Chapter 5: Here again

He ducked as the claw of the war shadow passed by where his head once was and cut the monster with an upward swing while straightening up. As the monster disappeared, Anos started to collect the cores and the drop items and was about to go to the eighth floor. Although he was looking for daphne and didn't fight or pay any attention to anything the previous time, he still was on the seventh floor before. From here on out everything was going to be new. Despite fighting against the monsters for the first time, none posed a problem so far. After collecting the cores, he continued to move.

He entered the new floor. A while later a swarm of killer ants spawned. The moment they did Anos rushed toward them before they could realize him and stabbed his sword at the closest one. As it died, he pulled it back and swung at the one next to him. After the second one died, he retreated as they followed him. His movements were intentionally slow. As the five surviving ants closed in on him, he quickly jumped to right and attacked from the flank. After cutting another down, he repeated this tactic again. This time from the left. But the surviving three trapped him in a death triangle as Anos took another down. He didn't flinch. He wasn't going to play around using hit and run like a spearman. He had other goals in mind.

Swiftly attacking the next ant and cutting it down, he spun around himself to attack the next and stabbed it from above. The last one climbed on its brethren and attacked him. He let his sword go as he jumped back. Quickly pulling one of his daggers, pushing himself toward it the moment his feet touched the ground. As the beast jumped to bite him, he slit its throat and swang the dagger down, cutting his lower side in two. He put his dagger back and took up the sword again then continued to move as no newer monster were born on these floors. Cutting the ones that got in his way Anos made to tenth floor.

There was a thick fog covering the floor. He cautiously walked and he heard a groan. Red pairs of eyes appeared first. As the monsters closed in, he saw three meter- longed orcs coming toward him. He readied his sword and rushed in. These were more dangerous than the previous ones, but Anos was fast. Besides, he was getting beaten down by far worse for the past three months, monsters he has still yet to comprehend, whose worlds he did not belong. And he was going to get there.

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He was resting, in a way. His movements were slow. He was regaining his breath while moving slowly. Staying put unless it had a purpose was dangerous. After his fight against orcs, he faced two silverbacks, glad they didn't spawn together. He fought against a hard armored later and was ambushed by imps after his victory of the former. Both these fights took more time than the silverbacks. He was tired. He didn't think it would be this taxing. Now he was nearing to the entrance of the thirteenth floor while facing the monsters he read about for the first time. İt's been about four hours since his entry the dungeon. Sun must've set outside. He was taking his time that was for sure.

The moment he entered the dungeon he realized. And he was having it again. The dreams or the readings didn't compare to the real thing. Anos was on his first adventure right now. He was facing the monsters guarding and hunting the world he was stepping into. The thought alone filled him with newfound energy. As he drank some water, another monster was about to born. He put the bottle back and prepared to face his new opponent. His muscles stiffened as he saw it. An infant dragon. *A small dragon with a height of around 150 centimeters and more than four meters long. It was a rare monster and was considered the boss of the Upper Floors. It was estimated to be Level 2.* He locked to his enemy and started to chant.

As he chanted the wind started to blow. He ran to close in the monster from the sides and he suddenly stopped. The moment he did, a blast of wind hit the monster's head while it turned and ran toward him. As the wind blasted the dragon, he swung his sword down with all his might at the closing monster and managed to cut him. The monster turned and clawed at him, he rotated and dodged its attack by the tiniest margins. As he was moving to take some distance, the monster's tail rushed at him with full power. Though jumped at the last second, his left leg got hit. He rolled on the ground and got up. Continued his chanting while holding his sword ready to swing. As the dragon charged at him, he brought the sword down and a blade of wind rushed at it as if to follow the swing. İt dodged the attack, but Anos was already aiming for the second. This time it was a horizontal cut. As the wind blade reached its target it slashed the monster's forward legs. İt wasn't enough to separate them but still the wound was effective. He started to run again. He wasn't at top speed because of the risk of ignis fatus.

As he chanted, the wind got fiercer. İt was trapping the monster from the four sides as four tornados. The strength wasn't enough to hold it, but it was slowing the dragon down considerably. Anos continuously attacked the beast's forward legs and shoulders from the sides while trying to dodge its claws. The process was long, and the wounds were superficial. But if it continued like this his chances of winning were higher. He was tired and wounded from previous challenges -since he pushed himself as much as he could- but still he was acting like nothing but the hunter. As it got wound over wound the monster got angry and stood on two feet, turned and hit him with its tail. The force of the attack sent him back and he rolled on the ground. The winds disappeared the moment he stopped chanting. He got back up. İf it wasn't for the armor his ribs would've been broken. Anos looked at the monster while putting as much as distance as he can. İt was turning and started charge again.

He started to sing, to chant. The words were always different, and sometimes in another language, as it was now. One he didn't learn from before. His voice became firmer, and he took his stance. Since he was not moving it was easier to chant. The air was turning and becoming denser and denser. İt was creating a tunnel which the monster was inside, and he was at the end. The wind got faster and faster as the monster charged. Since it was inside, the wind didn't affect it, but Anos continued to sing. When there was about three-four meters between them Anos brought his sword down in a flash and bent down, all his strength at his knees, he looked like an armadillo. Standing as if to draw his already unsheathed sword. The moment he took his stance the wind tunnel compressed to envelop the monster, rotating even faster as it got smaller and sharper. The wind slashed it everywhere in second. As the monster shrieked in pain and slowed for a moment, Anos rotated around himself while slightly moving to right, and brought his sword down as fast as he could with all his momentum, chopping the monster's head while getting out of the way of its headless corpse. As the monster became dust, Anos smiled.

He used his magic against a monster for the first time. And it worked. He defeated the monster. He couldn't believe that his moves worked. He wasn't even thinking. İt was always flowing. The situation, the will, the act. And up until this point, his instincts, his decisions, and his execution. All worked out perfectly. He was able to defeat the dragon as well. He took his first potion to use. As it took its effect healing his body, his heart kindled. "Burn" he said out loud.

Not to destroy. But like woods feeding the flame, he wanted to burn, to live all he faced today. Usually, people's heart took time to live something thoroughly. But he wanted to burn it all. İt wasn't haste nor it was greed. İt was a sincere will for life. To live it all. He knew it wasn't logical. He knew it wasn't possible in any known way, for what his heart truly desired to happen. But that was its beauty. İt was the unknown. After doing everything he could, challenging every way he found, preparing for the worst to the best of his abilities. İt was still unknown as life itself.

He was no fool. He was smart and could assess the situation fairly. And doing something crazy just to prove something was an action he never understood. He could always wait. He never had anything he wanted, except to live with his loved ones. He could let go anything because nothing was more important than life, than people. So, when he stood at the First Line looking forward, the unknown feeling dwelling inside and the relaxed smile he had would be surprising even to him, if he tried to understand them. Middle floors were for those who were level 2 and it would be a foolish thing to enter alone. But he wasn't turning around. His eyes burned brightly. As he fully recovered from his wounds, he delved to Middle Floors.