In the end, I decided to ignore Roskarl's words and think that my secret talent instead played out with the skill of the bow. I might have had only a scintilla of pride, but I had a massive ego, one that could easily oversize Saturn.
In any case, the third floor became pretty easy after the first fight since the goblin archers only used the same gimmick of attacking from two different directions when the path was splitting. Since I also found some dead ends for the first time, I ended up staying on that floor for a bit longer, and then my guess was confirmed.
{The Sin of Sloth received fifty experience points.}
{The Sin of Sloth leveled up. Charisma has increased by two points.}
{The Sin of Sloth reached level live. You have learned the skill of Subjugation.}
{Subjugation: you can force defeated foes to become your minions. Higher levels in the skill grant better chances of success when using the skill. The final result of the battle also affects the chance of success.}
Just as I had imagined… my body emitted a dark aura for a moment when I learned that skill, but nothing else happened. When I checked my parameters, I confirmed that I had healed a bit from the wound, around one point of health per minute, and I also confirmed that my increased Charisma didn't improve my health or mana. Anyway, was the system calling me uncharismatic by starting with one point in it?
Name: Deimos
Health: 152/200
Mana: 100/100
Power: 09
Magic: 05
Vitality: 11
Spirit: 05
Resistance: 05
Charisma: 09
Sins
Wrath Lv 03 (0/300):
Pride Lv 04 (0/400):
Sloth Lv 05 (50/500): Subjugation Lv 01,
Gluttony Lv 01 (0/100):
Lust Lv 01 (0/100):
Envy Lv 01 (0/100):
Greed Lv 01 (0/100):
"Are you starting to understand your power now?"
"More important than that, do you have something for the pain? This cracked rib is bothering me."
"More important than that… Deal with it, or cover the cracked part with some piece of cloth."
It's kind of like saying to someone who's broken their leg here why don't you try a Band-Aid? What a stupid suggestion… in any case, the pain would stop in a couple of hours, so I decided to wait patiently until I was completely healed.
"You should hurry up. The boss of the fifth floor wouldn't be that easy to kill with your current abilities. You will need to get stronger and perhaps return to the previous floors."
"That sounds like a challenge, gramps. What do you want to bet that I can defeat the boss as soon as I reach the entrance to the fifth floor?"
"You have nothing of my interest, so I see no point in making any bet."
"Are you afraid of losing then?"
"I am afraid of wasting more years looking after you. Just hurry up."
"Are you a gramps or a chicken?"
Roskarl went quiet after that… he was old, and something that old people had on steroids was patience, so I decided to give up on that."
Regardless, we went down to the next floor, and we finally found some differences in the surroundings. The brick walls, floor, and ceiling gave room to a rougher look.
The dungeon's corridors wind through the earth like jagged scars made from a rough stone that seemed to have been chiseled by the hands of time itself. The walls, marked with crevices and pointy ends, resembled the weathered facade of a forgotten cavern, with layers of sedimentary history etched into their surfaces.
Stalactites hang menacingly from the ceiling, their pointed tips poised like daggers ready to strike. Each drip of water echoes through the gloomy passageways, a constant reminder of the ceaseless erosion that has sculpted this subterranean realm. The occasional drip forms puddles on the uneven floor, reflecting the dim light that struggled to penetrate the darkness of the floor
Navigating these corridors was a dangerous task, with sharp points jutting out from the walls like the teeth of some ancient, slumbering beast. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and mildew, and a pervasive sense of foreboding hung heavy in the atmosphere.
"This one is a bit more interesting; I give it a six out of ten. What is next? Goblins shamans?"
"You really do like to ask obvious questions. At least the current you do."
"What the old me would do? Ask who cares about everything?"
"Exactly."
"I guess he was a happy-go-lucky moron, then."
I was starting to think that I was showing too much personality, given that I was supposed to have lost my memories… fortunately, some cloaked goblins showed up in time before I could dig my grave further. Roskarl was being quite friendly, but I could tell that he would kill me on the spot if he knew about the truth…
As soon as I charged toward the first goblin shaman, the bastard created a fireball out of nothing and in the blink of an eye and then fired it. I regretted for a moment putting away the bow, but I still slashed the fireball in half with the sword… that made the attack explode, but at least it didn't burn me… it raised the temperature around, though.
The goblin shaman used that chance to cast a firewall below my feet, so I soon felt my bones heating up. After a very unsightly jump, I charged at the bastard once more, who bombarded me with more fireballs. In the end, I threw the sword, spun in the air, and then blocked and destroyed the fireballs along the way before hitting the chest of the monster with the handle.
"It would have been so cool if the weapon had pierced his chest…"
In any case, I had the chance to reach the enemy and smash his head with a drop kick.