Over-Spec Brings Emotion

Golems. I remembered the conversation I had with Isera after clearing Floor 3.

"Ah, they'll be showing up soon. Those annoying bastards."

"What?"

"Golems."

"What's so bad about them?"

"They're tough."

"...That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Nothing else?"

"Their attack power is high too, but that's only a problem if you get close. The real issue is the terrain and the mobs covering their backs."

Aspirants who've just awakened their abilities lack firepower. That's why monsters like golems are the worst enemy for beginners.

"I went solo too, struggled, came back out, and brought a mage to clear it."

Isera was a swordsman. Swords don't cut stone very well.

"What about the rewards?"

"We split evenly."

Sorry, but that's not happening. The rewards are all mine. Of course, there's no way I'd have teammates to clear Hell difficulty with anyway. Even if I did, it'd be Aris or Robert at best. But can they even enter the tower?

"So, when you run into golems, take out the supporting mobs in the back first."

"Yeah, yeah."

I let it go in one ear and out the other, but honestly, none of the advice Isera gave was useless. Especially for Hell difficulty, where information barely gets out. The guilds keep a tight grip on it, and high-floor intel supposedly trades for very high prices. Not that I'm planning to share my hidden piece ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠info either — same boat.

'As expected, here it is.'

I stood on a grassy hill. The backdrop of Floor 4 was a vast plain. The hill was thick with grass, but strangely, there wasn't a single insect. I sprinted to this high ground as soon as I started. Then I looked down below. A sort of forward base was set up there. I activated my Dragon Eyes a bit more. Zooming in, I could see the monsters inside. At a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠glance, there were giant rock creatures and green creatures. Golems and goblins.

"Hmm. So I just need to smash all of this?"

Simple enough in theory, but I didn't know their full strength to charge in head-on. In the end, I'd have to storm in and fight anyway. The goblins shoot poison arrows. Thanks to Immune to All Poisons, the poison didn't bother me, but the arrows themselves were annoying.

"Whatever, I'll manage."

I ran across the plain. A goblin scout tried to shout something belatedly, but...

"Casting, Bullet, Triple."

My magic was much faster.

—Kee-ack!

Three bolts of magic pierced cleanly through the goblins' foreheads. The scouts failed to fulfill their duty, but their corpses would do the job instead. Finishing things before that happened was cleaner. I decided to scale the palisade. But I miscalculated slightly.

"Wait, why is this so slippery!?"

Those goblin bastards had greased the tall palisade! My plan to silently scale it and take out the inside first was ruined.

"Ah, screw it."

It was around the time they'd discover the scouts' corpses. I needed to figure out another method fast. Hmm. But did I even need a method?

"Let me think."

I watched the goblin patrols sluggishly charging at me. About a dozen goblins and one golem. If the patrol was this size, there'd be more inside.

"Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeek!!!"

The goblins all screamed at once. A deafening shriek.

"Shut up, you bastards."

I drew my sword. Tier 2, enhanced this morning at the crack of dawn when I brought Enhancement Glaze to Swordmilia. I remembered what that old man said.

'I don't know where you got this oil, but it's quite high quality! It even contains mana!'

He said he'd do it quickly, but it took hours. Still, it was worth it.

"Kiiieeeek!!"

Three burly goblins charged at me all at once. Their muscles bulged like bodybuilders, as if they'd been hitting the steroids hard. The goblins behind them cackled, confident in victory, not even bothering to join the fight.

"That's just cruel."

Those hideous monsters trying to ravage a poor, helpless girl.

"Time to die, don't you think?"

My crimson vision flared. A smile naturally crept onto my lips. Say what you will, it had been a while since I'd fought.

"Casting, Shield."

A translucent barrier formed around me. I swung horizontally.

—Grrrk!

One goblin's head flew off, instantly dead. I ignored another's attack and advanced.

—Clang!

Normally I'd have blocked, but with a defensive spell, there was no need. The barrier's performance was far better than I expected. It let my attacks through while only blocking the enemy's. No wonder it was harder than basic attack magic.

"G-grrk?"

An upward slash. With a shiiick, a long line appeared across the goblin's belly. Hmm. I felt the blade catch on bone. Not dead yet. I ignored the collapsing goblin and stabbed my sword into the heart of another that had been waiting for an opening behind it. This time, I got it right.

"Kii, kik?"

I pulled the sword out and surveyed the battlefield through blood-tinted eyes. The goblins were panicking. They were now hiding behind the golem. A massive rock golem that walked on all fours like an orangutan, its core tightly concealed within its thick stone chest. It stepped forward like the big boss.

The golem's stone face opened its mouth and roared.

—Kuuuuoooooooh!!!

The goblins gained confidence and started squeaking again.

"Aren't you all bluffing a bit too hard?"

What would they do if they got one-shot? I was curious too. Just how tough were golems?

"Let me fire off one big shot."

I gathered mana into my staff. Golems were slow anyway. Faster than I expected, but I had plenty of time to cast.

"Casting, Bullet, Penny."

The penetration enhancement spell that had pierced the Level 2 training room wall. A casting that took a full two seconds. Light exploded.

—Kwaaaaaaang!

The golem's upper body shattered into pieces. The remains of what was once a golem rolled across the ground.

"Oh? That's weaker than I thought?"

My gaze turned to the goblins behind the rubble. The goblins flinched in unison. What remained were five with crossbows and five with curved swords.

"Casting, Bullet, Penta."

Mana bullets scattered in five directions. The five who hadn't closed in dropped dead. I cast again and took down another five.

"Now I should infiltrate the other side... wait. Do I even need to?"

My condition was perfect, and my mana consumption was negligible. Even after all that magic. I thought about my usual combat style when facing an enemy with overwhelming power. In the end, I was always the one with no abilities and no mana. Tear them apart from inside, disrupt, lure them while keeping them just barely on my tail. That was how I'd won.

"But... do I even need to do that now?"

I pulled out one of the five potions Isabel had given me and drank it. The effect was simple — it pushed the caster's mana beyond its maximum.

"Ahh, this is what doping feels like!"

I could feel my mana container swelling to the brim. I looked at the horde of goblins and golems charging toward me and realized. This was probably the main force. They'd rushed over after seeing the patrol wiped out. But that was all it was. A measly five or six golems. The goblins were swarming, but no matter how many goblins came at me, it was one shot.

I realized it. I was no longer the weak side.

I raised my staff and shouted.

"Bullying the weak, let's go!! Casting, Bullet, Explode!!!"

An explosive enhancement spell. It consumed mana at almost the level of a basic spell, but the effect was killer.

—Kwaaaaaaang!!

"Kiiiiieeeeeek!!!"

Every time I cast, goblin flesh scattered. Would this work too?

"Casting, Bullet, Explode, Penta!!"

My staff moved on its own, spewing white light. Mana was drained from me in a rush.

—Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!!!

"Gyaaaaaaah!"

I was swept back by the blast's recoil. But I managed to barely keep my balance.

—Kuuuuoooooh!!!

—Kiiieeeeek!!

Excited, I fired off a few more shots. The goblins were reduced to unrecognizable pulp, and even the golems were mostly destroyed or half-destroyed. As I was spamming magic, a message appeared.

I scooped up the countless magic stones scattered on the ground and shouted.

"Hahahaha!! This is what mana power feels like!!"

I'd always wanted to do this at least once! I envied other hunters who could do this when clearing Easy mode. Pushing through with raw mana and ability power. I couldn't because I lacked mana. But now I could.

"Alright, let's see what the rewards are."

First, the Floor 4 reward. I flung open the gleaming chest.

I stuffed the Status Enhancement Ticket away first.

"Oh? Observer dropped as SR?"

Party members can be added! (Currently 0/3) Enables remote voice communication with party members for a set duration! Allows observation of party members for a set duration!

Hmm. A solid, useful trait as expected. The only downside is that I don't do party play. But looking at the description, I think I could find a way to use it somehow.

"Next..."

Surpasses the body's limits using mana! Increases all stats by one step! Lasts for 1 minute, and when mana is depleted or 1 minute passes, falls into a combat-incapable state!

"...That's iffy..."

I'm the kind of person who'd rather run than fall into a combat-incapable state. Well, I guess it lets me at least put up a fight against an unstoppable opponent. Better than nothing, I suppose. Still, as the floors go up, the rewards are getting quite decent. I hope they keep coming like this.

Now, what's left...

Seven cards appeared before my eyes. Then two new ones appeared, making nine. I glanced at the previous ones. I didn't need trivial things like mana-boosting earrings or the Demon's Sphere anymore. Aura Manifestation or a staff seemed somewhat useful...

The magic book that appeared last time. But I got screwed over by the preview and chose something else instead.

[Would you like to preview?]

As soon as my gaze landed on it, a message appeared. As if urging me to read it more. No, I'm not reading it. Last time I read it, my brain went into a groggy state. But come to think of it, last time I previewed it, I got a free trait out of it. Even if it was a useless piece of junk that I didn't know how to use.

"Should I try it just once more?"

I opened the book.

"Gyaaaaaaah!!"

I regretted it again.

"Ugh...!"

It does give me something, I guess. But I don't even know how to use that trait. Should I keep enhancing it? Then again, taking that thing feels like it'd be a burden.

First, let's look at the new arcana.

Enables viewing information about others and items! Viewing targets of too high a level is restricted!

"Hmm. Pretty simple and nice."

Honestly, even when I look at the school market or artifacts, I need to be able to tell what's good. I've been using Tier 2 because people say it's good, but I don't really get it. And soon we'll probably have herb-gathering practice in herbalism class, so this would be a huge help.

The second one?

Generates wind that can be ridden! Affected by weather conditions!

"A movement skill, huh..."

Movement skills are definitely a good choice. But... I feel like I could find one if I looked through the library. Movement magic. The library had pretty much every kind of magic. I'll put it on hold for now.

I chose Observation Eye. With eight cards now, I finished by discarding the utterly useless Standard Footwork card.

"Let's see how far I can climb this time."

I'd finished my spec upgrades at school too. Now I could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at least put my name on the map in the tower. I headed to Floor 5 with bravado.

Uh oh. Why does it have to be like that again, making me nervous.