April 30th.
Because of the incident yesterday, I’d been given a sudden day off.
Normally, I was supposed to have stayed in the dungeon overnight, but here I was. Regardless, a holiday is a holiday.
Since I was off, I came to the dungeon to play.
There were so many Experience Points and Experience Points and then even more Experience Points here; it was like visiting a theme park!
Since yesterday had been slightly unsatisfying, I wanted to earn a lot of Experience Points today. Granted, my efficiency was lower because Hinata wasn’t with me.
With that in mind, I used the teleportation circle on Floor 1 to head down alone.
My destination was Floor 7.
Hmm? You’re asking why I wasn’t doing laps in the Floor 6 Monster Room while solo?
That had certainly been the plan until the day before yesterday. However, now that my Sword Aura level had increased and I’d gained various buffs, I figured I could handle Floor 7 on my own.
So, I headed to Floor 7 today to test my theory.
I ignored the Goblins along the way entirely and headed straight for the Monster Room. With my current strength, I could outrun them without even needing buff skills. Besides, Goblin Genocider was active, so I could escape with ease.
Eventually, I arrived at the Monster Room and pushed open the heavy stone doors.
As per usual, I set my backpack against the wall, drew my sword, and prepared for battle.
Activating only Sword Aura, I waited for the Goblin Army to manifest in the center of the room.
To maximize my lap efficiency, I refrained from using Fighting Spirit, just as I did on Floor 6. Since I hadn't activated Seeker, I was relying on Goblin Genocider to boost my stats. That alone made me overwhelmingly stronger than any monster on Floor 7. I was feeling optimistic.
A massive magic circle glowed brightly—and in the next instant, an army of forty-nine creatures appeared.
It was fine. I had run through the image training at home countless times. I had a strategy to win while consuming as little HP as possible. Right before entering the room, I’d practiced that specific skill and confirmed I could activate it exactly as imagined.
If I tried to defeat them one by one, I’d likely be crushed by the sheer weight of their numbers. Since the levels and enemy counts were higher than on Floor 6, I had to be careful.
The battle would be decided by my opening move—specifically, how efficiently I could cull the Goblins' numbers.
Our gazes locked, and the battle began.
I sprinted straight at them. There was no need for Taunt; Goblin Genocider was already active. Entrusting myself to my surging stats, I dashed with furious momentum.
And—before the Goblins could launch their ranged attacks—I leaped with all my might.
With superhuman jumping power, I soared high into the air.
I traced a parabolic arc, aiming for the area behind the Goblin lines. However, they weren't about to just watch me fly by.
“—Gigyah!!”
The Commander pointed at me with the tip of his rapier. A volley of long-range attacks from the Bow Knights and Archmages flew toward me while I moved through the air.
Arrows and fireballs converged on the point where I was projected to be in less than half a second.
“Hyah-ha!”
I twisted my body in mid-air and thrust my foot forward.
I kicked out into empty space, but the sole of my foot met resistance.
A platform of pale blue light appeared beneath me. It was as if a wedge had been driven into the air; the surface didn't budge even when I stepped on it.
This was the aura foothold created by my Footing Creation skill.
Creating just one consumed 5 HP at Skill Level 1—but the effect was a total cheat.
The platform completely killed my momentum. As I stood suspended in the air, the countless arrows and fireballs sailed harmlessly past me. Before the foothold could vanish, I kicked off it once more to resume my movement.
Instead of just jumping over them, I plummeted with renewed force directly into the center of the Goblin Army.
I twisted in the air and executed a perfect landing.
Staying low to absorb the impact, I poured 20 HP into my sword and began forming a Great Blade of aura.
The surrounding Goblins swung their weapons and rushed me—but I was slightly faster.
While manifesting the five-meter Great Blade, I spun on the spot, sweeping it in a horizontal arc.
Splat!
The satisfying sound of flesh being severed rang out repeatedly. Goblins collapsed to the floor, having lost their legs. Most of them weren't dead yet, though.
That was because I had intentionally aimed below their waists.
There was a reason for that. This Great Blade was a product of Sword Aura, and although it had a 11.2x damage multiplier, it would be stopped if it collided with the shields of multiple Knights.
So, I swung the sword low, hitting the area where the Knights weren't holding their shields.
Even the Knights couldn't predict a 360-degree low-altitude slash coming from the center of their own formation. The Great Blade severed their legs with amusing ease.
They weren't dead, but that was fine.
The Goblins were bleeding heavily; they’d expire eventually even if I left them alone. They might try to counterattack with their upper bodies, but they were far weaker than they were in a healthy state. If I followed the guidance of Sensei Danger Sense, I could dodge them easily.
After all, I had crippled nearly thirty Goblins with that single strike. I had their dense formation to thank for that.
With so many enemies neutralized instantly, the rest of the fight would be a breeze.
Besides—
“My Great Blade isn’t going anywhere yet! I’m going to turn as many of you into Experience Points as possible before it vanishes!”
The Great Blade didn't just disappear after one hit.
It didn't last forever, either, but it would stay active for about ten seconds until the infused HP was exhausted.
I lightly leaped by stepping on the face of a Berserker who was trying to push himself up with his left arm while swinging a greatsword with his right. I dodged several arrows and fireballs mid-jump. The moment I landed, I struck down with the Great Blade, cleaving three Goblins in half at once.
I immediately leaped to the side, dodging a strike from a Rider attacking from behind. With a horizontal sweep, I cleaved through the Rider and two more Goblins. The momentum of the slash was finally halted by a shield held by an uninjured Knight, but the Great Blade’s reach gave it immense power. It sent the defending Knight flying, tumbling across the floor.
Guided by Sensei Danger Sense, I moved through the room, swinging the Great Blade in every direction.
The Knights were annoying as usual, but I handled them by either blowing them away or slicing their legs off.
Since the Knights held their shields in their left hands, if I swung the Great Blade toward their right side—their right leg specifically—they were cut down easily. Even if they tried to shift their posture to protect their upper body, they couldn't move the shield to cover their lower right half in a single motion.
In contrast, the Great Blade meant I didn't even need to get close. I could take their legs from a safe distance. The advantage was overwhelming.
This is great! The Great Blade really is the best! Since it’s made of aura, it weighs nothing. My swing speed is incredible!
“It’s bonus time!”
I slashed through the Goblins as they desperately tried to regain their footing.
As the ten-second limit for the Great Blade approached, I prepared my final move.
“Here’s a present from me! Take it!”
I detached the aura from the sword and released it as a Great Flying Blade toward a cluster of Goblins.
It sailed over the Knights rolling on the floor, cleaving through five more Goblins before slamming into the wall of the Monster Room and vanishing.
At this point, only about eight Goblins remained unscathed.
This is incredible!
Even without using Seeker, I was able to fight this one-sidedly in the Floor 7 Monster Room without even needing Mighty Blade or Fighting Spirit.
I could really feel my own growth.
It just goes to show how important it is to be consistent every day. I trembled with emotion at the beauty of hard work.
In that case, I have to work even harder, don't I?
I have to cut down more Goblins and turn them into Experience Points. I have to stay consistent every single day.
Overcome with joy, I laughed without a care in the world.
“Kuh-hee, kuh-hee-hee!”
I wore a slimy grin, intending for it to be a pure, childlike smile.
I didn't need Flying Blades or the Great Blade for the stragglers. Maintaining only my Sword Aura, I sprinted toward the remaining Goblins.
“I won’t let a single one of you escape!”
You’re all Experience Points.
Well, since we were in a Monster Room, they couldn't exactly run away anyway.
●◯●
Naturally, I conquered the Floor 7 Monster Room.
The actual battle lasted somewhere between twenty and thirty seconds. The HP consumed per lap was 31.
The battle time had increased slightly compared to my test run yesterday after leveling up Sword Aura, but the HP consumption was much lower.
There were two reasons for that. First, during the previous run, I had used a Great Blade imbued with Mighty Blade. I’d needed Mighty Blade to smash through the Knights’ shields.
Second, last time, I couldn't drop into the center of the Goblins from above. When facing sixteen enemies in a boss room, I could parry or negate projectiles in the air without Footing Creation, but that was impossible against forty-nine. The sheer number of Bow Knights and Archmages was on a different level.
Because of that, I’d had to approach from the front, and the Knights had blocked quite a few of my Great Blade attacks.
However, with Footing Creation, I could dodge the projectiles and drop right into the heart of their formation. That was a game-changer. I didn't give the Knights a chance to respond properly.
Creating the foothold cost 5 HP, but it saved me much more in the long run.
I was also getting more used to the improved Sword Aura and had stopped wasting energy trying to cut through shields.
Leaving the Knights to bleed out after taking their legs was the right call. They’d die from the slip damage eventually. Once they were missing limbs, finishing them off was easy.
Looking back, I might have been too much of a perfectionist.
Regardless—with this level of HP consumption, I could definitely handle solo laps.
My current max HP is 250. While in a resting state inside the dungeon, I recover 125 HP per hour. Since I’m fighting, the actual natural recovery is a bit lower.
It depends on the number of laps, but it’s probably around 90 to 100 per hour.
Natural recovery covers about three laps. I’d have to use the Beginner Heal Potions I brought to make up the difference.
However, Beginner Heal Potions don't drop on Floor 7, so my stock is limited. I’ll have to be careful or go back to Floor 6 to restock eventually.
The Experience Points were the most important part: 222,168 per lap.
Much better than Floor 6! I just had to make sure the number of laps I did didn't tank my efficiency.
“Hmm...”
If I could do five laps an hour, this was more efficient than Floor 6. That meant using potions to cover the HP cost of two laps.
I’d brought twenty potions just in case, so I was fine for today. In fact, at five laps an hour, I’d have leftovers.
“...Alright!”
I decided to aim for seven laps an hour today.
With a lunch break, twenty potions should be plenty.
I continued doing laps until 6:00 PM, with a one-hour break for lunch. I used nineteen potions in total.
Laps completed: 52. Skill Orb drops: 1. Total Experience Points: 11,552,736. Magic Stone sales: 77,914,200 yen (tax excluded).
The Experience Points were a significant step up from the Floor 6 laps the day before yesterday. Still, it wasn't as high as when I was with Hinata. At this rate, it would take about ten days to level up...
As for the Fire Magic Skill Orb that dropped, I decided to put it up for auction. I’d also found one yesterday, so I’d be listing both.
Apparently, the three Skill Orbs I listed recently were currently live.
“The prices are skyrocketing, so you have something to look forward to,” the receptionist told me. But looking at the unrealistic numbers piling up in my bank account, I was already at my mental limit.
What am I even supposed to do with all this money?
The thought hit me while I was on the train home.
Wait—once I have enough, I should just buy Skill Orbs.
Footing Creation made my laps more efficient, so getting more powerful skills should boost my efficiency even further.
High-level Skill Orbs were rarely listed, and even when they were, the prices were astronomical. My current savings might not even be enough.
But at least it was a use for money I otherwise didn't need.