Dungeon, 14th Floor
'They're getting a LOT stronger…'
Ryuta thought as he cut down another hellhound, flames shot towards him again from behind but he quickly dodged it.
'[Whispering Wind] has become increasingly ineffective…'
Dodging the attacks coming from various monsters, Ryuta continued to move quickly. His agility was high, an abnormality for an adventurer.
But Ryuta did not realize this, how could he? All he wanted was to do a limit test, he had not done any research on the dungeon or anything.
Running on just a few bits of knowledge, he jumped into the Dungeon believing he was going to have a quite in and out but-
It's been a few hours since he entered, the pile of magic stones has turned into a bag of magic jewels, the pile of monster drops had been turned into various magic tools.
In Ryuta's and the eyes of most magi, the items, barely enough to be called mystic codes were failed products.
A sword whose blade could reach a temperature of 1000 degrees celsius-
A dagger that carries a curse that prevents a wound from healing-
A ring that be used to cast healing magecraft-
A pendant that allows the user to wrap themselves in a coat of lightning-
These were all nothing more than toys in the eyes of magi.
Even Ryuta felt that these items were lackluster, the worst part about them lay not in their effects but at the cost-
For some reason, no matter how much he tried, Ryuta found himself unable to change the source of the energy used by these trinkets.
The trinkets he created all used up stamina, despite there existing some weird "Magic power" in this world, one that used up "mental strength", the tools he created all used up stamina-
It was not all that different from mystic codes, after all, the basis of mystic codes were OD, life energy but-
The jewel imprinted with spell formula's successfully used "magic power" but the tools- they didn't…
What Ryuta was unaware of though was the fact that the tools he had created were non-standard in this world.
The sword he had created for example, although all it could do was heat up the blade, that itself was already in the realm of "magic swords".
In a sense, Ryuta had created magic items that even those without a magic stat could use- items that many would kill to have-
Not to mention, the jewel he had created, they were basically grenades, magic bombs, not something worthwhile in the Nasuverse, but it was something that could change the tide in his current one-
Although the magic stat was not rare, the amount of people who had it and could use it continuously were few and far between.
There is a reason why adventurers NEED to form parties.
But that will be a problem for the future, for now, Ryuta was busy analyzing his opponents.
The rabbits that carried axes, the wolves that spat fire- there was even that mini dragon that appeared from time to time.
All of these monsters were easy to cut down but when he reached the 14th floor, he found that not only were their skin tougher, they also moved quicker, their attacks stronger and-
*BANG*
Ryuta dodged with a single step as a worm that looked like a smaller version of the dune worm emerged from the ground.
He did not make distance, instead, Ryuta's body was just a hair's width from the worm though his blade was extended-
*SHIIING*
Sheathing his crimson katana, the worm beside him froze as it split into two.
'Their magic stones are larger- although the drop rate of the materials did not change much, it's quite interesting how these monsters seem to have their existence level increase just by meeting them in a deeper floor-'
As his thoughts wandered, Ryuta continued to dance around the battlefield, testing the trinkets he had made on the monsters as he thought-
'Hm… could these monsters also have levels? I'm currently at level 1… wait- how do I level up? My stats… how do I improve those?'
Ryuta found himself suddenly at a loss, he did not feel any increase in strength which means he did not level up-
'Is it because I rushed down the floors too quickly? Was it because of that? Now that I think about it… in games this also happens, low level characters could advance rapidly in level but at one point they'd either need to stop at certain points to grind or follow the story quest to rapidly increase their levels…'
Although Falna was explained to Ryuta, the two Goddesses did not really explain to him how to improve his stats and level.
Maybe they thought it was common knowledge or maybe they didn't think a rookie would dive the dungeon past the 10th floor, alone…
The guild would have given the adventurers such a reminder but unlike a normal person, Ryuta did not inform anyone of his plans to enter the dungeon-
Hestia believed Ryuta was at the guild and she didn't really think that Ryuta would rush into the dungeon immediately… he didn't really show any sign of being that type of person-
Even Hephaestus would not think that Ryuta would rush into the dungeon after registering with the Guild-
It also didn't help that Ryuta was the type of person to act first, ask questions later… a nature that was hard to realize as he always kept a cool and composed bearing.
As such, with his lack of knowledge, Ryuta ended up creating a plethora of explanations based on his own observations.
Was it wrong?
Yes it was-
Is it stupid?
Yes and No.
Ryuta has the mindset of a magus, this mindset made him trust his own knowledge and experience more. He wouldn't really rely completely on second hand information if possible.
All of this had led Ryuta to proceed with his self-destructive act but-
Above all else, Ryuta was curious, like any sane magus, he was curious of this world, its laws and the nature of power.
It was a compulsion, like the desire to reach the root, any magus who finds themselves in the same situation as Ryuta would instinctively, compulsively act to "learn more".
This stems from the source of their power- magecraft, a system of power tied to mysteries.
Ryuta's origin had given him a cheat code that allowed him to subvert convention but even he had to follow the system.
At this moment, Ryuta was really curious, not only about his limits but also about his magecraft.
It works-
Although some things changed, the knowledge, the power he had still worked to an extent.
All of them had been reduced in power but-
Maybe it was tied to his stats?
Maybe his level?
The increase in power of monsters was a curious thing-
It may seem unrelated, but maybe it wasn't?
The deeper he went, the stronger monsters became.
These monsters were not trained, nor were they raised-
They were generated…
Why?
Why did the dungeon do this?
Why not just cause a stampede?
As he thought about the things he learned, Ryuta felt an even greater desire to know more, to see more and to gather more knowledge.
Without facing any problems, he continued to dive deeper until-
"Oops-"
*CRASH*
Dungeon 15th Floor
Stepping into the 15th floor, Ryuta had yet to stay there for 10 minutes before he met a powerful foe-
Initially, Ryuta thought it would be another easy fight until he parried the monsters attack believing he could deflect it yet-
He flew-
Deflection? The monster resisted it with sheer strength-
Ryuta had faced many opponents and the monster- its attack was like a boulder falling atop him-
No matter how skilled he was, what he needed was not simple skill, he needed strength- a stat that he lacked-
As such, without being able to put up any resistance- he was slapped away.
Ryuta crashed into a large stone, a plume of smoke covered him making the monster stop but Ryuta was not knocked out cold-
'Humanoid- bull headed monster… considering its appearance and power- is this a minotaur? Is it even called a minotaur in this world? Hm… most likely… writers are lazy that way~'
Despite being in a bad situation, Ryuta still found time to joke around- though, since he didn't want the monster- the minotaur to come charging at him, he kept all his thoughts in his mind.
'Now then… how the fuck do I get out?'
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