I could endure the pain.
However, thinking about it now, losing 5 HP from a single blow from a Goblin might be a problem.
If I kept taking hits like that, I’d be out of the fight in no time. If that was the case, it might actually be more efficient to stay on the 1st Floor and keep hunting those Goblins.
"...No, I’m used to it now. I’ll kill them better next time."
Besides, the previous battle had given me a clear sense of the Goblins' strength on this floor. I felt like I could maneuver better next time to avoid getting hit at all.
That said, if it took multiple attacks to bring one down, I would still end up getting surrounded.
It was a problem that would be solved once my level went up a bit more, but...
"Should I give it a try?"
I thought of the new Skill I had unexpectedly obtained—Berserk.
The effect was to increase Strength in exchange for decreasing Intelligence, and it carried the significant drawback of increasing damage taken by 1.2 times. However, for someone like me who didn't have any magic-based Skills to begin with, a drop in Intelligence wasn't really a disadvantage.
And even if the damage I took increased, at my current Skill Level, it was only a twenty percent increase. Based on the last attack, the damage would only go from 5 to 6.
...Well, my Strength only increases by 4 right now, but a 4-point boost is still pretty significant, isn't it?
Plus, it was great that Berserk didn't consume HP or MP. Many Skills required those to activate, so not having a cost was a major merit.
"Alright, let's do this. If it doesn't work out, I can just head back to the 1st Floor."
With that decided, I headed further down the passage to test out combat with Berserk active.
Ideally, I wanted a group of two Goblins.
Not long after I started walking, as if my prayer had been heard, I encountered a group.
"Gugya!" "Gugyaaah!!" "Gyarururuaaaah!!!"
Except there were three of them.
"Tch, you damn cowards...!"
Can't you guys do anything without crowding together?! I wanted to curse them out. I was all by myself here. They should learn a thing or two from the Goblins on the 1st Floor.
Should I run? I considered it, but if I fled now, I wouldn't be able to handle any monsters that moved in packs of three or more.
If it was just Goblins, I’d likely be able to handle three at once after another two or three levels. But on the lower floors, even stronger monsters would appear in even larger numbers. If I ran now, I'd end up running every time I encountered them.
Most importantly, retreating repeatedly was inefficient for leveling.
"—I’ll fucking kill you all!!"
I shouted, hardening my resolve.
At the same time, I activated the Berserk Skill.
Checking my Status quickly, my Strength had risen from 20 to 24, and my Intelligence had decreased from 6 to 5. It looked like the stat changes were rounded to the nearest whole number—or maybe the decimals were just being hidden. Regardless, there was no change in my HP or MP values.
According to the Skill description, the damage I took should have increased, but that didn't matter as long as I didn't get hit!
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!"
"GUGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
I closed the distance, charging at the Goblins as they rushed me with incredible momentum.
Without slowing down, I slammed my sword into the leader.
"Gugya!?"
The Goblin guarded with its club, but my Strength and weight were far superior. It couldn't stop the momentum of my blade, and its stance collapsed.
Seizing the opening, I brought my sword down with everything I had.
"Take that! DIE, DIEEEEE!!"
Two hits.
Earlier, I couldn't kill them unless I attacked three times, but this time I did it in two.
It seemed the effects of Berserk were working perfectly.
As the Goblin collapsed and began to dissolve into light particles, I moved to face the next one—
"Alright! Next—OW, OW, OW, OUCH!!?"
Just as I expected, the Goblins that had flanked me started ganging up on me, raining blows with their clubs.
Because I had reacted instinctively to take the hits with my arms and shoulders, it wasn't as agonizing as the blow to my side earlier. However, if I kept taking hits like this, my HP would be gone in a flash.
In that case—
"Strategic retreat!!"
"Gugya!?"
I spun on my heel and bolted away from the Goblins.
"Gugyaah!!"
"Gugyaruaaaaaah!!"
The Goblins chased after me, letting out angry cries. I glanced back at them and grinned.
"Suckers!! The running away was a lie!!"
"Gugya!?"
I just wanted to reset my position.
I skidded to a halt, whirled around, and with a "Hnnngh!", I slammed my sword into one of the Goblins and sent it flying.
I lunged at the other one during the opening.
There were only two left now. That made it the same as my previous battle. I intentionally smashed my sword with all my might against the club it held up to defend, then struck again the moment its guard broke!
I finished that one off in two hits as well, steadied my footing, and managed to parry the strike from the last Goblin as it tried to smash me.
"Now, you're the only one left, aren't you...?"
"Gu, Gugya!?"
I spoke to the final Goblin.
As long as there was only one, I wouldn't struggle against the Goblins on this floor.
"Turn into Experience Pointsssss!!"
"Gu, GUGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?"
I made short work of the last Goblin.
Immediately after.
"Hah... hah... —Ngh!?"
As I caught my breath, a mysterious power surged through my entire body.
And then, a "voice" spoke directly into my mind.
—Level has increased.
I-It's here...!! It's cominggggg!!!
"I-IT FEEEEEELS SO GOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!"
Twitch! Twitch!
I let the euphoria wash over me for a while, and then—
"Phew...! (Sage Mode)"
Once I had calmed down, I gathered the Goblins' Magic Stones and prepared to distribute my Status Points.
Checking my Status, my HP had dropped from 27 to 17 during that fight. In other words, I had taken 10 damage. Since I was hit three times, I only took about 3 to 4 damage per hit.
Based on the Experience Points, it seemed one of them was a Level 3 Goblin, so the damage from the Level 2 Goblins was 3 even with Berserk active. I couldn't even tell if the damage had actually increased.
But if that was the case, what was that 5 damage from the previous fight?
Maybe that one had been a Critical Hit.
At any rate, with damage this low, I could use Berserk without feeling much of a drawback.
However, even though it was a group of three, taking this much damage every time was a problem. I had to distribute my Status Points with that in mind.
This was the result:
————————————————
【Name】 Takeo Samejima
【Level】 4 | Experience until next level: 245
HP: 17/37 (5 up!) MP: 18/18 Strength: 25 (5 up!) Constitution: 12 Intelligence: 6 Spirit: 12 Agility: 17 Dexterity: 12
【STP】 0 【SP】 0
【Skill】 Increased Damage with Bladed Weapons Lv. 4, Berserk Lv. 1 【Title】 Madman
Increased Damage with Bladed Weapons Lv. 4 — When attacking with bladed weapons, damage dealt to enemies is increased by 1.8x. Has no effect on attacks with non-bladed weapons.
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Well, raising my Constitution a little bit probably wouldn't mean much anyway. I prioritized raising my Strength instead. Offense is the best defense, after all.
That said, raising my Strength any further might cause issues, so I think I'll focus on Dexterity next.
Anyway, with this, I should be able to one-shot Level 2 Goblins now, right?
With Berserk active, my Strength hits 30, and since I raised the level of Increased Damage with Bladed Weapons, my attack power has gone up considerably.
If I can kill them in one hit, I won't have to fear groups of three.
I went looking for a Goblin-san to test out the results of my level-up.
I quickly found one wandering alone.
I activated Berserk and ran toward it, waving my hand.
"Goblin-saaaaann!!"
"Gugya? GUGYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
"—Die, you piece of shit! DIEEEEE!!"
Perhaps because my Agility hadn't changed, my first strike was still blocked by the club just like before, but I was able to shove the club back and rip through its shoulder.
I won with the very next strike.
The weight of the impact told me that if I didn't get blocked, I could kill them in a single blow. The fight was over much faster; at this rate, I should be able to handle two at once without taking a single hit.
"Alright, I can do this...!!"
Having gained confidence that I could survive the 2nd Floor, I picked up the Magic Stone and continued deeper into the Dungeon with a spring in my step.