Ossan Saikyō Chapter 1 Part 07
The next morning, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I dove into the Great Rock Dungeon again. Without any issues, I reached the entrance to the third underground floor.
By that point, it seemed my adventurer level had gone up again to Level 4. Rock Lizards could now be defeated in a single hit, and even if two appeared at once, I could deal with them instantly.
“Maybe I’ll go down just a bit…”
Last night, I treated that young man to a drink and got some information… apparently, the third floor doesn’t change much except that Rock Lizards and goblins appear in groups of four or five.
Of course, since I’m solo, facing groups increases the danger significantly, but honestly, I’m confident I can handle up to five.
The reason is that while fighting groups today and being conscious of movement and positioning, I felt my thinking become clearer. It’s probably some kind of skill… something like【Thought Acceleration】.
After checking my equipment, I descended to the third floor.
The third floor had corridors about twice as wide as before. Following the route on the map, my【Presence Detection】picked something up; five goblins right away.
The goblins moved to surround me. If I just stood there, I’d be beaten down.
I raised my buckler in front and dashed forward fiercely. Without slowing down at all, I slammed into the goblin in the center with my buckler, sending it flying, and then ran straight through to the back of the group.
The one I sent flying was already dead. With enough weight difference, a body slam can be fatal.
I immediately turned around and struck at the goblins as they scrambled to regain their footing.
My mace strikes now had enough power to crush multiple goblin heads at once.
It turned into a bit of a brawl, and I took two or three hits from their wooden sticks, but I managed to wipe them out in about thirty seconds.
“Ow… that’s going to bruise…”
Rolling up my sleeve, I saw the areas where I’d been hit had turned blue. It throbbed painfully, so I reluctantly used a potion. Apparently, once opened, potions deteriorate after a while, so they’re basically single-use.
Group combat is harder than I thought. Or rather, this isn’t really a situation meant for solo fighting.
I thought I could manage it with positioning, but monsters just charge in recklessly, so it quickly turns into a chaotic melee.
If those had been Rock Lizards, I might have gotten bitten somewhere.
“I’ll need countermeasures after all.”
With that, I turned back and left the dungeon. Since it was still early, I spent plenty of time training at my usual spot (temp.).
◇◆◇
On the way back, I thought about how to deal with group combat.
But really, there are only two options: “raise stats and power through with better equipment” or “change weapons and tactics”. Of course, “form a party” is the most proper solution, but I’m setting that aside for now.
As for “raising stats”, I just need to keep doing what I’ve been doing; repetitive training to improve physical ability and technique, and gaining experience through real combat. It’s basically the same as sports training from school club activities.
So that leaves “changing weapons”.
The mace is easy to handle and very strong in close combat, but its reach is short.
In that case, even though it might be somewhat restricted in narrow corridors, using a long-handled weapon could be a viable option.
Actually, the weapon shop owner had recommended a spear at the beginning, but I couldn’t afford it at the time.
To check, I stopped by the weapon shop before heading to the guild.
“Welcome. Oh, it’s you from the other day. What’s up, did your mace break already?”
The shop owner is a man around my age. He’s also a blacksmith, so he has a very sturdy build.
“Hello. The mace is fine. Today I’m thinking about a weapon for fighting multiple opponents.”
“Multiple? You mean you’re taking on multiple enemies alone?”
“Yes. With a mace, it turns into a brawl, so I was thinking a weapon with more reach would be better.”
“Before that, you should probably find some companions… but I guess you’ve got your reasons. If you want distance, ranged weapons come first… but that’s not what you’re after, right?”
“Right. I’m not considering bows for now.”
“Then a spear is your best bet. Glaives and halberds are harder to handle, and in tight spaces, they’re not ideal.”
A glaive is like a naginata, and a halberd is a polearm combining a spear and an axe.
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
“But adventurer-grade spears are fully metal, so they’re expensive. The cheapest one is 280,000 Rom.”
He pointed to a black, gleaming spear about two meters long leaning against the wall.
Adventurer weapons are all-metal because wooden shafts wouldn’t withstand the strength of Awakened humans.
“That’s still out of my budget. I’ll save up and come back.”
“Got it. But taking on multiple enemies… That’s on the second floor? Or maybe even the first?”
“No, the third floor. Five at once is a bit much.”
“You went to the third floor alone!? You’ve got guts. Be careful. I’ve never seen someone our age become an adventurer. Try to live long, alright?”
“Thank you. Oh, by the way, I’m also looking for something to train my body.”
“Something to train your body? What’s that supposed to be?”
“Well, basically… just weights. Something easy to hold, shaped like this…”
I described the shape of a dumbbell. The shop owner tilted his head, then said,
“So you just need a heavy metal bar, right? Hold on.”
He went to the back and brought out a metal rod about 5 cm in diameter and 50 cm long.
Well, not brought out… more like, he actually carried it on a cart.
“How about this? Try lifting it. Careful, it’s heavier than it looks.”
As instructed, I picked it up, and it was incredibly heavy. Easily over 50 kilograms, maybe even around 100. It didn’t feel like normal iron. In fact, does a metal with this kind of density even exist?
“That’s called Dark Metal. It’s insanely heavy. But it has weird properties; it’s weak to impact and doesn’t mix with other metals, so it’s only really useful as a weight. But for what you described, it’s perfect, right?”
“Yes, this would be great for training.”
“It’s a bit rare, though. I’ll add a small margin to the purchase price… How about 80,000?”
Not cheap. Definitely not cheap. But it feels like I could get a lot out of training with this. I want to save for a spear too, but improving my base strength and skills through training might be more versatile…
“…I’ll take it.”
I acquired an absurdly heavy metal rod and left the shop.
◇◆◇
Maybe because my adventurer life in this world was starting to stabilize, I suddenly found myself thinking about my previous life while lying on the inn bed.
My parents are still alive, but I have a younger brother and sister, so they’ll be fine. I feel bad for my brother, who’ll suddenly have to take on responsibility for them, but if my heart stopped, there’s nothing to be done.
My ex-wife… well, she already had a new partner, so it doesn’t matter.
As for work, I was leading a new project, but someone else will take over. Company work can always be handled by someone.
So, it’s not something to dwell on too much. My parents, siblings, and a few friends will be sad, but that’s about it.
Of course, I do feel some loneliness, but at this age, emotions don’t linger that long. I just have to move on and live out the “rest of my life”. Even if it’s in a way I never imagined.
Come to think of it, Kisara at the reception said something strange. Apparently, people who have Awakened age more slowly. But if you only fight weak monsters, you age normally.
In other words, if you want to live long, you have to fight strong monsters. Of course, fighting strong monsters means your life isn’t guaranteed… a rather cruel system.
Wait, if that’s the case, starting in middle age like me means I have to get stronger no matter what and fight higher-rank monsters, or my “remaining life” will end quickly?
What in the otherworld? That’s a terrible game system.
In that case, I can’t afford to stay stuck in an F-class dungeon. I need to increase my training, earn more… in the end, even here, I’m chasing quotas.
What a pain.
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E/N:
I feel you, Ossan~! Now, let's keep training!
Stay tuned!
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