'Silver gazed at the trembling wall...'

"... It's starting."

Two weeks ago, the Loki Familia passed through the Dungeon, cleaning multiple monsters on their path. This included Goliath, the giant humanoid monster on the 17th floor.

So I properly timed myself and delved into the dungeon, slowly making my way down the floors, avoiding the strong humanoid monsters.

He only spawns every two weeks, and today happens to be that day!

I used Invisibility to and Sound Muffle to pass through dangerous groups of monsters and jumped into the massive holes commonly found in the middle floors.

(Notes N1)

My objective this time wasn't to fight these creatures, it was to fight something specific… The Goliath.

So I needed to preserve as much of my energy as I could. And even though I have potions, they don't exactly cure everything.

Even if it is a Level 3 Giant monster Rex. I still want to challenge it at least once.

(A monster Rex is like a super Boss monster, a raid Boss even. But they can be challenged alone if you are strong or prepared enough.)

'The Goliath spawned within a giant room. There are multiple entrances to this place, but only one of them leads to the next floor.'

'The layout was like this:'

'One of the walls of the room consisted of a large translucent crystal stone.'

'You could see the Goliath inside of it, indicating its spawn time was near.'

'The opposite wall to this one was the normal stone wall commonly found in the middle floors.'

'Behind Silver were the entrances to the floors above, consisting of several holes and staircases.'

'Opposite to his location was a large corridor leading to a room filled with holes that all lead to the next floor.'

/CRACK!/

/ROARRR!/

'From the immense crystal wall, a large piece of stone broke out of it. Revealing the Goliath's face.'

'It roared with might, using its immense strength to free itself from the restraints of the wall.'

/Boom!/

/CRACK!/

'Loud sounds of stone breaking and shattering echoed in the cavern.'

'A lot of dust was raised due to this, but the Goliath was so tall that Silver could still see its chest and face.'

'Goliath was an over 20M tall Humanoid monster. He looked almost human.'

(The best way to describe it would be to compare it with Eren's Titan from AoT.)

'Sillver got up and got ready.'

"Mystique step."

(Also called cloud walk later on)

'Out of nowhere, mist started to gather on Silver's boots, and two small clouds formed on them.'

/Crack/

'The Goliath was still slightly disoriented to its birth...'

'Silver dashed with all of his strength, cracking the ground, trying to use the moment of its birth as a way to land a hit in it.'

'He stepped in the air doing a double jump disappearing from his location at the same time.'

'It was another one of his abilities, invisibility.'

'It was because of this ability that Goliath still hasn't seen him.'

"..."

'As Silver ran in the air, he started to analyze the Goliath and remember the information he researched about it.'

Its skin is thick and the muscles are hard, dealing heavy damage to it should be impossible with my current strength unless I stack multiple powerful effects into a single attack.

So, poison or something of the sort seems to be my best bet.

'Silver continued to kick the air getting closer and closer to its head.'

Can I take it down with one single attack?

'His right hand inside the armor started to boil and release purple poison clouds. Potent poison dripped into the large sword through his control.'

/Gurr.../

'The Goliath felt something was wrong, and turned its head to the side, feeling a strange airwave coming from there.'

'Its instincts told it to smash it!'

/ROARR!/

'The Goliath lifted its right arm and swiped at the air. But it didn't hit anything.'

'Silver, on the other hand, was sweating bullets, since he was almost hit by the giant arm.'

"..."

Its senses are sharper than I thought. I can't get any closer than this.

'His arm muscles expanded and glowed red as he prepared to strike. He lifted his sword and aimed at the Goliath's eyes.'

/FWUSH!/

'He threw the sword with all of his strength.'

'The air was cut off as the sword flew to the Goliath right eye, it didn't even have the chance to process the situation before the sword penetrated it.'

/Squish!/

/ROARRRR!/

'The Goliath lifted its two arms and started to crash around the place, making the entire cavern tremble.'

'Using its left eye, it noticed a small body moving the smoke, it couldn't see what it was, but that was its target!'

/CRACK!/

/PRONG!/

'Using its two arms, it broke a large portion of the crystal wall and threw it at Silver's location.'

'The large boulder flew at high speeds...'

"Shit!"

'The rock was several dozen meters in diameter, coming at him faster than a sports car!'

'But before the rock could hit him, Silver disappeared from his location, appearing several meters away from the rock.'

'Teleportation!'

"Hurf… Using this still takes quite the toll."

Worse...

My invisibility has been "dispelled".

/Gur.../

'Goliath saw that and smashed its two fists on the ground, creating a massive shockwave.'

'Silver was thrown high up in the air, while the Goliath dashed at him.'

"Arg! Calm down. It might be a Level '3' monster, but it's big and rather slow."

'Aiming his right hand towards the ground, Silver used telekinesis and pulled himself back into the ground.'

"The Goliath is slow for a Level 3 creature, but it is still faster than a Level 2 adventurer due to its large stride."

'But suddenly, the Goliath stopped moving.'

"What?"

What's happening?

'Goliath looked at Silver on the ground before turning around.'

/Tremble.../

'The cave trembled, and from the crystal wall, two giant boots and gauntlets broke from within.'

'The Goliath, as if in a trance, went to the items and equipped them.'

'It happened too fast for Silver to even understand what was going on.'

What?!

Why did the Goliath…

A power-up?

"... The only possibility is..."

It wasn't really shown much in the series, but some of the Monsters Rex change when fighting a single enemy.

Udaeus, the Monster Rex of the 37Th floor, will spawn a massive black greatsword in the fight if he is challenged alone.

Shit! I didn't consider this possibility!

… Not that it changes anything, I would most likely die if I was hit by his fists even before he equipped those gauntlets and boots.

I just need to finish this fight as soon as possible!

If the situation gets worse, I will just leave!

Telekinesis!

"I hope the distance isn't too much..."

I got it!

'Silver pulled the sword that was stuck in the monster's eye, making it move to the side, blinding the monster of its other eye!'

(Telekinesis potential is immense. Being able to kill monsters at a distance was always OP)

'After this, he tried to push the sword into its brain to kill it, but the sword was stuck in something.'

'His current telekinesis was too weak to finish the job...'

"Its bones? Or could it be the eye's muscles? I can't even call it back... Fuck, how could I be so unlucky…"

/ROAR!/

"Fuck…"

'Goliath became enraged, increasing its physical abilities but dulling its senses.'

'Its skin turned slightly red and steam started to be released from it.'

'Since it couldn't see, it just kept crashing against everything around it.'

'Normally, the Goliath isn't strong enough to break the Dungeon, only small things such as boulders or the already broken crystal wall.'

'But thanks to its enraged state and the strange equipment, its strength was much more than enough to make the entire cave tremble!'

"...If he continues doing that there is a significant chance the ceiling might collapse, at that point this is going to become everyone's problem because as far as I know, the only entrance to the next floor is in this very room…"

(Notes N2)

That would block several adventures from coming back from the deeper floors and impede others from going deeper for at least several days if not months depending on the damage, until the dungeon repairs itself.

This might cause several deaths and immense loss of money.

Worse… The Juggernaut might appear, after all, the 17th floor just consisted of this arena.

"A 17Th floor Juggernaut... I can't even think about it."

"But I can't approach it while it's berserk. I can only pray the ceiling doesn't collapse."

'Silver once again tried pulling his sword from inside its head using telekinesis, but it was completely stuck.'

If you are wondering, I can't teleport the sword from inside its head, I can only do that for items that I am holding.

To do that for distant items… The energy cost is so great for the current me that I might just die from trying.

"At this point, I can just wait for the poison to kick in, bleeding isn't going to work due to this monster's regeneration rate."

"But looking at how things are progressing... The poison also seems to be ineffective..."

/BOOM! BOOM!/

'But the Goliath wasn't stopping, as if it had infinite stamina. The crystal wall was almost fully destroyed.'

'Silver faced himself with a choice, he could leave, after all, this was something clearly above his skill grade.'

'Or he could use his head and come up with a plan. Perhaps, if he uses everything at his disposal, he might have a chance at taking the beast down?'

"Shit! I can't leave it to fate like that!"

'He made his choice.'

'He took out a large blue potion from his belt.'

/Gulp!/

"Ah... I hate this consistency."

10K Valis down the drain…

(Might feel low, but this is a potion that adventurers would drink several times in one adventure. So the cost is cumulative...)

"Pheww… Much better now."

(What its effects are should be self-explanatory if you are a gamer. If you aren't, I am sorry.)

'Silver took out his Mk 3 Magic sword and shield.'

'He looked at his carefully crafted iron-red shield.'

"This might not help much, but it's better than getting hit straight up."

/BOOM!/

'A large rock fell from the ceiling.'

'It was clear... The cave wouldn't last much longer if the Goliath was let loose like that.'

/Bang bang bang!/

'Silver blocked some of the flying pieces with the shield.'

"..."

'He observed the Goliath, looking for an opportunity.'

I need to time this just right. To strike him in a place that is going to make him stop rampaging.

'His eyes fell right into his Achilles heels.'

'However, they were being protected by the boots.'

"... There is a small gap... It's protected by that strange leather, but it's better than trying to cut the area protected by the metal.."

But how am I going to get there? He is constantly moving his feet all around the place.

'He looked to the ceiling and had an idea.'

'He looked at the Goliath and smiled.'

"If you want to break this place then you need to suffer the consequences."

/Fwush!/

'He ran across the ground while evading any sort of debris falling from the sky or created by the strong impacts of the Goliath feet and fists.'

'The closer he got, the harder it was.'

/ROARRR!/

/BOOM!/

'The Goliath jumped high and crashed down creating a large crater around the place.'

/Crack!/

'Silver could see large cracks all around the ground and even some in the walls and ceilings of the cavern.'

"Shit. I don't have much time."

'He finally got closer to the monster and aimed his right hand at its face.'

"I AM OVER HERE!"

/BANG!/

'A large fireball hit the Goliath's face.'

/RUORRR/

'The smoke scattered due to the strong scream of the creature. Showing a flawless face.'

"His magic resistance is that high? Or am I too weak without a Falna boost?"

/Boom, boom.../

'The Goliath started to make his way towards Silver.'

"..."

So far, so good.

/Boom boom.../

"Just a little more."

'The Goliath lifted his right hand high in the air, ready to strike the ground.'

'Silver noticed the beaten up ceilings and walls...'

I can't let it do another one of those strikes!

It's a little soon… Shit! I was so close.

'But Silver was ready.'

'On his right hand was a large firebomb, one he had condensed over several seconds.'

/Crackle.../

'He released the burning fireball directly at the base of a Stalactite.'

/Crack!/

'But it didn't fall!'

"Come on!"

Teleknises!

'Silver grasped the large stalactite and pulled, but it remained unmiving.'

"ARRG! Fall you little shit!!"

'He pulled with everything he had and... As he wanted, the conical shaped stone descended from the ceiling, penetrating the Goliath right arm and pinning it into the ground!'

/BOOM!/

/ROAAAAR!/

'The Goliath wailed in pain and wrath. It was bleeding heavily, but it still had a lot of strength.'

/Thud.../

'Silver collapsed on the ground for a good minute trying to recompose due to high energy consumption.'

/BANG BANG!/

'The Goliath continued to hit the ground, but due to its awkward position and injuries, the impact was pretty weak.'

"... Phew..."

Fuuck. Thankfully the Goliath is trapped, otherwise, I would be dead.

Perhaps coming here was a bad idea after all... Haha...

After I used such a large amount of power at once, my body couldn't handle it and I almost lost consciousness.

I managed to keep myself awake thanks to my training with grandma, but my body just stayed still.

/GULP!/

'Silver drank another blue Mind potion, partly recovering himself from his weakened state.'

"I see why potions are so expensive now."

'He picked up the sword and shield on the ground and rushed after it again.'

'This time, the number of rocks flying across the place was greatly reduced due to the Goliath being subdued.'

'He quickly reached behind his legs and slashed at its ankles.'

/SLASH!/

/CLANG!/

The sound of metal striking metal resounded.

"You gotta be kidding me…"

'The leather... Was actually harder than it seemed!'

/Clong!/

/Clang!/

'Silver tried everything, but the boots were harder than any metal he had ever seen.'

'Even though they looked to be made out of Fur...'

/Splash!/

'The sound of blood splashing resounded in the cavern as the Goliath managed to free itself from the Stalactite.'

'It had a massive hole in its arm that was bleeding. There is no more salvation for this creature, it's going to die of blood loss eventually.'

'Silver also noticed purple lines on the Goliath's face.'

"Is the poison even working? It sure took a while. Perhaps trying it in the Goliath wasn't really a good idea, I will test it better later."

'At the same time, the Goliath skin stopped releasing steam, indicating its Berserk state had ended.'

'It stopped walking and its movements greatly reduced.'

'It was hurt, tired, and poisoned!... The battle... Was over.'

'Silver just needed to wait and victory would be at his grasp.'

/Swush!/

'But Silver wasn't taking any chances, as he took this opportunity to jump into the air after it.'

'The Goliath was so weakened that it didn't even notice Silver he was right in front of its neck!'

'Well, it was, partly blinded...'

'However, this also shows how big the Berserk side effects are.'

"Its eyes are considerably healed, while my sword got stuck somewhere inside the regenerated muscles in its head."

It's definitely dying, however, I cant take any chances of it suddenly going mad and striking the ground in anger.

"Let me finish this!"

'He took the Magic sword Mk3 and activated the magic inside it! It glowed deep red before lighting started to form in the blade.'

'Silver's arm muscles also grew a little and glowed red.'

'Combined attack! Arm enhancement + Magic sword + Flame edge!'

'Maintaining more than two Plasmids activated is an incredible feat for the current Silver. He only managed to do so after the two years of training.'

"It's over!"

/SLASH!/

'The flaming sword hit the neck of the monster with high momentum, piercing its flesh and cutting into its spine, but the slash was only enough to cut a third of the way.'

/G-GURR!..../

'In a last effort, the Goliath lifted its left arm and slapped Silver with its remaining strength!'

'He tried to evade it but he hesitated for a second...'

"ARG!"

'The only thing he could do now was to block it with his shield.'

/FWUSH!/

'Silver flew across the cavern and hit the ground creating a large crater!'

/Boom!/

"PFFT!"

'Silver spit blood due to the internal damage he took.'

/PUFF!/

'The monster on the other hand, slowly fell face down on the ground.'

'A massive explosion of dark smoke filled the entire cavern, but it soon dissipated.'

/CLANG!/

/CLING!/

/BROUM!/

'Silver heard the sounds of multiple items falling on the ground. But it was difficult to distinguish how many or what they were due to the sounds of broken rocks falling from the ceiling.'

/Cling.../

'His giant sword spun in the air and fell several meters ahead of Silver. And his shield was nowhere to be seen, but it's probably scrapped after taking that hit.'

'The magic sword flew to God knows where. And some of the potions on his belt broke when he fell on the ground.'

"Harf… Harf… Now it's truly over." He said weakly.

How many ribs did I break this time?

This Goliath was beyond my expectations... Even after I researched it thoroughly.

Although it wasn't really smart nor was it the epitome of defense, it was an all-rounder that many adventurers feared.

And that was why, despite its overall stats being that of a high Level 2 monster, it was still considered a menace with Level 3 strength.

It was more than strong enough to negate pretty much all of my normal attacks.

Damn, I should've evaded that hit at all costs.

The reason I haven't done so was because of the heavy energy cost of Blinking away.

Since I had already used a lot of energy at once to dish out that last attack, there was a risk of me falling unconscious or losing control of my body again.

That little bit of hesitation almost killed me.

"Haaa… Ha… Haha… HAHAHA!"

/Cough!.../

'Silver coughed some blood as he laughed at what he had accomplished, a Human had killed Goliath, alone, and without the help of Falna.'

'In ancient times, heroes fought against monsters with the help of spirits. But perhaps this is the first time in history someone killed a monster like this with his own strength and nothing else.'

'Although, Silver can't really prove that…'

"Killing it doesn't prove that I can beat any Level 2 either."

If I was fighting a speed-type monster, especially one that was ambushing me, the chances of me dying or losing a limb is pretty high.

The Goliath is fast, but not nearly as fast as a Level 2 monster.

Perhaps he can outpace it in a single line, but that is due to its size. Each step covers several dozen meters.

He would be outpaced by most Level 2 monsters in pretty much every situation.

His defense is not that high as well. Probably around Mid to high Level 2, but as you could see. Some parts of his body were considerably tougher than his skin, which caused me quite the trouble.

Even if my sword is sharp enough to cut his muscles, my strength still lacks.

That's why it got stuck.

Its intelligence is pretty mediocre as well. Most monsters on the middle floors can cooperate and even set up traps, that's why the death rate of new adventures on these floors is so high.

(Notes N3)

Ais could probably one hit this monster by cutting its head off.

Not only her, but every single member I saw that day in the Hostess of fertility probably can.

With the Exception of Lefiya. She is still growing.

Although if she was given enough time to cast her magic, I guess she could turn him into ashes…

Compared to that my firebolts are nothing but firecrackers.

'Silver looked at his belt but couldn't find any potions. Only some glass shards.'

'He soon felt pain on his hips…'

"ARRG!"

Did some of the glass shards penetrate my skin? This glass was incredibly resistant, but I think this fight was too much for it.

'He tried to get up but…'

"My..."

/Blearg!/

'He spat large amounts of blood on the ground'

"How... How much blood did I... Already spit out? This isn't good…"

'He also had difficulty moving my armor.'

"... Ah I see, the joints are broken…"

My movement was impaired because many of the back joints had broken when I crashed on the ground.

"Better the joints than me. That's what they were made for after all."

I will take a look later.

'Just when Silver was about to pick a healing potion from my inventory to heal my injuries...'

/Step Step Step Step/

'He heard multiple footsteps behind him…'

.

.

.