Chapter 9
Third Floor, Fourth Floor, Fifth Floor...
Kiriya continued advancing, and the number of monsters he encountered grew larger and larger, while their types became increasingly varied.
Dungeon lizards with brown skin and bodies as tall as humans, needle rabbits with snow-white fur and crimson eyes, and swarms of killer ants all appeared one after another, yet none of them could withstand even a single exchange against him.
No matter how numerous they were, or how strange their movements became, these monsters could not escape the Sharingan’s perception.
Combined with the strength and reflexes brought by his beginner-level Sage Body, dealing with these Level 1 small fry was not a problem at all.
Just like that, Kiriya cut through everything in his path and reached the Tenth Floor.
And it was here that he encountered his first bit of real trouble.
Compared with the narrow, cramped passages of the previous floors, this place felt more like a vast, open hall.
White mist drifted through the air, weakening sight, hearing, and other senses to a certain extent.
Because of that, adventurers who had just arrived on the Tenth Floor often found it difficult to adapt.
Of course, the true difficulty of the Tenth Floor was not just that.
It was the numbers.
The explosive increase in monster quantity.
Pa, pa, pa.
Dense cracking sounds rang out one after another, creating something like a full three-dimensional surround sound effect in Kiriya’s ears.
That meant monsters were all around him.
From the ground, pig-headed monsters crawled out one after another. These Orcs were large and vicious, wielding thick wooden clubs.
Their brute strength was so powerful that even many veteran Level 1 adventurers would struggle to match them.
And there were dozens of these Orcs.
Not only that, but behind them came small, squat Imps.
Their appearances were similar to goblins, but they were much more cunning and intelligent, capable of using various tactics to confuse adventurers.
There were nearly a hundred of these Imps.
"So this is a Monster Party." Kiriya licked his lips.
There was not a trace of worry in his expression. If anything, he looked full of excitement.
Monster Parties were a common phenomenon on the Tenth Floor and below.
Large groups of monsters would suddenly appear in great numbers, and adventurers who were unprepared or too weak often ended up in a sorry state.
Total party wipes were not rare either.
But that was only for ordinary adventurers.
As far as Kiriya was concerned, he wished stronger monsters would appear in even greater numbers.
The more monsters there were, the greater the pressure they would bring, and the more effective they would be for training his ability values.
With that thought, Kiriya gave a low laugh.
Two sharp wooden blades formed in his hands once more, and he charged straight into the horde.
Just like that, Kiriya challenged an army of monsters alone, pushing his ability value training to the limit!
...
Time passed as a week went by.
On the Twelfth Floor of the Dungeon, a party was slowly moving through the underground labyrinth.
The group was made up of many races.
Pallum, dwarf, werewolf, Amazon, human, elf...
But no matter their race, they all shared one common trait.
They were strong.
Even though their clothes were damaged and their bodies looked worn from battle, the aura around them, tempered through countless clashes of blood and fire, carried an overwhelming pressure.
If other adventurers were present, they would have recognized them at a glance.
They were the Loki Familia, one of the two strongest Familias in Orario.
The Pallum holding a long spear, with a bright and open smile on his face, was their captain, the Level 6 first-tier adventurer with the title Braver, Finn Deimne.
The elegant long-haired elf holding a staff was Orario’s strongest mage, also a Level 6 first-tier adventurer, the one known as Nine Hell, Riveria Ljos Alf.
In addition, there were the lightly dressed Amazon sisters.
The younger sister, Tiona Hiryute, had enough power to flatten the battlefield and held the title Amazon. She was Level 5.
The older sister, Tione Hiryute, was the one whose presence could gather people’s hearts. She held the title Jormungand and was also Level 5.
Of course, the most eye-catching person among them was still that girl.
She possessed beauty that could move even goddesses, long golden hair that shone like flowing gold, and a cool, distant temperament.
Her appeal cut across age and gender, making countless adventurers and citizens of Orario admire her.
Because of her outstanding swordsmanship, she had been given the title Sword Princess.
During Dungeon expeditions, she had earned countless achievements, becoming a figure spoken of by both people and gods.
At this moment, they had just ended an expedition and were returning to the surface from the depths of the Dungeon.
"How much longer, Finn?"
The straightforward younger Amazon sister, Tiona, shifted her arms behind her head and looked utterly bored.
"Ah, I really want to get back to the surface soon, take a nice bath, then eat until I’m completely satisfied."
"Not much longer. We’re almost at the Twelfth Floor now."
Finn responded with a gentle smile.
"Honestly, you’ve walked this route who knows how many times, and you still can’t remember it? Stupid little sister."
Tione rolled her eyes at her.
"Stop asking such dumb questions all the time."
"But I’m bored."
Tiona sounded listless.
"Everything along the way has been so gloomy, and there aren’t even any small monsters around. I can’t find anyone to fight even if I want to. Hey, Ais, why don’t we chat?"
"..."
Hearing that, Ais did not speak.
She simply tilted her head and looked at Tiona, a small puzzled expression appearing on her delicate face. The sight was so cute it was almost unfair.
"Waaah!"
Tiona cried out and pounced on her, hugging Ais tightly and rubbing against her.
"Hehehe, we don’t have to chat. Let me recharge my Ais energy instead."
Seeing the small pleading look Ais sent her, Riveria pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed helplessly.
"Enough, Tiona. You’re troubling Ais."
"Hehe, what does it matter? We’re all companions. Just let me rub against her a little."
Tiona looked somewhat dissatisfied, but under her sister Tione’s gaze, she had no choice but to stop.
"Ahhhh, I’m so boooooored!"
She suddenly let out a loud shout, startling everyone in the party and leaving them speechless.
"You idiot, what was that for all of a sudden?"
Tione irritably twisted her sister’s ear, angered by this troublesome girl.
The older sister suppressing her while the younger sister fought back somehow added plenty of entertainment to the party, filling the air with a cheerful atmosphere.
Boom, boom, boom, boom—
"Kii, kii, kii—!"
But that scene did not last long before a series of loud roars reached their ears.
"What’s going on?"
The expressions of several people changed.
As veteran adventurers, they immediately judged some of the situation from the sound.
There were monsters ahead.
Many of them.
Several hundred at least.
And from those loud, furious roars, it was clear that they were in the middle of an intense battle.
"There are adventurers fighting up ahead."
The corner of Finn’s mouth lifted.
"How unusual. They’re making quite a commotion. Let’s go take a look."
Everyone’s spirits rose at once.
The long, dull march had nearly left them emotionally drained.
Now that there was something interesting to see, how could they not hurry over?
The group quickened their pace and soon arrived at the cavern on the Tenth Floor.
Then, they were stunned by the sight before them.
On the wide-open ground, a dense mass of monsters had gathered.
There were Orcs, Imps, and from time to time, groups of bat-type monsters appeared in the air.
At a rough glance, their total number was no fewer than two hundred.
Yet the opponent facing such a massive horde was only one person.
A black-haired boy was weaving through the monster swarm.
At times, he raised his blade to block.
At times, he flipped away to dodge.
At times, he stepped forward and fought an Orc in close combat.
At times, he wielded a wooden sword and precisely stabbed at a bat monster flying past at high speed.
For ordinary adventurers, this was a suffocating encirclement, a war millstone capable of grinding their bodies to pieces.
But before this boy, such a dangerous scene had instead become the perfect stage for his performance.
These vicious monsters had all been reduced to passive supporting actors, moving as if according to his will.
"Wow, what a cute little guy!"
Tiona’s exclamation caused black lines to appear across everyone’s foreheads.
"Idiot Tiona, is that the important part?"
Tione glared at her fiercely. Her little sister was becoming more and more unreliable.
"Of course I know."
Tiona laughed, completely unconcerned.
"That little guy is strong. Being able to handle himself so easily in the middle of so many monsters... Honestly, even when I was Level 1, I wasn’t that good."
"Yes. It’s honestly frightening. How exactly is he doing that?"
Tione also asked.
"His eyes."
Ais, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke.
Hearing that, everyone looked toward the boy’s eyes.
There was nothing particularly strange about wine-red pupils. They were uncommon, perhaps, but not unheard of.
However, within his pupils were two tomoe with a glossy sheen, spinning rapidly in time with the boy’s movements.
"Those eyes are special." Riveria spoke after a moment of thought.
"They likely allow him to accurately capture his enemies’ movements and improve his reaction speed."
"I see."
They had no doubt about Kiriya’s level.
After all, someone at Level 2 or above would never waste time lingering on the mere Tenth Floor.
Even after exhausting themselves here, they would not gain much excelia, and the magic stones were pitifully small.
With that kind of effort, they would be better off heading deeper into the Dungeon, where they could improve their strength and earn more money at the same time.
That would be far more worthwhile than struggling here.
"Still, I didn’t expect that after we were only away on expedition for a dozen or so days, such an excellent rookie adventurer would appear."
Riveria could not help sighing with genuine emotion.
Then she turned her head toward Finn.
"What do you think? Should we help? With this many monsters, even if his movements are excellent, he won’t be able to hold out for too long."
Upon seeing an outstanding junior, they did not mind lending a hand.
As one of Orario’s strongest Familias, they had at least that much generosity.
"..."
Finn did not answer, he had already begun biting his thumbnail.
Riveria found it strange.
"Finn, what’s wrong?"