10. Becoming a Samurai

The second underground level was dominated by Kobolds, dog-faced, hairy warriors.

These guys were easy. If I showed them the 'Orc Lord's Fang', they wouldn't attack.

The setting was that the Orc tribe and the Kobold tribe were at war. If you showed them proof of defeating their enemy's boss, they would recognize you as an ally.

Conversely, if you showed the Orcs the 'Kobold Lord's Snout' that you got from defeating the Kobold Lord, they wouldn't attack.

And to open the door to the third underground level, you needed an item from defeating either the first or second floor boss.

So, if I were to proceed normally, I could just pass through the second floor and open the door to the third floor stairs, but I was going to defeat the Kobold Lord too.

First, before going to the boss's room, I went to a large room with red poisonous insects called Rock Vines, which carried stone shells on their backs.

These creatures roamed the labyrinth, protecting themselves by sticking a large amount of stones to their backs, like hermit crabs.

"Whoa, there are tons of them."

I lured them out one by one and beat them down.

I could have hit them with a weapon, but if I slammed my sword into the lumps of stone, the blade would be ruined quickly. Even though it was called a samurai sword, the swords you could buy in town were just dull blades.

Thinking of it as training my fists, I beat them down with my bare hands as hard as I could. My palms peeled and stung with pain, but the shallow wounds from the peeling skin would heal quickly if I drank a basic health potion, so I continued without fear.

I kept punching until blood seeped from my fists, and when I reached my limit, I would heal. If I repeated that until I was sick of it, my fists would gradually become thicker.

It reminded me of when I trained in karate. With my fickle personality, I couldn't persevere long enough to get a black belt in any martial art.

I had dabbled in kendo, judo, and self-defense, but I got bored and quit them all eventually.

The only thing I had managed to continue was my morning jogging. For some reason, the act of running never bored me. It was probably because it was one of the natural movements of humans.

So, all the martial arts I had learned were half-baked, but since I had thoroughly done the initial basics, I was good at taking falls to mitigate damage and the basics of body shifting.

Even tedious training seemed bearable if I could do it in the world of Genoria. In this world, I might even become a respectable master.

I was a gamer, so games were my forte.

I just kept swinging my fists at the slow-moving poisonous insects that were lumps of stone themselves. When my arms went numb and stopped moving, I started kicking them relentlessly.

Bare-handed combat training basically raised my Acrobat Venture rank.

I punched harder and harder, my knuckles breaking, my flesh creaking, my bones cracking. Enduring the intense pain, I swung my arms and legs, swung, swung, swung.

I continued the bloody training, which was almost self-harm.

"Guh..."

Stone Pain, or Rock Pile, was well-named.

If they bit you, they were poisonous, and to defeat them, you had to be prepared to crush your fists as you kept punching.

But no matter how much I destroyed my body, I could heal it with health potions.

In this short period, I experienced training that a martial artist would take years to achieve. Super recovery, where I would break my fists, heal them, and become stronger.

It wasn't just about training my body. By making potions to recover health and stamina, I could also train my Priest rank. By repeatedly taking the weak poison of the insects and detoxifying, I could also train my poison resistance. It was truly an ideal training ground.

Silently, until my sense of pain completely numbed, until I couldn't stand up due to drowsiness, I kept beating down the Rock Piles.

By the time all the Rock Piles in the room were shattered and I had annihilated them, my consciousness was becoming hazy.

Even the intense pain of broken bones no longer seemed to be able to wake me up. My vision was distorted, and my feet were unsteady.

"Haa... is this my limit?"

If I had more mana, I could have done something reckless like masking the damage from drowsiness with potions and continued, but I should probably rest a little.

I holed myself up in a room where the door closed with a switch.

It was a perfect resting spot, even equipped with a water fountain. Water was absolutely necessary for survival.

Genoria, which tried to kill players everywhere else, didn't seem to intend to kill them with dehydration, as water fountains were placed periodically.

Underground water probably circulated within the dungeon. Of course, since it was the drinking water for the creatures living underground, it wasn't poisoned.

With an unbearable thirst, I scooped up water from the spring with my flask and drank it.

"Phew, that hit the spot."

The water was lukewarm and had a slippery feel, but right now it was like nectar. After quenching my thirst for a while and feeling satisfied,

I slumped down on the spot and fell asleep like a log.

"Alright..."

The moment I thought I had fallen asleep, I snapped awake.

It seemed I had slept so deeply that I hadn't even dreamed.

My head was surprisingly clear, like a cleaned-up and blank computer.

Even though I had just slept on the cobblestones with my backpack as a pillow, I had no muscle soreness at all. The muscles in my legs and arms were taut and toned. My body felt light, as if I had become a different person.

"I must have ranked up."

I went to the room where I had just killed all the Rock Piles and filled my backpack with stones.

When I tried to lift it, it was surprisingly heavy.

"Hmph, heave-ho!"

It sounded old-manish, but a backpack full of stones was quite heavy. The straps of my sturdy adventurer's backpack dug into my shoulders, and it creaked loudly with every step.

It wasn't exactly easy, but I felt the weight on my shoulders pleasantly. It had probably only been a day or two of training, but I had been trained quite a bit.

"Haa, haa, and I can carry this many stones at once."

I went to the large room before the second floor boss and threw my backpack towards the other side of a pitfall. There was a heavy thud and dust rose.

Then, I jumped over the pitfall myself. I turned my backpack upside down in the corner of the room and scattered the stones. I went back to refill it and repeated the process of scattering the stones.

I loved this kind of simple work and preparation. I did it silently.

Fatigue accumulated in my shoulders and lower back, which were strained with each carry, but every time I recovered with a stamina potion, my physical limits increased.

After building several small mountains of stones in front of the Kobold Lord's room, the preparations were finally complete. It was time to declare war on the boss.

I went inside the boss's room and threw the stone I was gripping with all my might at the unguarded dog-headed Kobold Lord.

"Hmph!"

Receiving my attack, the Kobold Lord immediately identified me as an enemy but didn't let out a scream even after taking a blow to his unguarded head. Unlike the Orc Lord, there was no cheap roar.

Threatening me in a low voice, he quickly swung his scramasax at me. A sharp slash, which I narrowly dodged, retreating backward.

He was about the same size as the Orc Lord, and he wielded a scramasax and a small iron shield.

As the second floor boss, he was a faster and tougher enemy than the lumbering Orc Lord, who was all show.

I swiftly and calmly retreated to the large room in front, then made a big jump, leaping over the pitfall.

This act of jumping over the pitfall was something that originally couldn't be done in Genoria.

This was also a bit of a cheat.

In one corner of this large room, whether it was an oversight or originally designed that way, there was a point that could be used for a kind of cheese strategy.

It was surrounded by pitfalls and bear traps, and in the game, you couldn't cross to the other side without a ladder or rope to get over the pitfall, but now I could reach the safe zone just by jumping over it.

I, who wasn't bound by game mechanics, probably had an advantage over the enemy monsters, who could only perform predetermined movements.

The Kobold Lord aimed for me as I entered the corner surrounded by traps, but he couldn't jump over the traps. He just paced around, letting out frustrated growls of "Sss! Sss!"

This simple, cheating act of jumping over the pitfall gave me an absolute advantage in the lower levels.

The numerous vicious traps on the first and second floors, once you memorized all their locations, became your own weapons.

Once it came to this, all the Kobold Lord could do was glare at me or come towards me while getting caught in the bear traps, which could break his leg bones.

I leisurely picked up a stone from the small mountain and threw it with all my might at the Kobold Lord.

"Take this!"

The stone hit with a *thwack* sound. Of course, one hit wouldn't do much to a sturdy monster; it would be like a mosquito bite.

I continued to throw the many stones I had prepared at the Kobold Lord with all my strength, focusing on making each one a critical hit.

My Acrobat Venture skill must have improved considerably from my training with Rock Pile-sensei. My strength was amazing, even to myself. The thrown stones whistled through the air and hit the Kobold Lord's head with a *spakoon* sound.

Perhaps exerting all my strength to throw the stones was also giving me experience, as I felt the speed and control of my throws gradually increasing.

It was like a pitcher at Koshien. No, even an ace pitcher couldn't throw such heavy stones this many times in a row. Even a major leaguer would break their shoulder.

It was truly superhuman strength. So this was how much throwing skill could increase in Genoria.

"Well, it's to be expected, I guess."

It was a game where you had to fight against giant dragons as big as small mountains and ferocious demon fiends.

Given its difficulty, it made sense that training in Genoria would allow you to gain strength far exceeding the level of normal humans. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to攻略 the dungeon.

"But he really isn't running away, and he isn't jumping over the traps."

He should just run away. Despite being riddled with countless stone hits, the Kobold Lord just kept barking at me.

His face was swollen and terrible from the direct hits of the stones. Since he prioritized speed, he was only wearing cloth clothes over his dog fur, so the damage seemed to go through easily, and he was covered in blood.

I had kept throwing until my shoulder was swollen stiff.

The Kobold Lord hadn't even been able to dodge the sharp stone throws and had just kept taking them.

He tried to defend himself with his small iron shield, but of course, I didn't throw where he was guarding. If he guarded his head, I would hit his legs; if he guarded his legs, I would hit his head. My attacks landed with amusing accuracy.

Even though the power of one stone throw wasn't that great, it steadily whittled down the enemy's health. Accumulated, it was a fatal wound.

"There are still stones left, but this should be enough."

Thanks to the sturdy Kobold Lord keeping me company, I felt like I had ranked up even further.

It was no use just raising my Acrobat Venture rank, so after recovering my stamina with a stamina potion, I gripped my samurai sword and jumped over the pitfall.

"Alright, I'm here."

"Grrrrr!"

Letting out a dog-like growl, he swung his scramasax at me.

However, perhaps because his arms had also been injured by the countless stone hits, his movements were already sluggish and lacked vigor.

I lightly parried his slow attack and with a shout of spirited energy, I struck him down. *Crack*, the sound of his neck bones breaking echoed.

The sensation of tearing flesh and crushing bone made my arm go numb. Blood spurted violently from the Kobold Lord's neck.

"How's that!"

"Gyaaaaaaa!"

It wasn't so much that my slash was strong, but he was probably already battered. The Kobold Lord let out a death cry and collapsed on the floor.

I thought he was already dead, but just to be sure, I swung my sword down again and split his head open. His skull cracked open with a *packri* sound, and bright red blood and light brown brain matter splattered out.

"Phew..."

Just to be even more sure, I also stabbed him through the heart. Was I being a little too timid?

Even though I had steeled myself for a life-or-death battle, I still had a lingering fear of facing powerful enemies. I hadn't fully become a demon of carnage.

"Well, that's training too, I guess."

You probably got used to fighting and killing. Even your heart got trained.

I looted the boss's treasure chest and took what I needed, and the moment I felt relieved, I felt a piercing hunger in my stomach. Right, I had only been drinking water and hadn't eaten any food at all.

I rummaged through the boss's room looking for something to eat. There was a deliciously roasted thigh meat by a still smoldering bonfire.

It looked like something a Kobold would eat. The only meat you could get on the second underground level was from Giant Rats.

"I have to get used to living in the labyrinth."

I steeled myself and put the rat meat in my mouth.

It had a strong, peculiar animal smell that was quite distinctive, but it wasn't bad at all. The Kobolds might have properly drained the blood before cooking it.

In fact, this taste was a delicacy. Anything tasted good when you were hungry.

I devoured the fatty thigh meat, sucking on the bones until they were clean.

"But it needs salt."

There was plenty of fat, but the lack of salt made it a little bland. Well, I would get used to that too.

I threw the bones away and headed towards the gate that led to the third underground level.

There were two shelves carved out of the wall. If you placed either the 'Orc Lord's Fang' or the 'Kobold Lord's Snout' here, the gate would open, but I placed both of the items I had acquired.

Then, with a heavy sound, the gate opened, and at the same time, another small shelf opened in the wall next to the gate.

A small scroll was placed on the hidden shelf.

I picked it up and read the contents.

"Hmm, so that's how it is."

This scroll was a rare item, a 'Scroll of Rank Up'. It could advance your job rank by three levels if it was a lower-level job, or by one level if it was a higher-level job.

It might seem advantageous to use it early, but in reality, it was harder to raise one higher-level job than to raise three lower-level jobs.

So, normally, it would be more advantageous in terms of experience points to use it after growing more and getting a higher-level job, but this adventure was a matter of life and death.

It was better to use usable items right away.

Among the jobs written on the scroll, I chose 'Samurai Swordsman'.

When I pressed the letters with my finger, the scroll glowed brightly and disappeared into the air.

"Uooooooooh!"

Three levels at once, a triple promotion from 'Mid-Warrior' to 'Swordsman', 'Magic Swordsman', and 'Samurai Swordsman'.

My chest burned with the heat of the rapid job rank up, and I couldn't help but let out a roar.

With this, I had become a Samurai, a higher-level job.

The reason I had gone to the trouble of buying and using a samurai sword was in anticipation of this.

'Samurai Swordsman' was the initial rank of the higher-level Samurai job.

Incidentally, the ranks above it were 'Swordsman', 'Swordmaster', 'Sword Saint', and 'Sword God'.

The Samurai job received a powerful plus bonus to sword skills. If your weapon was a katana, its power doubled.

Since several individual rare weapons, the samurai sword, were prepared as specialized weapons that allowed the Samurai's power to be maximized, it could be said to be a highly favored job.

Moreover, the Samurai Swordsman in Genoria was treated as a Magic Swordsman, receiving a plus bonus to the Magician rank as well, so despite being a front-line job, you wouldn't be troubled by a lack of mana.

It was a job that was second only to the Ninja, which also had Thief skills, in terms of being good for carefully developing an all-rounder.

I tried swinging the samurai sword I held in my hand.

With a *whoosh* that vibrated the air, a white trail effect appeared on the path of the shining blade. It was proof that its power had increased.

This had a unique skill name: Samurai Blast.

It was a passive skill that was always active. Although, when Genoria was created, such game terms didn't exist yet.

The moderately sized samurai sword could be swung without hindrance even in the narrow passages of the labyrinth.

You could carry it by thrusting the scabbard into your waist. It was a weapon that allowed you to approach enemies silently without them sensing your presence until the moment you drew your sword from its scabbard and struck them down.

It was a weapon with a good balance of offense and defense and an extremely rational functional beauty.

And, more than anything, it had "style".

"Not bad. After all, a man should use a katana."

I couldn't wait to test its edge on an enemy, and I went down the stairs to the third floor with a restless feeling.