気合と霊気と不注意者

 

After getting to the 42^nd floor I was again made to see another weakness.

 

When I was still on the previous world, I’ve had only played solo when I had played games, however it was quite easy for me as long as I choose places where I can insta-kill monsters with my skills, or perhaps due to my higher offensive STAT to defeat the monsters or my higher HP count that I can withstand the abuse of monster attacks.

 

There was also the fact that even if I die I will just lose my items once I was lucky enough to get my hard earned equipment and cash, in some games I get my STATS lowered that was a pain in and itself. But nothing compares to the despair of losing one’s life, and right now I am currently running for dear life.

 

I have descended to the 42^nd floor the regular monsters from the 41^st floor (SNOW WOLVES, POLAR GRIZZLIES and SNOW CAITS) were added with two monsters in flight known as SNOW AVIANS and SNOW RAVENS and are now hunting me relentlessly.

 

Unlike the 41^st floor where I can take shelter in trees, the monsters here have no traumatic fears from them. I wonder if the TRENTs are local only to the 41^st floor. But there is no point in making such assumptions here and now.

 

Here also I can’t seem to have a breather as even on the caves they would continue to attack me, after learning this fact I always make sure to find a way to completely bar the opening before getting that well deserved rest or to warm myself on the hot springs.

 

*****

 

This is the problem associated only to solo players just like what I am doing now, since there is no one to cover my back during battles or someone to switch guard duties with while I take a rest, I have to do everything by myself and truthfully it has somehow taking toll on my mental and physical state.

 

Too bad, there was no way to recruit Wiezer or Kizuari into my party. Then again those two might be too over powered here and might end up relying on them too much. I could only sigh at my lonesome.

 

Now I really need to address this weakness, and soon too. Since there is no way to get party members late in my game I have no choice but to find way to strengthen my defense. Just for reference I tried asking Grim-chan if she can give me some hints but…

 

…I’m sorry if I won’t be able to help you there Captain

 

Apologetic, I could picture Grim-chan in low spirits. But I thanked her for trying anyway. So the next best option is really find a way to get myself stronger with skills and in the spirit of education whenever I want to get an idea for any skill I always turn to Lunamaia-sensei’s for inspirations.

 

*****

 

While scanning again for more knowledge, I found a lot of magic that would be useful solutions for my predicament:

 

There was a Poison Swamp -Non-Elemental Spell that would render an area poisoned, if I can cast such a spell I will be able to render half my assailant not fit for combat.

 

There was also the Smoke Paralysis another Non-Elemental Spell that renders opponents in the state of paralysis, if I can cast this I will have all opponents bowing at me.

 

However both spells are advanced magic, and requires about 40% of mana an input for it to be effective. I will not die from my enemies but will definitely die from my own magic… what a tragic way to die.

 

Although, those two spells were a no-no I still got an idea from them. Well, unfortunately I could neither spit paralysis nor can I excrete poison but instead something similar, the concept might have been from Lunamaia-sensei’s Notes but the idea were actually from Kizuari’s HOWL and Wiezer INTIMIDATION.

 

*****

 

Right, the monsters are attacking me because they feel that I am a push over, but if they realize that I am stronger than them they should be reserved in trying to attack me. Beasts by nature have natural instinct to inform them that their opponents are way stronger than them

 

That is why I have decided to find a way to make myself more intimidating and somehow render my opponents in a state of fear. If they become afraid of me then their attacks would also lessen. Or so at least that is what I am hoping.

 

So the idea is to create my own INTIMIDATION Skill by temporarily releasing my inner strength. There are a few things I could try to get to what I want.

 

One way is my own version of the Kizuari’s Howl. If I am not mistaken in martial arts there is something called a KIAI, a type of short shout that startle opponents, intimidates, express confidences, or express victory. By pouring out my innate KI on my shout, I can further this KIAI and use it to intimidate monsters attacking me.

 

Another is something I had read in one of the Lunamaia-sensei’s Notes a spell known as AURA, which increases those innate powers for some duration. But as we all know since I can’t use magic casting this so called AURA was going to be impossible. Instead I will be recreating a similar skill using KI and call it REIKI, the same foundation with my KENKI but instead of using KI on my sword, I will use it on myself.

 

I then use days for training for two skills KIAI and REIKI minding the days to ensure that no Dungeon Sweeper enters the stage.

 

And on the 7^th day I finally got the results I needed.

 

Captain you now look intimidating.

 

Yup I was now a bit intimidating as Wiezer was when he tested me on the Island Forest. I made sure to use it on some of the monsters and they either cower in fear or run, while some lessens their aggressiveness or instead take a defensive stance on me.

 

While it was not effective every time, it had reduced my combat time by half. Since it was almost 10 days I decided to leave before a Sweeper joins my already annoying hunters.

 

*****

 

The 43^rd floor was pretty much the same as in the 41^st and 42^nd floors, the monsters were aggressive in every way possible. While the lower tiered monster flinch and sometime run between their tails when I use my KIAI or REIKI.

 

The high leveled monsters did not even try to run but used some kind of howl to encourage or enrage the low leveled to pursue me despite their fear and lowered coordination due panic but while they were easy to deal with on those state, their numbers where not so trivial for me to make an easy victory.

 

And so this constantly battle being hunted has continued relentlessly. But I guess it can’t be help, I can’t really ask for help from any one here. There was the choice to stop the dungeon conquest and head back to the Island Forest, but I decided to head on until the difficulty becomes too hard to even fight on equal footing.

 

As of the moment, although I have difficulties defeating them, I am still able to defeat them, it was borderline difficult but still bearable. And thanks to my new skills steadily gaining proficiency it won’t be long before the battles do become bearable to some degree.

 

*****

 

Now I have to point out some changes I have noticed in this floor that makes this place dangerous: one was of course the high leveled monsters but more than that they were now somewhat equipping armors. What’s up with that, as if their defenses were not tough already, now they have added armors to the equation? It does make them slower than the low tiered monsters but, they aren’t going down easily that makes their armor worth the lack for speed. Really it was borderline cheating.

 

Another change would be the large pit in the center of this field which probably connects to the lower strata. How many floors it is connected to the floors below was beyond me and I sure don’t want to be the one who would try and find out. The very idea was sending chills down my spine and immediately took several steps away from it.

 

Since I did not know what type of monster I would encounter on the 35^th to the 40^th floors so for now I think that I should focus more on getting more proficiency in both my combat experience and battle skills and so continued to gain those precious experiences through battle on the 43^rd floor.

 

As of the moment my main goal before heading to the 44^th floor is to gain the experience and strength to shatter the armor wearing monsters. Thankfully, with my REIKI that raises my overall power and proficient KENKI this goal would not be a dream.

 

If to increase those odds I also made sure to sharpen my weapons that had dulled overtime due to clashing with the monsters. Thankfully the monsters disintegrating into particles of light after their defeat, making blood and grime also disappear which made my blades lasted long until now.

 

Eventually, with my diligence, I was able to increase my proficiency on my two new skills (KIAI and REIKI).

 

With my proficient KIAI I am now able to reduce the number of monster that try and hunt me, sometimes if they are really below me by a large degree, I can inflict a pseudo-paralysis due to the intense fear they feel towards me.

 

And lastly with my proficient REIKI and enhanced KENKI I am able to fully utilize what I had learned from my trainings with the boss of the North -Armorica. My defense shattering attacks have finally become effective against the armor equipped monsters on the 43^rd floor.

 

After spending 50 hours of combat time here on the 43^rd floor I think it was safe to head for the 44^th floor.

 

*****

 

I said 50 hours combat time, but I did not stay there straight, there was no way I would encourage a Dungeon Sweeper to hunt me. During my skills proficiency training I made sure to alternate between the 43^rd to the 42^nd floors.

 

By doing so I am able to reset the counter of the 10 days and stop the Dungeon Sweeper from entering the stage.

 

After arriving in the 34^th floor the large pit was also seen and made sure to avoid it as much as possible. Since I have no knowledge on what to expect on the mid-boss battle, I will now use the same strategy I used on the previous floor to gain an overall proficiency and enhancement on my combat experience and battle skills.

 

The monsters residing here are the same from the 43^rd floor (SNOW WOLVES, POLAR GRIZZLIES, SNOW CAITS, SNOW AVIANS and SNOW RAVENS) plus the higher tiered SNOW AVIANS and SNOW RAVENS known as GIGANTIC SNOW AVIANS and GIGANTIC SNOW RAVENS.

 

With familiarity against these monsters it should have been relatively easy, but from it had become difficult as the monsters here seem to have used some sort of steroids or something and have been frenzied.

 

The reason I am saying so is because of their heightened aggressiveness. While these monsters were already aggressive when I set foot on the 41^st floor, but they still express fear evident when they try to shirk away from the trees (TRENTS) or on the 42^nd and 43^rd floors where they run away from me when I use KIAI and REIKI.

 

Here on the 44^th floor however, the monsters disregard fear and do kamikaze attacks just to try to defeat me.

 

With this new aggressiveness I had no choice but to make use of the pit to my advantage and drop a few monsters there. Why did I do that, at first it was even a mystery to me. But these monsters tend to mob me especially on my blind side.

 

Due to that I was left with no choice but to make use of the pit but thanks to that I am able to concentrate in fighting without worrying about getting attacked in the back. But that might have been also a mistake.

 

Why, you may ask?

 

They say that ‘Carelessness is the Mother of Misery’, and as of the moment I am being caressed by that stupidity. It was not like I was too close to the pit or anything like that, but it had to crumble making the pit bigger, I guess it had something to do with the weight –there was just too many of us in the area.

 

And with that I and a handful of monsters started falling.