"—I have metamorphosed."
For some reason, Oishi-san suddenly declared himself a pervert.
Wait, did he do something perverted while I wasn't looking? I mean, he was currently buck naked, but... damn it, Japanese is too hard! I don't get his phrasing at all!
Ignoring my confusion, Oishi-san continued.
"Is this a sword?"
He transformed his right arm. From the forearm down, it stretched out into a sharp, blade-like length, roughly the size of a longsword. Then, he shifted again.
"Is this a shield?"
The back of his left forearm mutated, forming a round buckler—a round shield.
Since he had produced a sword and shield, a set of weapons and armor, it meant he was fully intent on fighting.
"No, that is incorrect. These are cutlery. They are tools for me to deliciously consume all of you. I am reaching a climax."
I have no idea what you're talking about anymore!
However, Oishi-san’s actions were more eloquent than his words. His entire body became enveloped in red and blue auras. Namely, Fighting Spirit and Mind Concentration. With those active, all of his stats would be doubled.
But Oishi-san didn't stop there. Before our eyes, the red and blue auras fused, becoming a purple shroud that wrapped around his entire body.
Ikegami-san and Tamaki-san’s faces twitched as they let out strangled groans.
"Y-You've got to be kidding me...!"
"H-He can use that...?"
That. The purple aura buff skill.
The skill—Union of Mana and Might.
Its activation requirement was to use Fighting Spirit and Mind Concentration simultaneously. If the skill level was at its maximum, the effect was a 100% increase to all stats except HP and MP.
Crucially, this didn't override the increases from Fighting Spirit and Mind Concentration; those skill effects remained active. In other words, the moment he activated Union of Mana and Might at max level, all of his stats were tripled.
An entity that likely exceeded level 100 was using Union of Mana and Might. I couldn't even begin to fathom how high his stats were now.
"Well then—it is time to eat."
Oishi-san’s knees bent deeply, coiling like springs.
"—!"
I hurriedly stepped in front of everyone.
Leaping from atop the metallic wreckage, Oishi-san fell toward us at a speed that made him seem to vanish. Carrying that momentum, he slammed his right-arm sword down in a massive overhead strike.
I swung my Sword Aura-wrapped Holy Sword upward to meet him, catching Oishi-san’s blow head-on.
"—Gah!?"
In that instant, the auras between the two colliding blades scattered like lightning. A thunderous roar, sounding like a combination of a thunderclap and a head-on collision between semi-trucks, rang out. A tremendous shockwave pierced through my entire body.
My knees felt like they were going to shatter, but I put every ounce of strength I had into my frame to endure. The ground beneath my feet gave way with a heavy thump, sinking into a crater. Even the extremely sturdy floor of the dungeon couldn't withstand the force of Oishi-san’s power flowing through my body.
My posture broke. I couldn't maintain my footing.
My sword was being pushed back, and Oishi-san’s blade was closing in. I wouldn't make it in time to manipulate my Sword Aura for a Parry. It wasn't the kind of power that could be parried anyway.
I hurriedly activated Mighty Blade.
I caused the aura imbued with Mighty Blade to explode between the two swords.
The fact that Oishi-san was in mid-air and couldn't brace himself worked in my favor. The explosion blew him back along with his sword.
Blown back nearly ten meters, Oishi-san landed as if nothing had happened.
"I am astonished. You blocked that? I am filled with joy."
A mysterious light, a shifting gradation of blue and red aura, now dwelt within the blade of his right arm.
The skill—Magic Sword Aura.
It was a high-tier skill unlocked only when Sword Aura and Magic Sword reached their maximum levels and the user also acquired Union of Mana and Might. The activation condition was the simultaneous use of Sword Aura and Magic Sword. To put it simply, at maximum level, the effect gave a 16x damage multiplier for direct attacks (including the multipliers from Sword Aura and Magic Sword). For a Flying Blade, it became 4x.
Since he definitely possessed Increased Damage with Bladed Weapons, that strike just now must have had a total 32x damage multiplier.
No wonder it had such incredible power.
Even though I hadn't activated Mighty Blade when I took the hit, my own damage multiplier had been high. The fact that I was almost crushed wasn't just due to the difference in our Strength stats.
"—As expected, you are strong. You should be much weaker than I, yet I could not kill you."
Whether he was wary of me or just enjoying himself, Oishi-san didn't attack immediately.
"To endure that at around level 54... you must have many excellent skills. You look very delicious. I will absolutely eat you. For the sake of my joy and safety, please become my nourishment."
"—!!"
Are you serious!? He even has the Appraisal skill!?
The original Oishi-san shouldn't have had it. Did he get it by becoming a Metasla? Was there someone with Appraisal among the slimes he absorbed? Or...
No, it didn't matter. The problem was that New Oishi was seriously, terrifyingly strong.
He was beyond comparison even to that special variant goblin I'd encountered on Floor 8.
Seriously.
I mean, look at my current status:
HP: 21/400 (50 up!) MP: 137/152 (20 up!) Strength: 210 (30 up!) Constitution: 190 (20 up!) Intelligence: 6 Spirit: 146 (20 up!) Agility: 195 (20 up!) Dexterity: 215 (30 up!)
These were the stats after allocating the 120 status points I'd gained from the Metakin fight. And these were the skills I'd leveled up with my points:
【Skills】 Blood Vengeance Lv.Max (Lv.3 → 5) Blue Sky Beyond the Clouds Lv.4 (Lv.2 → 4) Danger Sense Lv.2 (Lv.1 → 2)
Based on that, my stats when I caught Oishi-san’s sword were actually this:
Strength: 1855 Constitution: 1726 Intelligence: 955 Spirit: 1286 Agility: 1739 Dexterity: 1410
*Active Buffs/Magic: Bless, Berserk Lv.1, Fighting Spirit Lv.Max, Blood Vengeance Lv.Max (second stage), Indomitable Spirit Lv.1, Brave Heart Lv.1
*Debuffs: Berserk — 20% reduction in Intelligence. Asceticism — 10% reduction in all stats due to Frailty.
Even with a 32x damage multiplier of my own (without counting Mighty Blade), I had still lost the power struggle, even accounting for the difference between a downward and upward swing.
I looked at those stats and thought, "Am I a monster?" and yet I was still being pushed back.
And these monster-like stats were only possible because of the super-cheat skill, Brave Heart. Once Brave Heart wore off, all my stats would plummet by 643 points each.
If that happened, there was no way I could win.
I couldn't reactivate Brave Heart. I had to defeat Oishi-san before the duration expired, but...
"Making you despair is the easiest way to end your resistance. Therefore, you may think as much as you like. I shall simply render all of it useless."
Oishi-san was composed while I hesitated.
It wasn't just because he felt certain he was stronger. Since he knew my skills through Appraisal, he likely knew about Brave Heart's duration. He knew that every second that passed put me at a further disadvantage.
The only moves I had left were...
(Should I use Silver Lightning Magic with Magic Sword? No, that won't work. I haven't raised the level of Magic Sword, so the power will drop too much. Magic Shroud... is out of the question. Even if I could use it, the effect would be pathetic at level 1. In terms of pure attack power, I should have the edge. Repelling his strike earlier proved that. If I use Mighty Blade, my attacks can reach him. The problem is...)
Getting him to let me land a hit.
—No.
Don't think! I just had to attack and find a way forward.
I steeled my resolve.
"Hinata-san! Keep the healing and support coming! Keep my HP below half if you can!!"
"—! U-Understood!"
"Mayurin-san, recover your MP and support me with Barrier Magic!"
"—! G-Got it!!"
"Ikegami-san, protect those two! Watch out for stray shots!"
"Understood!!"
"Heal!!"
Hinata-san’s Heal hit me. My nearly depleted HP recovered, and Blood Vengeance dropped back to the first stage.
I was anxious about the stat drop, but I couldn't fight New Oishi with less than 20% HP. Unless I was certain I could finish him in one blow, maintaining the second stage of Blood Vengeance was too risky.
I kicked off the ground and sprinted.
"Oooooooooooooooh!!!"
I closed the distance instantly and slammed my sword into him, adding the full momentum of my sprint.
A full-power strike imbued with Mighty Blade. 2 x 2 x 5 x 1.6 x 12. A 384x multiplier strike.
Oishi-san caught it with the round shield on his left arm.
A white light pulsed from the shield. Likely Iron Wall. But that wasn't all. Other colors danced within the white light—Adamantine Shield, the high-tier skill of Iron Wall activated by using it alongside Magic Wall.
Boom!!
The roar was deafening.
My blade crashed into his shield. I reflexively widened my eyes. Oishi-san didn't even budge.
Hey, give me a break. That was a 384x multiplier strike. I wasn't expecting to break his guard, but I thought I’d at least knock the shield aside. I was too naive.
Suddenly, a chill ran across my midsection.
I leaped backward with everything I had. Oishi-san’s sword-arm passed by, missing me by a hair's breadth.
His speed was insane. Before I even landed, Oishi-san reversed his blade and swung again. From the line he carved through the air, a Magic Sword Aura Flying Blade shot out.
I’d already seen it coming.
Danger Sense—or rather, "Sensei"—had reached a level where its reaction speed warned me of danger a tempo faster than before. Even in high-speed explorer combat, that split-second difference allowed me to react. While still in mid-air, I released my own Flying Blade to neutralize his.
I landed and immediately started running again.
I didn't get close this time. I kept him at bay with Flying Blades. Oishi-san responded by either neutralizing them with his own or deflecting them with his shield. Disliking the one-sided exchange, Oishi-san began to run as well.
A high-speed mobility battle began.
I fired a series of Flying Blades like probing jabs. Randomly, I wove in Mighty Blades. Just one hit was all I needed. If even one Mighty Blade landed squarely, I had a chance. As long as he didn't block it with that shield, a Mighty Blade strike should be effective.
However—
"Regrettable. It is obvious from the intensity of the light."
Unerringly, Oishi-san blocked every strike imbued with Mighty Blade with his shield. The aura of a Flying Blade imbued with Mighty Blade was significantly brighter. He had seen right through it.
This tactic was useless.
In that case—
"How about this!?"
"—!?"
Mighty Flying Blade - Explosive Blade.
The target wasn't Oishi-san, but his feet.
The dungeon floor was extremely sturdy, but I knew I could break it. It worked just like normal ground!
The ground exploded beneath Oishi-san. His posture broke, and a cloud of debris and dust billowed into the air, obscuring his vision.
I stepped in deep—deeper than before.
By crouching low, I swung my sword in a horizontal sweep. Mighty Flying Blade. The flying slash was aimed right at Oishi-san’s knees. If he couldn't see it, there was no way he could block it.
"—How regrettable."
Oishi-san leaped out of the dust cloud.
From above.
He had jumped to dodge my Flying Blade. Why!? Could he see through the dust!?
"My vision is perverted glasses."
"—!? Tsk, so that’s how it is!!"
While dodging the Flying Blade Oishi-san fired from mid-air, I understood. He was saying he could see through obstacles. I'd wondered how he saw without eyeballs; it was either a trait of his new body or a specialized skill.
Oishi-san landed and immediately counterattacked, firing a rapid succession of Flying Blades.
The roles of offense and defense swapped. Now I was on the run.
I didn't stop moving for a second, evading the incoming slashes or neutralizing them. I looked for an opening to fire back, but I couldn't break through his defense.
Still, the preparations were nearly complete.
"Heal!" "High Regeneration!" "Heal!" "Heal!" "Holy Protection!!" "Heal!"
Hinata-san was keeping up a relentless pace, recovering my HP and renewing my buffs.
And from the corner of my eye, I confirmed that Mayurin-san had downed several mana potions she'd received from Ikegami-san.
I had given the orders without checking their inventory, but as expected of Special Crisis Case Explorers, they were well-prepared.
I wasn't just fighting blindly either.
Through this battle, I'd learned a few things about New Oishi. First: he wasn't a "monster."
Here’s why. I was using Asceticism to keep Blue Sky Beyond the Clouds active, which meant the Mark of Death was also active. The Mark of Death has a side effect called Maximum Aggro. But that effect—along with Taunt—doesn't work on surface-dwelling creatures, including humans.
If Taunt worked on humans, it would be considered as dangerous as Charm. Gaining aggro meant directly influencing an opponent's spirit and emotions, inflating anger and weakening reason. It would be too easy to abuse.
But Taunt-type skills don't work on anything except dungeon monsters. Since Oishi-san showed no signs of being affected by Maximum Aggro, he was still classified as a "human" in the system.
That meant his status point gains from leveling up wouldn't be as bloated as a monster's. On the flip side, he likely had an abundance of skill points and a variety of skills.
I doubted the slimes he absorbed possessed Union of Mana and Might or Adamantine Shield. Even if he'd absorbed skills from other explorers, none of them should have been high enough level to have those skills. He had likely used his own hoard of skill points to acquire them.
I also grasped the gap in our stats. His Strength, Constitution, Spirit, Agility, and Dexterity likely far exceeded mine, even with Brave Heart active.
The only stat I was winning in was probably Intelligence.
I was barely holding my own. Without Brave Heart or my leveled-up Danger Sense, I would have been dead long ago.
But I could fight him because our Agility values were relatively close—maybe a 500 or 600 point difference. Normally that’s a death sentence, but with Agility around 1300, I could at least see him coming. Level 2 "Sensei" was bridging the gap that raw stats couldn't.
And if I could see him, I had a plan. I wasn't alone.
"—!!"
I saw Mayurin-san raise her short wand.
The signal.
While neutralizing Oishi-san’s Flying Blades, I shouted.
"I’m taking you down!! In one hit!!"
"—? You claim to have a trump card? My eyes tell me you have no such thing. I have already pervertedly peered into your deepest depths."
True enough. Appraisal would tell him I was bluffing. But he couldn't help but be wary. Why? Because...
"Could it be... those unreadable skills and titles? Is that a mosaic? Are you going to cast a perverted skill on me?"
My sealed Pleasure Killer and Lust Murder. As I thought, those were blacked out even for his Appraisal. He couldn't ignore an unknown variable.
I made my move.
"I’m going straight in and cutting you down!! Straight in and cutting you down!!"
"!?"
Oishi-san wasn't the one who was surprised.
Mayurin-san had caught the signal.
I sprinted toward him, putting my faith in her.
"Here I come, you bastard!!"
"What a foolish person. Is your intelligence low?"
The only one with low intelligence is you, idiot!
You're going to die helpless because of my genius plan! You'll die regretting you ever called Takeo Samejima stupid!
I swung my sword in a horizontal sweep while sprinting.
—Mighty Blade Great Flying Blade.
I used a technique I had held back, knowing it wouldn't hurt him. Its role was different this time.
"—!?"
Oishi-san fired several Magic Sword Aura Flying Blades, but they were all one-sidedly shattered by my Great Flying Blade.
When it came to pure attack multipliers, my Mighty Blade was stronger than his raw Strength.
I used the Great Flying Blade as a shield, closing the distance to Oishi-san.
"—Regrettable. It is useless."
Oishi-san tried to block the Great Flying Blade with his shield—but he couldn't.
With a heavy clack, his movements stopped.
Mayurin-san’s Barrier Magic.
Its cheat-level utility wasn't just for defense or one-sided attacks. It was for capture and restraint.
Imagine a coffin so narrow you can't even twitch. A rectangular barrier of exactly that shape had encased Oishi-san. With his arms wide with sword and shield, he was pinned. He couldn't move.
And then, the other cheat ability of Barrier Magic triggered.
"Selective permeability."
The Great Flying Blade, still intact after shattering Oishi-san’s attacks, passed right through the barrier and slammed into him.
The roar was immense. Aura shattered into blinding light. But I wasn't done.
I said I’d finish him in one hit? I lied.
Don't believe a hunter's words, you monster!
"Uoooooooooooh!! Die!!!"
Right behind the Great Flying Blade, I dove into Oishi-san’s personal space.
Mighty Blade. And then—
"—Heal!!"
The timing was perfect! Hinata-san, you're the best! I've still got plenty of ammo!
Mighty Blade! Mighty Blade! Mighty Blade!
"Heal!!"
Mighty—Blaaaaade!!!
And then—
"——Ah?"
The next thing I knew, I was half-buried in the wall of the boss room.
What? What happened? Why was I over here?
My consciousness was hazy. But a second later—
"——Eagh!!?"
Agony ripped through my entire body.
The pain had been there the whole time; I just hadn't felt it while I was out. Now that I was awake, it all came rushing back. I was used to pain from Asceticism, but this was on another level. It wasn't just the sensation; my muscles and bones were so damaged I couldn't move.
Especially my stomach. It burned. It felt like there was a hole in it. Actually, there was a hole in it.
"—High Heal!!"
Hinata-san’s High Heal hit me. The pain receded. I went from being unable to twitch a finger to being able to manage a shaky crawl.
I looked at the status screen that remained strangely clear in my blurred vision.
—HP: 306/400
High Heal restored 300 HP. I had barely avoided death.
But what the hell had happened?
"Takeo-kun!! Run!!"
"Leveling Junkie Bro-kun!!"
Hinata-san and Mayurin-san were screaming.
Run? From what?
I strained my eyes. I saw the silver figure walking toward me.
(That’s right. Oishi-san...)
I remembered.
When I had been attacking him through Mayurin-san’s barrier, slamming Mighty Blade strikes directly into his body... it hadn't worked.
He wasn't unscathed, but my slashes were too shallow. They had carved scars into his torso, but they hadn't cleaved him in two. Even if he were flesh and blood, they wouldn't have gone past the muscle.
My strongest attacks hadn't been enough.
The reason was simple: defense skills. Specifically, Reduced Damage with Armor and its high-tier variants. Oishi-san wasn't wearing armor, but his metallic body was being treated as armor by the system.
His raw defense was lower than his Adamantine Shield, but it was still enough to tank my hits. I should have expected it. A metal man was going to have the highest Constitution.
And while I was attacking, Oishi-san had countered.
Not with a sword. With bullets. Metallic slugs the size of a thumb—the same ones the Metakin had used. But Oishi-san’s were on a different level. He’d fired them from his abdomen at point-blank range.
I couldn't dodge. One slug tore through my stomach, shredding my insides and blowing me back. He didn't stop there.
Magic Sword Aura Flying Blades.
I’d managed to block them with my sword in mid-air, but the impact sent me flying even further. Mayurin-san’s barrier had intercepted a few more, but one had gotten through.
I’d used Footing Creation to try and brace myself, catching the final slash with my sword. I couldn't deflect it. It pushed me all the way into the wall with enough force to shatter the stone. I’d prevented myself from being cut in half, but the impact had knocked me out.
The only reason I wasn't dead was my 1700+ Constitution (boosted by the second stage of Blood Vengeance), Mayurin-san’s barrier, and Hinata-san’s Holy Protection. I had survived purely on luck.
But the situation was hopeless.
I was healed, but my internal damage was severe. I couldn't fight. And even if I could... I couldn't win. I couldn't hurt him.
Despair washed over me. I was going to be killed. There was no way out.
"High Heal!! Takeo-kun!!"
Another heal. My HP was full, and my body felt better, but my shredded internal organs weren't fully repaired. High Heal couldn't fix everything.
(If I die... Hinata-san and the others... they won't get away.)
They were all going to die here.
As that grim certainty took hold, Oishi-san stopped in front of me.
"————!"
Then, I saw it. A black, strange brand in the center of his chest.
—Ah. I see.
They’ll be okay. I can save Hinata-san and the others.
Was it because his body was metal? Oishi-san hadn't noticed the Mark of Death on his chest.
Maximum Aggro hadn't worked, but the rest of the skill had. When that bullet tore through my stomach, I had taken a direct hit. In that moment, the mark was engraved on him.
If I took a second hit, I would die instantly, regardless of HP. That was the price of the Mark of Death.
But the person who landed those two hits on me would also die.
If he’d realized it, I’d be in trouble. But Appraisal couldn't identify active skills like that. I was still running Asceticism.
Suddenly, I felt incredibly light.
I’d thought it many times before, but Asceticism really was the ultimate cheat. I could take down a god-tier foe if I was willing to die for it.
"Do you understand now? Your attacks cannot reach me. A creature of your level cannot threaten me."
"————"
"Do not worry. You will not truly die. Your power will live on within me."
"————"
"Now, let us become one."
"————"
Oishi-san raised his sword-arm, completely oblivious to the death sentence written on his chest.
And I...
(—You... piece of... scrap...)
Bzz.
Bzzzt.
(Who do you think you're looking down on... you piece of meat...)
Bzzzt.
—Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!!
An intense, white-hot rage erupted from my gut, drowning out every other thought.
It was speaking to me.
The hierarchy was wrong.
The one to be killed wasn't me. The one to die wasn't me.
This was wrong. This was an intolerable, backward situation.
The mistake... had to be corrected.
(I've decided... I'm going to make this thing crawl in fear and despair before I end it.)
My bloodlust surged. I imagined the enemy weeping in miserable defeat, and a dark, euphoric joy rose to meet it.
—Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!!
—Snap!!
Something creaked in the back of my mind... and then, the sound of something breaking.
—L■st ■urder
—L■st ■urder
—Lust Murder
I released the cheat skill.
By my own will.