I finally set about preparing to tackle the Floor 6 Monster Room.
First, I activated Seeker.
Immediately, my Level and Stats shifted.
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【Name】 Takeo Samejima
【Level】 0 (33)
Experience Points to Next Level: 5,062,602
《HP》 195/195
《MP》 57/57
《Strength》 14
《Constitution》 12
《Intelligence》 6
《Spirit》 12
《Agility》 12
《Dexterity》 11
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As a side note, any acquired Skills and Titles remained unchanged. Just because I activated Seeker didn't mean they became unusable.
That said, trying to defeat Floor 6 monsters with these Stats would be difficult—or rather, impossible.
I needed to use Skills to bolster my numbers. For that, Hinata-san’s Holy Magic was indispensable.
Applying these buffs before entering the Monster Room wasn't just about saving time; it was a tactical necessity. Using Healing Magic or Support Magic inside generates Aggro, drawing the monsters' attention. By casting them before the encounter began, I didn't have to worry about building up unnecessary hate.
"Alright, Hinata-san."
"Okay. I'll start with Energy Protection, then."
"Yes, please!"
The first spell she cast on me was the defensive buff, Energy Protection.
This was insurance in the unlikely event that I actually took a hit. It consumed extra MP, and I didn't think I really needed it, but Hinata-san was adamant, so I let her have her way.
Well, it’s fine for the first round, I suppose.
The real preparation began after that.
"Next—Bless!!"
Hinata-san focused her mind, channeling her MP to manifest the spell.
A moment later, a divine white light rained down, washing over my entire body.
Since her Holy Magic was at Skill Level 5, it increased all Stats—except HP and MP—by 10. With the additional bonuses from the Guardian's Holy Staff and the Priestess's Vestments, the total Stat increase came to 14.
Bless cost 10 MP per person and lasted for five minutes.
"Now, it's my turn...!"
I followed her lead, pouring MP into the bracelets on both my wrists.
I spent 20 MP total to trigger them. The effects of the Bracelet of Technique and the Bracelet of Fleet-footedness activated, granting me an additional 10 points each to Dexterity and Agility for the next five minutes.
With that, my pre-game preparation was complete.
My current enhanced Status looked like this:
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《Strength》 28
《Constitution》 26
《Intelligence》 20
《Spirit》 26
《Agility》 36
《Dexterity》 35
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Naturally, these Stats still weren't enough to solo Floor 6.
By the way, did you know that Stat-enhancing Skills are generally divided into two categories?
The first is the percentage-increase type, like Fighting Spirit.
The second is the fixed-value type, like the Bless spell from Holy Magic.
At Skill Level 1, Bless only adds a measly 2 points to a Stat, and even at maximum level, the boost is only 10.
Conversely, something like Fighting Spirit can provide a boost of 50 or even 100 points, depending on the Skill Level and the user's base Stats. Unless you're at an extremely low Level, percentage-increase Skills like Fighting Spirit usually seem superior.
However, as some of you may have begun to suspect, Bless is actually an incredibly potent Skill.
The reason is simple...
"Alright, let's head in!"
"Right. I'm ready."
『Hey hey hey!! Are you really going in?!』
『I'll concede the point on Floor 6, but wouldn't it be better to start with random encounters instead of the Monster Room?!』
"......!?"
Just as my hand touched the door, the usual flood of opposing comments reached my ears.
One of them suggested I should avoid the Monster Room for my first run, and the logic of it actually gave me pause.
Now that they mentioned it...
For some reason, I’d just assumed I’d start with the Monster Room, but maybe testing the waters against a small pack of five would be wiser.
Why was I so obsessed with the Monster Room to begin with?
Wait... is this the hidden cost of the Goblin Genocider title...?
"—N-no! Hunting outside the Monster Room is inefficient! The Monster Room is obviously the best choice!"
Besides, I was going to end up in there eventually. I might as well dive in now.
『Liar!!』
『Your face totally just said, "Oh, right...!!"』
『Leveling Junkie Bro, you jerk!!』
『If you realized it, then turn back already!!』
"...! The buffs are already ticking, and we don't have time to waste! We're going in!"
I was losing the argument, so I cut it short. I shoved the doors open and leaped into the Monster Room!
『Ahhh!! It's over!! There's no turning back now!!』
『Man, this guy's a goner.』
『Wait, there's still a chance! Hey, Leveling Junkie Bro! Give it up and cancel the Seeker Skill! You can clear this normally if you do that!』
『Oh, true!』
『Yeah! Do that, Leveling Junkie Bro!!』
"It's true that it would be safer... Maybe it's more sensible to clear this room normally first, then test Seeker on a small group outside..."
『Oh! You finally listened, Leveling Junkie Bro!!』
『That's right! There's no shame in making a mistake!』
『The real shame is being unable to admit you were wrong, Leveling Junkie Bro!!』
"—But I refuse!"
『What?!』
『Heeeeeeey!!?』
"One of my absolute favorite things to do is to say 'NO' to people who think they've got me all figured out!"
『Hey?! This isn't the time for memes, you idiot!!』
『You're literally going to die!!』
In the center of the room, a Magic Circle flared with light, summoning a horde of 36 Goblins.
Hinata-san retreated toward the wall for safety while I drew my sword and unleashed my Taunt skill.
Almost simultaneously, Goblin Genocider kicked in automatically, and I layered Fighting Spirit and Berserk on top of it.
This resulted in the following Status:
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《Strength》 90 (62 up!)
《Endurance》 78 (52 up!)
《Intelligence》 32 (12 up!)
《Spirit》 52 (26 up!)
《Agility》 108 (72 up!)
《Dexterity》 70 (35 up!)
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Do you see it now?
The sheer absurdity of fixed-value buffs like Bless when compared to percentage-based Skills!
When you use both fixed-value and percentage-based enhancements together, the percentage calculation is applied to the Stat after the fixed value has been added.
Let's use my Strength as an example.
If the fixed-value buff was added after the percentage increase, the math would look like this:
14 (Base) × 3.2 (Multipliers) + 14 (Buff) = 58.8
However, the actual calculation is:
(14 [Base] + 14 [Buff]) × 3.2 (Multipliers) = 89.6
The higher the base number for a percentage enhancement, the greater the final result.
By stacking Hinata-san’s Bless with my own repertoire of Skills, I was able to reach these heights even starting from Level 0!
On top of that, my Intelligence has hit an all-time high... I can feel it... a surge of enlightenment...!
I can do this!!