"A destined encounter?"
"Yup!"
The boy before me, Bell Cranel, said something that I couldn't immediately comprehend.
"…Why?"
"My grandpa used to say that encounters are amazing and the essence of a man's dreams! That's why I came to Orario, to seek encounters!"
"Uh…"
This time, I understood. But I was at a loss for words.
"What's wrong?"
Bell leaned in closer, peering at my face curiously. He seemed completely genuine and serious about what he had said.
"Listen, Cranel. The dungeon we're heading into is an extremely dangerous place. Sure, it might have some of the things you're imagining. But for you to have those 'encounters' you're dreaming about, you'll need to be strong enough to protect the girls you meet."
"Y-Yeah."
I spoke rapidly, and though he seemed slightly taken aback, Bell listened earnestly.
"In short, if you want those encounters, you'll need to get stronger first!"
"I-I see. You're right."
He nodded, seemingly convinced by my fervent explanation. It looked like he got the message.
"Alright, let's go, Cranel! Our adventure begins now!"
"W-Wait!"
Just as I was brimming with enthusiasm to head to the dungeon, Bell stopped me, throwing off my momentum.
"…What now?"
"Well, if possible, I'd like you to call me by my name. We're partners in this adventure, after all."
"…Fair enough."
I turned to face him again and extended my right hand.
"Nice to meet you, Bell."
He looked surprised for a moment, then his expression softened as he grasped my hand in return.
"Nice to meet you, Toki."
….
"Hah!"
The sole of a foot came flying toward me. Shadows erupted from my back to stall it for a split second, just enough time for me to roll out of the way. The spot where my face had been moments earlier exploded with the force of the stomp.
"Tch, dodged it, huh?"
"Yeah, that was close! But!"
Using the shadow that had stalled him, I wrapped around Bete's leg while summoning a knife into my right hand. Springing to my feet, I slashed toward his neck.
He tilted his head back to evade, but my real target was his now-exposed head. From behind, a sharp tendril lunged at him, aiming to impale.
"Tch!"
Still in an unstable position, Bete flipped backward just in time to avoid the attack.
"Damn, so close."
"You think that's enough to take me down?!"
Bete came at me again, and I met his assault with twelve shadowy tendrils and my knife.
It was 6 PM. The sun was halfway set, its light streaming through the warehouse windows in a warm, orange glow. By then, our training, or rather, our deadly duel, had lasted nearly six hours.
At first, it really was just training. But before long, we began aiming for each other's weak points, launching attacks that could easily be fatal. What had started as a spar turned into a full-blown fight to the death.
After a series of heavy blows, we both stepped back to catch our breath. Bete's battle-worn armor was tattered, and he was breathing heavily. His body was covered in cuts, punctures, bruises, and other signs of combat. …Well, I was in a similar state.
"…Maybe we should call it for today?"
"…Yeah, let's do that."
I relaxed my stance but kept my guard up.
"By the way, what you said before the fight… It wasn't all lies, but it wasn't the whole truth either, was it?"
"…You're absolutely right."
The ability of my Infinite Abyss skill to nullify [Status] effects had a flaw: it didn't work through metal.
Thin materials like cloth weren't an issue. But if metal obstructed contact with the skin, my ability wouldn't take effect.
Bete must have noticed this about an hour into the training. He grew suspicious when my shadow defended against his punches but failed to block his kicks. From that point on, he focused his strategy around kicking.
There were two reasons I hadn't told him about this flaw. One, withholding the information kept him cautious about my skills. And two… admitting it just felt like losing.
Still, that was a close call. For the first time in my life, I saw my life flash before my eyes. I'd nearly died before, but this was the first time it was so vivid. Not to mention the several instances where I swore I saw a field of flowers across the river…
….The Power of the Challenger's Skill
The skill Challenger Flux was truly extraordinary. Temporarily gaining enough of a boost to fight on equal footing with a First-Class Adventurer was remarkable. Without this skill, I probably would've passed out two or three times during the fight. Though, even if I did faint, my body's sensitivity to killing intent would likely jolt me awake.
"So, what should we do now?"
"…These injuries. If we go back like this, people are definitely going to get suspicious."
"…Should we head to Airmid's place?"
"…Yeah, let's do that."
Without another word, we both started walking toward the warehouse exit. As the effects of Challenger Flux faded, my body felt unbearably heavy, like it had multiplied in weight. Still, there was no way I'd collapse in front of this guy. Forcing myself to stay conscious, I dragged my battered body all the way to the healing clinic of the Dian Cecht Familia.
….
Bete sat listening, well, half-listening, to Airmid's scolding. His attention was on Toki, seated beside him.
Today's training session was something else. This weakling had shown abilities far beyond what he had demonstrated previously. In fact, his performance today nearly matched Bete, a Level 5 First-Class Adventurer.
And yet, it shouldn't have been possible. The last time they spared, while Toki's movements were exceptional, his Status was nothing special, just a weak Level 1. Even if he had ranked up recently, he shouldn't have been able to keep up with Bete's speed and power.
The purpose of today's session hadn't been to boost Status, but to refine techniques and tactics. Despite being a mere Level 1, Toki had survived their combat through skill and strategy alone. As much as Bete hated to admit it, in this regard, Toki had surpassed him. That was why Bete had chosen him as a sparring partner, to sharpen his own tactical abilities.
But today, Toki had matched his movements. Bete still held a slight edge in raw Status, but the gap wasn't as wide as it should have been.
"This weakling is hiding something."
Still, Bete didn't pry. While curious, delving into another's Status was a breach of etiquette. Besides, asking would feel like conceding defeat to Toki, which was unacceptable.
Ultimately, it didn't matter. What mattered was that training with Toki not only achieved Bete's initial goal but also showed promise for improving his Status.
Toki's skill had truly nullified Bete's Status, allowing him to inflict direct damage. It had been a long time since Bete had been this beaten up.
"I can still grow stronger."
He resolved never to repeat the mistakes of their last bout. To that end, he would make full use of this weakling, thoroughly exploiting him.
"Hey, snake-boy."
"What is it?"
"Tomorrow, I'm definitely gonna kill you."
"That's my line."
…This weakling still got on his nerves.
Later, Airmid treated both of them, albeit not without eliciting some pained screams from the process.
"This one should do, right?"
"Yeah, that'll work."
Elsewhere, two figures, a High Elf and a Dark Elf from the Freya Familia, remained on the 15th floor of the dungeon.
Having regrouped with their captain, Ottar, they now prepared to carry out his orders. Ottar had assigned them a trial specifically tailored for Toki.
Standing before them was a towering Minotaur over two meters tall, clutching a stone sword forged from the dungeon's Landform Armory.
However, this was no ordinary Minotaur. It was noticeably larger than the typical specimen, a mutation.
In the dungeon, such aberrant monsters occasionally appeared. These unique individuals were far stronger than their standard counterparts.
"Let's put it to use."
"For her sake."
For these two adventurers, both Level 6 and part of Orario's strongest faction, even a mutated Minotaur was of little concern.
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Notes:Skill Clarification: The ability of Infinite Abyss to nullify divine power works much like a certain right hand of a well-known Imagine Breaker. It only nullifies divine power that it directly touches. Phenomena caused by abilities derived from [Status] cannot be negated.
For example, if a stone was thrown using an Strength ability, the power of the throw itself could not be negated. I hope this explanation clarifies things!
Additional Updates
The previously mentioned Freya Familia members have been revised to include the High Elf Hedin and the Dark Elf Hogni.
Additionally, the concept of mutated monsters, aberrant variants of standard dungeon creatures, is an original creation.
Feedback and thoughts are always welcome!
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