It was the third day since Hachiman had reached Level 2. Morning began like all the others: he woke early, feeling Aqua's tangle of limbs beside him, and disentangled himself with the resignation of a morning ritual. The past few days had been... productive, to say the least. His first foray into the Middle Floors as a Level 2, though brutal and ending with an unexpected fall, had resulted in significant status gains, elevating all his basic attributes to Rank H. The following day had been entirely dedicated to creating the spatial rings, an arduous task that consumed all his concentration and mana, but which solved one of his biggest logistical problems.
Today, however, the Dungeon called to him with renewed urgency. He wanted to venture deeper, perhaps finally reach the eighteenth floor, as he had planned before. With the spatial rings now adorning the fingers of his left hand, the storage problem was solved. He equipped Aspháleia, feeling the living metal of the growth armor adjust to him. The Wyvern Blade, his latest creation, was stored in one of the rings, ready to be summoned. He decided that today he would fight more wildly, exploring the limits of his "Savage Determination" Skill and his new "Single Strike" Magic, now with more control and experience after its first use.
Knowing that a deep expedition would require many supplies, especially if he intended to stay in the Dungeon for a few days, he first had a serious conversation with Aqua before leaving.
"Aqua, I'm going to the Dungeon. And this time... I might take one to three days to return," he said, observing her reaction.
Her eyes widened. "Three days?! Alone?! But what about food? And what if you get hurt?"
"I'll be prepared," he assured her. To placate her annoyance and worry (and ensure she didn't spend all their money on nonsense while he was gone), he left a substantial amount. "Here are two million Valis. Use it wisely for your expenses and... well, for whatever you want. But make it last."
The sight of the mountain of money made Aqua's eyes sparkle, her worry momentarily replaced by divine greed. "Two million! Hachiman, you're the best!" She hugged him quickly. "But be careful, okay? And bring back more money!"
With Aqua (temporarily) appeased, Hachiman set off for his next destination before the Dungeon: the famous Dian Cecht Familia shop. He needed high-level healing and mana potions.
The shop was an elegant establishment, with shelves full of colorful vials, medicinal bandages, and even some healing artifacts. Behind the counter, a woman with gentle features, light brown hair, and incredibly perceptive eyes attended him. Hachiman recognized her immediately: Amid Teasanare. Orario's best healer, a world-renowned artisan of magical healing items, including elixirs and complex prosthetics. Her talent was legendary.
"Welcome. How can I help you?" Amid asked with a professional smile.
"I'd like to know the price of high-level healing and mana potions," Hachiman said.
Amid's eyes examined him for an instant, a subtle curiosity arising. "A new face... but that armor and... ah." A flash of recognition. "You must be the 'Dragon Slayer,' Hikigaya Hachiman, right? The rumors about your rapid ascent to Level 2 and the incident at Monsterphilia are everywhere." Her eyes, which seemed to see right through him, briefly landed on his. 'Dead fish eyes... yes, it's him.' "High-level healing potions cost 100,000 Valis each. High-level mana potions, 300,000 Valis."
Hachiman felt his heart bleed. 'Three hundred thousand for a single mana potion! That's more than I paid for the house!' But he knew they were superior quality items, capable of quickly restoring large amounts of mana, essential for someone like him who depended on magic. He remembered the five million he earned in his first brief foray as a Level 2. And with the storage rings, he could farm much more. He composed himself.
"I'll take twelve healing potions and six mana potions," he said, trying not to think about the dent this would make in his recent earnings. Three million Valis. A small fortune spent on consumables.
Amid prepared the order, her eyes still curious about him. "A long expedition, I presume?" "Something like that," Hachiman replied.
Leaving the shop under Amid's thoughtful gaze, Hachiman stored the precious potions in one of his spatial rings and finally headed for Babel.
As usual, he stormed through the upper floors. Goblins, Kobolds, Dungeon Lizards, War Shadows, Frog Shooters, Orcs, Silverbacks, Infant Dragon – none posed a challenge; all who crossed his path on the upper floors were instantly obliterated by a single reinforced strike from Kanshou, the difference in power between his current self and that of a few days ago being stark.
Finally, he reached the thirteenth floor, the Cave Labyrinth. The luminous mist, the rock walls, the intertwined tunnels. As soon as he entered, he was met by a pack of about fifteen monsters – Hellhounds, Almirajs, and a few Bad Bats circling overhead.
This time, Hachiman didn't summon the Wyvern Blade. 'I need to exercise my projections, my magic.' A cold, calculated savagery took hold of him. His eyes, normally listless, acquired a deep crimson glow, like incandescent rubies. A heavy, oppressive aura began to subtly emanate from his body – the effect of his 'Savage Determination' Skill activated at its maximum potential. "Trace On!"
In his hands, Kanshou and Bakuya did not appear. Instead, a single long spear materialized. The shaft was immaculate white, the tip sharp and silvered, and the entire weapon radiated an aura of martial ferocity and a subtle pressure that seemed to bother the monsters. 'Ningen Mukotsu. Mori Nagayoshi's Human Bone Spear. Effect: defense nullification. Mana cost: low. Simple, but devastating in real combat.'
With impressive speed that left trails of his crimson aura, Hachiman advanced on the pack. The Ningen Mukotsu spear became an extension of his savage will. Hellhounds with tough hides were pierced as if made of paper. Almirajs that leaped were impaled mid-air. Bad Bats that dived were cut in half with a swift spin of the spear. The spear's defense-nullifying property rendered the monsters' natural protections useless. He no longer overly concerned himself with his own defense; his Aspháleia armor and stats were sufficient for the blows that got through, while he focused purely on destruction.
Enemies kept coming in waves. Dungeon Worms emerged from the ground, trying to ambush him, but his heightened perception detected them, and a spear strike crushed their heads before they could attack. The Hellhounds began to launch fireballs, the Almirajs to throw their own horns like makeshift axes, the Bad Bats to emit disorienting sonic waves. And a new monster appeared among them: a Crystal Mantis, with a translucent, multifaceted body that refracted light. Its crystal carapace was known to be one of the hardest to damage in the Middle Floors, especially with magic.
But for Ningen Mukotsu and Hachiman's strength, the crystal carapace shattered like glass under a precise blow. He moved like a crimson whirlwind of destruction, the white spear a lethal blur. With every enemy that fell, he felt a wild exhilaration, a raw joywelling up from the depths of his soul, a liberation in battle.
Monsters continued to emerge, drawn by the noise and the smell of blood. Soon, the number of enemies around him surpassed seventy. It was becoming a new horde.
Seeing the situation and still at the peak of his focused savagery, Hachiman decided to use his magic on a large scale. He firmly raised the spear in his hands, channeling his mana through Ningen Mukotsu. He felt the metal vibrate under the flow of energy as he shaped it in his mind. 'Single Strike.' He didn't try to charge it to the maximum, not wanting to destroy the entire floor, but imbued a significant amount of power. Instead of a focused point, he shaped the energy in his mind. With a guttural cry, he unleashed the magic.
A huge flying slash of pure crimson and black mana erupted from his hand, tearing through the air with a whistling sound. The strike swept the corridor in a devastating arc. The impact was cataclysmic. Monsters were disintegrated instantly. The thirteenth floor couldn't withstand the concentrated force; a huge section where the horde had stood simply broke, collapsed, opening a gigantic hole that revealed the darkness of the lower floors.
Hachiman, caught off guard by the collateral destruction of his own attack, had no time to react. The floor beneath his feet also gave way, and he plunged into the darkness, falling for a long, long time, the wind whistling in his ears.
He landed with a dull, painful thud on a cold rock floor, the Aspháleia armor absorbing the worst of the impact but still leaving him breathless and disoriented. Getting up with difficulty, he looked around. The environment was different, darker, the walls more oppressive. And the sounds... low, menacing growls echoed from all directions.
Figures began to emerge from the shadows. Minotaurs. Many of them. And beside them, equally large and muscular creatures, with striped tiger fur and long fangs: Lygerfangs, monsters known to be no inferior to Minotaurs in strength and ferocity.
Hachiman looked at the army of powerful monsters forming before him. The savagery in his crimson eyes did not diminish. On the contrary, it intensified. With a smile that was more an animalistic snarl, he brandished Ningen Mukotsu again and charged into combat, diving headfirst into the new, even more dangerous battle.