What were you supposed to do when you ran into a mob of enemies?
The answer was Hound's Step, Hound's Step, Hound's Step.
That Battle Skill was already powerful in the game, and it was absurdly strong in this other world, too, because it really did have invincibility frames!
As the Giant Ghoul's club came crashing down, Sithran hurriedly used Hound's Step. In the next instant, she vanished without a trace. When she reappeared, she was several steps away.
"Whoa!"
She hadn't expected a Battle Skill with such an unremarkable name to be so powerful!
"Woo~ You can't hit me, you can't hit me!"
She was completely absorbed in using Hound's Step to toy with the Giant Ghoul.
However, after using it a few more times, Sithran was already feeling exhausted and had to stop to rest.
"Graah!"
The Giant Ghoul seized its chance and charged at her, about to land a hit.
Gong Qiying grabbed Sithran and used Hound's Step as well, dodging the attack with her in tow.
"Don't get too cocky. One mistake and you'll die."
"Oh."
After catching their breath, the two kept spamming Hound's Step as they made their way safely through the dangerous street.
Spamming Battle Skills really was powerful!
Sithran had taken a minor injury. A monster crouched on a rooftop had hit her in the butt with a poisoned dart from its blowpipe, leaving her face twisted with pain.
Once they left the street, the monsters stopped pursuing them. But there were still plenty of troublesome monsters ahead. Gong Qiying knew that adventurers would be badly worn down after clearing Fat Brother Street, so he'd deliberately placed powerful monsters farther along the route.
But for Sithran, who had grasped the essence of shield poking, these monsters were no trouble as long as she handled them carefully. And with Gong Qiying watching her back, all the better.
At last, they reached the Mist Gate.
"What's this?" Sithran stared at the doorway filled with white Mist. She had a feeling that something terrible would happen if she went inside.
"The boss room." Gong Qiying casually asked, "Other dungeons don't have anything like this, right?"
Sithran shook her head. "In other dungeons, you also start fighting the boss as soon as you enter, but there's no white Mist."
She gazed at the Mist Gate and marveled, "It's pretty intimidating."
They passed through the Mist Gate, and when Sithran got a clear look at the boss monster, her face stiffened.
It was a Giant Cursed Frog!
She instantly remembered the harrowing time she'd spent being chased by a horde of Curse Frogs in the poisonous marsh. Even the arm holding her shield trembled.
Seeing her reaction, Gong Qiying smiled with satisfaction. It had been worth setting a Giant Cursed Frog here specifically after he saw Sithran—just to savor that wonderful expression!
"I-I'm going in!"
She had to overcome her fear to move forward. Sithran charged with her Great Shield raised!
The Curse Frog shot out its tongue.
Her Great Shield was snatched away!
"Huh? What!?"
Without the protection of her Great Shield, Sithran felt lost and exposed, as if she'd been stripped naked.
But she quickly recovered, charged forward with her lance, and stabbed the Giant Cursed Frog in the jaw. The monster cried out in pain and spat out the Great Shield.
"My precious!" Sithran beamed as she got her Great Shield back. She faced off against the Giant Cursed Frog with her classic shield-poking style, and before long, the frog was covered in wounds.
"Ptoo!"
The Giant Cursed Frog spat out a cloud of Deathblight, forcing Sithran back. Then it leaped onto the ceiling and let out a Snarl.
The walls cracked apart, revealing hole after hole. Dozens of strange points of light slowly began to glow.
"Hey, hey, you've gotta be kidding me!"
Sithran's hair stood on end. If she wasn't mistaken, those glowing spots were—
A swarm of little Curse Frogs!
There looked to be more than a dozen of them. They were the Giant Cursed Frog's underlings, and they were all glaring at Sithran.
"Shit."
She glanced back at Gong Qiying and called out, "Give me a hand!"
"Sure."
Gong Qiying pulled out a damp little sickle, but that thing was for Special Attacks in PVP and was useless against monsters. So he pulled out a staff instead.
[Meteor Staff]
[Battle Skill: Spin Spin]
[Mental Power required per unit: 200]
[Rating: C]
Gleaming Stone Gravel!
Magic Gleaming Sword!
Meteor Ball!
He unleashed a series of spells with ordinary-looking effects but highly practical uses. The swarm of Curse Frogs couldn't fight back in time before they were all wiped out.
Sithran's expression turned into that of the Metro Man staring at his phone, because she realized these spells were things she'd never seen before, too.
"Did you find the magic you used in a dungeon?" she asked curiously.
"You can find scrolls containing spells deeper in," Gong Qiying said. "Want to learn?"
Sithran nodded eagerly.
"Too bad you can only use each scroll once." He shrugged. "If you want one, go find it yourself."
Determination flared in Sithran's eyes.
Just then, the Giant Cursed Frog realized its swarm had been wiped out and let out an angry Roar. It kicked off with its hind legs and pounced!
"I've got this!"
She raised her Great Shield and stepped in front of Gong Qiying, standing firm as a mountain!
Gong Qiying fell silent for a moment. I was going to say I could dodge.
It was time for more shield poking.
Before long, the Giant Cursed Frog crashed to the ground. Its enormous body turned into smoke and vanished, leaving behind a purple point of light.
Sithran glanced at Gong Qiying. He gestured for her to go ahead and said, "Take it. It's no use to me anymore."
"Thank you."
She gave a little bow, then walked over and picked up the glowing point. A message suddenly appeared in her mind.
[Giant Cursed Frog's Soul]
[Use at a Campfire to slightly increase your physical strength]
[Use directly to obtain a large number of souls]
"Campfire? What Campfire?"
Sithran wondered if she'd misunderstood the words. Use it directly to obtain a large number of souls? What were souls?
What would she need souls for? She wasn't a necromancer.
And now it was time for Gong Qiying, the expert explainer, to step in.
"This is the Campfire."
She followed his pointing finger and saw an unlit Campfire that had suddenly appeared in the room after the Curse Frog died. A strangely shaped Spiral Sword was stuck in the firewood.
"Try lighting the Campfire."
"How mysterious." Sithran tossed a match inside, and the Campfire immediately sprang to life with warm flames. Just sitting there seemed like it would relax her mind.
Then a line of text appeared before her: Use Giant Cursed Frog's Soul?
"Um, sure. Use it."
The Giant Cursed Frog's Soul was thrown into the Campfire. In the next instant, the flames blazed up, and Sithran felt warmth spread throughout her body, bringing a comfort she couldn't quite describe.
Then she made an astonishing discovery—
"My strength got stronger?!"
Before you continue