“On second look, this is wilder than I thought…” I murmured to myself.
At home, I sat in my room and pored over my stats. The morning before, I was only at level 194. In two days, I had climbed to level 224. Fifteen entire levels. This speed was completely unprecedented.
“Now, where should I apply these 200 SP?”
I tapped the skill menu and checked the details. First, it displayed the skills I already had.
OBTAINED SKILLS
Dungeon Teleportation LV 10 → LV 11 (SP NEEDED: 500)
Enhanced Strength LV 3 → LV 4 (SP NEEDED: 40)
“Hrm. Looks like I need 500 SP to reach Dungeon Teleportation LV 11, huh?”
That was a lot, but I figured using that much SP could boost my levels faster in the future. Regardless, it was a moot point because I didn’t have that kind of SP to play with right now.
I looked at Enhanced Strength instead. Close-combat attacks were the foundation of my fighting style, so raising the parameters for physical aspects was important. The better my physical attributes were, the better I fought.
Still, I didn’t choose Enhanced Strength either. I wanted to see the new skills lower on the display. Swordsmanship, Healing Magic, Enemy Detection—there were lots of skills out in the world. I scrolled onward and found what I was looking for.
“Here we go.”
NEW SKILLS
Appraisal (SP needed: 200)
Item Box LV 1 (SP needed: 200)
Both skills unlocked for adventurers over level 100, which meant they were intermediate skills. I’d unlocked them a while ago, but I prioritized leveling up Dungeon Teleportation, so I hadn’t obtained them yet.
Appraisal would grant me the ability to see a monster’s stats and give me information on dungeon loot. It was an advantageous skill to have. General consensus said that at least one person in a party should have it. As a solo dungeon diver, that person had to be me.
Item Box—the other skill on the list—was also crucial for solo adventurers. For any adventurers, really. Item Box allowed the adventurer to store monster materials and other loot in a separate space. Adventurers could use it to swap equipment in unexpected circumstances and collect items they didn’t have room for and would otherwise abandon. A common trick of the trade was to store dungeon-dive equipment and normal clothes in the Item Box to change into at a moment’s notice.
These days, it wasn’t rare to see adventurers walk around town in armor. We sure drew stares though, and honestly, I’d rather stay incognito. So, given the choice between Appraisal and Item Box…
Each one costs 200 SP, so I can’t have both. But I’m gonna go back to Yumemi Dungeon tomorrow. I’m in no rush to get Appraisal. Guess that settles that.
I used 200 SP and obtained Item Box LV 1. At LV 1, I couldn’t store much, but it would help plenty. I was pleased knowing I wouldn’t have to lug my raw materials around anymore.
After that, I ate the delicious dinner Hana made for me and went to bed early in preparation for the next day.
✦ ✦ ✦
Dungeon Takedown Reward: Level increased by 5!
Level: 224 → 229
Dungeon Takedown Reward: Level increased by 5!
Level: 269 → 274
Dungeon Takedown Reward: Level increased by 5!
Level: 334 → 339
Dungeon Takedown Reward…
From that day on, I leveled up and up and up.
Goblins, kobolds, and gray wolves had nothing on me. After I broke level 300, even the harpy boss went down in one hit. As for the SP I gained every time I leveled up, I used that on Appraisal and Enhanced Strength.
I maxed out Enhanced Strength at LV 10 and unlocked better intermediate skills: Herculean Strength, Endurance, and High-speed Movement. I chose High-speed Movement to maximize my dungeon runs. The time it took to defeat the dungeon grew shorter and shorter.
Thanks to that, I defeated the dungeon thirty times in four days. My status morphed into this:
AMANE RIN
Level: 374 SP: 210
HP: 3,030/3,030 MP: 710/710
Attack: 760 Defense: 560 Speed: 800
Intelligence: 540 Resistance: 560 Luck: 520
Skills: Dungeon Teleportation LV 10, Enhanced Strength LV MAX, High-speed Movement LV 3, Appraisal, Item Box LV 1
Enhanced Strength LV MAX: +100 to Attack, Defense, and Speed
High-speed Movement LV 3: +300 Speed
“This is going well. Too well.”
My level, stats, skills—they’d all grown shockingly fast. At this rate, looping dungeon runs really could take me to level 100,000. Feathery-light hope swelled in my heart.
I had no idea my level-up routine would be interrupted the next day.
✦ ✦ ✦
When I arrived at Yumemi Dungeon, I instantly noticed more adventurers present than before. Oh, right, it’s Saturday. Weekends tended to draw more adventurers to the dungeons. Students and people with day jobs didn’t have time to dive during the weekdays.
With the way the level system worked, it was possible to level up by entering dungeons where they could safely explore and fight higher-level monsters without worrying about the danger. Stats gave advantages in daily life, so lots of people did it. Weekend Adventurers, basically.
For those people, the week-long Span wasn’t a big obstacle to their once-per-week dungeon diving lifestyle. They could defeat dungeons without any reservations or concerns. Here at Yumemi Dungeon, the monsters along the way didn’t give much experience or loot, but the Dungeon Takedown Rewards were decent enough to draw a good amount of attention.
“Better make sure no one sees me use Dungeon Teleportation,” I said to myself, heading for the Return Zone.