Chapter 36: At the Final Floor
After defeating two wolves on the 40th floor, I decided to head straight for the lower levels.
The monsters that appear are still as tough as ever, ranging from A to A+ rank, but their frequency seems to have decreased compared to before.
Furthermore, the floors also seem to have become slightly smaller, and I found the stairs to the 41st floor in just half a day. It seems that from the 40th floor onwards, it’s not the number of monsters or the size of the floors that hinder adventurers, but the quality of the monsters.
However, this makes the攻略 much easier for me. This is because Assassin Cats excel at stealth. With A+ stats and Presence Concealment and Magic Concealment, I can break through even if I encounter monsters without being noticed. Long live stealth.
In this way, while adjusting the number of battles, I reached the stairs to the 45th floor in two days. At this point, my level had reached 70, and the word “Evolvable” was displayed next to my level.
(Hmm, I wonder if I should hold off on evolving and try to go a little further?)
Evolution is possible, but to evolve safely, I need to return to a lower floor. However, since I’ve come this far, I’ve developed a desire to go a little further.
(If there’s nothing on the 50th floor, I’ll go back.)
Having decided that, I continued to progress while avoiding battles as much as possible.
(The next one is the 50th floor, huh?)
It took another two and a half days after reaching the 45th floor to finally reach the stairs leading to the 50th floor.
My level, which was already at its maximum at the 45th floor, had not increased, of course. Well, since the number of battles was almost zero, there was hardly any wasted experience.
More importantly, it’s the stairs leading to the 50th floor now. Until now, it felt like I was going through an artificial maze, but the stairs leading to the 50th floor were made of beautifully polished white marble-like stone, and there were even pillars with beautiful patterns carved on them on the left and right.
As I descended the spotless stairs, a very grand door appeared. It was about 3 meters high, and the double doors had reliefs of dragon-like creatures carved on them. At this point, a bad feeling flashed through my mind.
Normally, you would think there would be a dragon behind the door, but for some reason, neither my Life Detection nor Magic Detection can sense what’s inside. Is this room made of a material that interferes with detection?
(I guess I have no choice but to go in.)
I don’t know what’s inside, but since I’ve come this far, there’s no option but to go in. I braced myself and pushed one side of the door with my body. The door opened with surprisingly little force. I slipped my body through the gap that was created.
As I entered, I heard the sound of the door closing behind me with a clang. It also sounded like it was locked, but maybe it was just my imagination.
I pulled myself together and observed the room. The first thing that caught my eye was the size of the room. The circular room, which was about 200 meters in diameter, was entirely made of the same white marble-like stone as the stairs.
I couldn’t see any other exits at a glance, but I noticed a white mass in the middle of the room. It was a similar color to the white marble, so I was late in noticing it.
Since there didn’t seem to be anything else, I cautiously approached the white mass. When I got about 50 meters closer, the white mass suddenly started to move. It seemed that this white mass was a living creature.
A long neck that had been buried in the mass rose, and when I thought a slit had appeared on the surface of the white body, it spread its large wings in front of me.
Two horns grew from its head, which was 10 meters high, and only its eyes shone emerald green. It was very conspicuous because its whole body was pure white.
Its thick forelegs, which were stepping on the white marble floor, had sharp and large claws. Its long white tail was beautiful, but if I were to take a blow from that tail, I would probably be crushed flat.
Yes, what was in front of me was a beautiful and terrifying white Dragon.
(A, Appraisal)
Race: Heaven’s Door Guardian
Name: Zmey
Rank: SSS
Level: 200
HP: 2330/2330
MP: 3150/3150
Attack Power: 2980
Defense Power: 2870
Magic Attack Power: 3015
Magic Defense Power: 2995
Agility: 1960
Skills
Telepathy
Life Detection Lv30
Magic Detection Lv30
Light Magic Lv30
Fire Magic Lv30
Light Absorption Lv30
Fire Resistance Lv30
Water Resistance Lv30
Lightning Resistance Lv30
Earth Resistance Lv30
Wind Resistance Lv30
Confusion Resistance Lv30
Paralysis Resistance Lv30
Charm Resistance Lv30
Sleep Resistance Lv30
Petrification Resistance Lv30
Curse Resistance Lv30
Roar Lv30
Flight Lv30
Title
Guardian of the Door
(This is bad! This is bad! This is baaaad! What is this guy!? Huh!? His stats and skills are way too much!? Impossible, impossible, impossible! I definitely can’t win this… I might die here…)
After appraising the dragon in front of me, I resigned myself to my death. The difference in stats was too great. There wasn’t even a millimeter of a chance for me to win. But it also seemed difficult to escape. Yeah, I might be cornered.
The white dragon named Zmey was staring at me with its emerald green eyes. I was unable to move while being stared at by those eyes. After that state continued for a while, a voice suddenly echoed in my brain.
!? I was surprised! A voice suddenly appeared in my head. …Ah, is it the effect of the skill “Telepathy”?
Even so, I didn’t expect to be able to have a conversation. It seems more intelligent than I thought, and if I handle it well, I might be able to survive!?
Since I was confused and silent, it seems I’m still being mistaken for a cat. Maybe if I pretend to be a cat, it will let me out? But it doesn’t seem to be attacking me right away, so it seems to have a mild personality. As the fear I had felt until just now faded away, a desire to ask various questions began to rise instead.
I tried to speak as politely as possible so as not to anger it.
Does this dragon named Zmey not have Appraisal even though it’s so strong? No, is it because it’s so strong that it doesn’t need Appraisal?
2000 years!? That’s a very long time to be alone. And what does it mean by “guarding this place”? Could it be that there’s something here that needs to be protected?
Since it seems more talkative than I thought, I’ll ask about anything that interests me.
Mmm. Even more interesting information has come out. Evil God? Guardian? Could it be that the eerie door I glimpsed earlier is where someone called an Evil God is sealed?
I couldn’t see it when I entered the room, but I could see a door behind Zmey.
When he uttered the last words, Zmey’s eyes narrowed sharply, and a murderous aura filled the room. The pressure made it impossible for me to move. Goosebumps rose all over my body, and cold sweat ran down my back.
Zmey nodded in satisfaction at my desperately squeezed-out voice. The murderous aura instantly dissipated.
Calling a god’s messenger of SSS rank by his name is too scary. It’s too scary, but it might be even scarier to make him unhappy by not listening to him…
I tried to add “-san” but got glared at…
〈Well, of course. It has the name of a god, after all. Someone like me is no match for it.〉
Stronger than Zmey… I hope it stays sealed forever.
〈More importantly, you’ll answer my questions next! First, tell me about the surroundings of this Dungeon!〉
Unlike me, who was shocked to learn that there was a being far superior to myself, Zmey, despite being a dragon, looked delighted and fired off questions one after another.
After being bombarded with questions for a good two hours, I was finally released, just as I was getting fed up.
〈Fufufu. That was fun for the first time in 2000 years! As a reward for entertaining me, I’ll give you this. Take it.〉
Satisfied with the long-awaited conversation, Zmey placed something like a white crystal orb in front of me.
〈Um, what is this?〉
〈Hmm. This is a magic item that can only be used in this Dungeon. It connects the 50th floor and a hidden room on the 1st floor! If you use it here, you can instantly return to the 1st floor, and if you use it in the hidden room on the 1st floor, you can go straight to the 50th floor! Amazing, isn’t it!〉
Huh!? Is it okay to receive something so amazing? It’s limited to this Dungeon, but it means I can do spatial teleportation, right?
I tried to return it, thinking I couldn’t accept something so valuable, but when I saw Zmey’s beaming smile, I couldn’t return it and ended up accepting it. But why is a dragon so expressive?
〈Today was fun for the first time in 2000 years! Use that and be sure to come see me again!〉
Ah, so that’s why you were so generous… I’ve been completely locked on.
I don’t want to come to the room where the Evil God is sealed, but considering Zmey, who has been alone all this time, I guess I could visit again.
I received the white crystal orb from Zmey, said my goodbyes, and then poured magic power into the crystal orb. Then, the world went black for a moment, and the next moment, I was in a small room surrounded by light brown walls.
It seems this is the hidden room on the 1st floor. As Zmey had told me, when I held up the white crystal orb, a part of the wall disappeared, and I was out into a passage.
(I see, so you can’t find it unless you have this crystal orb.)
Having experienced the valuable spatial teleportation, I decided to return to my shack in the Royal Capital and evolve.