[Combat Art]
Setting aside special means such as [Magic Power], [Flame Lightning], and [Poison Blood Chill], in essence, they are more like techniques that can be mastered through proficiency.
Ron came to deeply understand this point after mastering [Lion's Claw].
As long as one understands the key points of the movements, and conducts targeted training, it is possible in the world of DanMachi to reproduce most technique-type Combat Arts. This was something he had to do.
He could not possibly rely on Floor Boss drops for all of them, could he?
'I have to push harder...'
Moreover, improving one's strength is not merely about increasing ability values. If raw numbers cannot overwhelm the opponent, then one must open up a new path at the level of technique.
With that idea in mind, during the subsequent exploration of the Dungeon, Ron slightly adjusted his direction. He no longer continued to rely on his existing methods in pursuit of quickly killing monsters.
On the premise of ensuring his own safety, he began training his techniques.
…
[Combo]
While spinning to evade a monster's attack, he executed consecutive thrusts.
[Sword Dance]
By using rapid assault tactics to pressure the target's movements, and while advancing forward, he continuously slashed at the opponent.
[Iaijutsu]
…
[Double Slash]
…
Relying on his impressions of various Combat Arts from his previous life, Ron used the high-intensity monsters born from the Dungeon's mutation to continuously expand his own combat methods.
The results were naturally excellent.
Immediately afterward—he encountered the monster Eina had mentioned, a Floor 11 Dungeon monster clad in heavy armor and skilled in defensive counterattacks: [Hard Armored].
This type of monster was not large in size.
When encountering danger, it would curl into a ball and launch rolling attacks at adventurers.
Then, staring at the monster after it had hybridized with a Soulslike Dungeon, Ron fell into brief contemplation.
The armadillo's massive body was like that of a yak, its back covered in thick scales that shimmered with a metallic sheen beneath the Dungeon's faint bioluminescent glow.
Most crucially, the armor on the monster's back was not smooth; instead, it was covered in extremely sharp barbs!
"…"
'If its method of attack hasn't changed, an armadillo of this size… if it rolls and crashes into someone, the impact should be about on par with getting hit by Truck-kun, right?'
From this moment onward, these were the special monsters he would have to confront within the Dungeon.
The oppressive presence was indeed strong. If he had not been carrying the greatsword "Great Fortune", Ron would not have had full confidence in breaking through the armored armadillo's heavy defenses.
However, the monster's weakness was equally clear—that was its relatively soft abdomen!
"…"
'Then let's give it a try.'
No matter what, he had to exterminate the special monsters on the current Floor. Although using shortcut methods was effective, an adventurer's exploration had no end.
Nor was there any conclusion to speak of!
Ron quickly loosened up his body. Gripping "Great Fortune" with both hands, he hoisted the enormous blade onto his shoulder and carefully observed the situation.
Upon sensing the adventurer's presence, the armored armadillo in the distance had its crimson eyes instantly engulfed by hatred. Without any probing action, it charged forward at high speed, using both its forelimbs and hindlimbs.
Finally, borrowing the force of its leap, as its massive body sprang high into the air, it curled up its relatively vulnerable abdomen and faced Ron with the hard scales on its back.
Its figure, curled into a ball, slammed heavily onto the ground.
The force brought by the armored armadillo's massive body caused the ground to crack like a spiderweb, and the powerful momentum of its forward charge did not dissipate in the slightest.
Ron could even feel the subtle tremors of the ground.
Not only that—once the monster's enormous body curled into a ball, even if one stood pressed against the cave wall, one would absolutely still be affected by the rolling impact.
'So…'
'Does the Dungeon think that ordinary rolling-boulder traps aren't enough to take me away, so it specially arranged an armored armadillo to give me a back massage in the corridor?'
After his adventurer level had increased, exploring the Soulslike Dungeon had indeed become much easier. That did not mean Ron relaxed his vigilance; he always remembered that the Dungeon wanted to kill him.
It simply had not found a suitable opportunity!
Facing the giant steel ball about to sweep toward him, Ron made a decisive judgment.
Directly shattering it was, of course, impossible.
He took out the brass heavy shield slung on his back. Squatting down, he braced the shield with his shoulder as a pivot, angling it to create a sloped surface.
As the tremors of the ground drew closer, Ron clenched his teeth and concentrated all the strength in his body into his core. As the armored armadillo collided with the brass heavy shield, the ground instantly collapsed.
Even so, squatting in place behind the brass heavy shield, he did not waver in the slightest. The violent metallic clash almost tore apart his eardrums.
Clang!
Shield Counter!
Ron had never intended to use the brass heavy shield to forcibly stop it. Relying solely on the monster's own weight would have been enough to completely crush him to death.
The strength he had stored in his core exploded in an instant.
The suddenly raised angle of the shield's slope caused the armored Hard Armored to be thrown back by the rebounding force, directly producing a brief moment of suspension in midair. No longer fully curled into a ball, its softest abdomen was completely exposed within Ron's line of sight.
After swiftly adjusting his stance, he picked up the greatsword "Great Fortune" from the ground with both hands. In the instant the monster hovered briefly, he thrust upward from below.
[Combat Art: Giant Hunt]
"…"
The extremely sharp tip of the greatsword, empowered by the force of the thrust, smoothly pierced through the soft armor of the Hard Armored's abdomen and plunged deep into the monster's body.
But that was not enough!
Ron decisively swung the greatsword, cleanly slicing across the monster's abdomen and leaving behind a horrifying wound. Shredded viscera spilled onto the ground, until the cave was filled with an extremely rancid stench…
[Soul Shards +3]
Such a fatal injury caused the Hard Armored to turn into black-gray dust and dissipate before Ron, leaving only the back armor crashing onto the ground.
The strength of that material, comparable to metal—resulted directly in spiderweb-like cracks spreading across the ground. Even the air was filled with a thick layer of dust, which only dispersed moments later!
The drop item could be exchanged for Valis.
When Ron noticed the mottled scratch marks left on the surface of the brass heavy shield during its brief contact with the Hard Armored's armor, yet saw that the dropped item remained completely undamaged, he muttered, 'No wonder…'
'So after exploring Floor 11 for so long, I've only just encountered the first armored Hard Armored. Does this mean you're not even going to let me get coins to drop anymore…?'
Previously, when he had encountered the Goblin knight group, the dwarven armor, broad-headed spears, and other spoils that had dropped could still be exchanged for Valis at Hephaestus's weapon shop. Yet during this period of exploration, there had only been the minimum guaranteed income from magic stones.
Just as Ron was thinking about how to bring the spoils back to Orario, Mikoto, having finished her battle with the Imp on the other side, came over on her own initiative.
The girl raised her hand and pointed forward.
Within that deep tunnel where visibility was extremely poor, the faint glow of the Dungeon had completely lost its illuminating effect. Only countless crimson eyes remained, signaling the presence of monsters.
There was no fear in her tone—only a desire for battle.
"Mm…"
"If I remember correctly, we should have run into a "Monster Party"…"
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