When monsters are killed and dissipate into black ash, their “cores” will drop.
These “cores” are Magic Stones.
Monsters operate based on Magic Stones, and Magic Stones are also magic crystals that can be obtained from monsters.
They contain incredible power; as long as they are taken to the Guild, they can be exchanged for money, making them the primary source of income for Adventurers.
“Tsk, such small Magic Stones…”
Asta looked at the three fingernail-sized blue-purple fragments in his palm, his tone inexplicably disdainful.
“To be precise, these are Magic Stone fragments.
The Magic Stones dropped by monsters on the first to fourth floors are all this size, and they’re worth very little farli.
These three in your hand are probably only worth about three hundred farli~”
At this moment, Raul walked up from behind, revealing the value of these three Magic Stone fragments.
That is, one fragment is worth one hundred farli.
In Orario, the most cost-effective thing three hundred farli could buy was ten portions of fried potato balls.
At large taverns, like The Benevolent Mistress, the most fashionable tavern in the West District, you could order one drink~
“Heh!
A mere three hundred farli, a dog wouldn’t even pick it up if it fell on the ground~”
Saying this, Asta put the three Magic Stones into the small item pouch tucked at his waist.
“Hey, hey… Didn’t you say a dog wouldn’t even pick it up?”
Seeing his behavior, Raul couldn’t help but blurt out a complaint.
“I was talking about three hundred farli that fell on the ground.
First, these are three Magic Stone fragments, and second, they were hard-earned by me, so it has nothing to do with what I said before.”
In response, Asta retorted righteously.
Raul: “…”
He hadn’t seen anything that could be called ‘hard-earned’.
In just three moves, Asta instantly killed three Goblins.
Waving a long spear three times is called hard work?
If the great person who defined the meaning of ‘hard work’ knew about this, they would probably be so angry they’d rise from their coffin.
However, after the first battle, Raul had a rough assessment of Asta’s strength.
At least, the monsters on the first four floors would probably pose no difficulty for him.
Plus, it didn’t seem like it was his first time fighting monsters; the whole process was very calm.
And recalling what the Captain told him yesterday about Asta awakening magic.
Raul inexplicably had a premonition that today he might be used as a support tool-person…
The kind who follows a “big shot” the whole time, picks up monster drops and items, and then gets no reward after leaving the Dungeon.
……
After the first wave of combat, it was as if some attention had been drawn.
After Asta and Raul passed each fork in the road, they almost always encountered one or two, or two or three monsters, starting a battle.
But it was futile.
He possessed combat skills and experience, and he had a set of excellent equipment.
Even though he had only received Falna yesterday, Asta had no pressure clearing the first floor of the Dungeon.
Like playing a hack-and-slash game, the two reached the end of the first floor’s passage unimpeded.
“Next is the second floor, going down?”
“Does that even need to be asked?”
Entering the Dungeon for the first time, receiving Falna and magic for the first time—these two first experiences brought a surge of excitement to Asta.
At least until he vented this excitement, he probably wouldn’t leave the Dungeon so easily today.
Entering the second floor, it was still a complex labyrinthine environment, endless, uniform, and monotonous continuous space.
However, it was clearly noticeable that the frequency of monster appearances had increased significantly.
Within the Dungeon, the types of monsters born from the walls on each floor are fixed.
Sometimes, some born monsters would climb up from a Lower Levels or climb down, but such special circumstances were rare.
They all followed the rule that the further down the floor, the stronger the monsters.
Depending on the floor number, the quantity and frequency of monster appearances also differed.
The further down one explored, the higher the frequency of monster appearances.
Asta’s first battle on the second floor was against six Kobolds.
Although called Kobolds, they were actually dog-headed humanoids with dark gray fur, about one and a half meters tall.
They carried no weapons; their sharp Claws were their best weapons.
“Hoo…”
Facing the monsters freshly born from the Dungeon wall, Asta chose to strike first.
His figure shot out like an arrow from a bowstring; a cold glint arrived first, then the spear struck like a dragon!
Stepping out onto the ground, power rose from the roots, and force penetrated the spear tip!
The chilling spear tip pierced through the bodies of two Kobolds, exiting from their backs.
Lingering for a moment, Asta flicked his wrist, and the black ashes that the two Kobolds dissolved into instantly scattered into the air.
“Goo, goo wo wo wo wo!!!”
Using the remaining momentum from his charge, Asta spun around and lightly leaped a distance, and the next moment, the spot he had just occupied was immediately pounced upon by two Kobolds.
However, they pounced on empty air.
As an Adventurer, or rather, anyone in any profession, there should be a conscious awareness when fighting monsters:
—Never take a hit you can dodge.
Perhaps Asta could have turned around and swept those two Kobolds out of the air, but what was the need for that?
After dodging the attack, two spear thrusts, like meteors, shot out, and the soul-stirring cold light intertwined in the air, adding two more piles of black ashes to the ground.
“Ga, ga ah!”
It was also at this moment that the last two Kobolds, with their limited memory storage not containing the words ‘escape,’ chose to rush towards Asta, brandishing their Claws like warriors.
Hesitating slightly, Asta did not react immediately, letting the Kobolds approach as he had his own considerations.
As the distance shortened, and even as the two Kobolds’ faces bloomed with ferocious smiles, believing they could send this human to meet their ‘Mother’—at that very instant.
“Dominus Lapidis!”
“Boom!!!”
In front of Asta, a huge rock pillar instantly rose from the ground.
The sudden appearance of the rock pillar violently blasted the two Kobolds into mid-air, while a shockwave erupted from the rock pillar, exploding outwards and dealing heavy damage to the Kobolds once more.
The Kobolds, violently smashing into the surrounding walls, were firmly imprinted within the walls.
Smashed into the wall, unable to be pried off—this phrase was very apt here.
Black mist shot out and scattered, and two more magic stone fragments dropped.
…
Following behind Asta, Raul’s prediction came true.
At this moment, he was like a newbie looting after a big shot, busy cleaning up the battlefield.
But while cleaning up the battlefield, he was also chatting with Asta.
“So amazing, Asta.
Was that magic you just used!?
A huge stone pillar suddenly appeared and blasted the Kobolds away, and then an energy burst exploded with a boom, instantly killing them.”
“That’s so good~ Magic…
so powerful and cool, I want to have such miraculous power too…”
This’Second-Class Adventurer’ from the Loki Familia let out a voice filled with immense envy.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”