That was what she said.
Even though she spoke with the tone of a seasoned veteran lecturing newcomers, Tsubaki's instincts, sharpened through countless brushes with death in the Dungeon as a Lv.5 First-Class Adventurer, still told her that this group was probably not as simple as they looked.
Especially the blind girl named Inaba Tsukuyo.
Earlier at the Guild, the way she located positions purely through sound had surprised even Tsubaki a little.
That kind of hearing was not something an ordinary blind person could train.
And then there was the other one.
Tsubaki's gaze shifted to the black-haired girl called Kirukiru Amou.
This one was even more unusual.
She had walked around the armory for quite a while, yet in the end she hadn't taken a single proper weapon. When entering the Dungeon, the only equipment she wore was a set of light leather armor.
Her hands were empty.
Completely barehanded.
Seeing that outfit, Tsubaki couldn't help but think of the Ishtar Familia, especially those battle courtesans who specialized in martial arts.
Many of them preferred not to carry weapons either.
After all, a large portion of them practiced hand-to-hand combat.
Could this girl be following the same path?
If that were the case, the early stages would be extremely painful.
After all, no matter how hard a human fist might be, striking a monster's bones would still hurt.
…
"Alright, this is where the real labyrinth area begins."
Before anyone noticed when it happened, the wide spiral slope around them had disappeared. In its place were tangled rock tunnels stretching in every direction.
The light had also grown dim.
Only patches of low-purity phosphorescent moss embedded in the walls emitted a faint, ghostly blue glow.
Tsubaki stopped walking and turned around, pointing toward the dark tunnel entrances surrounding them.
"Once you step into the Dungeon's real danger zones, these complicated tunnels will scatter adventurers apart."
"Don't expect to keep seeing large groups like you did above."
"And even though this is only the first floor, it's already a real battlefield."
"The first five floors mark the beginning of the Upper Levels. The monsters here are mostly low-level ones like Goblins and Kobolds."
"Individually they're weak. You could kill one with a stick."
"But they make up for it in numbers, and they love ambushes."
"Go deeper, around the sixth floor, and you'll start encountering a monster called the War Shadow. Those things are fast, with sharp claws. In every sense of the word, they're rookie killers."
"As for the seventh floor and below…"
"If you run into the armored Killer Ants and fail to eliminate them immediately, they'll call for reinforcements. That can easily trigger a small monster swarm."
At that point Tsubaki paused and glanced over the girls behind her, who still looked soft and inexperienced.
"But at your current stage, getting used to the rhythm of the first five floors will be enough."
"Today's goal is simply to let you see some blood, and also-"
"Chi!"
Before Tsubaki could finish saying "and get familiar with your weapons", several small shadows suddenly rushed out from the corner ahead.
Green skin, large pointed ears.
Rusty short swords and wooden clubs in their hands.
Shrill and unpleasant screeches filled the air.
Goblins, six of them.
"So they've arrived."
Tsubaki raised an eyebrow. After a brief thought, she stepped aside and leaned against the wall with her arms folded.
"They're the lowest-level trash mobs, but they're good enough for a warm-up."
"Go on, let me see your-"
Before she could finish speaking, Amou had already rushed straight into the middle of the Goblins.
"Hey! Don't charge in so reck-"
Tsubaki frowned, about to warn her not to be careless.
But the next moment, her voice stopped in her throat.
The Goblins clearly hadn't expected a human woman to rush them barehanded. In their moment of confusion, they swung their short blades wildly.
Clang!
A crisp metallic sound rang out.
The rusty dagger struck Amou's raised arm, and sparks flew as if it had struck a steel plate.
Her skin wasn't even cut.
Tsubaki's pupils shrank.
Even if someone wore arm guards, taking a blow like that head-on would normally break an adventurer's bones.
Yet Amou remained expressionless.
Her right hand straightened, the five fingers pressed together like the edge of a blade.
Then she thrust forward.
Shhk!
It was only a simple forward stab but, blood begins to splash.
The Goblin that had been snarling ferociously froze.
Amou's pale hand pierced straight through the Goblin's chest as easily as a red-hot knife cutting through butter. Despite the creature's tough flesh and ribcage, her hand passed cleanly through its body, entering from the front and emerging from the back.
"Chi…"
The Goblin let out a short cry as its body twitched twice.
Then it turned into a cloud of black ash and scattered into the air.
All that remained was a magic stone the size of a fingernail.
A body as tough as steel, limbs turned into blades.
That was Blade Incarnation.
…
Even though Tsubaki had already suspected that Amou followed a similar path to the martial artists of the Ishtar Familia, her eyelid still twitched.
What kind of absurdity was that?
Goblins might be weak, but they were still monsters. Their chests were protected by ribs.
Even an adventurer wielding a blade would find it difficult to pierce straight through that cleanly.
Yet she had done it, with her bare hand.
And when Amou pulled her hand back out, aside from a little blood staining it, there wasn't even a scratch.
Was that really a human hand made of flesh?
…
The battle, however, was not over.
The remaining Goblins did not retreat when their companion died. Instead, the smell of blood only drove them into a greater frenzy as they screeched and lunged forward.
"Since Amou has already made the first move, we can't fall behind."
Rin stepped forward.
"Too slow."
Seeing another Goblin rushing toward her, Warabi placed her hand on the hilt of the priceless sword at her waist.
Black Crow.
But she did not draw it.
Perhaps she felt that monsters of this level were not worthy of dirtying her new blade.
Instead, she shifted her stance slightly and twisted her waist.
[Mask Equipped State] , her strength and endurance increased dramatically.
Boom!
A simple kick followed.
Her long leg, wrapped in black stockings, lashed out like a steel whip.
Bang!
The Goblin was struck head-on. Its body folded in half instantly and flew backward at triple the speed it had charged, slamming violently into the rock wall before bursting into black smoke.
On the other side,
"How crude. It's better not to let filthy things like that touch your clothes."
After watching Rin's method, Mary curled her lips slightly and stepped forward, unwilling to fall behind.
With a flick of her wrist, the rapier in her hand, Rose Thorn, drew an elegant flourish in the air.
Before another Goblin could complete its charge,
Slash!
A flash of silver appeared.
The sword tip pierced precisely into the Goblin's throat, entering and withdrawing in a single smooth motion.
The Goblin clutched its throat. Before it could even stagger a few steps, it dissolved into drifting ash.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Read Advanced Chapters
p(a)treon.com/Shalltearr
Drop some POWERSTONES to push the story forward!