“Exploding Flames.”
A pale blue fireball arced through the air with a small mumble.
About the size of two fists combined. But the moment that flame touched the Human Golem’s body—
KWA-BAAAM!!
The shock that shook the ground and the deafening roar. A massive explosion ensued.
Not just me, but even the seemingly oblivious Lydia and Benny, who had been flinching midway, widened their eyes as they stared at the freshly made, warm crater.
Even though it contained a fragile brain inside, that massive body must have been made through alchemy, forged from a solid alloy in a blacksmith shop.
However, everything disappeared without a trace.
“…Huh.”
What’s going on? Give me back my mana stone!
The fact that the bounty for the monster I defeated on the Third Floor was zero made my hands and feet tremble.
“Uh? Huh?”
Now that I think about it, it wasn’t psychological shock making me tremble—it was mana exhaustion rendering my body unresponsive.
“B-Benny… Potion… please.”
As I was about to say more, my body fell backward. Thankfully, Lydia quickly caught me, and Benny understood without hesitation, immediately pouring a mana potion into my mouth.
As I gulped down the mana potion like a baby bird, Lydia, supporting me, let out short words in a slightly shaky voice. She seemed quite startled.
“Benny! Jonah! Are you in danger? Are you okay?”
“Calm down, Lydia. It’s nothing serious. It’s just mana exhaustion, so I’ll be fine soon.”
Benny, answering leisurely, handed me another mana potion. Meanwhile, Shadow, who had been observing from a distance, gulped down an empty potion bottle that I had just finished. But that wasn’t too important, I guess.
“Ugh. Where on earth did this guy learn such magic? It’s like he got a magic book from the Cradle Association… No matter how good the magic is, you can’t just pick it up like that. Look what happened.”
“Ugh. Ughuh.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just drink the potions and stop talking. I didn’t bring them for personal use, but since it’s a mid-level potion, drinking about two should solve the immediate issue.”
Following orders, I chugged down the second potion. Then, a warmth surged up from deep within my heart… mana rippled up, and I started to feel better.
“Hah. Ah, Lydia. You can let go now.”
“Okay.”
As soon as I was released, I moved my limbs lightly. My body moved without issues. There was a slight dizziness, but it was fading fast.
Just as Benny said, and as I’d felt, it was purely shock symptoms caused by using too much mana all at once, and as long as I had enough mana, I would recover quickly.
“Phew. I would’ve been in danger if I had come alone. Thank you as always, Lydia, and you too, Benny.”
“Ahem.”
“Hmph! Even if you flatter me, nothing will come of it.”
Not sure what it was, but as I praised them, Lydia puffed up with pride while Benny’s lips twitched in amusement.
Seeing their difference in personalities made me snicker, and Benny nodded, kicking off the conversation.
“So? What was that magic just now?”
“Uh… It was a spell called Exploding Flames. I just learned it this time, but I hadn’t tried it before, so I thought I’d test it out, and it turned out to be more powerful than I expected. The mana consumption was enormous too.”
Thinking back, it made sense. The system of drawing skills through gacha and growing them was designed so that you wouldn’t waste skills you barely got, forcing you to raise your specs enough to cast them at least once.
And after pulling Exploding Flames, I felt a tight pain in my heart for quite a while.
It meant that my mana capacity had increased, but it also implied that this much mana was barely enough to cast it just once.
The large amount of Mana Herbs I pulled this time contributed to my faintness, preventing me from fainting right away.
The reason we throw around Recovery Herbs and Mana Herbs is to help minimize the strain on our bodies after acquiring new skills, isn’t it?
Though, that might just be wishful thinking.
As I nodded along to my thoughts, Benny suddenly asked, “So where did you learn that magic? This isn’t circle magic, is it? So, you must have come across a pretty rare magic book and self-taught… wait a minute. It looks like your mana has increased significantly? What’s up? Did you gain some kind of enlightenment?”
I smiled warmly at the confused Benny and clasped my hands in front of my chest.
“It’s all thanks to the Goddess of Love, who cherishes her apostles!”
“Liar. No way.”
Benny shook his head, imitating Lydia. I mean, even if the Goddess of Love would be the last remaining god, it’s only natural he wouldn’t believe the stories of her bestowing magic abilities.
But? If gacha is the Goddess’s power? Then the rewards from gacha might also be gifts from her?
With that thought in mind, I raised the corners of my mouth.
“That’s because Benny isn’t one of the Goddess’s apostles.”
“…Hmph. That sounds like nonsense, but truly, no apostle of the Goddess of Love has appeared since the War of Annihilation, so it’s hard to say.”
Benny sighed heavily and shifted the topic, looking at me with disbelieving eyes.
“Well, whatever. It’s not like your suspiciousness just started today, Jonah. Just make sure to put that magic on the back burner for now. Don’t use it unless your life is in danger or you’re sure it’s safe and have a potion in your mouth. Got it?”
“Sure. To be honest, I was a bit startled too.”
It’s good that the power of magic is strong. Until now, I’ve mostly relied on the Unicorn Dagger for my attacks.
I needed to get in close, and even then, it was hard to deal lethal damage to large monsters. There are beasts like the Minotaur or Golem types on the Third Floor, which are strong against physical attacks.
So, having magic as an option is welcome, but… there should be limits.
As Benny said, it would be best to seal it away for a while unless absolutely necessary.
“Well, the first monster unfortunately flew away, but let’s move on to the next one. Wasn’t it called a Human Golem? I’ve heard the name, but I can’t remember what’s valuable about it. Lydia, do you remember?”
“Yeah. The brain inside the metal casing and the mana stone are what’s valuable. The outer shell, which can be considered the turquoise metal, can be sold too, but… given its size and price, compared to other byproducts, it’s too cheap. The recipe was revealed.”
“Ah, I see.”
The Third Floor has a layer of technology that’s one level more advanced than the current Pangrave.
The recipe for this alloy was probably obtained during the exploration or figured out by studying the metal later.
It would have been strange for a few hundred years of research to yield no results at all.
My mana is still a bit low, but my body was fully recovered and feeling lively. I shrugged my shoulders and pulled out the Unicorn Dagger.
Swish.
“Alright! Let’s head out to the next one?”
Lately, the money I’ve made outside the labyrinth has been substantial, but I’m not lacking in what I earn in the labyrinth.
That’s because I eat all the money I earn.
Lydia is with me as a condition of helping Ellie, and Benny accompanies us under the same pretext.
So, I should make sure to earn briskly without getting caught off guard.
…Most importantly, the Third Floor is a kind of dreamland for me.
I can’t exactly mix fantasy and cyberpunk, so I put in some steampunk elements, and it turned out cooler than I expected.
Of course, it’s just an image in my mind.
With a racing heart, I took the lead and started down the path.
Was it just near the Safe Zone that the fog was thick? As I got farther, my visibility was obscured. However, the overall blurry view did not change.
As I discreetly navigated through the square buildings made of solid metal, not even knowing where the entrance was, I began to hear faint clanking and hissing sounds.
It must be a Human Golem nearby, just like before.
Firmly gripping my dagger, I attempted to pinpoint the source of the sound. But—
Cheek. Clank. Hiss. Clank.
“Uh.”
The sounds began to come from all directions. For a moment, my mind froze, and it took a beat longer to conclude.
“Could it be my magic is attracting them?!”
“Yep. The Third Floor is different from the First and Second Floors.”
“Just as Lydia said. Unlike the monsters with their instincts dulled to the point of being beasts, the monsters here are no different from us.”
“Except for their values.”
Lydia and Benny exchanged banter with grins, which made me feel a bit annoyed.
“You guys are too much! Can’t you give me a heads up?!”
“Experiencing it firsthand is the best way.”
“Don’t worry. If things get rough, Lydia or Shadow will come to help, so just run around without a care!”
“What about you, Benny?!”
“I’m here to enjoy watching Jonah run for his life.”
“Ugh!”
For now, I calmly stored my grudge toward Benny and spread my surplus aura instead of using my depleted mana.
My intangible energy spread out like a thin net. I learned this skill to detect presence while lying in a hospital bed pretending to be hurt and pestering Lydia out of boredom.
I wasn’t skilled enough yet to gauge thick masses or numbers, but… it was better than knowing nothing.
“Five of them?”
Five Golems were flocking towards us. And they were surrounding us strategically.
It seemed they knew of our existence and had devised an efficient strategy to capture us.
Just as Benny said, they’re as intelligent as adventurers.
Well, it makes sense. After all, it’s just a human brain inside a golem.
Focusing on the pendant hanging around my chest and the enchanted boots with haste, I took a deep breath.
Then, the moment the closest one stepped within my reach—
“Ha!”
I kicked off the ground and charged.
Emerging from behind the wall, I finally saw the distinct form of a Human Golem.
Its wide areas made of metal plates resembled plate armor. Yet, its joints were intricately designed gears, and from its shoulders, hydraulic cylinders periodically released steam.
Hiss—
As if it was even breathing, I grimaced and leaped forward.
“Die…!”
In this layer, there’s no one that can catch up to my speed. And though I wasn’t getting the virgin bonus, I still had good attack power with the Unicorn Dagger since it’s a blade.
It might not kill it in one blow, but I expected to deliver a significant blow. Then—
Hss—!
The thing reacted faster than expected and threw a punch.
But it was too soon. It must have attacked in a fluster just from seeing my speed.
…And it didn’t take long for that assumption to shatter.
Boom!
With a small flame, the Human Golem’s arm was shot off from its body.
“Rocket Punch?!”
This little punk! It’s using fancy techniques all on its own…!
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