After finishing my dungeon exploration with Dia, my experience points increased by about 100. The remaining experience points needed for my next Level Up were about 600.
100 experience points in 2 hours… Personally, I found the growth too slow, it made me yawn.
However, considering that experienced adventurers around 30 years old are only around Level 10, this could be considered rapid growth. After all, if I continue doing the same thing for another six days, I’ll reach Level 5. At this pace, it won’t even take me a year to catch up to those who have been fighting for over a decade.
But this is only a relative comparison, and I am by no means satisfied.
My goal is to clear 100 floors of the Labyrinth. To achieve this, I’m fully utilizing my game-like thinking to create new, efficient exploration plans.
First, it seems crucial to gather the necessary items for labyrinth exploration. Although there’s much I don’t understand as a novice, the first thing I felt during my exploration with Dia was the importance of ‘sustainment capability.’
I ended the exploration with my MP depleted, without losing any HP. This means if I had a way to recover MP or conserve it, I could fight endlessly. This would lead to an increased rate of experience point acquisition.
Next is how to hunt monsters that match my Rank. Given Dia’s excess firepower, it’s more efficient to take on stronger monsters to increase experience points and income.
It’s a common strategy. In short, securing recovery methods and carefully selecting hunting grounds. These are fundamental basics for leveling up in online games.
“…The challenges are clear,” I muttered to myself, confirming this.
“Oh, what’s clear?” Lynn-san responded to my monologue.
“…Ah, I was just thinking that since I’ve started visiting the labyrinth again, it’s important to know where specific monsters are located.”
The employees of this tavern have extensive knowledge about labyrinths. Hoping for some advice, I spoke without holding back.
“Wow. You said you failed, but you’re already trying again.”
“Yes, my mornings are free. When I have time to spare, I inevitably end up heading towards the labyrinth…”
“You came all the way to Valt for the Labyrinth, so I guess it can’t be helped.”
“I try not to get injured, so as not to disrupt business.”
“No, it’s fine to prioritize your dreams over the shop. This place will manage one way or another. More importantly, you were talking about monsters earlier, weren’t you? I think you should ask the Shop Manager about that kind of thing.”
That was something I had also considered. After all, the Shop Manager’s Level is 15. He’s one of the most skilled individuals I’ve seen so far.
“Yes, that’s right. I have various concerns, so I think I’ll consult with the Shop Manager.”
“Yep, yep. That’s a good idea.”
Our casual conversation ended there. The place soon became overwhelmingly busy with a large influx of customers—
◆◆◆◆◆
—After finishing my work at the tavern, the next day began.
My second labyrinth exploration with Dia commenced. Last night, after hearing what the Shop Manager had to say, I gathered information about the stronger monsters appearing in the labyrinth. Then, I identified monsters that we might be able to handle with our abilities and that offered the most experience points. We were fully prepared.
“Alright. Today, we’ll be targeting high-Rank monsters or Boss Monsters.”
“Ooh, a boss? Nice, really nice!”
When I met Dia at the church and explained my plan for the day, I received a very enthusiastic response.
“From what I’ve researched, it seems expensive items are needed to solve the MP problem… so we’ll be improving the quality of each battle.”
“Agreed. Let’s go for the boss while we’re at it. The boss.”
It seems she wasn’t satisfied with yesterday’s one-sided slaughter. Dia likely also has a desire to fight stronger enemies.
“In that case, we’ll be going a bit far, so follow me.”
“Understood.”
And then, I made the map ‘Display.’ Having this map makes our exploration of the deeper levels significantly easier.
Following the information gathered at the tavern, we head towards the area where the boss monster is likely to be. I make an effort to conserve MP on the way. While I can’t let my guard down completely, I decided not to use Dimensional Magic in battles against low-Rank monsters.
As we walked through the labyrinth, choosing monsters that could be easily defeated, the corridor gradually transformed. From plain stone to a vibrant, green path. The corridor grew larger, and trees began to sprout. Further ahead—it was a forest. The distinction of corridors vanished, replaced by an endlessly vast and dark forest. This was proof we had entered a special area on the first floor.
“Alright, we’ve entered a special area for insects. Now then, I’ll be sniping the master of this area, the Boss Monster ‘Queen of the Forest.'”
“Huh?”
I declared my sniping plan solemnly. Although I had stated I would try to snipe from a safe distance if possible, Dia looked bewildered.
“No, I’ll snipe. Snipe, snipe.”
“Wait, wait. Uh, you said ‘if possible,’ ‘snipe’—right? Can we actually snipe easily from here?”
“Let me explain the plan.”
“Eh, wha—!”
Dia, usually so assertive, looked adorably flustered in a way I found amusing, so I continued explaining without further interruption.
“If the information is correct, I can pinpoint the boss’s location even from here. Then, Dia, I want you to unleash your magic with all your might in the direction I point. Knowing that, the boss will probably die instantly. I’ll also be picking off its subordinates, the small fry monsters, as we go, so we can get the Drop Items. I expect the small fry monsters to come towards us, but I’ll be chipping away at them from a distance. And if we get into close combat, I’ll be the decoy. In that case, I won’t worry about MP efficiency. I’ll fight with all my might, and Dia, you provide support. —That’s the plan. With our abilities, this should be an easy task. Any questions?”
“Um, um… really? Can you do it?”
“No doubt about it.”
I exaggerated slightly to avoid putting pressure on Dia, but with our abilities, this mission was indeed easy. That’s how abnormal Dia’s and my abilities are in this world. If even one ordinary adventurer were present here, this plan wouldn’t work. It’s only possible because I have the ability to discern talent and have brought only Dia, who is outside the norm, as my companion. I’m reminded again. My own abilities, and the ability to see others’ abilities through ‘Display,’ are unfair.
“Understood. I owe you, Christ, so I trust you.”
“Don’t feel too pressured. If my calculations are correct, this will be truly simple. You’ll see when it’s over. Dia, you are truly strong.”
I encouraged her to alleviate Dia’s mental agitation.
“…Really, truly?”
“Truly. …Alright, I’m going to start scouting, so please wait a moment.”
I used ‘Dimension – Multiple Expansion’ and extended my consciousness in the direction indicated by the information I had acquired. Pushing through the forest trees—I found a monster about 5 meters long leaning its back against a giant tree. A bipedal beast with butterfly-like wings and crustacean armor. Around it, several monsters, likely its subordinates, were patrolling.
I pointed towards that location. Through magic, spatial information, perceivable to the millimeter, spread through my mind. The planned impact point, if there were no errors, was the Queen of the Forest’s heart.
“Alright, I’ve got it. Place Dia’s arm on top of mine. Then, unleash your magic in the direction I’m pointing. Don’t worry about wind or obstacles. They won’t affect your magic much, and if there’s anything that might, I’ll correct it.”
“…Understood.”
Dia, though hesitant, followed my instructions and placed her arm over my shoulder from behind.
“The target is not moving. I don’t think it will act unless we approach. Whenever you’re ready, fire, but don’t burn my arm…”
“It’s fine. I can fire right away.”
Saying this, Dia closed her eyes and began to concentrate. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes—and shouted.
“Here I go—! —Flame Arrow!!”
In an instant, a flash of light streaked. I felt intense heat on my upper arm and immediately pulled it away from Dia. The released heat advanced in a straight line, carving holes through the trees. My Dimensional Magic was tracking it.
And at the end of that instant, the Flame Arrow magic pierced the Queen of the Forest’s throat.
[Title ‘Green Arbiter’ acquired.]
A +0.05 bonus to Stamina.
I had actually aimed for the torso, but it was a slight miss, hitting the throat. Nevertheless, the head was severed from the body, and the target died instantly. It seems Dia’s magic tends to be a bit shaky when unleashed at full power. As I watched the Queen of the Forest disappear, I brought up my and Dia’s Statuses. A vast amount of experience points had been added, and the distribution was an even split. While I don’t know the exact distribution formula, party collaborations generally result in equal distribution. Smiling at the expected outcome, I moved on to the next action.
“Okay, alright. Boss defeated. Now let’s take care of the subordinates. Although, they seem to be milling about randomly, unsure of our location. Changing the plan, we’ll carefully defeat only the minimum necessary enemies to secure the Drop Items.”
“Eh? Is it already over?”
Dia looked incredulous at the swift end to the battle.
“Yep, it’s over. Come on, let’s proceed slowly. We’ll be avoiding enemies, but we’ll fight a little, so be ready.”
Saying this, I scouted the area around the Drop Item. Half of the subordinate monsters were moving around, searching for the enemy that sniped their master. However, about half of them remained in place. As we avoided enemies, Dia and I spent about ten minutes reaching the vicinity of the boss’s Drop Item. The distance to the Drop Item was several hundred meters. It took longer than expected due to the detours. After thoroughly checking for safety, we each targeted the three subordinate monsters waiting near the Drop Item—and Dia and I exchanged a glance and began sniping.
First, one of them was killed without being able to do anything. Two remaining. At this point, the subordinates seem to have noticed the direction from which the magic was coming. The remaining two also moved in a straight line towards our location. Seeing this, I had Dia do the same thing again. I had her target the monsters approaching in a straight line—and shoot. Midway, another monster had a hole blasted through it. And for the last one, I would confront it with my sword. Subordinate monsters are a higher rank than normal monsters, so I wouldn’t hold back MP.
For me, this close-quarters combat with the last monster was the entirety of the boss battle. That monster resembled a praying mantis. Both its arms were sharp blades, which it swung down at me rapidly. I visually tracked it and dodged by shifting my body. Before I could catch my breath, the blade of the mantis’s other arm slashed upwards from below. I repelled it using the flat of my sword and kicked towards its torso, creating distance.
At that point, I was confident of victory. There were no tricky, unexpected attacks; it was a constant barrage of slashes. It showed no sign of targeting Dia behind me, only charging directly at me. I focused on defense and bought time—
“—Flame Arrow!”
The moment we created distance again, the mantis’s head flew off.
“Phew…”
“Are you okay, Christ? That was one incredibly fast bug.”
It was the fastest and sharpest attacking monster I had ever faced. However, honestly, I didn’t feel like I would be outmatched in a one-on-one fight. That’s how immense the power of magic is. My spatial awareness magic, Dimension, exhibits unparalleled strength even in close combat.
“That much is still within my capabilities. More importantly, this is really it.”
“Oh, really? Then that’s good.”
Dia and I began collecting the Drop Items together. After securing the boss monster’s magic stone and unique Drop Item, we exited the special area, being careful not to run into other subordinate monsters. We carefully moved towards ‘Seidō’ to ensure our safety and checked our remaining MP. Seeing that we still had more than half left, I spoke to Dia.
“Alright, Dia. Shall we go defeat the next Boss Monster?”
“Eh, there’s another one?”
“If it’s nearby, it’s probably the Goblin settlement. I heard there’s a giant Goblin among the bipedal humanoid monsters there, so let’s defeat it.”
“…Ah, understood. I’m all for it.”
Dia agreed, rolling the magic stone dropped by the Queen of the Forest in her palm. I headed towards the rumored area and repeated the previous procedure. Naturally, the result was the same, even against Goblins. Just a few dozen minutes later, after defeating another boss, Dia muttered discontentedly.
“—This Labyrinth Exploration is somehow different from what I imagined. I mean, it’s not bad. But somehow…”
“I feel the same way. However, this is the safest and most efficient method with our abilities…”
Battles relying entirely on special abilities and abnormal magic were vastly different from normal combat. Still, Dia and I continued this method. After all, we could defeat boss monsters, which would normally require risking our lives, without any fight, so there was nothing to complain about.
—That day, Dia and I defeated a total of three Boss Monsters before emerging from the labyrinth.
[Title ‘Nervous Strength’ acquired.]
A +0.05 bonus to Strength.
[Title ‘Trampled’]
A +0.05 bonus to Strength.
[Status]
Name: Aikawa Uzunami HP 119/151 MP 25/141 Class:
Level 4
Strength 3.14 Stamina 3.21 Dexterity 4.07 Speed 5.05 Intelligence 6.10 Magic Power 8.09 Aptitude 7.00
Condition: Confusion 4.27
Experience Points: 3442/800
[Skills]
Innate Skills: Swordsmanship 1.01 Ice Magic 2.02
Acquired Skills: Dimensional Magic 5.01
??? : ???
??? : ???
[Magic]
Ice Magic: Freeze 1.00 Ice 1.01
Dimensional Magic: Dimension 1.02
Unique Magic: Dimension – Multiple Expansion 1.01 Dimension – Decisive Calculation 1.01
