"It's been three days since I last came to the Beginner Dungeon."
With 'Goryou' attached to one hip and 'Kodama' to the other, I advanced towards the dungeon entrance.
The skill 'Dual Wield' is something that, even without the necessary skills, boys are filled with romance and admiration. Therefore, even if someone holds two weapons, it's not necessarily thought that they possess the 'Dual Wield' skill. This is because boys tend to do it even without having the skill.
Especially here in the 'Beginner Dungeon,' there are many show-offs.
Those who recognize my face think I'm weak, and those who see my armor and suspect I'm a genuine 'Dual Wield' user become wary, but when they see my F-rank badge, they look at me with a mix of pity.
Even with such treatment, I'm not mocked because everyone has had similar experiences. No one wants to dredge up their own dark past. And for me, I have a history of showing off my 'Dual Wield' skills against slimes. So I understand their feelings.
"Well then,"
First, I veered off the main path. It wasn't because I was embarrassed by their gazes.
I wanted to conduct an experiment I had been thinking about for a while.
"First, 'Eagle Eye.' ... Ugh, the view is terrible. It doesn't seem to work."
The experiment to see if I could detect monsters through obstacles, even in a cave-like layer, was a failure.
The view is only from a perspective stuck to the ceiling, and the ceiling is uneven, making it impossible to see around. It would be faster to use my own eyes.
Next, the goblins.
"Let's start with fifty, lightly."
ββββββββ
"That should do it."
In about ten minutes, I managed to defeat fifty goblins that caught my eye. Using my super-enhanced body, I was able to slaughter fifty-four goblins in this short time. It's really an incredible growth. It feels like it's not even my own body.
Moreover, I was reminded of the convenience of 'Dual Wield.'
In the past, due to the way I held my sword, if a monster appeared on the opposite side, I had to change my body's orientation and fight in an awkward position. This meant that even with the 'Swift' skill, I was forced to decelerate. Now, with weapons in both hands, I can defeat enemies without slowing down, no matter from which direction they come.
Additionally, having 'Dual Wield' apparently makes you ambidextrous.
It's truly a revolution.
"Well, next is the second layer."
I descended the stairs and headed towards the corner of the map where 'Hobgoblins' spawn. My top priority today is to defeat 'Hobgoblins' from all four directions and confirm if an enhanced form appears. There are other things to do, but this is the most important. If I can spawn enhanced forms using the same method, I can reduce the concerns of Ms. Yoko.
Then, I accelerated with 'Swift II' and started hunting the remaining forty-six goblins.
ββββββββ
"That makes... forty-six!"
The goblin I cut down as we passed didn't even realize what happened before it died and fell to the ground. It turned into green smoke, and no rare monster appeared.
With my 'Luck,' I should have been able to spawn a 'Hobgoblin' for sure. Normally, this would be a shock, but this time it was different. It was the expected result. In fact, it might have been more shocking if it had appeared here.
"Of course... It seems the count is treated separately when crossing layers. Well, I had expected this since the level of 'Hobgoblins' in the first and second layers is different... If the trophies of enhanced forms in the first and second layers are treated separately, it would be impossible to verify. I can't test it unless the dungeon itself is sealed."
Can the adventurer rank be used for such things? I think it's a bit beyond the scope of the rank, and it's not that omnipotent... Hmm, it's a bit tricky.
"Oh, it can be done, you know."
"Huh?"
It was unexpected.
Looking at the map, there were no white dots around, no red dots for monsters. I thought I was alone, but suddenly someone spoke to me.
Turning in the direction of the voice, they appeared as if slicing through space.
"Hello, Shota-sama. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Wh...?"
Why?
How?
From where?
Various questions flashed through my mind, but I suddenly remembered their words.
"Shota-san, you can't be complacent. She's persistent."
"She won't give up until she's satisfied. So, make sure your stats don't get revealed. If it's discovered that you're weak, it could be bad."
Persistent and unwilling to give up.
It's just like me, always verifying things about monsters.
"Really, Shota-sama, you're quite the troublemaker. Lying about being weak. There's no way an adventurer who can hunt goblins so efficiently with such high mobility is weak."
"... How long have you been watching?"
"Since 'It's been three days since I last came to the Beginner Dungeon.'"
"From the very beginning..."
It seems, as they feared, I've attracted the attention of a troublesome child.
So far, my 'Luck' has been helpful. But is this really a good thing? Is it luck, or bad luck...?
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