Monsters in a second playthrough inherit the experience from before they were killed. They become wary of the same tactics, and their stats increase dramatically.
It was indeed very troublesome.
The good news:
When Ron first faced the Mimic War Shadow, he adopted the most mechanically demanding shield-poke style. This time, however, he chose a close-quarters brawling tactic.
The monster simply could not defend against it!
Holding an absolute advantage in speed and combining it with the burst effects produced by Combat Arts, even after the monster received further reinforcement, he could still win with ease.
Moreover, the topical medicinal salve Airmid had given him earlier had excellent healing effects on the side effects of Ash of War: Bloody Slash.
"A very good monster."
"It keeps increasing my real combat experience!"
The facts proved that the sinister, underhanded mechanics of Soulslike monsters, when paired with a Mimic War Shadow that possessed an adventurer's mindset, produced a stacked effect that forged true PVP combat experts.
This immersive feeling of being absorbed in battle was something Ron greatly enjoyed. If he were facing the adventurers he had encountered that day—the Soma Familia and the like—even without relying on monsters, he was confident he could defeat them with ease.
However, with the appearance of the Mimic War Shadow, to some extent, it gave him a bit of PTSD toward adventurers he might encounter in the Dungeon—constantly guarding against monsters disguising themselves as passersby and then stabbing him in the back.
After triggering the Dungeon's extermination mechanism, the problem placed before Ron became extremely severe.
Once he proceeded to the Floor 7 area, according to the monster distribution intelligence provided by the Guild, a brand-new monster—also a Newbie Killer—would appear here.
"Killer Ant."
Its body size was somewhat larger than that of an ordinary goblin.
An insect-type monster, it possessed an extremely tough armored exoskeleton, and when encountering danger, it could even summon its companions through special means.
It was extremely unfriendly to rookie adventurers.
The main reason Ron did not explore rashly was that he recalled the "giant ants" from Soulslike games—creatures whose size could even rival that of an average adult human.
Just how high was the difficulty?
Ron truly found it hard to imagine. The key issue was that encountering a brand-new monster while simultaneously being besieged by a Mimic War Shadow would, with even the slightest mistake, absolutely carry lethal risk.
"Since things have come to this, I'll first go to Floor 7 and take a look at the situation. If it's very troublesome, I'll just treat it as a surprise left for the Soma Familia. Paired with the Mimic War Shadow, the effect seems not bad!"
Only—when he smoothly arrived at the Floor 7 area and looked at the monster surging out from within the wall, it was precisely this "giant ant" with a bison-like, robust build.
Ron could not muster any desire to fight at all.
The body size was simply far too enormous. When facing this special monster, a strong sense of déjà vu akin to Alice in Wonderland even arose in his mind.
An ant magnified countless times.
The monster's surface was covered with thick, hardened armor, and the fine hairs at the tail of the ant-type creature, after undergoing extreme gigantification, had become like steel needles, emitting a cold, chilling gleam.
The ant's ferocious mandibles continuously exuded a sour, corrosive stench.
"Can this thing really be breached by my dagger?"
He had no heavy weapon.
Even though the dagger in his hand was sharp enough, Ron still harbored doubts about whether it could pierce the thick armored defense of the monster before him.
Just as he hesitated—after locking onto an adventurer as its target, the giant killer ant scuttled forward rapidly. Its body crouched low, the tail drawing inward, and the crimson spike at its tip stood out with particular prominence.
Whoosh!
Under compression, deep yellow ant acid was instantly sprayed out, surging forward like a column of liquid, carrying a corrosive stench as it swept toward Ron's position.
Without heavy protective gear, Ron knew clearly that he absolutely could not take it head-on. As he sidestepped and rolled away with ease, he glanced back, only to see the wall splashed with ant acid being continuously melted away.
"Damn it!"
"Why does this feel like it's on a completely different difficulty level from the Mimic War Shadow?"
Alarm bells rang in his mind instantly.
At the very least, before his greatsword customization was finished, the giant killer ant in front of him was absolutely not something he could contend with at his current stage—especially if it meant wasting Revival charges for nothing.
Ron found it hard to imagine what kind of sensory torment he would suffer if his body were splashed with such highly corrosive ant acid—something capable of melting even stone walls.
"Then I'll bail."
This was not cowardice.
Rather, it meant that at his current stage, Ron still needed time to settle and consolidate, choosing a tactical withdrawal.
With the special monsters of the first six Floors having completely disappeared due to the Dungeon's extermination mechanism, the only option left to him now was to retrace his steps and return to Orario.
In the eyes of ordinary adventurers, solo exploration in the Dungeon was already extremely difficult.
Let alone a Soulslike Dungeon filled with outright malice.
Ron even felt a bit nostalgic for the time two days ago when he had teamed up with Chigusa and Mikoto. Otherwise, when he encountered the Killer Ant today, he would definitely have tried to test the monster's strength.
"That settles it."
"After the matter with the Soma Familia is over, I'll have to seriously consider the issue of Familia development!"
...
Central Plaza.
Wald, who had been assigned a tracking mission by Zanis, was naturally not foolish enough to rush into the Dungeon—after all, even Captain Bruno had died at Ron's hands.
If his whereabouts were discovered, he could easily imagine the outcome with his eyes closed. It wasn't that Wald was afraid of death; rather, he was worried that if he died, there would be no one left who could remember what Ron looked like.
So he absolutely could not die!
"Senior adventurers, this really isn't me being afraid of death. To be able to kill Senior Bruno and the others in such a short time, his strength must already be very close to Lv.2."
"If we pursue rashly and our trail is exposed…"
Wald explained to the senior adventurers who were assisting him. When he saw the impatience in their eyes gradually ease, he looked up at the blazing sun overhead.
With a fawning smile, he added, "That guy's appearance—I'd recognize it even if he were reduced to ashes!"
"The weather is very hot right now. Leave the surveillance task to me. As long as there's any information at all, I'll definitely notify you immediately."
"Looks like you know what's good for you."
The beastman adventurer at the front nodded in satisfaction and suggested to his companions behind him, "Then let's go."
"Go where?"
"Where else? The casino. Last night I finally caught that brat Lili and took a hundred thousand Valis off her. Today I'm definitely winning it back!"
"…"
Why does something like that never happen to me?
Wald watched the other Familia members leave, then once again shifted his gaze toward the direction of Babel Tower. The first time he had seen Ron had been around midday.
As for why—why Ron, whose strength clearly surpassed that of most adventurers, could make such a quick round trip back to Orario…
He did not think too deeply about it. As long as he did his best to complete the mission assigned by Captain Zanis and improve the Familia's bleak situation going forward, that was enough.
Then—Wald caught sight of an extremely familiar figure.
Even without carrying a brass heavy shield or wearing overly exaggerated equipment, he still recognized Ron from a distance.
Immediately after, the figure of the young adventurer followed a small supporter of the Pallum race wearing a grayish-brown cloak and left Central Plaza via another street.
"Damn…"
"That should be him, right?!"
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