After a few moments, Mirra calmed down.
—Alright, now I'll choose my class.
A long time ago, Mirra had chosen the swordsman class. In addition, her father was a powerful sword master, so she had practiced with the sword since childhood.
Although it wasn't the only class she had considered, she was also talented in another particular class.
That was the mage class.
Many people said this class was the best, especially at the Magic Academy. Because of that, she had had some arguments with the teachers who suggested that class to her.
That was also one of the reasons Mirra decided to enter the dungeon alone.
The teachers told her to choose to be a mage. Her father, although he didn't force her to be a swordsman, his mere presence was enough to make her feel pressured.
Now that the moment had come, she hesitated.
Nim, who was nearby, noticed the change in Mirra's mood. Just as he was about to say something, he felt something.
He turned his gaze to a lava lake a few meters away.
The lake seemed calm, but his instincts told him otherwise.
—Mirra, don't move away.
Mirra was pulled from her thoughts by Nim's words. Understanding what he meant, she approached him.
Suddenly, the lava lake began to tremble, and the figure of a monster rose.
The monster was nearly two meters tall. A large horn stood on its forehead. Its body was covered in a red, gleaming shell like molten iron. At its back, a flame burst with each movement, leaving behind a trail of smoke and heat.
—A Fire Beetle —Mirra said seriously.
She knew about the monsters that could appear on this floor. And the Fire Beetle was the strongest one.
It not only had great defense but also great offensive capability thanks to its enormous horn. Furthermore, its speed wasn't slow.
With all those traits, Mirra knew she couldn't defeat it. At least, not the previous Mirra who hadn't leveled up.
Mirra gripped her sword tightly. She wanted to see how strong she had become.
In the middle of her thoughts, another monster emerged from the lake.
(Another Fire Beetle)
Before the beetle fully emerged, she noticed another, larger figure rising from the lake.
This figure was nearly twice the size of the previous monsters. It had the same appearance as the beetles, the only difference was that its shell and flames were blue.
It was a variant of the Fire Beetle.
Seeing the new monsters, Nim clenched his fists. He could feel this battle wasn't going to be easy.
After coming out of the lake, the beetles charged at the two small humans in their sight. Their stampede made the ground shake.
Especially the enormous blue beetle — its huge body crushed rocks in its path.
—Mirra, I'll handle all three while you attack from the rear.
Nim shouted, and it was the first time he used that tone.
Without waiting for Mirra to respond, Nim charged at the beetles.
Trusting in his powerful physical strength, he faced one of the beetles head-on.
Boom
A red beetle was struck by great force, and its massive body was pushed back several meters. Cracks appeared on its horn.
Nim didn't stop after forcing the beetle back and headed for the others. He ran toward another red beetle, trying to stop it.
Just as he was about to land a blow, the blue beetle changed direction. Using its enormous horn, it rammed into Nim.
Nim took the attack seriously and struck with all his strength.
Boom!
Both Nim and the beetle were pushed back. The latter had been forced back farther than Nim.
The beetle shook its massive head from the blow and charged at Nim again.
Nim responded.
Boom Boom
After clashing two more times, the blue beetle's horn began to crack.
Nim had also stopped; his fist trembled slightly.
In these exchanges, he had come out victorious. Taking advantage of the moment, he turned around — at that spot, Mirra had begun fighting the second red beetle.
Nim didn't know how long Mirra could hold out. So he had to finish his battle as quickly as possible to go help her.
At that moment, Nim saw the first beetle he had struck coming back again. The beetle lowered its head and charged him with its horn.
Nim jumped to the side and dodged the attack. Just as he landed, the blue beetle lunged at him with another charge.
Nim moved his body quickly and managed to dodge by a narrow margin. Without stopping, he drew his sword and counterattacked.
The blue beetle screeched in pain and backed off. A new gash had appeared on its head. Although the wound was large, it wasn't deep.
Nim didn't pursue it — at this moment, it wasn't his target.
Just then, Nim felt something and jumped to the side again. The red beetle passed right through where he had been. Seeing it again, Nim smiled coldly. He needed to get rid of it first.
Nim ran quickly toward the beetle. He had to eliminate it as fast as possible.
Slash, slash, slash. In an instant, Nim had delivered several strikes. The beetle screeched as it was wounded; the slashes had pierced its shell.
Nim wanted to continue, but the blue beetle charged him again. At that moment, Nim had an idea. He approached the red beetle and jumped onto its back.
The blue beetle changed direction and lunged at its companion.
Before the two beetles collided, Nim leaped to the side.
Clash
The red beetle was sent flying. Its horn and much of its head had shattered from the impact.
Seeing that, Nim approached the red beetle. It had sustained serious injuries from the impact.
Moreover, it had landed on its back, which meant it would take time to get up.
Nim appeared in front of the red beetle. Using all his strength, he struck it.
Punch, punch, punch. The sounds of flesh colliding rang out alongside the beetle's pitiful screeches. After several hits, a blood-soaked Nim stopped.
The beetle had been destroyed; its guts were scattered around it. It was dead.
Looking at his fists, he saw they were burned. He wasn't surprised — brutally breaking through the beetle's shell had injured him.
At that moment, the blue beetle arrived. Seeing its fallen companion, it exhaled burning steam and roared with rage.
Nim smiled at the beetle's reaction — after all, it was his fault its companion was dead.
Without hesitation, he charged at the blue beetle.
...
A red beetle forcefully rammed into a small figure.
The attack barely grazed Mirra, who dodged it by a hair.
—That was close.
Mirra had already lost her usual calm attitude. Since the beetle had arrived, it hadn't stopped attacking. Mirra couldn't afford to be distracted — it could be fatal.
Her attacks weren't very effective. Although her sword was high quality, Mirra couldn't make the most of it since she wasn't a swordsman.
It looked like she'd have to use one of the sword's abilities.
Seeing the beetle coming back, she put on a determined look and raised her sword.
In that moment, her sword shone with a faint blue light, and a large blue slash was fired at the beetle.
The beetle screeched as it was pushed back several meters by the impact. Its horn and shell were shattered.
It had taken a serious hit.
If Mirra delivered one more magic slash, the beetle would be defeated.
Mirra didn't feel joy from injuring the beetle — that attack hadn't come from her own strength.
Just as she was wondering if it was a good idea to use the sword's skill again, she saw a blue glow in the distance. Focusing on the glow, she realized it was a large cloud of blue fire.
—Nim...
The place where the fire cloud came from was where Nim was fighting the blue beetle.
....
—I was careless —Nim said.
Just a moment ago, he had been fighting the blue beetle. During the battle, the beetle stopped attacking and just took his blows. Nim seized the opportunity and increased the frequency of his attacks.
Then, in the next instant, the beetle released a dense cloud of fire. Nim, who was too close, couldn't dodge in time and was engulfed by the blue flames.
Nim flailed and made quick movements to extinguish the flames.
When the fire subsided a bit, he saw the beetle charging at him. It wouldn't give him time to recover.
Without worrying about the fire on his body, he clashed with the beetle again.
Boom Boom Boom
The screams of a person and a beetle mixed with the impacts. The beetle's horn broke from the blows, and its shell also showed signs of cracking.
Nim's body was still burning from the flames on him. His charred fists struck the beetle's body hard.
In that moment, Nim thought only of killing the beetle.
The blue beetle resisted with all its strength. The flames on its body burned even more intensely.
Crack
The blue beetle's shell broke. In the next instant, Nim roared and struck with all his might.
The beetle screamed pitifully and fell, unable to rise. A bloody gash could be seen in its shell. It was a fatal wound.
At that moment, Nim appeared before it like a demon of fire.
Using his fists, he struck powerfully. The beetle, unable to dodge, took the blows.
Despite receiving several hits, the beetle's powerful vitality kept it alive. But that only prolonged its end.
Moments later, Nim stopped. The blue beetle, now unrecognizable, was dead.
Also, at that moment, he felt a warm sensation running through his body — that sensation was rapidly healing his wounds.
(Did I level up?)
Nim checked his level, and a smile appeared on his face. The blue beetle had made him level up.
The fire on his body had already gone out. Most of his wounds had healed, though his clothes had burned and he was nearly naked.
But it wasn't the time to worry about that.
Nim changed direction and ran elsewhere. He still had something to do.