Ren Isana had lost the energy to even complain about these girls. He spoke with utter disgust, "Hurry up and attack. What's there to be afraid of? Are you all really that squeamish?"
This remark instantly earned him glares from Asuna and the other two. *You're the squeamish one! You just don't understand how girls feel when they see these giant rats, okay?*
"You deal with them! We'll go chop up those rabbits and dogs!" Asuna declared, charging out without waiting for Ren's approval.
She absolutely refused to fight the rats today, and no one could change her mind. Just looking at them made her skin crawl. Who would want to fight those things?
Megumi Kato and Yukino didn't say a word. They simply followed Asuna in silence, leaving the fat rats entirely to Ren.
Ren was speechless at their antics. However, as he looked at the rats, he had to admit... *They really are ugly.* With that thought, his magic staff materialized in his hand.
"Sorry, but I don't like you either. So, die under the roar of artillery!" As Ren's voice fell, [Magic Gatling] activated!
Magic bullets poured from his staff like they cost nothing, accurately blasting into the swarming rats.
Because of the terrifying piercing power of his magic, many of Ren's attacks instantly obliterated the rats on the spot before slamming into the cave walls.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Explosions echoed through the area. The ceiling began to shake, and dust cascaded down, giving the ominous impression that the cave was about to collapse.
Ren was startled by the sight. He quickly remembered that the Dungeon could indeed collapse—wasn't that exactly how Bell Cranel and his party fell to a lower floor?
Realizing this, Ren silently altered his spell, switching to standard magic bullets. He just needed to eliminate the rats from a distance.
Although the rats' fat bodies looked like they had astonishing defense, they were actually quite fragile. Ren could easily kill them with basic magic bullets.
Or perhaps it was simply because Ren's Magic Power was too strong. After all, his Magic Power and True Qi had perfectly fused, making his spells significantly more powerful than anyone else's.
For the next half hour, it was as if they had poked a monster nest. Wave after wave spawned relentlessly, leaving them with barely five minutes of rest between fights.
As the latest wave was finally cleared, Ren exhaled a breath of stale air. Looking at the Magic Stones littering the ground, he couldn't help but complain, "This is getting a bit ridiculous. Earlier I was annoyed that there weren't enough monsters, but now they're way too dense."
Did the Dungeon just send every monster they missed on the upper floors straight to them all at once? Did it have to be this absurd?
Hearing Ren's complaints, Asuna pulled out a Red Potion and chugged it down. "Let's recover first. They'll probably respawn again soon."
She hadn't resupplied once since they started. Now, with a Red Potion in her system, she felt her condition rapidly recovering. The sweet, strawberry flavor of the potion also helped lift her spirits considerably.
Yukino and Megumi silently took out their own Red Potions and began to drink. Ren, however, didn't bother. This level of exertion was nothing to him.
He had been keeping his perception spread across the area. After confirming that monsters wouldn't spawn immediately, he said, "Take a breather and gather the Magic Stones and materials. They won't respawn for a bit."
Without waiting for a response, Ren activated the mark on his hand and spoke into the global channel. "What's your status? Is anyone injured?"
Ren's voice instantly transmitted to the ears of all the classmates operating on the 16th floor. Hearing him, the students who weren't in combat quickly replied.
"Just finished a battle. No injuries in Sora's squad!" Sora was the first to respond, followed closely by the others.
"No injuries in Leo's squad!"
"None in Kai's squad either."
"Yukari's squad of five is unhurt."
Voice after voice chimed in, all from the squad leaders.
The rest of the classmates tacitly stayed quiet. Once all the squads had reported in, Ren slowly said, "Understood. Everyone, be careful. If you come across an area that looks like a room, proceed with caution. The monster spawn rate inside is incredibly fast."
After confirming no one was hurt, Ren gave them a warning. He and his squad were currently in one of these "rooms."
The terrain was flat with only one forward path, which was exactly why the monsters spawned so rapidly.
As Ren spoke, Asuna and the others finally noticed their surroundings. They really did seem to be inside a large room. Realization dawned on them.
The other classmates quickly acknowledged the warning, etching Ren's advice into their minds. If they did encounter one, they probably wouldn't back down anyway. Everyone had fought the monsters on this floor and knew what to expect; with their current strength, they could handle it.
Ending the call, Ren gestured for the girls to start looting. In just over half an hour, they had farmed a massive amount of Magic Stones.
There were also plenty of monster drops. Looking at the materials, Ren said, "These materials are enough to reforge your weapons. Once we get back, I'll upgrade your gear."
The girls' eyes lit up. Naturally, they had no objections. Asuna immediately offered, "The materials dropped from our combined efforts. Calculate how much your share is worth later, and I'll pay you for it!"
She brought this up first to prevent any awkwardness. They couldn't just ask Ren to upgrade their weapons and offer nothing in return, right?
"No need. Like we agreed before, whoever needs the materials uses them, and we sell the rest. Isn't that how I got my staff?" Ren politely declined Asuna's offer.
He didn't see the need to be so calculative. Sticking to their previous distribution method was fine—to each according to their needs.
Hearing this, the three girls exchanged glances, thought about it, and agreed. They would do it his way. However, if it came to the other classmates, they would definitely have to pay.
They couldn't let everyone just freeload off Ren. Asuna made a mental note to handle that matter herself when the time came.
The group began sweeping the battlefield, gathering all the Magic Stones and stuffing them into Asuna's Spatial Backpack.
While Ren's Spatial Ring could also hold them, it was better to use Asuna's backpack for now. That way, they could just hand it over at the Guild to exchange for Valis later.
After packing up, they rested on the spot. According to Ren's estimation, monsters wouldn't spawn here for a while, so it was safe to relax.
Ren kept his perception active, giving him a god's-eye view of everything within a kilometer radius. As his strength grew, the range of his perception continued to expand.
He guessed that if he kept progressing like this, by the time he reached Tier 5, his perception range might increase tenfold.
*That would be a bit ridiculous,* Ren mused as he slowly recovered his energy. He didn't need to drink any potions; a short rest was enough to return him to peak condition.
At the same time, a question popped into his mind: *Can I copy monster talents?* If he could, there were plenty of highly valuable monsters in the Dungeon.
For example, the regeneration ability of the 37th Floor Boss. If he could copy that... And what about the special abilities in this world, like resurrection magic?
Ren seriously considered the various "local specialties" of this world and how to acquire them. If he came to this universe and didn't bring back some good loot, wouldn't the trip be a waste?
Just as he was deep in thought, monsters began to respawn. Ren had to put his theories on hold and deal with the incoming threat.
He decided not to think too far ahead. After all, the timeline they arrived in didn't seem to align with the start of the main plot. Some things hadn't even appeared yet.
For instance, Bell Cranel hadn't even arrived in Orario yet. So, there was no need to plan that far into the future. For now, he would focus on testing whether monster talents could be copied!
Ren glanced at the newly spawned monsters and sprang into action. His eyes locked onto the creatures known as Hellhounds. Activating [Jianjigu], he attempted to learn their innate talent.
The moment [Jianjigu] took effect, Ren frowned slightly. *This is a bit unexpected. It's not a talent? It's a magical attribute?*
Just like when he used elemental magic, the "talent" he copied this time manifested as an attribute, directly mutating his fire magic.
However, this confirmed that he *could* copy monster traits, and his ability would automatically adapt them to suit him best.
Otherwise, he might end up causing some bizarre side effects like Director Ken. Thrilled by this discovery, Ren resolved that he absolutely had to visit the 37th Floor Boss eventually.
For the rest of the time, Ren used his ability to copy the traits of various monsters, fully confirming that it worked on all of them. However, some monster talents were utterly useless, even inferior to the ones he had copied from his classmates.
Eventually, he gave up on copying and focused entirely on clearing the mobs. They fought continuously until their phone alarms rang, signaling it was time to stop.
Ren put away his weapon and turned to the three panting girls. "You guys rest up. I'll pack up the loot, and then we'll head out."
The girls were completely exhausted. The combat frequency had been way too high, leaving them with barely any time to breathe. Every time they finished a fight, they only had enough time to take a sip of a potion before the next wave spawned.
If it weren't for the Red and Blue Potions, they would have collapsed long ago.
Hearing Ren's words, the three of them unceremoniously plopped onto the ground and quickly chugged their potions to replenish their stamina. Meanwhile, Ren went around collecting the scattered materials.
He gathered everything and stuffed it into Asuna's Spatial Backpack. The materials they had collected today were enough to forge quite a few weapons.
At this rate, even Asuna's Spatial Backpack was going to be full. It had to be said, there was a very good reason why adventurers in the Dungeon brought Supporters.
Sometimes, adventurers even had to throw away Magic Stones simply because they couldn't carry them all. The drop rate was just too high.
After packing up, Ren called for Asuna and the others to leave before the monsters could respawn again. The three girls quickly scrambled to their feet and followed him.
Dragging their exhausted bodies, they followed Ren toward the rendezvous point. Asuna looked at Ren, who seemed completely unfazed, and couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Don't you feel tired at all?"
Ren's stamina was simply absurd. They had fought the entire time and drank five or six potions each, but what about him? If she remembered correctly, he hadn't touched a single Red Potion.
He had even collected all the loot himself. Wasn't that just ridiculous? Was the gap between people really this massive?
"Not really. I recover pretty fast, and I'm stronger than you guys, aren't I?" Ren turned to look at the three exhausted girls and smiled.
"Tch, what a freak. Is Tier 4 really that ridiculous?" Yukino couldn't understand it. It was only a one-tier difference, but was the gap between them and Ren truly that vast?
"Maybe I'm just special. After all, my True Qi is just as abundant as my Magic Power," Ren explained with a smile. Of course it was—the two had completely fused.
This remark instantly made the girls envious. Asuna sighed and couldn't help but say, "I wonder when we'll be able to break through to Tier 4? Right now, we don't have a single clue on how to do it."
They weren't like Ren, who had broken through in such a short amount of time. They still hadn't even felt the threshold of Tier 4.
Asuna even began to suspect that by the time they reached Tier 4, Ren would already be breaking through to Tier 5.
"It should be soon. When we get back, we'll find Hestia and have her update your Status. Our system panels are different from the people of this world. Let's see what changes happen when we update them." Given their monster-farming efficiency today, updating their Status would likely result in earth-shattering changes.
Hearing this, the girls nodded, hoping it would actually make them stronger. If nothing changed, it would be incredibly depressing.
If that happened, they would have to rely entirely on themselves. Although they were exhausted today, everyone could feel that their combat skills had improved significantly, and their True Qi had become much more refined. These were tangible improvements.
The three girls followed Ren toward the rendezvous point. Along the way, they occasionally encountered newly spawned monsters, but Ren effortlessly dispatched them from the front.
When Ren's squad arrived at the rendezvous point, many people were already there. Exhaustion was written all over their faces, and Ren even noticed scratch marks on some of their armor.
However, there were no obvious wounds; it seemed they had only taken superficial hits. Ren didn't say much. Seeing Ren arrive, the others quickly greeted him.
"Is everyone alright? Anyone injured? Do you need healing?" Ren asked the crowd, mainly worried that some might be too embarrassed to admit they were hurt.
Hearing this, everyone quickly shook their heads. No one on their side was injured. Confirming there were no issues, Ren stepped aside and waited quietly.
Before long, the rest of the classmates began to trickle in. The first groups to return were unhurt, but among the latecomers, someone had their arm wrapped in bandages stained with blood.
"Class Rep, help! Kumo is injured!" Seeing Ren already there, Sora's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly called out. Someone in her squad had accidentally been bitten by a dog!
Seeing Ren, she let out a massive sigh of relief. Ren knew [Healing Magic] and could heal her wounds quickly. Just seeing him filled her with an overwhelming sense of security!