I waited for the dragon to disappear, then left my hiding place. Well, thinking about it, he definitely knew I was there, yet he didn't attack me. That shows he has some level of intelligence.
He realized there was no reason to fight me. He knows I'm strong, and the fight would be difficult. Since I wasn't looking for a fight, he chose not to attack either.
'Well then, let's have a little fun with that monkey's body.'
Since the dragon doesn't want trouble, I can at least eat some of this monkey.
It has some skills that interest me.
I approached and bit into a piece of its arm. I chewed the flesh and swallowed as quickly as I could.
'Urgh, it tastes awful, just like the other monsters. But I still need to eat.'
After everything I went through, I was hungry.
Honestly, I would've preferred going back to the Middle Stratum and eating some fish, but I want this monkey's skills.
For some reason, it has magical abilities from almost every element, and it also has a skill called "Paralysis Attack." It's a very interesting offensive skill, so I want it.
So, I kept eating.
For some reason, even with my small body, I could eat a lot. It was as if the food was being digested extremely quickly.
I kept eating and eating, and eventually I started learning new skills.
These were all the notifications:
[ The skill "Paralysis Attack LV1" has been learned ]
[ The skill "Wind Attack LV1" has been learned ]
[ The skill "Lightning Attack LV1" has been learned ]
[ The skill "Telepathy LV1" has been learned ]
[ The skill "Cooperation LV1" has been learned ]
After that, I didn't receive any new skills.
I basically obtained its offensive abilities and leadership-related skills. These are good, but the one that stands out the most is "Telepathy."
Was it using this skill to command the monkeys, or were they coordinated because of "Cooperation"? I have no idea. Well, I don't dislike these skills.
Now I can also use elemental attacks. I'll start using my MP more often.
'But I wanted to use magic properly. I have a lot of points saved up, so I think the time has come. I can also spend my points to buy those special eyes—they're really good.'
I wasn't able to acquire the petrification eye from that monster I killed some time ago.
'I think I'll go back to my "home" and take a look at the system. Maybe I'll also find a skill that lets me store monster meat.'
####
POV: Shiraori
Some time passed, and the number of anomaly system notifications appearing inside the dungeon kept increasing. I started receiving notifications once per minute—sometimes even twice.
Because of that, I asked someone to go to the labyrinth to check what was happening, since I didn't want to go there myself.
The demon I sent should be returning soon.
Ariel, who was sitting in front of me, said, "Do you think he's alright? Maybe he died."
"I trust him."
"You should've gone yourself. It would've been faster."
"I didn't want to be bothered by humans. They're guarding the entrances to the labyrinth."
"You could've entered without being seen." Ariel smiled. "But I get it—you don't want to go back there."
"..."
Yes, I don't want to go back there. There were some fun experiences, but I don't have many good memories.
I'd rather not remember all the times I was in danger and almost died.
Even though I'm much stronger now, I'd still rather not go there.
'But depending on the situation, I might be forced to go.'
Ariel thinks the same.
This involves the system. Not even D knows what's happening.
Depending on what's going on inside the labyrinth, the humans won't be able to handle it.
Maybe even we won't be able to deal with it.
That's why Ariel and I are a bit nervous.
"If you really don't want to go, I'll handle it myself," Ariel said suddenly.
After letting out a sigh, I replied, "Don't worry. If necessary, I'll go too."
Then, a few hours passed.
After the meeting between all the commanders ended, a demon appeared. He looked human, though slightly less so than me.
"Something serious is happening inside the labyrinth. I found many bodies—many humans have died. Also, humans are being prevented from entering the labyrinth."
"When did this restriction start?"
"About two days ago. Many bodies began to be recovered, and many who entered never came out. Only stronger humans are being allowed in now."
I placed my hand on my chin and asked, "And the monsters?"
Since this demon has the Appraisal skill, he can analyze monster status just like I can.
"I found many of the anomalies you mentioned."
"How strong are they?"
"They're not strong enough to frighten someone like me, but weaker adventurers would definitely be slaughtered. Even the frogs in the Upper Stratum have unusually high strength."
He began describing everything he had seen.
Monsters that were once considered weak had become extremely powerful anomalies.
They were monsters I had killed in the past—but now they had become much stronger.
Stats above 3,000 or even 4,000.
Something unimaginable for Upper Stratum monsters.
"And the humans? How are they going to deal with this? Are they just going to stop adventurers from entering the labyrinth? Won't they send someone to investigate or something?"
I was quite curious about what they would do.
"I didn't find anything about that, but I believe it's possible. I heard something about the Hero, but I don't think he'll investigate this."
"The Hero? Investigate the labyrinth? I highly doubt it," Ariel said, who had been listening the whole time. "So, Shiro, what are you going to do? Are you going there to investigate this problem, or will you just let the labyrinth be taken over by these anomalies?"
####
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