March 20th.
Today was no different from any other; I arrived at the Shinjuku Dungeon first thing in the morning.
Maybe they’d seen that guy’s stream yesterday, because I drew a fair amount of attention while I was in the locker room. Still, nobody actually spoke to me. I finished changing into my exploration gear and headed down to the 1st Floor.
"The travel time might be an issue, so I'd better move fast," I muttered.
With my smartphone in one hand, I pulled up the Shinjuku Dungeon map on the Modern Dungeon Strategy Wiki and set off at a jog, taking the shortest route possible.
I took down the usual slimes and goblins along the way and managed to reach the stairs leading to the 3rd Floor in about two hours.
Even when I ran into groups of goblins on the 2nd Floor, I didn't struggle.
As expected, the effects of the skills I’d acquired and leveled up on my way home yesterday were massive.
Since Fighting Spirit consumes HP, I only used it once, but the raw power of boosting three different stats—including Strength—was undeniable.
More than anything else, the Goblin Killer title was absolute in a place like the Shinjuku Dungeon where goblins were the primary spawns.
After all, it provided an unconditional 1.6x damage multiplier. Combined with being Level 9, I could now crush them in a single blow even if my sword struck their clubs first.
At this point, I likely wouldn't take a scratch even against three goblins at once on the 2nd Floor.
But that was exactly why I was done with the 2nd Floor. Now that I’d finished the tutorial, the monsters there provided far too little experience points.
"I... I should be fine. With my current status, I can definitely take on the 3rd Floor...!"
I stopped in front of the stairs and swallowed hard.
The realization that I could actually die made it impossible not to feel nervous.
When I moved from the 1st Floor to the 2nd, the monster levels increased and the number of enemies in a single encounter grew. Essentially, the combat difficulty had spiked.
The transition from the 2nd Floor to the 3rd would be the same.
In a Modern Dungeon, the strength of the monsters and the intensity of the battles changed drastically with every floor.
On the 3rd Floor of the Shinjuku Dungeon, the monsters ranged from Level 4 to 5, and they appeared in groups of two to four.
Furthermore, slimes and normal goblins stopped appearing, replaced by entirely new threats.
Well, they were still technically goblins.
The Goblin Thief, the Goblin Swordman, and the Goblin Warrior.
Unlike the normal goblins I’d faced so far, these were higher species. And every single one of them carried a bladed weapon.
The danger level spoke for itself.
Compared to the previous variants who only wielded crude clubs, fighting enemies with blades meant the risk of lethal injury or death was exponentially higher.
A shiver ran through me.
It was the pure, raw fear of death.
"Is it really okay to go in now...? Maybe I should stay on the 2nd Floor a little longer to level up, even if it takes more time...?"
I questioned myself.
I weighed the options in my heart.
"Safety" versus "massive amounts of experience points"...
Thump!
"Alright, let's do this!"
Experience points won.
I set foot on the stairs leading to the 3rd Floor.
●◯●
I hadn't gone far down the 3rd Floor's corridor when I spotted moving shadows in the gloom ahead.
A glint of light reflected off the shadows from the candles lining the walls.
It was Goblin-san. Two of them.
Even I wasn't crazy enough to go running up to them with a cheery "Hello, Goblin-saaan!" this time.
I silently drew my sword from its scabbard.
Whether they heard the ring of the steel or saw the light reflecting off the blade, the goblins noticed me.
"..." "..."
The two goblins fixed their gazes on me in eerie silence.
Unlike the goblins on the floors above, they didn't let out bloodthirsty roars. However, that didn't mean they lacked the intent to kill; the moment our eyes met, my hair stood on end from the sheer chill of their presence.
It was a quiet, refined malice.
It felt like the atmosphere a veteran soldier might exude when executing an enemy. A heavy pressure of killing intent seemed to entwine itself around my body, threatening to freeze me in place.
These two were physically larger than any normal goblin I’d encountered.
If a normal goblin was the size of a lower-elementary student, these were closer to the size of a fifth or sixth grader.
One held a knife, while the other gripped a one-handed sword and a shield. They were even wearing leather breastplates for protection.
A Goblin Thief and a Goblin Warrior.
Without a sound, the two began to run. The Warrior took the lead, while the Thief shadowed it, using the larger goblin as cover.
Their coordination was worlds apart from the normal goblins. If the normal ones were amateurs driven by pure rage, these were disciplined soldiers.
They had perfect control over their bloodlust.
"Fine then...!"
I couldn't afford to hold back against opponents like these.
I activated two skills immediately to go all-out from the start.
Berserk Lv.1 and Fighting Spirit Lv.2.
The moment Fighting Spirit activated, a red aura erupted from my body, instantly draining 2 HP. In exchange, three of my stat values surged.
―――――――――――――――― Strength: 48 (+18) Constitution: 21 (+6) Intelligence: 5 (-1) Spirit: 12 Agility: 38 (+11) Dexterity: 19 ――――――――――――――――
As a side note, when stat-boosting skills overlap, their effects are additive.
In this instance, my Strength was being doubled-boosted by Berserk and Fighting Spirit. The calculation wasn't 1.2 x 1.4, but rather a 20% boost plus a 40% boost, resulting in a total 60% increase.
Regardless of the math, my status under the influence of Berserk and Fighting Spirit was as follows.
"Hah—!"
Capitalizing on my surged Agility, I lunged toward the Goblin Warrior.
We were both closing the distance at speeds that defied the common sense of ordinary humans. I closed into sword range with the Warrior in an instant.
I put the full momentum of my sprint into a heavy overhead strike.
BAM!! A tremendous impact echoed through the corridor.
"Guga!?"
The Warrior had brought up its shield to block, as expected, but the sheer force of the blow sent it flying backward.
However, just before that, the Thief—who had been shadowing the Warrior—leaped out from behind its comrade's back, closing in on me with its knife raised.
It was fast. The Goblin Thief was a monster specialized in Agility and Dexterity. Had this been me yesterday morning, I wouldn't have even been able to react.
But—
"I can see you!"
An Agility of 38 wasn't just for show.
I parried the knife aimed at my throat with an upward swing of my sword, and then—
"EXPERIENCE POINTS!!"
"!? "
I brought the raised sword back down with everything I had.
Unlike the stat-boosts, the damage bonuses from Increased Damage with Bladed Weapons Lv.Max and Goblin Killer Lv.3 were multiplicative.
A 2.0x bonus and a 1.6x bonus meant a 3.2x damage multiplier.
A slash with a 3.2x multiplier fueled by a Strength of 48 easily cleaved through the leather breastplate and the Goblin Thief itself, bisecting it diagonally.
"Guga!" "Tch!"
But I had no time to celebrate the kill. The Warrior I’d blown back with the first hit had recovered and closed the distance while I was occupied with the Thief, thrusting its sword toward me.
I leaped backward to evade, landing and immediately squaring up to face it.
The Warrior showed no sign of distress over its comrade’s death. It held its round shield forward, crouching slightly to hide its vitals while it slowly closed in on me.
I’d thought things would get easier with only one left, but that wasn't the case. Seeing it braced firmly behind its shield, I realized how difficult it would be to break through its defense.
"—!?"
At that moment, another 10 seconds passed since the activation of Fighting Spirit, consuming another 2 HP.
I couldn't afford a long, drawn-out fight.
I steeled my nerves, raised my sword, and charged the Warrior.
"UOOOOOOOOOHH!!"
"————"
With a spirited roar, I swung my sword down at the shield.
The Warrior lowered its center of gravity and braced its entire body to absorb the impact.
Clink!
"!?"
It must have been bracing for another heavy blow. Instead, the impact was incredibly light, causing the Warrior to freeze in confusion. Its focus wavered for a split second. Because it had tensed every muscle to brace for a heavy impact, its joints were locked, delaying its reaction to the unexpected lightness.
I slipped past the Warrior's side, circling to its back. As the monster finally began to turn, I swung my sword with everything I had at its exposed neck.
The goblin's head sailed through the air.