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CHAPTER 229: TESTS AND TRIALS ②

CHAPTER 229: TESTS AND TRIALS ②

~ Curuario’s Point of View ~

「Huh……? My level has not increased for about a year or so, and now I have increased by three levels in one go?! And my Skill Level for “Misidentify Existence” has increased to level 4 as well…… Wait, that’s too much, I can’t keep up……」

Even though there was no one else around me right now, I was so confused that I could not help it but to talk to myself.

It was a common knowledge that you get more experience points when you defeat a higher-ranking monster than yourself. But hearing about it and actually experiencing it in person were two completely different things.

So that’s why Aun gave me this test!!

It was true that getting stronger comes with risks. But once you overcome them, there’s no doubt that you are going to have a different view on things. Has it been that I have been taking too much of a safety margin up until now……?

「If there’s this much benefit from doing this, then if I repeat the same method over and over again, will I gain even more level ups all at once……?」

I knew that what I was currently saying to myself was nothing more but the Devil’s sweet whisper. But once you experience the pleasure of leveling up all at once like that, it feels like your brain is going to get bugged and melt to mush!

「Maybe I should try doing that one more time. Yes, just one more time, to see how it will go……」

As I shoveled the rations I had brought with me into my stomach and waited for my stamina and magic to recover naturally, I thought back to the locations and types of traps that Nelfie-san had deactivated on her way there, and remembered that there were several slowing and pitfall traps on the 18th floor as well.

Traps in dungeons have the property of automatically repairing themselves after a certain amount of time has passed since they were first activated or deactivated, and the fact that the traps on the 19th floor I had just run through had been repaired meant that I should be able to use the traps on the 18th floor and below as well, as long as they had not been deactivated by other Adventurers recently.

「But if that’s not possible, I can just run back to this safety zone and come back later…… right?」

As I told myself that, I got up from my seat and stepped out of the Safety Zone.

— A few hours later —

「Foooo!!! It’s here, it’s here, it’s here!!」

A few hours later, my brain was completely bugged with hormones responsible for feeling pleasure.

The combo of dungeon traps plus “Misidentify Existence” skill that I tried “just one more time” worked surprisingly well on this floor, and my level rose by another three levels before long. After that, I kept trying “just one more time” and “one last time” over and over again, and by the time I reached the 16th floor, my level had already risen to thirty five.

And, after even some more trial and error in using my tail as advised by Aun-san, I had even acquired some new skills.

– 「Fast Regeneration Lv.1」: Consumes 20% of maximum HP and MP, and quickly recovers severed body parts. The amount of HP and MP consumed depends on the Skill’s level.

– 「Remote Control Lv.1」: Allows you to freely control severed body parts remotely for 5 seconds. The control time depends on the Skill level.

– 「Poison Attack Lv1」: Coats any part of the body with poison, such as claws, fangs, tail, or thorns, and has a certain percentage chance of inflicting a poison status effect on the target who is successfully attacked. The probability of inflicting the status effect and the continuous damage of the poison depend on the Skill level.

As expected of Aun-san, or rather Master Aun! He did say, “Think about how to use your tail,” but he never said, “Don’t cut off your tail.”

Ha!! So that means I can inflict 「Poison Attack」 on my tail now, cut it off, throw it at the enemy, and use “Misidentify Existence” to inflict the poison status effect on all surrounding enemies, slowly torturing them to death!?

「I can’t keep doing this! I have to poison the monsters right away!」

I ran towards the stairs leading down the floor to follow Master Aun’s advice.

……Looking back now, I think my thoughts were already completely out of whack at that point in time.

◇　　◇　　◇　　◇

～Snake Tower 6th Floor～

「Mmhh…… Hehehe. Guhhh… I never knew I had such powers. Master Aun was really amazing for making me discover them all!」

Two days have passed since the start of the test at the Snake Tower. Since then, my level has risen to 41, and my Skills level has also risen across the board. In particular, I have used the skills 「Fast Regeneration」, 「Remote Control」, and 「Poison Attack」 a whole lot, so they have now risen to Lv 5.

In addition to that, as my level and Skills levels have increased, I could now defeat monsters without using traps if I was to take enough time to prepare, and I have also established a new strategy for doing things.

The new strategy was to cut off the tail that has been poisoned, immediately regenerate the tail with 「Fast Regeneration」, poison the tail again, and cut it off myself. I could then use 「Remote Control」 to control the multiple poisonous tails that have been created and cause abnormal status effects to the enemy in a wider range. Also, when multiple enemies would appear, I would use 「Misidentify Existence」 to induce conflict among them, slowly torturing and killing them with poison.

I was really proud that this was the result of digesting and sublimating the advice I received from Master Aun in my own way.

……However, the rate at which my levels and skills levels were increasing has been slowing down considerably. It was obvious that this was because I was going back to the lower floors, and the fewer the level and number of monsters that would appear, and because my own level has increased and the level gap between me and the monsters has disappeared, but I could not forget the feeling of omnipotence I felt when I suddenly became stronger, and I must have slowly become addicted to that feeling…… It was to the point where I felt a little unsatisfied when I would level up and see that it was only by a single level.

「But I am almost at the fifth floor, and if I keep going like this, I think I will actually pass the exam! ……But I wonder if Master Aun will actually praise me for returning to the entrance of the first floor like this? Does this mean I really got a perfect score on this exam?」

Suddenly, a nagging noise entered my thoughts.

— Would Master Aun really assign me a test that “gradually decreases in difficulty” over time?

— How will I get a perfect score on this test and return to the entrance?

— What does Master Aun see me like in the future?

Then I remembered what Master Aun and Cinque-san had told me.

「We don’t have time for that either. I will be honest and tell you, we can’t waste any more time here.」

「If that’s the case, I can prove to Master Aun that Cururalio is resolved to such a degree that he won’t waste time training me!」

A way to show my resolve to Master Aun and the others, who can’t waste time here, without spending too much time……

「Ah, I get it…… Maybe……」

There was another way to pass this test.

That is…… by defeating the Boss on the 20th floor and teleporting to the entrance using the Magic Circle that would appear at the time.

Even now, with my brain fried by pleasure chemicals, I knew that beating a Boss solo was pretty much a suicidal act.

……But! And that’s why! That was the perfect score for this test…… No, the bare minimum…… to get the passing mark.

「Oh my, what an idiot I was! I want to kill myself for being so complacent and going “Hmmmm!” No, more importantly, I have to get back to the 20th floor right now!」

Wracked by a sense of impatience, I ran back down the floor I had desperately descended from, and punched my naive self for muttering to myself in my head, “Can’t I pass if I just go down to the first floor?”

「It’s not a question of whether I can do it or not! It’s a question of whether I will try to do it or not!」