Why had my level suddenly spiked?
The question raced through my mind, demanding an answer.
When we first charged into this "Audience Chamber," the experience points I needed to reach level 61 should have been well over five billion. I had checked my stats before the fight, so I was certain of that number.
That meant that since entering the chamber, I had earned enough experience to cover that gap—and enough to jump another two levels on top of it.
But I had only defeated the Kobold King and its subordinates. Even counting the reinforcements, there were fewer than thirty Kobolds total. No matter how high the experience yield for the monsters in this fortress was, it shouldn't have even reached a billion...
『Whoa, that totally startled me!!』
『Your voice is way too loud!!』
『Wait, did Leveling Junkie Bro just level up?』
『Well, after slaughtering that many Kobolds, it makes sense.』
『Actually, what was that? Why did he attack his own summoned Goblin? Why? Seriously, why?』
『It’s the Super Goblin Attack.』
『No, that’s what I’m asking! What the hell IS a Super Goblin Attack?!』
『Hold on! Isn't Leveling Junkie Bro bending his body back even further than usual?』
『He’s gone past the Ina Bauer; he’s transitioning into a full head bridge.』
『Is there something different about this level-up compared to the others...?』
『What is wrong with you guys for noticing a detail like that? lol』
『I’ve never scrutinized the depth of a man's back-bend in my life www』
『So what if the Ina Bauer turned into a head bridge? www』
『Well, anyway, this means Floor 1 is conquered. That’s cause for celebration.』
『So this means monsters won't be pouring out onto the surface for a while, right?』
『Thank you! Thank you, Leveling Junkie Bro!!』
『Seriously, thanks for saving my hometown!!』
『Hey, it wasn't just Leveling Junkie Bro’s achievement.』
『True! Thank you to all the explorers!!』
『You guys are lifesavers!!』
『Everyone worked so hard! I’m so moved!!』
Since this victory meant the Sendai Castle Ruins Dungeon Floor 1 was conquered and the safety of the surface was temporarily secured, the viewers watching the stream were in a festive mood.
A ceaseless stream of congratulations and gratitude scrolled past from each drone.
As I listened to them, the waves of battle-induced pleasure finally began to recede, and I pushed myself up.
I immediately checked my Status.
――――――――――――――――
【Level】 63
Experience to next level: 10,624,983,858
――――――――――――――――
—it read.
I had jumped from level 60 to 63 in a single burst. This is the absolute best.
When I ran the numbers, I realized the experience points I had earned in the Audience Chamber totaled over 60 billion.
I had kept Asceticism active throughout the fight (I had been restarting the skill every minute to reset the "Frailty" debuff, but since entering the Audience Chamber, it had remained continuously active), which meant my experience gain was multiplied by six.
Even taking that into account, the base experience earned was no less than 10 billion... but that’s normally impossible.
No matter how I looked at it, defeating the Kobold King’s squad twice shouldn't have yielded that much.
My "ghost" whispered to me that I shouldn't just brush this off as a "fluke" or "one of those things."
Experience points in these Modern Dungeons don't fluctuate without a reason. There is always a clear logic behind the numbers; only values that can be precisely calculated are reflected in the Status.
In other words, this massive gain was a reproducible phenomenon. If I could identify the cause, I might be able to earn another 60 billion—no, perhaps even a more staggeringly massive amount of experience points again...!!
What was it? What on earth was I overlooking...?
Just then, Saito-san, who had been watching me with an expression of pure bewilderment, spoke up tentatively.
"Leveling Junkie Bro-dono...? Are you... quite alright? I mean... in the head?"
Is he worried I hit the back of my head during that intense Ina Bauer? As expected of Saito-san. He’s so thoughtful!
Touched by his concern, I looked at Saito-san’s face, and a realization struck me.
If the experience points didn’t add up with just the Kobold Kings, it meant I must have defeated something else.
And that deduction wasn't just a wild guess.
"Hmm... Saito-san."
"What is it, de-gozaru?"
"Could I borrow your ear for a moment?"
"Hm? This humble one does not mind, but...?"
Top-tier explorers like Headshot Yakuza and Mito-san have their secrets. I knew this from the time they took me to Point Nemo, and from the fact that they haven't publicly disclosed that skills can actually be used on the surface.
Those secrets were likely hidden intentionally to prevent social chaos.
Since I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to point this out on a live stream, I decided to verify it in a way only Saito-san could hear.
I leaned in and whispered into Saito-san's ear.
"Saito-san, you've conquered dungeons like this before, haven't you?"
"What is this all of a sudden? This humble one is also experiencing a dungeon like this for the first time, de-gozaru..."
Agitation didn't flicker across his face. But I wasn't finished.
"Actually, when I broke the Dungeon Core just now, I earned a massive amount of experience..."
"Ho! What! Is that so!?"
Exactly. I suspected the source of that 60 billion experience gain was the Dungeon Core itself.
In other words, I believed the Dungeon Core was actually a monster. And the reason for that belief lay in Saito-san's own words.
"Saito-san, you said something to me earlier, didn't you? Right when the Kobolds were vanishing. You said: 'It is likely because we defeated the Dungeon Core, de-gozaru.'"
"—!?"
"Normally, wouldn't you say you 'destroyed' the Dungeon Core? Isn't the expression 'defeated' a bit strange?"
"N-No, that... Right! I meant it in the sense that I physically 'felled' something that was standing...!!"
"No, the Dungeon Core was pulverized into tiny fragments. Even then, saying we 'defeated' it feels wrong, doesn't it? Saito-san, did you already know the Dungeon Core was a monster?"
"Nu, nuuu...!?"
Saito-san broke into a heavy cold sweat.
Yep. I had definitely hit the bullseye.
"Wh-What is your goal, de-gozaru...?"
"Oh, I don't really have a goal... if I had to say, I just wanted to know for sure."
My objective was achieved. From Saito-san's reaction, I was now certain that the Dungeon Core was a monster.
That means I can still harvest incredible amounts of experience on the other floors of this dungeon!! I'm getting fired up!!
"I see... This humble one has been sworn to secrecy, so I cannot give you a formal answer."
Sworn to secrecy... Just as I thought, it’s probably high-ranking government officials doing the muzzling.
"If you still wish to know... you should try asking Tona-san. Whether she will answer is another matter."
Tona-san, huh... Well, she’s Mito-san's older sister, so she probably knows all the classified details.
"Alternatively... you might want to investigate the boss rooms on Floor 30 or Floor 40."
"The boss rooms... are you talking about the Hidden Areas?"
"!? How do you know of those!?"
"I heard about them from Headshot Yakuza."
"So you have a connection with Headshot Yakuza-dono..."
"Yeah, Headshot Yakuza has been very good to me in various ways."
"Is that so... Since Mito-dono is with Headshot Yakuza-dono, it is certain that he is 'white.' In that case... Leveling Junkie Bro-dono really was 'white' as well, de-gozaru..."
Saito-san was muttering something to himself. It seemed like a soliloquy not intended for me, but he looked visibly relieved. Perhaps Saito-san and Headshot Yakuza are acquaintances?
Anyway—I pulled back from Saito-san and spoke at a normal volume.
"More importantly, shouldn't we set up the Black Obelisk?"
"Indeed, this humble one shall set it up immediately, de-gozaru. —Everyone! I do not believe there are any more monsters on this floor, but we are still inside a dungeon! Please take a break, but keep your guard up!"
Saito-san called out to the group, then walked alone toward the back of the Audience Chamber—toward the crater where the Dungeon Core had once stood.
Hinata-san walked over to me then.
"Takeo-kun, good job."
"Thank you. Good job to you too, Hinata-san!"
"I'm glad we managed to conquer it."
"Yeah, I wondered what would happen when I realized I couldn't use Gobu-taro, but I'm glad we pulled through."
Then a thought struck me.
"Oh, if we set up the Black Obelisk on this floor, maybe we can finally form a party?"
"Now that you mention it... that might be possible."
If that’s the case, I’ll be able to share experience with Hinata-san from Floor 2 onward. Plus, the combat will be much easier with a proper link.
"Hinata-san, you're going to love it. The experience points here are... incredible."
"Fufu, okay. I’ll look forward to it. Your level went up so much in just one day, after all."
Actually, the fact that it jumped three levels at once... well, I’ll keep that to myself for now. We’re still streaming, after all. I don't think I necessarily have to hide the fact that the Dungeon Core is a monster, but...
"By the way, Hinata-san, how are we doing on Mana Potions?"
I had the Intermediate Heal Potions in my pack, while Hinata-san was carrying the Intermediate Mana Potions in hers.
"We still have plenty, so it's fine. I think there are about seventeen left."
They hadn't decreased as much as I’d expected. Well, come to think of it, while she healed me frequently during the trek across the plains, she hadn't been using support magic or summoning. Her MP consumption was relatively low, and a large portion had likely been covered by her natural recovery.
"—Oh, that's right. I should heal Takeo-kun's HP while I have the chance."
"Thanks. I'd appreciate it."
My HP was indeed at its limit after executing the Super Goblin Attack.
I stood still as Hinata-san restored my health.
After that, I set my backpack on the floor to lighten my load and decided to take a rest. I pulled a bottle of water from the supplies and handed one to Hinata-san as well.
"Thank you, Takeo-kun. —Anyway, what should we do about the Skill Orbs? The items dropped by the monsters in this room were all caught in the blast..."
It was true; the Kobolds we defeated had dropped items, though it wasn't a guaranteed drop.
And since every Kobold inside this fortress had been a Special Variant... that meant a significant number of Skill Orbs had dropped.
The ones dropped by the Kobold King and its elite guards had been vaporized by the explosion of the Dungeon Core, but the Skill Orbs dropped along the way were likely still scattered throughout the fortress. We hadn't had a spare second to pick them up during the charge.
There should have been quite a few, and it would be a shame to leave them behind.
I wondered if I should go back and collect them.
"You're right... I'll check with Saito-san to see if it's okay to go pick up the drop items. Hinata-san, you just stay here and rest."
For Hinata-san, who didn't have high physical stats, just keeping up with me this far must have been exhausting. I wanted her to rest as much as possible.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you."
"Right, I'll go ask!"
I started walking back toward Saito-san.
When I looked over, I saw him holding the black cube he had received from Tona-san toward the center of the crater.
In the next instant, a massive Black Obelisk materialized within the crater in a flash of light.
A heavy thud echoed through the chamber as it settled. Then, countless intricate streaks of light, resembling glowing electronic circuits, began to race across the Obelisk's surface.