[Notification: You have entered a Temporary Dungeon.]
[Notification: Time flow ratio between the main world and the dungeon—1:10.]
[Notification: You cannot leave the dungeon. You must kill the boss or use a Return Stone.]
"A dungeon, I'm back in one again, huh..." Natsuki Subaru tilted his head up, surveying the vast underground dungeon illuminated by glowing stones. The faint blue light of the minerals bathed the entire space as if it were daylight, casting swaying shadows on the stone walls.
"There are only a few days left until the White Whale subjugation, and I also have to deal with the Witch Cult, those crazy Sin Archbishops. Increasing my strength is necessary." Natsuki Subaru clenched his fists, feeling the power surging within him.
The key to this temporary dungeon was a reward obtained from completing the hidden quest after his duel with Julius. Now, facing the impending great battles, every bit of strength increase was crucial.
Although there were Mabeasts in the outside world, searching for them in the forest like a headless fly was simply too inefficient. Not to mention, the experience points provided by those scattered Mabeasts weren't even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.
Dungeons, on the other hand, had plenty of Mabeasts, like slaughterhouses specifically designed for leveling. The Mabeasts were packed as densely as sardines in a can, and the efficiency of gaining experience points was more than twenty times that of the outside world.
"System, bring up the status panel." With a thought from Natsuki Subaru, a translucent light screen unfolded before his eyes:
[Host: Natsuki Subaru]
Level: 19
Class: None
Title: Wolf Slayer
Spirit: 90
Strength: 122
Agility: 92
Stamina: 79
HP: 1350/1350
MP: 2200/2200
EXP: 1040/550000
Distributable Points: 0
Skill List:
Life Resilience (Passive)
Advanced Dagger Arts (Passive)
Throwing Dagger (Active)
Blessing of the Great Shaman Kandiaru (Active)
Sprint (Active)
"With my current attribute values, ordinary Mabeasts pose no threat to me at all, not to mention a Strength value of 122, combined with the effect of Advanced Dagger Arts." Natsuki Subaru looked at the information on his attribute panel and thought to himself.
"And with Agility at 92, plus the bonus from the Sprint skill, my speed should have already reached an incredible level."
While thinking this, Natsuki Subaru closed the panel and drew the Kasaka's Venom Fang dagger, which glowed with a sinister green light, from the void. The sharp blade hummed faintly as it cut through the air.
"This time, I need to at least get my Agility, Spirit, and Stamina attributes past the 100 mark."
He still needed nearly 550,000 experience points to reach the next level, but in this Mabeast-infested dungeon, it wasn't an unattainable goal.
"Last time, when I was less than level 10, I could already go on a killing spree in the dungeon. Now, at level 19, plus the Kasaka's Venom Fang dagger, the leveling efficiency will only be higher."
Natsuki Subaru took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing rhythm, and strode towards the dark passage in the depths of the dungeon.
Pat, pat—
The sound of his feet crushing the ground was particularly jarring in the deathly silent underground space.
"Strange... The dungeon is abnormally quiet. I haven't even encountered a single Mabeast yet?"
After walking for about two and a half minutes, Natsuki Subaru's brow gradually furrowed. His fingers unconsciously stroked the anti-slip pattern on the dagger's hilt, his entire body's muscles maintained in optimal explosive readiness.
"With my current perception ability, I should be aware of any movement within a fifty-meter radius." Although this temporary dungeon was different from the last one, by common sense, Mabeasts should have appeared by now.
"Could it be that the Mabeasts haven't arrived yet?"
Natsuki Subaru warily scanned his surroundings and found the structure of this dungeon quite peculiar. The walls of the wide cavern were covered with honeycomb-like holes, each opening about two to three meters in diameter, dark and leading to unknown depths.
"This structure... looks like the nest of some kind of colonial creature." Natsuki Subaru looked up at the surrounding holes, thinking to himself, "Last time in the dungeon, I encountered Mabeasts like goblins, steel-fanged wolves, and trolls. This time it should be similar... Hmm?"
Suddenly, Natsuki Subaru's ears keenly picked up an abnormal fluctuation of magical energy. It was known that his 90 points in the Spirit attribute made his perception ability several times greater than that of an ordinary person. The subtle vibration was like countless tiny limbs crawling on the stone walls.
"They're here!" A battle-intent smile touched Natsuki Subaru's lips. The strength that came with level 19 filled him with confidence. Whatever came, it would only become experience points for his solo leveling.
Almost simultaneously, a dense "rustling" sound came from all around.
"—Above!"
Natsuki Subaru abruptly looked up, his pupils contracting sharply.
From the honeycomb-like holes on the rock wall above, a black tide of insects surged out like a bursting dam. They were giant beetle Mabeasts, each a full two meters long!
Their thick carapaces glinted with a metallic luster, their six pairs of compound eyes shone with a bloodthirsty ferocity, and their sharp forelimbs waved like scythes. White characters spelling [Steel-Jawed Giant Beetle] floated above the head of each Mabeast, exceptionally conspicuous in the dim environment.
"White markers... the lowest threat level, trash mobs, huh..." Natsuki Subaru quickly scanned the white markers floating above each giant beetle's head.
It was known that according to the system's color-coding for the danger level of dungeon Mabeasts, white represented low threat, easily dealt with. Orange indicated an even match, requiring caution. Dark red signified a fatal threat, far exceeding his current strength.
"Steel-Jawed Giant Beetles, insect-type Mabeasts... Although they're white-level Mabeasts, there sure are a lot of them. But... that's just what I want!" An excited arc lifted the corners of Natsuki Subaru's lips. His combat instincts immediately kicked in, and he instantly lowered his center of gravity, holding his dagger horizontally in front of his chest.
Then—
His leg muscles tensed instantly. With 92 points in Agility, Natsuki Subaru's movements were as fast as lightning.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Streaks of silver-white sword light drew deadly trajectories in the dim cavern. Natsuki Subaru's figure moved like a phantom among the swarm of insects, the Kasaka's dagger in his hand glinting with a cold, sharp light.
Puchi!
Every slash was incredibly precise, the sharp blade easily cleaving the thick bodies of the Steel-Jawed Giant Beetles in two. With 122 points in Strength, every strike from Natsuki Subaru was unstoppable; wherever the blade passed, the hard carapaces of the Steel-Jawed Giant Beetles were cut open as easily as paper.
"As expected of a weapon dropped by a boss-level monster, it's so smooth to use!" Natsuki Subaru gripped the Kasaka's Venom Fang dagger tightly, the cool touch of the hilt making him feel incredibly at ease.
After all, this Kasaka's dagger was a spoil of war he had obtained after killing the boss in the previous dungeon. Besides its base attack power, it also came with an additional 25 points of sharpness bonus. More importantly, the blade was also imbued with the dual effects of paralysis and bleeding.
"Against this many individually weak Mabeasts, this is practically a tailor-made divine weapon!"
Facing the numerous Steel-Jawed Giant Beetles, the fighting spirit in Natsuki Subaru's eyes burned even hotter.
"Here they come!"
A piercing sound suddenly came from his left. Without turning his head, Natsuki Subaru dodged to his right.
Swoosh—
A Steel-Jawed Giant Beetle's sharp forelimb slammed heavily where he had just been standing, sending stone fragments flying.
"Too slow!"
While dodging, Natsuki Subaru's wrist had already flipped instinctively.
Puchi!
The dagger drew a tricky upward arc, accurately piercing the nerve ganglion between the beetle's compound eyes. The paralysis effect imbued in the blade instantly activated, and the Steel-Jawed Giant Beetle's massive body stiffened.
[Paralysis effect triggered! Duration: 3 seconds]
Without a moment's pause, Natsuki Subaru had already spun around and retreated. The scythe-like forelimbs of three giant beetles simultaneously slammed down, only to hit his afterimage. His 92 points in Agility made his movements incredibly fast, while 122 points in Strength ensured every hit dealt fatal damage.
"—Hah!"
Natsuki Subaru abruptly pushed off the ground and leaped, completing a perfect backflip in mid-air.
Puchi!
As he descended, his dagger slashed downwards, cleaving a beetle attempting a sneak attack in two from head to tail. Dark green bodily fluids gushed out like a fountain, reflecting an eerie light under the glowing stones.
Several more giant beetles swarmed in from the right.
"They really don't give up, do they..." A cold smile touched Natsuki Subaru's lips. He suddenly shifted his center of gravity, his body almost skimming the ground as he slid. His dagger flashed left and right, and several giant beetles were instantly cut into pieces.
"17 on the left... 12 behind... and 22 directly in front!" Natsuki Subaru's brain, like a precision computer, instantly calculated the optimal attack route. His body moved before his thoughts could fully form, the dagger tracing deadly trajectories in the darkness:
The first slash, diagonal, severed the tendons of a beetle on the left.
The second thrust, straight, pierced the respiratory pore of a beetle from behind.
The third strike, an upward slash, disemboweled a giant beetle in front...
"Not enough! More!"
Natsuki Subaru's figure weaved through the swarm of insects like a phantom. Every evasion was perfectly timed, every counterattack aimed straight for a vital point. The Kasaka's dagger in his hand seemed to have a life of its own; wherever the blade passed, only twitching insect corpses and splattered green bodily fluids remained.
"Die!" Natsuki Subaru suddenly came to a sharp halt, reversed his grip on the dagger, and thrust backward violently. The tip of the blade accurately sank into the mouthparts of a giant beetle attempting a sneak attack, the paralysis effect instantly spreading throughout the Mabeast's body.
"Get lost!"
Then, a side-spinning kick sent the stiffened Mabeast crashing into its kin. With a loud rumble, several giant beetle Mabeasts collided and tumbled into a heap. Natsuki Subaru seized the opportunity, his dagger striking out like a venomous snake in a series of thrusts, leaving fatal wounds on each beetle Mabeast's vital points.
[Notification: Experience +486]
[Notification: Experience +401]
[Notification: Experience +388]
[Notification: Experience +365]
System prompts sounded continuously in Natsuki Subaru's mind. These two-meter-long Steel-Jawed Giant Beetle Mabeasts, though not strong offensively, made up for it in sheer numbers. With every swing of his sword, several Steel-Jawed Giant Beetles were cleaved in two, their dark green bodily fluids splattering on the rock walls.
"Come on, all of you become my experience points!" Natsuki Subaru sidestepped a clumsy pounce and, with a reverse slash, beheaded three more beetles simultaneously. The attribute increase from level 19 allowed him to handle them with ease; the Mabeasts' numerical advantage meant nothing in the face of absolute strength!
[Notification: Level Up]
[Notification: Leveled up to 20, System Store unlocked]
"Leveled up..." A warm current suddenly flowed through Natsuki Subaru's body. The recovery effect from leveling up swept away his fatigue.
"Awesome! Finally leveled up again..." Natsuki Subaru, while swinging his dagger to kill Mabeasts, felt the abundant power within him, his smile growing wider. "Even the System Store is unlocked. After I clean up these small fry, I need to check it out properly."
The battle lasted for about half an hour. When the last Steel-Jawed Giant Beetle was cut in two by his sword light, the entire cavern had already become a battlefield piled with wreckage.
"There sure were a lot of them..." Natsuki Subaru looked around. At least three to four hundred two-meter-long insect corpses were scattered haphazardly in the rock cave, emitting a pungent, fishy stench. Dark green bodily fluids formed small puddles on the ground, reflecting his Mabeast-blood-splattered figure.
"Phew—finally cleared them all." Natsuki Subaru flicked his Kasaka's dagger, and the viscous green bodily fluid splattered in a fan shape onto the nearby rock wall. Although these Steel-Jawed Giant Beetles were mediocre in strength, the experience gained from their vast numbers was indeed considerable; leveling up twice was the best proof.
"Pretty good. After eliminating this swarm of Steel-Jawed Giant Beetles, I've already reached level 21... The System Store has finally unlocked too. But first, I need to sort out these spoils of war."
Thinking this, Natsuki Subaru squatted down and touched the nearest insect corpse.
A system prompt immediately appeared in his vision:
[Recoverable Item Found: Steel-Jawed Giant Beetle's Fang x1]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Description: Precious material covered in blood-red magic patterns]
[Recycle Value: 50 Gold]
[Recoverable Item Found: Rusty Short Sword x1]
[Quality: Common]
[Description: Standard weapon found everywhere]
[Recycle Value: 5 Gold]
"I don't get it..." Natsuki Subaru's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but retort, "Why would an insect drop a short sword?!"
As he continued to examine the other insect corpses, he successively found:
[Old Leather Armor x1]
[Damaged Breastplate x1]
[Dulled Daggers x3]
Adhering to the principle that "every little bit counts," Natsuki Subaru patiently collected all the dropped items one by one. The entire cavern echoed with the sticky sound of him stepping through bodily fluids and his occasional retorts:
"Another short sword? This is the seventh one!"
"A breastplate is one thing... but why are there boots too?!"
"Wait... what's with this money pouch?!"
And so, after a period of busy work, Natsuki Subaru finally finished collecting all the Mabeast dropped items. The statistics showed that this batch of materials and equipment exchanged for a total of about twelve thousand gold coins.
"Although it's all junk, the result is pretty good." Natsuki Subaru looked at the newly added gold coins in his account; his gold balance had already reached around 150,000.
___
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