As Gripgrut was making his proclamation I took in his appearance, and just now realised something.

‘This fucker is SWOL AS SHIT?! Isn’t the stereotype for Goblin Kings to be fat slobs? This guy has muscles on his muscles! IS THAT A 12-PACK?! HOW?!’

Gripgut was at least 1.8 metres tall, and ripped out of his damn mind. Massive broad chest and arms thick as trees. His legs were no different. Yellow eyes and short black hair, with a clean shaved looking face.

‘To be honest, he’s not ugly like his kin. I wouldn’t date him as a human or anything, but he could pass for human if he had human colours for skin and a cloak to hide his face or something.’

Mumbling to myself, “But what is his level…?”

Gripgrut: “Oh? You know about the human system and their levels, little Artoria? Your knowledge is all over the place, if I am to be honest with you. You know their levels, but assume we have them?”

Artoria: “Eh? Yo- we don’t?”

He shakes his head, and relaxes his stance.

Gripgrut: “No. This is good. I will inform you, and clear my debt to you. Killing you without clearing that debt was honestly going to leave a bad taste in my mouth.”

Artoria: “Debt?”

Gripgrut: “Yes. You see, I firmly believe in paying back my debts because of the one who named me. I incurred a debt from you, because you provided me with some good entertainment by fighting my kin. But, at the same time, you incurred a blood debt towards me for that very same reason. I will tell you a little bit about levels to clear my debt, and then collect mine from you.”

Artoria: “...okay?”

Gripgrut: “So, the humans have their system from the Goddess, which has levels. And somehow that same system can “view” our levels if they have a skill called [Appraisal]. But we don’t truly have levels, as we’re not connected to that system. For we have no need of it. We, monsters like you and I, can get stronger by killing anything with mana in it, evolving, or by being named by someone (or thing) powerful. While the humans need that system to help draw mana from their killed targets to safely apply it to their bodies in the way of ‘levels.’ Following so far, little Artoria?”

Nodding my head, he continued on shortly after.

‘Why is he explaining this? No-one really believes that much in a debt system right…? Well, whatever, more time for mana regen.’

Gripgrut: “So, as I was saying. While the system can show our ‘level,’ it is not real and more like an estimate of our strength in their system of power. The one who named me thinks it does this by measuring the mana in us, and I am inclined to agree with him. From the mana I can sense from you, I would say you are in the upper limits of Rank F. Which is ‘level’ 10 and below.”

My eyes widened at that. He was really close to guessing my level!

Gripgrut: “Yes, you might be surprised to find out you are really so weak. The hobgoblins under me were all lower rank E’s. So, level 15 and lower. But, as you noticed and proved, levels are not the be all and end all. Up to a point. Well, I think that is enough information to cover my debt. I thank you, little Artoria. Truly, it would have left a bad taste in my mouth to not have cleared that small debt.”

He got back into his ready stance, which was just a boxer stance I think? Bringing up my sword in a two hand position near my head, I asked a question.

Artoria: “No weapon?”

He just gave a light chuckle.

Gripgrut: “You are not strong enough to warrant one, little Artoria.”

‘Tch, looking down on me. I am obviously lower level than him, but let's see how he likes an Evil Ray with all my remaining mana!’

Lowering my sword halfway with my right arm, and pointing it at him, it started to brightly glow and looked like it was giving off flames of purple-black and red. This caused him to smile at me.

Gripgrut: “That looks like a very dangerous attack, little Artoria. But-”

Without letting him finish talking, I unleashed the attack! Pumping my entire mana pool that was left into this attack caused it to grow quite splendidly in power.

The area around me was blinding with the power of the attack, and I could hear it ripping apart the stone of the cliffside Gripgrut was standing at.

The attack didn’t last too long, and soon it was over. I felt drained, but not exactly tired.

‘So, this is what zero mana feels like. It’s a bit uncomfortable, but nothing major.’

As the dust started to settle, my eyes widened at what I saw. Gripgrut was just standing there casually, with his right arm stretched out, palm facing me. The cave behind him was completely untouched, but it had looked like he split the attack to the sides of himself, as there were large and deep holes in the cliff side now.

Gripgrut looked to his left side and whistled.

Gripgrut: “That was not a bad attack, little Artoria. But is that the best you got?”

Before I could even get out of my stupor of him casually stopping my strongest attack, he vanished and was in front of me. I didn’t even get to register his back hand slap as I crashed into the ground below me forming a small creator.

Artoria: “Geh! Ack!”

Gripgrut: “Then your best won’t do.”

He then crouched down near my broken body and looked me over.

‘FUCK THIS HURTS!!!! One slap?! ONE?! How was I supposed to kill this fucker, you shitty god?!?! ARGHH, it hurts so much!!’

Gripgrut: “It is a shame you are a Fae, little Artoria. You are very beautiful for one so small. I would have taken you in as a concubine. Oh well. I don’t want you to suffer too much, as even that light tap was too much for you. Oh, by the way, I think you should know.”

He stood back up, and raised his left foot up to prepare to stomp on me.

Gripgrut: “In the human power system, I would be around level 45, a Rank B threat. Good bye, little Artoria. It was a pleasure.”

He then brought his foot down, and all the pain I was in was thankfully ended.

Opening my eyes to the roof of my shitty shack, I was about to swear up a storm again when a notice took my attention away.

Artoria: “NO SHIT IT FAILED! You shitty system and god!! What the actual FUCK. He was level 45?! How in the SHIT was I supposed to do anything about that?! GRIND?! Fucking useless ass god and system don’t know what a ‘starter quest’ is do they?! GAH FUCK YOU!”

‘As long as floor one isn’t some fucking bullshit that has nothing but Goblin Kings on it or some shit…’

Dismissing the new quest, I brought up my status.

‘Oh? I didn’t notice this before, but what are the plus signs next to my skills and spells?’

Bringing up the skills part, I got a notice asking me if I wanted to upgrade a skill to the next Rank, or learn a new skill. Wanting to see the new skills, and to see if I could change my mind later, I selected to learn new skills. It brought up three possible skills, and said I could only learn one.

Artoria: “Huh. Interesting how only Rend has a rank and level. Now, to test if I can back out and select Rank up.”

And much to my relief, I was able to back out and select rank up. Doing so, it said I may sacrifice one unlearned ability from my pool, to rank up one selected ability.

‘Huh, give and take kind of system I guess? Well, that’s fine with me.’

Selecting Retreating Slash for sacrifice, it listed the abilities I could boost. Much to my delight, it wasn’t just my skills, but also a few passives. And the one I wanted to boost, was thankfully there: Swordsmanship. I got a notice after confirming my choice.

Artoria: “Holy damn. No wonder that guard and Goblin King killed me so easily… if this is just novice level, I shudder at how stupid powerful the others are. Time to check magic~.”

Bringing up the magic section, and going to new skills I was again given three new options to pick from.

Confirming my suspicion on the supernatural dodge, it was like critical hits were blows and spells would seemingly miss for no reason.

‘Safe bet this will become invisibility, and that dodge part of the spell could be life saving at higher levels, so strong chance I am going with this spell. Hmm, now that I am thinking of it I bet accuracy bonus' counter supernatural dodge in some way? Other wise, no-one would be able to hit anyone else.’

 

Artoria: “Yes, go for it.”

 

Entering Unending Dungeon. Welcome, Artoria! This is floor NULL. Here, you can select which floor section to clear, or redo, via the door by thinking of the said section.  Good luck!

 

Dismissing the display, I looked around the floor. It was moderately large and honestly a bit bigger than my Inner Realm. There was a bed, a tree with what I assumed were apples near the bed, and a small looking area for bathing. There was only one door, which led to the dungeon proper.

 

Artoria: “Has no-one else ever been here before? Is it dungeon shenanigans and instanced, or will I meet others trying it? More importantly, am I the only one who can’t leave? Or even enter?”

 

Sighing and shrugging my shoulders, I floated over to the door, and went to open it. When my hand touched the handle, an image of a giant tower heading down appeared in my mind, with only floor one lit up. Selecting it, my vision was flooded by white light for a few seconds.

 

As the light faded, I looked around and saw I was in a vast open field like area. Floating up a bit, I could see a couple of horned rabbits hopping about here and there. And some distance away from where I was, I could see a door in the middle of nowhere.

 

Artoria: “Huh. Must be the next ‘floor’. Well, my [Danger Sense] isn’t going off from anything, so let’s get this slaughter started then.”

 

Lilith_Zenon

Well, how was it~? Did the fight go the way you thought it would? WERE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?! Hehe~. Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter~.