"Wald, are you sure this guy goes exploring the Dungeon every day?"
"That's right."
"I've noticed that his explorations actually follow a pattern. In most cases, he returns around noon, and only on very rare occasions does he come back in the evening."
When speaking of Ron's whereabouts,
Wald's tone was full of confidence. Even though this information was merely a conclusion drawn from two distant encounters, it did not hinder his attempt to curry favor with Ganu.
After all, this was a Lv2 adventurer!
Even if the other party looked down on him, clinging to a powerful leg like that would at least reduce some trouble for the Familia, right?
He analyzed carefully: "The floors that a Lv1 adventurer can travel to and return from within the same day definitely won't exceed the 10th Floor. With so many of us, we can search floor by floor."
"We'll definitely be able to dig this guy out of the Dungeon!"
"I believe that—with the strength you possess, Lord Ganu—an ordinary Lv1 adventurer would certainly have very little room to resist."
"You're quite clever," Ganu said.
This kind of shallow flattery was extremely effective.
Ganu recalled how people like Bruno had taken an interest in Ron precisely because of the equipment he carried, and he directly asked, "Is that guy very wealthy?"
"Yes."
"All the equipment he carries bears the mark of the Hephaestus Familia. It also seems to be in pretty good condition. Conservatively, it's worth five million…"
Upon hearing the total value, Ganu's breathing suddenly grew much heavier. As one of the few Lv2 adventurers in the Familia, even the weapon in his hands was still only a fourth-grade armament.
And it had only been obtained as a reward after siding with Zanis.
No wonder that group led by Bruno had taken an interest in Ron. Ganu swept his gaze over everyone present, and even his tone revealed impatience: "When the job's done, you won't be left out."
...
What advantages does a greatsword actually have when exploring the Dungeon?
When it comes to fighting other monsters, the sheer size of the weapon inevitably results in reduced mobility, forcing the user to rely on wide, powerful swings in combat.
But the advantage is—
There's no need for any technique at all; simply smashing down is enough to break through thick defenses!
Arriving at the 7th Floor, Ron watched as Killer Ants tore through the walls and gradually swarmed toward a nearby area. Once again, he was facing opponents manifested through soul transformation—Soulslike enemies modeled after DanMachi's native monsters.
Having mastered methods for breaking armor, he no longer felt the initial apprehension he once had.
However, when looking at the grotesque form of these giant ants, a chill still ran through him. Their close-combat methods were nothing to worry about; what truly demanded caution—was definitely the ant acid they sprayed from their tails!
"..."
Ron decisively drew 'Great Fortune.' With his right hand, he swung the greatsword and easily rested it on his shoulder, while his left hand held a short sword in a reverse grip, meant for finishing blows.
He presented his most focused combat stance to the monster before him.
Lowering his posture, he carefully observed every movement of the monster. Although he wanted to remain calm, the urgency of battle still made his body tremble.
This was not fear.
It was the instinctive exhilaration caused by adrenaline surging at the peak of concentration.
Just as the Killer Ant wriggled and stepped backward, preparing to widen the distance and spray ant acid, Ron did not give the monster the chance to launch the first attack.
Just as Ryuu had said, when facing a powerful enemy, one must strike first and seize the initiative!
Even though the greatsword was extremely heavy, the explosive speed unleashed the moment power gathered in his legs still allowed Ron to close the distance rapidly. Once he entered attack range, he swung the greatsword, bringing it down from above in a full-force slash toward the monster.
Bang!
The dull impact was exceptionally clear.
The thick armor on the Killer Ant's back, upon making contact with the greatsword, instantly formed spiderweb-like cracks and shattered at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Most crucially, even as a special monster possessing insect traits, when faced with a full-powered heavy strike, the joints in its legs were fundamentally unable to disperse the force.
As a result, the monster was slammed heavily to the ground.
"So I'm actually this strong?"
After stripping the Killer Ant of its armor, Ron looked at the monster's massive, ferocious head. When it attempted to regurgitate ant acid with its mandibles in preparation to spray, he decisively dodged aside, pulling back to a safe distance.
If he wanted to execute it—he would most likely have to leap onto the monster's abdomen, which was covered in sharp spines. As for the outcome, he did not dare to consider it.
He raised the greatsword once more.
When the Killer Ant slowly began to climb back up from the ground, Ron decisively lunged forward.
Using 'Great Fortune's' excellent attack reach, he thrust toward the monster's abdomen, which lacked heavy defenses, cleanly piercing straight through the Killer Ant's body.
"Feels like…"
"The difficulty doesn't seem as high as I imagined?"
But if he did not have this weapon, even if the Killer Ant were to stand still and let him hack at it, fully stripping its armor would likely take an extremely long time.
And if that were to draw the attention of a surrounding ant swarm—
Ron had no idea how many times he would have to die. But when he saw that the monster, even after its body had been pierced through, did not immediately dissipate, his pupils suddenly contracted.
It was common knowledge that Souls-type monsters all had a second phase when on the brink of death.
Something was wrong.
His gaze snapped to the Killer Ant's abdomen, which was swelling at a speed visible to the naked eye. This thing wasn't about to self-destruct before dying, was it?
"Damn it!"
It was already too late to pull 'Great Fortune' back out of the monster's body.
Ron had no choice but to temporarily abandon the weapon. As he rolled backward to rapidly widen the distance, he used the cave's corner wall as temporary cover.
Boom!
The outcome did not deviate from his expectations in the slightest.
The ant acid, imbued with extremely strong corrosive effects, was unleashed in an indiscriminate area attack along with the explosion of the Killer Ant's massive abdomen.
The walls splashed with ant acid—even though they were solid rock—were melting at a speed visible to the naked eye. Just seeing this scene made Ron feel as if his heart were bleeding. This was a weapon he had only just obtained!
The physics-defying holy sword of raw stats, 'Great Fortune'…
If it were damaged during his very first exploration in the Dungeon, he did not even want to imagine how speechless Hephaestus would be when he brought it back.
"Dungeon."
"So your goal is to destroy my equipment, force me to endure massive combat losses, leave me buried in debt, and make me completely unable to continue exploring the Dungeon?"
"Then you win."
With an anxious heart, Ron headed back toward the ravaged battlefield.
The pitch-black greatsword lay quietly on the ground. Using the faint illumination around him, he quickly inspected the condition of 'Great Fortune.'
The light flowing along the blade showed no signs of dimming whatsoever.
Let alone corrosion from ant acid—even on the edge that had directly faced the Killer Ant's thick armor, Ron could not find the slightest trace of damage or chipping.
At this moment, he finally formed a fully concrete understanding of the true value of a second-grade armament.
Ron picked up the dark purple magic stone that had dropped to the ground. After checking his surroundings and finding no other loot, he could only continue moving forward to explore.
"Well then, what's there left to say…"
Keep the music playing, keep the dancing going—
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