After hesitating for a moment, he scanned the crystal and tossed it into the Ring Chart.
It’s better to have a higher “Intimidation” Lv, but right now his own Lv was just at the basic level, only enough to scare slimes and water fleas with this skill.
It’s better to trade for more money and buy better equipment.
“But…”
Siloque looked around at the vast monster room.
“Now that I’ve come to the Fantasized World, I really want to try casting magic.”
Normally, you’d expect things like summoning fire, Avada Kedavra, flying with the wind, or using invisibility at will…
Ahem, that’s off-topic.
It’s just that having magic to unleash AOE damage would make farming monsters efficient, as long as the mana cost was manageable.
Siloque looked at his right hand, raw and blistered.
He’d come all this way using only basic attacks, and somehow endured until now.
Maybe it’s time to consider future class paths or search for better skills…
He remembered in his second playthrough, he maximized the team’s combat power, and even the weakest teammate’s skills dealt massive damage, wiping out late-game monsters in a single combo.
Maybe it was just for fun, or maybe it was pure boredom—not expecting much but not dismissing it entirely.
A foolish idea popped into Siloque’s mind.
He checked to make sure no one was around.
“Ahem, it’s fine. There’s no harm in trying.”
Siloque dug his feet into the ground, straightened his back, gripped his Greatsword with both hands, and assumed the classic skill-casting pose from video games.
“Pure Black Annihilation Ray!!”
He shouted the name of the finishing move with full force.
The sound echoed three times through the room before fading away.
Siloque stood motionless, a hint of embarrassment lingering in the silent air.
“Damn, I guess I was overthinking it after all.”
He scratched his blushing face and lowered his Greatsword.
Just as he was about to kill another monster, leave, exchange money for a new weapon, and come back to farm again—
Huh?
A spinning, pitch-black sphere appeared at the tip of his Greatsword.
“Ah?…”
Siloque’s mana was rapidly drained from his body, and even the air seemed to be sucked in.
The black sphere, initially the size of a fingernail, began spinning faster and faster, expanding as it spun madly.
The surroundings warped and collapsed from its gravitational pull.
Huh??
In the time it took to breathe, the spinning black sphere expanded to a size larger than Siloque himself.
At that moment, a newly spawned goblin boss brushed against the energy, its flesh collapsing into a spray of blood before vanishing.
“Uwaaahhh! Are you kidding me!!”
Siloque swore he only tried this out of a playful, chuuni impulse.
Who would have thought it would actually work!
The black sphere’s rotation accelerated into a miniature storm, then abruptly stopped expanding.
But Siloque didn’t feel as though it had obeyed his command to stop.
It was more like…it had reached maximum charge…
Siloque gripped his Greatsword, the black sphere still spinning, powerful winds whipping his hair.
Though the energy wasn’t heavy, had no scent, and even felt a little cold, Siloque felt utterly drained, as if his body was hollow.
Vmmm——
Suddenly, a powerful force lifted Siloque off the ground, and his world went black as a roaring buzz filled his ears.
Did I just fly?
The black sphere transformed into a torrent of energy three meters wide, devouring everything in its path and obliterating the scenery as it tore through the world.
***
First Floor, C Zone—a clearing sparsely dotted with trees.
“Come on!”
Cass pointed his straight sword at the monster before him.
“Ji ji ji!”
The three-meter-tall Kangaroo-Head Captain exuded a terrifying presence, its upper body swaying side to side.
Its thick arms were fitted with Iron-Spiked Fists.
Even though its body was already covered in wounds, it still held a boxer’s stance, its small black eyes glaring angrily at Cass.
It wasn’t just Cass’s provocation—perhaps the real source of its anger were the three slightly smaller, but still massive, Kangaroo-Head Soldiers lying on the ground nearby.
The Kangaroo-Head Captain launched a silent assault, its fist moving so fast it left razor-sharp afterimages.
Cass, anticipating the attack, leapt back just before the enemy struck, keeping his distance.
“I don’t want to get punched in the gut again!”
“Ji ji ji!”
The Kangaroo-Head Captain swung again, its arm stretching like a rubber band and rocketing toward Cass’s shoulder.
[Friction]
Cass activated his innate talent.
“…Ji ji!!”
Again.
The Kangaroo-Head Captain was clearly agitated, its fist sliding off Cass’s shoulder at an odd angle instead of making a solid impact.
The missed punch left it wide open—but Cass was too far away to strike, and couldn’t cut through the enemy’s elongated arm.
After all, the Kangaroo-Head Captain was Lv9.
Its tough hide and thick fur offered formidable defense.
Cass charged forward.
“Cass! Don’t be reckless!”
That voice belonged to Bried.
Sensing danger, she drew her beloved sword.
Cass dashed the five meters toward his foe, leveling his straight sword, which began to glow menacingly.
Skill activated: Sonic Slash.
As he entered attack range, a blue light enveloped the blade, slicing toward the Kangaroo-Head Captain’s long neck.
At that moment, the Kangaroo-Head Captain…grinned.
“!”
A chill swept down Cass’s spine.
His sixth sense screamed a warning.
Before the blade could reach the enemy’s neck, Cass canceled the skill and raised his sword defensively.
The Kangaroo-Head Captain unleashed a powerful flying kick!
“Ugh!!”
Cass was sent flying.
Even with his sword raised in defense, he felt as though several ribs had snapped.
The Kangaroo-Head Captain retracted its right arm, preparing for another projectile punch.
Boom!
A deafening sound exploded as Bried charged like a runaway truck, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Her Rapier shot out like a bullet, piercing the Kangaroo-Head Captain’s skull.
The Captain’s head, now with a hole in it, spurted blood as its body collapsed to the ground.
“Gu!”
Bried couldn’t slow her momentum, so she tucked in her legs and crashed through two trees, rolling to a stop after several tumbles.
“You two! That was too dangerous!”
Kersey was the first to reach Cass, activating the Healing Minor skill.
From the center of her palm, a soft, spherical green light appeared, gently touching Cass’s wounds.
“Thank you, Kersey.”
As the warmth spread through his body, Cass felt his bones mend and the pain vanish without a trace.
“Cass, did it hurt?”
“To be honest, it hurt a lot…”
“…I see. I wonder how much it hurts to be hit by those spiked fists…”
“Did you say something, Kersey?”
“Ah, no, nothing.”
Kersey looked strangely regretful.
“Next is Bried…”
“I’m fine. I’ll just drink some potion.”
Bried emerged from the dust cloud, sheathing her Rapier at her waist.
She pulled out a Healing Potion from the Ring Chart, took a sip, grimaced at the bitterness, and brushed off the dirt from her clothes and even her proud orange ponytail, which was tangled with leaves and twigs.
“It’s a good thing you stepped in when you did. Otherwise, I’d be the one with a hole in my head.”
If Bried hadn’t killed the Kangaroo-Head Captain in advance, Cass would’ve been wide open in midair and likely dead or crippled after a barrage of Iron-Spiked Fist attacks.
“You’re the one who insisted on a solo duel with the Kangaroo-Head Captain. I told you—take it one step at a time and don’t lose your head fighting Dungeon monsters. Why can’t you listen?”
“…Sorry. I just imagined the Kangaroo-Head Captain as Cliff, and wanted to use it as a training dummy.”
“Cass, we’re a team. There’s no need to solo monsters—especially when the plan was to attack together.”
“Yeah. You’re right. I really was too hasty. I won’t do it again.”
“…You’ve been jumpy all day. Is something bothering you?”
“No…Maybe I just wanted to prove myself.”
Cass smiled, but Bried did not.
“Ah~ By the way, Bried, do you really not want me to heal you?”
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Kersey quickly changed the subject.
“You have trouble controlling your [Velocity Layering] talent, don’t you? Still, thanks to your speed, you saved Cass. Compared to me, who hasn’t learned any support skills, I’m useless in battle.”
Bried exhaled, following Kersey’s lead.
“No need. Thanks to you, we don’t have to travel injured. Besides, my [Velocity Layering] makes injuries more likely—even though it’s an AGI-related skill, it actually boosts END the most. Thank you for healing me every time.”
Cass agreed.
“That’s right. It’s because of Kersey that we can keep fighting nonstop.”
“R-Really…?”
Kersey squirmed, embarrassed.
“Yes…”
Kersey didn’t notice Bried’s slightly resentful gaze directed at her two “peaches.”
“Anyway, hurry up and collect the Crystal Cores. It’ll be a pain if someone else grabs them.”
Cass and Bried glanced at the monster corpses scattered across the ground.
It was like leaving money lying around without picking it up.
The three quickly got to work.
Bried drew a short knife and began extracting the Crystal Cores.
“By the way, Kersey, do you still have to help out at the café later?”
“Yes. I told my family I’d be back by six, so I can’t stay out too late… Hwaah!”
The ground shook violently.
Bried moved swiftly to shield Kersey, pulling her into her arms and dropping to the ground.
“W-What’s going on? An earthquake!? Didn’t the books say there are never earthquakes in the Dungeon?”
“Calm down, I’m here! Damn it, I don’t remember the First Floor ever having winds like this!”
The sounds of monsters running and roaring filled the air, mixed with the screams of explorers.
The ground surged like a raging sea, making it impossible to stand.
“Over there!”
Cass drove his sword into the ground for stability, pointing in a direction.
“What is that?”
Bried muttered.
Beside her, Kersey’s face was twisted in fear.
A pitch-black energy ray shot down from the sky, tearing a hole in the First Floor, sending winds roaring and kicking up sand, stones, and debris as it devoured the ground like a drill.