Anime: Fight Sukuna at the beginning?.

Chapter 461 First Battle in the Dungeon
By the dim light of the fire, I could see that I was in a slightly low, dry tunnel.

The source of the suppressed emotion was unknown, but it resonated throughout the space with a strong sense of tearing.

Like millions of newborn piglets buried underground, howling and wailing for their mother's milk, the screams constantly increased the team's [stress value].

As soon as Vaughn stepped firmly onto the ground, he reflexively drew his longsword from his waist and assumed a defensive stance.

His weak fighting spirit instantly revived and enveloped his body.

"Is this the so-called safe starting point when entering the 'dungeon'?"

"But theoretically, shouldn't we be in a larger 'room'?"

"Then, through a long 'passage' filled with various items and monsters, one proceeds to another 'room'."

How did we end up in the 'passage'?

With a gun in one hand and a flint in the other, Fang Yi gave the order.

"Number 1 (Varne), on alert."

"Check the 'completion conditions' for escaping the dungeon as reported by the 'Rune Stone'."

Looking at the two women beside him, whose faces were somewhat pale.

After observing that the two people's "stress level" jumped out of thin air after entering the 'dungeon', they realized that the stress level of the two people had increased significantly.

Fang Yi slightly tilted his head, gesturing for the two women to gather around him, who was providing the light source.

"Number 2 (Kanroji) and Number 3 (Shinobu Kocho) feedback on their own [stress value] changes."

"I've come to scout the terrain."

After speaking, Fang Yi closed his eyes and tentatively used [Zero-Time Calculation - Extrasensory Perception].

It released two mental tentacles to begin surveying the terrain of the 'dungeon'.

Upon hearing the man's command, Vaughn instantly grasped the 'runestone' in his hand and began to sense it.

After the dark stone, used for 'entering' and 'leaving' the dungeon, flickered four times.

The 'escape condition' was loudly proclaimed.

"Captain, get out of this dungeon."

"We need to clear all the 'rooms' that contain monsters."

As he spoke, Vaughn raised the somewhat dim 'runestone' in his hand.

"The 'runestone' will be charged once for each room you enter and the monsters in that room are cleared."

"Once fully charged, we can leave the dungeon unharmed."

“If the ‘runestone’ is not fully charged, a forced return will put a lot of pressure on everyone.”

Miss Ganlu Temple takes out the soft knife "Rolling Finger Soft".

They then promptly and efficiently reported the information.

"The initial [pressure value] increased by 15 points directly, but the subsequent rate of increase can be ignored for the time being."

After swinging the long sword in his hand three times like a snake dance, he...

Ms. Kanroji provided additional test results.

"The sword swings were very sluggish, the speed dropped by 30%, and there was a feeling of resistance as if I were swinging a sword in water."

There is something obstructing the air.

Shinobu Kocho took a few steps toward the man, her face regaining some color.

He then took out a small, long knife wrapped with silk thread from his waist and stabbed it at the wall.

The message was also reported.

"The initial pressure value increases by 30 points, but the rate of pressure increase slows down significantly when the torch is nearby."

After answering the man's question.

Shinobu Kocho casually hooked her little finger and retrieved the long sword with ease.

Looking at the faintly greenish blade, and examining the stone wall for a while.

Additional information was provided.

"The wall has been corroded by some kind of venom."

"It is speculated to be a byproduct of some kind of insect sliding around, and we should encounter this kind of monster in the future."

Vaughn completed the task assigned by the man with remarkable tacit understanding.

The two women also reported information that they had not noticed.

I was shocked.

How could I not have thought of these important things?

[In intelligence gathering, I actually lost to two 'newcomers' who just joined the team?]

Looking ahead at a chaotic darkness.

The swordsman, not to be outdone, swung his longsword.

A bright silver thread appeared in response.

Watching the silver lines being swung out, it was as if they were drawn on white paper, constantly being erased by an eraser, gradually fading in the air.

Vaughn's face was grave.

"Captain, the sword energy's power was reduced by 20% after it left the firelight."

However, the swordsman clearly did not intend to obtain only this much information.

He closed his eyes and carefully sensed it for a while.

He turned his head and added, not to be outdone.

"The farther the flight distance, the greater the reduction in power."

"It must be the influence of the corrupt magic in the 'dungeon'!"
"But it won't have much of an impact in close-quarters combat!"

Looking at Fang Yi, who nodded slightly.

Vaughn added, with a hint of pride,
"As for what No. 2 said about the reduced sword-swing speed, I only felt a reduction of about 10%."

"This negative effect should be attributed to its own strength."

As he spoke, Vaughn glanced at the two women with a provocative look.

Gathering intelligence? Trying to compete with me?

I'm the teammate who can best help him; the two of you are just dragging him down!
-
Mitsuri Kanroji didn't continue speaking, but instead exchanged a glance with Shinobu Kocho.

Shinobu's lips twitched slightly.

Where did this idiot come from? Did he tell you?

Kanroji Mitsuri shook her head.

No, Fang Yi only said that he was an inexperienced, free teammate who didn't want any profit sharing.

The two women exchanged a glance and reached a tacit understanding.

Find an opportunity to talk to Fang Yi and get rid of him.

Unaware of the two women's subtle actions, Fang Yi, who had already scouted the terrain, opened his eyes and gave a definitive answer.

"This is troublesome. It's not the most common and interconnected area, such as the [Beast Cave].

"You can freely travel and detour, avoiding unnecessary battles in the square or rectangular terrain of the 'passage'."

"It's actually quite disgusting, going into all those long, narrow, n-shaped terrains where you have to take a lot of detours."

“My perception tells me that there are at least two ‘rooms’ on the path ahead and at least three ‘rooms’ on the path ahead.”

Having memorized the five terrain types of the 'first' dungeon, Vaughn compared them with his memories.

They gave feedback with great certainty.

"The road ahead should have more rooms, with seven 'rooms', four of which are the main branches of n."

“The three ‘rooms’ are extensions of the ‘branches’.”

"The next section is a smaller path with three rooms."

The dungeon instance for this instance is as follows:

Then she looked at Fang Yi with anticipation.

Clearly, they wanted to know how men would choose and which side of the 'room' they would explore first.

Fang Yi pondered for a moment.

However, no answer was given immediately.

Instead, a guided questioning session was conducted to test whether the "Diligent Study and Improvement" skill could generate rewards.

"You also purchased the [Reconnaissance Manual], and have mastered [Reconnaissance] and gained a certain level of perception ability."

"If you were the team leader, which area would you prioritize leading the team to explore? And how would you manage the team?"

Hearing the man's question, Vaughn was quite dismissive.

This is too difficult for me!

He carefully considered the man's question.

It also vividly incorporates the knowledge taught by professors in the academy.

They quickly delivered a satisfactory result.

"I'll go to the back first and explore the shorter branch that consists of three 'rooms'."

"Then turn back along the same route to explore the longer branches. This way, the overall journey is the shortest."

"Although there are no monsters in the first 'room', in order to escape the 'dungeon' normally, we need to meet the requirement of [clearing all monsters in the 'rooms']."

"I'm afraid we need to go through all the 'rooms,' right?"

Fang Yi did not offer any objections.

Fang Vaughn, who felt he had no problems, glanced at the two women who were considered a 'burden'.

The formation allocation is given.

"I will not change the captain's formation; we already know each other's abilities."

"Number 1 (me) possesses powerful swordsmanship and wears armor for protection."
"Naturally, we'll be the first to go."

"Number 2 wields a soft knife and has close-range attack capabilities."
"The captain is the strongest and possesses the only ranged weapon, so naturally he will be last."

Fang Yi nodded in agreement.

"Good, your basic understanding is good."

"But this time we need to clear out the longer branches first."

The swordsman's face instantly filled with confusion.

"this?"

Fang Yi gestured for Vaughn to move forward and begin clearing the way.

"After you've explored it, you'll get the answer."

"The first 'room' is an 'empty room,' but there are traps and enemies in the passageway that follows!"
"We can test the monster's strength and consider whether to conduct a 'lightless' operation without torches to obtain more rewards."

"At the same time, barring any unforeseen circumstances, you will also have the opportunity to attend a very rewarding class and grow as a person."

Fang Yi responded with a smile.

No matter how many times you reason with someone, the growth you gain is not as fast as experiencing a real loss.
-
The passageway beyond the first empty 'room' where nothing happened. The passageway ahead is about to turn.

After the man gave him a prior warning.

Vaughn strained to release his mental energy, circling around the dim magic permeating the 'dungeon', carefully sensing the presence of the passageway.

A short while later, after a light sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He finally noticed the trigger trap hidden beneath a pile of foul-smelling excrement ahead.

The swordsman instinctively turned and glanced at the man.

[I've only been learning reconnaissance for a short time, and I can barely sense it here.]

[Even after turning a corner across a 'room,' he could sense the trap!?]

But looking at Fang Yi, and recalling the many heroic deeds of men...

The swordsman then felt that this matter was rather ordinary and taken for granted.

After sensing that there were no enemies in the passage.

He then gestured behind him with several hand gestures, signaling everyone to step back.

I'm ready to showcase my abilities.

"This trap won't be triggered by pigmen stepping on it, but if an ordinary person steps on it, two old, broken blades will fall on their head."

"According to the [Reconnaissance Manual], as long as..."

As he spoke, Vaughn reached out a hand and slammed it onto the ground in front of the excrement.

After hearing a cracking sound from above, he added somewhat smugly.

"Although the manual suggests that others assist in the operation, throwing stones can help dislodge the attack."

"But in reality, according to the principle, this alone is enough to destroy it."

Before he could finish speaking, a strange drawing suddenly fell on his head.

Vaughn subconsciously looked up.

Upon glimpsing this black graffiti with several meaningless lines.

After being painted, it looked like charred human skin.

Vaughn vaguely sensed a curse emanating from it, and felt a filthy aura that was identical to the magic in the dungeon.

I subconsciously turned my head away to avoid seeing the graffiti.

At the same time, he took out the holy water that Fang Yi had pre-assigned to him from the identity badge.

Prepare to pour it out and break the curse.
-
However, just as Vaughn was about to do so, he was about to unscrew the [Holy Water] in his hand.

A mysterious voice unconsciously rose in my mind.

Although the syllables are vague and the meaning is unclear.

But Vaughn understood its meaning perfectly.

This is an attractive painting; you should look at it and appreciate it.

Vaughn read those words into his mind.

Their gazes flew like iron nails drawn by a magnet to the eerie painting on the human skin.

Until the holy water in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.

He regained his senses only when a faint divine aura began to dissipate into the air.

This allowed them to shift their gaze away from the drawing that had vanished into thin air.

At the same time, he saw a monster, about two meters long and resembling a giant caterpillar, hurtling towards him.

This monster should have had a mouth and eyes, but it didn't have eyes, or rather, it didn't even have a skull.

It has a deep, fleshy hole covered in bluish-green mucus, and sharp teeth that circle several times around the hole.

And the foul-smelling liquid secreted from the sharp teeth.

It is the [Flesh Devourer] that can secrete venom.

Vaughn, who was a beat slow to react, instinctively swung his longsword.
-
However, the moment he swung his sword, Vaughn realized something was wrong.

That bug is bait!

At this moment, he had already sensed it.

Emerging from around the corner, the iron hook in his hand detached from his limb and flew towards him with astonishing speed.

The short pig-man who was about to gouge out his own eyes.

It was two inferior prosthetic legs that served as the lower limbs.

The "Pigman Hook Hand" features an iron hook attached to its right hand and a wooden shield held in its left.

Before he could even begin to twist his body, he was desperately trying to avoid the iron hooks in this confined passage.

He began to ponder how these monsters had deceived his senses.

A hoarse roar and a series of light footsteps came from around the corner ahead.

This made his heart sink instantly, realizing a serious problem he didn't want to think about anymore.

The monsters usually come in groups of four!

If those monsters launch an attack! I...

The next moment, a huge shadow carrying the smell of rust flew towards us.

And the thick, foul-smelling phlegm that was slowly heading towards my face.

Success told him that the "what ifs" he didn't want to think about had become reality.

Clearly, among the four members of the monster squad.

There is also a [Pig-Man Vomiter] that is only half the height of a person and moves only by its hands.

And a very large animal, about the height of two people.

Wielding a butcher knife in one hand and a meteor hammer in the other, the [Pigman Butcher] is extremely difficult to deal with.

He had just managed to disarm the trap and, with all his might, gripped the longsword in his hand.

Vaughn prepares to hack and slash at the onrushing Flesh Devourer.

At that moment, I felt my mind go completely blank.

It was too late; the longsword had already been swung.

Even if I manage to dodge the iron hook at this distance, the blunt weapon, the meteor hammer, will still pierce through my armor and severely injure me.

Vaughn clearly remembered that Fang Yi, as the captain, was holding a torch in one hand.

He held a gun in one hand.

Those bullets had absolutely no chance of altering the trajectory of the meteor hammer in the slightest.

Number 2 (Kanroji Mitsuri) on the side is another 'burden' who can only use a soft knife.

Number 3 was a woman who couldn't even kill a chicken.

Do these weak monsters also cooperate as a team?

Do they also lie in ambush?

Having completed the analysis, he had never felt so close to death.

His last thought was just one sentence.

I'm going to die, die at the hands of a weak monster!

However, as the insect in front of him was cleanly cleaved in two, four gunshots rang out.

What happened next completely overturned his understanding.

After the jet-black bullets poured out of the man's pistol, they began to accelerate eerily.

However, not all of them struck the meteor hammer to slow down their movement.

Instead, it flew in two strange arcs, shooting towards the head of the [Pigman Slaughterer] and the jaw of the [Pigman Vomiter], respectively.

Behind her, number 2 (Kanroji Mitsuri) drew her soft sword with a single movement.

It then transformed into four thick, powerful tentacles, which slammed towards the meteor hammer.

It was like a superhuman performance by the goalkeeper who caught the penalty kick.

He forcefully intercepted the flying meteor hammer right in front of him.

Then he casually smashed the [Pig-Human Hook] behind it.

Vaughn's pupils contracted as he felt he had just brushed past death.

[This knife? No! It's not the knife's power! It's her strength!]

That woman has such strength!

Before he could continue thinking, a gust of wind that came from the front of him interrupted his train of thought.

After being shot through the head by Fang Yi's bullet.

Unlike the quick-dying [Pigman Vomiter].

The monster called the Pigman Slayer paused for only a moment.

Then he let out a roar and continued to swing the butcher's knife, about to take Vaughn's head.

However, just as the blood-stained butcher's knife in the other's hand was about to touch him...

This enormous monster resembled a city wall that had been weathered for a long time and suddenly collapsed.

It fell backward very abruptly.

It was only then that Vaughn, still shaken, realized that Shinobu Kocho was the weak girl he had once regarded.

The thin, long knife in his hand had already pierced through the chest of the [Pigman Slayer].

It created a dark, inky stain that spread across the monster's limbs, stained with its toxins.

That woman actually possesses a poison that can quickly kill monsters!

Only then, hearing the notification sound indicating the enemy's death, did Fang Yi, who was preparing to sort out his spoils, walk to the swordsman's side.

He patted the other person on the shoulder.

"This is the lesson I just mentioned."

"Despite some minor incidents."

"But I think you should have gained a lot!"

Watching the three men, who had dealt with the enemy without batting an eye as if it were nothing more than a small matter, as they began to sort through their spoils.

At that moment, Vaughn finally understood something.

Turns out I'm the real noob in the team!

Fang Yi had already turned his gaze to the monster's corpse.

The [Identification] skill has already demonstrated the gains he made in this battle.

This was an extremely unusual monster; he couldn't kill it with a single shot, and it seemed to possess a certain level of intelligence.

A decent piece of equipment has already been produced.

This piece of equipment is probably the reason why this monster was able to fool ordinary [scouts].

(End of this chapter)