In the original game, most players focused their energy on campus life and romancing the heroines. Few were willing to abandon the pleasant daily routines to spend their days and nights grinding in dark, dangerous dungeons.
However, as the plot progressed, most players eventually cleared the first few layers at least once to obtain key materials, complete specific quests, or simply challenge higher difficulties.
As a result, Greg knew the attack patterns, skill telegraphs, behavioral logic, and even the hidden weaknesses of the three monsters before him like the back of his hand.
This prophetic advantage, born from gaming experience, was something no local adventurer could ever hope to match.
The only trouble was that his current arsenal of magic that he could use openly was quite limited, consisting only of the most basic Water Magic, Water Gun, and Fire Magic, Fireball.
Their power was limited, and their range was short.
But it wasn't hopeless.
With the empowerment of Silvia's Light-element buffs and his own talent—which was practically a divine skill in this specific environment—victory was possible.
【Dungeon Explorer: While inside a dungeon, damage dealt to any entity is increased by 20%.】
This allowed even his basic magic to deal considerable damage.
It simply meant... he would have to spend a bit more time and effort, engaging in a battle of attrition that tested his skill and patience.
"Skree!"
The Spine-back Lizard, the most irritable of the three, kicked off with its hind legs and lunged again, its front claws shimmering with a ghostly green poisonous glow.
Greg didn't dodge immediately. He waited until the claws were almost upon him before shifting his footing. With a minuscule sidestep, he barely evaded the swipe. Simultaneously, a Water Gun he had already condensed in his left hand fired with pinpoint accuracy into the gap between the scales just below the lizard's neck—a lighter-colored spot that was inevitably exposed during its pounce.
That was its relatively soft throat.
Psh!
The Water Gun hit home. Although it failed to pierce the thick hide, the powerful impact of the stream and the mana within it caused the Spine-back Lizard to hiss in pain, its movements faltering.
Almost at the same moment the Water Gun was fired, Greg swung his right hand backward, and a scorching Fireball whistled out.
It wasn't aimed at the nearest lizard, however. Instead, it traced an arc and slammed into the Moss-rock Golem, which was charging from the side with heavy steps and swinging its stone fists.
The Fireball hit the mark perfectly, striking a dark-colored protrusion on the golem's chest that looked like an embedded mossy core.
That was its core node for absorbing leyline energy and maintaining its activity—one of its primary weaknesses.
Boom!
The Fireball exploded. The searing flames and impact brought the Moss-rock Golem's charge to a sudden halt. The moss at its core was charred, emitting a pungent odor as the creature let out an angry, pained rumble.
Meanwhile, the most dangerous of the three, the Shadow-eater Beast, had quietly slipped into the shadows behind Greg. Its form twisted and blurred, preparing to launch an invisible shadow assault.
But Greg seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. The moment the Fireball left his hand, he spun his body to the other side. He delivered a spinning kick—not at the Shadow-eater Beast itself, but at a sharp stone by his feet.
The stone whistled through the air, crossing the path where the Shadow-eater Beast was about to manifest. Although it dealt no real damage, it accurately interrupted the telegraphing of the beast's Shadow Strike, forcing it to let out a frustrated shriek and reform its body.
This seamless sequence of dodging, predicting, precision striking, and interrupting not only stalled the monsters' offensive but also left the three observers and Silvia staring in wide-eyed shock.
How... How does he seem to know these monsters so well?!
The doubts in Alvin and Leonard's hearts began to waver, replaced by profound shock.
That near-prophetic anticipation of the monsters' attack patterns and the precision strikes on their vitals could not be explained by mere luck.
Silvia's pink eyes sparkled even brighter, her admiration for Greg nearly overflowing.
Greg-senpai... is incredible!
Even though he's only using basic magic, he's fighting so beautifully!
He must have trained and observed so diligently in the dungeon to understand these monsters this well!
As I thought, Senpai has been working hard in secret all this time...
The battle that followed became a showcase of Greg's personal technique.
He was like a dancer on the edge of a blade, always using the smallest possible movements to evade the monsters' lunges, claw swipes, venom spits, and shadow tears at the most critical moments.
Every one of his counterattacks, whether it was a Water Gun or a Fireball, was aimed precisely at a monster's weakness or a gap in their skill activation. Though the individual damage was low, the cumulative effect was significant.
The wounds on the three monsters multiplied, and their movements became increasingly sluggish and clumsy due to their injuries and the persistent Weakness effect.
During the battle, Greg could clearly feel himself becoming more adept at using these two basic spells. The flow of mana became smoother, and the construction of the spell models became faster and more stable.
Just then, two notifications popped up in his mind:
【Water Gun Proficiency increased from LV2 to LV3.】
【Fireball Proficiency increased from LV1 to LV2.】
"Proficiency leveled up? It looks like this will take a lot less effort now!"
Although the proficiency cap for basic magic was only LV5, the strengthening effect brought by each level was substantial.
When he cast Water Gun again, it was no longer just a stream of high-pressure water. Instead, it was a more condensed, sharp Water Arrow with a faint blue magical sheen along its edges. Its speed and penetration had significantly increased; when it hit the Spine-back Lizard, it actually left a visible wound.
The size of the Fireball also grew by a margin, its color shifting from a dull dark red to a brighter orange-red, with rolling flames visible inside.
When it hit the Moss-rock Golem, the explosive power and the attached burning effect were markedly improved, making the rocky skin on its surface crack and pop.
The increase in attack power, combined with continuous strikes on their weaknesses, caused the tide of battle to turn rapidly.
Psh!
The enhanced Water Arrow seized the moment when the Spine-back Lizard's lunge missed and its momentum was spent, plunging accurately into its eye socket.
The Spine-back Lizard let out a shrill, agonizing shriek before its massive body crashed to the ground, twitching violently.
Boom!!
Another large Fireball slammed into the blackened core on the Moss-rock Golem's chest, shattering it completely this time.
The Moss-rock Golem's movements froze instantly. The stones on its surface rapidly lost their luster, crumbling and collapsing into a pile of ordinary rubble.
The last remaining Shadow-eater Beast, having lost its two companions, lost its ferocity and tried to flee into the shadows.
But Greg was already prepared. After having Silvia fire a Holy Light Bullet, he closed in rapidly. Three Water Arrows fired in a triangular formation to block its retreat, and a final enhanced Fireball struck the center of its semi-incorporeal body just as it tried to force a breakthrough, catching it while it was vulnerable from maintaining high-speed movement.
"Wuu—!"
The Shadow-eater Beast let out a short wail. Its body twisted violently like a popped bubble before dissipating into a cloud of black smoke, leaving behind only a small cluster of dim Shadow Crystals.
The battle was over.
Only Greg's slightly hurried breathing and the stunned gazes of the four people nearby remained in the cave.
Rate on N.U.
