'The tower looks even bigger up close.'
He looked up and squinted his eyes.
For a tower of this scale to exist with the level of technology present in Danmachi, Judas was impressed.
'I guess having the power of the falna and the wisdom of the gods made it easier.'
'Speaking of falna, to make this a challenge, I should turn it off for now.'
He touched his chest and mumbled silently.
『Seal』
The shine of his mana core and the stars orbiting it dimmed greatly.
Judas felt the sudden, steep decline of strength. Mana stopped circulating through his body as his level dropped step by step.
From 5th tier to 4th.
From 4th to 3rd.
From 3rd to 2nd.
From 2nd to 1st.
And finally, from 1st tier to that of a normal human.
Right now, Judas was a bonafide level one adventurer.
'It feels strange... not having mana in my body. Like my energy's been drained and I've suddenly been weighed down with a ton of bricks.'
"Kid, mind telling me if you got a skill or magic before we head in?"
The two had already reached the dungeon entrance.
"You'll see for yourself later."
Judas answered casually before taking his first step into the labyrinth of monsters.
The entrance to the dungeon was located on the first underground floor of Babel.
At its center lay a massive ten-meter-wide hole that led straight into the dungeon's depths.
The circular chamber was supported by evenly spaced columns, and above them stretched a breathtaking azure mural of the sky that nearly looked real.
Encircling the room were gentle stairs that spiraled downward, guiding adventurers into the unknown.
The noise of the crowd slowly faded as they descended.
"Tch, acting all mysterious. Suit yourself."
Ren clicked his tongue.
To him, Judas was just putting on airs to impress him.
'He probably doesn't even have one.'
He exhaled loudly through his nose.
A skill or magic at the start was a tremendous advantage—and the mark of someone truly talented.
Judas paid him no mind, more focused on how deep he should go and how much growth he could wring out of a single run.
'For now, I'll consider this a test run.'
He wasn't planning to go all out yet.
That would only force him into the deep floors.
His ears twitched at the faint sound of stone shifting within the walls.
'Here it comes.'
A pack of kobolds burst forth, surrounding them.
Neither Judas nor Ren so much as flinched.
"A whole group right off the bat. Your luck must be terrible, kid."
Judas spun his spear, cutting them down as soon as they closed in.
Not even a bead of sweat formed on his brow.
"Not bad."
Ren muttered, watching his form. He gave a small nod.
The monsters of the first floor—kobolds and goblins—were threats to ordinary folk.
But for adventurers blessed with falna, they were little more than fodder.
'For the upper floors, I don't even need to bother with magic.'
Time passed. Judas speared another goblin cleanly, relying only on his body and weapon.
"You're handling your first dungeon run better than most rookies. After seeing this, the fourth floor shouldn't be too hard for you. Let's make that our goal for now."
Ren suggested.
Judas nodded, and the two pressed on until they found the stairs leading further down.
On the second floor, a new monster emerged: dungeon lizards.
Brown quadrupeds with suction discs on their feet, they crept along walls and leapt to ambush prey.
For Judas, their tricks were laughable.
His sharp senses caught them instantly, and his spear tore through their stomachs without effort.
He didn't even glance at their bodies as they crumbled into black ash, leaving behind small magic stones.
Ren, relegated to supporter, collected them wordlessly.
The third and fourth floors went the same.
Kobolds, goblins, lizards.
All fell swiftly beneath his spear.
Judas wiped the sweat from his forehead as he kept moving.
'Honestly, without my powers, I thought this would be harder.'
He could feel fatigue creeping in, but the monsters still failed to touch him.
With nothing more than a fresh falna and a spear, Judas had conquered the fourth floor within an hour.
Behind him, Ren stared at Judas' steady stride.
'He's skilled. Astute.'
It was his most honest impression so far.
Calm as a still lake. Alert to hidden danger. Composed even in battle.
Traits that rookies simply did not have.
'He's experienced. He wasn't lying when he said he's fought monsters before.'
The upper floors were too easy for him.
But Ren knew—if Judas breezed through his first run without any real danger, he might grow complacent.
And complacency killed.
He'd seen it too many times: talented adventurers cut down by arrogance.
'It's better he learns difficulty now before it becomes habit.'
"Let's keep going."
Ren urged as they descended to the fifth floor.
"I thought I needed at least G-rank stats to explore these floors."
Judas spoke, though his feet kept moving.
"That rule applies to normal adventurers. With your skill, the fourth floor's hardly a challenge. And besides, Loki ordered me to see where your limit lies."
Judas stayed silent.
"New monster."
He narrowed his eyes as something spawned ahead.
A frog-like beast with one massive eye.
"Frog Shooter. Its tongue is a deadly weapon. This is the floor where a lot of rookies start dying, so be careful, kid."
Ren warned.
The frog's tongue lashed out like a whip. Judas sidestepped just as it slammed into the ground, scattering dirt and pebbles.
The strike had enough force to shatter bones like twigs.
'Now this is more like it.'
A grin tugged at Judas' lips.
Those kobolds and goblins didn't stir his blood.
But this thing—this was enough to make his heart pump, even if was just for a second.
'It's going to strike again.'
He needed only a glance to read its habits.
The tongue lashed out once more. Judas predicted its aim for his torso and had already slipped out of range before the attack began.
The frog's one eye widened in shock.
Judas' spear pierced straight through its head.
"Let's go."
He walked on, leaving Ren frozen in place, staring.