From the initial unfamiliarity and caution to his current proficiency and ease, it took Fati only a day to adapt to the rhythm of the sixth floor.
Although there were still flaws to be improved, the process of farming monsters had become quite smooth.
“—Scorch!”
“Sizzle…”
“Eh!!”
The expected end did not occur.
After the magic was released, the War Shadow was unharmed; the flames only ignited the air beside it, brushing past.
“—Scorch!”
Fati quickly closed the distance to five meters and decisively dealt with the target.
He stood there, staring at his palm.
“A mistake.
In a tense combat environment, the ten-meter distance caused my movements to warp, and the accuracy was too poor.”
He realized instantly.
“It’s not that the magic is bad, but that I haven’t trained in the ‘Marksmanship’ techniques related to magic at all.”
“It would be fine if it were a bow and arrow, but…
tsk, I’ve got more work to do now.”
Recalling the days of practicing ‘Dagger Arts’ hard, he couldn’t help but feel a headache.
Staring at the dagger in his hand, he sighed after a long while.
“I need a staff.
This dagger…
I’m afraid it’s going to have to take a backseat.”
A suitable staff provides an immense boost to a Mage.
Effects like amplifying magic, strengthening mana, stabilizing mental power, reducing consumption, and improving precision make it like the difference between being empty-handed and armed.
“But Mage equipment, tsk…
those who know, know.”
Fati shook his head, putting the issue aside for now.
With the ‘Proof of Transmigration’ in his possession, his demand for gold coins was a bottomless pit; he didn’t need to waste limited funds on equipment for the time being.
His current primary goal was to unleash his own potential so that exploring the Dungeon could continue to train and grow his ability values while accumulating extra [Experience].
This way, while gaining the effect of a [Double Experience Card], he could also minimize the cost of spending money to increase stats.
Having cleared his thoughts and rested for a moment, Fati continued his exploration.
As he moved, he took out a notebook and a quill to draw a map based on the terrain.
While the City Management Authority’s database certainly made maps of the ‘Upper Floors’ and part of the ‘Middle Floors’ public, it was well known that the Dungeon was alive and not unchanging.
Therefore, all Adventurers defaulted to the idea that hand-drawn maps were more reliable.
“Is this the Cave Room in the northeast corner?
It’s quite spacious, suitable for farming monsters.”
Standing in an open “room,” Fati narrowed his eyes and looked around, holding his notebook and quill.
“Gurgle—”
Just as the thought arose, the Dungeon’s “gift” arrived as scheduled.
The walls of the deep Cave Room cracked open, and under Fati’s dumbfounded gaze, one War Shadow after another was born.
One particularly small figure was trying its best to hide in the shadows of its companions to lower its presence, but it was instantly caught by the naturally cautious Fati.
‘What’s the situation?’
On the surface, he remained calm, but internally he was quickly on alert, while rapidly performing tactical thinking and intelligence guessing.
‘It’s not a mass-produced product of the Dungeon’s assembly line; the body shape doesn’t match.
A Enhanced Species?
No, it hasn’t killed and eaten its kin’s magic stones, so is this a [Special Individual]?’
‘Damn it, this is the 6th floor, what the hell is going on!
This counts as an [abnormal situation], right?’
Holding his dagger, Fati lowered his stance and focused intensely, his eyes fixed on the monster’s every move.
‘Nine War Shadows, one Special Individual.
The terrain is well-suited for kite tactics, and the number is within my tolerance.
Leaving half as a margin for error, it’s fine.’
According to his testing over most of the day, with [Scorch], he would only feel pressure when facing 20 War Shadows at once, and that wasn’t even his limit.
As long as he wasn’t surrounded, with his fast-attack long-range magic, being a little careful was enough for him to rampage through the entire 6th floor.
With the current number, it was more than enough.
“Scorch!” Zero-frame startup.
Without charging, a “Presence of Mind” Scorch shot straight at the Special Individual!
“Sizzle-Boom—”
“Hiss, hiss, hiss—” The War Shadows were stirred into a commotion by the attack, their crimson gazes focusing on Fati, making his heart tighten as he secretly raised his guard again.
Seeing the strike land, Fati quickly retreated to open up distance while launching consecutive attacks.
“Scorch!
Scorch!
Scorch!”
Fati stayed low, sprinting while flinging magic from his side.
Like moving targets, the War Shadows were swallowed by flames and fell one after another.
This time, he used instant-cast magic throughout.
He prioritized reducing their numbers to ease the pressure and avoid his movements warping.
Then he picked them off one by one, clipping their wings.
He considered this tactical execution to be perfect.
In fact, his tactics were indeed very successful.
The entire ‘Cave Room’ wasn’t exactly large, but it wasn’t small either; at the very least, it provided enough space for him to kite them.
Fati moved along the edges, relying on his superior agility and intellect to continuously kite the group of ‘War Shadows’.
Bursts of flaming fire ignited the monsters’ bodies, and the distorted shadows and screams formed a picture of exquisite cruelty.
“Hiss-aaaaah—”
After two rounds of Scorch, Fati stopped and took deep breaths.
This was the first “adventure” in its true sense in his career as an Adventurer.
From a safe distance, he cautiously and carefully watched those burning figures.
To his expectation, within a few moments, all the ordinary War Shadows turned to ash, leaving only the Special Individual still “struggling” in the flames.
“…”
Looking at the small War Shadow still struggling in the flames, Fati warily did not approach recklessly.
Instead, from five meters away—the limit distance where he could currently guarantee accuracy—he raised his hand, preparing to launch the final spell.
“—Scorch!”
At the very moment he moved, that “struggling” War Shadow suddenly stopped!
In the blink of an eye, it turned into a streak of black light and rapidly lunged at him.
Fati had no time to react; he only vaguely saw it racing across the ground like a real shadow, crossing the five-meter distance in an instant to be right in his face!
A sudden change occurred!
Fati’s expression froze, his wide eyes clearly reflected in the mirror-like part of the War Shadow’s head.
“—?”
Silently, the deep hook-claws turned into a soul-reaping black light, stabbing straight for his head!
“Fuck!
It was playing dead?
It can come back to life like that?
Shit!”
At the critical moment of life and death, Fati exploded with the fastest speed of his life, raising his gauntleted left arm to protect his front.
[Demon Guards Blessing] passive activated!
“Puchi—”
The gauntlet only offered slight resistance before being torn apart, and the hook-claws embedded themselves deep into his muscle.
The intense pain caused a shrill scream to escape Fati’s lips.
“Aaaaah, fuck—”
“Fuck—”
Fortunately, the gauntlet hindered it for a split second!
But this precious moment was enough!
Fati endured the piercing pain and gave a furious roar, “Ha!” He forcefully parried the hook-claws with his left arm and slammed his knee up, forcing the opponent off balance.
At the same time, he delivered an elbow strike with his right arm to hurt the opponent and cause a moment of stiffness, using the momentum to leap back and open up distance while simultaneously flinging a spell with his right hand!
“Scorch!”
“Sizzle, boom—!”
“Puchi—!”
A vertical streak of black light flashed as deep claws tore through the flames.
The Special War Shadow’s figure emerged from within, its crimson gaze staring straight at the heavily injured Fati.
“Heh…
heh…” Fati panted heavily, his eyes fixed on the culprit who had almost cost him his life.
His heart gradually sank.
‘That was close.
Luckily, Scorch hindered it for a second, allowing me to successfully open up some distance.’
Blood dripped down his arm, blooming dark red on the stone slabs.
Cold sweat soaked his forehead.
The intense pain and immense pressure stimulated his nerves like needles, yet they also brought an unprecedented level of focus.
‘After a brief exchange, I’ve gathered a few points of intelligence.
Unless it uses its claws to slice through the magic, even as a Special Individual, with its potential ability’s durability, it won’t survive two hits—at most three.’
Thinking of this, Fati’s thoughts instantly became clear.
‘I see.
So that’s how it is.
It makes sense now.
During the first attack, it wasn’t hit at all; it covertly destroyed my magic!
After that, it cunningly pretended to be heavily injured and played dead, just waiting for me to let my guard down and approach so it could ambush me and deliver a fatal blow!’
Reviewing all the previous actions, Fati was secretly alarmed, and a chill ran down his spine.
‘This kind of intelligence shouldn’t even exist on the Upper Floors.
If it hadn’t been for its body shape making me notice its abnormality and alerting me immediately, I’d be dead by now.’
At the thought, he couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat, fear washing over him like a tide.
‘Despicable!’
Inside the Cave Room, the man and the shadow confronted each other in silence, Fati’s thoughts racing.
‘My left arm is heavily damaged and out of commission.
If it weren’t for the skills [Demon King Crest], [Scholars Learning Heart], and [Demon Guards Blessing] strengthening my durability, equipment, and protection, this arm would be gone.’
The pain continuously stabbed at Fati’s nerves, sweat dripping from his chin.
‘Right now, I only have one functional hand left for combat, so I have to choose between the dagger and magic.
But with the speed it showed during that surprise attack, this guy might not give me a chance to cast magic at all.’
“—?”
The War Shadow moved from stillness to motion, accelerating to its limit in a way that defied the laws of physics, lunging forward as a streak of black light across the ground.
“Fuck!”
Fati had no time to hesitate; the War Shadow had made the choice for him.
Clear all distractions, focus!
Fati drew his dagger like lightning and began a close-quarters battle with the War Shadow.
“Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang—!”
The dense sound of clashing metal exploded in the Cave Room!
Fati turned sideways, struggling to parry with only the dagger in his right hand.
‘Such fast attacks, and it’s Dual-Wielding.
If its strength weren’t inferior to mine and I didn’t have much higher durability, I’d be finished by now!’
For now, he could barely parry the opponent’s rain-like continuous attacks.
But as the battle reached a fever pitch, the high concentration and heavy physical exertion, combined with having only one arm and being heavily injured, began to make Fati feel the strain.
“Scratch, scratch, scratch—” The hook-claws left scratches on his light armor and leather gear, which gradually increased until they were densely packed.
Fati’s defensive perimeter was breached.
‘This won’t do.
Against an agility-type opponent, once I fail to keep up with their rhythm and reveal a flaw, what follows will be a rain of attacks and a relentless series of fatal combos.’
A sense of crisis bit at his heart like a venomous snake; alarm bells rang loudly in Fati’s mind!
‘I have to go all out and take a gamble.
To break this deadlock, I’ll have to bait them by showing a flaw!’