About a minute later, that uncomfortable feeling was still haunting me.
Ukyo's stare that kept watching, the way he followed from behind like a patient predator, and that thin smile that occasionally appeared on his face when he thought we weren't looking.
All of it made my hair stand on end.
But there was one thing I couldn't deny...
The breath entering my lungs now felt... normal.
Unlike before when it felt like inhaling glass shards, now I could breathe freely without that stabbing pain.
I moved my right arm slowly, then my left.
No more burning pain like before. Just the usual aches like after a heavy workout.
Ukyo's potion was expensive, but the effect was truly amazing.
"Hmm... looks like the potion's working well," Ukyo said, crossing his arms behind his head in a casual pose.
"I do have a good eye for choosing quality potions."
"Yeah, yeah," I answered and rolled my eyes.
He's still praising himself!
But I had to admit, my body had recovered almost completely. Even the small wounds that were still stinging before were now barely noticeable.
Gob next to me puffed out his chest imitating Ukyo, then pointed with his finger as if saying, 'You fraud, why are you so arrogant!'
Seeing Gob's terrible dramatic acting, Ukyo's face immediately turned sour.
"Hey! I already told you, I'm an honest merchant! And what do you mean arrogant? I'm clearly humble, okay?"
I didn't respond anymore. Standing up and stretching my muscles, I started observing the surroundings.
Floor 8...
The atmosphere was definitely different from the upper floors I was familiar with.
The first thing I noticed was the ceiling. If the upper floors had ceilings about three to four meters high, here it was almost ten meters!
It felt like being inside a giant cathedral.
The number and size of rooms also increased drastically.
The rooms here were much larger, but strangely, the length of corridors between rooms became shorter. Like a dungeon redesigned by an architect with different tastes.
If on floors 1-5 it was difficult to freely swing a spear, here it was the opposite.
And the sounds...
Monster sounds in the distance sounded different.
Deeper, more threatening.
No longer the crit-crit of Goblins or Kobold growls I knew well. These were strange noises that made my teeth uncomfortable every time they echoed from behind the stone walls.
Occasionally there were sounds like metal scraping against stone, like someone sharpening a knife. Or sounds like needles being stabbed into wood at high speed.
"Floor 8," I muttered, observing the dark corridor ahead of us.
"I've never gotten this far before."
Gob turned to me with a worried expression. Gob pointed anxiously toward the stairs going up, his gesture clearly urging us to return to floor 5 immediately.
But...
But wasn't I already here?
An opportunity like this wouldn't come again.
Usually I'd never dare go down to floor 8 alone with my 'I' status still average.
Too risky.
But now...
I glanced at my recovered body, my weapon that felt light in my hand again, and Gob who, although still a bit weak, could move normally.
Plus there was Ukyo, who although mysterious and suspicious, my instinct told me he was very strong.
Maybe he could be a safety guarantee if unwanted things happened.
"Gob," I said, turning to my little green buddy.
"Since we're already here, why not hunt for a bit?"
His eyes immediately widened.
With panicked gestures, he pointed to our newly healed wounds, then to the dark corridor, while shaking his head hard. His message was clear: this is bad!
"Calm down, calm down," I said, raising my hands.
"I won't be reckless. We'll just try fighting one or two monsters. Just to gauge their strength. Besides..."
I paused for a moment, staring at the stone floor beneath my feet.
'My status is still 'I'. If I want to level up faster, I have to be brave enough to face bigger challenges. Especially since after going home later I plan to ask Goddess Hestia to update my status.'
Gob still looked hesitant.
He pointed to his own body, then mine, with an expression that clearly said 'We're both still recovering! I feel weak right now.'
"Just for a bit," I coaxed with a casual gesture.
"If it turns out to be too dangerous, we can run away immediately. Simple."
I turned to Ukyo who had just been watching our conversation with curiosity.
"How about you, Ukyo?"
"Hmm?" Ukyo raised an eyebrow, then shrugged casually.
"I'm fine with whatever. I'm just a supporter anyway, so it's up to you guys. If you want to hunt, I'll follow. If you want to go home, I'll follow too."
He paused for a moment, then smiled with a somewhat strange expression.
"Besides, I'm curious how strong the monsters on this floor are. Are they strong?"
I fell silent. This guy's so arrogant!
Gob next to me made hesitant gestures.
He glanced at me, then toward Ukyo who was smiling broadly, as if weighing which was more dangerous: the monsters ahead or the crazy guy beside us.
But finally he sighed (or a sound similar to a sigh) and nodded slowly.
His gesture changed to 'Alright, but be careful. Very careful.'
"Thanks, Gob," I said, patting his shoulder.
"I know I can count on you."
We started moving deeper down the corridor.
Our footsteps echoed softly in the stone corridor. Every sound seemed amplified by the narrow space's acoustics, making even breathing sound loud.
Not long after, we heard a strange sound from ahead.
Thuk. Thuk. Thuk.
Like the sound of needles or thorns being stabbed into the stone wall repeatedly.
Were they practicing?
I raised my hand, signaling to stop.
The three of us stopped and sharpened our ears.
The sound became clearer. And from around the corridor bend, a figure appeared that made my eyes widen.
Needle Rabbit.
The creature was the size of an adult cat, with white fur that looked soft and red eyes that glowed in the dark.
But what made it dangerous was the long, sharp horn protruding from its forehead, like a giant needle that looked threatening.
The horn moved slightly with its head movements, ready to stab at any threat.
This monster moved in short hops, and every time its feet touched the ground, the horn on its forehead vibrated slightly and made a faint ringing sound.
"Needle Rabbit," I whispered to Gob.
"The most common floor 8 monster."
Gob nodded and immediately took a ready position.
Although his body was still recovering, his fighting instincts hadn't diminished.
I raised my spear, feeling its familiar weight in my palm.
"We'll try with one first," I whispered.
"You from the left, me from the right."
But before we moved, the Needle Rabbit had already noticed our presence.
Its glowing red eyes immediately focused on us. Its body tensed, the horn on its forehead erect like a nail ready to fire.
"Now!" I shouted.
We moved together.
Gob jumped left with movements still slightly stiff, his sword gleaming in the light from its quick swing. I moved right, spear pointed forward.
For using a sword, I'm not that strong. This rabbit better be careful.
The rabbit reacted with surprising speed.
It immediately jumped forward with horn pointed, like a living projectile shooting toward us.
I rolled to the side, feeling the wind from the sharp horn that passed my face by just centimeters.
Gob jumped high, the horn passing under his feet by a very thin margin.
"So fast!" I muttered, getting up from the roll.
But after the first charge attack, the Needle Rabbit needed a moment to reposition before attacking again.
There was a few-second gap to position its horn.
Opportunity!
I ran forward at full speed, spear pointed right at its chest.
The rabbit tried to jump away, but its movement was too late.
STAB!
My spear tip hit right next to its body, piercing through flesh and coming out the other side.
The rabbit didn't even have time to scream before its body disappeared into ash, leaving a small magic stone.
"Easy," I said, raising my spear and spinning it a few times.
"Turns out it's not as hard as I imagined."
Gob approached with a relieved expression. He made a gesture meaning 'Good, but stay alert.'
I nodded and picked up the magic stone from the Needle Rabbit that had turned to ash.
"Good job, Kaen!" Ukyo cheered while clapping slowly.
"Clean attack."
"You guys really work well together."
There was something in his tone that made me feel he wasn't entirely serious with his praise.
Like an adult praising a small child who just succeeded in riding a tricycle.
But I ignored that feeling.
What mattered was we successfully defeated a floor 8 monster relatively easily!
'Even though my status is 'I', I'm stronger than average,' I thought to myself.
'Or maybe I really can become strong without a status update?'
Confidence started flowing in my blood.
"Gob," I said, turning to him.
"How about we try our usual strategy? You be the bait, I'll be the ambusher."
Gob's eyes sparkled.
He nodded enthusiastically.
We'd used this strategy countless times on upper floors and it always worked. Gob or I would lure two or three monsters toward the corridor where I was hiding, then I'd attack from their blind spot.
Simple but effective.
"Ukyo, you stay in the back," I said.
"Watch the surroundings."
"Yes, captain," he answered, giving a military salute.
We started executing the plan.
Gob moved toward the left corridor while I hid behind a large stone pillar in the right corridor.
Perfect position for a surprise attack.
Not long after, I heard Gob deliberately making noise.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of his sword hitting the stone wall hard, creating echoes that drew attention.
Then I heard tap-tap-tap sounds getting closer.
Two Needle Rabbits appeared from around the corner, chasing Gob who was running while occasionally looking back.
Perfect.
As soon as both monsters passed my position...
SLASH!
I jumped from hiding, spear spinning in a horizontal movement that slashed both their necks at once.
The heads of both Needle Rabbits were thrown, their bodies collapsed together and turned to ash.
"Done!" I shouted, raising my spear.
Gob ran over with a proud smile on his green face. He made a gesture meaning 'Perfect strategy!'
We collected magic stones from both monsters.
"This is so easy," I said, throwing them to Ukyo and he caught them casually.
"At this rate, we can collect magic stones quickly."
We repeated that strategy again and again.
Gob lures three rabbits, I ambush from the blind spot.
Two rabbits appear, I slash with my spear.
I even forgot I had a sword - using the spear was fun.
Every execution went smoothly, and in an instant, the pile of magic stones in Ukyo's bag kept growing.
Our coordination, trained from hunting together all this time, paid off satisfyingly.
Within about an hour, we had successfully collected dozens of magic stones from various Needle Rabbits.
"Our chemistry really is amazing, Gob," I said, patting his shoulder.
Gob nodded proudly. Although his body condition wasn't 100%, his fighting ability hadn't decreased at all.
When we were sitting and resting while collecting the last magic stones, Ukyo, who had been silently observing, finally spoke up.
"This is too slow," he said, spinning magic stones on his finger lazily.
I turned to him with raised eyebrows.
"Slow? I think this is quite efficient."
Ukyo shook his head while yawning.
"You guys only get two or three monsters per trip. At this speed, it'll take a long time to get lots of magic stones."
"So you have a better idea?" I asked with a slightly challenged tone.
Ukyo stood up and stretched like a cat that just woke up.
"Why don't I be the one to lure them?" he said, pointing to himself.
"I can bring more monsters at once. That way, your hunting will be much faster and more efficient."
I paused for a moment, considering his suggestion.
Logically, his idea made sense. More monsters meant more excelia and magic stones. And he looked confident he could do it.
But...
It shouldn't be a problem, right?
"Are you sure you can handle monsters in large numbers?" I asked carefully.
Ukyo smiled with the same thin smile as before.
"Don't worry. I just need to run. No need to fight."
His explanation was simple and made sense.
"How many can you bring?" I asked again.
"Hmm..." he pretended to think while scratching his chin.
"Maybe five or six? Or ten? I'm not sure. But definitely more than what you guys can handle right now."
Gob next to me made hesitant gestures. His expression clearly said 'I don't think this is a good idea.'
But I was already fired up with the prospect of more excelia. Since I was going to update my status anyway, there was no harm in struggling a bit.
"Alright," I said finally.
"We'll try once. If it's too dangerous, we'll cancel immediately."
Ukyo nodded with fake enthusiasm.
"Okay! You guys hide behind that stone pillar. I'll go into the darker corridor and bring some new friends for you."
Gob showed gestures that clearly disagreed, but he followed my decision.
We both hid behind the large stone pillar that gave a good view of the main corridor.
Ukyo walked casually toward the deeper corridor, his hands even in his pockets.
Like someone taking an evening stroll, not someone about to lure dangerous monsters.
"Wait here," he said, waving his hand.
"I'll be back in a bit."
His figure disappeared into the corridor darkness.
Time passed.
One minute... three minutes... five minutes...
Ukyo still hadn't returned.
"Why is he taking so long?" I whispered to Gob.
Gob shrugged, his expression starting to worry.
"Did he get lost?" I muttered, peeking toward the corridor where Ukyo disappeared.
"Or did he meet a monster that's too strong?"
But my instinct said otherwise.
Although Ukyo acted casual and eccentric, there was clearly something that said he was dangerous.
I was sure he wouldn't die that easily.
So why wasn't he coming back?
Suddenly, from the distance came a familiar shout:
"KAEN! GET READY!"
Ukyo's voice!
Gob and I immediately got ready, weapons pointed toward the corridor.
Seconds passed in tense silence.
Then...
Ukyo's figure appeared from around the corridor bend, running at very high speed.
His face... was hard to read.
Between panic and... amused?
Like someone who just pulled a prank that was funny but also dangerous.
He passed our hiding spot without stopping at all, didn't even look over.
"UKYO!" I shouted.
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!"
He didn't answer, kept running at full speed toward the stairs to the upper floor.
And right after he passed...
I felt vibrations in the ground.
Strong, rhythmic vibrations, like thousands of small feet running together.
My instinct immediately screamed deafeningly:
Danger! Danger! Danger! Run now!
I peeked out from behind the pillar.
And what I saw made my blood freeze instantly.
Not five or six Needle Rabbits.
Not ten.
But a sea of red eyes glowing in the darkness!
Maybe dozens of Needle Rabbits running in tight formation, the sharp horns on their foreheads gleaming threateningly, their red eyes sparkling with rage and bloodlust.
The tap-tap-tap sound from their little feet created a terrifying symphony, like heavy rain pounding on a roof.
"OH SHIT!" I shouted, immediately rising from hiding.
Gob next to me also went pale seeing the terrifying number of monsters.
He made panicked gestures meaning roughly: 'WE'RE GOING TO DIE! RUN!'
Didn't need to tell me twice.
Without thinking anymore, we both immediately ran with all our might trying to catch up to Ukyo who was already far ahead.
"UKYO!" I shouted while running frantically.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?! HOW CAN THERE BE SO MANY?!"
My voice echoed in the corridor, mixing with the tap-tap-tap sounds getting closer from behind.
Ukyo running ahead looked back and answered breathlessly:
"I DON'T KNOW!" he shouted while continuing to run.
"I JUST HIT ONE OF THEIR HORNS UNTIL IT BROKE, THEN IT CALLED ALL ITS FRIENDS!"
"BROKE A HORN?!" I shouted in disbelief.
"WHO BREAKS A MONSTER'S HORN TO LURE THEM?!"
"I THOUGHT IT WAS AN EFFICIENT WAY!" he answered, jumping to avoid a hole in the floor.
"TURNS OUT THEY HAVE SOPHISTICATED COMMUNICATION!"
Gob next to me made a gesture that clearly meant: 'What a crazy person!'
We kept running up the stairs toward floor 7, the tap-tap-tap sound getting closer. Occasionally I could hear horn sounds scraping the walls behind us.
"They're still chasing!" I glanced quickly back, looking for a glimpse of our pursuers.
It was true.
The swarm of Needle Rabbits didn't stop at floor 8. They continued chasing us up to floor 7 with undiminished rage.
"Floor 7 isn't safe either!" Ukyo shouted from ahead.
"We have to keep going up!"
We ran across floor 7 at maximum speed, ignoring other monsters there.
Some War Shadows and Killer Ants that saw us pass looked confused, but they didn't join the chase because there was already a swarm of Needle Rabbits more interested in us.
Stairs to floor 6.
Stairs to floor 5.
We kept running without stopping, breath already gasping, legs starting to ache, but didn't dare stop for even a second.
Finally, after what felt like running a marathon, we reached floor 5 and the tap-tap-tap sound from behind started disappearing.
The swarm of Needle Rabbits finally stopped chasing, probably because they were too far from their territorial area.
All three of us immediately collapsed on the stone floor, gasping for breath, sweat pouring.
I turned to Ukyo to voice my complaints, but the words got stuck in my throat.
He was... exhausted.
Much more tired than me or Gob. Sweat flooded his forehead, his breath was gasping, and his hands leaning on his knees looked slightly trembling.
The man who was so casual before now looked the most fragile among the three of us!
He was like an old buffalo plowing a young field!
"Hah... hah... hah..." he gasped while holding his knees.
"Are you... okay?" I asked with confusion.
"Hah... yeah... hah... just... hah... a bit tired..." Ukyo answered, trying to smile, but his sweat kept flowing.
Strange.
He looked very strong and arrogant before.
Why did he look the most tired now?
But I was too tired to think about it further.
What mattered was we were safe.
..
..
..
"Haah... haah... haah... Ow." He said, lying on the ground not caring whether it was dirty or not.
"That... that was more intense than I imagined."
"More intense?!" I said with an annoyed tone, trying to regulate my breathing.
"You said you'd only bring five or six!"
"I also didn't expect them to react that strongly," he answered, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Who knew rabbits had such strong social bonds?"
Gob lying next to me made weak gestures meaning: 'I already said this was a bad idea.'
"Now I know," I said, closing my eyes, still trying to calm my racing heart.
'Don't let this guy lure monsters. Just let him carry magic stones!'
Ukyo chuckled softly, a strange sound considering we had just almost been eaten alive by a monster swarm.
"But it was fun, right?" he said with a fake innocent tone.
I stared at him with a look that could kill.
"Fun? FUN?! We almost became monster food!"
"But you guys survived, right?" he answered, sitting with his back against the wall.
"And valuable experience was gained. Now you know your capability limits on floor 8."
He had a point too.
Although the experience was very tense and dangerous, I now knew that my current ability really wasn't enough to face bigger challenges on floor 8.
Status 'I' might be enough to fight one or two Needle Rabbits, but for larger numbers?
Still far from ready.
"Alright," I said, slowly getting up from the floor.
"Enough adventure for today. Let's go up to the surface."
Gob immediately nodded in agreement. He seemed to really want to rest.
Ukyo also got up, dusting off his clothes.
"Let's go up then," he said, taking the bag containing magic stones we managed to collect before the earlier incident.
"And uh... about the potion bill..."
"Yeah, yeah," I said, rolling my eyes.
"I'll pay once we reach the surface and exchange the magic stones."
Although today's experience almost ended in death, at least I got a valuable lesson.
And maybe a new partner who's... unique.
Whether that's luck or disaster, I still can't be sure.