Volume 1 Chapter 56
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”So… am I really just gonna breeze through this?”
I stepped down onto the fourth floor. Usually, you’d have to trek a bit before the first wave of monsters showed up, but I didn’t even have to wait.
”I mean, it’s not like they’re hiding…”
Drifting in the air ahead of me were the floor’s residents—spirit-type monsters with hazy, translucent bodies. Most games would just call them Wraiths. In this world, though, their big ticket item was the [Wraith Potion]—a terrifying bit of alchemy that could turn a person’s body completely invisible, both visually and physically, for a set amount of time.
Now, if you tell a red-blooded young guy he can become an invisible man, you’re basically handing him a one-way ticket to a life of crime. That’s why these things are classified as high-level contraband. If you’re lucky enough to snag one as a drop, you’re legally required to hand it over to the Explorer Guild reps at the entrance.
If you ever got caught smuggling one of those out? Yeah, you’d be spending your next few years behind bars. No questions asked.
(I mean, if I used Adversarial Pressure Point on the Drop Rate Boost, I could probably bag the ultimate ‘man’s dream’ item right now… but I’m not nearly desperate enough to risk a prison sentence for it.)
Youta and I usually spend way too much time joking about what we’d do if we actually got our hands on a Wraith Potion, but that’s just typical BS between guys. Neither of us would actually cross that line. In fact, I’m pretty sure my entire class is clean of any real creeps who’d try it.
”Anyway… there they are. Bright as day.”
Wraiths are a nightmare for most people because their mist-like bodies are nearly impossible to track if you aren’t hyper-focused. But for me? Between the glowing points for Drop Rate, Debuffs, and Instant Death, those three-colored Adversarial Pressure Points were practically screaming their locations at me.
Because they’re intangible, Wraiths are basically a joke to magic users or anyone who can use (Divine Imbuement) like Haruka-san. But for a physical fighter? They’re usually a brick wall. I’d walked in here expecting to spend the whole day swinging at air, but I’d worried for nothing.
”Yep… I can see the Instant Death point clear as a bell.”
This floor was strictly Wraith territory. They liked to spam an attack called (Spirit Wave), which was invisible to the naked eye, but since I could see the Wraiths themselves perfectly, dodging was a cakewalk. Past the grunts were the High Wraiths—faster, stealthier, and meaner—and the floor boss was a double-team encounter, just like the Kobolds.
”Which means… if I just pop all their Instant Death points, I’m home free.”
I bobbed and weaved through the (Spirit Waves), closing the gap in seconds. With a two-meter spring, I launched myself toward the Wraith’s core and slammed my finger into the glowing Instant Death point on its misty chest. The monster evaporated without so much as a hiss. I didn’t get a rank-up or a drop notification, which felt a little weird, but it was definitely dead.
”I-is it really this easy? There’s gotta be a catch, right?”
I pressed on cautiously until the larger, more imposing silhouettes of the High Wraiths started drifting my way. Their (Spirit Waves) were coming in hot and fast, but again, as long as I knew where the source was, they couldn’t touch me.
”(Adversarial Pressure Point)!”
The beauty of the Instant Death point is that it doesn’t care how much HP or ‘spirit armor’ a monster has. The High Wraith popped like a soap bubble.
”Even with two of them, it’s the same story.”
My gut feeling was spot on. The pair waiting at the end of the floor were total lightweights. Normally, two invisible snipers firing invisible beams from different angles would be a death sentence for a solo explorer. But the (Pressure Point Eye) basically turned the difficulty down to ‘Easy.’ I bounced through the projectiles, tagged both Wraiths in the vitals, and watched them dissolve.
”Alright… let’s do this.”
At the far end of the fourth floor, I found the stairs leading down. This was it—the final level. For some reason, the Guild database had zero info on what was down there. They say anyone who reached the fifth floor is guaranteed a clear, but the weird part is that nobody who actually clears it ever talks about what they saw.
”I mean, if I go… I win… right? I just hope the Guild doesn’t try to screw me over because I skipped the ‘grind’ on the Wraiths…”
Heart thumping in my chest, I started the long walk down to the final floor.
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Summary:
The protagonist reaches the fourth floor, dominated by Wraith-type monsters. Using his ‘Pressure Point Eye,’ he easily bypasses their natural physical resistance by striking their Instant Death points. He chooses not to farm the rare ‘Wraith Potion’ due to its illegal nature and heads toward the mysterious final floor.
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Trivia:
- Wraith Potions are heavily regulated by the Guild and police due to their potential for misuse in crimes.
- Pressure Points are visible in three colors: Drop Rate Up, Debuff, and Instant Death.
- Normal physical attacks are mostly ineffective against Wraiths.
- Information about the fifth floor is suspiciously non-existent despite people clearing it regularly
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Character Insight:
The protagonist shows maturity and restraint by ignoring the temptation of the Wraith Potion, prioritizing legal safety over a juvenile ‘man’s dream.’ He also displays a growing confidence in his unique skill set.
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Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The author uses the ‘invisible man’ trope to ground the fantasy dungeon mechanics in modern-day societal consequences.
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Youta – Kanade’s close friend, a well‑built Heavy Warrior with an energetic, generous demeanor, was the first to sense her awakening and constantly supports her growth. Now a dungeon leader who cleared Phase One’s final floor, he balances adventure with loyalty, dates Maika, and as a classmate shares juvenile fascination with dungeon items.
• Haruka – Izumi Haruka, known as “The Prince” among the Four Heavenly Kings, is an androgynously beautiful 3rd-floor Priest who calls herself “boku,” possesses a large bust second only to Higuchi, and bears severe burn scars from a Slime Acid Bullet with lingering side effects from Hirosawa’s skill. Capable of Divine Imbuement, she excels against spirit-type monsters, harbors a hidden obsession with the protagonist’s scent, and is a trusting classmate and close friend of Mana. After overcoming a stalker threat using Perception Enhancement and Divine skills—and being healed by Kanade—she now lies hospitalized following a violent encounter with the protagonist, still under surveillance by her stalker.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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