Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.
Hello. Iâm a new recruit. Iâm sorta kinda learning Japanese so expect quite a few mistakes.//
<h1>The Second Floor</h1>
The neighboring room contained only a black wall/obstacle.
After entering that black barrier, after an instant of darkness, I came out into a small room much resembling the one on the entrance of the first floor.
Itâs dimensions were about 4-5 meters in each direction. Similar to the first floor, there were two paths stretching in the right and left directions.\n
Behind me was the black barrier that I had entered from. This too, resembles the one on the first floor.\n
If I were blindfolded and brought to both places, I wouldnât be able to tell the difference.
Dungeon Walk is probably usable here, so I can come and go as I please.\n
Shall I give it a try?
No. Even if I succeeded in my attempt, I donât know whether Iâll be teleported to the second floor or some other place.
If I exit through the black barrier behind me, will I be returned to the same place from earlier?\n
Letâs try that out first.
I exited through the black barrier.
After passing through the pitch black space, I abruptly exited into a dazzling place.\n
Itâs the labyrinthâs entrance.\n
The explorer was standing outside same as yesterday.
My eyes havenât really adjusted, but from the looks of it, itâll be nightfall in a few hours.\n
Iâve finally come out. I think this is enough action for today.
From the opposite side of the road, a party of six came along.\n
The explorer of the party started conversing with the explorerâs standing at the Labyrinthâs entrance.
âHow far did you getâ\n
âThe fourth floor.â\n
I listened attentively to their conversation from the side while pretending to confirm the contents of my rucksack.\n
Information gathering is important.
The partyâs explorer peeked at the Knightâs expression.\n
The knight seems to be especially significant within the party.\n
Probably something like that, anyways.
âWas there anything on the fourth floor?â
asked the knight, directly addressing the explorers standing at the entrance.
âMino. From the first floor onwards, there were needle wood, green caterpillar and koboldsâ
âWeâve dispatched the koboldâs of the third floor. Letâs begin from the fourth floor.â
Looks like the combination of this labyrinthâs monsters was a failure after all.\n
The knight nodded at the partyâs explorer.
âWe have 800-1000 items. Item box, open!â (Some chuuni chant.)
That is the incantation for summoning the item box.\n
The partyâs explorer retrieves something from it.
A silver coin.
Though I didnât get a good look at it, the retrieved thing is a silver coin.\n
Appraisal is useful after all.
The explorer at the entrance received it, it was a silver coin after all.
âResponding to the faith of companions, I have read the honesty of their hearts, Â Party Formationâ (thanks for the TLÂ thedefend)
The explorer at the entrance continues his chanting.\n
Is that the party formation spell?
As I was pondering the reason for the party formation, the partyâs explorer, accompanied by two others, entered the dungeon.\n
And then swiftly returned.
An adventurer from the knightâs party repeated the party formation spellâs chant.
âGreat. Letâs start from the fourth floor.â\n
On the knightâs declaration, six people entered the labyrinth.\n
After confirming their disappearance into the dungeon , I also set out towards town.
What did they go there for?\n
The two explorers have probably explored the labyrinth to the fourth floor.
The explorers can utilize dungeon walk to transfer to any previously visited location within the labyrinth.\n
Iâve seen the place the six transfer to a number of times. Not only the chanter, but also the party members with him are transferred.
The explorers standing at the labyrinthâs entrance are guides who guide parties till the fourth floor.\n
Explorers from a newly formed party have not entered the labyrinth before.\n
It seems that if they form a party, the guides can take along those explorers who havenât previously visited the fourth floor.\n
After being taken along once, seems like those explorers also gain the ability to teleport their respective parties to the fourth floor.
Also, if the party members do not exceed five, the guide can take along the whole party with them.\n
It is a well thought out strategy.
I should also make use of this.\n
But if I go to the lower floors, the monsters are going to strengthen too.\n
Since I donât have a grasp of my strength, It would be safest to sequentially go through the floors.
The two adventurers that came out of the Adventurerâs guild yesterday did the same thing.
There are two adventurers who can use field walkăif Iâm teleported by either once to another town, Iâll also be able to travel between the towns.\n
In this world, the flow of people is unrestricted and frequent.
Putting a little distance between the labyrinth and myself, I erased Durandal through Character Reset.\n
My bonus points had increased by one. I seem to have leveled up without realizing it.\n
If I remove Boost critical rate and Boost MP regeneration rate which I donât know how to use in addition to warp, I can acquire the Fourth job which costs 4 points.\n
I adjusted my jobs with the job settings panel.
Kaga Michio, Male, 17 Years Old\n
Explorer Lv.8, Hero Lv.6, Soldier Lv.5, Swordsman Lv.1\n
Equipment: Scimitar, Hide Armour, Sandal Boots
To call my growth astounding would be a bit of a boast.
My earnings from selling off herbal medicine I made upon returning to the inn amount to 1911 nars.\n
My earnings from today amount to 4276 nars.\n
Thereâs also the portion from the leaves I gathered yesterday, but since I didnât sell my wand, the balance comes up to more or less the same amount.\n
Since the wand is classified as equipment and not an item, I doubt I can sell it, even to an arms merchant.
Though it doesnât amount to one gold coin, I wonder if this is a fair amount of earning for one day.\n
Iâd probably spend more money if I arranged my equipment, bought clothes and other daily necessities.\n
As of now, I have spent 224 nars on hotel expenses and 20 nars on hot water.\n
As to why my discount perks were ineffective when reserving hot water is a mystery.
After eating dinner,Iâll retire for the night.\n
Iâve become completely accustomed to an early to bed, early to rise lifestyle.
After the sun sets, there is really nothing to do around here.\n
Thereâs the option of exploring the labyrinth, but falling asleep midway would be lethal.
The sooner I go to sleep,the sooner morning will arrive.\n
Thus, Iâll be exploring the labyrinthâs dark interior tomorrow too.
After removing the Job setting and activating warp again, I came to the entrance of the second floor.\n
Appearance wise, it is impossible to tell apart from the small room on the first floor, but this is it,probably.
I wasnât particularly affected by the warp this time around.\n
Is that thanks to my level up?\n
Having said that, I have no intentions of continuously using it. That was really tough on my body.
Since the entranceway to the second floor from the first was on the right side, letâs try the left path.\n
From the onset, I was confronted with a crossroad.\n
This is different from the first floor. Proves Iâve arrived at the second floor safely.
Needlewood Lv.2
The first monster I encountered was a Needlewood, same as the oneâs on the first floor.\n
Arenât the monsters on the 2nd floor supposed to be different? (Thanks thedefend)\n
Itâs probably called Lv.2 since itâs on the second floor.
I slashed diagonally with Durandal and slew the monster with one blow.\n
The Needlewood may have been strengthened to Lv.2, but with Durandal one shot is all it takes after all.
My level up probably factors in a bit too.\n
It could possibly also be the effect of four simultaneous active jobs.\n
Is what Iâd like to believe.
Green Caterpillar Lv.2
I encountered a Green Caterpillar next.\n
Oh right. The second floor had Green Caterpillars\n
Does the second floor contain only these two monsters?
A huge green hornworm.\n
Frankly, itâs quite disgusting.\n
Itâs a soft and flabby larvae of about a medium sized dogâs size. Despite the appearance, itâs insides may be packed with muscles.
The hornworm quickly approached me //After observing it, I swiftly approached it. I swung Durandal down on it from above.
Thread.
A one-hit kill this time around too.\n
After the green smoke dissipated, a bundle of yarn was left over.
Even though I hunted quite a number after that but the only monsters that spawned were Green Caterpillar Lv.2 and Needle Grass Lv.2.\n
These two monsters seem to be the characteristic/typical of the second floor.
While pondering on that, I encountered both monsters at once next.
Needlewood Lv.2\n
Green Caterpillar Lv.2
Are they a group or did they just happen to be together?\n
Excluding the small room where a large amount of monsters were lurking, this is the first time Iâve met monsters in pairs.
First I drove Durandal into the approaching Needlewood.\n
When I shifted my attention to the green caterpillar,I saw an orange magic formation beneath itâs chest.\n
The magic formation swiftly disappeared, and the Green Caterpillar spat something out.
Itâs thread.
The thread covered up my front.\n
It came flying while spreading in every direction. It was like I was watching the spiderâs thread in a Kabuki Dance (Spiderâs thread is probably a specific dance)\n
Wielding Durandal, I was able to fend off some of it but was unable to defend against all of it.
The thread I wasnât able to defend against twined around my hands, feet and head.\n
Disgusting. Not only that, it also made movement very difficult.\n
It pretty much felt like being tied up with sticky tape.
While I was struggling to regain my armâs mobility, I ended up taking a body blow from the caterpillar.\n
I was somehow able to bear it with my impaired legs. I swung Durandal downwards.
Due to either being unaffected by the threadâs restriction, or due to itâs crushing amount of offensive power, it still took only one strike from Durandal to down it.
Thread.
The thread entangling my body disappeared along with the monster.\n
The loot was a common thread.
The attack from before seems to be a special attack to impair opponents.\n
Handling one or two wouldnât probably be much of a problem. But what if they show up in a group?\n
Like in the small room on the first floorâŚâŚ.
This is unsettling.\n
I can think of nothing but unnerving outcomes
If several green caterpillars were to surround me, theyâd immobilize me with thread from all directions,and when Iâm immobile theyâd shower me in blows.\n
If my movements were to slow down, not only would my extermination rate go down, Durandalâs HP regeneration rate would also be affected.\n
Will I be able to withstand attacks from monsters in that state?
Would it be better to think of countermeasures beforehand?
I could also choose to not adopt any measures.\n
Iâll deal with it after giving it some more thought.\n
I wonder if the small room which spawned a large no of monsters , is a considerably rare trap.
On the first floor was the knights six man party including apprentices. A low level party was also waiting outside the boss spawning room.\n
Can these people even handle the massive horde of monsters in the small room?\n
Though I was somehow able to hold my own due to Durandal, I believe this low leveled party will not stand a chance.\n
Yet their presence here despite that implies that the risk of encountering monsters in large groups is actually pretty low.
If the encounter rate was high, low leveled parties wouldnât be hanging around the dungeon.\n
Since they are, it proves that the encounter rate is pretty low.
Though I personally feel that their being way too optimistic, it may as well be that way.\n
Such an under-leveled party is also exploring the second floor. If they can do it, then so can I.
However dropping my guard would be foolish.\n
Anyone who does that in a labyrinth is headed for certain death.\n
What happens once can happen again.\n
I should stay on my toes at all times.
Now then, what sort of counter measure should I adopt?
The first counter measure would be to continuously level up.\n
Not only will that increase my extermination rate, but itâll also boost my HP and physical prowess.\n
If I level to the point where a green caterpillarâs attacks are as effective as a mosquitoâs bite, it wonât be a problem even if Iâm ganged up on.
However it is troubling to think of the amount of leveling needed to achieve this.\n
Also, I have no method of judging as to what level can safely take attacks from multiple opponents.\n
Thereâs a time limit on Roxanneâs purchase too. I canât exactly be going around carefreely grinding. I have to quickly reach the bottom floors and raise that money.
Another counter measure would be to learn an attack that affects multiple opponents.\n
If group lynching is my concern, might as well collectively attack the whole group.
Neither Overwhelming nor Rush are AOE skills (TLN AOE=Area of Effect).\n
I also tried out the swordsman classâs slash skill but it was pretty much the same as the rush skill. More like, slash might just be the swordsman variant of rush.
The real issue is that attacking multiple opponents with a sword is incredibly difficult.\n
Itâs pretty much impossible without a cloning skill.
If swords are no good, then thereâs magic.\n
With magic, AOE attacks are possible.
I heard from the townâs merchants that to become a sorcerer, you have to drink a special potion before turning five.\n
Probably an item of some sort.\n
Meaning I, who have long since passed the age of 5, am unable to become a sorcerer?
So far as the possibility is concerned, Iâll just have to try using it.\n
When I stole, I got the thief job. When I worked the fields, I gained the farming job and upon entering the labyrinth, I gained the explorer job. I got the Herbalist job by picking herbs.\n
That being the case, if I cast magic even once, I should be able to get the sorcerer job.
Although, it seems it canât be acquired through movement or space magic.\n
Itâs quite obvious if you think about it. If you could become a sorcerer just by casting dungeon walk, then all the explorers would become sorcerers by default.
Rather than space or movement magic, the sorcerer job is only obtainable on casting offensive magic.\n
Since sorcererâs are offensive mages.
I became a trader by selling, a soldier by fighting, a swordsman by wielding a blade.\n
Thus I only gained them after satisfying the conditions for them.\n
Going with that logic, I need to use offensive magic to become a sorcerer.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?\n
If youâre a sorcerer you can use offensive magic but to become a sorcerer, you have to use offensive magic (TLN This guyâs retarded.)\n
I might need a special item to achieve this.
But I happen to have bonus spells.\n
They should be usable even if I canât use typical magic.\n
As demonstrated by my use of warp magic.
If I use the offensive bonus skills, I should be able to acquire the sorcerer job.\n
Looks like itâs finally time to use the offensive spells which were unusable when I was a Lv.1 Hero.