A Few Floors Later… Current Floor: 95
In a dim cavern illuminated only by luminescent rocks, glowing crystals, and a churning lake of lava, Shin was flying—or rather, falling with style.
He maneuvered through the air, dodging the attacks made by the ten-meter-tall golem-like monster he was currently fighting and leaping from the jagged rock-crystal pillars to another.
The golem monster, thoroughly frustrated, pursued the agile, silver-haired human.
It paid no mind to the blonde girl pouting and slacking off in the corner, watching Shin fight the monster alone just as he had requested.
"GOUUUU!!!!!!!"
The golem's roar echoed through the chamber, rattling the entire boss room and sending waves rippling across the lava.
Reaching into the molten pool, the monster gouged out a massive handful of magma, compressed it into a huge boulder of molten rock, and hurled it at the pillar Shin was perched on.
Anticipating the incoming projectile, Shin swiftly leaped to an adjacent pillar.
The golem repeated the tactic, relentlessly demolishing one pillar after another, determined to crush the annoying silver-haired human.
Shin, on the other hand, kept maneuvering from pillar to pillar, closing the distance between himself and the monster little by little.
His wooden sword remained sheathed at his hip like a traditional katana.
Possessing only a glimmer of intelligence, the golem failed to notice the silver-haired human's strategy and simply kept throwing rocks.
"Dumber than a monkey, huh? Looks like the only real threats are the environment, its massive size, and its ability to redirect magic,"
Shin mused as he drew closer to his massive target.
The reason he was fighting this colossal golem alone in the first place was its ability to absorb and redirect magic back at the caster.
It was a natural enemy and hard counter to mages—and specifically to Yue, who would have been hit by her own spell if Shin hadn't pulled her out of the way just in time.
This forced Shin to make her stand down, leaving her to pout and laze around while flipping through his "old book" as he handled the threat solo.
Naturally, the golden-haired vampire princess had protested against what he dubbed his "fun and thrilling solo conquest strategy."
In the end, Shin resorted to bribing—er, convincing—Yue to do his bidding.
He assured her that he held the type advantage by utilizing the unique properties of his wooden sword, and that his current strength and speed would be enough to shatter the monster's crystal armor.
There goes my three-day reprieve from her princess blood-feeding, Shin thought with a sigh as he neared the golem, preparing to strike its heavily armored head.
"GOUUU!!!!"
The golem roared in pure rage, infuriated that the silver-haired human was still alive and kicking.
Abandoning its "monkey-throw-rock" strategy, it opted for brute force, charging at Shin head-on.
"Hou~ you're approaching me? Instead of keeping your distance and throwing rocks, you're coming right to me~"
Shin murmured, noticing the change in strategy.
It was a line remarkably similar to one spoken by a certain blonde, macho vampire from a manga Hajime had once recommended.
"GOOU!!!"
The golem roared in response, not understanding the reference, as its massive body slammed into the last pillar Shin stood on.
The impact completely shattered the stone structure, sending debris tumbling into the lake of lava below.
But the annoying silver-haired human was already no longer there.
Shin had leaped upward, aiming for the floor ceiling before the golem collided with the pillar.
Suspended in midair, he positioned himself directly above the golem's armored head.
Settling into a draw-stance with his wooden sword, Shin took a deep breath, preparing his counterattack.
Once he nearly reached the floor ceiling and confirmed the golem was in the optimal position, Shin flipped his body downward toward his target.
Using the ceiling as a foothold, he launched himself like a speeding bullet, utilizing his leg strength and gravity to amplify his descent.
As he got closer to his target Shin brandished his wooden sword."[Unnamed Sword - Nut Cracker]"
Shin muttered, naming his unorthodox technique.
Leveraging the unbreakable property of his wooden sword, he drew the blade with all his might in a slashing motion designed to shatter any hard surface upon impact.
And now, that impact was heavily multiplied by the crushing force of gravity.
The golem noticed the human too late.
A sudden, unbearable pain spread from its head, followed immediately by the sound of its rock-crystal armor shattering from the force of Shin's blow.
The golem staggered from the pain but refused to fall.
Shin, now perched atop the golem's head, immediately began winding up his wooden sword for a follow-up attack.
"[Unnamed Sword - Beating of a Lifetime]"
Shin muttered the follow up attack technique's name.
He repeatedly swung his sword at the golem's head.
With every impact, the remaining rock-crystal armor began to shatter, crumble, and peel away.
"GOUOO!!!!!"
The golem roared in agony, violently shaking its body and swatting at its own head to pry Shin off.
But Shin stuck to it like glue, effortlessly dodging the colossal hands trying to pry him off while continuing to rain down strikes on the exact same spot.
In the corner, the slacking vampire princess finally stopped reading and watched as Shin truly solo-run monster all on his own.
After the relentless beating, the golem's rock-crystal armor finally peeled away, exposing the fragile flesh hidden underneath.
Feeling the bare patch on its head—much like a bald teacher suddenly feeling a cold draft when his toupee blows off—the panicked monster tried desperately to swat Shin away, to no avail.
Diving into the lava pool to submerge itself was no longer an option either, as the magma would now incinerate its exposed skin.
Dodging the golem's frantic attempts to grab him, Shin dematerialized his wooden sword.
In its place, he summoned an obsidian knife, its dark blade gleaming in the subterranean light.
Without further ado, Shin plunged the knife into the golem's skin.
Gliding through it smoothly like butter, he began carving the flesh apart piece by piece, digging deep inside.
Even the monster's thick skull posed no threat; the knife pierced and sliced through it cleanly.
Pieces of flesh and bone sizzled as they shaved off, falling from its head into the pool of lava below.
The golem was utterly tormented by the agonizing sensation—the literal equivalent of someone digging through one's mind.
Once Shin reached the brain, he unhesitatingly plunged the knife deeper, slicing through the gray matter and severing every vein and nerve within reach.
Within moments, the light in the golem's crystal-covered eyes began to dim. Its massive body slowly collapsed, falling like a puppet with its strings cut.
Seeing that his job was done, Shin moved away from the hollowed-out head and leaped onto the falling monster's shoulder.
"Yue! I need a lift!"
Shin shouted toward the safe corner.
"Mmmm~!"
Yue responded in kind.
Setting down the old book, she used wind magic to hover into the air and flew straight toward his location.
"Shin! Hand!"
Yue shouted midair, stretching her hand out to him.
Shin reached back, allowing Yue to grab hold of him and pull him up.
As the two flew back to the safety of the ledge, the colossal golem plunged into the pool of lava behind them, its exposed head sizzling as it cooked in the intense heat.
"See? Told you there was nothing to worry about~"
Shin said with a gleeful grin, dangling comfortably as she carried him.
Yue, however, could only knit her brows.
"Ughh~" she groaned at his carefree statement.
"What, Yue? Still not convinced?"
Shin replied, suddenly worried that his waved three-day interval from her blood-feeding might be in jeopardy.
"No... Shin, you stink!"
The vampire princess retorted, wrinkling her nose at the foul odor radiating off him.
"Ah—"
Shin went quiet.
Of course he reeked.
Anyone would after diving headfirst into a monster's skull and getting drenched in flesh and brain matter.
As they flew toward a section of the floor far away from the lava, Yue hastily cast an additional wind spell, creating a localized breeze to divert the gruesome scent away from her nose while carrying her passenger to safety as fast as possible.
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