That's why I had to be grateful for my new body. Without this extraordinary physique—even if my stats weren't as high as I'd imagined—I could still feel an incredible difference. For some reason, my body moved with a natural sense of combat instinct. It was as if every nerve, every muscle, knew exactly what to do even before I consciously thought about it.
Even with so little real combat experience, I could read the Kobolds' movements with surprising clarity. Their lunges and swipes seemed slower than they should have been, and I could easily dodge or parry them without hesitation. My reactions felt sharper, faster, almost instinctive.
What amazed me even more was how my body handled movement. I could twist, spin, and counterattack with acrobatic precision that my old self could never have managed. With Eriri's buff amplifying my abilities, our coordination felt seamless.
We advanced through the second floor smoothly, defeating every monster that came our way. Before long, and in nearly the same amount of time it took us to clear the first floor, we found ourselves standing before the passage leading to the third.
"You guys are amazing! We reached the third floor this fast!! And we also got a lot of magic stones and drop items!" Bell said excitedly, his eyes practically sparkling as we stepped into the dimly lit corridor of the third floor.
Eriri twirled her pencil between her fingers with a smug grin. "Well, of course. We're efficient, after all. Though I have to admit… this is kind of fun."
"Fun, huh?" I chuckled, adjusting my grip on my sword. "Let's not get too relaxed. The deeper we go, the tougher it gets. Bell, stay alert—monsters here won't go down as easily as goblins or kobolds."
"R-right!" Bell nodded firmly, his enthusiasm tinged with nervousness. Technically, Bell was the senior among us—both as an adventurer and as a member of the Familia—but in reality, his inexperience still showed. Despite his potential, he was naïve and unrefined, just like the Bell I remembered from the early parts of his story.
That's why, somehow, he followed my word, and that made me look like the leader of this group.
Just as I said that, a low hissing sound echoed through the corridor. From the shadows, a reptilian figure slithered forward on all fours—green scales glistening under the faint light, its sharp claws scraping against the stone floor.
"A Dungeon Lizard…" I muttered, raising my sword as its reptilian eyes gleamed with hostility. Its scaly hide shimmered faintly in the dim light of the Dungeon, claws scraping against the stone floor as it hissed lowly.
From what I remembered, Dungeon Lizards were ambushers—they preferred to strike suddenly, never alone. Which meant…
"There's probably more nearby," I said, scanning the surroundings. Sure enough, two more of the creatures slithered out from behind the rocky formations, their forked tongues flicking in anticipation.
"Be careful, there might be other Dungeon Lizards!" I warned.
Bell immediately reacted, dodging as one lunged at him, its claws narrowly missing his chest. I barely managed to intercept another's pounce aimed at Eriri, my sword clashing against its claws with a metallic ring.
Without hesitation, Eriri opened her sketchpad, her pencil flying across the page in swift, confident strokes. A faint glow filled the air—then in her hands, the mana-forged pistol materialized once more.
"Got it!" she said sharply, raising the weapon. A burst of blue light flared from the barrel, and the bullet of pure mana struck true, piercing through the Dungeon Lizard's head. The creature let out a strangled hiss before collapsing into ash, leaving behind a dull magic stone.
"Wow, that was such a sudden increase in tension! And… thank you for defending me," Eriri said, her voice a mix of relief and embarrassment as she lightly clutched the sleeve of my shirt. Her cheeks were still slightly flushed from the adrenaline, and maybe from being that close during the fight.
"It's fine. It's my job to make sure you're safe after all," I replied, patting her shoulder with a small grin. "The administrator assigned me to help you grow stronger—and that includes keeping you out of harm's way. Besides, as a fan… I won't let you get hurt, not even a little."
Eriri blinked, then turned her face away, puffing her cheeks slightly. "Hmph… y-you really know how to say things that make people embarrassed, don't you?" she muttered, though her voice was softer than usual. Still, I could tell—despite the tsundere act—she was genuinely touched.
The journey through the third floor was more complex than before, especially with the presence of Dungeon Lizards—monsters capable of launching sudden surprise attacks. However, thanks to Eriri's Art Creation and her magic pistol, we managed to clear the third floor without much trouble.
It was the same for the fourth floor. There were no new monsters appearing, though the number of enemies had noticeably increased compared to before. Even so, Eriri, Bell, and I had no difficulty dealing with them as we steadily advanced.
"Wow, this is the first time I've ever made it this far. After all, adventure really is something that should be done with a party," Bell said cheerfully as we reached the end of the fourth floor, just before heading down to the fifth.
I observed Bell and Eriri, both still full of excitement and energy to continue exploring. Honestly, I was just as eager—but at the same time, I couldn't ignore what I knew about Bell's situation and how the Multiverse VR system had changed things. Deep down, I had a strong feeling that the Minotaur incident would still happen. Even though I knew Bell would survive thanks to Ais's rescue, our arrival, along with the potential weakening of his "plot armor" in this version of the world, meant the calculations could change—and not necessarily in our favor.
"Still… that's what makes Bell grow stronger, right?" I thought to myself. "But with us here… will he still gain Liaris Freese?"
After a moment of silent reflection, I finally made up my mind. Whatever happened next, we would face it together.
And so, in the end, I chose to press onward—to the fifth floor.
Besides, with the goal of saving the world and becoming stronger, there was no point in holding back. If I wanted to gain more power—especially cheat skills—I felt like I could do anything to obtain them, even if those skills were meant for someone else, like Bell, because to me, it was worth the risk.
[author]
Each chapter is about 1,000-1,200 words, and I'll post whenever I reach that mark. Sundays are my day off, so no updates then.
I think I can do it... Make it more faster pace, but somehow, I can't do it... Welp... Anyway, I get group A, but get destroyed at round 2 of Cancer Cup
[/author]