"—?!"
Yielding to raw reflex, I dropped to a crouch, narrowly avoiding the incoming slash.
A split second later, the blade of energy passed over my head and collided with the wall of the Monster Room.
BOOM!!
The impact rattled the entire room, scattering debris with a thunderous roar.
"...Are you serious?"
I stole a quick glance over my shoulder. A faint mark had been carved into the stone wall.
It goes without saying that dungeon structures are incredibly resilient. Even if they look like ordinary stone, their durability is on a completely different level. To damage one, even slightly, required an extraordinary amount of power.
To be honest, I hadn't unleashed a blow of that magnitude myself yet.
And besides—
"Wait—?! Hold on—?! You’ve got to be kidding me!"
My danger sense flared.
A chill ran down my spine, tracing the phantom lines where my body was about to be bisected.
To escape the threat, I leaped to the side and started running the moment my feet hit the ground.
Multiple slashes were unleashed in rapid succession, tracking my movement. I was dodging desperately now, but even with my danger sense, it wasn't easy. The moment the premonition hit me as a cold shiver, the slashes were already at point-blank range.
The goblin... uh, what was it? What kind of monster was this?
I didn't know, so I decided "Holy Knight" was good enough.
Regardless, I had my hands full just evading the Holy Knight (temp)’s attacks. I couldn't even think about counterattacking, let alone closing the distance. If I narrowed the gap even slightly, the time it took for those slashes to reach me would shorten until they became impossible to dodge.
Just dodge! Dodge! Dodge!!
While I scrambled to stay alive, I racked my brain for a way to break this stalemate.
First and foremost, the method of attack was the problem.
Those pale blue auras... that was proof of the Flying Blade technique from the Sword Aura skill.
Generally speaking, monsters possess fewer skills and lower skill levels compared to Explorers of the same level.
However, that doesn't mean they're weaker. Monsters tend to have significantly higher base stats than Explorers of an equivalent level.
Take the Goblin Wolf Rider, for instance. A Rider at level 17—its minimum spawn level—has an Agility of 70, with Strength and Dexterity around 65.
If you recall my stats when I was level 17, you'll realize it's nearly impossible for an Explorer to reach those numbers at that stage (though not entirely impossible with the right stat distribution).
In short, while monsters gain fewer skill points upon leveling up than Explorers, they receive far more status points.
This is a fundamental law that applies to almost all monsters.
Applying that logic here...
The requirement to acquire Sword Aura is maxing out the Fighting Spirit skill.
And the requirement for Fighting Spirit is maxing out an "Increased Damage with [Weapon]" type skill.
Furthermore, judging by its appearance—resembling a Goblin Knight—there was no doubt it possessed a defense-type skill. I would have been more surprised if it didn't.
But there was a much more pressing concern.
Yes, Fighting Spirit.
If the skill requirements for monsters were the same as those for Explorers... I had a very bad feeling about this.
"—I knew it!"
A moment later, my premonition turned into a grim reality.
Perhaps losing its patience because its attacks weren't landing, a red aura suddenly enveloped the Holy Knight (temp).
It was unmistakably the activation effect of Fighting Spirit.
Immediately, the Holy Knight accelerated until it practically vanished. It closed the distance in a heartbeat, catching me within its sword's reach.
—Too fast!
Even accounting for the fact that monsters have higher stats, this was insane! My stats were already being buffed by Goblin Genocider, weren't they?!
Despite my enhancements, its movements were difficult to track with the naked eye. A shiver of genuine terror raced down my spine.
"————"
At point-blank range, the Holy Knight swung its sword, now shrouded in a pale blue aura.
"Ghu—!!"
Relying on my danger sense—or perhaps raw intuition—I activated my own Fighting Spirit just in time.
At the very last second, I brought my blade up to meet the strike, bracing for impact.
But—
"Nnghuwaaaaaah!!"
The force of the collision surged through my entire body. I was blown back by its sheer physical strength.
I managed to land without losing my footing, but cold sweat was already pouring down my face.
This was bad.
I opened my status to check my HP, flicking my eyes over the numbers.
I'd been tracking my HP meticulously during my farm, so I knew exactly where I stood... but even though I'd blocked that hit, my health had still dropped.
Before the fight started, my HP was at "74/155". Activating Fighting Spirit should have brought it to "69". However, the number staring back at me was "65".
I couldn't even block its attacks without taking damage?!
And this was while I had Goblin Genocider, Blood Vengeance, and Fighting Spirit all active at once!
My stats were supposed to be in an ultra-enhanced state!
————————————————
Strength: 216 (+136) Constitution: 203 (+128) Intelligence: 10 (+4) Spirit: 61 (+25) Agility: 203 (+128) Dexterity: 128 (+53)
————————————————
If I'm taking damage through a block with these stats, just what level is this thing?!
My thoughts threatened to freeze in shock, but I forced myself to keep moving, narrowly evading the Holy Knight's follow-up strikes. Danger sense was the only thing keeping me alive; without it, I'd already be dead.
I’d estimate this thing's Agility was roughly on par with mine.
Meaning, over 200. Since it was using Sword Aura, its Fighting Spirit skill had to be at max level, which meant its base Agility was likely 100 or higher.
And it was hard to imagine an enemy in full plate armor specializing in Agility. Agility was likely one of its lower stats.
Its highest was probably endurance. Next would be strength or dexterity.
No matter its stat distribution, it was clear that every single one of its stats surpassed mine. Its endurance might even be over 300. No, it almost certainly was.
—What do I do?! Seriously, what do I do?!
My HP was already at less than half from my farming session, and even if it weren't, I couldn't win a battle of attrition against this monster.
Hinata-san wasn't here, and I'd already burned through every potion that had dropped today. I had no way to heal.
At first, seeing it recklessly spam slashes with Sword Aura, I thought I might be able to wait for its HP to drain... but this wasn't the kind of opponent you could outlast. Even if I could, I was being forced to keep Fighting Spirit active, meaning my HP would hit zero first.
Furthermore, this was a Monster Room. I couldn't escape until it was dead!
To put it mildly, I was in a desperate situation.
If there was still a sliver of a chance for victory...
(An ultra-short decisive battle... I have to take it down in one hit!!)
I made my decision while dodging and weaving, my Agility just barely matching the Holy Knight's.
Then, in a sudden reversal, I shifted from defense to a total offensive!!
I looked for the tiniest opening between its attacks. Reading the rhythm of its movements—its "breath"—I timed a single, all-out strike.
Simultaneously, I triggered Berserk and Mighty Blade. Hoping its magic defense was low, I added Magic Sword to the mix.
My Strength surged to "232" as a crimson light of the fire attribute wreathed my blade. Then, signaling the activation of Mighty Blade, the red glow intensified until it was blinding!!
"Uooooooooooooooooh!!!!!"
With Increased Damage with Bladed Weapons, Goblin Genocider, Magic Sword, and Mighty Blade Lv. 1, my attack multiplier reached a staggering 38.4x!!!
Die!! Please!!
I unleashed the strike with every ounce of my resolve.
In response, the Holy Knight raised its shield.
That wasn't an issue. Well, it was, but I’d already accounted for it. I knew that with my current skill level and stats, I wouldn't be able to bypass the shield to land a direct hit.
So.
I swung with the intent of cleaving through the shield and the knight behind it.
The sound was deafening.
A roar like a high-yield explosive detonating at point-blank range filled the room.
It was, without question, the strongest blow I had ever delivered. It was far more powerful than the Holy Knight’s Flying Blade.
But.
"Y-You’ve got to be kidding me...!"
The curse escaped my lips before I could stop it.
My strike—literally the best I could offer—hadn't even lifted the Holy Knight's feet off the ground.
The instant before my blade hit the shield, the shield had flashed with light. It wasn't a passive effect; it was the activation of a skill that cost resources.
A defense skill.
Having activated it, the Holy Knight weathered my blow. It wasn't blown away, nor was its stance broken. It simply slid back about five meters, its feet carving tracks into the floor.
That was the extent of the result.
The shield wasn't destroyed. There wasn't even a scratch on its surface.
However, it seemed the Holy Knight hadn't escaped completely unscathed.
How did I know?
"Seriously... why is something like this showing up on Floor 4...?!"
This was beyond broken balance!
As I watched in horror, the Holy Knight's entire body was suddenly bathed in a soft white light.
It was a light I knew only too well.
—Healing Magic.
The damn thing just healed itself...!