Bidding Farewell to the Ordinary

Dungeon, Level 4.

Like the previous three floors, this place is composed of light blue walls and ceilings, and the overall structure is still maze-like, with forks and passages everywhere, only the total area is larger than the previous three floors.

One of the rules of Dungeon is that the lower the floor, the stronger and more numerous the monsters become, and the floor area will also increase unless there are special circumstances.

Around 1 p. m., Leo officially entered the floor and began a fierce battle with the monsters there.

At this moment, he was attacked by a group of Kobold.

It was a dog-headed monster, just as its name suggested, that used sharp claws and teeth as weapons and was about the same height as Goblin, less than a meter tall.

They rarely appear in groups; usually, only one or two wander alone in the Dungeon. However, when Leo arrived at a wide area, he was suddenly attacked by a large group without warning.

"Gurgle!"

"Gah!"

"Gah!"

Around ten Kobold surrounded Leo, brandishing their sharp claws, causing Leo to turn around without hesitation and rush into a side path.

The Kobold gang immediately gave chase, cornering Leo against the wall.

No, it should be said that Leo deliberately rushed to the corner, just like before, to avoid being attacked from both sides.

He leaned against the wall, facing the ten Kobold, his shield firmly raised, his small straight sword concealed behind it. As one Kobold lunged forward, he slashed fiercely at its head.

"Pfft!"

A cold glint flashed, and the sharp straight sword pierced the Kobold's skull before it could react, shattering its head and cutting all the way down its neck, completely cleaving it in two.

"Gah!"

"Gah!"

Seeing this, the remaining Kobold were enraged and rushed forward, their claws slashing at Leo.

"Bang!" "Bang bang!" "Bang bang bang!" --

With a series of muffled thuds, the Kobold's claws all landed on Leo's raised shield, only to be blocked by it.

Based on all the intelligence Leo had observed, analyzed, and accumulated about the enemy today, he easily detected the attack routes of a large group of Kobold. Therefore, even though the shield on his left hand was not enough to protect his entire body, he still managed to block all the attacks with minimal movement. He was even able to launch a sudden counterattack when the Kobold's offensive slowed down, swinging his small straight sword to pierce through the bodies of several Kobold and kill them.

Under these circumstances, the number of Kobold decreased, and the pressure on Leo gradually lessened.

Just when Leo thought he would continue to unilaterally seek opportunities to kill the Kobold until he had killed Kobold all, an unexpected event occurred.

"Splat----"

This was a clearly audible cracking sound.

Like a rock cracking or an egg breaking, the sound appeared abruptly, causing Leo's pupils to shrink and him to turn his head sharply to look at the wall behind him.

And so, Leo saw it.

Behind him, the once thick and lifeless wall suddenly began to crack slowly.

From the continuously fractured walls, orange-yellow light seeped out, much like providing warmth to life that could hatch from an egg.

The facts are not wrong.

Under Leo's watchful gaze, the wall began to crack, and as if something were hatching, a large group of monsters fell from it as if they were ripening.

"Garu!"

"Quack!"

"Gahhhhh!"

Before long, about twenty Kobold appeared in front of Leo and let out ferocious howls.

"----As expected of the Dungeon, their ability to kick someone when they're down is exactly as rumored."

Leo, who had already quickly moved away from the corner, watched this scene with a forced expression on his face.

"The Dungeon is alive."

This is a phrase that countless people, and even gods, have always kept on their lips.

Whether to remind others or to casually mention it in idle chatter, people or gods alike will always repeat this phrase, as if warning someone.

Newcomers may find this puzzling and not understand what it means.

But Leo was different; he could understand the meaning of that sentence, whether from the original work, the records of his clan, or from the words of his companions.

It's exactly what it sounds like: the Dungeon is alive, it has a life of its own.

Not only can it repair itself and regenerate damaged structures, but it can also hatch monsters from the walls of the labyrinth, which are hostile to life in the Lower World, just like hatching chicks. This ensures that no matter how many adventurers defeat, the monsters in the Dungeon will always be replenished and will never be wiped out.

Even worse, when adventurers encounter danger in the Dungeon, as if to wipe them out, a large number of monsters will be spawned nearby, turning the adventurers' adversity into a hopeless situation.

This malicious activity is tantamount to telling others that the Dungeon is alive.

He is alive, a being who freely vents hatred and loathing towards life on earth.

Therefore, thousands of years ago, people built the Babel Tower above the entrance to the Dungeon to act as a lid and suppress it. They also built the city of Orario around the Babel Tower, making it Labyrinth City and a famous fortress city.

As long as we keep an eye on the Dungeon, manage Dungeon well, and prevent the monsters from escaping, then the people on the Dungeon will not be threatened by monsters. This is the meaning of Orario's existence, and it is also the greatest responsibility of the guild as a management organization.

While those on the surface are protected, adventurers who voluntarily enter the Dungeon constantly have to endure the malice of the Dungeon, which may appear at any time.

Now, Leo has encountered this living malice; just as his losing streak was about to turn into a winning one, he was ambushed by the Dungeon.

A much larger horde of Kobold, far exceeding their initial numbers, roared menacingly at Leo.

Seeing this, Leo didn't hesitate and fled.

"Gawoooooo!!!"

The Kobold roared in unison, like a pack of wolves charging forward, and began their pursuit of Leo.

They weren't fast, but their stamina far surpassed that of humans. As Leo began to pant, they immediately sped up, closing the distance between Leo.

"Splat----"

"Splat----"

Along the way, Leo didn't encounter any fellow travelers. Instead, he could hear cracking sounds from time to time, which told him that the Dungeon's malice continued and the number of enemies might be increasing.

"Does this mean they're leaving us no way out?"

Leo took out a vial of medicine from the small bag on his waist, unscrewed the cap, and poured it directly into his mouth.

Before Leo could even taste the flavor of the elixir, his stamina, which had been severely depleted, began to recover noticeably under its effects.

Despite running intensely, Leo could feel his breathing slow down, and his fatigue gradually disappeared, as if he had regained his strength, allowing him to increase his running speed once again.

"Splat----"

However, just as Leo was about to distance himself from the Kobold army behind him, the cracking sound reappeared.

This time, it didn't appear behind Leo, but in front of Leo, at a fork in the road.

Leo looked up and immediately saw several monsters falling from the broken wall.

They blocked Leo's path.

"Gurgle!"

"Aww!"

The monsters bared their fangs and claws, as if they were grinning maliciously.

Leo stopped running, seemingly giving up the struggle.

"Gugaa..."

Ahead was a roaring monster, and behind it was another monster with a menacing expression.

Leo was eventually surrounded and trapped in a desperate situation.

"----Is there no way to escape?"

Realizing this, Leo took a deep breath and quickly calmed down.

When you are still weak, you must never take risks.

Thinking back on the rules he had set for himself, and looking at the desperate situation before him, Leo finally realized how unrealistic these so-called rules were.

Since you've decided to be an adventurer, there's no way you can avoid taking risks.

Since you've decided to enter the Dungeon, sooner or later you'll encounter such dangers and desperate situations.

Although he was just a transmigrator from another world who had only been here for a year, and before today he had never even been in a proper fight, let alone a battle, in that year he had personally witnessed countless powerful beings who surpassed ordinary people, as well as many adventurers who slaughtered terrifying monsters like chickens. He had seen how incredible the possibilities brought by the Blessing of the Gods were, and how miraculous magic truly was.

Especially the blonde, golden-eyed female swordsman who led him out of this Dungeon —her figure, moving like the wind through countless monsters and easily dismembering them on the spot—was deeply etched into his heart.

That was the first time he had witnessed what extraordinary power truly meant.

That was the first time he had ever seen what an unattainable figure looked like.

Perhaps, from that time on, a seed had already been planted in his heart.

A seed that refuses to be ordinary, doesn't want to have lived in vain, and desires to live a second life unlike any before, to grasp the powerful force that it could only ever see in the world of fantasy.

Adventurers must take risks, and no Transmigrator is content with mediocrity.

He was both Transmigrator and an adventurer.

Therefore----

"At this moment, right here, I embark on my first adventure, a moment to bid farewell to my ordinary past."

Leo, speaking in such a low voice, unfastened the small shield he was wearing on his left hand and casually tossed it to the ground beside him.

"""Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhh----!"""

The ferocious monsters, showing no mercy, howled and charged straight at Leo.

Faced with this desperate situation, Leo suddenly raised his head.

Words carrying power were uttered firmly from his mouth.

"[Light of Heaven, Sword of Stars.]"

And so, a miracle called "magic" was awakened.

"[Meteor Dance]!"

The brief incantation triggered Supernatural Power dormant deep within the human body, causing a beam of Starlight to fly from the hand of the boy surrounded by monsters.

The Starlight, like a real shooting star, first circled a few times in the boy's raised hand, then shot out with a roar, hurtling towards the roaring Kobold charging ahead.

"Bang!!!"

The Kobold didn't even have time to react before it was blasted apart by the oncoming meteor, turning into ashes along with the scattered stardust and disappearing without a trace in an instant.

"Slap--slap slap slap-"

-"

A tiny fragment of Magic Stone fell to the ground, rolled a few times, and then came to a stop.

"!!!"

The remaining Kobold ahead froze, their eyes wide, unable to move.

They were frightened.

Leo didn't stop.

"[Light of Heaven, Sword of Stars.]"

He quickly began his second incantation, then turned to face the much larger Kobold.

"[Meteor Dance]!"

This time, Leo increased the output of his mental energy, causing several shooting stars to swirl and fly up from his palm.

[Meteor Dance] is a spell whose power and number of attacks can be increased by consuming additional mental energy.

Leo then increased his mental output, adding more attacks and sending several meteors flying from his hands toward the oncoming Kobold army.

"Bang!" "!" "Bang!" "!"----

The next second, a series of meteors struck the Kobold one after another, instantly blasting their small bodies into dust.

"[Meteor Dance]!"

"[Meteor Dance]!!"

"[Meteor Dance]!!!"

Leo showed no sign of stopping, chanting spells again and again, unleashing a barrage of shooting stars that pierced, killed, and blasted the Kobold one after another.

Thanks to this, when the Kobold finally rushed in front of Leo, they, who originally had an overwhelming numerical advantage, were reduced to less than ten.

"Waaaaah!"

The remaining Kobold, filled with rage, pounced on Leo, biting his arms and shoulders, or tearing his chest, thighs, and abdomen with their claws, causing him to groan and finally sustain injuries.

However, this level of injury is already within Leo's tolerance range.

"Pfft!"

Despite the pain radiating from his body, Leo forcefully swung his small straight sword, cleaving a Kobold that was biting his thigh to death with a single blow. He then followed up with two more thrusts, piercing the chests of Kobold, killing them instantly.

"Gah!"

The remaining Kobold continued to pounce on him, biting and scratching. Leo could only awkwardly pull them away one by one, then hack away with his sword, cutting off their arms or heads, and finishing them off one by one.

By the time Leo was covered in blood and wounds, only two Kobold remained, and they were so frightened by Leo's performance that they retreated.

"[Light of Heaven, Sword of Stars.]"

"[Meteor Dance]!"

Leo, of course, had no intention of letting the other party off the hook, and chanted the spell again.

A meteor shot out, piercing through the bodies of the Kobold, causing them to fall to the ground with cries of agony.