After verifying his Adventurer identity, Keare followed the main Adventurer force, advancing into the Dungeon along the spiral staircase.
They first arrived at the safe floor, "Path to the Beginning."
Looking around, the environment was a very typical cave, with faint illumination provided by lantern fruit growing on the walls.
The complex environment of the starting floor dispersed many Adventurers, and even their footsteps were completely muffled by the spacious cavern.
"Training at night has its benefits."
Keare drew the short sword from his waist; exploring the Dungeon required vigilance not only against the ubiquitous monsters.
Potential threats also came from fellow Adventurers.
Without the control of the Orario peacekeepers, the Ganesha Familia, the Dungeon operated solely under the law of the dark forest.
Avoid contact with unfamiliar Adventurers and remain vigilant.
After passing through the safe zone of the starting floor and truly entering the dangerous area of the Dungeon, his expression gradually became serious.
The faint illumination from the lantern fruit meant that visibility was not particularly good.
As he continued to explore along the complex cave passages, the figures of two monsters soon entered Keare's sight.
Deep green skin, long thin ears, short stature, ugly appearance, wielding wooden clubs, and those crimson eyes.
"Goblin."
Keare's deep impression of this creature came from animated works in his previous life, but this was his first time encountering one in person.
It could only be said that there were no mistaken stereotypes; when he saw the several Goblins before him, his inner revulsion was uncontrollable.
"My luck isn't bad..."
After killing a Goblin, in addition to the basic income from the Magic Stone, there was also a chance of dropping the material 'Goblin's Tooth.'
Thanks to his sparring with Yamato Mikoto, Keare did not panic. Instead, he channeled the practical combat experience from yesterday.
He gripped the short sword with both hands, the various techniques of basic swordsmanship already ingrained as muscle memory.
He lunged forward, his updated ability values meaning his current physical condition far exceeded that of an ordinary person.
Not to mention, these were Goblins that even ordinary people could fight!
Keare swung his blade horizontally, aiming for the monster's fragile neck, the sharp edge cleanly severing the Goblin's head.
Instant death.
Not even a cry of agony was uttered; foul-smelling blood splashed behind him, pungent, and the corpse dissipated into black flames.
A small Magic Stone dropped to the ground, making a crisp clinking sound.
Maintaining his concentration, he did not flinch when a Goblin from the side ran and jumped, swinging its wooden club.
Keare used his weapon's advantage, thrusting the tip of his sword fiercely into the Goblin's heart.
"The intensity is indeed... quite low."
Solving these two Goblins barely counted as a warm-up. He turned his gaze to the small Magic Stone on the ground.
Keare bent down to pick it up.
He still remembered the Adventurer's Guild staff member Eina's reminder from the day before yesterday: after killing a monster, he must take the Magic Stone away.
This was to prevent other monsters from accidentally eating it and evolving into more powerful monsters.
After dealing with the monsters in front of him, he decisively pressed deeper.
To maximize his ability values in the Dungeon, he had to engage in high-intensity combat with monsters while ensuring his safety!
Compared to other Adventurers exploring alone, Keare was aware of his own advantage: the 'Recovery' magic he possessed.
Even if he was injured during combat, he could recover through his abilities.
As long as it wasn't a fatal injury, nothing could stop him. Utilizing his advantages wisely would maximize his growth.
"Keep going."
Low-level Goblin creatures couldn't provide any sense of pressure. Keare decisively explored deeper into the Dungeon.
During this time, he encountered many Goblins and Ugly Goblins.
These low-level monsters, wielding clubs and attacking with claws, were like toddlers trying to punch down an adult in front of Keare, whose skills rivaled Yamato Mikoto.
Since he was already here, he might as well take advantage of it.
No matter how small the mosquito, it's still meat. He essentially didn't let any escape, as they could all be exchanged for valis to improve his life.
Until Keare reached the second floor area.
The monster knowledge he had paid for at the Adventurer's Guild earlier came in handy when facing the Underground Lizard.
It wasn't a Lizardman.
Instead, it was a magnified version of a Komodo dragon, covered in grayish-brown scales, its size comparable to that of an adult male.
"I need to be a bit more careful now."
Keare became cautious. The downside of exploring the Dungeon alone was the lack of teammates for coordinated effort.
If he encountered a monster ambush, he would have to bear the safety risks himself.
Just then, he faintly heard a small rustling sound, as if he had sensed the impending danger.
Suddenly looking up, Keare discovered the monster above his head.
In the dim environment, perfectly concealed on the ceiling of the cave corridor by its grayish-brown scales, was a massive Underground Lizard.
Its claws clung to the cavern wall, its dark red tongue flickered, and saliva filled with putrid bacteria constantly dripped onto the ground.
Realizing its disguise had been discovered.
The massive body of the Underground Lizard swiftly turned and lunged directly from the cave ceiling towards Keare.
"..."
"Damn it."
Keare didn't care about his image, knowing that he couldn't take such an impact head-on. He sharply sidestepped and jumped to dodge.
After dodging the Underground Lizard's surprise attack with a somersault.
He agilely stood up and launched a counterattack against the monster that had failed its ambush.
The blade of the short sword was unexpectedly sharp. It severed the Underground Lizard's front claw, limiting the monster's mobility.
At the same time, facing the lizard's powerful tail whip counterattack, Keare flexibly dodged until he severed its head with the short sword.
Only then did he truly end this encounter.
Compared to the Magic Stone dropped by killing a Goblin, this time's spoils were as large as his pinky finger joint.
"Practical combat skills..."
"They can indeed be useful in the Dungeon, but my current combat methods... overall, are still quite lacking."
After this surprise battle.
Keare realized a very serious problem: while possessing 'Recovery' magic certainly eliminated many concerns.
Even if the 'Imitation' skill was included.
The undeniable fact was: he had no means to deal with sudden situations, relying entirely on practical combat skills.
In contrast, the Legendary Hero in his prime.
He used 'Optimization' to enhance his overall physical condition against enemies, and then directly interfered with their bodies using 'Deterioration.'
His core ability was also 'Plunder.'
Currently, he only possessed the basic parts, unable to replicate special skills, which meant his combat methods would inevitably be very limited.
But only by realizing his current shortcomings could he more clearly define the direction of his future growth.
Keare gently shook his head. He looked at the dark cave passage ahead, his exploratory movements showing no hesitation.
"Now it seems..."
"To directly improve my strength, I must accelerate the overall progress of developing 'Recovery' derivative abilities!"