Volume 1 Chapter 54
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Awoooooo—!”
With a howl exactly like a dog, a monster with a canine face leapt at me. They’re commonly called Kobolds. To be clear, their faces aren’t “cute puppy” dogs; they have the vicious, snarling mugs of true monsters. I don’t feel a shred of guilt about punching those faces in.
”I might as well grind my Delving Rank¹ while I’m at it!” I shouted.
With that, I began rhythmically dodging the Kobold’s high-speed lunges, slamming my Goblin Sword into it whenever I saw an opening. Back when I started, I couldn’t keep up with their speed and took a fair amount of damage, but these days? I hardly ever get hit by a standard Kobold. I guess I’ve actually become pretty strong.
That said, when they’re attacking this fast, it’s a pain to land an [Adversarial Pressure Point]² strike. Unless I get incredibly lucky with their positioning, I just have to fight them the old-fashioned way.
”Hah! Fuuu! Haaah!”
As I kept the pressure on, the Kobold’s movements—its trademark high-speed agility—gradually began to flag. Once the creature’s movements dulled enough, I could finally find the opening to sink an [Adversarial Pressure Point] into its side, even as we moved.
(Back in the day, I thought I’d found a total exploit: weaken them first, then hit the Drop Rate Boost for a massive payday… but life isn’t that easy.)
It turns out the Drop Rate Boost is tied to their remaining HP. If you weaken them before using the skill, the bonus is pathetic. If you’re actually hunting for loot, you have to hit them while their health is full—that’s how you get the Dungeon Stone drop rate over 80% and the rare drops up to nearly 40%.
By the way, the “Instant Death” pressure point is even worse. Even if you’ve spent ten minutes whittling them down, if you finish them with an Instant Death strike, your Delving Rank doesn’t budge. Basically, you get zero experience points. It’s a total waste.
”But hey, there’s never a reason not to use a debuff! [Adversarial Pressure Point]!” I cried.
The debuff points weaken the enemy without messing with the drop rates or XP. If there’s an opening, you’d be a fool not to take it. And once a normal Kobold is debuffed, it’s nothing but a mob to me. I proceeded to give it a one-sided beatdown until the creature dissolved into smoke. As expected, no items dropped. I felt that satisfying thrum of my Delving Rank ticking upward as I pushed deeper into the dungeon.
”Alright, this is where the real work starts…” I muttered.
About fifty meters further in, I encountered a Spear-Kobold. A normal Kobold might be faster, but a spear-user with that much reach is just a massive pain to handle. (I need to slip inside its guard, chip away at it… land a debuff if I can, or just go for the Instant Death kill if things get hairy. Alright, let’s do this!)
The spear whistled through the air as the Kobold swung it in wide arcs. Getting close to that whirlwind of wood and iron was terrifying. “There! That’s the gap!” I thought.
I timed my move, lunging toward the Kobold just as the spear passed me. The Kobold tried to use the momentum of the swing to pivot into a roundhouse kick, but I’d already read the move. I slammed my Goblin Sword directly into its leading leg. It would’ve been nice if I could just sever the limb and be done with it, but dungeon monsters aren’t built that way. The leg stayed attached, but the Spear-Kobold was sent tumbling across the floor like a ragdoll. It scrambled back to its feet instantly, leveled its spear, and began to close in on me with predatory caution.
It started swinging the spear in wide arcs again. I kept up my defense, but every now and then, the tip would catch me. Thanks to my high Delving Rank and the effects of my [Defense Enhancement Pressure Point], the damage was minimal… but if I let those hits pile up, I’d eventually be in real trouble. Carefully, slowly… I started whittling it down.
”These guys are actually pretty smart…” I observed.
Eventually, the Kobold realized the big swings weren’t working. It shifted its stance, switching to quick, snapping thrusts. If you’ve ever had a spear pointed at you, you’ll know how terrifying that is. A swinging spear is actually less scary than a sword because the “danger zone” is limited to the head, but watching that sharp point dart toward your vitals over and over? It makes your skin crawl.
”Hup! Hah! Fuu!” I barked.
I shouted to keep my nerves steady, using quick side-steps to dance around the thrusts. Once I’d adjusted to the rhythm of its strikes, I stepped diagonally forward, parrying the thrust. I grabbed the shaft of the spear and yanked the Kobold toward me with everything I had. Since it had put all its weight into that lunge, the Kobold came flying toward me helplessly. Right into my range.
”Hyaaaaaah!”
I swung the Goblin Sword with a two-handed heave. I caught it right in the face with a sickening thwack, sending the creature crashing into the wall before it slumped to the ground. That hit definitely hit a vital; it was reeling far worse than before. It didn’t look like it could stand back up yet, so I closed the distance, staying wary of the spear still clutched in its claws.
”…[Adversarial Pressure Point]!” I yelled.
Maybe it’s just a coincidence, or maybe all bipedal monsters are the same, but the Kobold’s debuff point was right on its stomach. I landed the strike perfectly on the first try. From that moment, the fight was basically over.
”Can’t get careless, though! Hah! Fuuu! Haaah!”
I refocused my mind and began the finishing sequence on the Spear-Kobold. After about five more minutes of tactical grinding, I finally shattered the monster.
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Summary:
The protagonist continues their dungeon delve, engaging in combat with Kobolds to grind their Delving Rank. They encounter a challenging Spear-Kobold that requires tactical maneuvering and the use of debuff points to overcome. The chapter explains the mechanics of loot drop rates and the experience penalties associated with instant-death skills.
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Trivia:
- Instant death skills result in zero experience points.
- Loot drop rates are highest when the monster has full HP.
- Dungeon monsters turn into smoke upon death.
- Pressure point locations can be consistent across bipedal monster types (stomach for debuffs)
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Character Insight:
The protagonist shows growth in both power and tactical awareness, moving from being hit by normal Kobolds to handling Spear-Kobolds with calculated movements. Their decision to avoid ‘cheating’ with instant death shows a focus on long-term progression over immediate convenience.
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Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The author uses this chapter to reinforce the ‘hard’ rules of the dungeon system to prevent the protagonist from becoming too over-powered too quickly.
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Glossary:
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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