It only took one day for Ronan to stop moving stiffly and start moving naturally. He had already adapted to the rhythm of the 6th floor. Even though he still made mistakes from time to time, hunting monsters had become much smoother.
"Burn!"
Crackle...
"What!?"
The fight did not end the way he expected. The moment the spell flew out, the War Shadow twisted its body and the flames tore past empty air, scorching the space beside it instead of hitting its body.
"Burn!"
Ronan immediately slid closer, cutting the distance down to five meters before firing again and finishing the target. He stood there for a moment, staring at his own hand.
I messed up. Ten meters was too far in the middle of a real fight. My movement was unstable, and my aim fell apart.
He understood the reason right away.
The problem isn't the spell. The problem is that I've never really trained my aim.
If he had been using a bow, that would have been a normal thing to practice long ago. But now it was one more weakness he had to fix.
Thinking back to the time he had spent learning to use his short sword, Ronan felt a headache coming on. He glanced at the weapon in his hand and let out a sigh.
I need a staff. This short sword... might have to become a backup weapon.
A proper staff gave a magic user a huge advantage.
It could increase the power of spells, stabilize the user's Mind, reduce consumption, and improve accuracy. The difference was like fighting barehanded versus fighting with a real weapon in hand.
But proper gear for a mage was expensive.
Ronan shook his head and forced himself to stop thinking about it for now.
With Proof of the Traveler, he needed an enormous amount of valis. He did not want to spend his limited money on new gear yet.
His current goal was to keep pushing his abilities as far as they could go. That way, his Status could continue to grow through excelia, letting him get the most value out of his own growth before spending more money to buy stat points.
After resting for a bit, Ronan continued exploring.
As he moved, he took out a notebook and pen and began sketching a map of the area.
The Guild sold maps for the upper floors, but every adventurer knew the Dungeon was alive. Its shape could change over time. Because of that, adventurers often trusted the maps they drew themselves more than anything sold on the surface.
"Is this the room in the northeast corner? It's pretty big. Good for farming monsters."
Standing in the middle of the open room, Ronan looked around with the notebook still in his hand.
Gurgle...
Right then, the Dungeon sent him another "gift."
Cracks spread across the walls of the room. Under Ronan's watch, one War Shadow after another crawled out of the openings.
One much smaller figure tried to hide behind the others.
But Ronan noticed it immediately.
What's going on?
His expression did not change, but his thoughts sped up at once.
That's not a normal monster. The size is wrong. Is it an enhanced variant? No... it hasn't eaten anymagic stones. Then is it some kind ofSpecial Individual?
Damn it. On the 6th floor? This has to be an abnormal situation.
With his short sword in hand, Ronan lowered his center of gravity and fixed his eyes on the group. He watched every twitch of their bodies, every shift in their footing.
Nine War Shadows and one strange one. The room is wide enough to move in. The number is still within my limit. I can handle this.
From his previous tests, he knew he only started to feel real pressure when the number rose to around twenty War Shadows at once. As long as they did not surround him, his fast casting was enough to clear the field.
This number was manageable.
"Burn!" He attacked the instant he made his decision.
Without chanting, the spell shot straight toward the smaller Special Individual!
Boom—
Hiss— The War Shadows responded at once, their red eyes locking onto Ronan as they rushed him. He raised his guard another level.
The moment he saw the hit connect, Ronan retreated, widening the gap while continuing his attack.
"Burn! Burn! Burn!"
Ronan stayed low as he moved. His boots scraped across the stone floor as he ran and fired, ran and fired. The War Shadows came at him like a black tide, and one after another, their bodies caught fire and fell.
This time, he fought the entire battle with rapid casting. He focused on thinning out the ordinary War Shadows first, cutting down the pressure before dealing with the last one.
He thought the plan was perfect.
In fact, the tactic itself was working.
The room gave him plenty of space to move.
Ronan traced a path along the outer wall, turning sharply whenever the pack tried to cut him off. He used his speed and positioning to stay just outside their reach while waves of fire rolled over their bodies.
Screech!
After two rounds of spells, Ronan finally stopped and drew a rough breath.
This was the first true hard fight of his adventurer life.
From a safe distance, he watched the figures burning in front of him.
Just as he expected, the normal War Shadows all collapsed into ash. Only the small Special Individual was still moving inside the flames.
"..."
Staring at the smaller War Shadow still standing in the fire, Ronan did not move in carelessly. He kept exactly five meters between them, the distance where he knew his aim would not fail, and raised his hand for the final shot.
"Burn!"
The instant his arm moved, the War Shadow froze!
Then it exploded forward.
Ronan did not even have time to blink. All he saw was a black blur streaking low across the floor like a living shadow. It crossed the five meters between them in a single burst and appeared in front of him almost instantly.
The whole battle turned upside down in one heartbeat. Ronan's face went rigid.
Without a sound, the dark claws flashed up like black blades and stabbed straight toward his head.
Damn it! It was pretending? It can do that?
At the edge between life and death, Ronan's body moved before his mind finished processing it. He threw up his armored left arm to shield himself.
Magic Shield & Guard activated!
Slash—
The armor only managed to slow the blow for an instant before it was ripped apart. The claws tore deep into the muscle beneath it. Sharp pain shot through him so hard that it dragged a scream out of his throat.
"Agh! Damn it—!"
Luckily, the armor had bought him that split second!
That single instant was enough. Ignoring the pain, Ronan roared and twisted his left arm sideways, forcing the claws off line. At the same time, he drove his knee into the monster's body to knock its balance away, then snapped his elbow down to disrupt it further as he sprang back and fired with his right hand.
"Burn!"
Crackle, Boom—!
Tear—!
The black claws tore straight through the flames. The Special Individual burst out of the fire, its red eyes fixed on Ronan's wounded body.
Huff... huff... Ronan breathed hard. He stared at the monster that had nearly killed him.
That was close. If the flames hadn't slowed it for even a moment, I wouldn't have gotten away.
Blood dripped from his arm and splashed onto the floor in red drops. Cold sweat covered his forehead. The pain and pressure felt like needles drilling into him, yet at the same time, they sharpened his focus to the limit.
Now I know a few things. Unless it cuts through the spell with those claws, it can't survive more than two or three direct hits, even if it's a Special Individual.
Ronan's thoughts settled and became clear.
I see. During the first shot, it didn't tank the spell at all. It cut my magic apart. Then it pretended to be badly hurt and waited for me to lower my guard before trying to kill me.
A chill ran down Ronan's spine.
That kind of intelligence shouldn't be showing up on the upper floors. If I hadn't been suspicious from the start, I would already be dead.
Fear rose in him like cold water.
How filthy.
In the room, the man and the shadow faced each other again. Ronan's mind turned faster and faster.
My left arm is basically useless now. If my skills hadn't reinforced my defense, this arm would be gone.
The pain kept throbbing. Sweat ran off his chin.
Right now I only have one hand left that can fight. I have to choose between the sword and magic. But with that speed, it may not even give me the chance to cast.
The War Shadow moved first.
It burst forward with a speed that clearly exceeded the others, lunging at him like a streak of black light.
"Crap!"
Ronan had no time left to hesitate. The War Shadow had already made the choice for him.
He emptied his mind and focused everything he had into the next exchange.
Ronan drew his short sword fully and threw himself into close combat with the War Shadow.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The harsh sound of metal crashing against metal shook the room! Ronan turned his body again and again, barely managing to block with the short sword in his right hand while his injured left arm hung uselessly at his side.
Its attacks are too fast. If my endurance weren't this high, I'd already be done for!
For the moment, he could still barely keep up with the rain of claw strikes. But as the exchanges piled up, the strain began to show. Already wounded, Ronan's breathing grew heavier and his footing started to slip.
Scrape—
The claws raked across his armor and leather gear, leaving fresh marks one after another. Before long, damage covered his body.
Ronan's defense was starting to come apart.
This won't work. Against something this fast, the moment I lose the rhythm, I die.
A powerful sense of danger tightened around his heart.
I have to gamble. If I want to win, I'll have to show it an opening on purpose!