“Take this!”
With a loud thud, the Cave Rabbit fell to the ground. Roel’s strike with her staff had dealt a fatal blow to the creature. When we first came here, I was only Level 2, so it was only natural that things would be different now. The way I held my ground was clearly not the same as before. Compared to that terrifying incident in the Haunted Mansion, this rabbit was almost cute. I understood that much.
“The second basement floor isn’t scary anymore!”
Roel cheered, raising her arms in triumph. She seemed so happy that she didn’t even notice the bat swooping in behind her. It was only when I swatted it away with a swift motion that she finally snapped back to reality.
“You’re really strong, Lua-chan. I could never dodge something like that.”
“It was too much trouble to draw my sword…”
As we passed through the small room with the spring we had visited during Pablo’s request, we found a path leading downwards. We had reached the third basement floor. The atmosphere felt a bit dimmer. Perhaps it was due to the frequent comings and goings of people, but the lights on the walls provided some comfort. I couldn’t help but worry if the monsters would snuff them out. The corridor was wider than the second floor, making it easier to fight if we were ambushed. There were treasure chests here too, but the contents were mostly the same.
“If we follow the lights, we should reach it easily.”
“Yeah, but Kouzo said there are poisonous monsters around here…”
【Killer Tails x3 appeared! HP 53】
Three large scorpions, each about as tall as my waist, emerged from the depths. Their tails ended in menacingly toxic stingers. To have three of these appear out of nowhere was definitely tougher than the upper floors. They were quicker than they looked and had a long reach. The scorpions remained still, extending their tails toward me, ready to strike. I drew my sword, crouched to dodge the tail, and swung in an arc. The tail was cleanly severed and fell to the ground with a thud. Without hesitation, I sliced through the main body in one swift motion.
【Lua’s attack! Dealt 382991 damage to the Killer Tails!
Killer Tail defeated! HP 0/53】
I definitely felt more at ease with a sword in hand. The cutting edge of the Iron Sword was impressive, but I wondered if I could have moved more nimbly with the Wing Sword. It was too late to ponder that now, but Kouzo had mentioned that once this request was complete, he would reward me with an even better weapon. That thought kept me motivated.
“Wow, wow! I couldn’t have dodged that!” Roel clapped her hands in excitement.
Truth be told, I didn’t even need to dodge, but I did it anyway because it felt right.
“I guess I didn’t need this many antidotes after all.”
Roel peered into her bag of supplies. I had thought it wise to prepare for any eventuality, but with this many, it felt more like overkill. I supposed this was just the norm for a Danger Level 10 area.
As we continued, the corridor remained wide, with hardly any branching paths. We reached the fourth basement floor without any trouble when we sensed a strange presence.
“Someone’s here.”
“Wait, are there other adventurers ahead of us?”
“I don’t think they’re adventurers.”
“W-What do you mean? Then who…?”
The aura of curiosity was laced with a palpable killing intent, different from that of a monster. This was undoubtedly human. I didn’t know their intentions, but if they came at us, I would be ready.
【Killer Tail appeared! HP 53】
【Transformed Frog appeared! HP 65】
With the killing intent weighing on my mind, I had no time to waste and struck first. Along the way, I noticed a treasure chest that had already been opened. If someone had taken its contents, they were definitely the source of that killing intent. While pretending not to notice, we arrived at the mining point. I quickly set to work using the mining kit.
Suddenly, a thunderous sound echoed from behind us. It was a heavy noise that could only be described as a thud, and the creature we faced for the first time cornered us at the dead-end mining point.
【Calamity Beast appeared! HP 815】
The monster resembled a rhinoceros with the head of an elephant. The corridor that felt spacious to us was undoubtedly cramped for this beast.
“A Floor Monster…!”
Roel gasped in shock. Just the other day, Gantetsu had drunkenly explained about Floor Monsters. He had said that inexperienced adventurers who couldn’t gauge their own strength would be the first to fall prey to such creatures. The monster before us certainly had a commanding presence, but it was not much different from the battles we had fought on the second floor of the Abyss Cave. A fleeting worry crossed my mind that if it started rampaging, the cave might collapse, so I decided to take care of it quickly.
As the beast swayed, it suddenly fell with a cloud of dust and a loud crash. Behind the now motionless monster stood a large man, grinning widely, his fist still raised from the blow he had dealt.
“You kids sure got lucky.”
The giant, who seemed to tower nearly twice my height, approached us. He had a shiny bald head and a thin layer of stubble, with a body that looked like a muscle-bound giant.
“How on earth did two girls make it this far? But that was dangerous, wasn’t it? Adventurers who get a little too confident after gaining some experience on the upper floors often end up challenging this guy and losing their lives. Everyone says Floor Monsters are on a whole different level.”
“Um, thank you for saving us,” Roel said, giving a slight bow, and the man ruffled our hair playfully. Then he placed his hand on our shoulders.
“Well then, how about you leave all your belongings behind? It’s a small price to pay for your lives, right?”
So that was his angle. With that overly confident expression and his pushy kindness, I could see right through him.
“Th-That seems a bit…”
“A bit what? You’re not going to repay the favor for being saved? Huh?”
“I can repay you in another way…”
“Then how about you do something special with your uncle?”
“Eh, w-what? What do you mean by that?”
I could almost see question marks floating above our heads. He had thrown something unfamiliar at us, but it was clear it was something unsavory. He must have had this in mind from the start, so there was no need to hold back. I grabbed the hand resting on my left shoulder.
“W-What? What are you doing?”
The man seemed oblivious to the fact that a child was pushing his hand away. He pouted and looked at his arm. I then applied a light pressure to his wrist.
“Y-Youch! A-Ah, aghhh!”
He screamed as he fell to his knees, desperately trying to pry my hand away. When I released him, he staggered back.
“W-What the hell is happening?”
I wanted to ask him what he meant by that. He was likely confused.
“Me, Grundom, being held by a kid?”
He huffed and puffed, looking at me. So this was Grundom. He was even more pathetic than I had imagined.
“So you’re the Rookie Crusher, Grundom. Why are you doing this?”
“W-Whoa, am I already famous?”
“When a B-Class adventurer returns, they said they’d head straight out to hunt you down at the Guild.”
Roel glared at the giant as if he were something filthy. He was sweating profusely, but it seemed the pain had finally subsided, and he released his held hand.
“Heh, who cares about that!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Grundom lunged at Roel. With a practiced movement that ignored the uneven cave floor, he dashed forward. He intended to slam his log-like arms down on Roel, but he was too slow. I sighed, then jumped in front of Roel and blocked his swinging arm with one hand.
“Ouch!”
Was he really that slow on the uptake? Forgetting the pain from earlier, Grundom was once again hurting his prized arm against mine. It was as if he had struck an iron rod.
“Once more, I’ll ask you. Why are you doing this?”
“I-I can do whatever I want!”
Now he was starting to realize I wasn’t just some ordinary girl. His breathing became ragged, and he gritted his teeth. Grundom attempted to strike again with his fists. A flurry of punches came from both arms, this time ignoring Roel and targeting me. Left, right, back. I elegantly dodged each one. As I sidestepped to the left, Grundom’s fist sliced through the air to the right. The wind generated by his punches ruffled my hair slightly. No matter how many times he tried, he couldn’t even graze me, and his face was turning red, resembling a boiled lobster.
“Hah, hah, hah… W-What the hell are you?”
“I’m not going to lose to you.”
“What the hell are you?!”
As he roared, he charged at me with his massive body. If he couldn’t land a punch, there was no way a tackle would hit. I stopped Grundom with my right hand. He seemed to be throwing himself against an invisible wall, scraping the ground with his feet repeatedly.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
He roared at me like a raging beast, trying to intimidate me with his ferocious cries. Unbeknownst to him, this only made him appear pathetic, as if he were silently admitting defeat. Grundom continued to shout relentlessly.
“Damn it! What the hell are you doing here in this crappy dungeon? Are you an A-Rank or something?!”
“I just became a C-Rank the other day.”
“Don’t lie to me!”
“I’m not lying. Here, take a look.”
I held out my Adventurer Card for Grundom to see. As he read the truth written on it, the wild fury that had consumed him began to fade into silence.
“No way…”
Stunned, Grundom lowered his arms. Roel, still poised with her staff, remained steadfast, showing her determination to stand against this giant even as I overwhelmed him.
“I’ll ask you again. Why are you doing this?”
“It’s… it’s my business!”
Breathing heavily, Grundom stubbornly held his ground. Just when I thought he might relent, he suddenly pulled his arms back and swung them forward with all his might. It was likely his trump card, a technique that tore through the air with incredible speed, aimed straight at me. I drew my sword and unleashed a Sonic Ripper. Slowly, deliberately, I relaxed my strength to perfectly counter his attack. The result was that his strike was nullified by mine. However, perhaps I hadn’t held back enough, as the residual force of my attack struck Grundom’s muscular armor, causing blood to spurt forth.
“Ughhh!”
Grundom collapsed to the ground.
“Oh no, I did it…”
Roel rushed over to the groaning Grundom. She cast Heal on the fallen giant. Perhaps the pain had eased a bit, as Grundom managed to speak.
“Ugh… it hurts.”
“Does it hurt?”
“It hurts… it really hurts…”
“If you learn your lesson from this, please don’t do something like this again.”
“Damn it… damn it all!”
Despite having healed him, Roel’s gaze remained filled with contempt as tears streamed down the giant’s face. A grown man was sobbing, sniffling like a child. He seemed like a completely different person from the raging giant he had been moments before.
“Am I… am I really this pathetic?!”
“Lua-chan has been listening to you this whole time. Why are you doing this?”
“I hated them… both the ones above and below me. My peers who started with me have all become A-Ranks. We promised to rise together, to become A-Ranks together. But in the end, I was the only one left behind. And then, one by one, those who were C-Ranks started surpassing me… I thought I had reached my limit. I failed the A-Rank Promotion Exam and was doomed to wander as a B-Rank forever. I couldn’t compete with those monstrous A-Ranks, and even those below me were overtaking me. It was infuriating… I felt so pathetic… Before I knew it, I had started targeting the newcomers, crushing them one by one. I was jealous of those hopeful souls, those who were bound to rise above…”
Grundom spoke as if a dam had burst, his feelings pouring out like a flood. I could understand his emotions to some extent, but I chose to respond with anger.
“I was weak at first too. But I made it this far because I never gave up. I didn’t lash out like you did, Uncle.”
“…Do you know about the Level Cap?”
“Level Cap?”
It was a term I had never heard before.
Monster Compendium
Killer Tail
HP: 53
A scorpion that weakens its prey with poison before devouring it alive. Despite its size, it is quick and has a long reach, but it’s not particularly fearsome for seasoned adventurers. However, they can appear in groups, making it extremely dangerous if surrounded.