'While Silver played with the monsters on the 12Th floor. Asfi and the other decided to rest'

'She took a stack of papers from her bag, it was the photos taken by Silver'

'No matter how much she looked she couldn't really find any sort of clue in them. She read and reread the glyphs, but they didn't tell her much. There seemed to be no connection between the deaths.'

'Although, she learned that the deaths were most likely caused by a normal person's hand if based on the types of injuries. And that was huge since they were under the expectation that it was a monster.'

So the cause of the dozens of deaths was a person all along?

Who would commit such atrocities? It's just like… !!

'She shook her head.'

It can't be… They were wiped out already.

"Is everyone ready? If so, let's depart! One more floor and we are done!"

'The team got up and left, their destination was the 16Th floor'

…

/CLANG! CLANG!/

"AHH!"

/CLING!/

'Two people were fighting fearsomely in a cave.'

'One of them seemed to be a girl with knightly armor while the other seemed to be a guy wearing light armor.'

'But this guy had a very strange sword in his hand. It seemed to be made out of wood and it had root like appendages that drilled into his arm.'

'They clashed multiple times, but the girl was eventually overwhelmed and her sword was knocked back across the cave.'

"... Bastard."

'She looked at her bloodied hands filled with cuts due to the pressure from the clash of the swords.'

I didn't manage to protect them, nor did I manage to get revenge…

'She started to cry.'

"... I am sorry for this." Said the man as he raised his sword.

/Swush!/

/Clang!/

'But hooray! A hero had come!'

'It was a tall weretiger with a large sword!'

"Looks like we found our 'monster'!" He said with a smile.

"HA!"

'He swung his sword sideways, launching the killer into the air.'

"Urg!"

This guy's strength… He is Level 4!

I can't take him right now…

"Riwo Flare!"

'From behind the weretiger, the loli wizard chanted a spell and casted a large fire that covered the flying man.'

'He couldn't evade it so he placed his sword in front of him and tried his best to protect his chest.'

/BOOM!/

'When the flames collided with the man, a small explosion was created as he flew across the cavern.'

"Leave it to me." Said the last member of the 5, the elf.

'As the man fell, the Elf prepared an arrow and shot, hitting precisely in the man's stomach.'

'It's clear that these 5 coordination skills are top notch.'

'Even if the man surve this, Asfi and the other girl are ready to jump in the fray.'

/Crack!/

/BAM!/

'Out of nowhere, several serpent creatures burst out from the ground, blocking the party vision from their target'

'They looked like plants, seeing that they were green and their "head" looked like a closed flower bud.'

"Tsk! The target is escaping! Just what are those things?!" Said the Chienthrope girl.

"Looks like we truly hit the spot! It seems something is happening behind the scenes." Commented the weretiger.

"Lets deal with these creatures first!" Said Asfi

…

/Somewhere on the same floor.../

"COUGH!"

/Splat!/

'The young man that had just been blasted by the combined attack of the Hermes Familia was now spitting blood into the ground due to the damage.'

"Urg… My skin is burned, my stomach has a hole in it and I didnt get the Magic stones..."

Killing normal creatures won't do. And this floor is now too dangerous to stay in.

"I can't return right now, the adventurers seem to have noticed my actions and blocked most of the passageways..."

So there is only one solution.

'The man looked up'

"It's sooner than I wanted, but I will meet these bastards right now."

I will collect as many stones and heal myself.

"Once I deal with those two I will lay low and wait for the time to pass."

I should have followed her advice and slowly gathered the magic stones… I was too hasty and blinded by my revenge.

"But I am already here, no point in being regretful."

In slightly more than two weeks I pretty much increased my strength by one entire Level.

Although I can barely be considered Level 3 on my own, this sword sure helps.

'As he made his way across the corridors, the man couldn't help but remember the faces of all of those he had killed.'

"..."

I am sorry…

…

'A sad Orc fell backwards as his magic stone was pierced by an ice spear.'

/POOF!/

"Did it drop?... Yeah! Fucking finally!! How many Orcs did I kill?!"

'Silver picked the Orc's hide and proceeded to store it inside his backpack.'

'Although he could use the inventory, he has to keep a part of his loot stashed on his backpack, otherwise people would find it strange if he entered the Dungeon with no backpack and returned with a large backpack filled with loot.'

"3 Orc Hides… Checked… Silverback fur… Perfect… The only thing left is this."

"Infant Dragon tooth? Damn! Looks like Loiju wants to keep me occupied and prevent me from going into the Middle floors..."

This creature is like a field boss, It may or may not spawn. It is rare.

"I will just take a look around and see how things go, I have a week to complete this particular commission anyway. But my record..."

So far, I completed all of my commissions within a day. I don't want to break the streak… Forget, it's fine to have fun until it turns detrimental.

"Perhaps I can ask some adventures, see if they saw an infant dragon."

Normally, if an adventurer of this floor sees an infant dragon, its first thought will be to run away.

Even level 2 adventurers will do the same. Unless they are a stronger and more experienced Level 2 adventurer or party.

Of course, there are always exceptions.

'Silver then proceeded to take a stroll around the 12Th floor looking for the Infant dragon.'

'He met a few groups of adventurers, but unfortunately, no one saw an infant dragon, some even made fun of him thinking he was crazy.'

'After an hour, Silver was starting to lose his patience.'

"This place is just too fucking big, and all of this mist doesnt help at all."

"Ahhhhhh!"

'Silver heard a faint echo coming from somewhere deeper in the mist.'

'He also felt faint vibrations. All of this pointed out to one thing:'

"Infant dragon? Better check than to be sorry."

(The infant dragon is a small dragon with a height of around 150 centimeters and more than four meters long. It is a rare monster and similar to a Monster Rex on the upper floors where a Monster Rex doesn't appear.)

…

'Silver finally reached the source of the screams, it was a group of adventurers running away from a large reptile.'

'It was orange and didn't have any wings. It was like a large Komodo dragon.'

"The infant dragon… Although it isn't guaranteed, it will almost always drop its fangs and claws."

If it doesn't…

'He shook his head.'

Let's not think about sad things

'Silver waited for the adventurers to disperse. The infant dragon kept running after then but it lost its target and started patrolling a certain area, looking for another prey.'

"It's my time to shine..."

/BAM!/

'Out of nowhere, the dragon head did a 180, as something heavy suddenly hit it.'

'With its neck broken, the dragon's body fell into the ground and soon turned into smoke, it's magic stone dropped onto the ground.'

Noooo… Someone got it first! They even dropped the fangs and claws! Ahhh my life!

'The person got out of the smoke, it was a young man in tattered and bloodied clothes, he picked the magic stone and...'

/Crunch!/

'Ate it...'

… What?

/Crunch… Munch.../

'He completely devoured the fist sized magic stone in a few bites, turned around and left.'

"... Let's just ignore that… Yeah."

If that is what I think it is… It's best to ignore it.

'Silver stayed put for a few more moments before he slowly walked out of his hiding spot and picked the dropped loot.'

With this, my mission is over. Phew. I didn't expect I would find a monster that was only supposed to appear two years later.

'Silver thought for a moment'

Enyo… It's best if I keep myself away from such problems as of now.

But I wonder what was the factor that led to such a thing?

Although I know their plans have been going for years. It should only be revealed 2 years later. during all of that crap.

In any case…

/Fwush!/

'Silver suddenly heard the air being cut behind him!'

SHIT!

/BAM!/

'A sword suddenly cut from the mist and hit the ground'

"I missed? I was sure there was someone in there, not only did the mist reveal an outline but I also saw the loot being picked up."

'He looked around and saw no one.'

"Come on, stop wasting my time and show yourself."

'It was the monster hybrid! He was back for action.'

…

'He waited for a reply...'

'Yet, no one replied to him.'

"If you aren't going to appear, then I will need to make you show yourself."

"..."

What is he going to do?

He cant see me nor hear me, and I made sure to adjust the air around me and remove the mist factor.

"~It has been opened, gate of purgatory~"

"~Its guardian has been set free, its lord has been killed~"

'The man opened his mouth to chant as blue magic circles started to form around him.'

'From the ground, a large sword made out of blue light started to form.'

"~The fire that punishes the dead, now set free to burn creation~"

"~His name is Hades lord of hell~"

'For some reason, Silver started to have a really bad feeling about all of this.'

Heh, since he is casting, how about a Muffle?

'Silver pointed his right hand towards his enemy and a small cloud of purple mist rushed towards his enemy.'

'The enemy didn't seem to be able to see it nor did he try to move.'

"...~As per his orders, my name is Frederic…~... ?!"

'The magic circles dissipated as the chant stopped and the man was left confused.'

'He felt immense danger coming from behind him, so he quickly picked his sword and blocked whatever was coming from behind.'

/CLANG!/

'He barely managed to block an immense sword coming from behind him'

"Tsk. You have quick reflexes."

'From the mist, his opponent revealed himself. It was a tall red knight with an even larger sword.'

'He had a normal iron shield on his back and a standard small sword strapped on his waist.'

'His most noticeable feature was the pure white scarf on his neck, moving in the wind. It created a deep contrast when his entire armor was red.'

"..."

How did such a large knight manage to sneak-attack me?

"Aren't you a little enthusiastic? Attacking without warning and immediately casting a spell." Said the knight

You are one to talk!

"..."

"Oh yeah, you can't talk. Let me fix that for you."

/Snap!/

… I don't know this guy's level. It's better to act safe.

I might have to flee, my condition isnt perfect yet.

"Ah… I have to keep my guard up you know, I felt someone looking at me earlier and that's why I left the drop loot behind."

"Are you saying you wanted to draw me out? Stop with your pathetic lies. If that was the case you would have just casted from the start."

"I couldn't just cast! I cant attack without discrimination..."

"Are you dumb for thinking I would believe that for even a second?"

"... So. What of now?" Asked Frederic

"It's pretty simple. I will subjugate the monster."

"What monster?"

'Frederic was getting nervous.'

Could it be that this guy knows what I am?

No, it's impossible. There's only three of us so far… The red haired girl and the crazy dude.

I already spent the monsters given to me by the Boss. So this might be a bit difficult.

The problem is that I don't know how strong this guy is. He sneaked on me even though he was using heavy armor, and his attack had immense precision even though it wasn't that strong and fast.

I couldn't even defend properly.

He's clearly a veteran.

And I am not fully healed yet, I should have less than 80% of my strength right now...

'While Frederic observed the red knight, the contrary could also be said.'

"... There is no need to talk any further…"

'The red knight disappeared!'

"!!"

Where is he?!

'His instincts told him to block from below!'

'He jumped backwards while slashing dowards, but he was a little too late. Perhaps it was the injuries...'

/Pierce!/

'A rock pillar suddenly grew out of the ground and pierced his foot. It wasn't big, just enough to open a hole on his foot.'

"Arg!"

'Frederic leaped in the air and fell with difficulty on the ground, but in a second his feet started to regenerate...'

/Fwush!/

'He didn't have time to think as yet another sword descended from his sides!'

"Shit!"

/Clang!/

'He parried the sword and counterattacked.'

/Swush.../

'But his sword passed through the knight's body as if it was air.'

"What's happening?!"

'From behind him, the red knight materialized once more and swung his humongous sword.'

/Clang!/

'Their swords clashed once again.'

/Cling!/

/Swipe!/

/Clang!/

'They exchanged a few more moves with Silver taking the rithin of the fight, he started with a downward slash followed by a swipe, aiming at all of the weak spots of his enemy.'

'He was trying to break his posture!'

/Fwush!/

'Silver materialized multiple Ice shards and launched them towards his enemy!'

/Clang… Pierce!/

'Frederic did his best to evade, but the spikes that missed just exploded near his body'

"ARG!"

'He jumped away as he thought about the knight's display of power so far.'

"..."

Tsk, what are those strange magics?!

If it weren't for them...

It's not that his strength is high. No, he is attacking with little strength.

But his movements are perfect. At least, good enough to put me in a bind.

It's sad to admit, but I was never a prodigy in swordsmanship, so I would lose easily in this regard to many...

"But… Are you looking down on me?"

If you think you can win over me by being this slow… I will admit you are very skilled!

But!

If I can't defeat him in skill…

"Then I just need to beat him with raw power!"

/TUM!/

'Frederic's body started to spasm as his muscle increased in volume.'

'Silver gazed at the adventurer from within the mist. He had a blue potion on his hands and one on his mouth.'

"..."

Do you think I will just watch?

'Fire started to condense on top of his right hand, it became a red fiery ball.'

'But instead of releasing, Silver continued to channel more and more power into it until the ball became orange.'

"Harf… That's about half of everything I have, anymore and I would fall unconscious with a single use."

'Silver aimed his hand towards the front and the orange ball shot forward!'

'The grass on the ground burned and the stones turned black as the ball made its way to Frederic.'

"AHHHH!"

/Boom!/

'Frederics muscles suddenly burst with so much strength that the mist was pushed back a few meters. He quickly looked to the side and noticed the red ball that was about to hit him.'

"Hehe..."

/KABOOOM!/

'A large explosion was created blasting the mist away from this area, revealing a rocky arena.'

"..."

'Just like Frederic, Silver was also testinng him.'

From everything I tested, his speed, strength, reaction time, and skills… And from what I know...

He was most likely a low level adventurer that was turned into a creature hybrid.

He should have grown very fast by consuming magic stones but didn't have enough time to learn how to properly control his strength.

And that would explain all of the recent deaths, it was most likely this guy raiding adventurers in order to get their loot and grow even faster.

If he has 100 points of strength, he can at most make use of 70.

That's different from me, that through Martial arts, I can display 110% of my strength.

'A voice came from the center of the explosion:'

"Is that all red knight?"

'Frederic's voice resounded from inside the dust of the explosion.'

"If so… I will be ending this right now!"

'His body was overly muscular, he wasn't a bodybuilder but the sight reminded him of the Hercules Familia...'

Did he get stronger? He was already a Level 3 in terms of strength… Even if I used techniques to mitigate damage… The difference would be too high for that.

"It's the start of round 2!"

/Swush!/

'He disappeared from Silver's sight!'

"!!"

I need to teleport!

/BAM!/

'Frederics hand slammed right into the shield on his back, throwing him a dozen meters flying and crashing into a boulder.'

/Crash.../

'The sound of Silver colliding against the boulder echoed in the silent cavern.'

"Hum?"

'It was at that moment that Frediric noticed the state of his right hand.'

"Did he?... How?"

'His hand was filled with holes, cuts and lacerations! There were even some small nail-like objects inside of his hand.'

'His muscles contorted as they started to expel all of the alien substances out of his body. But even that proved ineffective.'

"Is this?... Ice? How did an ice shard penetrate my hand?..."

"URG?!"

'He suddenly fell to one knee.'

"What's happening to my body?"

"... Hehehe… Did you notice?" Said Silver while he got up from the boulder.

"The moment you attacked me, I used your own strength to inject a series of potent and numbing poisons into your body."

"Damn you..."

"Now things are a little more balanced." Said Silver

But this isn't all I have!

'Silver's muscles spasmed and grew as his veins started glowing red.'

'It was just enough for the armor to not feel stuffy'

Muscle enhancement! Full body!

I can't maintain it for long but…

"I don't need that long!"

"This is the true start of the second round!"

…

/A few moments before the fight started, even before the man started to chant./

'Silver watched his enemy from the mist'

"... Shit."

If this guy is really a Hybrid creature… Then I am fucked.

I can't beat it.

Should I bail out?...

"Let me consider the options first."

"It's not really that hard for me to defeat a Level 2 monster one on one, but the thing is that they are much closer to me in terms of stats as this guy."

"Some of my abilities work on Level 2 monsters but I can't even guarantee they will have an effect on this guy."

The problem is the matchup.

"The Goliath was a good example of this, it was slow for its size, its defenses were tough, but not impenetrable. And most importantly, it was dumb as fuck. It was classified as a Level 4 more because of what it represented."

It was an obliterator of new parties.

Imagine you going from fighting minotaurs to suddenly fighting a several dozen meter tall Giant…

A strong and proficient Level 2 party can beat the Goliath if they are well equipped.

"But a humanoid Level 3… I would be surprised if I could even see his movements."

But I noticed something interesting.

He was grunting in pain from time to time while holding his stomach.

"He must have been hurt prior to coming here."

This means his strength might be lower than normal…

I might have a chance… But time might be tight if I try that.

"For this fight, I will have to go with my equipment… And use all of my powers."

Meaning that I will be using a lot of potions.

"And I need to lower his strength… I doubt using things like enrage and mind shock are going to have any effect… So I would need to poison him and disturb his senses."

Thankfully I have some poisons I made, the problem is how to apply them.

If anything happens, I will flee with teleportation...

'Silver felt chills on his back.'

'He noticed that his enemy seemed to be casting something.'

Heh, since he is casting, how about a Muffle?

…

/Back to the fight/

.

.

.