Since the effect of my Body Strengthening magic is still there, it's best to finish the Dungeon Boss as soon as possible. So I open the door to the room where the Dungeon Boss and the Dungeon Core are.
Inside, although it's dark just like the cave, the torches on the wall made it easier for me to see.
"Once your level increases, whether it's your warrior class or your magician class, you will have better senses than before. You will be able to hear more clearly and see better. Some even no longer need to wear glasses anymore after they increase their level," Bob explained.
"Shame. There are actually a lot of girls who are prettier when they wore glasses. Well, if they understand that, I think they will still wear glasses even if it's just for show," I said.
"…I guess you're still a teenager in the end. Thinking about girls."
Though I'm not in a hurry to get a girlfriend. But I like what I like. Even just seeing pretty girls, I will be happier. Isn't it better to see pretty girls?
Or is it that once you're old you won't have to think about that anymore? I don't know. I have never been as old as Bob.
I don't know his real age. But once you reach level 5, your appearance will not change much and you will have longer lifespan. And as a Level 7 magician, I think he's over a hundred years old. But I'm not sure and I never ask.
In the middle of the room, there's a sphere that should be the Dungeon Core. Once I destroy it, the Dungeon will be gone.
"What's that surrounding the Dungeon Core?" I asked.
There's some kind of barrier surrounding the core. Does it mean that I can't destroy it before the barrier is gone?
"That is a barrier for the core. You can't destroy the core unless the barrier is gone. And for the barrier to be gone, you have to kill the Dungeon Boss first," Bob explained.
"But you defeated the Dungeon Boss before, right? Does it mean that whenever the Dungeon Boss has respawned, the barrier will erect again so we have to kill the Dungeon Boss each time they appear?" I asked again.
"Yes. The boss seems to have noticed you. Go fight that thing now," Bob said as he flew to the side so he can watch.
The Dungeon Boss in this Dungeon is a monster called hobgoblin. For me, it looks like a bigger version of a goblin. Must be stronger and faster. But I don't feel that it's threatening at all.
The hobgoblin is running toward me with an axe on its hand. Raising the axe above its head to cut me down.
But before it could even swing its axe, I take a step forward and slash the hobgoblin on its chest with my knife. And the body of the hobgoblin is split in two.
"…I think you won't have any trouble in the entrance exam to Hero Academy this year," Bob said.
Usually, someone who had just awakened won't try to take the entrance exam right away. Or at least they will take the exam only to test themselves. Not because they know that they can pass.
Newly awakened superhumans would most likely train for another year at least before taking the exam. That's what Bob and the other former Heroes said. But in some rare cases, there were those who could compete with stronger superhumans even though they had only awakened their classes for a few months.
And Bob said that I can actually pass the exam. Is it that easy to pass? Then I'm actually a bit disappointed.
It's an academy for future Heroes to learn and get stronger. But if the entrance exam is too easy, then anyone can be a Hero. And that's just disappointing.
I still have some time before the Body Strengthening magic is gone. So I approach the Dungeon Core that is no longer protected by the barrier.
I grab the Dungeon Core and try to remove it. But even with my Body Strengthening magic is still activated, I can't remove it no matter what.
"I guess this is the type that can't be removed from the Dungeon. Like the torches around you," Bob said.
"Then if I can remove the torches, I should be able to remove the Core, right?"
There's something I have been thinking on the way to the final room of this Dungeon. A way to remove a torch from the wall.
I tried pulling it by force before. But I failed. Even when I swung my knife, it didn't give any damage on the torch.
And it feels magical how the fire won't die and won't burn other things. Even when I grabbed the fire directly, it didn't hurt at all. Just a bit hot. And it doesn't damage me at all. Well, maybe it will if I hold it a bit longer.
And now that I have defeated the Dungeon Boss, I want to try removing the torch again. If I can remove it, then I should be able to remove the Dungeon Core as well.
I still have around three minutes left with my Body Strengthening magic. Let's finish it soon before the magic is gone.
"What will you try?" Bob asked curiously.
I'm going to make my knife able to cut anything using a modified version of Enchant magic.
I wrote the formulas to make the knife stronger and sharper. Then I add another effect to be able to cut anything. And since I will need to try removing the Dungeon Core as well, I can't waste all my mana. So I used thirty percent of my current mana and it will only last for one minute.
Once I'm done, I raise my knife and activate the magic before I swing it down to the handle of the torch connected to the wall.
Clang
That's the sound of my knife hitting the handle. There's even a spark created from the impact. But the torch is still there.
"Oh! I can damage it!"
But there's a change from before. Before, I couldn't damage it at all. But now, there's a clear scratch from the slash.
"Seriously? So just by knowing the formulas and modify it you can cut something that even powerful warriors can't cut. That's cheating," Bob said.
I think my existence alone is already considered as cheating. But whatever.
I still have less than one minute left before the Enchant magic on the knife is gone. So I swing the knife again and again.
And finally, when the time was only about ten seconds left, the torch falls.
"I did it! I did something that no other people can do!" I said as I grabbed the torch and lifted it high.
"…I still can't believe it works. But it somehow did. Good job. But again, don't show this ability to anyone. Just healing magic alone is enough to gain attention. With what you just did, you can be the most wanted man in the world," Bob said.
I looked at the knife and as soon as the magic disappears from the knife, the knife shows cracks and it's broken into pieces. Even the handle.
"I think I will need a more powerful weapon. Anyway, I'll try removing the Dungeon Core with this," I said.
Still over a minute left for my Body Strengthening magic. Seems like if there's no Body Strengthening magic, I wouldn't be able to remove that torch. So I have to finish it soon.
I made the same magic formula on my last remaining knife. But this time, I made sure to leave behind one percent of my total mana so I won't lose my consciousness from mana exhaustion. A state that will make a magician lose their consciousness because they're out of mana.
And I slash at the place where the Dungeon Core is on. A short pillar-like table or something.
I slash at it again and again and finally, I cut it down. Leaving only the sphere that is the Dungeon Core. It wasn't as hard as the torch. That's why I could remove the sphere easier than removing the torch.
While I was enjoying the result of my effort, the Dungeon Core suddenly shows crack from the inside.
"…Shit. Seems like for this type of Dungeon Core, as long as you remove it from its place, it will still be destroyed in the end," I said as the Dungeon Core is destroyed into pieces.
"Well, that's a shame. But I think the torch alone is worth more than all the Magic Crystal you got today. Anyway, congratulation for your first Dungeon clearance. Now that the Dungeon Core is destroyed, we will have around ten minutes before we will be kicked out of the Dungeon. Is there anything else you want to do?" Bob asked.
"No. I'm too tired from spending so much mana. Can't we leave faster? I don't want to wait ten minutes just to be kicked out," I asked.
"You can try to go back to where we came from. But it took us a long time to get here. Maybe if you learn teleportation in the future, you don't need to wait anymore. You can teleport back to the entrance and leave the Dungeon," Bob said.
"There's teleportation magic?"
"I don't know. But if it's you who understand the symbols for magic formula, I think you will be able to do it somehow," Bob said.
But that will be in the future. I don't think I will have enough mana to do that. But it does make me more interested in magic. I really want to improve my level.
And ten minutes passed by quickly. We were kicked out of the Dungeon and back to the abandoned building. Then the Gate to the Dungeon disappears.
That marks the end of my first Dungeon exploration. I learned a lot. And I had a lot of fun.
…I wish next time the monsters will be stronger than just goblins.