'After a minute of running, Silver finally stopped in front of a large fall.'

'This was a hole that leads directly to the 19Th floor, he found it while exploring this area.'

'Such holes aren't common, in fact, they are quite rare.'

'However, he had no intention of going down there yet.'

/Bam!…/

'The man came running from a dark corridor, jumping and landing several meters away from Silver, the impact echoed in the silent cavern.'

"Tired of running?... Platinum knight?" Said the man in a sarcastic tone

'Silver turned around and looked at the masked assassin.'

"Why me?" Asked Silver

"I am quite curious myself, who helped you? It certainly wasn't Dionysus…"

"..."

As expected, he knows some things… What else does he know?

Capturing him may be too dangerous... I will jump to the secondary Plan and execute him on the spot.

"Hum… You are quite boring." Said Silver

"There is no need to entertain someone who is about to die." He said

I can't lose my focus.

"Since I am about to die, why not tell me your plans? Isn't that normal?" Asked Silver with a smug smile

"Don't try to fool me, we have been looking for you for the past 3 weeks and we finally found you after a lot of blood and sweat. During this period of time, we also investigated you…"

'He took out a triangular-shaped object.'

"After analyzing the failed operation over and over we arrived at a conclusion..."

"We know you have some strange ability that allows you to move short distances in an instant. Hence, we prepared this…"

To prevent your escape...

/KA-CHING!/

'The triangle started spinning and flew high into the air...'

'Silver wasn't an idiot, the first thing he tried was to drag the object towards him the moment the guy took it away from his pocket.'

'However, it seemed to be really resistant as it negated the force applied to it.'

'He tried intercepting the object with an ice bolt but...'

"It's useless..."

'The ice just dissipated when it reach the 1 Meter mark.'

'The strange objected reached the ceiling, fusing with the ceiling's stone.'

'It then disappeared, as if it was never there, to begin with.'

"What?..."

How did the Ice bolt melt?

It's more accurate to say the Magic power dissipated.

'But Silver didn't feel any different.'

Was something supposed to happen now?

I don't feel anything…

"Don't feel anything? Try leaving this place as you did previously." Said the assassin

"... ?!... "

Ah, shit…

'Silver tried teleporting, but he found out he couldn't leave beyond a certain area. He tried to open the door, but no matter how much he did, nothing happened.'

'And worse… He couldn't open his inventory anymore…'

This isn't really a problem.

Alright, you could say I cant teleport beyond this limit, so I just need to teleport the furthest I am allowed to and cross the barrier right?

But wouldn't that be anti-climatic? I never felt this before ever since my powers came back... It might be beneficial to understand what is going on so in the future I am not ambushed like this again.

Fighting in such a scenario would also be pretty interesting, just like old times.

"You all prepared thoroughly… And here I thought I did everything perfectly… Who helped you this time?"

The person would have to know my identity, however, I made sure to keep it a secret…

Of course, there might be some magic that I didn't take into consideration…

The only person who could do this is…

Freya?

It's very possible, but I find this kind of contradictory. Using a terrorist organization to test me… She would have preferred to use a more controlled method…

So who is it?

This is magic that seems to affect space around me... Although I could be wrong and be just exaggerating things.

"It doesn't matter anyway." Said the man as he took out a pair of daggers from his belt.

"... Yeah."

"!"

/Clang!/

'Silver disappeared from his location, reappearing right behind the man as he swung a spear made of ice, his target, the enemy's heart!'

'His arms were glowing red, filled with a strange kind of power…'

'Muscle enhancement!'

"ARG!"

'The man barely parried the blow, getting cut in the elbow as punishment for having his guard down!'

'Again...'

/Fwush!/

'The two took a few steps from each other.'

"..."

He isn't completely sealed!

Shit! We know too little about him, I shouldn't have fully trusted the information…

But I was desperate, we have less than a week to finish our job, that might not even be enough time to leave Orario and go back…

'But Silver wasn't going to give him enough time to think!'

/CLANG!/

/CLING!/

'Silver disappeared once again, but this time, the man was ready as he slashed behind him, the problem was that he cut right through Silver's body as if it was an illusion.'

'From his now exposed back, Silver swung his spear once again!'

'However, the man barely blocked it with his right knife and he was sent flying across the room.'

"Arg… Shit."

Wasn't he supposed to be a Level 1? How does he have more strength than some Level 2's?

"?"

'Suddenly, it all went dark…'

ABOVE!

'He rolled forward as his instincts told him about the danger falling from above.'

/BAM!/

/CRACK!/

'A large piece of rock had actually broken off from the ceiling, falling right on top of him!'

'The darkness slowly disappeared as the light came back into his eyes.'

"Harf… Harf…" The man breathed deeply as he looked at the large boulder in front of him.

'He felt an emptiness in his left hand.'

I… I lost my dagger…

/FWUSH!/

'Silver yet again attacked, this time from the sky! He swung his Ice spear downward aiming at the man's head!'

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME KID!"

/CLANG!/

'The man swung his knife upwards, clashing directly with the spear!'

/CRACK!/

'The spear broke and Silver was launched across the room while the man rolled on the ground for several meters across the room.'

"..."

'For a good few seconds, silence reigned in the room.'

"..."

'Silver could be seen slightly far away as he observed the fallen man.'

At least Level 3, not that strong, weaker than Frederic, however, he is much more proficient than him.

A solid Level 3, he must've received professional training to move like that. He must've recently leveled up.

I can't access my inventory nor can I drink my Mind potions…

So I can't flood him with a wave of my powers, I need to be careful how I use them.

'Silver recreated the Ice spear on his hands and entered a stance ready for another clash.'

I don't like being ambushed like this but... This is rather thrilling!

'The man got up, his mask had fallen on the ground, displaying his features for everyone to see.'

'He had a large scar passing through left eye… He was blind on one side.'

"Ho? It seems you were prettier than I expected." Said Silver in a sarcastic tone

A blind spot? Perfect.

"..."

I can't fall into this kid's rhythm, he might not be Level 3, but he is definitely a Level 2, a very strong one in fact. The information was wrong, it's impossible for him to be a Level 1.

Also, he is very tactful as he almost killed me with that trap when my vision darkened...

'He took a step forward.'

"I commend you kid, however, I won't be careless anymore."

"Oh yeah?"

Looks like he is finally going serious…

Why do these people keep coming? Sigh…

'The assassin started running.'

'He took a step forward to run but…'

"What?!"

'He slipped on the ground!'

"... Ice?!"

'He looked at the ground and noticed there was a rather thin layer of ice on the ground.'

THIS FUCKING BASTARD!

/BAM!/

'Silver entered in position and threw his spear like a javelin.'

/Fwush!/

'The man swung his dagger but the moment the spear was about to clash with it, it changed direction and punctured his shoulder!'

"AHHH!"

"That's not all!" Said Silver as he closed his hand

'The spear started to vibrate, and suddenly…'

/CRACK!/

/BANG!/

'The spear exploded into pieces! Piercing and cutting his body!'

"AHHH!" Screamed the man in agony

'Silver continued to run towards his enemy, this time, he used telekinesis to attract the other knife from below the boulder after he lifted it up a little.'

Finally a decent weapon…

/Fuzzzzz…./

'Silver's new knife started to glow red and emit a buzzing sound as it started to vibrate at high speeds.'

"Urg…"

This can't go on... But this... This is a bet...

'The man's eyes started to glow red…'

/Fwush!/

'Silver swung his knife down, aiming to cut the man's leg.'

"AHH!"

/CLANG!/

'The man suddenly smashed the ground, breaking the ice as his arm penetrated the ground, and with one hand gripping the solid ground, he kicked Silver away with immense strength.'

/CUT!/

'But Silver didn't lose the chance to plunge his knife into his leg!'

'After he was kicked, the momentum pulled him and the blade, dealing massive damage to the guy's legs!'

/BAM!/

'Silver hit the ground.'

"Cough! Pfft, that was fucking heavy." Said Silver as he spat a little bit of blood.

'He looked at his enemy.'

'His eyes were now glowing red…'

"... Beastfication huh… What type of Demi-Human are you?" Asked Silver

"Wryy…"

'The man stopped speaking, showing off his fangs as his eyes glowed red.'

'But Silver couldn't see his beast features…'

'The most common traits in beast Humans are their extra pair of ears and tail, some don't have normal Human ears while others have, it depends on the race and individual.'

"Don't tell me…"

Did he cut them off… Or is he just a strange breed? Or is it a Unique Skill?

/CRACK!/

/ROAR!/

'The beastified man started running after Silver, he dropped the knife on the ground, deciding to fight with his claws.'

'It seemed as if his leg wasn't damaged at all!'

'Silver used telekinesis to attract the other knife.'

'Silver entered a stance with the two knives as he waited for the impact!'

"Come on fucker."

/CLANG!/

/FWUSH!/

'Silver barely blocked a punch, being sent flying.'

"URG!"

So this is beastification.

They receive an immense boost to their stats, losing a bit of their rationale, turning violent…

It is rather useless against opponents close in power to them, but against weaker opponents, they would be able to overwhelm them with their stats alone.

The conditions often make it bad...

/FWUSH!/

/CUT!/

'Silver barely evaded a claw swipe by turning his head to the side, he slashed his knife sideways and he rolled away.'

I can't lose focus thinking! But...

"Too shallow…" He said as he looked at the cut in his enemy arm

"ROAR!" Said the beastified man as he ran after Silver once again

"..."

Something is wrong! How can he move with that injury in his leg?

/CLANG!/

/SWIPE!/

/CLING!/

/CUT!/

'Silver exchanged a flurry of attacks against the beast, trying his best to defend and counter-attack.'

'However, even with his proficiency, he couldn't avoid several light cuts from the fast claws.'

"This guy beastification…"

I don't know which race he is, but I can guarantee that transforming just like that isn't common…

Meaning, he has a Skill for that.

/CLANG!/

'Silver blocked another attack, using telekinesis to throw the enemy against the ceiling and giving himself some time to breathe!'

/BAM!/

/CRASH!/

'The moment the man fell from the ceiling, Silver delivered an air kick, sending him flying across the room.'

'The man crashed against the wall, rolling towards the ground in agony.'

"His transformation is much more intense than the norm, his stats are much higher than they should be and his claws are surprisingly sturdy and sharp…"

Sturdy enough to clash with these daggers...

And his rationale has been severely cut down…

'Silver looked at the daggers, they were actually chipped…'

No wonder, it seems this man's main weapon was never his daggers, but his claws all along.

"AHHH!"

'Dark mist started to surround the man, gathering into his injuries and healing them…'

"Shit. Is this another Skill or is it Magic?"

I didn't hear any chant…

This can't go on…

I already spent quite a lot of energy, and I can't recharge by drinking a potion…

'It was already impressive that Silver could dish out so many Magic attacks while being a Level 1. But despite him being an irregular existence, there is a limit...'

"Retreat."

I will leave the area and see if I can invoke my inventory…

/CRACK!/

'But before he could start to run, the beastman once again charged.'

/CLING!/

/SWIPE!/

"Fuck off!"

/Clang!/

'The man jumped while he slashed, Silver parried the blow but ended up pinned to the ground, it seemed his only escape was through teleporting!'

This is a chance!

'However, Silver decided to endure, effectively taking a hit in his elbow, he took his chance to puncture a hole in the man's lungs!'

"FALL DOWN!" Screamed Silver as he rolled to the side and pinned the man down, his knife making a hole in his body!

/STAB!/

/STAB!/

/CUT!/

'He grabbed the man's shirt and stabbed him again… And again and again!'

"ROAR!"

'The crazed man didn't take it silently as he swiped Silver's chest and arms and even his back! Shedding blood everywhere!'

'It was a fight of attrition to see who would collapse first!'

"Not enough!"

Mind shock!

'Silver's hands started to transform and morph, becoming incorporeal and translucent…'

'The beastman's mind suddenly went blank and he stopped moving! Giving Silver enough time to deliver a blow directly at his neck!'

/Pierce!/

"G-UA-A…" Said the man as blood filled his throat.

/STAB!/

'But he didn't lose the chance to also stab Silver's lung!'

'He fought until the very end...'

"Arg!"

INCINERATE!

'Both of Silver's knives turned into flaming swords as they burned his insides…'

"G-AH-Nnn..."

'It was an instant death…'

"COUGH!"

'Silver spat large amounts of blood on the ground.'

"Huff…"

I need to… Get out of this area and get access to my potions… Fuck.

'As he got up, he tried to use his energy as sparingly as possible so he could close his most dangerous injuries.'

'He looked up but couldn't see the triangle on the ceiling.'

/Step step…/

'Slowly, Silver made his way outside of the area, the only way of knowing how far he was from it was by using the feeling he got from trying to use his teleportation.'

'He was running on fumes... He won the battle, but he considered if it was a better choice to just retreat when he could.'

'The man's craziness and his ferociousness were something he didn't account for. After all, most enemies would die or lose strength when they receive an attack in their lung, much less persevere even with a cut to the neck afterward!'

'But Silver was rash, he didn't account for his enemy's Skill and ended up paying for it.'

'You could say the same for his enemy, who ended up paying for his life.'

'30 Meters… 15 Meters… 5 Meters…'

'Silver was now very close to the entrance of this cavern section… He didn't teleport as he feared he might lose his consciousness if he does so.'

'His injuries were getting worse, he needed a potion ASAP! Else he would suffer from Mind down from overtaxing his Mind.'

/Step…/

'But he heard something coming from the other side of the dark path…'

"Shit… COUGH! Oh no…" Said Silver with difficulty

'It was a "red" Minotaur holding a bloodstained spear on its right hand.'

'Its body was filled with wounds and most of its white-blue fur was now red due to blood.'

'In its left hand was the head of an adventurer, its spine still connected to it as it was dragged on the floor...'

'The eyes of the head showed the despair it felt before its death…'

"Mino-Tan… You came to my rescue right?" Said Silver

Well... This is a true shity situation...

I am in no condition for this!

'Silver never stopped walking forward, he was very close to target…'

/Step step…/

"Mu…"

'However, Mino-Tan also started to walk…'

"Come on Mino-Tan... How about we take a... COUGH!... Rest for now? 1 Minute?"

'Silver was now 2 Meters away from opening his inventory… But…'

"Mu… MuuUUUUU!"

/CRACK!/

/FWUSH!/

'The Minotaur suddenly started to dash, throwing its spear to the side as it ran like a bull on all fours!'

"SHIIT!"

'Silver also used all of his strength as he started to run for his life…'

Just a bit more and I!!…

/ROARR!/

/BANG!/

'Like a bull, the Minotaur hit Silver's stomach with its head as it roared fiercely, however, the angle was so perfect that Silver wasn't punctured by its horns.'

'No... Silver made sure to move his body so he isn't punctured by the horns!'

/CRACK!/

'However, the sound of his ribs breaking could be heard…'

"BLERG!"

'Silver vomited blood as he was carried back into the room like a sandbag!'

"..."

I can't… Let it go like this!

'Silver hands turned white… But they quickly went back to normal…'

Shit…

/BAM BAM BAM!/

'Each step of the minotaur broke the ground, thundering across the cavern as its speed continued to rise.'

'When they got very close to the hole the Minotaur stopped and tried to launch Silver down the hole…'

'However…'

"MU!"

/THUD!/

'It slipped in the ice! The very ice Silver had just made!'

'Without being able to stop, the Minotaur fell on the hole with Silver!'

…

/Back at Babel, around the same time…/

"~Hum hu hum~... ~I sold an expensive sword~..." Sang Hestia

'Hestia cleaned the surrounding equipment with a duster as she hummed a terrible song in happiness since she managed to sell a 50 Million Valis sword.'

"~My paycheck will be bigger than… Then what?... Hm..."

'Hestia placed her finger on her mouth as she thought…'

How much will I gain? He!

Once Silver comes back I will...

"?!"

/THUD!/

'She suddenly went stiff as she dropped the ax on her hand in the ground.'

'Sweat dropped from her forehead and her eyes were trembling…'

/Creeeak…/

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Asked the red-haired girl as she opened up a door in a hurry

'She looked at Hestia despair-filled eyes, and felt as if something terrible had happened…'

"What happened?!" She asked

'Hestia slowly turned around as tears went down her eyes…'

"I-I-I-..."

"Calm down and tell me from the start…" Said Hephaestus

"I CAN'T FEEL SILVER ANYMORE!" Screamed Hestia as she grabbed her hair and cried

"!?"

'There is only one case when a God can't feel their children's blessing anymore…'

'And that's when they die…'

"..."

'Hephaestus also went stiff, however, as the more experienced of the two she couldn't bring herself to a conclusion yet.'

"Calm down! Nothing is guaranteed!"

'She grabbed Hestia's hand and ran outside, their destination was a shop one floor below them…'

Thankfully I am here…

…

/Back in the Dungeon…/

'3 Seconds after they fell into the hole…'

'Silver opened his eyes in a hurry as he felt the wind brush against his back.'

Phew… I almost lost my consciousness there…

All of that beating I received in my childhood was good for something, thankfully my resistance to fainting is high…

"Pftt!"

'As he thought that, he spat an empty bottle from his mouth!'

'It was for only a moment, but Silver managed to take out his highest quality potion from his inventory and drink it right before the Minotaur crashed against him!'

'Silver never sucked something with more strength than the potion he drank within that half-second...'

'But he didn't have enough time nor the energy to evade the Minotaur's blow…'

/Fwush fwush.../

'The wind brushed against Silver, it had been around 10 seconds since he started to fall...'

"..."

This can't go on!

'Silver finally realized what was happening!'

'He was free-falling towards the 19Th floor!'

'And there was a Minotaur on top of him!'

/Grab…/

"HUP!"

'Silver grabbed the Minotaur's horns and kicked him away using all of his remaining strength!'

"MUU!"

'The dazed Minotaur also recovered its focus as it tried to kick Silver as well, however, its legs weren't made to kick like that, so he missed Silver's head by a palm…'

"MUUU!" Screamed the Minotaur as it fell

"?!"

'Silver felt immense pain after he kicked the minotaur away... It were his hidden injuries that weren't properly healed by the potion.'

"My body is all fucked up…"

HIn any case... Just how deep is this?!

Considering that the 18Th floor is 1-3 Km tall, you could predict this hole is just as big as that at the very least since it was located on the 16Th floor, it must go beyond the 17Th and 18Th floors combined...

'Silver used telekinesis to levitate while he also pushed the Minotaur down accelerating its fall!'

'His objective wasn't to kill his enemy, but to give him enough time to recover.'

'The Minotaur soon disappeared from his sight into the darkness of the hole below…'

'After a few seconds...'

/BANG!... ANG!... ANG!... Ng.../

'The sound of the impact echoed in the hole for quite a while.'

"... Harf… I need a place to rest a little…"

I think I broke and ruptured a few organs… That potion was very expensive but I don't think it's enough to heal me…

'As he slowly levitated to the ground, Silver drank and splashed as many potions as he could on his body. Healing a great number of injuries.'

'However, that was only applicable for his external injuries, most of his internal injuries were still open or just lightly closed.'

"At least I can properly breathe now..."

'They would take a while to heal.'

/COUGH!/

'Silver used his abilities to expel all of the dirt that accumulated inside of his body. Especially his lung.'

"I will have to rest for at least one or two days after this…"

Even if I keep using potions… It's best to let my body rest.

And it would be the perfect opportunity since I will Level up after this.

…

'After a minute slowly descending into the ground...'

'Silver stepped onto the 19Th floor.'

'The walls, ceiling, and ground were made out of wood, looking as if he had entered a large three.'

'The only source of light was strange, moss-like plants that radiated blue light.'

"The smell… There is a small bit of poison mixed within… Not much, but enough exposure would be enough to make you sick for some time."

'Silver had fallen on the second section of the Middle floors, the 19Th to the 24Th floors.'

This section of the Middle floors is vastly different from the previous section, just like how the 10Th to 12Th floor is different from the rest of the Upper floors.

The size and complexity of the area greatly increased, and due to that, these floors contain a large number of unexplored areas.

The main "theme" of these floors seems to be Plants, and with it, a large variety of insect-type monsters.

Most of them are poisonous…

And as such, having the abnormal resistance development ability is key to safely passing through these floors due to the large number of poisonous monsters and traps on these floors.

"Even the environment in some areas is somewhat poisonous…"

The plant diversity on these floors often provides ingredients used to make Potion/Medicinal items which results in many resource gathering quests being issued for this area.

It's right next to the safe floor, so this is a very famous spot for Level 2 and 3 adventurers.

Since the Lower floors aren't really accessible to normal adventurers due to their difficulty. Once again, due to the sudden spike in difficulty.

"Overall, it's a close-by area and probably the most visited place for Level 2 adventurers."

'Silver looked around and couldn't detect any monster.'

"Where is that Minotaur? I was interested in its loot."

Did it turn into smoke already?

"Mu…"

'The cry of a bull reached his ears.'

'Silver looked around and noticed a tall Bull, walking towards him…'

'However, it was limping… One of its legs was broken…'

'Not only that but its two arms were also broken, it must've used them to cushion its fall… It was in a very bad shape.'

'But its eyes… They still burned with determination as it slowly walked towards Silver, as blood dripped from seemingly every part of its body.'

"..."

How did it survive the fall?

A Level 2 monster shouldn't be strong enough to survive terminal fall velocity yet...

It must've used its arms to cushion its fall... Smart?

"... You have a lot of determination."

Although I don't know why it's so focused on me… I thought monsters like this weren't supposed to have emotions like that.

A result of its mutation? More research is needed...

"..."

'The creature exhaled as it stopped.'

'It took one step, getting in position for a charge…'

'Its broken leg trembled, however, it soon stabilized as the minotaur determination peaked.'

'It was its final charge.'

"..."

This Minotaur…

I have nothing propelling me into fighting it.

It will die soon, its injuries aren't something that it can heal on its own, I could just wait for it to die and pick the loot later.

"However…"

Why is my hand trembling?

'Silver clenched his fists.'

My energy is enough, and even if I am not 100% after taking those potions...

This situation is not that disadvantageous, how can I not take this challenge?

"You helped me train for a long while, might as well grant you your last wish."

/Crack!/

'Silver put one of his legs forward, crunching the wooden ground as he stepped into it.'

This is goodbye, my training partner.

'The minotaur slowly walked forward...'

"... r..ro…roo... roooOOARRRR!" Screamed the Minotaur as it charged forward!

/CRACK!/

/BAM! BAM!/

'It ignored the injury in its leg as it charged faster than ever before!'

"I can't deny it... This is crazy."

However, I couldn't feel more alive.

'The beaten boy looked at the menacing beast, its eyes red with bloodlust as it aimed to take his life.'

'Brown light could be seen forming behind the boy, like stars in the night…'

'His scarf even seemed to reflect the light a little… Was it glowing?'

'Even the insects stopped making sounds, and the moss in the cavern stopped shining light…'

'He closed his fist as red energy started to envelop it.'

/BAM! BAM!/

'Lightining…'

'Fire…'

'Ice and even the rocks on the ground.'

'And more...'

'Chaotic energy started to spin around his right fist as he entered in a stance.'

'Silver eyes couldn't be firmer of his decision of taking the beast head-on.'

'Even if it was illogical, Silver had already steeled himself into becoming an adventurer, not just any adventurer...'

/BAM! BAM!/

'And challenge his limits. With a dam euphoric smile on his face.'

"ROARRRR!" Screamed the Minotaur as it crashed against the boy's fist

"AHHHHHH!" Screamed the boy as it punched the Minotaur's head

'The only thing that mattered for the both of them at that point was their enemy.'

/BOOOOM!/

…

.

.

.