Threads had been severed, but he had sent out his Mana Threads once again. This move wasn't a waste of Mana. Artpe had used the power of his Read All Creation ability, and he used it to activate all the traps with his Mana Threads. The traps got in the way of the Skeletons.
[Goo-wuhhhhhhhh!]
The Skeletons were being destroyed at various locations. Even the Elite Skeleton leading the horde was being damaged. Still, the Elite Skeleton hadn't slowed down much. Instead, it started using the corpses of dead Skeletons to shield itself from the traps.
"Tsk…..!"
This Dungeon had been annoying in the fact that it had more traps than monsters. However, none of the traps would be able to cause critical damage to the Elite Skeleton. Artpe mainly focused on killing the Skeletons trailing behind the Elite Skeleton with the traps. Artpe and Maetel kept retreating.
"Where are we running to, Artpe?!?"
"We are going to the Dungeon entrance."
"The Dungeon entrance? Wait a moment… The Dungeon entrance on the first floor!?"
Maetel asked as if she wished this wasn't the case, but Artpe nodded with a stiff expression on his face.
"If we don't get there in time, we are dead."
"We can't win against it?"
"It is impossible to win against it through a frontal assault."
Even if Maetel was an extraordinary genius, she was a hero, who had reached level 29 in less than a week. There was no way she would be able to win against it. Of course, she would lose, since the Elite Skeleton was level 60. The important fact was that it had already crossed the level 50 threshold.
"In exchange for being able to learn all Skills, we will continues to be heroes until we defeat the Demon King. Aside from the Demon race, all the other races gain a high rank Class when they reach certain levels. It allows one to become more powerful and more specialized. The first time one could earn this high rank Class is at level…."
It was at level 50. Monsters were no exception. There was a stark difference between monsters that had or hadn't crossed the level 50 threshold. It wasn't an exaggeration to say a level 50 monster was 1.5 times stronger than a level 49 monster. The Elite Skeleton had already passed level 50. It had reached level 60!
"It is also equipped with a proper sword and a shield. This means it had gained a Warrior type high rank Class. It possesses the ability to command all the Undeads in this Dungeon. A monster of this caliber could easily dispose any of the normal low rank Dungeon bosses."
The bastard was breaking through the Dungeon at an incredible speed. There weren't any traps left that Artpe could activate any more. He had been successful in destroying a good amount of normal Skeletons. Still, it would be hard for Artpe to do anything against them anymore. The Elite Skeleton was gradually closing the distance. If things progressed in this fashion, they would have to fight it before they could climb to the 5th floor…..
"….get on, Artpe."
At that moment, Maetel spoke with a firm voice.
What did you she want him to do?
He let out a sound that expressed his confusion. However, Maetel didn't wait for him to give a concrete answer. She put him on her back!
"Heeng. I wanted this to be the other way around…. Hmmph.."
"What the hell are you talk…. Ooh-ahhhhhhhh!?"
[Maetel]
[Level : 29]
[Battle Dash Lv1]
Again!
She once again learned a Skill that transcended her level as if it was nothing…. Moreover, it was an exclusive skill for the high rank Class! Artpe didn't have time to express his dismay. While she gave him a piggyback, Maetel started running through the hallways of the Dungeon at an incredibly fast speed!
"Hang on tight, Artpe!"
"Even if you hadn't said anything, I'm already doing that. Shit!"
Artpe was being carried on Maetel's back. It was unsightly, but he knew this was the most effective method. This was why he got comfortable in this position, and he stretched out a hand backwards. At that moment, they were climbing the stairs connecting the 6th and 5th floor. When they were about to reach the 5th floor, he grabbed Matel's shoulder. He stopped her.
"Wait a moment, Maetel."
"What is it, Art…. Kyahhhk!"
Even if it was pure Mana, one could physically manifest it if one brought out enough Mana. A thick Mana Iron Mace was formed in Artpe's hand, and he brought it down against the stairway. The stairway let out a horrific sound as it crumbled!
"Artpe is amazing! It will no longer be able to follow us anymore!"
"No, it'll probably destroy its Skeleton underlings to create a pile until it can reach this floor."
"….."
"Still, it'll buy us some time, and at the same time, it'll lessen the enemy's numbers. Let's hurry!"
They went from the 6th floor to the 5th, 5th to 4th, and 4th to the 3rd floor. It didn't matter how fast they ran, and it didn't matter how many stairways they had destroyed. The Skeleton Warrior kept increasing its speed. When they entered the 2nd floor, the Skeleton Warrior could be seen with the naked eye!
[Goo-wuhhhhhhhh!]
"You should try saying something else, you bone headed dummy!"
[I'll kill humans!]
"It can say other lines!?"
On the second floor, there weren't any decent traps that could be activated by Artpe. Artpe wondered if should attack the Elite Skeleton by throwing all of his throwing weapons. However, he determined it wasn't the right moment to use his weapons. Instead, he activated the only magic he could cast.
"My will within me. I communicate with the world. Burst on the ground."
[Goo-wuhhhhhhhh! Magic is useles…..]
"Hyper Rubbing!"
[Hmmm!?]
Even if he activated the Hyper Rubbing against his enemies, it would simply make their joints rub against each other. It was a useless attack. However, Artpe had not been aiming for the monsters. He was aiming for the hallway in front of them!
In a flash, the power of Mana started scrubbing hard against the hallway. The hallway shone from being polished. Maetel was impressed by this sight.
"Wow. Now that we have this magic, we don't have to worry about cleaning!"
"You'll never have to clean in your life."
"Ah, no! We have to split the housework in a fair manner. I can't make Artpe do all the hard work!"
The fact that she was able to spout such nonsense meant that Maetel's condition was still ok! He was able to check the mental state of Maetel in an odd way. Afterwards, he checked on the monsters, who had been chasing them.
The very first monster he checked was the Elite Skeleton Warrior. It had been running in front of the mob. It knew that Artpe's magic couldn't directly damage its body, so it had unhesitatingly took a step forward. The Skeleton was like a dog on ice. It slid all over the place before it fell to the floor.!
[Kill humans, ahhhhhhhhhh!]
It had used a powerful Shouting skill, but it failed to damage the hero's party. Instead, the normal Skeletons, who had been running behind the Elite Skeleton, started sliding on the floor towards the Elite Skeleton. The normal Skeletons delivered power body blows to the Elite Skeleton.
[Gwuhhhhhhhhh!]
[Gee-gee-gee-gee-gee-gee]
[My precious C3 cervical vertebrae…..!]
Artpe let out a shout of delight. While he was casting his magic, he hadn't been sure if his plan would work. Artpe had used the Hyper Rubbing spell on the earthen floor. The magic worked furiously as it made the ground slicker than an oiled steel plate. When the monsters stepped on the floor, the monsters had all fallen to the floor in order.
Artpe had used magical energy to influence the physical world. He had completely changed the terrain. Even if his enemy had the power to resist against the Mana, it couldn't avoid this debacle.
Artpe had learned this magic, because he couldn't throw it away. At this moment, the useless magic had allowed the two heroes to escape danger.