April 6th.
Just as surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, I returned to the Shinjuku Dungeon today.
I headed down to Floor 1 and broke into a run. It took me one hour and forty minutes to reach the Monster Room on Floor 4.
I immediately began my loops.
My goal for the day was to complete even more runs than I had yesterday.
Grinding loops is a battle for efficiency.
You have to consider the time it takes for a single loop against the experience and items obtained. Choosing the most efficient hunting ground based on those factors is the basic principle.
And once you’ve settled on a location, you have to use trial and error to further shave down the time per loop.
From that perspective, it was clear that my current method still had plenty of room for improvement.
Fundamentally, I followed yesterday’s routine: I ignored the magic stones, only picked up dropped potions, and used Sword Aura sparingly to keep my HP consumption around 10 per loop. I also used Sword Aura to keep my HP below half at all times to ensure Blood Vengeance remained active. This allowed me to shorten combat time and conserve my physical stamina.
However, I realized there was another area I could optimize.
My movement. More specifically, I realized that my actions were riddled with waste.
To put it plainly, I’d been relying on my superhuman physical abilities as an explorer to move around—dynamically, if I were being kind, but excessively and wastefully, if I were being honest.
I was constantly darting around to prevent the Archers and Mages from drawing a bead on me, and when I dodged the goblins' attacks, I was opening up a massive distance to ensure I wouldn't be hit.
I wouldn't call it a mistake, but it was undoubtedly a factor in wasting both time and stamina.
Therefore, I set a new goal for today: I would gradually minimize my movements.
I would shave off every unnecessary action and optimize my positioning.
Instead of running around aimlessly, I would manipulate my standing position to put other goblins in the Archers' and Mages' line of fire, reducing the actual number of attacks I had to deal with.
When attacked by Warriors, Swordmen, or Thieves in close combat, I would make my evasions as small as possible. Little by little, I would dodge at the narrowest possible margins, until the wind pressure of their blades grazed my skin.
It didn't go well at first.
During the first hour, fighting in a way I wasn't used to actually caused my efficiency to plummet. I dropped to only fifteen loops per hour.
Even so, seeking efficiency is the core instinct of a leveling fanatic. I didn't give up; I continued to grope for a new way to fight.
And then—17 times, 19 times, 21 times—every time I repeated the battle, the clear time grew shorter.
My body began to acclimate to the new style. My movements were undeniably becoming more refined. It was almost funny how much more skillful and adept my combat was becoming. It was so palpable I could feel it myself.
"Could it be... that my hidden talent has finally bloomed...!?"
I tried trembling with mock drama, but I knew that wasn't it.
The reason my technical skill was improving so rapidly wasn't because of some innate talent for combat.
It was simply one of the effects provided by my status.
Specifically, it was the benefit of the Dexterity stat.
The influence of Dexterity extended beyond mere physical and magical control; it also accelerated the rate at which I mastered physical techniques.
With a raw stat now exceeding 60, Dexterity made my fighting style more adept at such an entertaining rate that I almost hallucinated that I’d become some kind of genius.
By 4:00 PM, after five hours and twenty minutes of looping, I had reached a state of complete awakening.
From 4:00 to 5:00, my loops per hour hit 30.
From 5:00 to 6:00, it rose to 33.
Then came the final hour of the day. My stamina showed no signs of flagging, and far from breaking, my concentration sharpened as if I’d entered a trance-like "zone."
I evaded every attack at the absolute minimum distance, letting them graze the surface of my skin. These micro-evasions gave me a massive amount of leeway in my actions. Eventually, the act of dodging and attacking merged into one. I plunged into the heart of the goblin mob, my blade dancing as I carved through them with effortless precision.
From 6:00 to 7:00—36 loops.
I wasn't even out of breath.
—Today's Results.
Monster Room loops: 176 (Actual time active: 7 hours 20 minutes, excluding breaks).
Total goblins defeated: 2,816.
Beginner Heal Potions dropped: 58 (All 58 used).
Magic Stones obtained: 0.
Skill Orbs obtained: 2.
Total Experience Points gained: 776,160.
Current Status below.
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【Name】 Takeo Samejima 【Level】 25 Experience to next level: 15,750 HP: 56/135 (14 up!) MP: 36/36 (5 up!) Strength: 70 (5 up!) Constitution: 65 (9 up!) Intelligence: 6 Spirit: 30 (5 up!) Agility: 65 (5 up!) Dexterity: 66 (6 up!)
【STP】 0 【SP】 3
【Skills】 Increased Damage with Bladed Weapons (Lv. Max), Berserk (Lv. 1), Goblin Slayer (Lv. Max), Fighting Spirit (Lv. Max), Blood Vengeance (Lv. 1), Sword Aura (Lv. 1), Taunt (Lv. 1), ■■■■■■■ (Lv. 1), Life Magic (Lv. 1), Magic Sword (Lv. 1), Danger Sense (Lv. 1)
【Titles】 Battle Junkie, Goblin Slayer, ■■■■■
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So, there you have it!
My level went up by two!
And I’ve gained a new skill.
Skill details follow.
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【Skill】 Danger Sense Lv. 1 — Allows the user to perceive danger.
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Well, it’s certainly literal!
It’s the same type of description as Taunt—no numbers at all. And it’s incredibly lazy!
Some of you might think, "Is a skill like that even useful?" but this is actually quite a famous rare skill.
In fact, the reason my loop count skyrocketed halfway through the day was because I acquired this.
As I was working hard to stylishly evade the goblins' attacks, Danger Sense appeared in my List of Obtainable Skills.
I check my status frequently to keep track of my experience, and my finger happened to brush the skill column, opening the list and letting me notice it.
It definitely wasn't there when I went home yesterday, so I must have met the requirements during today’s grind.
As for why it suddenly sprouted... nine times out of ten, it was because of how I was fighting today.
The reason I can't say for certain is that the exact requirements for Danger Sense haven't been fully mapped out. There’s a vague consensus that it becomes available after "repeatedly exposing oneself to mortal peril."
However, the threshold for that is reportedly quite high, so not many explorers manage to get it.
The skill’s performance is top-tier. For example, "when a blade is about to strike, a chill shoots through the exact spot where the blow would land, warning of the incoming danger."
It even reacts to attacks from blind spots, making it an incredible asset.
Apparently, as the skill level increases, it goes beyond a simple chill; you gain clear visual images and can even perceive exactly when an attack will land.
It’s a skill every warrior-type explorer would drool over.
So, I ended up dipping into the Skill Points I’d planned to save to unlock it immediately. It was worth every point; my combat stability improved instantly.
Knowing where an attack is going means knowing where the enemy is aiming. If I concentrate, it also means I can clearly see the enemy's effective range.
By moving to a spot where the attack won't hit, the boundary between the "danger zone" and the "safe zone" becomes crystal clear.
In other words, this skill allowed me to grasp the enemy's intent and reach with high precision, enabling me to dodge with the absolute minimum amount of effort.
Seriously, Danger Sense is a god-tier skill even at Level 1.
Thanks to this skill, not only has my grinding efficiency improved, but I feel my overall combat ability has been significantly bolstered.
And meeting the wonderful Danger Sense is all thanks to my loops...
"I knew it... Grinding is the answer to everything...!!"
Excited by the prospect of how much more efficient I could be tomorrow, I left the Monster Room and began my trek back—however...
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
"Someone! Somebody help me!!"
"—Huh?"
On my way from the Monster Room toward the teleportation circle on Floor 4, those screams reached my ears.
Talk about déjà vu.