I'm sick of eating gross monsterrrrs!
Let this proclamation go down in history!
I vow to escape the Dungeon and eat delicious food in the outside world!
Which means that first, I have to escape the Middle Stratum!
There's a good reason I've declared my intent to escape this labyrinth so enthusiastically.
See, the frustration building up inside me has reached a boiling point.
Basically, the food here is god-awful.
A lot of days have passed since I became a monster for some unknown reason. Or is it days? I can't really tell.
The place I was born in is the world's biggest dungeon, with a capital D.
Unable to find a way outside, I've been spending all my time living in this labyrinth, but frankly, the food situation in here is unbearable.
I mean, the only things I can eat in this dungeon are other monsters.
Not to mention, those crystals they drop are all bland.
The fire wyrm I killed didn't taste even half-decent!
After all the work I put in to kill it, too…
There's only so much more I can bear.
If I stay in this stupid Dungeon, all I'll ever have is more gross monsters.
I'm so done with this!
I wanna go outside and eat a proper meal!
With this newfound determination, I've been revising my Dungeon escape plan.
Firstly, in order to get out of here, I need to travel from the Middle Stratum to the Upper Stratum.
The Dungeon is a huge underground structure, so in order of their proximity to the surface, it's the Upper Stratum, then the Middle Stratum, and finally the Lower Stratum. Also, though I've never been there, there's apparently a Deep Stratum.
I was originally born in the Upper Stratum.
That should be the layer closest to the surface.
Even there, everything was way too big and confusing, so I gave up halfway through on the possibility of escaping.
Then, after a lot of twists and turns, I ended up falling down a huge pit into the Lower Stratum, which was packed with strong monsters.
I somehow managed to get out of there, which is how I wound up in this fiery hellhole known as the Middle Stratum.
I don't know how expansive the Middle Stratum is, but if I'm not entirely off the mark, I should be steadily approaching the Upper Stratum…hopefully.
If I keep moving forward, I'll get there eventually.
As long as nothing goes wrong, anyway.
There are strong creatures like fire wyrms roaming around, so I can't let my guard down.
I mean, if I made one wrong step a little while back, that fire wyrm would've actually killed me.
And there's no guarantee there aren't even stronger monsters than that lurking around.
Like a straight-up fire dragon.
Dragons…
Just thinking about that word reminds me of the dragon Glaurung I encountered in the Lower Stratum.
That was definitely more terrifying than anything else I've seen in this world.
At the time, I couldn't even feel anger or regret.
All I could do was tremble in fear before such overwhelming power.
If I ever run into something that powerful again, I'm gonna run away without a second thought.
My top priority is staying alive. Escaping the Dungeon comes second.
I can't forget that.
Luckily, it's gotten a little easier to survive now that my combat ability has increased so much.
As long as I don't run into anything like that Glaurung.
But I seriously doubt that many equivalent monsters exist. Plus, the critters in the Middle Stratum are weaker than in the Lower Stratum, so I shouldn't have anything to worry about.
The fire wyrm I defeated was probably the boss of the Middle Stratum! Right? Gotta be.
Which means that as far as escaping from the labyrinth goes, my chances of reaching the Upper Stratum soon are looking pretty good.
As long as I continue exploring the Middle Stratum, I'm sure I'll hit the Upper Stratum eventually, and if I can train up some of my new skills like Spatial Magic, I bet stuff like teleporting will be possible sooner or later.
Once that happens, I could theoretically warp right up to the top without having to drag my butt all the way through the Middle Stratum.
But I have no idea how long it'll take to improve the skill or whether that's how it even works, so I better keep pushing ahead for now.
So anyway, I think the Middle Stratum will be fine.
The real problem is the step after that.
Escaping from the Upper Stratum to the outside world.
I don't know how that's gonna work.
Unlike the Middle Stratum, which has a single main path running through it, the Upper Stratum is more like a complicated maze.
Not to mention, it's ludicrously massive.
If I could learn Teleport and just pop outside, that'd be great, but I'm guessing there's a restriction of some sort. Maybe a requirement like you can only jump to places you've already physically visited…
That means I'll have to find an actual exit.
But given the size of the Dungeon, it feels like that could take years…
But I can worry about all that when I get back to the Upper Stratum.
Plus, even if I do manage to reach the outside world, there's still another problem.
In fact, that part might be the hardest issue to deal with.
'Cause, like…I'm a monster, y'know?
If I roll into a human town searching for some tasty food, I bet you anything they'll be all like, "A monster's attacking our homes! Kill it, kill iiiit!"
I mean, if I were a human and a monster suddenly appeared on the street, I'd probably react the same way.
Given this predictable outcome, I won't be able to get tasty cooked food no matter what I do.
Even if I do run into a human, I don't think I can just go, "Don't worry, tee-hee! I'm not a bad dragon!"
I have two ideas for how to get around this.
One option is to evolve a bunch of times to become a dragonoid.
I'd still be a monster, but if I at least have a humanoid appearance, maybe I'll be treated with a little less suspicion than an ordinary monster.
Plus, having that kind of body probably means I'd be able to talk.
However, the evolutionary path to dragonoid is pretty long, so I'd have to be doggedly persistent.
The second option is to obtain the Telepathy skill.
As the name implies, it's a skill that allows the user to converse using their thoughts, so even if I can't physically speak, I'd still be able to communicate my intentions to others.
Getting this skill would be a lot easier than evolving into a dragonoid.
But I don't think Telepathy would be of any use in combat.
Like I mentioned earlier, my top priority is ultimately to survive.
I can't really justify spending valuable skill points on a skill like Telepathy that isn't going to be useful in battle.
On top of all that, there's another very important point that poses a problem.
…I don't know the language of this world.
The Divine Voice (temp.) speaks in English somehow, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world will be so kind.
I mean, sometimes in stories that have similar settings to my situation, it just so happens everyone speaks the same language for convenience's sake, but this is a completely different world, so it's safer to assume no one understands my language.
If anything, it seems strange that the Divine Voice (temp.) speaks English in the first place.
I get the feeling it's better not to think too hard about that, so I usually ignore it.
Most of all, even if I do speak whatever language people use, I'm bad at talking to people.
I became a loner of my own accord because I prefer being alone!
It's true, okay? I'm not lying.
So, to sum it up, even if I do make it out of the labyrinth, I'll still have tons of problems.
Enough worrying about that. Let's take a look at my current status.
Ill Wyvern LV 15 Nameless
Status:
HP: 602/602 (green) +189
SP: 622/622 (yellow): 622/622 (red) +971
MP: 4,196/4,196 (blue) +437
Skills:
[Flight LV 6]
[Imperial Scales LV 2]
[HP Auto-Recovery LV 7]
[Height of Occultism]
[SP Recovery Speed LV 6]
[SP Lessened Consumption LV 7]
[Destruction Enhancement LV 3]
[Cutting Enhancement LV 3]
[Poison Enhancement LV 7]
[Deadly Poison Attack LV 3]
[Magic Warfare LV 2]
[Mental Warfare LV 4]
[Energy Conferment LV 2]
[Wyrm Power LV 1]
[Deadly Flame Attack LV 3]
[Flame Synthesis LV 7]
[Poison Synthesis LV 6]
[Utility Flame LV 1]
[Flame Control LV 8]
[Throw LV 7]
[Spatial Maneuvering LV 9]
[Stealth LV 8]
[Silence LV 5]
[Concentration LV 10]
[Thought Acceleration LV 7]
[Foresight LV 7]
[Parallel Will LV 2]
[High-Speed Processing LV 3]
[Hit LV 9]
[Evasion LV 9]
[Intimidation LV 1]
[Heretic Magic LV 10]
[Shadow Magic LV 7]
[Poison Magic LV 7]
[Spatial Magic LV 1]
[Destruction Resistance LV 3]
[Impact Resistance LV 3]
[Cutting Resistance LV 3]
[Fire Resistance LV 4]
[Dark Resistance LV 2]
[Deadly Poison Resistance LV 2]
[Paralysis Resistance LV 5]
[Petrification Resistance LV 3]
[Acid Resistance LV 4]
[Faint Resistance LV 3]
[Fear Resistance LV 7]
[Heresy Nullification]
[Pain Nullification]
[Pain Mitigation LV 7]
[Vision Enhancement LV 10]
[Telescopic Sight LV 8]
[Night Vision LV 10]
[Vision Expansion LV 3]
[Cursed Evil Eye LV 7]
[Paralyzing Evil Eye LV 5]
[Auditory Enhancement LV 9]
[Olfactory Enhancement LV 7]
[Taste Enhancement LV 7]
[Tactile Enhancement LV 8]
[Celestial Power]
[Longevity LV 1]
[Instant Body LV 1]
[Endurance LV 1]
[Herculean Strength LV 4]
[Sturdy LV 4]
[Escape LV 4]
[Demon Lord Seed]
[Perseverance]
[Pride]
[Gluttony LV 1]
[Solomon]
[Conviction]
Skill Points: 0
Titles:
[Foul Feeder]
[Assassin]
[Monster Slayer]
[Flame Technique User]
[Flame User]
[Poison Technique User]
[Monster Slaughterer]
[Ruler of Pride]
[Ruler of Perseverance]
[Ruler of Wisdom]
Man, I've gotten really strong.
My stats are a lot higher now, but I've got so many skills that you can barely even tell what's going on at a glance.
Still, though, it's crazy how much my magic stats have gone up.
That being said, my physical stats are still pretty low. On the whole, I've got a long way to go.
Still, I was able to defeat a wyrm, which is one step away from a dragon, so I think I'm allowed to be a little confident.
I could be on par with an actual dragon someday.
Maybe I'll eventually have my revenge on that Glaurung?
Nope, on second thought, forget that.
Earth dragons are scary. Seriously scary.
Several days have passed since I made up my mind to reach the outside.
Exploring the Middle Stratum has been going smoothly.
Yep, it's been alright so far.
Ever since I crossed the sea of magma where I was attacked by the fire wyrm and made it to proper land, things have proceeded uneventfully.
That's right, uneventfully.
In fact, maybe too uneventfully.
Liiiiiiterally nothing is happening, actually.
What I'm trying to say is that all the monsters around here, like the seahorses that used to attack me at every step, have instead been running away as soon as they lay eyes on me.
Now, that's surprising.
Aren't you guys supposed to be an aggressive species?
Shouldn't you get all fired up when you see a strong opponent worthy of your time?
Fleeing is disgraceful for a species supposedly known for its love of fighting, you see.
I know the reason they're acting this way, though.
Intimidation.
A skill that applies a "fear" effect to anything within my line of sight. It's like I'm the biggest bully in school.
Thanks to that, as soon as other monsters see me, they scatter with their tails between their legs.
Apparently, the fear effect is strong enough to overcome even a monster's most basic impulses.
I can switch the skill Intimidation on and off, so for now I leave it off, so I can hunt, but turn it on when a monster I don't want to deal with turns up.
Well apparently, I spoke too soon.
Ever since I arrived in the Middle Stratum, or maybe around the time I got Pride, I've been getting a lot stronger.
That's how I was able to beat the eels, fire wyrm, etcetera, etcetera.
I might've gotten a little too full of myself after I won that battle.
There's always someone who's stronger than you.
In my case, it's someone I already knew existed.
As I was traveling through the Middle Stratum, I found a huge hole.
It was a massive shaft that ran through the Middle Stratum to the other layers, similar to the one I fell through that led to the Lower Stratum.
But the instant I laid eyes on this particular pit, I felt an incredibly strong sense of danger emanating from it.
Since being reborn in this world, I've had countless brushes with danger.
However, I've felt an extreme sense of crisis and fear on only two occasions.
One of those was when I sighted Glaurung, a harbinger of death that I met in the Lower Stratum.
The other…is slowly coming into view at this very moment.
Red eyes gleam in the magma's glow.
The difference in size and presence can only be described as huge.
For the first time since being reborn in this world, I feel overwhelmed with despair.
Long time, no see.
Looming before me is an enormous black dragon.
Even if this is the largest labyrinth in the world, I doubt there are many of these creatures hanging around. If there were, I'd already be dead.
This must be the same one I saw shortly after being born.
Unfortunately, I can't Appraise it because it's so far away.
If I could, I'm sure its stats would be so horrifying that I'd probably have to laugh.
I am curious, but I definitely don't want to get any closer.
Despite all the distance between us, my legs are already wobbling.
I don't need to use Appraise to know in my gut that I should be terrified.
The black dragon moves slowly down the wall of the pit.
Then another enormous shadow draws near.
This monster is similar to the fire wyrm I defeated earlier, but it's definitely one size bigger, plus it has wings.
It must be a higher-ranked monster than the fire wyrm.
In which case, maybe it's a fire dragon?
This possibly-a-fire-dragon flies forward.
A swarm of Middle Stratum monsters follows close behind.
Ohhhh?! What's going on?! Is this an epic monster battle?! A territorial dispute?!
I gulp.
It feels like I'm watching a giant monster movie in the theaters.
But instead of seeing things play out on a screen, it's happening right before my eyes. This is intense!
The black dragon and the fire dragon army fiercely stare each other down.
I'm not close enough to Appraise them, so I don't know their stats, but if this fire dragon is comparable to that Glaurung, the fight might be evenly matched.
In terms of physique, the black dragon definitely has the advantage, but the fire dragon has its minions to make up for that.
However, my hopes for a lively monster battle are unexpectedly betrayed in an instant.
The black dragon matter-of-factly points its fangs toward the fire dragon and its army.
Immediately after, the world trembles.
I'm not using the phrase as a metaphor. The ground is actually shaking.
Even though I'm theoretically far removed from the danger zone, the aftershock is enough to knock me off my feet.
The vibrations run through the ground as if the entire Dungeon itself is screaming.
If I had to describe it with a sound effect, it'd probably be RATTLE-RATTLE! or KABOOM!
I don't really know what kind of attack it was. It was far beyond the scope of my comprehension.
All I know is, once I get back on my feet, I see a freshly made enormous crater where the fire dragon army once stood.
Do super-strong monsters have a hobby of making craters or what?
Maybe I'll understand when I'm old enough to be able to make one myself?
Ha-ha-ha… Okay, enough joking around.
Magma is flowing into the new crater.
Oh, I guess that's how magma lakes are made?
Huh? Wait. The fire dragon army… There's not so much as a crumb left behind!
Apparently satisfied with the results of the destructive attack, the black dragon slowly starts going back down into the pit.
Man, I figured that the black dragon was crazy strong for an Upper Stratum monster, but this is a whole other level.
I'm sure that species normally makes its home in the Lower Stratum, or even the Deep Stratum.
If that thing was wandering around the Upper Stratum all the time, it'd be enough to destroy the entire ecosystem there.
The offspring consists of dragons that are both "small" and "lesser," after all.
The fact that such an insanely powerful beast gives birth to such garbage-level small-fry baby monsters could probably be one of the Seven Wonders of the Monster World.
O Great Father/Mother! Why couldst thou not hand that incredible strength down to your children?!
My life in the labyrinth would've been so much easier!
Oh, but in that case, I guess the family feuds would get pretty vicious.
Those guys will happily kill and eat their siblings if they're hungry enough.
If all of them had the same degree of power… Yeah, that'd probably bring down the whole Dungeon.
All right, maybe it's better this way after all.
Forget the Dungeon—if a massive swarm of monsters that powerful existed, the whole world could very well collapse.
Aaaand while I was being distracted with these worthless thoughts, the Black Dragon vanished into the pit.
Even after the black dragon disappears, I stay in the same place for a while.
Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Fear Resistance LV 7] has become [Fear Resistance LV 8].
Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Stealth LV 8] has become [Stealth LV 9].
Even after the Black Dragon descended into the huge shaft, many minutes passed before I could no longer sense its presence.
I might have even been standing here for more than an hour.
Finally, I start moving again.
First things first. I put as much distance as possible between the hole the Black Dragon passed through and me.
If I climb up through that pit, I could probably reach the Upper Stratum, but I have no desire to do that.
I'm scared of that Black Dragon. Literally terrified.
Even if my brain can logic out that the Black Dragon won't find me, my body absolutely refuses.
Slow and steady wins the race. Or stays alive, at least.
Better to plan for the worst-case scenario. I can't underestimate how low my luck stat really is.
Seriously, how unlucky can I get?
Fire Dragon Rend (Danger Level S)
Status:
HP: 1,709/3,701 (green) (details)
SP: 3,698/3,698 (yellow) (details) : 3,665/3,665 (red) +91 (details)
MP: 3,122/3,122 (blue) (details)
Skills:
[Fire Dragon LV 1]
[Imperial Scales LV 8]
[HP Rapid Recovery LV 3]
[MP Auto-Recovery LV 6]
[MP Lessened Consumption LV 6]
[Magic Power Perception LV 5]
[Magic Power Operation LV 4]
[SP Rapid Recovery LV 1]
[SP Minimized Consumption LV 1]
[Magic Power Attack LV 4]
[Flame Attack LV 9]
[Flame Enhancement LV 7]
[Destruction Enhancement LV 6]
[Cutting Enhancement LV 2]
[Piercing Enhancement LV 2]
[Impact Super-Enhancement LV 2]
[Cooperation LV 10]
[Command LV 2]
[Spatial Maneuvering LV 4]
[Hit LV 10]
[Evasion LV 10]
[Probability Super-Correction LV 5]
[Presence Perception LV 10]
[Danger Perception LV 10]
[Heat Perception LV 3]
[Flight LV 7]
[High-Speed Swimming LV 10]
[Fire Magic LV 4]
[Cutting Resistance LV 1]
[Piercing Resistance LV 1]
[Impact Super-Resistance LV 1]
[Heat Nullification]
[Status Condition Resistance LV 1]
[Longevity LV 5]
[Magic Hoard LV 4]
[Instant Body LV 5]
[Endurance LV 5]
[Herculean Strength LV 5]
[Sturdy LV 5]
[Monk LV 4]
[Talisman LV 3]
[Rapid Movement LV 5]
[Gluttony LV 2]
Skill Points: 30,050
Titles:
[Monster Slayer]
[Monster Slaughterer]
[Commander]
[Dragon]
[Champion]
This guy suddenly pops out of the magma lake on the other side of the pit.
Yep. It's the fire dragon that the Black Dragon smacked down earlier.
Wait, so you're alive? That's crazy.
You got blown all the way over here by that attack, but you somehow managed to survive?
Seriously, you were able to tank that attack!? That's ridiculous!
This is no time to be impressed with the fire dragon's will to live!
This thing looks really mad that the Black Dragon waled on it!
Also, it's totally locked on to me!
I have nothing to do with it, okay?!
Okay, who cares about that right now?!
Hey, this guy is faster than me!
I've been stuck in a few situations now where I haven't been able to run away for one reason or another, but this is the first time the reason is because I'm outmatched in pure speed.
I can't escape!
This means I'm gonna have to prepare for the worst.
The fire dragon and I face each other down.
To be honest, I don't know if I stand a chance.
Its stats are definitely higher than mine.
It's got an attribute advantage over me, too.
Worst of all is that Status Condition Resistance skill.
As the name implies, it increases the dragon's resistance to my condition-inflicting attacks.
On top of its already high resistance stat, it's safe to assume that this thing's defense is insanely high.
I specialize in status conditions, you know.
So that's another advantage it has over me.
And its skill list is pretty stacked, too.
I've fought plenty of monsters with higher stats than me before, but usually, I had the advantage in the skills department.
But while I might still have a higher number of skills, this fire dragon's skills are as good or even better than mine.
Some are the same as mine, some are higher level, and some are even evolved.
So I lose in terms of skills.
And as a bonus, it's got the type advantage over me.
Nevertheless, I have to do it.
If I can't win somehow, this is where I die.
I steel myself.
It's not like I have no chance of winning at all.
Thanks to the Black Dragon's attack, my opponent's HP has been reduced.
However, the odds still lean toward my defeat.
I don't intend to lose, since I'm scared of dying, but I have to accept that it's a distinct possibility.
So I guess it's time to put my words into action.
I don't intend to die, but if I do, I want to go out in a blaze of glory.
Do you want to kill me, fire dragon?
Then you better be ready to come at me with everything you've got.
I'm not so weak that you can take me out without so much as a scratch, you know!
As I steady my resolve, I turn on the Intimidation skill that I've been keeping off.
My Evil Eyes are at full throttle.
Activate Magic Warfare, Mental Warfare, and Wyrm Power simultaneously.
Begin constructing magic spells.
Apparently getting the message, the fire dragon covers its body with flames.
The Fire Dragon must be the evolved form of the Fire Wyrm.
So I guess it makes sense that it can use the abilities of Fire Wyrm, too.
One of which is Flame Wrap, which is acquired at Fire Wyrm level 8.
It's an advanced version of the Fire Wyrm level-2 ability Heat Wrap, literally wreathing the user in an intense blaze.
On top of that, the heat generated increases the user's physical capabilities.
Apparently, the fire dragon recognizes me as a strong enemy that isn't to be trifled with.
Neither of us underestimates the other.
The curtain opens on a fierce, no-holds-barred battle.
The fire dragon spits a fireball.
It seems to be testing the waters rather than engaging in a serious attack.
Still, considering I'm especially weak to fire, it could easily wipe me out in one blow if I take a direct hit.
Not to mention, even this casual shot is on par with a fire wyrm's full-power fireballs.
I evade it with all my might.
Thanks to the combination of Hit and Probability Super-Correction, it's not easy to dodge.
Even the dragon's weakest attacks require every bit of my Enhancement and Evasion skills to overcome.
I have to make good use of Thought Acceleration and Foresight.
As the fire dragon spits another fireball, it starts closing the distance between us.
The fireball is just a distraction—the real attack follows close behind.
Bending its long, snakelike body, the monster whips its enormous tail at me.
This simple physical attack is augmented with the power of those flames, an effect that could easily prove fatal to me.
I narrowly avoid this attack as well.
The fire on its tail grazes my body.
That alone is enough to reduce my HP slightly.
If it weren't for Thought Acceleration giving me time to recognize the fire dragon's approach and Foresight predicting its movements, it would've been a much closer call.
For now, my Evasion combo seems to ever so slightly outmatch the fire dragon's Hit/Probability combo.
But things aren't looking good.
No matter how long I fix my Evil Eyes on it, the fire dragon isn't becoming paralyzed.
The Cursed Evil Eye is reducing its HP and SP by the tiniest amount, but it's having little effect on its stats.
Both abilities are probably butting heads with the dragon's incredibly high resistance.
With enough time, I think the Evil Eyes should still take effect, but it's not like the fire dragon is going to politely wait around until that happens.
I barely manage to avoid claws that fly at me shortly after the dragon's tail recedes.
Feeling cautious after I avoid all its attacks, the fire dragon backs off a little.
I have only two things going for me at the moment.
One is that the fire dragon isn't starting out at full health thanks to the Black Dragon's attack.
Its HP has been cut nearly in half, and while it has stocked up MP as well as SP thanks to Gluttony, those stocks have been reduced quite a bit.
And since my Cursed Evil Eye is shaving off its HP faster than its HP Rapid Recovery skill can counter, it won't be healing anymore.
The other silver lining is that it doesn't have its army.
The fire dragon's skills are mostly enhanced versions of the fire wyrm's.
Naturally, it can do anything a fire wyrm could.
Specifically, I'm thinking of the skill the fire wyrm used to back me into a corner and cause me all kinds of pain.
Command, an advanced version of the Leadership skill the fire wyrm had.
A skill that can control its minions with even greater power.
Luckily, the dragon's soldiers have all been wiped out by the Black Dragon's attack.
This is a pure one-on-one fight.
However, even after taking all that into account, the fire dragon still has the advantage.
I fire a Poison Shot as I dodge the fire dragon's attack, but it disappears before connecting with the dragon's body.
The effect of Imperial Scales must have weakened the magic's structure before it even came into contact with the dragon's flame-covered body.
And once it did, it was weakened enough that the Flame Wrap simply evaporated it.
The fire dragon didn't need to take any evasive action. Its defenses were enough to nullify the Poison Shot either way.
This monster has attack power that means instant death for me on top of defense that won't budge from any weak attacks.
If it feels like it, the fire dragon probably could use its speed plus its Evasion and Probability Super-Correction skills to avoid Poison Shot, too.
Okay, this officially sucks.
Thanks to my Cursed Evil Eye, the dragon's HP is slowly decreasing.
But honestly, there's no way I can bring this huge number down to 0 with Evil Eyes alone.
I would collapse from exhaustion long before then.
I'm not expecting much in the way of stat decreases, either.
I mean, it is working. A little bit.
But the speed at which its stats are dropping is much slower than when I use it on other monsters.
Paralyzing Evil Eye is my best hope for a reversal.
But then again, it's probably best not to get my hopes up.
That's because the fire dragon's Status Condition Resistance skill has just gone up to level 2.
Hopefully, it had almost all the proficiency it needed already and simply got lucky. If not, then that means its resistance will go up faster than I can inflict paralysis.
I don't think it can ward off the effects completely, but it's probably too much to wish for the fire dragon to become completely paralyzed.
There goes another move I can't count on.
As I rule out more possibilities, my remaining options are getting real sparse.
The most effective possible method at this point is to clobber the dragon with enough poison to overwhelm its resistance.
Even with Status Condition Resistance, I doubt it could get through that without a scratch.
But one hit probably won't be enough to do it in.
I can't just throw a lucky punch and hope for the best.
I need to be absolutely sure my attacks will hit dead-on.
But Flame Wrap poses a problem.
That fire is so fierce that it whittled down my HP by grazing me.
I have to break through that somehow, or I won't be able to hit with enough firepower.
My attacks will just burn up, and me along with them.
Even as my thoughts race, I desperately avoid the fire dragon's effects.
It's so intense that I give up on attacking completely and concentrate on dodging.
Even when I counterattack with spells, the combo of Imperial Scales and Flame Wrap brushes them right off.
Even Poison Fog, which I used to massacre so many monsters in the battle against the fire wyrm, would be useless here.
The fire dragon leaps into the air.
Seeing that, I quickly adjust my Poison Synthesis settings.
Almost immediately afterward, flames burst out from the fire dragon's mouth.
An immense breath attack torches the ground.
It's Inferno Breath, a level-10 Fire Dragon ability.
This wide-range destructive force blows away the nearby earth, melting it and turning the area into a new magma ocean.
I jump in the nick of time, invoking Weak Poison with Poison Synthesis at the same time.
I synthesize the largest amount I can and take shelter inside the giant blob of poison.
Since I set the damage points to the minimum, my HP doesn't take much damage.
The moment I entered the poison ball and the moment the breath attack covered the ground were more or less at the same exact time.
The aftermath alone begins to evaporate the weak poison.
Even though I wasn't hit directly, my HP still drops.
I fly up to the ceiling and frantically escape before the poison evaporates completely.
Then I flee along the ceiling without looking back.
Naturally, the fire dragon chases after me, but at least I escaped the newly formed magma.
A fireball is bearing down on me.
Kicking off the ceiling, I drop into the air just as the fireball impacts the spot where I was only moments ago.
Thrown into open space, my body is pulled toward the ground by gravity.
As if it was waiting for that moment, the fire dragon swoops in with its fangs bared.
I synthesize Deadly Poison imbued with the Paralysis effect.
The fire dragon passes directly beneath me.
Then it goes into a tailspin in midair.
The instant the dragon's mouth closes, my enhanced vision sees it twist its body to narrowly avoid swallowing the poison.
My bait-and-switch poison strategy, which has ushered so many Middle Stratum monsters into their graves, has been defeated.
At least it bought me enough time to get back down to the ground.
But that was a big mistake.
The spot I land on is surrounded by magma, with nowhere to run.
I'm a perfect sitting duck for the fire dragon.
It wasn't just attacking me with Inferno Breath. There was a deeper strategy that involved destroying the ground itself to change the flow of the magma.
No matter where I turn, there's nowhere to go except up above me, where the fire dragon has righted itself and is hurtling straight toward me.
I can see in its eyes that it won't let me escape.
I'm trapped on all sides.
The fire dragon unleashes another Inferno Breath.
Roaring flames engulf my entire body without the slightest resistance.
Then, just like that, my body burns up into nothing, evaporating without leaving so much as ash.
The battle over, the fire dragon looks down at the magma sea it created.
Its monster lackeys are present, but no sign of the Wyvern.
The monsters from its army have Heat Nullification, but the Wyvern definitely didn't.
There's no way it could have survived a direct hit from the fire dragon's strongest breath attack.
That's what you think, idiot!
A giant blob of poison appears above the fire dragon.
This poison is nothing like the Weak Poison I wrapped myself in before.
It's my lethal Deadly Poison, mixed with the maximum amount of Paralysis.
The deadly poison lands a direct hit on the dragon, its defenses down after seeing an apparent victory.
The huge glob of poison breaks through the Flame Wrap and bites into the dragon's body.
That's when I throw in a full-powered claw attack!
The perfectly timed blow lands right in the gap where the flames have been momentarily extinguished by the deadly poison.
I pour all my strength into that one attack.
The fire dragon lets loose a roar of pain and falls into the magma.
I quickly pull myself back up to the ceiling by flying.
I'm sure the fire dragon was convinced it saw me die.
It must be pretty confused right about now.
But the particulars of how I survived are simple.
For starters, I didn't get hit by that breath attack.
In fact, I never came down from the ceiling in the first place.
This play was made possible by the Heretic Magic: Phantasm.
It's one of the trump cards I've been hanging on to.
Phantasm is basically a spell that creates hallucinations.
I used the dragon's momentary panic when it was about to swallow the poison I synthesized to cast the spell on it.
Without an opportunity like that, Heretic Magic could've been easily dispelled by Imperial Scales combined with the fire dragon's high resistance.
To the fire dragon, it must have looked like I dropped to the ground, but I actually just kept clinging to the ceiling.
Then, when it let its guard down thinking the battle was over, I swooped in with the surprise attack.
For a moment, I consider using Phantasm to escape.
But I can't bring myself to run away again.
Sure, I've spent a lot of time in my life just running away.
But if I keep that up, I'll be no different from when I ran away from the humans who burned down my home.
To live with pride.
That's the goal I swore I would attain.
But I haven't truly regained my pride, even after all this time.
I can't go on like that.
I am the Ruler of Pride, after all.
I have to live up to that title by living as proudly as I can.
So I won't run away.
As long as I have the slightest chance of winning, no matter how slim that chance might be, I'll never give up.
I'm going to defeat this dragon.
And in doing so, I'll say good-bye to the weakling I was before.
That's right. I'm better than some irritating dragon.
…?
"Irritating"?
Say what?
I thought I was afraid of the earth dragon. Since when do I think of it as "irritating"?
Huh?
Where is this feeling coming from?
Well, that doesn't matter right now.
I may have landed a hit, but I'm still at a disadvantage here.
I mean, my HP is at 1 now.
I'm surviving only because of Perseverance.
The dragon was whittling down my HP for a while, but the blowback from my big attack was the last nail in the coffin.
And that's not the only damage I took just now.
Even after being extinguished by my poison, the Flame Wrap still inflicted damage on me.
I still have some MP left.
Which means I'm not going to die just yet.
But a single hit from any one of the fire dragon's attacks is probably enough to do me in.
My decisive strike definitely did a number on the fire dragon, but it's still got some strength left.
Avoiding the magma, I land on the ground for real this time.
The fire dragon is still sinking into the magma.
Now's my chance.
I activate my second trump card, the one I've been preparing since this battle began.
My MP decreases at an alarming speed.
In my current situation, every point of MP lost means a point closer to death.
But activating this magic is worth the cost.
Solomon. A skill that allows for dominion over magicules. The very fuel for spells. I begin to move the magicules, picturing negative and positive charges. And once the atmosphere can no longer insulate the charges…
Immediately, the whole area is lit up by an attack that is just pure magical energy. A massive strike of lightning. My vision flashes multiple colors.
It engulfs the magma, the ground, the enormous fire dragon.
The overflowing light swallows everything.
That's what I unleashed into this world.
All that remains is the beaten, battered fire dragon and me.
Seriously?
You survived that?
But the fire dragon has precious little HP remaining.
And its MP and SP are virtually gone.
It must have converted them into HP with the help of its skills.
That's the only way it could possibly have survived.
My own MP is rather low after using Solomon, too.
I'm in pretty rough shape myself.
Basically, both of us are struggling to stay on our feet.
The next blow will decide the victor.
The fire dragon's chosen attack is also its most primitive one.
Namely, a body slam.
Yeah. It's a good choice.
With virtually no MP or SP, it's the fire dragon's most effective means of attack.
And given its enormous size and stats, it should be the winning move.
If it were up against anyone else, that is.
The fire dragon's body stops.
Even with that resistance, of course, I can use it for only a moment in the Middle Stratum.
But that's all I need.
With its Flame Wrap gone and Imperial Scales blown away, Paralysis can stop the fire dragon, even if only for a few seconds.
In that short amount of time, I swing down my claw.
Experience has reached the required level. Individual Ill Wyvern has increased from LV 15 to LV 16.
All basic attributes have increased.
Skill proficiency level-up bonus acquired.
Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Spatial Maneuvering LV 9] has become [Spatial Maneuvering LV 10].
Condition satisfied. Skill [Spatial Maneuvering LV 10] has evolved into skill [Dimensional Maneuvering LV 1].
Skill points acquired.
Experience has reached the required level. Individual Ill Wyvern has increased from LV 16 to LV 17.
All basic attributes have increased.
Skill proficiency level-up bonus acquired.
Skill points acquired.
Experience has reached the required level. Individual Ill Wyvern has increased from LV 17 to LV 18.
All basic attributes have increased.
Skill proficiency level-up bonus acquired.
Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Evasion LV 9] has become [Evasion LV 10].
Condition satisfied. Skill [Probability Correction LV 1] has been derived from skill [Evasion LV 10].
Skill points acquired.
Experience has reached the required level. Individual Ill Wyvern has increased from LV 18 to LV 19.
All basic attributes have increased.
Skill proficiency level-up bonus acquired.
Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Hit LV 9] has become [Hit LV 10].
Condition satisfied. Skill [Probability Correction LV 1] has been derived from skill [Hit LV 10].
Skill [Probability Correction LV 1] has been integrated into [Probability Correction LV 1].
Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Utility Flame LV 1] has become [Utility Flame LV 2].
Skill points acquired.
Condition satisfied. Acquired title [Dragon Slayer].
Acquired skills [Lifeblood LV 1] [Dragon Power LV 1] as a result of title [Dragon Slayer].
Skill [Longevity LV 1] has been integrated into [Lifeblood LV 1].
Skill [Wyrm Power LV 3] has been integrated into [Dragon Power LV 1].
The Divine Voice (temp.) resounds, and the stats disappear from the fire dragon's Appraisal display, its name changing to "Fire Dragon Corpse."
Only when I see that do I finally exhale.
My status has been fully recovered with the consecutive level-ups, but mentally, I'm still exhausted.
Once again, it was another tightrope walk of a battle.
The fact that I won seems like something of a miracle.
I mean, any one of that fire dragon's attacks could've killed me in one hit.
Just a graze or an aftershock was enough to put me on the verge of death, y'know?
If it hit me straight on, I'd be dead, Perseverance be damned.
Actually, to be honest, that was my first time even using Solomon.
I mean, I gathered that it was some kind of magic, but frankly, I'm still a little freaked out by how destructive it was. I mean, that magical attack blew right through that Fire Dragon's defenses.
Checking out the area, I can tell the ground in a three-hundred-foot radius around me has sunk about fifteen feet lower.
Staring into the opening with Appraisal, I see it's so deep that it goes outside my detection range.
Does this go through the Middle Stratum right into the Lower Stratum?
I guess I don't even know if the Lower Stratum is below this area.
I still can't believe the fire dragon was able to survive that, but I guess it was simply that strong of an opponent.
S Rank monsters are ridiculous.
Well, thanks to that, my level went way up.
Ahhh, but…only up to level 19, huh?
If I just went up one more level, I would've been able to evolve now.
So close.
…Oh, crap.
Since that attack the ground sink, magma is starting to flow into it.
Let's grab that fire dragon and get out of here before the magma floods this place.
And so, I laboriously escape with the enormous fire dragon corpse in tow.
The magma isn't moving particularly quickly, but since transporting the fire dragon takes so much time and effort, it ends up being a pretty close call.
Any longer, and we both would've met our ends in the magma.
I know, I know—why didn't I just leave the fire dragon, then? But after all the pains I went to defeating it, it would be downright rude not to eat the thing!
Defeat, eat, and thank you very much!
It's a package deal, dude!
Whew.
Guess it's time for my usual skill check.
All right, let me see here.
It's important to make sure I thoroughly investigate every skill.
Really, really important.
Because I have so many now that I can't keep track of them all.
And that's why I'm taking the time to look over my new titles and skills.
Man, dragons really are something else.
I can't believe you can get a title like this just by defeating a single one.
So what does it do exactly?
Dragon Slayer: Acquires skills [Lifeblood LV 1] [Dragon Power LV 1]. Acquisition condition: Defeat a dragon-type monster. Effect: Increase in damage to wyrm- and dragon-type opponents. Explanation: A title awarded to those who bring down a dragon.
Lifeblood: Adds to HP by 100x the number of the skill level. Additionally, growth of this stat at each level-up increases by 10x the skill level.
Sweet!
Finally, a skill to compensate for my low HP!
I guess Perseverance does help with that, but really, the ideal situation is to have lots of HP in the first place.
For one, there are times like this last fight when I need all my MP for its intended purpose.
Aw, but I think I leveled up before I got that skill, so that's four levels' worth of bonus HP lost.
If only title acquisition came before the level-up process, I could've done even better for myself in the growth department…
Oh well, nothing I can do about that.
Dragon Power is probably the advanced form of Wyrm Power, right?
That would make it a simple temporary status enhancement skill, which means I'll have to test out how big the difference is.
This stuff is important. Very important.
I never had a chance to experiment with Solomon, so it ended up being a bit of a trial by fire, but on the whole, I really need to make sure I know exactly what all my skills do.
Ahhh…Solomon.
This skill is no joke.
I mean, even making a lightning strike out of pure magical energy and nothing else was powerful enough to permanently alter the terrain!
I have to be careful about wasting MP, too, so it's not the kind of magic I should be casually throwing around.
No matter how huge it might be, this is still an underground labyrinth. The last thing I need is to cause a cave-in because of some misfire.
At the moment, given how terrifyingly powerful that attack was, I'm scared to try anything above that magical lightning.
Unless I run into an enemy so strong that magical lightning alone won't be enough, I think I'll avoid using Solomon's magical abilities until I get out of the Dungeon.
Anyway, other than that, a few skills evolved or made new derivations when I leveled up.
Evasion and Hit both created Probability Correction.
And Spatial Maneuvering evolved into Dimensional Maneuvering.
I've seen Probability Correction before, on the eels and stuff.
Really, I guess I suspected this might be how the derivation would go.
Both Evasion and Hit reached their max level, so now I just have to keep improving Probability Correction.
That should improve my evasion and hit ratios as well.
Maybe this skill will even improve my luck in general?
Let's take a moment to pray for that.
I'd like to have a more peaceful life from here on out, please.
Okay, moving on.
Now, I'm curious what the difference between Spatial Maneuvering and its evolved form, Dimensional Maneuvering, might be.
Dimensional Maneuvering: Allows the user to move freely through any space.
Hmm? I dunno—it sounds kinda cool, but I don't really get it.
Any space?
Like, air and stuff?
What, can I do a double jump now or something?
I'll have to test this out later, too.
A lot of skills become much more useful when they evolve, after all.
Sometimes even a skill that was useless ends up suddenly becoming very handy when it evolves, so maybe Spatial Maneuvering will be like that, too.
If I can do double jumps and stuff now, that would really increase my strategic possibilities.
I think that's about it, right?
Okay.
Overall, my skills powered up quite a bit.
I just wish I had leveled up one more time…
Then I'd get to make even bigger leaps forward.
Since gaining those levels netted me skill points, it's time to pick up new skills. Including one I had been saving up for.
Polycoria: Expands use of Evil Eye.
A skill that grants extra Evil Eye abilities. How cool is that?
Now, I'm going with Heavy Evil Eye.
It increases the effect of gravity on any target in my field of vision.
Now I can slow my opponent's movements with Heavy Evil Eye, weaken them with Cursed Evil Eye, and finally seal their movements completely with Paralyzing Evil Eye.
My triple-threat Evil Eye combo is soon to be complete!
This whole arrangement is based on the goal of stopping my enemies in their tracks.
I already have plenty of other moves for attacking.
If I have to, I can always pick up some magic skill or other for 100 points.
Huh? Why don't I just do that in the first place, you ask?
I've gotten a little obsessed with the whole Evil Eye thing, but if my stats are anything to go by, I think I'm supposed to specialize in magic?
Does that mean I should really be focusing on only magic skills in the first place?
C'mon, that's not true.
At least, let's say it isn't.
I'm definitely not getting hung up on this simply because I like the idea of having eight different Evil Eyes at once.
I'm not, okay?
Anyway, I'll be saving the rest of these points for a while.
I don't know how many more I'll get as an evolutionary bonus.
I'll adjust my strategy based on that as I go on.
Aaanyway.
Its usefulness in any kind of battle isn't the only reason I picked Heavy Evil Eye.
Now, let's test this out. Evil Eye Activate!
Oof!
I just increased my own gravity.
What is it I lack, if anything? Muscle, of course!
Well, the whole point is to get used to it by keeping it active all the time.
If I'm constantly using it on myself, I bet it'll raise my physical stats, not to mention give me more Evil Eye proficiency points to boot.
It might even increase my Herculean Strength skill level or something.
Since this Evil Eye skill's only at level 1, it doesn't feel like anything but a little extra weight right now, but I'm sure it'll be quite a burden once it levels up.
Then, if I deactivate it during battle and return to normal gravity, I'll get to have a "remove the power limiter"-type moment!
Sweet.
I'm definitely gonna yell "RELEASE RESTRAINTS!" or something when I do it.
Well, I can't actually speak, but you know what I mean.
So far, I haven't seen a single monster use magic.
Even the fire dragon I defeated earlier is no exception.
It had magic skills, but it never once used them.
That's only natural.
Magic involves a very complicated process of composing spells.
The user needs a certain amount of intellect to be able to accomplish that.
In the fire dragon's case, it was far more effective to use its own skills to create fireballs than trying to construct magic spells.
There may be some monster species that can use magic, but they have simpler and more powerful skills to use instead.
Magic sure is more complicated than I thought.
I eat.
And eat.
And eat.
It's bitter.
So bitter.
I've been proceeding through the Middle Stratum without any incident worth mentioning since my encounter with the Fire Dragon.
I inspect my skills as I proceed.
The new skills I got from defeating the fire dragon—Dimensional Maneuvering, Dragon Power, and Spatial Magic—are all super-useful.
As I guessed, Dimensional Maneuvering allows me to perform double jumps in midair.
When I activate it, near-invisible footholds appear in the air, and I can dash around by kicking off them.
Since it's level 1 right now, the footholds are too fragile for me to run at full speed, but once it levels up some, I should be able to move just as freely through the air as I can on the ground.
It does use up my red stamina, but considering its effect, that's not that surprising.
Dragon Power is an improved form of Wyrm Power. When I activate it, it consumes MP and SP to temporarily increase my stats. Since I'm a dragon, technically, I don't have access to the complete version.
Usually, with Dragon Power activated, the user can cover themself in the same magic-dispersing power seen in dragons' scale skills.
Testing out my breath attack, I discover it produces some kind of dark attribute attack, along with my fire. The breath attack isn't as powerful as the real thing, of course, but nonetheless quite strong. Or maybe it's because I'm not a dragon yet, but instead a lesser species of dragon.
So, in summary, all Dragon Power does is raise my stats at the cost of MP and SP. Combining default Dragon Power and my scales defensive abilities would be too overpowered, I guess.
Since Spatial Magic is still low-level, I can't do any useful spells yet.
Once it levels up, I'm sure it'll be useful, so I'm going to try and level it up over time.
I'm loaded with MP, though, so I'm focusing on skills that use that for now.
Various magic types, Poison Synthesis, Magic Warfare, Evil Eye skills, and so on.
My Shadow Magic skill reached level 10.
The offshoot skill I got as a result was Dark Magic.
Even maxed out, Shadow Magic is still kinda sketchy, so I'm planning to work on Dark Magic instead.
I maxed out Poison Synthesis and Poison Magic, too.
For some reason, they both produced unexpected skills: Medicine Synthesis and Healing Magic, respectively.
I guess maybe it's true what they say about one man's poison being another man's cure or whatever?
At any rate, this means I finally have the means to heal myself.
Up until now, my recovery's depended on leveling up and HP Auto-Recovery, so being able to heal wounds whenever I want is huge.
That being said, it's still pretty low-level. And since my HP is full, I can't test out its effects just yet.
If I get a chance sometime, maybe I'll reduce my own HP so I can test it.
A few of my Evil Eyes maxed out, too.
Cursed Evil Eye evolved into Jinx Evil Eye.
This Evil Eye transfers the HP and stuff reduced by the curse over to me.
It also deals more damage than before, so definitely an improvement over the first form.
I can't absorb stats or anything, but being able to absorb SP is very cool.
Combined with eating, now I can get even more SP out of enemies!
Paralyzing Evil Eye evolved, too, into Inert Evil Eye.
Instead of simple paralysis, this apparently inflicts an attribute similar to being frozen in time.
With paralysis, monsters could still twitch and squirm a little, but now they'll be frozen solid.
I'm guessing this is a combination of paralysis and some attribute I'm not familiar with.
Although I can't say for sure, since I don't see any attribute like that in the skill list.
Well, either way, I've still won as soon as this takes effect, so that just means I've gotten that much stronger.
Heavy Evil Eye has leveled up, but I obtained it only a short while ago, so it isn't maxed out yet.
Instead, since I've been using it on myself this whole time, I got a resistance skill to counteract the extra weight.
Unfortunately, this skill is kind of reducing the effectiveness of my muscle training. Dammit.
Lastly, Telescopic Sight.
This ended up evolving into Clairvoyance.
It improves on the effects of Telescopic Sight and adds an X-ray effect.
Now I can see through walls to the scenery on the other side.
However, it's not quite as cool as the "seeing anywhere in the world" effect you think of when you hear "Clairvoyance."
In the end, it's just an extension of Telescopic Sight.
But thanks to Clairvoyance, I've started to notice something.
A long slope, climbing upward.
It's been a long journey.
I've gone through a lot of troubles along the way.
But now I can finally settle down.
And leave this god-awful hellhole behind.
Good to see you again, Upper Stratum.
I fell into the Lower Stratum, encountered a dreadful beast, and ran for my life.
I traveled all over the awful hellscape so hot it constantly drained my HP.
I came close to death many times.
But I made it back.
I survived! I made it!
I eat.
And eat.
And eat.
Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Satiation LV 2] has become [Satiation LV 3].
Upon reaching the Upper Stratum, I immediately started constructing a new home.
There's a nice, wide space pretty close to the entrance to the Middle Stratum, so I decided to make that my territory for now.
Ahhh, nothing beats this sense of security!
It was super-hot in the Middle Stratum, so I was far from getting a restful sleep.
Now, compare that with the incredible comfort that is the Upper Stratum!
The temperature is nice and cozy, not too hot or too cold!
And there are no strong monsters up here, so I can finally sleep soundly!
Ah, this is the best.
So, I spent a couple days rolling around doing nothing.
Listen, I've worked really hard this whole time and barely made it out alive, so I'm allowed to take a little vacation.
However, I can't go on like this forever.
In order to secure food and gain experience, I have to go hunting.
Not to mention, I want to expand my map of the Upper Stratum and find an exit.
I haven't made any preparations for going outside just yet, but there'd certainly be no harm in at least finding an exit.
But considering how large the Upper Stratum is, I doubt I'll find one that easily, so I'll just consider it a stroke of good luck if I happen to stumble on one.
The main purpose of hunting is securing food, followed closely by gaining experience.
Once I gain one more level, I'll be level 20, meaning I'll be able to evolve.
So I do some laid-back hunting in the Upper Stratum for a few days.
But there are no monsters to be found up here.
Apparently, this strange phenomenon is the work of some mysterious monster.
According to one of the few surviving frogs in the Upper Stratum:
"Yeah, it's some dangerous creature with a super-scary aura who uses tons of poison/flame and magic. Why wouldn't we run away from that?"
Makes sense.
The Dungeon's Upper Stratum Monsters' Union is taking the situation very seriously and plans to set up an operation center nearby to deal with the problem soon.
Just kidding. Tee-hee.
The "dangerous creature" is me, of course. Tee-hee-hee.
I also finally achieved one of my goals.
Spatial Magic LV 9: Long-Distance Teleport.
A wonderful spell that lets you instantly relocate to any place you've been to before.
Since I learned this spell, the problem of not being able to return to my home easily has been solved.
Plus, now that I can instantly move to any location I've already been to, the range of my exploration has been widened accordingly.
As part of my increasingly active travels, I found a huge passage even the Black Dragon would probably be able to pass through.
Of course, since I saw the Black Dragon going down into the Lower Stratum with my own eyes, it wouldn't be up here now.
But what I did find up here is an earth wyrm.
It looked more like a dinosaur than a dragon, and it was about as strong as the eels in the Middle Stratum.
It was no big deal to me now.
I sucked its life dry with my Evil Eyes.
Out of all its stats, only its stamina was absurdly high, so that alone was enough to completely fill up my Satiation stock.
So, since I didn't really need to eat after that, I made a simple home on the spot to keep it nice and preserved.
Since then, I've just been teleporting to that spot to have a nibble whenever I get hungry.
Today, when I got hungry and teleported back to the earth wyrm, there were some humans wandering around.
I was suuuuper-surprised.
Without thinking, I froze on the spot and ended up making eye contact with this foppish older guy.
He was a stoic-looking fella, the type who'd seem cool smoking a cigarette.
Being the angel I am, I hurriedly turned off my Evil Eyes.
If I had kept staring at him with my Evil Eyes still active, the world would be down one stoic dude, just like that.
Apparently, the humans were just as surprised as I was.
My Intimidation skill was definitely working on them.
They suddenly shouted and took off running, so I guess they were fleeing from me, huh?
Hmm. Better than them suddenly attacking me, sure, but still…
They were kinda dressed like knights, so they should've been fairly capable warriors, right?
But they got scared by my Intimidation and ran off.
Is it me, or does that mean I'm going to cause a huge panic if I leave the labyrinth?
I mean, if that's how hardened warriors react to me, are ordinary people gonna faint on the spot if they see me or what?
I'm starting to get the feeling that even if I evolve into a Dragonoid or pick up Telepathy or whatever, my efforts are gonna be wasted.
Either way, I can't picture things going very smoothly.
It works out fine for me that those knights ran away, but what if they had tried to take me on or something?
I mean, they probably ran away because they weren't super-strong, but if I meet any humans who are confident in their own strength, they might try to conquer their fears and challenge me.
It might even be possible that a human stronger than me exists.
Judging by those knights, humans seem to be weaker than I imagined, but I feel like it's dangerous to assume that this early.
I mean, I started out really weak, and look at me now. It's not impossible that a human being could do the same.
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a huge variety in strength among individual humans.
I'm sure the average villager and a soldier have totally different stats, for one thing.
But I don't really know anything about the humans in this world, so this is all just speculation.
The best way to find out more would be to make contact with humans, but the problem is that I can't do that in the first place.
Even if I tried to use Telepathy, if those knights' yelling is anything to go by, I think they must speak a different language here…
If I want to talk to humans, I'd have to learn this world's language, but to learn the language, I'd have to make contact with humans, which means I'd have to talk to them… Ahh, it's a total catch-22.
Yep. I have a feeling that communicating with humans is gonna be next to impossible.
A few days after my encounter with the knights, I stiiiill haven't evolved.
It feels like I've been stalled just before the finish line, y'know?
My home's defense is flawless, and I still have the earth wyrm for food, so all I need now is experience points.
I think I should explain my EXP problems. Even with Pride, the amount I need is too much. Which is why I've been defeating every monster that comes across my path. Really, I've seen monsters being born straight from the dungeon walls.
What is up with the respawn system?
Anyway, I guess even that kind of spawn rate has a limit. Like there might only be a few of each monster on each floor, each with one 'guardian' or 'boss monster'. Like that Black Dragon or that Fire Dragon. Since the Fire Dragon had a name, I'm guessing it was its own unique individual separate from the dungeon. A 'mutation' I guess? Not counting the ones that evolve on their own, of course.
The Dungeon itself…might actually be intelligent? Yeah, that's going into the 'do not think about' box.
Anyway, EXP problems. Compared to the monsters of the Middle Stratum, the monsters on the Upper Stratum don't give nearly as much EXP.
Oh, wait, I just found it pretty easily.
EXP, or rather, a monster.
It's a worm.
That thing's one of the stronger monsters in the Upper Stratum, so if I beat it, I should level up and be able to evolve.
But there's just one little problem.
The worm is fighting some humans.
There are two humans facing the snake head-on.
Then two more injured ones lying a short distance away.
One more person is healing those two.
So five humans in total.
Judging by the view of the situation I've got with Clairvoyance, they're probably adventurers who were attacked by the worm, I guess?
Hmm.
I can't use Clairvoyance and Appraisal at the same time, but at a glance, I feel like maybe the worm is stronger?
So those two people alone can't beat a dungeon worm, huh…?
Oh, since there are two people down already, I guess it was just five people to begin with.
Man, I guess humans really are weaker than I thought.
Ahh, what should I do?
I could probably muscle in and nab the worm myself, but if I do that, I'll get mixed up with the humans.
It'd be a pain if they freaked out like those knights did before.
But if I just leave them be, it looks like those humans are gonna get wiped out.
But I mean, that's fine, isn't it?
Why don't I just wait for the worm to wipe them out, then beat the worm myself?
That way I don't need to get involved with humans at all.
…Yeah, I guess I can't do that, huh?
As a former human and all, it doesn't quite sit right with me.
Yeah, I know, I don't exactly have the nicest personality, but I do understand basic moral principles, you know?
Although whether I act accordingly with those principles is another story.
It's just, I dunno. I can't bring myself to let them die just 'cause it would be kind of a pain, so I guess even I have a little bit of a conscience.
I guess I'm gonna save them, then.
You guys are lucky I'm so incredibly selfless.
Okay, Intimidation is off? Good.
Dash!
I'm not going to make a show of rescuing them or anything like that.
I'm just gonna kill this thing and get outta here.
I don't wanna stick around in case things go south.
And so, Mr. Worm, I'll have to ask you to take your leave.
It only takes a moment for me to reach the place I've been watching with Clairvoyance.
I use Dimensional Maneuvering to hop right onto the head of the snake.
Then I swing my claws. I've added Cutting Enhancement, stat boosts, and Deadly Flame Attack on top.
My claws pierces right through the crown of the worm's head before it even realizes I'm there.
Just like that, the worm's HP is instantly reduced to 0.
The monster collapses.
I pull my claw out of the worm's head and shake off the blood.
Another one bites the dust.
I can't believe I used to think of these guys as boss monsters.
Experience has reached the required level. Individual Ill Wyvern has increased from LV 19 to LV 20.
All basic attributes have increased.
Skill proficiency level-up bonus acquired.
Proficiency has reached the required level. Skill [Faint Resistance LV 3] has become [Faint Resistance LV 4].
Skill points acquired.
Condition satisfied. Individual Ill Wyvern can now evolve.
There are multiple options for evolution. Please choose from the following.
Black Wyvern
Greater Wyvern
Magic Dragon
Sweet! I finally leveled up!
Now I can finally evolve.
All righty, looking at the adventurers (or whatever), it appears they're still frozen with shock.
Well, I can't say I blame them.
Guess I'll just grab this worm and be on my way via teleportation, then.
Ah, but…it looks like the two passed-out humans back there are going to die.
The healer guy is doing his best, but his speed and power are too low.
At this rate, they'll die faster than he can heal them.
Hmm. Well, I already came this far.
If I'm gonna do it, might as well do it right.
I teleport over to the two fallen humans.
The man doing the healing is so surprised by my sudden appearance that he messes up midspell, but it's not like it was doing that much good anyway, so whatever.
I activate Healing Magic.
Then I use status recovery and HP recovery magic on each of them.
Since I used it a lot while I was training my Fire Resistance, my Healing Magic skill level is stronger now.
So this degree of injuries and poison is no sweat.
Watching me work, the man who was doing the healing bugs his eyes out.
Ahh, I really don't wanna get involved any further than this.
You guys are on your own after this, got it?
I go back to the monster drop, intending to get out of here for real this time.
Then my eyes happen to fall on something miraculous.
Fruit.
It looks sort of like dried persimmons.
Oh-hoooooo?!
Sweets?!
Those are sweets, right?!
Did these guys drop them while they were fighting?!
Can I take these?! I can, right?! Whatever, I'm taking 'em!
Finally! I got some sweets!
Wooo! I might even be happier about this than about leveling up!
I'm so psyched, I practically skip over to the snake.
The adventurers (or whatever) are still dumbfounded, so I teleport away for real this time.
Home, sweet home.
Okay, I've gotta try this fruit I just got.
Evolution? Whatever, that can wait.
First, I gotta focus all my energy on enjoying the heck out of my very first dessert in my life as a dragon!
Taste Enhancement, full throttle!
And why not Olfactory Enhancement, while we're at it!
First, I'm just gonna gaze at it in appreciation for a while.
I did heal them when they were about to die and all, so I don't think they can complain if I take a couple fruits.
It's fine, it's fine. Just think of it as payment for my services.
Now then, gotta take a deep breath.
Huff… Whew. Okay!
I'm gonna try it!
…Sweet.
Ah, it's sweet.
It's so, so sweet.
Compared with the fruits I ate in my previous life, it's a little astringent and not especially delicious.
And since it's dried, it's obviously not very juicy.
But still, it's sweet.
This is the first time I've tasted anything sweet or anything remotely resembling food since I became a dragon.
Delicious.
So sweet.
So tasty.
Soooo happy!
I think I might be crying.
Finally, some good food.
I eat slowly and carefully.
Savoring the flavor.
Right down to the last bite.
Whew. That was pretty good.
There's really nothing like a proper dessert.
I should definitely appreciate how delicious that was, no questions asked.
No use getting into a weird mood about it.
If I get out of the labyrinth, I'll be able to get more tasty foods like this. I really gotta light a fire under my butt about aiming to evolve into a dragonoid.
So while that stage might not be in reach just yet, it's time to take one step closer by evolving now.
Unlike when I evolved in the Middle Stratum, this time I'm totally prepared.
I'm safe and secure, and I have food supplies.
No problems there.
This time, I have three options for evolution.
Greater Wyvern, huh?
I guess they're probably strong, but I have no intention of taking that route.
I'd get bigger, for one thing.
One of the evolutionary conditions for dragonoid is that you have to be a small- or medium-size dragon-type monster, so if I evolve into a big ol' Greater Wyvern, I won't be able to evolve into a dragoniod anymore.
So, Greater Wyvern is out.
That leaves two options. Black Wyvern and Magic Dragon.
Black Wyvern: Evolution Requirements: Ill Wyvern LV 20. Description: A small dragon-type monster feared as an omen of death. Has incredibly high combat and stealth capabilities.
Magic Dragon: Evolution Requirements: Dragon-type monster with stats above a certain amount, magic-type skill(s). Description: A dragon-type monster that specializes in magic. Has high intelligence and is capable of advanced strategies such as setting traps.
Magic Dragon is a magic type (duh), and Black Wyvern is the higher evolution of Ill Wyvern.
But I don't think Magic Dragon would be very useful.
I think it unlocked because I've got Height of Occultism and Celestial Power, but to be honest, it seems like a crappy option to me.
Sure, it's supposed to be smart, but that's by monster standards.
Besides, Magic Dragon doesn't evolve.
So that'd be the end of the line.
Looking at my evolution tree, it doesn't seem to be a particularly powerful monster, so I'm not exactly impressed.
Now, Black Wyvern, that's another story.
It's not the end of its evolutionary line, but judging by the tree, it seems to be just a step below the Black Dragon's degree of power.
The evolution tree is arranged so that you can tell how a monster ranks to a certain extent by how high its name is listed.
And this name is just one step down from an evolution that seems to be very nearly on par with that Black Dragon, which I think it's safe to assume is that massive dragon.
Black Wyvern.
It's way higher in the monster power rankings than the other two evolution options.
So, obviously, Black Wyvern is the only way to go.
Man, without Solomon to show me the evolution tree, I might not have known what to do.
Thank you, Solomon!
By the way, since Dragonoid is a special evolution, it's separate from the rest of the tree.
Its evolutionary conditions are being a small or medium dragon monster and being level 50 or above.
That's pretty crazy.
So I guess I'm pretty crazy for trying to reach it.
Individual Ill Wyvern will evolve into Black Wyvern.
All right, evolution start!
Just like that, my consciousness fades away.
