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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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The monsters’ limbs flew through the air, and purple blood splattered the ground. The once-menacing monstrosities crumbled like sandcastles.
Arnold calmly raised his sword, his movements sharp, precise, and natural, like those of a master craftsman.
“Come at me.”
He said, his tone almost bored, as if the fight was a tedious chore.
The monsters, despite their apparent lack of intelligence, instinctively recoiled, their previous relentless charge faltering.
“……!”
They had thought themselves the hunters, but now they faced a predator.
“- – – – -!!”
The first monster to charge was twice the size of a human, a grotesque amalgamation of muscle and decaying flesh.
Its appearance would have filled an ordinary person with fear and revulsion, but—
Whoosh -!
—Arnold simply swung his sword.
Slash –
The monster’s head flew into the air, its massive body taking a few more steps before collapsing.
The others charged forward without hesitation.
But—
“Predictable.”
—Arnold took a single step forward, his blade a blur of motion.
Swish -!
Three monsters were instantly cut down. There was no resistance, no counterattack, just the silent, brutal efficiency of his swordsmanship.
“W-What…?”
Lucy muttered from behind, her voice filled with awe. They had been struggling against these monsters just moments ago, and now they were mere spectators.
“Haha…”
Varis let out a hollow laugh.
“The monsters we were struggling against…”
His gaze trembled with disbelief.
But the battle wasn’t over. More monstrosities charged, their roars echoing through the dungeon.
Arnold, his expression impassive, simply swung his sword again.
Slash! Slash!
Arms and legs were severed, bodies cleaved in two. No matter how many attacked, none could even touch him. His sword danced, leaving a trail of death and destruction in its wake.
“……!”
A monster, in a desperate last resort, swung its massive arm at him.
But just before its hand could reach him—
Boom!!
—he brought his sword down on its fist, shattering the bone, the arm itself slammed into the ground. The monster didn’t even have time to scream before its head was severed.
“How… such monstrous strength…”
Elisha whispered, her breath catching in her throat. It was the first time she had witnessed Arnold’s true power.
“This isn’t even magic…”
Just pure swordsmanship. He was tearing them apart with his blade. Before him, these monsters were nothing more than cannon fodder.
“Still more to come.”
Arnold flicked the blood off his sword and surveyed the battlefield. Many monsters remained, but the tide had turned.
They were no longer charging at him but retreating, their instincts screaming at them that he was a foe they couldn’t possibly defeat.
“I’m not just going to stand here and wait.”
He took a step forward, and the monsters scattered in terror, their screams echoing through the dungeon.
“Are they… running away…?”
Melina muttered, her expression a mix of surprise and bewilderment.
But Arnold paid them no mind, continuing his advance.
“It’s not over yet.”
His eyes gleamed red, and he began his hunt once more.
Slash—
“-, –?!”
Slash.
“———!!!”
One by one, they fell. Nothing could stop him. The monsters, born of the abyss and masters of darkness, were like fallen leaves in the wind before him.
Swoosh -!
Arnold swung his sword at the last remaining monsters, a crimson arc slicing through the air, black blood spraying outwards. Their dying cries echoed through the dungeon, then faded into silence.
Blood splattered across his body, but he remained unfazed, his breathing even, his expression unchanged, as if this was all too familiar.
“–, —!”
The last remaining monster, a massive behemoth, roared and swung its arm, a blow powerful enough to shatter rock. But Arnold didn’t flinch, his gaze calm as he raised his sword.
“Too late.”
His form blurred, and in the next instant, he was behind the monster, his movement silent as the wind.
And then,
Swoosh—!
A flash of light, and the monster froze, a single, decisive blow cleaving its massive body in two. Blood erupted like a geyser, a final roar tearing through the air, and then…
Thud.
The last monstrosity fell, a massive corpse on the dungeon floor.
Silence descended upon the dungeon.
The others stared at him in stunned silence, the monsters that had been about to overwhelm them now gone, as if they had never existed.
“…He did that… alone?”
Lucy whispered, her hand covering her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Elisha and Melina, who had been watching from a distance, were also speechless.
“…Amazing, that’s all I can say.”
Melina whispered, her voice filled with awe and wonder.
Elisha nodded in agreement, her fists clenched.
“I’ll never get used to this… this power…”
She looked at Arnold’s back, her expression a mix of emotions.
Arnold casually flicked the blood from his blade and walked away, the aura of bloodlust around him slowly dissipating, his gaze returning to its usual cold, detached state. He didn’t even seem out of breath. He simply declared,
“…It’s over.”
And with those words, the tension that had filled the dungeon finally began to ease. But amidst the gazes of admiration and respect, Arnold simply walked forward, his expression impassive, as if this was all to be expected.
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The Fusion Monstrosities were mid to high-level creatures in the dungeon.
In the game, you were supposed to grow stronger by defeating weaker monsters in the early stages before being able to face them. And even then, you would usually only encounter them one at a time. But here, they had appeared in a pack, their sharp teeth bared.
This wasn’t normal. Such a large number of monstrosities appearing in the lower levels of the dungeon was a clear anomaly. He had long since given up on the idea that the story would follow the original plot, but this was an unexpected deviation.
Handling all of them by myself… I guess I really became a late-game boss, huh?
“That was amazing, Arnold! You took down those monsters all by yourself!”
Varis’s eyes sparkled with admiration and curiosity.
“I knew you were strong, but you surprise me every time.”
“How did you get so strong?”
He casually wiped the blood off his clothes and replied,
“I just enhanced my body with magic power.”
“Just that? I can do that too…”
“The greater your magic power, the greater the enhancement.”
As he explained, Lucy approached cautiously, her expression one of disbelief.
“Arnold… are you really a first-year?”
Her bewildered gaze was fixed on him.
“Yes… well…”
“That was… incredible!”
She took his bloodstained hand without hesitation, her touch warm against his skin. Her gaze was not just curious, but desperate, as if she was trying to grasp something.
“Honestly, I thought we were done for. Even one of those monstrosities would have been a challenge… It’s a relief to have such a reliable junior with us.”
Her praise was sincere, but he was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. She was standing too close, her sparkling eyes and bright smile making him feel a little flustered. But then,
Tug –
He felt a light tug on his sleeve.
“Ugh…”
He turned and saw Eilly looking up at him with a pouty expression, her eyes filled with a hint of dissatisfaction.
“I worked hard too, Master…”
Her small hand clutched his sleeve, as if she also wanted to be praised. Her puffed-out cheeks were cute, but there was a strange possessiveness in her gaze.
He was speechless for a moment. The brutal battle had just ended, but it seemed another war was about to begin.
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Deep within the Shrine of the Depths, in the deepest, darkest part of the dungeon, a cold, heavy silence reigned.
“Hmm, to think it would be like this.”
A woman sat with her legs crossed, a lazy smile on her face, the faint, flickering light of a magic residue her only illumination. A prominent vein pulsed on her forehead.
“I thought I had overdone it… but it seems they’re more troublesome than I expected.”
Her voice was low and soft, but laced with a venomous undertone. Her fingertips tapped rhythmically against the armrest of her throne. Then, a thought seemed to cross her mind, and her lips curled into a slow, sinister smile.
“Should I… stir things up a bit?”
She stood up slowly and stepped into the darkness, her movements silent, the shadows around her writhing and coiling like living creatures, as if they were a part of her.
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Hi Lord Fourth here!
I’m new to translating so if you find some mistakes or inconsistencies let me know about it on the dedicated channel on discord.
