I’m unemployed but I’m exploring the dungeon again today – Chapter 37 – Thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh days – Part one

Today I’m going to the dungeon with the goal being taking down the boss of the twentieth floor.

I know the paths all the way there, and I looked into the boss too, so I’ve decided I can handle it.

With everything ready, I go out, and see heavy rain that’s practically guaranteeing my success. I can’t see five meters in front of me.

Maybe they mentioned one of those linear precipitation zones that have been happening a lot lately, but I didn’t see a weather report, so I wouldn’t know. I’m just taking it as a sign that the weather is cheering me on.

Thankfully, the trains haven’t stopped, but I hear an announcement saying they’ll be suspended, when I get off at the station.

I guess this is more serious than I thought.

I stop by the seeker association first, but there aren’t many people here, and it’s sparsely populated with employees too. I assume it’s the weather.

I get myself five Honto monster repellent, and head to the dungeon.

◇ ◇ ◇

The nineteenth floor.

By the time I got here, eight hours have passed.

I can’t say that’s a short amount of time, but it’s because I avoided fighting as much as I could. I want to go to the spring on the nineteenth floor, but that’s going to take some time too.

I’ll set up camp as soon as I get there.

I walk forward with my greatsword in hand, and four monsters come my way.

A giant spider, a skeleton, and two of the new monster on this floor, kobolds. Kobolds are canine bipedal monsters, and have weapons like the skeletons.

This time, I’m facing one with a sword and one with a bow. Yes, some of them can attack from a distance.

I dodge an arrow, and get ready for the skeleton and kobold that are coming at me. The skeleton is running on two legs, but the kobold has its sword in its mouth and it’s running on four legs like a beast.

The kobold jumps high, grabs the sword in mid-air, and swings it as it comes down. I block it with my greatsword, but the momentum of the falling kobold drives me back.

I swing hard to push it away, but the kobold lands nimbly and stares at me.

I block the next arrow with my shield, and cut down the giant spider as it attacks me from behind.

The skeleton and kobold see an opening, and both attack with their swords. I dodge the skeleton, and block the kobold with my greatsword, before opening some holes in its stomach by using my earth bullet shotgun.

This isn’t effective on skeletons, but magic works on kobolds, since they actually have bodies.

I smash the skeleton with my greatsword, and run at the remaining kobold.

It shoots another arrow, but it’s weak enough for me to smack down with my shield, and I keep running and slash the kobold.

With the battle over, I collect their materials.

I can sell kobold fur, but I give up on collecting it here, so I take the weapons and giant spider silk sac into my Storage Space, and continue onward to the spring.

And after a few more fights… I find a treasure chest before I reach the spring.

It should be obvious, but I’m opening it. Even if it’s a trap, there’s too much to be gained.

I open it carefully, and I find a small bottle that looks like a potion, but the liquid inside it is silver and looks like it wouldn’t be good for the body.

At least it doesn’t seem to be a trap.

I eventually reach the spring, where I’m alone.

I set up camp, prepare food, lay down a sleeping bag, and activate monster repellent. As much as I hate to say it, Honto’s monster repellent is great, and it even has raving reviews online.

I take my time eating, and since no one’s here, I jump into the spring to wash myself.

I’d die of embarrassment if someone saw me. Maybe. Actually, I think I’d be okay.

I’m creating earth walls around my tent to strengthen my defense, just in case. And after using a fresh new monster repellent, I go to sleep.

◇ ◇ ◇

I wasn’t attacked by monsters during the night, but pillbugs, the janitors of the dungeon, have gathered on the earth walls. I guess they see it as something to be removed.

I drink my ant queen honey and kuiii!!

Yep, I’m in top form again today.

I put everything back in my Storage Space, and move out. As far as I can see on the map, it should take me about three hours to reach the staircase.

My exploration goes smoothly, and after taking out as few monsters as possible, I reach the twentieth floor.

◇ ◇ ◇

The twentieth floor.

There aren’t any new monsters here. The ones that appear here are the ones that debut on the floors from the sixteenth to the nineteenth, skeletons, giant spiders, rock lizards, and kobolds. And there’s a high encounter rate.

I have to use considerable magic energy, and advance while having some trouble. That’s because I have to fight so much, but also because I have to use magic on the rock lizards. I can use my greatsword on any monster, but for rock lizards, I’d have to flip them over first, making it harder to deal with than the others. Using earth thorns is simpler, but my magic energy is limited, and I end up using more than half before I reach the door to the boss room.

I’ve used both stamina and magic energy getting here, but I should be able to still get through it without any issue.

The boss of the twentieth floor is called skeleton soldier. It’s equipped with armor, has high physical attack resistance, and it’s excellent at using its weapon.

And there are four of them. They each have their own weapons, and apparently their coordination tops even rock wolves.

They’re strong like you’d expect bosses to be, but they have a weakness. They’re weak to Holy Magic and Healing Magic, traits of undead monsters. By the way, I tried casting Healing Magic on a skeleton, and it ascended to the afterlife, looking almost pleased like it was sunbathing. Its effect was tremendous.

And so, I open the door without stopping to rest, confident I’ll win easily.

I’m cautious as I enter the room, but tilt my head at what I see in the center.

There should be four soldier skeletons. That’s definitely what I heard, but what I see is a two meter tall kobold.

The kobold is fully equipped with armor other than a helmet, and it’s sizing me up almost like it’s licking me.

It has a kabuto helmet in one hand, and a battleaxe called a halberd in its right hand.

This thing is bad news. The presence emanating from it isn’t normal.

This isn’t just a kobold, the pressure I feel is more like a superior warrior.

This is a boss monster. Not a skeleton soldier, but a warrior kobold boss monster.

I almost want to throw up. Did I get fed false information?

I might as well attack preemptively, so I fire an earth bullet and attack with thorns from under the monster.

The warrior kobold swings its battleaxe like it’s not a big deal, deflecting the bullet. And it crushes the thorns without bothering to dodge them.

I use that opening to approach it with Physical Strengthening, get around to its back, and swing my greatsword. But the warrior kobold dodges and kicks me away without even looking at me.

Thanks to my See Through and Spatial Grasp skills, I manage to block with my shield, but the impact goes through both the shield and my Toughness skill, meaning it damages me.

I vomit blood. It got my internal organs.

I immediately cast Healing Magic, but I don’t think I would’ve normally have the luxury. Monsters don’t normally turn a blind eye to a weak enemy.

But the warrior kobold is just looking at me like it’s bored, showing no signs that it’ll make a move.

Basically, it doesn’t even see me as an enemy.

…Don’t look down on me.

After I finish healing, I attack with magic again.

Unlike before, I’m thinking if it won’t move, I’ll use magic accordingly.

I destroy its footing, hindering its balance.

I guess this attack surprises it, because it tries to move, but many earth stakes around it rapidly grow towards its body.

But the sharp stakes that reach its upper body shatter once they hit its armor.

I’m surprised, but I keep going, and cut at it.

I swing my greatsword while vowing to myself I’ll cut it.

It should be a critical hit, but that’s assuming it hits.

It dodges by simply twisting its upper body, and kicks me again.

I block its kick with the back of my foot, but its force still runs through my body. But I make use of my divine bird boots to grab its foot with the talons.

I spin using that leg as an axis, and swing my greatsword again.

The warrior kobold doesn’t see this coming either, and looks surprised. It immediately blocks with its battleaxe, but the impact sends it flying against a wall.

I finally landed a hit. It was blocked, but I did hit it.

I took damage, but recover with a potion. My magic energy isn’t doing so hot, but there’s nothing I can do about that.

After recovering with the potion, I look at the warrior kobold.

It’s glaring at me, and it’s clear I pissed it off.

The air around it is different. It puts on the kabuto helmet, and I feel an overwhelming presence from its stance as it holds up its battleaxe.

A cold sweat runs down my spine. It’s like a whole other monster.

I regret provoking it, and hold up my greatsword again.

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