Chapter 12: The World Becomes a Dungeon (5)

"Haaaap!"

"Wooooo."

"Shut it!"

I struck down a wraith with my mana-imbued spear. Although the weapon I was using was technically a glaive, because of the way I was using it, I often called it a spear. The wraith seemed to want to phase through my attack, but, unable to do so, it scattered into little pieces. Wraiths could not be damaged by physical attacks, but they were incredibly weak to magical attacks or attacks imbued with mana. It seemed the 6th floor was a place where those who could use mana were separated from those who couldn't.

According to Ellos, because no one in their party had a high-rank weapon technique, to fight against the wraiths they had to learn an applied skill that used mana. I, of course, knew the high-rank spear technique, so I could deal with the wraiths using that.

In any case, I was no longer on the 6th floor, but the 7th. Late at night two days ago, when I managed to plow through the 6th floor's wraiths and arrive at the 7th floor, I was met with even more wraiths. When I asked Ellos, he answered that wraiths appeared all the way until the end of the 10th floor.

For a little while, I was confident I wouldn't be fazed by any horror movies. With the wraiths popping out incessantly, I had grown too desensitized to be surprised.

I now had about 850 mana. Just when I was thinking that the growth speed was beginning to slow down, it jumped by about 100 when I leveled up to level 7. It was then that I realized that level ups acted as breakthroughs for slowed growth.

Level ups were like mini evolutions. It was raising my entire self to a higher realm of being. Together with the fact that you could choose the direction of growth by means of your status points, level ups were truly an overwhelming and grand authority.

That said, it was still important to have a mana cultivation method. With constant training, not only would the mana's speed of growth get faster upon leveling up, its speed of recovery would also get faster.

My mana cultivation method positioned itself in my status by the name 'Peruta Circuit.' Perhaps because it did not have a rank like low or mid, it was still level 2 even after two months of training.

"All of you, come at me!"

[You used Orc Lord's Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members' attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members become super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]

Using Orc Lord's Warcry, which was a perfect skill other than the fact that I could only use it once a day, I charged towards a flock of wraiths. I had no time to waste on guys that didn't drop anything!

"Kiyaaaaaaaa!"

"Tempest!"

Tempest. It was one of the skills I learned from Peruta. Using a special breathing method combined with a special mana circulation method, it took the artificial current of mana that was generated around my spear and exploded it forward. Everything in its path was torn up by blades of wind. There was truly no skill better to open up a straight path.

The downside was that it used up over 300 mana.

"I see the stairs!"

I also saw the Floor Shop next to it. I once again swung my glaive and killed the wraiths flying toward me. Then, I rushed toward the Floor Shop and was greeted by the same noona I always met.

I had begun to question whether this noona was the same as the ones from all previous floors. Not only did she look the same, she also knew me extremely well.

"Oh, you were quite fast. You broke through the 7th floor in just two days. Others take two months or even half a year."

"I should be able to keep going at this rate for a while."

"Is that so? You remained bound to the 5th floor for over 3 years, but it looks like you didn't spend your time in vain."

The shop noona made an odd smile as she looked at me.

"Then why don't you prove your worth?"

"Hm?"

[A quest appeared!]

"... Quest?"

Upon hearing about it, Ellos spoke excited.

[A quest? Amazing!]

"Is it?"

[Of course! I'm on the 21st floor now, but I've never encountered a quest!]

"What's a quest?"

I of course knew what a quest was. It was something easily found in games. When someone accepted a request from an NPC and fulfilled it, he would receive experience points and rewards. Simply put, a quest was fulfilling a request and earning rewards for it.

But I never imagined that the dungeon would have quests. I couldn't hide my surprise at this revelation, and I contacted Ellos to obtain whatever information I could about it.

[A quest is... a quest. It's like a surprise present. No one knows what triggers it.]

"A surprise present."

[Yep. In my continent, there is an explorer who conquered the 50th floor of the Third Dungeon. From what I heard, he could only climb so high because of a quest he triggered on the 17th floor. Like I said, no one knows what conditions triggers quests, but we do know one thing. If you do as the quests say, you can obtain skills or items unobtainable by normal explorers.] [Through that quest, the explorer I mentioned learned a skill that would become his iconic move. Growing along with it, he climbed all the way to the 50th floor!]

"Wow, so what happened to him?"

[He fell while fighting against the invaders. It was a truly heroic death. It's a shame. If he was an explorer of the First Dungeon instead of the Third, he could have become much stronger.]

"You mean the reward is greater if the dungeon's difficulty is greater."

[Yep. The number in front of dungeons denote how difficult it is.]

According to Ellos, his home continent, Edias, always had magicians, priests who used God's power, and knights who manifested auras. It was only about 300 years ago that dungeon explorers began to appear. Ellos called these first ones to become dungeon explorers the 'Pioneers.'

The Pioneers raised their levels by exploring dungeons, and became the strongest in the continent by equipping items from the dungeons. By the time Followers, ones who obtained the qualifications to enter the dungeon by the Pioneers' acknowledgement, appeared, invaders began to appear in their continent.

These invaders arrived with large armies, and their goal was to massacre and conquer all residents of the continent. No words got through to them, and the residents of the continent were left with no choice but to fight back.

Against these enemies that used mystical weapons and magic, it was obviously only the dungeon explorers who could face them. This war that began 200 years ago still seemed to be raging on.

After becoming a dungeon explorer, Ellos also obtained a key position in his country. Now that he had climbed above the 20th floor, he was on the front line fighting against the invaders. When I first heard his story, I was shocked. I found it regrettable that all I could do to help him was to cheer him on.

"Does the First Dungeon have less explorers?"

[Yep. A dungeon explorer's qualities determine which dungeon he gets to go. Not that I'm bragging or anything, haha.]

"Consider it flattering me then."

[What? Hahahaha! Anyways, congratulations on getting a quest, friend. I'll pray for your success.]

"Alright, I'll talk to you later."

[Quest - Charge through the Ghosts

Content - Although you dawdled, unable to break through the 6th floor for over 3 years, you were able to somehow break through the 7th floor in two days. The First Dungeon's Floor Shop owner, Loretta, wishes to test the potential she sees in you.

If you can break through the 9th floor in a day, Loretta might give you a rare item unavailable for purchase.

Time Left Until Quest Ends: 23:46:14]

"Kiyaaaaa!"

"Hm, breaking through the 9th floor in a day... it shouldn't be too hard if I... eh?"

As I read the content of the quest in front of the 8th floor, lightning seemed to strike me as I finally realized something.

"I have to break through two floors in one day!?"

W-What!? I checked the amount of time I had left. 'Oh no, my precious 14 minutes!' I hurriedly began charging with my glaive in hand. The wraiths from the 8th floor went after me like ants that had just found a lollipop on the ground.

"Screw off! I don't have time to play around with you guys!"

I had 600 mana left.

'If I succeed in completing this quest, I swear I'll focus on the Peruta Circuit!' Making a belated vow of regret, I bravely held up my spear and charged forward like Don Quixote tilting at windmills. The only choice I had left was to rush forward!

[Stupid! I told you to contact me first. Why didn't you for so long!? Don't tell me you're going to stop with just a single message? You stupid Orc!]

It seemed like someone sent me a message, but I was too busy to pay attention to it.

'I am one with the spear. My spear is the spear that will pierce the heavens!'

[Y-You, I finally contacted you, don't tell me you're going to ignore me? ... Fine, you Orc. I don't know you anymore! I hope you slip and break your nose!]

"Kiyaaaaa!"

"Huaaaaaaaa!"

'Ah, I wonder who can stop this wonderful feeling I'm having! One with the spear, I shall rush forward! My only goal, the staircase!'

[Stupid! Stupid! I hate you!] [... I don't know you anymore... stupid...]

After about 15 hours, I finally reached the end of 8th floor.

"Haa... haa..."

"Oh, you look tired. You have 9 hours left. Are you sure you can do it?"

"Hu, huhu... O-Of course... Hu..."

Clearing away the annoying windows in front of me, I answered. So she really was the same person! Strange. How was it possible? I stared at her trying to figure it out, but the noona who's straight hair was memorable looked away with reddened cheeks.

"Even if you stare at me so passionately, I won't increase the time."

"No, that's not it."

"Compared to when you first arrived, you became much manlier. Even so, you're still 5 years too early. I prefer men who can protect me."

"No, that's not it either."

I didn't want to waste any more time talking to her, so I sat down and began eating beef jerky. Then, store noona began another conversation.

Her eyes were shining, unlike last time.

Author's note: Did you expect a 6 month time skip? Nope! You'll be seeing how our MC grew over the six months!