Upon entering, Nim noticed that the room wasn't very different from the previous ones. The only thing that stood out was the portal right in the center. Unlike the ones he had seen outside the dungeon, this one wasn't blue, but green.
(I finally found the entrance to the next floor) Nim sighed upon seeing the portal.
The portals to the next floor were usually in isolated rooms. Moreover, there was more than one on the same level. These places were safe zones, which is why many adventurers used them to rest.
Nim decided to take a short break in this place.
After eating some cookies and drinking water from his canteen, Nim stood up.
He had to continue his journey through the dungeon. Carrying his huge backpack and his sword, he stepped into the portal.
...
Swoosh!
Nim slashed another monster on the 2nd floor, the creature fell to the ground headless.
This monster was a troll; this kind of monster wasn't strong for the current Nim either.
The difficulty of the monsters had risen a bit. Also, some new ones had appeared.
Nim had already been on this floor for thirty minutes, and the layout wasn't much different from the previous one.
Even though Nim had killed several monsters, he still hadn't leveled up. Despite this, Nim wasn't discouraged; he knew leveling up took time.
Moving forward, he kept encountering monsters, which he eliminated with ease.
The only problem Nim found was that over time, the edge of his sword would dull.
He had considered trying to kill without a weapon, in other words, using only his fists.
Also, because in the classes he had seen, there was one that interested him aside from the warrior.
Closing his eyes, he looked at it again.
[Class: Brawler]
[Requirements]
-Kill 50 monsters unarmed.
-Reach Level 10
[Status]
-Monsters killed 16/50
-Level not met
Nim's physical strength was one of his greatest strengths. Relying on this, he had managed to subdue some monsters during training.
In the end, he made a decision and put away his sword.
Moving into another room, he noticed some goblins and trolls holding rusty swords.
Nim realized that these monsters were perfect for trying what he had in mind. Setting his backpack aside, he approached the monsters.
The monsters, as usual, moved in to attack him.
Nim, with a swift movement, appeared behind a goblin. The goblin that had been running was abruptly stopped by a great force coming from one of his arms.
Nim lifted the goblin easily. And as if it were a weapon, he slammed it against the other monsters.
Thump!
The monsters, upon receiving the strong blow, were sent flying several meters back with broken bones.
The goblin that had been used as a weapon was in worse condition. Its organs had been destroyed by the impact.
It was coughing up great amounts of blood while convulsing, until a few seconds later it stopped moving and died.
Seeing this, Nim dropped the goblin's corpse. Then went after the remaining dying monsters.
A monster that was less injured tried to get up, only to be met with Nim's cold gaze.
Not giving the monster time to stand, Nim grabbed one of its legs and smashed it forcefully against the ground.
The goblin's body was shattered as blood splattered everywhere.
Seeing such a scene, Nim smiled slightly. Dropping the monster's corpse, he began to hunt the remaining monsters.
thump! thump!
The bodies of the monsters were crushed by Nim's enormous physical strength.
One had its head destroyed by a blow from Nim. Another was thrown like a ball against a wall and died brutally.
After a few moments, Nim stopped when he saw no monsters alive.
Coming back to his senses, he looked at his hands, which were covered in blood, along with his clothes.
Nim sighed and approached his backpack. Then he pulled out a cloth to clean himself and a new set of clothes.
Now with a different outfit, Nim looked at the scene of broken bodies. He knew he had overdone it again.
Nim was already used to feeling these impulses, but they still surprised him sometimes.
Without giving it more thought, he resumed his search for the door to the next floor.
...
Nim hadn't stopped after more than four hours. In that time, he had continued killing monsters.
Sometimes he threw a monster with force, and at other times, he used his sword.
After cutting a slime, Nim stopped. He had decided to take a short break before continuing.
It seemed he had underestimated the size of each floor. Without a map, it was hard for him to find the way to the next floor.
While the monsters weren't strong and his body had more endurance than others, he still felt hunger and fatigue.
After resting for several minutes and eating something, he got up again.
Moving through the dungeon, he continued killing monsters and looking for the portal.
Nim had just cut down another spider when he felt a refreshing sensation. Along with that, he also felt his fatigue decrease and his strength grow.
(Did I level up?)
Nim closed his eyes and saw his level. Confirming that he had leveled up improved his mood.
An hour after leveling up, Nim found the door to the next floor.
Nim let out a long sigh and entered.
This time he didn't enter the portal immediately; he had decided to take a nap in this place to regain his energy.
After a few hours of sleeping on the hard ground, Nim woke up. Stretching a bit and eating his rations, he resumed his journey.
...
The third floor was different from the previous two. Here, vines grew along the walls, along with some plants.
There were also glowing mushrooms in the corners that shone with a mysterious light.
There were also new monsters. One of them was wolves; these weren't like the ones found in forests.
Instead, they were larger, with sharper fangs and claws.
Another monster he had seen were kobolds, which he had fought during the trial.
Nim smiled upon seeing these new monsters, knowing they would be stronger than those on the previous floors, and as a result, would grant more experience.
...
grrw! grrw!
Nim was surrounded by three wolves; these wolves had cornered him and were preparing to attack.
The first wolf to attack leaped, trying to bite Nim's neck.
While the first wolf attacked, its companions aimed at other parts of Nim's body.
One aimed for his back and the other at one of his legs.
Nim, who had stood still as if waiting for something, raised his hand just as the first wolf was about to bite him.
The wolf felt a hand enter its open mouth and grab its lower jaw. Trying to shut it with force, it discovered it couldn't.
There was another hand gripping its upper fangs.
Nim, holding it by the fangs, forced its jaw open.
Kragg!
The wolf was split in two from its mouth to its lower body, splashing blood all around.
The remaining wolves, who hadn't attacked yet, stopped for a moment. Then they roared in rage at their companion's death and pounced on Nim.
Nim picked a wolf and ran straight at it. The wolf tried to slash him with its claws but only cut through the air.
Nim appeared at its side and landed a precise punch to its neck.
Crack
The wolf, its neck broken, collapsed lifeless.
Seeing its two companions dead, the last wolf roared fiercely and lunged at him.
Nim drew his sword and gave it a swift death.
After all that, Nim looked at the sword he had just used. It had already lost its edge.
It wasn't surprising, considering he had used it almost nonstop. Nim dropped the sword and pulled out another.
In the middle of that, he recalled the battle he had just had.
(A group, huh...)
Nim had witnessed the teamwork of the wolves.
He would have liked to enter the dungeon with a group.
Unfortunately, no one wanted to accept him because of his level.
It seemed that, for now, he would have to wander alone.
Nim kept moving forward, and just as he was about to round a corner, he heard the faint sound of a battle.
Nim stopped and looked in the opposite direction of where he had planned to go.
(Someone must be fighting)
Nim hesitated whether he should approach the place. After standing still for a few seconds, he made a decision.
He turned around and headed toward the source of the battle.