The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter

Level: 148

Weapons in possession

Double-edged sword 【Strong Edge, Lucky】

Penetrating Spear 【Penetration】

Champion’s Shield 【Solid】【Fire Resistance A】【Water Resistance A】【Wind Resistance A】

Nameless Hammer 【Crushing】

Octopus-killing Harpoon 【Octopus Killing S】

Leaping Magic Bow 【Enhancement of Bow Skills】

Skills

【Great Sage】【Grant】【Abnormal State Recovery C】【Mental Status Resistance C】【Delete】【Water Sphere】【Create】【Appraisal Eye】【Dungeon Portal】【Purple Lightning】【Exploding Arrow】【Throwing B】【Deodorization】【Paralysis Resistance C】【Heat Resistance A】【Petrification Resistance A】【Alchemy B】【Eyesight Adjustment】【Dismantle Organics】【Purification】【Excavation】【Side Step Enhancement】【Front Step Enhancement】【Back Step Enhancement】【Poison Resistance A】【Massage】【Hearing Protection】【Dancing】【Diving】【Courage】【Flash】【Night Eyes】【Subdimensional Storage】【Stone Bullet】【Thunderbolt】【Jump A】【Freezing Sphere】【Headache Resistance】【Archery S】【Gold to LP Conversion】【Item Appraisal】【Magic Fusion】【Ukemi】【Lucky Pervert】【White Flame】【Swordsmanship C】

With the matter of the marriage interview being safely closed, I parted with Luna-san and Laura-san and decided to challenge the 13th floor.

Before that, I checked my items and abilities. It might be self-flattery, but I think I grew quite a bit.

Now, going through a narrow passageway that looked like it was meant for a challenger, I arrive at a spacious circular arena.

With the ground being dry earth it would be easy to raise dust clouds here.

If they make use of it I’d hate it a bit.

The fighting area in the center and seats of the audience arranged in rising tiers surrounding it.

They went up quite a bit with a considerable number of seats as a result. Since all of them were filled with people it’s amazing.

At first glance, they appear like your normal humans, but that’s surely another product of this dungeon.

The upper floors also had human-shaped creatures.

A host-like person was in the arena and was riling up the audience with a voice that carried well throughout the place.

「Everybody, a long-awaited challenger is hereーー! Looks like he just casually came to get killedーー!」

I’m already pissed, but I’ll endure.

Cheers not unlike warcries come from the audience seats.

Some are even calling for my death, so there is no doubt that I don’t have a home-field advantage here.

On the opposite side from where I entered was another passageway. Is that where the stairs to the next floor are located?

The entrance was blocked with an iron fence, but several men, standing to the sides of it, pull it open.

「Bernard the Tiger!」

Shouted the host. A giant tiger charged from the opened passageway,

Closing the distance at the speed that wouldn’t allow even a second of carelessness, it then leaped and unleashed an attack with its claws.

I avoid it, using a sidestep. I had enhancement from skills so I was able to do it with ease.

But, with immediate follow-up attacks, I had no time to appraise it.

For starters, I shoot several small 【Stone Bullet】 , about ten centimeters in size.

One of the shots accidentally hits it in the eye. It stopped. Let’s appraise it.

Name: Tiger Bernard

Level: 148

Skills: Sharp claws, Intimidating Roar, Killing Streak Enhancement.

The same level as me. I’d better check the second and third skills.

【Intimidating Roar】

〈Prevents from moving those in 3 meters range. But it consumes a lot of stamina.〉

【Killing Streak Enhancement】

〈Taking 5 lives within 30 seconds gives a huge buff for 3 minutes.〉

Aren’t both of them pretty troublesome?

Since the howl can come at any moment, I’d better give up on trying to fight it in close combat.

「GUOOOOOOOー」

Eh, charing with a roar? Is this even allowed?

Naturally, I tried to put some distance between us, but the opponent is faster.

I shoot 【Frozen Sphere】 at its feet. Hitting it, I freeze that spot, stopping the tiger’s movements.

Before the opponent starts moving again I pull out the magic bow and arrows from subdimension and prepare to shoot.

I release 【Exploding Arrow】.

A strong explosion occurred when the arrow hit the body.

Since there was 【Enhancement of Bow Skills】the destructive power of bow attacks was increased.

This weapon, which I obtained during the incident with Gaien in the neighboring country, was quite a valuable one.

「As expected… It wouldn’t die so easily.」

It’s glaring at me with bloodshot eyes. The pressure is quite intense, but the smoke was rising from some parts of its body, with flesh and bones exposed.

By no means it was unscratched.

When I was about to shoot the next arrow, the tiger ran away from me in the opposite direction. Jumping, it got over the wall and into the audience seats in the lowest sections.

No way, is it goingー

「UAAAAAAH?!」

As I thought. It began indiscriminately attacking the audience.

Those that tried to escape were hit with Intimidating Roar. After which they stopped moving.

They are paralyzed by the effects of the skill.

During which the tiger bit off their heads or clawed them.

Killing about five or six of them, tiger Bernard returned to the arena.

Level: 248

Skills: Sharp Claws, Intimidating Roar, Five Kill Enhancement, Fire Resistance B, Water Resistance B, Thunder Resistance B, Ice Resistance B, Pain Resistance A.

The level has risen by 100?! And it got a whole bunch of resistances now.

Since it now attacked me, fully confident that there is nothing for it to fear, I give it a taste of 【Stone Bullet】 at maximum output.

It hit, its head is now bleeding.

It should have taken damage.

And yet it showed no signs of faltering, I guess that’s the power of 【Pain Resistance A】.

It’s because the living have the sense of pain that they are trying to avoid the danger, preventing the worst from happening.

And now it was coming at me with no regard for any of that.

It might look like a defensive skill, but isn’t this actually an offensive one?

And that charge. I can’t block it with a sword. Bringing out the champion’s shield I endure the attack.

「Ugh.」

I stand firm, but my feet are sliding on the ground.

And yet I stand. Somehow. Now is my chance for a counterattack. Pulling out the double-edged sword from the sheathe on the waist I slashー

「ーーGUOOOO」

Crap…

My body stiffened, becoming unmoving. With my sword still brandished I froze in place.

Then, came an attack aimed at my undefended body.

Move, move, move, I’ll die if I don’t!

Barely, but I managed to react somehow. …It hurts.

It got me. It cut me bad. But the wound isn’t that deep.

As my body regains its freedom, I step back.

「GUUUUO」

I was just one step ahead.

Just barely, but I managed to escape out of the skill’s area of influence.

I braced for attack, but this time there is no follow up. It’s out of breath.

So it used the howl too much, depleting the stamina. This is my chance. Stopping with half measures I go for a sure kill, using 【Edit】.

Making 【Killing Streak Enhancement】ineffective takes priority. Destroying it would take 1800 LP.

A bit costly.

I’ll change 〈Buff for 3 minutes〉 part.

『Three Minutes』 → 『One Minutes』

This is much more cost-effective, as it will take only 500 LP.

Since I’m quite sure that a minute has already passed since it killed five people, I take this option.

Checking the level, it’s back to 148.

The resistances also disappeared, so I decide to attack it with 【Explosive Arrow】 once again. I aim at the area where the flesh was already exposed.

The tiger leaks a low cry. It tries to charge me again, but it’s movements are clearly sluggish. Moving, I riddle it with normal arrows.

With this, the battle is decided.

As the tiger dies, the voice of the host once again resounds through the area.

「Would you look at that, this challenger, despite how puny he is, managed to overcome the first trial! Everyone, for now, let’s give a round of applause to this puny kid!」

No one responded to that.

Fine, it’s not like I was expecting anything of that sort.

More importantly, the fact that this seems to have a continuation worries me more……

◇ ◆ ◇

The next enemy, unlike the tiger, entered the arena slowly.

I wonder if I can use this chance to slip into that passageway, but the iron fence at the entrance immediately closed.

It seems that if I want to advance I have no other choice but to defeat it. The next opponent was a humanoid in a silvery full plate armor. Clearly of a smaller build than me. That’s quite unusual.

As it was now only a few meters away from me, I use appraisal.

Concealment seems to be at work here, so I can’t confirm the abilities. However, I was able to appraise a huge morning star it was carrying.

Rank A, with 【Wind Blast】 attached to it.

Just as the name would imply, it seems able to release wind on the attack.

In addition, the full plate that covered even its face had 【Physical Resistance C】.

「Everybody, the armored warrior has arrived! Let’s enjoy his fight!」

Both the host and the audience were excited.

Now, a morning star would be classified as a blunt weapon. There are several types, but the one in his hands has spikes on that iron sphere.

The diameter would be about fifty centimeters.

A long chain was going from it, linked to the hand.

I expect it would swing it around, attacking by using centrifugal force.

And just as I assumed, it swung it overhead and flung it my way.

I ran with all I’ve got.

Like this, I can avoid the direct hit by the iron ball for now. Upon collision of the iron ball with the ground, a small explosion occurred.

But the shockwave sent by it is incredibly powerful.

「Whoa.」

Even though there was a considerable distance from it, the shockwave knocked me over. It seems like the whole arena is in its effective range!

After rolling I take a defensive posture.

But now dust and dirt, scattered by the shockwave, get into my eyes and mouth.

「Cough, cough.」

I almost choked! And on top of it, clouds of dust are blocking my vision.

I’d like to rely on the sound, but with the audience being this noisy hearing isn’t of any help.

Since standing in one place is dangerous, I keep moving. And just when I did soー BAM!

The iron balls dropped right next to me.

「UWAAA.」

Leaking a pitiful voice I was flung into the air.

Aaah, this type of flight isn’t to my liking at all……

And landing to the ground head first I slide on it. The wound on the chest that I got from the tiger stings.

I’d like to rest for a bit, but rest here means defeat. I stand up and fire 【Ice Needle】.

Skillfully wielding his morning star the armored warrior crushes all of them.

There, I use 【Stone Bullet】 setting it to the maximum 100.

I shoot it, but without trying to hit him directly.

Slightly lowering the trajectory, I’m aiming at the opponent’s feet. It’s really easy to cause a dust cloud here. So I’ll make use of it.

Before the enemy disappears from sight I properly memorize his position.

「……?!」

Though it stays silent, I can see that he is nervous from his movements. But that sight also soon was hidden behind the clouds of dust.

Taking out the penetrating spear I dash at the enemy with great vigor.

With all my might I lunge where the armored warrior was a moment ago. I hit something.

That armor has physical resistance, but I have 【Penetrating】 here.

With a run-up, it should easily pierce through C rank. And my aim was true.

Since it broke its stance, I then used the double-edged sword to finish it off through a gap in the armor.

This one most definitely is a monster as well. A normal human wouldn’t be at such a place.

「What a twist! Who could’ve expected this! To think such a boy would manage to take down the armored warrior as well!」

It’s amazing that the host remained unscratched with all that. The entirety of the arena was a danger zone.

Anyway, according to his announcement, the next opponent is the last one.

Eeeh, so I still have to fight……

I collect my weapons before the next opponent shows up.

The skill on the blasting morning star remained there.

Putting it into storage as well, I await the next opponent.

I’d be happy if it was someone weak…… But surely a strong one will appear……

Let’s focus.