Chapter 1: Transference, and Then the Adventurer – 07
The next morning, I naturally delved into the Great Rock Dungeon. I made my way to the entrance of the third underground floor without encountering any particular issues.
It seemed that my adventurer level had increased to 4 along the way. I could now defeat Rock Lizards in a single blow, and even if two appeared at once, I could dispatch them in an instant.
“Maybe I’ll just go down a little further…”
Last night, I had treated a young man to a drink and listened to his tales. He mentioned that the third floor was merely a gathering of 4 to 5 Rock Lizards and Goblins, with no significant changes beyond that.
Of course, facing a group solo would increase the danger level considerably, but honestly, I was confident I could handle up to five of them.
This confidence stemmed from the fact that while I was consciously focusing on movement and positioning during group battles today, I felt a clarity of thought. I had likely acquired some kind of skill—perhaps something akin to “Thought Acceleration.”
I checked my equipment and descended to the third underground floor.
The corridors on the third floor were about twice as wide as those before. As I followed the map, I detected a presence with my “Presence Detection” skill. Five Goblins were approaching.
The Goblins moved to surround me. Naturally, if I stood still, I would be overwhelmed.
I raised my buckler and dashed forward with all my might. Without losing momentum, I slammed into the center Goblin, sending it flying, and continued to sprint through the group.
The Goblin that was knocked back was already dead. A body slam can be a fatal blow if there’s a significant weight difference.
I quickly turned around and began to strike at the Goblins, who were frantically trying to regain their footing.
My mace now had enough power to crush the heads of multiple Goblins in a single strike.
The battle turned chaotic, and I took a couple of hits from wooden clubs, but I managed to wipe them all out in about thirty seconds after the initial contact.
“Ouch… That’s going to leave a bruise…”
When I rolled up my sleeve to check, the area where I had been hit had turned a deep blue. It throbbed painfully, so I reluctantly used a potion. By the way, potions degrade after being opened for a while, so it’s generally a one-use item.
Dealing with group battles was more challenging than I had anticipated. Normally, this isn’t a situation where one fights solo.
I thought I could manage through tactics, but since monsters typically charge in, it quickly devolved into chaos.
If they had been Rock Lizards, I might have been bitten somewhere along the line.
“I suppose I need to come up with some countermeasures.”
With that in mind, I turned back and exited the dungeon. Since it was still early, I naturally spent a good amount of time training at the makeshift training ground.
On my way back, I pondered methods for tackling group battles.
That said, my options boiled down to “raising my stats and improving my equipment for brute strength” or “changing my weapon and tactics.” Of course, “forming a party” would be the most sensible approach, but I set that option aside for now.
As for “raising my stats,” I could simply continue what I was already doing: repetitive practice to enhance my physical abilities and skills while gaining experience in real combat. It was essentially the same training methods I learned in my school sports club.
So, what I should consider now was likely “changing my weapon.”
While the mace was indeed easy to handle and a powerful weapon in close combat, its short reach was a significant limitation.
Thus, while there would be some restrictions in narrow corridors, using a polearm could be a viable option.
In fact, the weapon shop owner had initially recommended a spear to me, but I couldn’t afford it at the time.
I decided to stop by the weapon shop for a quick check before heading to the guild.
“Hey there! Oh, it’s the guy from the other day. What’s up? Did your mace break already?”
The weapon shop owner was a man around my age, with a robust physique since he also worked as a blacksmith.
“Hello. The mace is fine. I’m considering a weapon for dealing with multiple opponents today.”
“Multiple? You mean you’re going to take on a horde by yourself?”
“Yes, that’s right. With the mace, it tends to turn into a chaotic melee, so I thought a weapon with more range would be better.”
“I think you’d be better off making some friends first… but I get it, you have your reasons. If you want to fight from a distance, you’d typically go for a ranged weapon, but that’s not what you’re after, right?”
“Correct, I’m not considering bows or arrows at this point.”
“Then a spear is definitely your best bet. A glaive or halberd can be tricky to handle, especially in tight spaces.”
A glaive is a type of polearm, while a halberd is a long weapon that combines a spear and an axe.
“That makes sense.”
“However, adventurer-grade spears are usually made entirely of metal, so they come at a steep price. The cheapest one starts at 280,000 Rom.”
He pointed to a sleek, black, two-meter-long spear propped against the wall.
Adventurer-grade weapons are made entirely of metal because a wooden shaft wouldn’t withstand the strength of someone who has undergone an Awakening.
“That’s still beyond my budget. I’ll save up and come back.”
“Sure thing. But if you’re taking on multiple foes, that means you’re heading to the second underground floor, right? Or was it the first floor?”
“No, it’s the third floor. Five at once is quite a lot.”
“You went to the third floor by yourself!? That’s impressive. Be careful. I’ve never seen someone your age become an adventurer before. Do your best to stay alive.”
“Thank you. Oh, by the way, I’m also looking for equipment to help strengthen my body.”
“Equipment to strengthen your body? What do you mean by that?”
“Well, to put it simply, just some weights. Something easy to hold, like this…”
I described the shape of a dumbbell. The owner tilted his head in confusion but then said,
“So you just need a heavy metal rod, right? Just a moment.”
He went to the back and returned with a metal rod about 5 centimeters in diameter and 50 centimeters long, wheeled in on a cart.
“How about this? Give it a try. Oh, and it’s heavier than it looks.”
As instructed, I lifted it, and indeed, it was incredibly heavy. It easily exceeded 50 kilograms—maybe around 100 kilograms. There was no way this was just iron. I wondered if such a dense metal even existed.
“That’s Dark Metal, an incredibly heavy material. It has some strange properties, like being weak to impact and not mixing with other metals, so it’s mostly used as weights. But it’s perfect for what you mentioned, right?”
“Yes, this should make for excellent training.”
“Just keep in mind it’s somewhat rare. I can let it go for 80,000 Rom, with a little markup on the cost.”
That wasn’t cheap. It wasn’t cheap at all, but I felt that having this would greatly enhance my training. I wanted to save for the spear, but building my foundational strength and skills through weight training seemed more versatile…
“…I’ll buy it.”
I left the shop with the incredibly heavy rod in hand.
Perhaps because my life as an adventurer in this world was finally taking shape, I suddenly recalled memories of my previous life while lying on the inn’s bed.
My parents were still alive, and with a younger brother and sister, they should be fine. I felt a bit guilty for the sudden burden my brother would have to bear, but since my heart had stopped, it couldn’t be helped.
As for my estranged wife… it seemed she already had a new partner, so it didn’t matter much to me.
I had been the chief of a new project at work, but I was sure someone would take over that role. Anyone could do a job like that.
What was there to worry about? My parents, siblings, and a few friends would mourn my passing, but that was about it. Of course, I felt some loneliness, but at my age, emotions don’t linger for long. I just had to switch gears and live out the “rest of my life,” albeit in a form I never imagined.
Speaking of which, the receptionist, Kisara, had mentioned something strange. She said that those who had undergone an Awakening tended to age more slowly. However, if one only fought weak monsters, they would age normally. In other words, if I wanted to live longer, I had to battle stronger monsters. Of course, fighting stronger monsters came with no guarantees of survival… it seemed to be a rather cruel system.
Wait, thinking about it that way, starting in middle age meant I had to become strong and fight higher-ranked monsters, or else my “remaining life” would end quickly?
What kind of nonsense was that? It sounded like a terrible game. What a horrible situation.
In that case, I couldn’t afford to dawdle in an F-Class dungeon. I needed to increase my training volume and earnings… so it seemed I was destined to live a life chasing quotas here as well. What a hassle.