Chapter 91 

“…I get that the concept of levels doesn’t exist, but the numbers are clearly increasing on the status screen…”

Even though the effect of 【Gourmet】 ended and was reactivated, it ended again soon after.
In other words, I had been hunting this Green Gel for nearly ten hours straight.

The efficiency is insane. I kept adjusting my angles so that as soon as the monster was summoned, a single high kick would take it down. It’s basically spawn-killing.

Yet, I feel no fatigue. I can keep going indefinitely.

“Maybe I should call it a day. It’s already past… 10 p.m., huh…”

When was the last time I got this absorbed in something?

Maybe not since a new class or area was added to an MMO I used to play.

It’s just too fun. Watching the numbers, my stats, increase more and more!

If this world actually had levels and fanfare like a proper game, I probably wouldn’t have been able to stop myself.

I might have holed up here for the remaining days with no intention of leaving!

“Man… I’ve really grown. But the growth has slowed down. Is there a limit to what I can get from weak enemies? Or is it… a physical limit on my body?”

I brought up my current status screen and, though I was mostly satisfied, some doubts lingered.

Status:

• Vitality: 872
• Strength: 397
• Magic: 81
• Mental Power: 221
• Agility: 287

Traits/Skills:

• [Growth Rate: Max – Fully Reflected]
• [Silver Fox’s Blessing]
• [Eye for Observation]
• [Basic Enchantment Magic]
• [Survival Instinct]
• [High-Speed Movement]
• [Throwing]
• [Gourmet]
• [Rhythm Step]
• [Performance Lv3]
• [Cooking Lv4]
• [Crafting Lv1]
• [Sewing Lv1]
• [Swordsmanship Lv4]
• [Archery Lv1]
• [Hunter’s Knowledge Lv1]
• [Scholar’s Knowledge Lv1]
• [Thief’s Knowledge Lv1]
• [Swordsman’s Knowledge Lv3] ← Rank Up
• [Warrior’s Knowledge Lv6] ← Rank Up
• [Mercenary’s Knowledge Lv2]
• [Dance Arts Lv3] ← Rank Up

I didn’t think I could grow this much in a single day.

Also, I realized something important — by repeatedly performing attacks related to certain jobs, I can grow the associated Knowledge skills too.

Kicking counts toward warrior and dancer attacks, and I’ve been using a sword too, so those areas are improving as well.

Since I’ve been kicking more frequently, the growth rate there is a bit higher.

Still, with my current stats, I could easily take on a Goldean soldier now.

But what caught my attention was how the stat growth began to slow down at some point. Maybe this is what Melt meant by “your vessel for growth isn’t developed yet.”

So, how do I expand that vessel?

Melt did say something about defeating other beings to grow, but maybe that means I can’t just keep fighting the same weak monsters.

Another problem: my physical body is still that of a normal high school student.

Even if I have superhuman abilities that prevent fatigue, I haven’t actually gained more muscle.

Maybe there’s a limit to how much effect stats can have on a normal human body.

There’s still a lot I want to test, so maybe it’s best to withdraw here for now.

“Phew… nearly ten hours nonstop really drains you mentally.”

Even if I don’t feel physical fatigue, mental exhaustion still builds up.

I’m even feeling a bit sleepy. So even without fatigue, sleepiness still kicks in, at least a little.

Just as I was heading toward the exit crest, a light appeared from the teleportation crest, signaling someone else had entered this supposedly empty floor.

“…Who?”

When the light faded, I saw a small figure in a robe.

Before I could say anything, they beat me to the punch with a “Who are you?”
Well, maybe they’re on patrol to check if anyone stayed too late.

“Ah, sorry! I’m one of today’s students. I was doing some extra training. I’m just heading home now, sorry.”

“I see. Good work.”

Without pressing further, the person—hood covering their face—walked past me and toward the monster-summoning crest.

Ah! So I’m not the only one doing extra practice!

…Though it’s supposedly inefficient, maybe they know a better way to make it worthwhile?

Oh crap, I’m still in my tracksuit. I should change quickly before I stand out even more.

I decided to pretend to leave while secretly observing this new person to see how they fight.

Observing the pros is a must for any gamer, after all.

The person threw off their robe, pulled a dagger from their waist, and lowered into a stance, blade held in front of their face.

They looked… very assassin-like.

Judging from the silhouette, she’s a girl. I couldn’t see her face clearly from this angle, but she seems to be around my and Melt’s age.

Short, deep blue hair that reminded me of the sea or sky.

No beast or elf ears—probably just a regular human.

“!?”

The next moment, the Green Gel that appeared was shredded into pieces in an instant—everything but the core.

What the hell kind of technique was that? The entire body was diced up, leaving only the core, which rolled away untouched.

She picked it up, then rolled it to the edge of the floor without destroying it.

It didn’t regenerate? If it’s cut up that finely, the core doesn’t even need to be destroyed?

She kept using the same technique to instantaneously shred every respawning monster, avoiding the core while slicing the body into ribbons.

That precision with the sword—tracking the moving core and avoiding it—was downright inhuman.

She’s clearly extremely skilled.

Eventually, the number of cores scattered across the floor became impossible to count.

That’s when she looked back toward me.

As I thought, she’s young. Probably the same age as Melt and me.

“You’re still here?”

“Ah, sorry. I was observing.”

“I see. It’s dangerous from here on. You should leave.”

“…Huh?”

“I said you should leave. I won’t take responsibility.”

She only said what was necessary, then began collecting the cores.

Using her discarded robe, she bundled them up and placed them on the monster-summoning crest.

Wait, what? Are those cores for something special?

Then she summoned another monster from the crest, and all the placed cores were absorbed into it.

Before my eyes, the monster began to transform.

The shapeless green monster absorbed the countless cores into its body, and they began swirling inside.

Then, in the next moment, the Green Gel evolved into a towering humanoid monster—like a giant made of green slime.

Its surface was embedded with countless eyeballs—probably remnants of the absorbed cores—evoking disgust and fear in anyone who saw it.

That grotesque form radiated a presence that screamed “powerful.”

I activated 【Eye for Observation】 to get a closer look at its details—

“Argos”

• “A grotesque ogre-type monster with countless eyeballs across its body.”
• “Unlike regular ogres, it has extremely high physical resistance.”
• “Though its eyeballs seem like a weak point, they are actually attack organs and are dangerous.”
• “As a lifeform, it is powerful enough that there’s no choice but to face it head-on.”
• “However, it is oddly weak to certain magic—particularly to fire and lightning.”
• “Its habitat and conditions of birth are unknown. It is a very rare monster.”

Very detailed information was displayed.

Where is this data coming from?
From the dungeon? Or from the world itself?

I still can’t fully trust this world… Things like ley lines and the dungeon’s nature—
It feels like the world itself, including the dungeon, is the one in control.

“You’re still here? It’s dangerous, you should go back.”

A girl peeked at me briefly and said that before sprinting straight toward Argos.

No matter how she tried to circle around it, the giant reacted. It seemed all those eyes covering its body were functioning properly.

No matter how fast she was or what direction she took, she always ended up within its line of sight.

But apparently, the girl wasn’t running to escape its sight.

Just because it sees you doesn’t mean it can catch you.

To her, even the narrow gaps between its legs or the swinging of its massive arms were nothing but “run-up courses” to boost her speed.

She accelerated—
Soon, even her shadow was impossible to track.

She was so fast, I began to wonder if her body had turned translucent—it was like she vanished.

“!?”

In the next moment, blood burst from Argos’s entire body.

Its green, eyeball-covered skin was instantly soaked in a grotesque-colored blood.

“…Alright.”

The girl had stopped at some point. I could faintly hear her mutter.

As if that were the signal, the bloodied giant crumbled to the ground.

It was like… diced tofu.

The way it collapsed, unable to support its own weight—it looked like grotesque tofu.

“Whoa…”

“…Curiosity kills the cat. If you were unlucky, you’d have been roasted by its beams.”

She turned back and said that.

She was probably referring to some kind of beam attack fired from all those eyeballs.

“It didn’t recognize me as a threat, it seems. Still, I got to see something amazing. To think such a monster could be created from a gel core…”

“Don’t tell anyone.”

“Understood.”

Maybe this could be used for efficient training?

Is her strength the result of that?

“Would it be wrong to try and copy this?”

“I wouldn’t recommend it. There’s no benefit to defeating it. This is for training purposes.”

“Really? I’ve felt like there’s a limit to training just by defeating gel slimes.”

“Fundamentally, it’s still the same as a gel. It doesn’t count as a new monster, so it won’t contribute to your growth.”

Hmm… So the type of monster you defeat affects your growth too.
And this powerful-looking Argos is still considered a gel-type?

“Got it. I’ll quietly challenge the dungeon instead.”

“Good luck.”

That was the last thing she said before she began summoning another gel.

So she’s repeating the process… This really is hardcore training, not just for leveling up.

She’s incredibly strong.
Of all the people I’ve seen, she’s by far the strongest.

I wonder if Silent could even hold a candle to her…
She had both the power and speed to dice up that massive monster.

I couldn’t help it—my curiosity got the better of me. I used [Observation Eye] to check her status.

“Rivanna”

• “A mutant individual with extraordinary strength for a pure human.”
• “Various abilities have increased through monster-slaying experiences.”
• “Possesses hearing and smell exceeding that of average beastkin, giving her excellent presence detection.”

Yep, it’s confirmed.
This ability reads information judged from the perspective and values of something non-human.

Calling someone a “mutant individual” is not how people usually describe others…

I really want to investigate this world someday.

“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

“Okay.”

She responded without even looking at me.

She probably isn’t a bad person… I think.

“Crap… I stayed out way too long!”

When I returned to the Explorer’s Guild HQ via the teleportation crest, only the minimal lights were still on, and all but one of the staff had gone home.

Guess no one really comes here this late.

“Good work today.”

I gave a brief goodbye to the only remaining staff member and began heading home.

On the way, I took a quick look at the camping plaza. Most of the lights were off, except for a few food stalls. The tents stood still like moonlit ornaments.

Everyone must already be asleep.

“The forest at night is kind of scary…”

I walked through the forest path, heading home.
Though I’d heard that this path had frequent knight patrols and was considered safe, walking alongside a forest in the dark still gave me the creeps.

I hadn’t felt this way when I was Silent, Sheele, or Same… maybe it’s because of how I look now. I must still have some lingering fear and unfamiliarity in this body.

In the end, all that unease proved unfounded, and before long, I could see my beloved home in the distance.

But just as I stepped into the yard, the front door suddenly burst open—and Melt came flying out.

“Shizuma!”

“Oh, Melt, you’re still up!”

“Shizuma, you’re late! Why are you so late?! I was watching the big window the whole time, waiting for you to come home!”

“Ah… sorry. I didn’t realize how late it got. I must’ve made you worry… I’m really sorry, Melt.”

“I kept thinking—what if you went into the dungeon alone and didn’t come back? All sorts of things ran through my head!”

“Actually… I was fighting that green jiggly thing the whole time…”

I decided to be honest.
That I’d been fighting out there non-stop.

Right… even if I don’t get tired, if someone is waiting for me, I should have considered that.
This isn’t like staying cooped up playing an online game all day.

“Wait… you mean, all day…?”

“Yeah. I just wanted to train myself…”

“Shizuma… even if you fight the same type of monster, the strength you gain from them gradually decreases, you know…?”

“…I started to realize that partway through.”

At first, I thought my kicks were getting sharper, my balance improving, and my swings more stable. My raw strength was definitely increasing too.

But after about three hours, I stopped noticing any progress. Even when I checked my stats, they’d only occasionally go up by +1.

But still! Even a +1 increase felt satisfying to me!
I kept fighting with the mindset that even tiny gains would eventually pile up…!

Even though I was getting so much experience, I only gained this little… That probably means normal people would never train this inefficiently.

“I think the capacity for your growth hasn’t expanded yet, but a lot of monster power was being poured into you. Normally, you’d stop growing at that point, but since you’re probably special, your stats kept going up little by little. But it’s dangerous, inefficient, and it might have side effects—so from now on, I want you to set a proper time limit, okay?”

“You’re right… I’m really sorry I made you worry. From now on, I’ll make sure to come back by dinner.”

“Good! It’s a promise, okay? Shizuma, you still lose to me in arm wrestling after all!”

Guhh… she’s not wrong.
That must have added to her worries—how weak I still am.

“To fight different kinds of monsters, let’s challenge the dungeon tomorrow! My permit should be ready too!”

“Ah, right. Okay then… it’s late, let’s go to bed.”

Yeah, I need to reflect on this. Seriously.
It’s a bad habit of mine—to get so absorbed in something that I lose track of time.

“Let’s bathe before we sleep, okay? I just used it, so it’s all ready to go!”

“Nice. It really is great to have a bath at home…”

“Right?! The washing space is big too, so taking care of my tail is super easy!”

“It really is. Your tail’s glowing beautifully again today.”

Deep in the forest, far from the city lights, in the garden—
Melt’s tail shimmered in the moonlight.
So did her hair—two flowing streaks of silver.

It all looked… strangely mystical.

“The moon is beautiful tonight!”
“…! Yeah, it really is.”

For a moment, I remembered the famous ‘translated meaning’ behind that phrase on Earth—and it made me blush a little.

I shook off the odd thought and stepped into the house.

Alright…
Tomorrow, we’ll go together. So you won’t have to worry again.

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