Leaving the chamber through the passage, Fati’s figure appeared in the main route’s corridor.
Having returned to the designated route, Fati didn’t relax; instead, he raised his vigilance to the highest level.
This was an iron rule paid for with the blood of countless predecessors—every rule in the adventurers handbook was soaked in painful lessons.
Because of this, the handbook’s reviews were nearly perfect; after all, not many people survived to give it a bad review.
Of course, Fati also knew he couldn’t blindly follow the handbook; dogmatism was to be avoided.
As people often joked: The Dungeon’s malice can always refresh your understanding of the “unknown.”
Otherwise, how did abnormal situations come about?
“Swoosh—”
Suddenly, a foul wind attacked from diagonally above.
Fati’s heart jumped, and he quickly rolled on the ground.
“Clatter!”
Debris flew as the ground where he had been standing was torn apart by sharp claws.
Fati spat out the dust that had splashed into his mouth, his eyes narrowing.
Without waiting to see the attacker clearly, he didn’t hold back; with a flick of his cloak, his right arm was already raised, magic surging!
“—Scorch!”
Two-thirds of a second charge!
“Boom—!”
“Hiss—”
Flames instantly enveloped the body of the Gecko Lizard, and the air was immediately filled with the smell of charred meat.
“Damn it, you piece of…” Fati cursed under his breath as he brushed the dust off himself and stood up.
If one were to ask which monster was most hated by Adventurers in the upper floors, the Gecko Lizard would definitely win by a landslide.
These brownish creatures, as long as an adult, hung silently from walls and ceilings all day, blending into the environment like patient hunters.
They waited for the moment their prey relaxed to launch a deadly sneak attack.
Many rookies’ first scars in the Dungeon came from their “warm greetings.” Fati was no exception; he had been “educated” severely during their first encounter, rolling on the ground in a mess and retreating in a panic.
That was also the first time he personally experienced the Dungeon’s intense malice toward Adventurers.
“That damn lizard is still after me.”
After swiftly digging out the magic stone, Fati complained inwardly.
‘It would be great if I had an ability to enhance perception; at least then my hundredfold mental strength would have more use.’
Adjusting his state, he conveniently took care of several Imps, Goblins, and Kobolds along the way, soon reaching the connecting passage to Level 6.
Semi-natural stone steps extended downwards, wide enough for several people to walk abreast.
Fati took a short break, took out the Monster Manual, and carefully reviewed the characteristics, attack patterns, and weaknesses of the new monsters on Level 6.
After taking a gulp of water, he took a deep breath and stepped into deeper territory…
Level 6, part of the Dungeon’s upper floors, specifically the middle section of the upper floors.
According to the standards and guidance of the adventurers handbook and the City Management Authority:
Levels 1-4 are for rookies who have just entered the profession and are exploring and training with ability values in the I to H stages—this refers to the general standard for average rookies, excluding abnormal individuals.
Levels 5-7 are recommended for those with ability values in the G-F stage.
Being able to raise ability values to this level proves that one already has considerable Experience, technique, and skill, has mastered the rules of the Dungeon, and has more room for error.
Fati’s ability values had long since met the standard; his previous activities on Levels 4 and 5 were just for safety—after all, he only had one life and didn’t want to lose it for no reason.
Now that he had the long-range attack magic Scorch, his safety was greatly increased, so he could naturally let loose a bit.
Stepping out of the passage, the view suddenly changed.
Gloom replaced the yellowish light of the floors above, and the cave took on a cold tone.
Although both were part of the upper floors, the passages and chambers of Level 6 were significantly wider than those above, and the overall area was more than just a bit larger.
As everyone knows, the Dungeon is shaped like a pyramid; the further down you go, the more vast the space becomes.
“Let’s start exploring.”
Fati gripped his short sword, raised his vigilance to the maximum, and cautiously moved forward.
As he went deeper, the Dungeon seemed to sense this “rookie,” so it decided to have a small celebration.
“Gurgle, gurgle—”
Fati’s footsteps paused, and he froze in place.
Watching the walls on both sides suddenly crack and many new monsters being born in front of him, he blinked.
“1, 2, 3…”
“Seven of them, all the new monster, War Shadows.” Fati’s mouth twitched.
“Is this really necessary?
Such a big lineup just as I arrive; you really think highly of me.”
Tightening his grip on his weapon, he quickly assumed a combat stance, his right hand hanging naturally at his side, magic ready to be unleashed.
“War Shadows, just like the description in the handbook.
In short, they’re like shadows—completely black from head to toe, about 1.6 meters tall with two arms and two legs, and…
a cross-shaped head with circular parts embedded like hand mirrors.”
“The most threatening part is the three sharp talons on their wrists.
Their attack method is melee combat, but because of the talons, their attack range is relatively short.”
“A War Shadow’s movement speed is not as fast as a Goblin’s.
It’s best to maintain a safe distance of more than 5 meters for combat; otherwise, the cost of potions for injuries and equipment repairs would be enough to make me suffer.”
After quickly finishing his analysis in his head, Fati had already made a decision.
“In that case, I’ll strike first!”
Just as the War Shadows landed and before they could steady themselves, Fati’s dishonorable magic was already blasted out!
“—Scorch!”
Still a third of a second.
“Boom—”
“Hiss—” The War Shadow that was hit didn’t even have time to scream before it instantly evaporated into a wisp of black smoke, leaving only a pile of ashes.
“They aren’t made of flesh and blood; the way they die is quite unique,” a thought flashed through Fati’s mind.
“—Scorch!”
Having lost two companions in a row, the remaining War Shadows were completely enraged!
They felt a huge threat from this man.
The mirrors on their cross-shaped heads flashed red, and the talons on their wrists popped out with a “clang,” as they rapidly closed in on Fati like arrows from a bow!
“Eh?
This speed?”
The War Shadows’ agility slightly exceeded Fati’s expectations.
He raised an eyebrow and unhesitatingly pulled back.
While running, he maintained his rhythm, his right arm steadily raised—charging, locking on, and releasing!
Run, release, run, release—
“—Scorch, Scorch, Scorch!”
Flames accurately exploded on the chasing black shadows one after another!
In just a few breaths, the seven black shadows had been reduced to two!
Seeing this, Fati turned and lowered his body, sliding with momentum.
With a shift in his footwork, he faced the angry monsters and raised his arm once more.
“Sizzle, sizzle—”
“Boom—”
The flames swallowed the target, the blazing firelight reflecting on his calm face.
“The last one, let’s test your strength.”
With a flick of his short sword, Fati didn’t retreat but advanced, taking the initiative to meet it!
“Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Clang—”
The short sword and talons collided fiercely, the piercing sound of clashing metal echoing through the passage.
“Power is average, agility and dexterity are above mine, but endurance is extremely low, and it has the fatal weakness of the magic stone.”
“Overall potential is mediocre, but this pair of talons is extremely troublesome.
No wonder they’re called rookie killers.”
After several rounds of testing, Fati was slightly alarmed; the talons were truly too sharp—fast, ruthless, and striking from tricky angles.
If he wasn’t careful, he could be severely injured.
“No wonder the drop material, ‘war shadow finger blade,’ can sell for 50,000 currency; these claws are indeed tricky!”
Paring away a fierce claw strike, Fati used the force to retreat half a step, his right arm already leveled, palm facing outward.
“Game over—”
“—Scorch!”
…”}],
“Crack—”
Leather boots stepped over the charred ashes on the ground, leaving clear footprints.
Having finished cleaning up the battlefield and storing the magic stones, Fati held his waterskin, lost in thought.
“Seven War Shadows with potential on par with mine were dealt with so easily.
Without [Scorch], I would have definitely been in for a hard fight.
I might have even had to use up some potions and deal with equipment wear and tear.
In the end, if no materials dropped, the gains wouldn’t be proportional to the expenses at all.
This trip would probably have been a loss, tsk.”
He clicked his tongue and thought to himself: No wonder those exploration-type Familia are always crying poverty.
It makes sense; without extra drops, relying solely on the basic income from magic stones is indeed hard to sustain.
No one could stand that.
Taking a gulp of water, Fati found it hard to suppress the curl of his lips.
“Being a Mage is great, fighting is fun!”