Chapter 21 — Return

Chapter 21 — Return

Finally, I stood before the fourth room.

This time, I decided to use my new sword — the one I’d received after defeating the dungeon boss last time.

For practice, I’d already used it several times while clearing up to the third room. It’s always better to get used to new equipment before using it in a real fight — especially one as dangerous as a dungeon boss battle.

I slowly pushed open the door to the fourth room — the boss’s chamber.

Yes, there he was, standing in the center, just like before.

The moment I stepped inside, the door behind me slammed shut with a deep metallic thud.

I gripped the sword with both hands and tightened my hold on the hilt.

Well then… let’s begin.

The dungeon boss opened its mouth and let out a deep, guttural roar — not like a rabbit’s squeal but more like a lion’s growl.

Its jaws were full of razor-sharp teeth — teeth more like those of a shark — and even now, they sent a chill down my spine.

Alright… I’ll admit it — not just “a little” chill. A lot.

I remembered perfectly well how those very teeth had nearly ripped off my arm last time.

But not this time.
This time, that wasn’t going to happen.

The monster rabbit lunged forward, jaws wide open, aiming straight at me.

I sidestepped to the right, avoiding the strike, and swung my sword downward, aiming for its flank.

And — oh — surprisingly, the blade slid through as easily as if it were slicing air.

Looks like this sword really is absurdly sharp.

After striking, I immediately retreated to the other side of the room, readying myself for the next attack.

The monster leapt again.

I moved left, and in the same instant, it slashed at me with its forepaw, claws glinting.

I countered with a swift strike — and cut the paw clean off.

The severed limb hit the stone floor and dissolved into a cloud of light.

The monster let out a muffled, enraged growl and glared at me.

There was no blood where its paw had been — only a soft glow, as if light itself flowed inside its body instead of flesh.

And disturbingly, the loss of a limb didn’t slow it down at all.

It lunged again, jaws wide, teeth flashing — straight at me.

I shifted to the side, dodging mid-leap, and brought my sword down from above, aiming for its back — right as its body was fully stretched in the air.

The blade slid through effortlessly, diagonally — from its back down to its stomach.

The rabbit monster’s body trembled, froze for a heartbeat in midair — then split cleanly in two and vanished in a burst of blinding light.

It was over in less than a second.

[Dungeon Boss Defeated: Terrifying Rabbit (Lv. 40)]
[Gained: +10,550 EXP (+52,750 Bonus EXP)]

What...? That’s it?

The same monster that almost killed me last time disappeared after just three strikes?

Hard to believe, even for me.

Yeah, I’ve gotten stronger.

Back then, I was level 54. Now I’m 57.

My stats have grown — Strength, Speed, Defense.

But I don’t think that’s the only reason.

I glanced at the sword in my hand.

It was far superior to the one I’d bought in the village — heavier, sturdier, perfectly balanced.

And there was something else — its attacks...

The boss’s leaps, its movements, even the swipes of its claws —

I could see them all as if in slow motion.

It seems that dodging quest really did pay off after all.

Yeah, I never managed to dodge even once back then — just took hit after hit, every one of them painful.

But apparently, none of that was in vain.

Now I understood:
In this world, stats alone aren’t enough.

Sure, strength and speed give potential —
but what really matters are experience, skill, mastery.

That means I can’t just level up like before.

I need to learn how to fight.

Experience — that’s what truly makes you strong.

Still… my main goal remains the same —
to keep leveling up.

---

I walked over to the treasure chest that appeared.

Honestly, I was hoping that, like before, it would contain something rare — something great, like the sword I’d gotten after my first boss victory.

But apparently, those kinds of rewards only drop once.

This time, the chest was smaller — and when I opened it, inside were just… healing potions.

Ten of them.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

The one thing I needed least right now — that’s exactly what dropped.

I can make as many of these as I want myself.

“Fine,” I muttered. “I’ll take them anyway. A reward’s a reward.”

Ten potions — about eight silvers in total.
Not bad, really.

I carefully packed the potions into my bag and headed for the exit,
picking up magic stones from fallen rabbits along the way.

---

[Quest No. 2 Completed]
[Gained +20,000,000 EXP]

[Status]
Name: Alisar
Level: 60
EXP: 4,441,565 / 7,300,000
Rank: 3

HP: 15,950 (+2,640)
MP: 17,240 (+720)
Strength: 421 (+24) (+36)
Defense: 497 (+24) (+36)
Speed: 677 (+24) (+120)
Intelligence: 310 (+24)
Magic Power: 305 (+24)
Magic Defense: 749 (+24)
Free Attribute Points: 0 (+192) (-192)

Skills: Swordsman (Rank 1)
Special Skills:
• Training Room (Rank 3)
• Alchemy (Rank 1)

Ten days have passed — for me, at least.
But for the outside world, due to the time difference, only about a single day.

It’s a strange feeling. The longer I live like this, the harder it becomes to sense real time.

If I roughly calculate it, I’ve been near this dungeon for around four days of local time.
But for me... it’s been forty, maybe forty-five days.

The more I think about it, the more surreal it feels.

But during that time, I finally completed the second quest —
and earned twenty million experience points.

And… a bit of pride too.

In the dodging quest — where I had to dodge two hundred times —
I actually managed it three times.

Yeah, it doesn’t sound impressive,
but for me — it’s a huge achievement.

Now I’m heading back into the dungeon — maybe for the last time.

Why? Simple — my food supplies are running out.

To be honest, they should’ve run out a while ago.
But thanks to the fruits and berries I kept gathering around the ravine,
I managed to stretch them a bit longer.

After this run, I’ll have to return to the village —
sell potions, sell magic stones, buy more supplies.

Whether I’ll come back here again… I’m not sure.

Yes, the fights are exciting.
But honestly, it’s all starting to feel a bit repetitive.

The first room — I cleared it without stopping,
just cutting down rabbits as I moved forward.

Same with the second and third.

And now — the boss room.

As always, he stands in the center,
staring straight at me,
growls, and leaps.

But this time, I don’t dodge.
I don’t retreat.
I don’t wait.

I leap toward him.

Shift slightly to the side —
and drive my sword straight into his open mouth,
cutting through his body from jaws to tail.

That’s it.

The monster vanishes, dissolving into radiant light.

One strike.
Less than three seconds.

Victory.

And I can’t help but laugh a little,
remembering how this same monster almost killed me the first time.

Now it’s different.

I calmly walked to the treasure chest
that appeared in the center of the room — as always.

Inside, as usual, were only healing potions.
Sometimes six, sometimes eight,
if lucky — ten,
once even twelve.

But still — only healing potions.
No rare items. No equipment.

And I think… maybe that’s my fault.

When I first came here,
I left a lot of healing potions inside.
The dungeon absorbed them.

I just hope I won’t be punished for that.

Though… healing potions are a good thing, right?

Whatever. No point overthinking.

I took my reward and headed back,
collecting magic stones from the fallen rabbits along the way.

---

I packed up my tent and belongings
and started walking along the river — upstream, toward the village.

My bag now held only potions and a bit of food.

Potions… over five hundred of them.

Yeah, I made them all myself —
leftovers from training sessions.

In a day, I can craft a little over thirty potions,
but I use around eight.
The rest I store away.

Over time, the stockpile grew quite a bit —
plus a few more I got as dungeon rewards.

As for the magic stones — I left them in the Training Room.
They won’t spoil anyway —
they’re just crystals.

But potions… I’m not sure about those,
so I didn’t leave them there.

Now my bag is stuffed to the brim with health potions.

I don’t know if I should sell them all
or keep some for myself.

Maybe I’ll sell around a hundred.
Even that might be too much.

But if I’m leaving this area,
I should at least have some money for the road.

...Wait. What’s that?

People — up ahead.

They’re far away, but I can see them clearly.

Without even thinking, I leapt over the river to the opposite bank.

There, hidden among thick bushes,
I took off my bag, set it down beside me,
and lay flat, making sure I couldn’t be seen.

What am I even doing?..
Damn it.

I’m starting to act weird.

Why was my first instinct upon seeing people —
to hide?

I lay still among the bushes, not moving a muscle.

After about ten minutes, the people arrived.

They were on the other side of the river — a dozen of them, maybe more.

They were arguing, discussing something.
I couldn’t make out everything,
but from what I caught,
they were arguing about whose party would enter the dungeon first.

Yeah...
Looks like they’re new adventurers heading toward the dungeon.

Damn it… why did I even hide?

If I come out now, it’ll just be awkward.

Once they moved away,
I awkwardly stood up, slung my bag over my shoulder,
and continued upstream.

Yeah… seems I’ve become a bit feral after all that solitude.

Hopefully, it’s temporary.

I was never that good at talking to people,
but now… I’m probably even worse.

Yeah, long solitude definitely messes with your head.

Well… looks like I really do need to find someone to talk to,
before I completely turn into a savage.

When I reach the village or the next town,
that shouldn’t be too hard.