A relentless barrage of magic and aura projectiles rained down on us as we hung in the air.
We descended as a single, tight-knit cluster, diving straight into the heart of the storm.
Naturally, the sheer volume of attacks was staggering, but—
"Whoa! As expected of Mayurin!"
"Seriously, she’s blocking every single one!"
"Barrier Magic is a total cheat code!"
Every strike launched by the Kobolds was repelled by the barrier Mayurin-san had deployed around our group. She really was incredible!
However—
"Wait, what?! What is this?! My MP is draining at a ridiculous rate!" Mayurin-san screamed, panic lacing her voice.
Saito-san was the one who provided the answer.
"Ah, it seems I have only just noticed, but every Kobold inside this fortress appears to be a Special Variant! Judging by their mana levels, their strength is likely equivalent to level 50, so please stay on your guard!"
"Hah?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?! If you knew that, you should have said so from the start, you pig!"
Mayurin-san shrieked in a fury. Saito-san sputtered some excuse about how he had only just realized it himself.
If Saito-san was right, then because these were Special Variants and stronger than any Kobolds we’d faced so far, the raw power of their attacks was simply on a different level. That meant the MP cost for Mayurin-san to maintain the barrier against such force was skyrocketing.
Even so, Mayurin-san managed to keep us all safe until we reached the fortress courtyard.
Saito-san manipulated his Gravity Magic, and we touched down softly on the stone floor.
The Kobolds’ assault, however, showed no signs of stopping. They fired from the fortress roofs, swarmed out into the courtyard, and launched attacks from the windows overlooking the area. A fierce, unending storm of projectiles continued to hammer the surface of the barrier without a second’s pause.
At this rate, we wouldn't even be able to dispel the barrier to rush the building, let alone move forward.
I was just about to consider unleashing a full-power Explosive Blade to clear a path when Saito-san acted first.
"Fire Arrow!"
With a sharp shout of spirit, countless laser-like lines of fire erupted from the tip of his short staff, soaring through the air like a meteor shower.
Each one found its mark, vaporizing the Kobolds attacking us one after another.
Having suppressed the immediate area in an instant, Saito-san pointed toward a corner of the courtyard and shouted.
"While we have the chance, into the fortress through that door!"
It was likely the same door the Kobolds had just used to pour into the courtyard. Fortunately, it remained wide open.
Mayurin-san dispelled her barrier, and we all sprinted for the entrance.
As we ran, I called out to Hinata-san.
"Hinata-san, Holy Bless, please!"
Since we were already in the thick of it, there was no longer any reason for her to conserve her MP. I needed the boost.
"Got it! I’m ready! —Holy Bless!"
She really was the best! She’d already predicted the need and had the spell prepared. The magic took hold immediately, enveloping my body in the radiant glow of support magic.
Power surged from deep within!
To supplement that, I activated a suite of skills: Fighting Spirit, Berserk, Asceticism, Blue Sky Beyond the Clouds, and Sword Aura. My HP was still full, so Blood Vengeance hadn't triggered yet, and since I couldn't use Goblin Genocider, the stat increase wasn't as massive as it could have been.
―――――――――――――――― Strength: 780 Constitution: 673 Intelligence: 105 Spirit: 288 Agility: 673 Dexterity: 359 ――――――――――――――――
Even with the Holy Bless from Hinata-san, these were pretty lackluster stats.
Having Goblin Genocider active would have changed everything. Not being able to form a party really was a massive handicap.
Still, even so—
"H-Hey?! More Kobolds are coming out of the door!"
Just as Mayurin-san shouted, a fresh wave of Kobolds came cascading out of the entrance before we could make it across the wide courtyard.
At this rate, getting inside was going to be a struggle.
"Tch! I shall have to—!"
Saito-san raised his staff again, preparing another spell.
But I cut in front of him, blocking his path.
"Leave this to me!"
"Junkie-niki-dono?!"
I’m not letting you steal any more experience points!! —Wait! No! That’s not it!!
I can’t let Saito-san shoulder all the burden!
I activated Mighty Blade and unleashed a Flying Blade using Sword Aura infused with a significant portion of my HP.
"Power!! Hyaaah!!!"
I swung my sword in a violent horizontal sweep.
—Mighty Blade Great Flying Blade: Explosive Blade.
A blade of aura erupted from the line where my sword tore through the air, slamming into the fresh wave of Kobolds. It detonated on impact.
Azure flames of aura billowed outward, accompanied by a thunderous roar as shockwaves rippled across the courtyard.
When the explosive flames finally dissipated, the dozen or so Kobolds were gone—not even a shadow remained. No matter how low my stats felt, with a 144x damage multiplier, level 50 equivalent Kobolds were light work.
Furthermore, behind where they had stood, the wall of the fortress now featured a massive, jagged hole, with rubble scattered deep into the interior—but...
"Hm?"
Wait, what was that?
I nearly froze in confusion, but—
"Now is the time!"
Snapped back to reality by Saito-san’s voice, I dashed through the giant hole in the wall and into the fortress.
The hallway inside was incredibly spacious, likely designed for the Kobolds’ two-meter-plus frames. Then again, the fortress itself was massive.
Regardless, Kobolds were already beginning to converge from both ends of the corridor, threatening to swarm us.
Saito-san seemed to have a perfect grasp of the Dungeon Core’s location; he sprinted toward the left without the slightest hesitation.
"Mayurin-dono, Ikegami-dono, I ask that you take the rear! Block any monsters attempting to attack from behind! Junkie-niki-dono, Sakura-dono, Priest Jackson, and I shall carve a path forward! Hinata-dono, provide healing and support as needed! —Are you three ready?!"
"Of course! Leave it to me!"
"Yes! I'm ready!"
"Understood."
We all nodded and followed Saito-san’s lead.
We engaged the Kobolds blocking the passage almost immediately. Before they could even get within striking range, I swung my blade, sending Explosive Blades flying to eradicate the dense clusters of monsters.
Sakura-san and Priest Jackson also launched attacks using aura enhanced by their own skills, but the vast majority of the Kobolds in our way were simply vaporized by my Explosive Blades. Saito-san used wind magic to shield the group from the shockwaves of my blades tearing through the hallway. Heh, sorry about that.
But if Saito-san is going to block the backlash, then there’s no reason for me to hold back!
They’re all Special Variants, but that doesn't matter if I blow them all away before they can even swing a weapon!
Explosive Blade! Explosive Blade!! Explosive Blade!!!
Every time I swung my sword, experience points came flooding in!
Nggibodyiiiiii!!
In a state of pure ecstasy, I fired off one Explosive Blade after another. My HP soon dipped below the halfway mark, triggering the first stage of Blood Vengeance. My stats surged, further increasing the destructive power and kill radius of my Explosive Blades. I was vaporizing Kobolds by the dozen.
No matter how far we advanced, more Kobolds kept appearing, which slowed our pace... but that just meant there were more of them for me to kill.
"Hinata-san! Please keep my HP below fifty percent!"
"Got it! —Heal!"
When I called out between the moments I was vaporizing enemies, Hinata-san immediately understood my intent. She used frequent casts of Heal rather than High Heal to manage my health precisely.
I was now able to maintain the Blood Vengeance buff while fighting.
However—during a split-second lull, I checked my open Status window.
I instantly crunched the numbers on the rapidly fluctuating experience points. One level 50 Special Variant Kobold was worth about 1.8 million XP. With Asceticism active, I was receiving a 6x multiplier, meaning I was pulling in roughly 10.8 million experience points per kill.
The only real tragedy was that none of this was going to Hinata-san.
With this much XP and this many Special Variants, she would have leveled up like crazy if the points were being shared.
It seemed that without being in a party, support magic and healing didn't qualify someone for XP distribution. You actually had to attack the monsters yourself or directly defend against their strikes.
I felt terrible. I’m so sorry, Hinata-san! I felt a deep sense of guilt for monopolizing all this delicious experience. I could have made her feel this good too!
I mean, seriously?
We hadn’t even been inside the fortress for a full minute yet. In that time, I’d already slaughtered over a hundred Kobolds.
That meant my XP efficiency was at least 1.08 billion experience points per minute.
—Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!!! What the hell is that?!
This is even more efficient than looping the monster rooms on Floor 18 of the Shinjuku Dungeon!
If I keep this up for just twenty minutes, I’ll level up again!
This is insane! It’s too much! My brain juice is overflowing and I can’t stop it!
Shorrrry, Hinata-san! I’m—I’m—sho sorry for being the only one feeling sho good!
"Abyaaa!! Shooo amazing!! It’sh way too amazinggggg!!!!!"
I hadn’t felt this much pleasure since I defeated the Metakin and leveled up multiple times in a row.
The efficiency here is way higher than when I was hunting those Metaslas! And unlike back then, I’ve got a 6x multiplier! The XP per kill is still higher for a Metasla, but these guys just never stop coming! And since they’re so densely packed, I can take out whole groups at once with a single Explosive Blade!
Getting this much XP with so little effort is sho much fun!!
I swung my sword again and again. I fired off Explosive Blades until the air was thick with smoke, effortlessly brushing aside every Kobold that dared to block our path.
"Takeo-kun?! Heal! Your face is looking really scary! Heal! Wipe your drool!"
"Whoa, what has happened, Junkie-niki-dono?! Have you finally revealed your true nature?!"
"Takeo-sama?! S-So amazing...!"
'Junkie-niki?!'
'Look at the face he’s making while he fights!'
'You can't broadcast a face like that!'
'Junkie-niki is basically the only one killing anything now lol.'
'At this rate, could he just go destroy the Dungeon Core by himself???'
'Even Sakura-chan and Priest Jackson look stunned www.'
'Wipe your drool, Junkie-niki!'
'Okay, we get it, you’re having a good time lol.'
'The XP must be absolutely delicious...'
Every single Kobold in this fortress belongs to meeeeeeeee!!