Volume 1 Chapter 5 Mid-Layer Monster
As I continued walking, another monster appeared from further inside.
'Grbuu...'
Bigger than a goblin, with a slightly taller stature than a person and a protruding belly. Fangs protruded from both ends of its mouth.
Approaching with a shuffling gait was an orc.
The strength of orcs is D-Rank, which is higher than E-Rank, and is said to be stronger than goblins.
While individually they may not pose a significant threat, they tend to act in groups and deliver powerful blows with their preferred clubs and axes.
The orc in front of me was no exception, freezing me with its mere presence.
(It seems that the monsters do indeed become stronger as I venture further in)
'Ggooohh!!'
The orcs charged towards me at a speed faster than I had anticipated.
However, my actions remain unchanged.
"(Death)"
The Instant Death Magic spell I cast disappeared as if absorbed into the body of the orc.
'Gubbu!!'
And the first orc dies.
'Guoo!! Guooo!!'
The remaining orcs continued to advance without paying any attention to their fallen comrade on the ground.
They didn't act as confused as the goblin.
And as they approached right in front of me, they swung down the club they held in their hands mercilessly.
I leaped back to avoid it.
(It seems like my body is able to react to movements)
Although the orc is only a D-Rank, the speed of that club's strike should be quite fast from the perspective of a level 1 like me.
However, even so, I was able to clearly perceive its movements with my eyes.
It must be because of the ability of "Soul Retrieval", which not only obtained the status of the orc I defeated earlier with "(Death)" but also increased my speed.
"(Death)"
'Guaooo!!'
For now, I will continue to defeat them.
"(Death)"
'Guaa!!'
It's the only thing I can do.
"(Death)"
'Guuuu...'
"(Death)"
'Gbuu!!'
The last remaining orc in the group became motionless on the ground, kneeling.
"...Is it over?"
But still, my skill level doesn't increase.
The killing bear I defeated was a B-rank monster.
It seems that defeating a few E or D-rank monsters is not enough to increase my skill level by even one point.
I don't know what kind of monsters will appear on the upper layers of this dungeon, but if I proceed a little further, I might encounter even stronger beings.
For now, I will store all the defeated orcs in the "Coffin of the Dead."
It seems that orc meat is quite delicious, and adventurers often acquire it and sell it.
When I returned to town, instead of going to the guild, I decided to sell it to some merchant.
I started walking through the same old dungeon, as usual.
Then, as I walked down several stairs along the way, the scenery suddenly changed.
It had turned into a large hollow space, with plenty of vegetation growing there.
Even though it was supposed to be underground, it looked like a complete forest.
Crystals protruding from the ground and walls emitted a radiant glow, making this space as bright as daylight outside.
"This is amazing..."
Perhaps it was because I had been walking on dull brown ground all this time, but I was overwhelmed by the strange occurrence of such a space underground.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, I noticed several people in the open area ahead, waving their hands and looking at me.
"Hey! Over here!"
They were sitting on the ground, amidst the lush grass, and they seemed to be an adventurer party.
They were a group of three.
A man wearing iron armor, a woman wearing a white robe, and a man wearing leather armor.
From their appearance, they seemed to be a swordsman, a priestess, and a thief.
To show that I had no hostile intentions, I approached with my hands up.
"Hey! Are you okay?"
"Huh?"
I couldn't understand the meaning of what the man in armor said to me out of nowhere, so I couldn't respond.
"Hey hey! You come all the way here alone and all you can say is 'huh'? And what's with that outfit!"
As the adventurer who seemed like a thief pointed out, I was not wearing any armor and was still dressed in travel clothes.
In contrast, the adventurers in front of me were fully equipped.
Furthermore, I was alone.
It is unlikely for an adventurer to come to a dungeon without forming a party, unless they are exceptionally skilled.
It definitely seemed strange when you think about it normally.
(If it's difficult to enter a dungeon alone, then this could be a problem)
"Well, actually, I heard that this place is very beautiful, so I really wanted to see it."
"Sigh... This place is not somewhere you come just for that reason!"
I couldn't mention that I came all the way here fighting with Instant Death Magic.
So, when I told them what I came up with on the spot, they looked at me with a mix of disbelief and exasperation.
"We are actually heading back to the surface, would you like to join us?"
The priestess said that, and the other two nodded.
"We came here to get some orc meat. It's valuable and it helps us level up. Plus, if worst comes to worst, we can always escape here."
The male thief said while showing a bag filled with meat.
"It's true that monsters don't come in here, so it's safe. But we can't stay here forever, right? This time, we will escort you back to the town."
"They don't come in? Monsters?"
Surprised by the strange remark, I couldn't help but ask again.
"Yeah. The reason is still unknown, but it seems that high-level monsters don't come here. So we were about to take a break here and then head back to town."
It seems that even in the dungeon, there are so-called safe zones.
There seem to be various traps as well.
If I can make good use of them, it might be helpful for leveling up my skills.
"Well, it's time to... Hey, hey! What's wrong!?"
Suddenly, the swordsman panicked and started running deeper into the dungeon.
"Ugh..."
In front of us appeared a group of four adventurers.
Three of them were covered in wounds, and one of them was being supported by the other two.
"H-Help us..."
"Pull yourself together! We need to heal you right away!"
"T-There's a giant skeleton up ahead... and..."
As they said that, the faces of the adventurers turned pale.
"A skeleton!?"
"Hey, hey! Skeletons are C-Rank monsters! Why are they on the upper layer of this dungeon!?"
Skeleton.
It is an undead monster made up of the bones of those who have fallen in the dungeon.
They have become grotesque forms of just bones and continue to move until their bodies are shattered.
"Oh no... They might come here. We need to get to the surface quickly--"
Just as the man was about to say that, the atmosphere around them suddenly changes.
There was a monster in the direction where the adventurers were running away.
Its entire body was composed of bones.
But the body was larger than goblins or orcs, and it had four arms.
"This... This isn't just a skeleton... It's an ogre skeleton!!"
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