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Checking the passage of time inside the dungeon where the sun and moon didn’t rise was tricky, but it felt like at least half a day had gone by.

[Experience points have reached their maximum. Lv.18 → Lv.19]

[EXP 3214 / 300000]

I hit level 19. It takes a whopping 300,000 experience points to reach level 20. Back when I was just a slime, I didn’t even need 10,000 points, so this leap felt absurd.

‘That just means I’ve grown a lot.’

The conditions for achieving level 20 hadn’t surfaced yet, but since I was here, I figured I’d grind out the necessary experience points for level 20 in this dungeon. Plus, there had been a flurry of skill upgrades.

[Spiky Tentacle (D): Can shoot sharp tentacles like spikes]

First up was the encouraging news that my trusty tentacle bunch, which I’ve used for so long, finally reached D rank.

‘Honestly, I was really late to the party.’

Still, it was mainly because after becoming a shadow being, the synergy with Shadow Control improved, increasing its usage. Prior to evolving, I relied a lot more on Transformation and Gale than on tentacles. Excluding the predation skill I had from the start, this was the first skill I acquired, so I had a soft spot for it.

‘Spiky Tentacle.’

Unlike before, the ends had sharpened to a point like a spear and sprouted spikes like a rose stem. Naturally, if I wanted, I could revert it to a regular tentacle. But the biggest change was…

‘I can shoot it now.’

It zipped through the air at a speed almost impossible to track with the eyes.

‘Its power is slightly higher than a Magic Bullet.’

That said, that was only when I wasn’t using magic. Since the tentacles are part of my body, I could easily infuse them with magic for even greater power. It was like acquiring an excellent ranged weapon.

“―――!”

The centipede that got hit by the projectile writhed in colors, twisting its body in apparent anger, its numerous legs twitching as it crawled toward me. If it weren’t for the lava all around, it would have definitely been quite the gruesome sight.

Yeah, lava. The reason they were so threatening was that I couldn’t touch them.

‘But that changes now.’

I crouched down and shot out a tentacle. Dozens of spikes charged with magic hit the centipede in rapid succession. The centipede was fast, and its movements bizarre, but my skills had good synergy with it.

‘Instinct and insight.’

Plus, the predictions I learned from the White Deer. If the speed is so high that you can’t see and dodge it, you can almost guarantee a hit. The embedded spikes pierced through the lava centipede and continued to quiver as they struck the rock beneath.

“Kiiiii―!”

The flowing lava covered the centipede’s mouth, wailing in agony, but my tentacles didn’t melt easily. They had gained durability and resistance with the rank increase.

‘……….’

It was a satisfying growth. I shot a massive magic bullet at the immobilized creature, pinning it to the rock as if to taxidermy it.

“―――!”

As the lava erupted, the shadow rushed in and tore it apart, quickly snuffing out its life.

‘I’m getting the hang of this.’

What once felt terrifying—the lava monsters—now felt manageable. And there was one more skill that had changed.

[You consumed a Lava Centipede. Experience and satiety have increased.]

I managed to temporarily boost my status just a bit by consuming the lava centipede.

‘I wish it were permanent.’

But I guess asking for that at rank C would be too much. This was the upgraded skill:

[Satiation: Temporarily strengthens while in a state of consumption.]

The boost felt like about 20 points, excluding magic. My appetite had evolved to C rank, and while the boost wasn’t anything to write home about, for someone like me who constantly struggled with status scarcity, it was more than welcome.

‘The only downside is…’

That the name “satiation” implies I needed to consume quite a bit. I could go for casual eating, but I’d still need to devour a quarter of my own weight.

‘But that’s enough.’

On the other side, the Volcano Ceratops was still snoozing. After just eating the Lava Centipede, I still had about 240,000 experience points left to gain. It had only been a day since the Volcano Ceratops appeared, but bodies of ground monsters had become a rare sight due to its overwhelming impact. It was definitely the right choice to get into the dungeon as quickly as possible.

‘So now, it’s time to hunt.’

Until now, I’d just been lurking and feeding. Hunting itself isn’t hard, but the problem is they’ve all burrowed into hiding. Since I’ve eaten them all, there’s really no reason for them to poke their heads out of the lava anymore.

‘I need to lure them out.’

Subtly turning my head, I glanced into the distance. The only threat was the Volcano Ceratops, the ruler of this place. To lure it, I’d need to break stealth, and that’d attract the monsters lurking beneath the lava.

‘No other options.’

As quietly as I could, I’d fill up on experience points before the beast woke up. Just as they say, you gotta strike while the iron’s hot; the moment I released my stealth, I sensed movement beneath my feet.

‘Even after eating all that.’

Seeming unsatisfied, they began to close in. Monsters flooded in, magma bubbling and oozing out from the holes in the basalt beneath.

‘They’re coming.’

As I tensed and leaped, lava erupted right where I had just stood.

‘Magma Shark.’

There were about four signals nearby, with one being the Magma Shark, but more were sure to come rushing in. The critical thing was to keep an eye on the ground. The first to burst through was the Magma Shark, leaping into the air, heading straight for the attack.

‘Alright.’

Actually, I lured it so it would target me. Just as its jaw opened wide to swallow me whole, I sensed a presence from below.

‘This’ll do.’

With a burst of momentum, I leaped just as the Crocodile and Magma Shark collided from below. They bit at each other both horizontally and vertically, collapsing under the force of their fall.

While they were entangled, I fired spikes at the Magma centipede that had crawled up. When I took it down the same way as before, the two previously embedded in the lava finally regained their senses. However, they seemed to have trouble healing their wounds. I fired spikes at the leaping shark and extended shadows toward the rising crocodile.

Then suddenly—

‘……?!’

A massive tremor about to scatter my shadows shook the ground. I shifted my gaze to the source of the quake.

‘Already?!’

The enormous body of the Volcano Ceratops sat up much faster than I had anticipated.

‘Crap.’

I could feel a countdown starting. At least the monsters gathering had noticed the Volcano Ceratops waking up and began to disperse.

‘I have to finish this fast.’

I channeled all my magic toward the Crocodile, and the moment the lava peeled back, revealing its vaporous form, my shadow slashed at it. In that instant, shadows began to grow darker beneath me.

‘Not my shadow.’

This isn’t my shadow. Looking up, I saw an enormous jaw approaching from above.

I knew it. The centipede. Crocodile. Magma Shark. There were three, but the initial presence always felt like four. The two Magma Sharks were there from the start; one was leaping from below while the other was falling from above. The moment I jumped out of the way, the descending Magma Shark twisted its body in mid-air.

‘……!’

This bizarre movement was only possible because its body was made of lava, not flesh and bones. Since I had just used my burst, there was no way to use it again. Plus, there was nowhere to grab and pull with my tentacles.

‘Then―’

Visualizing an image—I quickly formed my magic. It seemed simple at a glance, but shooting a magic bullet was on an entirely different level.

‘I need to grant it form.’

I had to create a platform sturdy enough to jump on. And I’d learned from the White Deer how to do that.

‘I’ll fill in the gaps…!

Massive magic replenished my power. With the help of a B-rank skill that aids all acts of magic use, I succeeded, albeit clumsily, in forming a platform. The shape was distorted and flawed, but I stood on it and jumped up. While the Magma Shark that had just devoured the shattered platform regained its senses, I fired spikes imbued with magic.

It pierced and struck down, causing an eruption of lava. I flung the heat that rose up high away with a gust and managed to land safely on solid ground.

‘…One more to go.’

My eyes met the last remaining Magma Shark. The tremors were getting closer. —Quick and decisive. As I raised my magic, the shark quickly dove back beneath the lava.

‘…….’

Whether it sensed the Volcano Ceratops or figured it wouldn’t win against me, I couldn’t tell, but that thought could wait. There was no time.

[You consumed a Magma Shark…]

[You consumed a Prominence Crocodile…]

[You consumed a Lava Centipede. Experience and satiety have increased.]

[EXP 267234 / 300000]

After gobbling up all three, I was nearly at my experience cap. The Volcano Ceratops was drawing nearer, so I hid with my stealth behind a rock fragment.

“―――!”

Right then, it started charging, almost as if it were angry at my hiding. The ground rumbled with a different intensity now. A massive earthquake shook everything, and the ground couldn’t bear its weight, shattering beneath it as it sank into the lava. The shock sent lava spewing into the air, but the Volcano Ceratops didn’t care at all and kept surging forward.

‘Quickly!’

They say big things are slow, but it’s a completely different story when they’re that massive. With a stride of several dozen meters, owning 400 agility was nothing short of a nightmare.

‘……!’

It moved faster than me at full speed. Moreover, it was crashing through the ground while charging through the lava. Just like the Earth Serpent, its sheer size was a powerful weapon. I wondered just how deep the lava was that it kept boiling and flooding the entire volcanic area.

‘If I go out like this…!

I worried about what would happen if it chased me, but suddenly it halted.

‘Why?’

The place it stopped was exactly where I had used stealth earlier. The Volcano Ceratops remained motionless from that spot.

‘…Did it not notice my stealth?’

A C-rank stealth shouldn’t be that easily detected, but with a beast like the Volcano Ceratops, it wouldn’t be surprising if it did notice. It seemed that it merely followed me to where I had been hiding.

‘One thing is clear…’

It’s tracking intruders. With so many other monsters around, it still chose to come to my last location, making that evident. I looked around, and the debris from its charge had caused a huge lake of lava to form. Watching as the Volcano Ceratops returned to its original spot, I thought to myself.

‘Definitely not going to take it down now.’

To take down the Volcano Ceratops, I needed to grow significantly compared to now. The remaining experience was just 30,000. With this amount, I wouldn’t need to risk my neck at all and could easily gain it just by heading to the sea. For now, this volcanic dungeon was done. It might not be today, but someday, I’d surely be able to defeat it.

‘For the moment.’

Having achieved my goal, I stepped outside the dungeon.

The moment I took a step, the scenery changed, and—a system message flashed before me as if it had been waiting.

[Condition to achieve Lv.20: Eliminate the hidden traitor.]

 

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