At last, Hinata-san and I began our exploration of Floor 5.
Six types of monsters inhabited this floor: the Assassin, Knight, Lancer, Archer, Mage, and Commander.
Essentially, the Assassin served as a higher species of the Goblin Thief, the Knight as an upgrade to the Goblin Warrior, and the Lancer took the place of the Swordman.
The spawn levels here ranged from 9 to 12.
Floor 5 represented a sudden spike in difficulty due to the increased levels and the appearance of higher species, but the most significant—yet subtle—change was the encounter rate. Between Floors 5 and 10, monsters only spawned in groups of five.
They never appeared in small numbers, like pairs or trios.
Because of this, Floor 5 and those following it were colloquially known as the "Party-Exclusive Floors." Attempting to solo them was widely considered an act of suicide.
Of course, a handful of top-tier Explorers like the Headshot Yakuza still cleared them solo as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
In any case.
As we navigated the corridors, which were slightly wider than those on Floor 4, we soon stumbled upon a pack of monsters.
The enemy group consisted of one of each type of Goblin, excluding the Commander.
The Knight standing at the front in its suit of full plate armor radiated a heavy sense of Intimidation. It was a monster notorious for being a hard counter to pure physical warriors.
Lurking like a shadow behind the Knight was a Goblin Assassin, another foe that demanded caution. While its attack power was low, its Agility was higher than a Thief’s, and more importantly, it specialized in status ailment attacks. Assassins possessed the Poison Attack skill; one nick from their daggers carried a high probability of inflicting the poisoned state.
Then there was the Goblin Lancer.
As the replacement for the Swordman, it possessed high attack power and superior reach. Its thrusts—concentrated, single-point attacks—were remarkably precise. Even while an opponent was occupied with the front-line monsters, the Lancer would thread the needle, unleashing accurate strikes through the tiniest gaps. Some argued that among the monsters of Floor 5, this one was the most dangerous of all.
The Archer and Mage were technically the same types found on Floor 4, but their levels made them a different breed entirely. With boosted stats and higher skill levels, they couldn't be compared to the versions we'd seen before.
Given the sharp rise in combat difficulty, many Explorers met their match on Floor 5.
I needed to stay sharp.
"—Hinata-san, the usual, if you please."
"Right, I’ve got it. I'll stay back!"
Once Hinata-san had moved to a safe distance, I initiated the engagement.
I offered my opening greeting by hurling the Taunt skill at the Goblins.
"Oh? Did you really think five of you would be enough to beat me? Is something wrong with your heads?"
『Where did that come from!?』 『Is something wrong with your head!?』 『Wait, was that a Taunt!?』 『That roast was savage lol www』
The Taunt took hold, and the Goblins' collective bloodlust snapped onto me.
I already had my blade drawn. Channeling a fire-attribute Magic Sword into my Holy Sword, I kicked off the ground and surged forward.
The Goblins reacted instantly, shifting into their standard formation with the shield-bearer in the lead.
However, before I was even within sword range, I unleashed a preemptive strike.
I swung my blade through the empty air, and a crescent of flames erupted from the edge, flying toward the enemy.
My target was the Knight.
The flaming blade slammed into the Knight’s braced shield—
BOOM!!
The blast echoed with a deafening roar as the blade detonated.
It wasn't enough to kill a guarded Knight in one hit, but the power of a Magic Sword further amplified by the Holy Sword’s doubling effect was spectacular. The force of the explosion knocked the Knight’s shield upward, dragging the monster off its feet and blowing it backward.
It didn't fall, but it was wide open.
The moment I saw the Knight’s stance break, I charged straight in.
Accelerate. Close the distance.
But.
"————"
The Assassin, which had been concealed behind the Knight, lunged forward.
Its shadow-like, all-black form was easy to lose track of in the dim light of the dungeon. Its movements were incredibly swift; its Agility was likely well over 50. Since we were both closing the gap, the distance between us vanished in a heartbeat.
However—
"Out of my way!!"
It was only a 50.
At my current level, a stat like that wasn't a threat unless I was caught completely off guard.
I cleaved it in two as we crossed paths and pressed onward.
This was high-speed combat as practiced by high-level Explorers.
The Knight had only just regained its footing and hadn't yet recovered its posture. I dove into its defenseless personal space and prepared to swing my crimson-wrapped longsword—but just before I did,
"————"
"Hah!"
I tilted my head with a smirk.
The Lancer, positioned behind the Knight, had unleashed a thrust.
My Danger Sense was in top form today. Almost simultaneously with my evasion of the blind-spot strike, I swung my sword in a horizontal arc across the Knight’s exposed midsection.
SHING!!
The sound of metal warping and snapping rang out.
For a warrior-type Explorer over Level 20, cutting through metal armor wasn't particularly difficult. However, because the Knight possessed defense skills, its Constitution stat usually bolstered the armor's durability, while its HP barrier dampened the impact of any slash.
The catch, however, was that the Knight only possessed defense skills against physical attacks. While its Constitution was high, its Spirit was lacking.
Consequently, its skills and HP barrier offered little resistance against magic. I sheared through the armor as if it were common metal, bisecting the creature inside in the same stroke.
"Hah-ha!!"
The fact that a Knight—which I had once struggled against so desperately—was now no match for me was so exhilarating that a laugh escaped my throat.
At the same time, I evaded the Lancer’s rapid-fire thrusts as if I were dancing.
When the spearhead extended and retracted, I snatched the shaft with my left hand during that split second of stillness.
"Thank you! You've been a great help!!"
"Gugya!!?"
Using my left hand's grip, I used raw strength to swing the Lancer around by its own weapon, pulling it directly in front of me.
An arrow and a fireball launched from the rear lines arrived a second later. The arrow buried itself in the Lancer's back, and the fireball bloomed into a violent flower of flame upon impact.
I drove my sword into the shrieking Lancer to finish it off.
Before its lifeless body could even hit the floor, I vaulted over it.
Only two left: the Archer and the Mage.
I had used their "shield" (the Lancer) to absorb their attacks. Now, neither of them was ready to fire a second shot.
Rear-line units that have lost their vanguard are helpless—especially when the enemy is already upon them.
I closed the remaining distance in a single step and swung my blade.
The heads of the Archer and the Mage flew off one after the other.
"————"
Battle over.
HP consumed: zero. MP consumed: 2.
A respectable result.
The moment I finally relaxed my guard, the comments from the viewers watching through the drone exploded.
『Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!?』 『What just happened!? What was that!?』 『Wait, the fight ended in an instant!?』 『Are you telling me he didn't even use Fighting Spirit!?』 『I know he's Level 29, but this is way too much for a solo fighter!』 『He just shredded a Knight that gave him so much trouble before. How!?』 『His growth rate is terrifying!!』 『The Floor 5 mobs couldn't even touch him...!!』 『This is seriously top-tier Explorer footage right here...!!』
For that battle, the experience points earned totaled 3,310.
In a two-person party, that would normally be split into 1,655 each... but thanks to my Goblin Genocider title, my experience gain was doubled.
Thus, I still walked away with the full 3,310.
As expected, descending just one floor made a massive difference in experience yield.
This meant... I could truly look forward to the gains from a Monster Room...!!