"So there's another surprise prepared for us as well?"
What the hell…
When Ron said that, Ganu was still utterly confused. Yet the moment he saw the gigantic monsters surging forth like a tidal wave, his expression turned instantly pale.
Compared to merely watching from the sidelines, only by truly facing these special monsters head-on could one feel the oppressive pressure they brought!
"You're planning to die together with us?"
Just what exactly had Ron done?
Ganu couldn't understand it. But the grim situation left no room for hesitation. Keeping his composure, he called out to his companions of the Soma Familia: "You handle the monsters first."
"After I kill this guy, I'll come help you immediately!"
These were, at best, just ants with somewhat larger bodies.
Moreover, in his view, letting a few expendable pieces die would not only save him from splitting the rewards, but even the valuables on these useless people could later be dealt with at his leisure.
Ganu's plan sounded perfect.
But his mistake lay in misjudging the strength of his Familia members. Indulging in divine wine and neglecting Dungeon exploration had long since reduced them to the lowest rung.
Not to mention…
Each of these Killer Ants, taken individually, possessed strength comparable to that of a Lv2 adventurer!
By the time they were still hesitating internally over whether to follow Ganu's orders and engage these massive monsters first, they had already missed their chance to escape.
"Has no one ever taught you not to lose focus in battle?"
"…"
The instant he felt an intense sense of danger, Ganu snapped back to awareness—only to find that Ron, who had been nearly fifteen meters away just moments before, was now charging straight at him, greatsword swinging.
Even though he had slacked off in training, he was still a Lv2 adventurer. His experience was there. Facing the extremely sharp slash, he instinctively raised the shaft of his spear to block.
Bang!
At the moment the weapons collided, the inferiority in equipment quality was immediately laid bare.
And then there was Ron's overwhelming strength—something no ordinary adventurer could possess. The most direct sensation Ganu felt was a tearing pain exploding from the webbing between his hands.
The "surprise" that had been prepared in advance.
Along with the fact that after just a brief exchange, this guy possessed an extraordinary power that even made him feel oppressed!
All of it ultimately pointed to the answer to the question.
"So..."
Ganu was already sweating heavily, his expression dark as he looked at Ron, who had pulled back to create distance. "You already knew we were tracking you, and waited for us here?"
"It's not that exaggerated." Ron steadied his stance.
He fought in accordance with Ryuu's practical combat guidance, delivering the most profound lesson at the moment when a high-level adventurer looked down on him. The results were evidently ideal.
It had to be decided quickly.
There was no relying on the Soma Familia's useless drunkards to hold back the Killer Ants' offensive. If he were to be surrounded by monsters together with Ganu, the situation would become extremely dangerous.
With his left hand, he drew the dagger bound at his waist.
He allowed the sharp blade to slice open the skin along the outside of his thigh, and once the dagger in his hand was stained with blood, it instantly took on an exceptionally strange and sinister aura.
"However, I really do hate you."
With no intention of continuing the pointless chatter, Ron lowered his stance and burst forward. Seeing his opponent habitually prepare to block with the spear, he did not change tactics, choosing instead a straightforward head-on clash.
As the weapons collided violently, piercing sounds echoed repeatedly throughout the cave.
Under the crushing disparity of strength, speed, and equipment, after just two exchanges, Ganu's spear had already begun to visibly bend.
And this—was merely Ron's feint.
The moment Ganu briefly lost the ability to counterattack, the battle was already over. As Ron swiftly withdrew his greatsword, the short sword in his left hand swept horizontally.
[Bloody Slash]
The combat art that had long been fully primed burst forth together with a flash of crimson blade light.
While directly breaking through the defense of Ganu's chest armor, it left behind a horrifying, savage wound. Blood poured out continuously, like a breached floodgate.
"Goodbye."
"…"
Just two simple rounds of exchange.
Ganu had already begun to regret his rash decision to enter the Dungeon to track Ron, because he realized that in every aspect—whether strength or speed—he had been completely crushed throughout!
Was this truly the level of power that an obscure, unknown adventurer of Orario could possess?
After hearing Ron's farewell, a trace of sudden realization flashed through Ganu's eyes. Was this merely a warning to him—that the other party had never intended to kill him?
And after the two exchanges, his arm drooped unnaturally toward his groin. Feeling a warm sensation, he lowered his head in confusion, only to see crimson blood—and the horrifying wound across his chest.
"…"
"So it was blood. Against a Lv1 adventurer without even a title, how could I possibly have been scared enough to piss myself? It's just… why do I feel a bit dizzy?"
Immediately after, Ganu collapsed heavily toward the ground with vacant eyes, his vitality gradually fading away…
"Soulslike weapon mastery really is efficient."
If there was anything to regret—it was that he currently lacked the greatsword's corresponding combat art, [White Light Charge]. Otherwise, the practical combat effectiveness could have been doubled.
After this battle, Ron felt that his understanding of life-and-death combat had deepened—that is, to abandon all notions of honor. As long as an opening appeared, one must seize it and end the opponent swiftly.
"Very good."
"Next—only these Killer Ants remain."
After dealing with the strongest Lv2 adventurer, he turned his gaze toward the remaining special monsters on the scene. His earlier judgment had not been wrong in the slightest.
Expecting the members of the Soma Familia to hold back the Killer Ants was simply unrealistic.
The good news was that—
Ron quickly swept his eyes over the number of corpses. Unlike last time, nothing had been overlooked. The matter of the "Dungeon anomaly" would definitely not leak out.
With that psychological burden removed.
Facing the massive number of special monsters, he instead felt a lingering sense of unsatisfaction. All he could say was that this Lv2 adventurer of the Soma Familia had truly dragged down the value of the level itself.
As for fighting the Killer Ants...
Ron had already completely mastered the technique—kiting.
After waiting for the monsters' attack phase to end, he continuously used the greatsword to rapidly break their armor, completing the kill while simultaneously severing the ant-acid gas sacs that could explode at any moment.
…
Five minutes later.
It was still the same spacious cave passage. But now, the only one still standing here was Ron, gasping heavily after the severe expenditure of stamina.
His gaze swept across the surroundings.
The ant acid sprayed by the Killer Ants had already left the cave walls on both sides riddled with damage—so much so that even the walls' rate of regeneration had become extremely slow.
"All done. Time to wrap up."
The battle felt exhilarating!
Casting aside all empty formalities and relying solely on strength to speak.
Ron found it hard to put into words. He only felt a profound sense of physical and mental satisfaction—yet at that very moment, the black shadow in the distance, constantly moving among the adventurers' corpses ahead, drew his attention once more.
'Mimic War Shadow'
A brand-new, sneakier version?
Just as the young man felt puzzled, he saw the corpses of the Soma Familia adventurers rapidly shrivel at a speed visible to the naked eye, as though they were being absorbed by a monster.
In the end...
When he looked at the grotesque monster whose form seemed modeled after the "Grafted Scion," its body glowing with red light and amalgamating countless torsos and heads, Ron let out a relieved smile.
"I make your dream manifest."
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---