On the fifth floor of the dungeon...
Kai wielded his sword with precise and swift movements, weaving through groups of monsters. With every swing, several monsters fell at once.
What he told Lili in the tavern was true. But besides being wary of the high monster spawn rate deeper in the dungeon, there was another reason he hadn't gone further.
He was training his swordsmanship on these lower-level monsters.
From the second floor to the third, then fourth, and now fifth, after two weeks of nonstop fighting, Kai discovered something interesting.
The passive inheritance from his [Black Swordsman] class had skill proficiency values. At level 1, the cap for each skill was 5000 points. Every monster killed gave one point of proficiency, regardless of which floor it came from. In the system's eyes, all monsters were the same—one monster, one point.
Kai was nearly jumping for joy when he figured that out. He immediately gathered a ton of explosives and spread them around the lower floors while slashing monsters. Then—BOOM.
But unfortunately, that didn't increase his proficiency at all. He tested all sorts of methods afterward, but only killing monsters with his own sword worked.
So he gave up on cheating and focused on farming the early floors instead. The monsters here were easy, and with how much the dungeon seemed to "favor" him—almost throwing monsters his way—he could easily gain one to two thousand points of proficiency per day.
His sword techniques, initially crude, were now transforming into refined and deadly combat skills.
The [Black Swordsman] class was astoundingly powerful. Even though Kai had no prior combat experience, whenever he held a sword, countless instincts surged up within him. Every battle made his techniques sharper, every monster a whetstone to hone his blade.
"System."
After clearing an entire floor again, Kai wiped the blood from his sword, sat down against the wall to rest, and summoned his system panel.
He figured his proficiency should be enough by now...
[Name: Takashina Kai]
Race: Human
Profession: Adventurer Lv.1 (1000/1000) – Hestia Familia
Age: 23 (150)
Height: 177cm
Weight: 65kg
Spirit: 10 (10)
Strength: 10 (10)
Agility: 10 (10)
Endurance: 10 (10)
Constitution: 10 (10)
Class Inheritance: [Black Swordsman]
Energy: 68,740.13/1,000,000
Without checking his still-unchanged base stats, Kai went straight to the Black Swordsman's skill tree:
[One-Handed Sword] Lv.2 (15672/50000): Increases sword mastery; enhances all stats when wielding a sword; improved combat intuition, evasion, and crit rate.]
[Insight Lv.2 (10228/50000): Improves awareness, sixth sense, and evasion of surprise attacks when holding a sword.]
[Balance Lv.2 (5104/50000): Improves agility, 3D mobility, and balance when wielding a sword.]
[Godspeed Reflexes Lv.1 (5000/5000): Boosts agility and reflexes slightly during combat.]
Three of the four had reached Lv.2. Only [Godspeed Reflexes] was still Lv.1—but its proficiency was maxed.
Kai clicked the upgrade.
A flash of golden light. The skill jumped to Lv.2.
[Godspeed Reflexes Lv.2 (0/50000): Greater boost to agility, reflexes, and combat intuition when wielding a sword.]
No dramatic surge of power or grand awakening. Just a slight increase in familiarity. The black sword felt more comfortable in his hand.
He swung it twice. Same strength, but noticeably 20% faster.
Nodding in satisfaction, he looked to the second tier of the skill tree.
[Dual Wielding]
[Solo Player]
Unlike the first-tier Black Swordsman skills, these were clearly the Black Swordsman's unique traits.
Now that the first four were all Lv.2, the [Solo Player] skill was glowing faintly.
"Gulp…"
With anticipation, Kai clicked it.
A burst of brilliant gold filled his vision.
[Congratulations! Skill [Solo Player] successfully unlocked. Current Level: Lv.1]
[Solo Player Lv.1 (0/10000): When fighting alone, boosts all stats slightly. The longer the battle lasts, the higher the buff, maxing out at 500% of base stats.]
500%?!!
Kai blinked hard.
Still 500%.
All stats x5?! With his base stats at 10, that meant he'd reach 50 in every stat—already on par with a mid-tier Lv.2 adventurer!
And this was just Lv.1 of the skill. If it went to Lv.2, Lv.3, Lv.5… how overpowered could it become?
Kai didn't even dare to imagine it—he might shout out loud just from excitement!
He took a few deep breaths, hand gripping his sword hilt, the familiar coldness calming him again.
After a short break, he stood back up.
"Lili, are you ready?"
"All good." Lili nodded seriously, stepping back to give Kai space.
"Then here I go."
Kai slowly raised his sword to chest level. Muscles tensed like compressed springs. Then—he launched forward.
"Fwoooosh—"
His black coat cut through the air as he became a blur.
At the far end of the corridor, shadow imps had just spawned. Before they could even roar, a black line zipped toward them—and in the next second, they were gone.
Kai spun, already charging another pack.
More and more monsters spawned around him, forming another wave.
"Kai-sama…"
Watching from afar, Lili's eyes turned hazy.
Half a month ago, her party encountered Kai in the third floor dungeon. She wes forced to join him and collect magic stones.
Since then, Kai—always dressed in black with his dark sword—had changed day by day. Each kill, each descent, each dungeon dive sharpened his presence.
Even the famed Sword Princess Aiz Wallenstein couldn't match the aura Kai now gave off.
Every time he held his sword, he became the sword.
A natural-born swordsman. Sword soul. Sword bones.
—
Minutes later, Kai stood at the end of the fifth floor, his sword slicing down in an arc of blood across the cave wall.
Behind him, monster corpses filled the corridor.
Lili moved nimbly through the corpses collecting magic stones. She couldn't help but praise him.
"Watching you fight, Kai-sama… it's like watching a graceful dance. So mesmerizing."
"…."
But Kai didn't respond as usual.
He stared silently at a staircase leading downward, expression dark.
"Kai-sama…?"
Lili was just about to ask when he spoke.
"Lili, go back to the third floor right now. Find the white-haired brat."
His voice was calm, but carried an unmistakable authority.
In half a month, she had never heard him speak like that.
"Did something happen?"
"Don't ask. I'll tell you later. Just go."
Back turned to her, his fingers tightened on the sword hilt, knuckles pale.
He was nervous. Tense.
The unease radiated off him, infecting Lili. She wanted to ask, but didn't dare go against his orders.
She froze in hesitation.
Just a moment later, all of her hesitation was shattered instantly.
"Roar—!"
An oppressive pressure so intense it seemed tangible surged over her, freezing every one of Lili's nerves in place.
Her thoughts blanked out for a second.
Even her breathing stopped.
When her soul finally returned to her body, an overwhelming sense of fear made Lili's knees nearly buckle. She could hardly stand.
"Th-This voice…?"
"—It's a Minotaur."
Kai replied flatly, answering the doubt in Lili's heart.
His calm tone carried with it a chilling murderous intent.
This was the killing intent that clung to Kai after he spent the past half month slaughtering over twenty thousand monsters in the dungeon—soaked into him along with the blood he spilled.
"…Kai-sama?"
Hearing Kai's voice laced with killing intent, Lili's face went as pale as a sheet. Panic and unease took over her entire soul.
So terrifying, so terrifying, so terrifying… It's truly horrifying!
So this… this was the powerful Minotaur from the middle floors spoken of in stories?
The crushing fear paralyzed her completely. She was so scared, she could barely move her legs.
But even more terrifying than the Minotaur… was the idea that Kai would try to fight it.
"Kai-sama, don't tell me you're planning to…"
Kai didn't respond to her question. But the killing aura rising from him gave the answer loud and clear.
"No! Even if your swordsmanship is strong, Minotaurs are Level 2 monsters! And among them, they're notoriously difficult to deal with… There's no way you can win!"
Her desperate voice didn't shake him in the slightest. He merely spoke two words, calm but firm:
"Get out."
Those two words were like a pair of hands tightening around Lili's neck, leaving her breathless with despair.
But she couldn't give up. Defying Kai's order, she stepped forward.
"Kai-sama, p-please stop! There's no way you can handle a Minotaur right now! If we stay here, we'll both die!"
"No. We can't escape anymore."
With that flat reply, Lili's gaze was drawn toward the staircase leading down to the sixth floor.
In the darkness of the corridor, a pair of blood-red eyes, filled with brutal desire, stared straight at her.
Her mind shut down.
She couldn't move her gaze.
Not even a finger would respond.
What is this monster…? Why does something like this exist?
There's no way… No way to beat it!
"This is impossible… totally impossible…"
"Lili, listen carefully. When I charge forward, you run back up immediately. Go to the third floor and find that white-haired brat. Tell him not to come down here."
He'll die, right? If he fights this thing, he's going to die!
Why… why does he insist on fighting it?
As the deep crimson figure of the bull-headed monster emerged from the shadows, Lili's whole body began to tremble.
It's over…
Being targeted by something like this… we're doomed.
"—Don't just stand there in a daze!"
A sharp shout, like a thunderclap, rang through her paralyzed mind, snapping Lili back into her body.
In the next moment, a black figure flashed in front of her eyes.
"Ka-Kai-sama…?"
She stared blankly as Kai charged toward the Minotaur without hesitation. Then she seemed to awaken from a dream and screamed.
"Kai-sama!"
Hearing her cry, Kai's lips moved slightly. He spat out a single icy command.
"—Run!"
Tears welled in her eyes instantly. An indescribable surge of emotion overwhelmed her like a crashing tide.
The next second, she turned and ran, wailing loudly.
Not to flee for her life.
But to get help.
Please… please hold on!
As her sobbing faded into the distance, Kai's face, previously tense with focus, curved into a faint smile.
Yes, that's it, Lili.
No one will blame you. I won't be in any danger either.
Because this isn't some unfortunate, random encounter.
This is a long-planned hunt.
I'll use the life of this Minotaur… to advance to Level 2!
You should be happy for me.
I've been waiting patiently for this moment for a long time…
In the corridor between the sixth and fifth floors, Kai stepped forward and drew his sword without hesitation.
Clang—!
Yet, the blade that had always cut through anything struck the Minotaur and left only a shallow wound.
It even made a sound like steel scraping against stone when it hit the monster's tough hide.
Not sharp enough?
The blow failed to do real damage. A sense of unease rose in Kai's heart. Without hesitation, he pulled back.
With the combat instincts granted by the [Black Swordsman] class, Kai's battle awareness was now comparable to a veteran who'd fought thousands of battles.
Sure enough, just as he withdrew, the Minotaur's massive arm swung down. The blast of air from the strike made Kai's coat flutter wildly.
"Tch…"
Feeling the massive power gap, Kai frowned. He glanced at his sword—its edge still glimmered coldly.
So it wasn't a lack of sharpness. He just hadn't swung hard enough.
Is the gap between Level 1 and Level 2 really this huge?
Before today, Kai might've started considering retreat by now. After all, raising his level was important—but it wasn't worth dying for.
But with the [Solo Player] skill now active, he had no thoughts of retreat at all. He dodged the Minotaur's attacks and countered with swift slashes whenever he could.
The Minotaur was undoubtedly powerful—a representative Level 2 monster in the dungeon.
Terrifying strength, thick hide, muscle like layered rubber—it was practically a walking tank with both high offense and defense.
But it had one glaring weakness:
Its speed.
Kai's current stats were all evenly balanced at 10. That, combined with the passive boosts from his class, gave him just enough of a speed edge to dance on the edge of death like a master acrobat.
He concentrated fully, slicing through the air with his sword. By raw strength alone, he couldn't hurt the Minotaur much. But as the fight wore on… things began to shift.
"Raaah!"
Another precise cut landed on the Minotaur's arm. It glared with bloodshot eyes, furious. Deep gashes exposed raw flesh, and its thick blood poured onto the floor.
Enraged by the pain, the beast lashed out wildly, trying to gore Kai with its horns.
But Kai was already gone—he'd retreated the moment it moved.
And in doing so, the Minotaur had unwittingly lowered its head, exposing its neck.
A perfect opportunity.
Kai didn't hesitate. He reversed his grip and brought the blade down hard across the Minotaur's throat.
A gruesome wound split open its neck, spraying blood from the severed artery.
But it wasn't fatal.
The blade had struck bone—the Minotaur's spine—and couldn't cut through.
Still not enough?
Feeling the jarring impact in his wrist, Kai sighed inwardly. Even with [Solo Player] raising all his stats to nearly 50, it still wasn't enough for a clean kill.
But he wasn't discouraged.
The Minotaur was covered in wounds, its neck halfway severed. Even with its monstrous vitality, it wouldn't last much longer.
The only question was how long it could hold out.
And then something strange happened.
As blood and torn tissue spilled from its mouth, the dying Minotaur didn't scream again. Instead, it stared at Kai with eerie calm.
More precisely, it stared at Kai's black sword.
In the face of death, its soul seemed to awaken.
It rejected its violent instincts, and began observing its opponent with a clarity it never had before.
And it quickly identified the sword as the source of its downfall.
It must be destroyed!
Breathing heavily, the wounded Minotaur crouched low like a bull preparing to charge.
And then—it did.
No roar, no warning—just a deadly, silent charge with everything it had left.
Its sharpened horns aimed straight at Kai. Muscles bulged with lethal force.
Its very soul burned in this one final, desperate attack.
The stone floor cracked beneath its hooves as it built speed.
The monster's bloodshot eyes seemed disturbingly human—burning with rage, but also cold calculation.
"…"
Kai stood unmoving, gripping his sword tightly. He didn't dodge.
Their gazes met, creating an electric tension in the air.
Then, the giant red bull head and its horns rushed toward him, growing larger by the second.
But…
I can see it.
You're still too naive, bull-man.
Kai could hear the beast's snorting breaths, the pounding hooves, even the flow of its blood.
With nearly 50 points in both spirit and constitution, time itself seemed to slow for him. The world moved in ultra-slow motion. Only he could act normally.
Calmly, he stepped back twice—just enough to avoid the lethal horns.
Then, raising his right arm, he placed his sword lightly on the Minotaur's wounded neck.
The next instant, the two passed each other in silence.
A string of still-warm blood droplets slid down the blade of the pitch-black longsword, maintaining the posture of an upward slash.
In the blink of an eye, the desperate clash had determined its victor.
Boom—!
Behind Kai, the lifeless body of the Minotaur crashed heavily to the ground. The powerful blood pressure blasted its severed head far into the distance.
And yet, even in victory, Kai did not lower his sword.
During his battle with the Minotaur, a swarm of monsters had begun to surround the battlefield. More were continuously being birthed by the dungeon.
He had just finished one battle, and now another was about to begin.
"Can't I at least get a breath?"
Staring at the dim dungeon walls that kept spewing monsters, Kai shook his head and took the initiative to step toward the crowd.
If the dungeon intended to wear him down with endless battles, then it had seriously miscalculated.
Now that he had activated the [Solo Player] skill, with all attributes buffed to nearly 50 points, Kai was at his strongest when fighting alone.
Moments later, dark sword flashes once again danced through the dungeon…