Monsters appearing on Floor 6 of the Shinjuku Dungeon range from Level 13 to 16. In addition to the types found on Floor 5, a new species makes its debut.
—The Goblin Berserker.
True to its name, even a Level 13 individual—the lowest level found here—stood over 180 centimeters tall, its frame clad in rippling, bodybuilder-like muscles.
Their upper bodies were completely bare, and their lower halves were covered by nothing more than a single loincloth that looked like it might slip at any moment. For a weapon, they carried a massive greatsword that could only be described as a slab of raw iron.
As for their stats, Strength was exceptionally high, followed by Constitution and Dexterity.
Since they were the type of monster to rampage without any regard for their own safety, a Strength-focused stat distribution made perfect sense. Besides, these things had naturally high HP to begin with.
However, the most troublesome part was a certain skill they began to use once they reached Level 15.
It happened during my first encounter after descending to Floor 6. A Berserker within the enemy group was instantly enveloped in a crimson aura the moment the battle began.
Yes—Fighting Spirit.
Fortunately, the Berserkers on this floor could only use Level 1 Fighting Spirit, which offered only a twenty percent boost to their stats.
A Level 15 Berserker's Strength usually hovered around 80. A twenty percent boost would put it at roughly 96... Wait, that’s actually pretty high, isn't it?
The moment that thought crossed my mind, a shriek erupted from the back of the pack.
"Gugya!!"
It was the Commander.
『Whoa, this is bad! The Leadership skill on this floor's Commander is Level 2! That means the Berserker's Strength is going up by at least 32 points!!』
『It’s easily clearing 100!!』
『Stats over 100 already? Isn't the power creep a bit much?!』
Between Fighting Spirit and Leadership, the Berserker's Strength was being buffed by a total of forty percent.
If I took a direct hit from that, even I wouldn't walk away unscathed. After all, I still didn't have any defense-oriented skills.
Well, even so.
It was still only slightly over 100. Moreover, because they were so specialized in Strength, the Berserkers' Agility was pitifully low. Furthermore, while their Constitution was decent, they were just like me—no defensive skills and no armor.
Which meant...
"It doesn't matter how hard they hit if they can't land a blow!!"
My Agility was already 160 even without using Fighting Spirit.
That was likely triple what a Berserker could manage.
Combined with the power of Danger Sense, there was no way a clumsy, heavy attack from a Berserker was going to touch me.
I activated Magic Sword specifically for the Knights in the pack, then used Taunt as I usually did and charged straight in. That was all it took.
I swung my blade in every direction, mowing down the Goblins with ease until the battle was over.
『No way! The Berserker got trashed before it could even do anything?!』
『If anything, its huge body just made it an easy target!』
『I panicked when a high-stat monster started using Fighting Spirit, but I guess I shouldn't have worried about the Leveling Junkie Bro who soloed a Divine Knight-san...』
This particular pack consisted of five monsters: a Knight, a Lancer, a Berserker, an Archer, and a Commander.
The experience points earned were 2,460 for Hinata-san and 4,920 for me.
The yields were steadily increasing.
I had high hopes for the Monster Room.
●◯●
And so, I arrived at the Monster Room without delay.
The enemy force consisted of three parties made up of a Level 16 Knight, Level 16 Lancer, Level 16 Berserker, Level 15 Archer, and Level 15 Mage.
Then, there were two more parties each consisting of a Level 16 Knight, Level 16 Lancer, Level 16 Berserker, Level 16 Assassin, and a Level 15 Archer or Mage.
Add to that a Level 16 Commander, and the total came to an army of 36 monsters.
『Hey, hey, hey, hey!! 36 of them? You'll die!!』
『Wait, are you serious? Can he actually win this?』
『The numbers jumped way too fast!』
『The pressure is insane...!!』
『Wait, if it was 25 on Floor 5 and 36 on Floor 6, then maybe...』
Yes, exactly. It seems you’ve noticed.
The number of monsters in the Monster Room on each floor increases by the square of the floor number until you reach Floor 10.
That meant Floor 7 would have 49 of them.
But none of that mattered right now.
I activated Taunt to grab the aggro and initiated the battle.
"Hyah-ha!!"
I charged head-on as per my usual style, blowing back the Knight on the front line to dive into the heart of the swarm, but...
"Gugya!!"
As I began fighting the Goblins while they coordinated their surroundings and launched their assault under the Commander’s Leadership, I realized something immediately.
(Ah, this isn't working.)
This was bad.
If I kept fighting like this, I was probably going to lose.
The enemies were at least Level 15, their stats were all boosted by twenty percent through Leadership, and the Berserkers were utilizing Fighting Spirit.
Even so, I still completely outclassed them in terms of levels, stats, and skills... but with 36 opponents, the sheer "pressure" of their attacks was on a different level entirely.
It was easy enough to dodge a single attack, but when five or ten came at me simultaneously, it was a different story. Moreover, their offensive was seamless. I was subjected to a relentless, unending barrage.
Even more troublesome than their levels or stats was the fact that the Goblins' coordination had improved significantly.
I was so occupied with evading that I couldn't find an opening to counterattack. What’s more, there was no guarantee I could keep dodging forever.
Therefore—
"Dammit!! Kaioken times three!!"
My stats doubled thanks to the Goblin Genocider title. By activating Fighting Spirit on top of that, my stats were effectively tripled.
Guided by my Agility—now well over 200—and the warning chills of Danger Sense, I finally became capable of striking back while weaving through the enemy's blades.
Once I was able to counterattack, the pressure of the enemy’s assault began to wane, and as their numbers dwindled, I finally gained some breathing room.
In that split second, I swung my sword toward the Commander directing the swarm from the rear.
A blade of fire erupted from my Magic Sword and streaked through the air—
"Gugya!"
As expected, a Knight threw itself into the line of fire, using its shield to intercept the blow.
However, I had already accounted for that.
The blade of flame exploded upon impact, engulfing the Goblins behind it and blowing the Knight away.
In that instant, the path to the Commander was cleared.
"Don't you dare give orders from a safe distance, you bastard!!"
I broke into a high-speed sprint. The movement of closing the gap doubled as a maneuver to evade the Goblins' desperate lunges.
I covered the distance in a heartbeat, reaching the Commander's position.
A Knight stood there, determined to protect its leader.
But what of it?
"Out of my way!!"
I slammed my flaming Magic Sword into its shield, sending the monster flying.
With the obstacle removed, I fired another blade of flame at the Commander as it turned to flee, finishing it off.
"—!?"
The effects of Leadership vanished, and the Goblins' stats plummeted.
However, their hesitation lasted only a moment.
The Goblins immediately shifted their tactics, attempting to re-surround me and crush me with their remaining numbers.
I methodically cut them down, one by one—
Finally, after about two minutes of combat, the battle came to an end.
Checking the HP consumed by Fighting Spirit, I saw that I had lost 70 points. That meant I had been using the skill for over two minutes.
As the dust settled, Hinata-san approached me with the drone in tow.
"—Good work, Takeo-kun!!"
『Unbelievable!! He cleared the Floor 6 Monster Room without taking a single scratch!!』
『Even if he used Fighting Spirit, winning against that many without getting hit once is just...』
『Wait, hold on. His evasion is insane. Is Danger Sense really that powerful? Or is it just because it's the Junkie Bro?』
『Can any Level 29 do this? Can someone Level 29 or higher try soloing the Floor 6 Monster Room for comparison?』
『It’s getting to the point where normal people can’t even track the Junkie Bro’s movements with their eyes...』
『Wait, you want me to try that? No way, I'd die!』
Ignoring Hinata-san's praise and the chaos in the comments, I—
Thud!!
"Takeo-kun?!"
『Junkie Bro?!』
『What's wrong all of a sudden?!』
I dropped heavily to my knees right then and there.
Then, tears of pure frustration began to fall.
"Eh? He's crying...?"
『What the hell is going on?!』
『This makes no sense!!』
Why was I crying?
I would answer that.
"I... I was so full of myself...!! I thought... I could win a place like the Floor 6 Monster Room... without even needing Fighting Spirit...!!"
I had honestly believed I could breeze through up to Floor 7. After all, I was already Level 29.
I had assumed a Floor 6 Monster Room with a level cap of 16 would be a walk in the park.
But when it came down to it, I had been reduced to this pathetic state...!!
This wasn't good enough...!! At this rate... I’d never be able to use the Seeker skill for high-speed farming...!!
And besides—
"If I'm struggling this much here... I'll never stand a chance... in the Monster Rooms of Floor 9 or 10...!!"
"..."
『I mean... it's not like the Monster Room is mandatory, right?』
『Is "just ignoring it and moving on" not an option?』
『Most Explorers just walk right past them.』
『Almost nobody fights in a place like this, even with a five-man party.』
『The standard strategy for this is forming a raid, you know?』
"I... I'm a failure as a leveling fanatic...!! I can't even... fight properly!! Sob!!"
"..."
『Takejiro-chan...』
『Don't cry, Takejiro-chan!』
"..."
For the record, the experience points earned in the Floor 6 Monster Room were 19,535 for Hinata-san and 39,070 for me.
Considering the time required to collect the magic stones, I wouldn't be able to maintain the ultra-high-speed farming I used to do. By necessity, the number of laps I could complete per hour would be limited...
For leveling in the 30s, even the Floor 6 Monster Room wasn't enough.
At this rate, how many days would it take before I could feel that rush of leveling up again... Sob!!