A devastating roar echoed against the dungeon walls.
Judas looked up at the colossal monster standing at seven meters tall.
The Goliath.
The Monster Rex of the 17th floor.
Through his legs, he could feel the small vibrations in the ground with every step the Goliath took.
"That is one big boy."
He remembered the conversation he had with his advisor yesterday.
"Hmm? You want to know when the Goliath might spawn?"
Rose questioned as she stared at the adventurer she was in charge of.
She quickly opened her drawer and flipped through some documents.
"Here... the last time the Goliath was slain was thirteen days ago by the Loki Familia."
She said before opening a book that contained information about the dungeon and its monsters.
After a few pages, she stopped and pointed to an image of a giant monster with gray skin.
"What differentiates a Monster Rex from other monsters is that, aside from the fact that they are much stronger than regular monsters, they also have a trait that is unique to them."
"They only spawn after a certain period of time."
"In the case of the Goliath, it always respawns two weeks after it is killed."
"Which means you're in luck... the Goliath is scheduled to spawn tomorrow."
Rose said before closing the book.
"But be careful... even though the Goliath is the weakest among the Monster Rexes in the dungeon..."
"Its estimated strength is Level 4."
...
Judas opened his eyes.
The Goliath had finally finished spawning, turned its head, and their gazes met.
Facing a monster that was two entire levels higher than him, Judas did not flinch at all.
"Make this entertaining for me, sparring partner."
Magic power flared up inside his body, and his entire figure was surrounded by a vibrant glow.
[Body Reinforcement]
A magic that strengthened his physique in exchange for mind.
"After spending more than half of my mind reserves, I had already achieved Level 3-tier physical prowess."
Judas felt his body surging with power.
Which meant if he pushed just a little bit more, becoming a high-grade Level 3 in terms of physical abilities alone was very possible with just this one magic.
It was basically no different from a level boost.
But that was not all.
『Physical Boost』
『Sturdy Body』
『Strengthening Magic』
『Invigorate』
『Kinetic Amplification』
『Fortify』
Judas was now covered in several layers of light.
"If I go any further, my body might be torn apart."
Using so many strength-enhancing spells on himself, his body was starting to strain.
"But at the same time, I am being healed by [Blessing of the World Tree]."
ROAR
The Goliath charged at him, each step leaving an imprint on the ground.
Judas also got ready, set himself in a crouched stance.
Like a runner's starting position and launched himself forward.
In his wake, he left spiderweb-like cracks where he had just stood.
His figure blurred, and the monster stretched out its arm to deliver a punch.
"Alright then."
With a small smile, Judas clenched his fist, intending to fight the colossal beast head-on.
There was no strategy, no plan, no tricks... just pure straight-up hands.
A contest of pure strength.
Just the way he liked it.
He was like an ant compared to the Goliath in size, but the moment their fists collided, a terrifying shockwave reverberated everywhere.
The 17th floor shook violently, and Judas was sent flying into the opposite wall, leaving behind a crater where he landed.
cough
cough
He spat out blood and felt several of his bones break.
"That hurt like hell."
He extricated himself with difficulty and jumped down.
When he looked ahead, he grinned when he saw the Goliath had also been flung away despite its giant size and was currently lying flat on its back.
"In terms of pure power, it's a draw, huh?"
Judas said as he cracked his neck and dusted himself off.
He saw the Goliath trying to get back on its feet.
Its gaze landed on him, and it roared in anger.
"Looks like somebody is pissed."
Judas then stared at his right hand, clenched his fist slowly, and then opened it again.
'I am using up too much mind just to maintain my strengthening spells.'
The price of unleashing the spell was one thing; the price of keeping it active was another entirely.
As a result, he could feel his mind reserves dwindling at a rapid pace.
"Looks like my current self can only maintain this state for a few minutes at best."
That was the conclusion of his self-evaluation.
While he was in the middle of his thoughts, the Goliath had already made its way toward him.
A giant shadow loomed over his figure as the Goliath raised its leg and stomped where he stood.
A huge amount of dust scattered, and when the Goliath raised its foot expecting a flattened corpse, the monster frowned when it found that nobody was there.
"I am right here, you dumbass."
The Goliath widened its eyes after hearing a mocking voice.
It turned its giant head around and looked at its right shoulder.
There, Judas stood, staring the Goliath directly in the eyes.
"Hey."
He waved his arm like he had just met a longtime friend and then delivered a punch straight at the Goliath's face.
The Goliath wailed as it fell on its back once again.
A loud crash resounded as its giant body collided with the ground.
Before the colossal monster could sit back up, Judas landed on its chest like a meteorite.
The Goliath roared in pain and raised its head to stare at the human, who was several times smaller than itself.
"Why are you so surprised?"
Judas looked at the Goliath like it was an idiot.
"We may be equal in terms of raw power, but I can outmaneuver you pretty easily."
"In the end, your size became your disadvantage, making your big body an easier target."
Judas continued as he raised his hand, flew into the air, and a giant magic circle manifested on the 17th floor's ceiling.
A massive amount of mind was being gathered, and the Goliath's instincts sensed the danger.
The monster roared and tried to stand back up, attempting to run away to escape from the spell's range.
"Too late."
Judas said with a neutral face.
『Lightning Storm』
The entire cavern was illuminated by a white light.
A sea of lightning rained down, striking everything in his vision.
The Goliath was not spared.
Lightning strike after lightning strike, the monster was unable to resist as its body was disintegrated with each hit.
When the magic circle disappeared and everything finally calmed down, small sparks of electricity still lingered on the ground.
"At least Level 5."
Judas said as he assessed the power of his own spell.
"With my Mage development ability that increases pretty much every aspect of my magic..."
"Combined with [Elemental Master], which greatly boosts elemental attacks by 200%, even a Level 6 would have to be careful if they were to face that attack just now."
"Other than the status points, the game-like bonus effects from skills and magic show the true strength of the falna."
"Something that even the power system from Estelon's world doesn't have."
Judas added as he turned his head and saw the Goliath some distance away from him.
Only its head and half of its torso remained, with its magic stone sticking out.
"Looks like you just barely managed to get out of the spell's attack range."
He walked up to the Goliath, which turned its head after hearing his voice.
The monster growled, but Judas was not threatened.
He pointed his finger at the Goliath's head.
A magic circle materialized at the tip of his index finger.
『Annihilate』
A purple shockwave burst outward, destroying the remains of the Goliath into ash.
"It's over."
Judas said as he drank a potion.
Unaware of the danger that was approaching him.
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