After descending a long flight of stairs, we emerged into a hall containing a Teleportation Circle.
This was Floor 8 of the Shinjuku Dungeon.
The view of the underground stone ruins remained the same, but the ceilings were higher and the corridors wider than the floors above.
"Well then... shall we proceed with caution?"
"Yeah, let’s."
Hinata and I nodded to each other, advancing deeper into the floor with our guards up.
Based on our levels, we should have been more than capable of fighting here, but it was our first time exploring Floor 8. We moved slowly to avoid getting lost, cross-referencing our position with the map data on the Modern Dungeon Strategy Wiki.
Before long, we encountered a group of Goblins.
The Viewers reacted instantly, their comments flooding the screen.
『Here they come!』 『Floor 8 Goblins!!』 『Whoa, they’re huge!!』 『At this point, they aren't even Goblins anymore, they're Ogres...』 『Up here, even a pack of five has a terrifying presence.』
At the end of the passage, the massive silhouettes of the Goblins were illuminated by flickering candlelight. At a distance where we could only see their outlines, we came to a halt. We set down our backpacks and prepared for battle.
"Hinata-san, please stay back!"
"Got it!"
"Also, I’m going to try fighting normally at first, without using Seeker."
"Understood! Be careful!"
Feeling light on my feet after dropping my gear, I drew the sword at my waist and took a stance. I observed the five Goblins that had noticed us and were closing in. Below Floor 5, they almost exclusively appeared in packs of five.
The group consisted of one Goblin Guarder, one Goblin Berserker, one Goblin Rider, one Goblin Archmage, and one Goblin Shadow.
Yep, there were two species I was seeing for the first time.
The Guarder was a higher species of the Knight. While the Knight wore dull, iron-colored full-body armor, the Guarder wore finely polished plate with slight ornamentations. Its sword and shield were similarly impressive, and its height was well over 180 centimeters—nearly reaching 190.
Between the size and the heavy armor, the sense of intimidation was incredible.
According to the Strategy Wiki, this monster had mastered the Reduced Damage with Shield skill and possessed Iron Wall Lv. 1.
The Iron Wall skill was a defensive version of Sword Aura; the user coated their shield in an aura at the cost of HP. However, its performance was on a different level.
While Iron Wall was active—though limited to the portion of the shield coated in the aura—the user's Constitution stat was multiplied by 2 × Skill Level. Even at Level 1, Constitution was doubled. At max level, it was a ridiculous 10x multiplier. Apparently, the HP consumption required to maintain it was even higher than that of Sword Aura.
Furthermore, Iron Wall effectively dispersed impact. In gaming terms, that meant knockback immunity. The tactic I’d used until now—smashing a shield upward to break an enemy’s stance—wouldn't work here.
The other new species was the Goblin Shadow.
This was the higher species of the Assassin. It was a tall, slim Goblin wrapped entirely in black garments.
Like the Bow Knight, it had a slender physique that seemed "un-goblin-like," which made it unpopular in certain circles. People found its stylish silhouette and movements annoying.
In addition to the same Poison Attack as the Assassin, it possessed Silent Walk and Presence Reduction at Level 1. These were Hide-type skills; they were perfect for ambushes, but they were also dangerous in a fair fight. In the middle of a chaotic melee, explorers often lost track of them.
Monsters generally had higher Status Points and lower Skill Points than humans, but by Floor 8, it was common to see enemies with multiple skills.
After all, the Goblins on Floor 8 ranged from Level 21 to Level 24.
Even the Archmages, which started appearing on Floor 7, began using Mind Concentration on Floor 8. As for the Berserkers, they used Fighting Spirit Lv. 3 depending on their individual level.
The dungeon was the kind of place where things got exponentially more troublesome with every single floor you descended.
『Guarders and Shadows, huh...』 『I've seen them in other streams; Guarders are seriously tanky.』 『If they block with that shield, no damage gets through.』 『Shadows aren't so bad one-on-one, but for Leveling Junkie Bro, this is basically five-on-one...』 『Normally, this isn't something an explorer at this level fights alone.』 『Junkie Bro! Just wipe them out with the Sword Aura and Mighty Blade combo!!』
The Viewers were worried, but I intended to fight in close-quarters to gauge the strength of these Floor 8 monsters.
I gripped my sword and was about to charge when I remembered something.
"Oh, right. I need to use Taunt."
I needed to secure the Goblins' aggro so they wouldn't target Hinata-san.
"—Come and get me!!"
I activated Taunt alongside my shout. I confirmed the aggro was fixed on me as Goblin Genocider kicked in, then I dashed toward the group.
Before I could close the gap, the massive Rider leaped forward.
With its spear leveled, the wolf forming its lower half kicked off the stone floor, approaching with terrifying speed.
『So fast!!』 『Look out!!』
It was like a truck barreling toward me.
The chill of Danger Sense ran down my spine.
As expected of a Rider with the Fleet-footed skill. Since its Agility easily exceeded 100, it was incredibly fast despite its size.
That said, my own level was rising daily. The Rider's Agility was likely slightly lower than my natural, unbuffed state. With the boost from Goblin Genocider, evading it was easy.
However, I didn't evade. I swung my sword while running.
I brought my blade down in an overhead swing. I was still outside the longsword's physical reach, but I launched a blade of Sword Aura instead.
I infused it with 3 HP.
The reasonably large Flying Blade bisected both the Goblin and its wolf mount in a single strike, slicing right through the Rider's spear as it tried to defend.
One hit.
As I thought, as long as my level was high enough, I could still one-shot Floor 8 monsters. That 8x damage multiplier wasn't just for show.
I kept moving without slowing down.
I passed between the two halves of the Rider as they tumbled forward from inertia. Fresh blood and entrails splashed across my body, but I didn't care. It would all vanish into mana soon enough.
I moved past the Rider toward the next target.
Waiting there was a Berserker, its body wreathed in the red aura of Fighting Spirit, greatsword raised high.
『Look out!!』 『Dodge it!!』
The viewers' warnings were too slow.
The Berserker instantly brought its greatsword down with sheer brute force.
In response, I angled the flat of my longsword and thrust it into the path of the falling blade.
No matter how high my stats were, the difference in body weight and weapon mass made it look like I was about to be crushed.
Ordinarily, if I tried to catch it head-on, that's exactly what would have happened. I was gripping the hilt with both hands; if the blade further from the hilt was struck, the principle of leverage would have overwhelmed my strength.
If I had supported the blade near the tip with my other hand, I might have stopped it.
But this was fine.
I manipulated the flow of the Sword Aura covering my blade just a tiny bit.
The moment the Berserker's strike slammed into my longsword, the tip of its greatsword slid smoothly across the surface. Without transmitting any significant impact to me, the monster's weapon was redirected into the dungeon floor.
"—!?"
The greatsword struck the stone with a deafening roar. The Berserker’s eyes widened in shock. The feedback it received clearly wasn't what it had expected.
That was a massive opening.
Having parried the strike, I immediately counterattacked with a horizontal flash. I bisected the Berserker’s torso at the waist.
『Wait, what!?』 『Wha—!?』 『What was that!?』
Before the dying Berserker could even hit the floor, I swept past it.
Waiting in the front line was the Goblin Guarder, shield raised. The shield was covered in a faint, glowing white light—Iron Wall was active. Its posture was solid; it seemed nearly impossible to bypass the shield and hit the body from the front.
Behind the Guarder stood the Archmage, wrapped in a blue aura, pointing its staff at me.
A fireball discharged from the staff's tip—it had been ready the whole time.
It was larger and faster than the ones used by the Archmages on Floor 7.
Still, it wasn't too fast to intercept.
I fired a Flying Blade to neutralize the fireball. The two collided exactly between me and the Goblins, and the explosion filled the wide passage with flames.
Hot wind and a shockwave buffeted me, but they weren't enough to cause real damage.
I didn't defend or retreat. I stayed focused on the other side of the fire. I watched for a follow-up from the Archmage or a surprise charge from the Guarder.
It was neither.
"—!!"
A chill struck the back of my head, near the medulla oblongata.
I ducked instinctively, spinning around while swinging my sword in a wide arc.
There stood a Goblin Shadow, caught in the middle of a thrust with its matte-black knife—but my counter-strike had already sliced through its torso.
『Close one!!』 『Behind you!!』
The viewers' warnings about the Shadow were late, but I was fine.
While the Shadow's Silent Walk and Presence Reduction were troublesome, they were actually a bad match for me.
After all, "Danger Sense-sensei" always gave me a heads-up. Sensei has no blind spots.
By the time I’d finished the Shadow and turned back, the explosive flames were starting to dissipate.
The Archmage was preparing its next spell, and the Guarder stood like a statue, shield raised to protect it.
Given the difference in our Agility, I probably could have just dashed behind the Guarder and killed the Archmage, but I decided to try something else.
I swung my sword, launching a Flying Blade.
It wasn't aimed at the enemies; it flew diagonally upward toward the ceiling. Its speed was...
『So slow!?』 『You missed!!』 『Where are you even aiming!?』
As the comments pointed out, it was moving incredibly slowly.
But then—
『Wha—!?』 『What is that!?』
After reaching its peak, the Flying Blade abruptly changed its trajectory and speed, entering a steep dive.
Like a falcon hunting prey, it swooped down on the Archmage from directly above.
"—!?"
The Guarder noticed the change in trajectory and reacted instantly, moving to protect the Archmage. It raised its glowing shield toward the ceiling to intercept the falling blade.
The Flying Blade shattered against the shield's surface without much impact. It likely dealt zero damage.
But that was fine.
The moment the Guarder focused on the falling blade, I had already slipped into its reach.
"Your body is wide open!!"
A flash.
With the obstructive shield out of the way, I slammed my blade into its exposed torso.
The Guarder's Constitution was much higher than a Knight's, but while it had shield skills, a Floor 8 monster wouldn't have armor-based defense skills yet.
That meant its HP Barrier only relied on its raw Constitution stat. No skill multipliers would apply to its body.
The Guarder's Constitution was over 100, but my Strength was 260, and my direct damage multiplier was 11.2x.
I sliced through it effortlessly.
The Guarder was separated into two halves. At that exact moment—
『Magic's coming!!』 『Run!!』 『Lance!!』
I didn't need the warnings.
While I had been dealing with the Guarder, the Archmage had backed away to create distance and finally released its prepared spell.
Fire Lance.
A thick spear of flame shot forward with the force of a cannon.
The Guarder's remains were in the line of fire. Whether the Archmage didn't care about its ally or was trying to catch me in the blast didn't really matter.
I had a split second to decide.
I could have barely evaded it, but I wanted to try out my newly acquired "shield."
"Hmph!! Behold, my Goblin Shield!!"
I delivered a full-power kick to the falling upper half of the bisected Guarder.
The "Goblin Shield" collided with the Fire Lance and exploded violently.
The blast was close this time.
To avoid the flames and the shockwave, I leaped backward—and swung my sword mid-air.
I infused 2 HP into a final Flying Blade.
The blade of aura sliced through the dissipating explosion and struck the target on the other side.
When the flames cleared, the Archmage was slumped on the floor.
Battle over.
『WE WOOOOOON!!!』 『I thought it looked dangerous for a second, but I guess not lol』 『He’s using HP for skills, but he hasn't taken a single hit from the enemies.』 『He’s dominating even on Floor 8.』 『"Behold, my Goblin Shield!!" is hilarious lol』 『I can't even.』 『Wait, what was that Sword Aura attack!?』 『Can you actually curve the trajectory of those slashes???』 『It was slow and then it suddenly sped up. That makes no sense!』 『I've seen other Sword Aura users, but never anything like that!』 『Hey! What's the secret, Junkie Bro!!』 『Wait, that parry against the Berserker was weird too!』 『How do you parry that cleanly from that posture???』 『Something is definitely up. The Floor 7 boss fight had some weird movements too...』
"Good work, Takeo-kun! How was it?"
"It shouldn't be a problem, Hinata-san."
I nodded to Hinata-san as she approached, picking up the dropped Magic Stones while the comments read aloud in the background.
I checked my status. That single battle had earned me 16,068 experience points.
The base experience for that pack of five was 13,390. Since we were in a two-person party, it was split to 6,695 each. For me, that was then multiplied by 2.4x.
While 16,000 was just pocket change now, I was genuinely happy to see the yields increasing.
Besides, the real leveling would happen in the Monster Room.
The amount of experience I could grind there was what really mattered.
"Hinata-san, let's hurry to the Monster Room!!"
"We don't need to hurry, okay? Let's go carefully."
"Yes!!"
With that, we began our march toward the Floor 8 Monster Room.