Goliath.
The monster rex present on the 17th floor. Having a thirty-day interval, it wouldn't spawn as long as it was defeated. Before the Loki Familia's expedition, the residents at Riviria had taken the liberty to defeat it, decreasing the number of things the said familia has to consider.
It is an easy feat to defeat it solo if you have the strength of an upper-class adventurer (level five). Every core member of Loki Familia could do so.
However, it does not mean that everyone could do it.
Bam-!
Bam-!
Braver saw each of the projectiles strike the Goliath. Initially, It seems random, but he easily noticed the intent behind such attacks.
'He is buying time.'
Oftentimes, close-combat mages with concurrent casting do this kind of tactic. As they chant, they distracted their enemies with close-range attacks.
Zoom-!
Solidified air came cutting at the Goliath. The latter defended itself with one of its arms. Blood dripped from the injured arm. The Goliath is even more enraged at the nimble pest.
'That swordsmanship… From the Far East?'
Unlike traditional swords, katanas require delicate handling. If its wielder could not satisfy that condition, it would break. There are also more techniques to handle its long curved blade, something being exhibited by the fully-armored adventurer.
'He's strong.'
The Braver—Finn Deimne—meant it tactically. The man did not have the raw power needed to fight against Goliath, but he is using the appropriate tactics every time. The man leveraged his protection to further tilt the balance of this battle.
The magic circle caught the pallum's attention atop the two of them. It has been loading magic power since the beginning of their fights, waiting to cut down its target's head.
Soon, the stored magic power reached its peak. Finn had a guess as to what would happen next.
"Enth, Astrum."
His dynamic vision caught the 'star' descending. It is tightly packed with an unknown power he hadn't known of before.
It is not just magic power or any elemental spells.
BAM-!
It crash-landed straight to Goliath. Caught off guard, it could not do anything but block it. The explosive force of several TNTs greeted its arms. The impact spread to its entire body. It did not show externally, but the amount of internal damage it sustained could render it unable to fight within a minute or two.
Even so, it showed a crazed look as it began its counterattack on the armored man.
Bam-!
The familiar shield was set up, preventing its attacks.
"What was that?"
"A special magic of sorts."
Ironically, Finn has to answer the magician behind him. She appeared not long after she thought there was something wrong. As a Level six, Finn wouldn't take long to eliminate a Level four monster such as Goliath.
"No, it's more than that. That silhouette… is it a fortress?"
Reflected in Riveria's eyes is the phantom of a modern military base. Towering cement walls circulated it. Barbed wires could be seen on the top of it. A plethora of incomprehensible buildings could be seen inside.
It is the result of Nobu's materialization of a "history". The magic circles that surrounded him from all directions embodied these.
"It looks quite similar to your magic."
Veil Breath. It is one of her known magic which protected the expedition group on the frontlines.
She did not reply and chose to observe the spectacular magic.
"Huh? What's going on, guys?"
The remaining core members of the Loki Familia arrived. Two Amazon sisters, a werewolf, an elf, and a female knight caught the scene of the man standing still under the duress of attacks.
"You're watching a weakling struggle? What's the fun in that?" The werewolf commented.
"This… It's similar to that story..!"
Surprisingly, one of the Amazon noticed his peculiarity.
The air of serenity around the armored man formed a sharp contrast against his desperate situation—bearing similarities from one of the fairy tales, David and Goliath.
Meanwhile, the female knight's gaze coincided with the gaps in his helmet. There, she saw something.
An unyielding spirit.
A person who wanted to win.
For the first time, she saw a reflection of herself.
With each projectile, the light of his barrier weakened. However, it was made evident that his will to fight wasn't affected by it.
Nobu picked up a small stone. It was a normal piece of rubble found everywhere in the dungeon. Yet, when the wave of light passed through, it changed.
It was an explicable feeling. Still, everyone felt the power behind it.
A power that could potentially threaten a Level four.
Even the werewolf closed his mouth shut. His previous thoughts were proven to be misconceptions—the armored man is stronger than he thought.
"..."
A dazzling projectile went straight to Goliath's head. Moments later, it left a headless corpse on the ground.
Thud-!
Clank-!
The armored man kneeled on the ground. Blood seeped through his armor. Evidently, he sustained severe injuries. It seemed as if his previous appearance was nothing but a facade.
"..!"
Riveria was the first one to notice an adventurer lying in an ambush. Just as she was about to cast an instant spell—
Bang-!
A gaping hole was made in the adventurer's chest. As to what caused it?
A weapon small enough to fit into Gareth's hands.
"Come out… I know you're there."
A chilling voice was sent across this dungeon's floor. Bloodlust of such level could only be attained by fighting a thousand battles. Without a choice, Finn stepped out.
"You might be misunderstanding something." He took the initiative to speak. "We didn't come here with the intent to harm."
"Even if you observed my fight since earlier? That wasn't suspicious at all."
Words of doubt originated from the armored man. His bloodied armor did not make him look weak at all. His bloodlust is cold enough to freeze a part of his surroundings. It is one of the things he could fully inherit from his future memories.
As Finn walked over to the man, the others decided to appear as well. The armored man paused for a moment before a magic circle crackled on top of his palm.
An undistinguishable wave of magic went through them. Its nature is extremely obscure, making it difficult for most people to sense it.
Except for a select few, that is.
"This is…"
The female knight subconsciously placed her arm in her rapier, Desperate.
"What is this?"
Meanwhile, the magician was at a loss as to what it could be. Though, it changed the attitude of the armored man. After drinking several potions at once, he stood up.
He made a slight bow as he said:
"I apologize from before."
A slightly high-pitched voice came from under his helmet. It became clear that the armored man… no, the armored boy has a young age… or so it seems.
A slight possibility came across Finn's mind. Small stature, childish voice… just like him. If it was proven right, a prominent pallum had appeared once more—something that appealed to him.
"By chance, are you a pallum?"
The boy only responded with a soft mumble.
"Recall."
Before they could even react, the boy was gone.
"The young'un goes." The dwarf commented. "Looks like y'er thinking of something absurd."
"...Not all people with those characteristics are a pallum."
Finn shrugged them off with a burst of light laughter.
"Even so, it doesn't hurt to dream, no? Another hero originating from our race… It's a nice thought ."
Hearing this, a certain Amazon disagreed as she mumbled:
"What's wrong with him? To direct such bloodlust to the captain..!"
The Amazon's sister—Tiona—deflected Tione's grudges.
"We're the ones in the wrong, anyways. Showing up after defeating a monster rex is nothing short of suspicious!"
"Hmph. Who dares to think that our Loki Familia would do such a thing?!"
As one of the two familias that stands on top of Orario, they were widely known. Just the fame of Kenki (Sword Princess) resounded throughout the dungeon city. When people see her with others, they'll naturally think of the Loki Familia.
Moreover, the others are famous enough to be recognized by many.
"Not all people know about us. It is normal to be wary of strangers."
As soon as Finn spoke up, Tione ceased her ill will towards the boy.
"An adventurer with those magic… It's a rare occurrence."
Immediately, Finn corrected Riveria's words.
"Not just that. From the beginning, he utilized six different magics. I'm fairly sure that two of them are Magic Tools. The remaining ones are his own."
Dispersed Projectiles, Military Fortress, Orionids, David and Goliath, Wave Blast, and Displacement Transference were the spells used by Nobu during the fight. Finn accurately heard him chanting on some spells whereas he did not in others. That was how he distinguished magic tools and magic.
(A/N: You only need to shout the magic sword's spell name to invoke it. Meanwhile, magic has the usual chants before the spell name. Though there are exceptions such as Bell's "FAIYABORUTO!")
"F-four?! D-don't tell me…"
The timid elf had a thought.
For now, the only magicians who could break the rule of having a maximum of three spells are Riveria and her, Lefiya. The feat is reflected in their epithets: Nine Hells and Thousand Elf.
"Nothing is certain. However, if that possibility comes into light…"
It would be the birth of a formidable upper-class Adventurer.
*****
"Kh…!"
Gritting my teeth, I endured the scalding pain that took over my body. I could feel the drool at the tip of my mouth as I did so.
After escaping those adventurers, I arrived on the 15th floor. The magic circle engraved by me on the wall disintegrated the moment I used it as a point of connection.
It was also at that time did I fully feel the rebound of my [Triplus Firmus]. The previously connected wounds relapsed when the magic that regulated my heart and brain disappeared. It is also because of these that I did not suffer any permanent damage.
Though, it brought me excruciating pain when they disappeared. The magic that helped me regulate my bodily functions are gone, leaving me with drinking potions now and then.
Growl-!
Four minotaurs spawned in the dungeon's floor.
"Seiden." (Sacred Lightning.)
Upon my chant, four matching blue magic circles appeared on top of the minotaurs. Having put in a considerable amount of magic power and utter disregard for control, they were instantly killed.
I did not bother to take the magic stones and instead continued on my journey, all the whilst drinking red potions continuously.
After some time, I recovered.
"The arteries and veins should have been closed. No dislocated bones, either."
I took out a luxurious potion. An expensive-looking bottle is used to store its contents.
Behold, the High Potion worth 250,000 valis. It may seem luxurious to others, but I don't have any qualms about spending my earned money this way. The dungeon is unpredictable enough to not save these.
The moment I drank it, a comforting feeling went through my entire body. It is similar to how my cheat worked. Any tension in my muscles is released, elevating me to an optimal state.
…
"...Amazing."
I had no more words to describe its effectiveness. No doubt, most of the medicines in my world couldn't compare to them. Only seconds had passed before it restored most of my injuries.
All that was left is my mind's sluggishness… which would also be cured by another High Potion.
I uncapped a similar potion, but it is blue this time. Upon drinking it, I felt my mind clear up.
There isn't any sluggishness, restoring my senses to clarity. That ringing noise in my ears is gone as well.
Some portion of fatigue remained, but this could be resolved by resting.
"There goes my free-to-play status."
Sadly, I am planning to tread the Pay-to-Win route since the beginning.
If I had known about its effectiveness, I might not have hesitated much. Unlike others, I am cautious about healing my body. If I healed it while some bones are dislocated or some veins are not properly connected, I would be damned. It'll cost an additional surgery to correct them.
"They…"
"Ready…"
I heard muffled voices when I passed through a group of adventurers. Each of them had a normal look—devoid of any suspicious aura in them.
Still, I kept my guard up.
"Hey, did you see someone before you?"
A white-haired man asked. His quite golden pupils glinted as he waited for my response.
Having met nobody like him, I replied:
"No. There aren't any adventurers where I came from."
"I see. Thanks."
With that, their group faded into the distance.
*****
"Damn. Where could they have been?"
"It doesn't matter. If they didn't return, they have failed. The 17th floor Monster Rex couldn't be used for the plan."
The white-haired man replied as if stating a matter of fact.
"Everything else should have been verified."
"As we had agreed, we won't be taking part in it."
The bald man immediately added, afraid that the lunatic beside him would pull them over to that cesspit.
"We don't need your help."
After that short conversation, they met with the others. Dozens of other adventurers met near the pantry on the 24th floor. Others wouldn't expect that the remnants of Evils would have used this as a meeting place due to how frequented it is by monsters.
The pantry, as it says, is a food house for monsters. Within each area, a pillar of white crystals could be found. Clear liquids could be found on those, which are the favorites of monsters.
It is the place where they replenish their energy, much similar to rivers in forests.
"Where is he?" The white-haired man, Olivas Act, asked one of the adventurers.
"Dunno. He should be out there with his usual Inferno Stone obsession."
The tamer of the group—the sole survivor of the Rudras Familia—is a core of the plan. He would add confusion on what was about to come.
"Nevermind. How did it go?"
"Everything's fine. The spawn rates and the types of monsters that spawn below the 30th floor are documented well."
A leather book was handed over to Olivas. Hundreds of words piled up on each page.
"What conclusion did you come to?" He asked while reading.
"...The 27th floor."
It is the floor that most middle-class adventurers frequented. It is also a distance away from the frontlines which is on the 42nd floor.
Monsters around Level 3~4 frequented the 27th floor. With its aquatic terrain, it is proven to be a handful for average adventurers. Monsters also spawn at an exaggerated rate in some places.
"...Fantastic. It is the 27th floor, then."
Nobody knew the foreboding disaster that was about to arrive.
*****
The guild… the ones who made it are smart. They have the semblance of a modern society, at the very least.
"Market price, they say… Well, at least they are not a rip-off."
Upon leaving the dungeon, every adventurer should have their bags inspected by the guild. They would purchase the magic stones brought by the adventurers, in turn regulating its presence in the world market.
As for the drop items, we are free to keep them as it is.
All I have shown are my gains up until the 10th floor. The ones from the middle floors, I kept it in my bracelet storage.
Until I regain the wealth comparable to my world, I would be Nobu the smuggler.
"Less than eight hours…"
Due to how I started to get tired, I sped through the upper floors. It is currently nighttime, evident by the boost that I am receiving now.
After strolling for some time, my gaze coincidentally met with a young girl's. Dull brown eyes, shrunken pupils…
…
Drug addiction exists in this world as well, huh?
Before I could respond, the young girl entered the dungeon with an oversized backpack.
"...I am planning on something troublesome again, didn't I..?"
Looking at my palms (which are blocked by my gloves and gauntlets), I saw the splintered blood in one of my memories.
Around six years into that future, I received a task from the Society Leader, Nettesheim. A mission to dispatch an unruly group of mages. They are the worst, to the point the ancient rule of magicians was permitted to be null for those guys.
It was a group of magicians who fell into their desires. Using their magic, they abducted young women and turned them into their playthings. They abused their power to play in the real world.
From the moment I met them, I blacked out. I couldn't reign in my rage as my flying blades beheaded them one by one.
It was also during that mission I was exposed to healing magic.
This went on to be the foundation for my advanced spells such as [Triple Robustness] and [Alice's Wonderland]. It showed that deep knowledge regarding human anatomy could progress magic in such a way.
Snapping up from my daydream, I continued my journey to the place where my goddess awaits.