Breaking past the Lv. 1 stage was Bell's current goal. Achieving it would take time—not just to build experience and technique, but to raise his basic stats across the board.
He wasn't worried about his growth rate. Even before receiving a Falna, his physical abilities had been improving at a remarkable pace. His stamina and agility had grown far faster than average. Otherwise, there's no way he could have made it to Orario on foot in under a month.
Now that he had a Falna, that growth would only accelerate. Bell believed it wouldn't be long before he broke through this limitation. Still, he didn't want to attract the attention of anyone with ill intent during that process—it could lead to trouble.
That said, he knew he didn't have anything worth targeting yet. The only real risk was being seen using his four-dimensional space. If that got out, rumors would spread like wildfire through Orario—and certain people would come looking for him.
Of course, hiding his abilities was important, but more important than secrecy was not acting suspiciously. Caution, not paranoia, was key. Bell's life experience had taught him that suspicious behavior drew just as much attention. So, instead of sneaking around, he simply kept his hood up and descended into the Dungeon.
He listened carefully to the sounds around him—soft footsteps echoed nearby. Bell quickened his pace, heading deeper into the first floor as the surrounding sounds became clearer.
Eventually, he reached a spot well away from the entrance and came to a stop. The footsteps had grown fainter, but multiple sounds still reached his ears. Beneath his coat, his hand was already gripping the short sword he'd brought from home.
The sounds crept closer. The moment something approached from behind, Bell spun around without hesitation. His eyes narrowed as a small green goblin came into view.
He saw it lunge with a crude weapon, but Bell dodged easily with a pivot. As they passed each other, he slashed his blade across the goblin's neck.
"Shhk!"
A jet of blood sprayed from the goblin's throat. Apparently, their vital spots were the same as a human's.
The creature quickly disintegrated into black ash and faded into the Dungeon walls.
'I see. Monsters in the Dungeon die when hit with a fatal blow. After death, they turn into black ash and reintegrate into the Dungeon, becoming raw material for the next monster. A continuous recycling process—it must be one of the Dungeon's unique mechanisms.'
Bell then noticed a dagger and a small purple magic stone on the ground—the goblin's drops. He understood the magic stone, but the dagger surprised him.
Normally, a monster's weapon was part of its body, created together with it by the Dungeon. Unless the weapon dropped properly, it would disappear with the monster upon death, dissolving into ash.
'Looks like I got lucky.'
Bell stepped over the loot, and the moment it was concealed beneath his coat, he quietly stored it in his four-dimensional space. Then he took the dagger back out and held it in his hand.
He tapped it against the short sword he'd brought from home—immediately, a nick appeared in the blade of his own weapon, while the goblin dagger remained completely intact.
'No doubt about it. The difference in equipment is obvious. For a first-floor goblin to wield such a sharp blade... But can goblins really drop weapons this easily?'
A hint of doubt crept into his mind, but he quickly pushed it aside. Whether it was common or not didn't matter. If it dropped, that meant he could retire the old blade. He'd test it further—just see how often goblins dropped their weapons.
Right now, he needed time to steady himself.
The thrill of killing a monster for the first time had momentarily drowned out his fear of the unknown. Bell wasn't good with fear—especially not after growing up watching horror movies. But this was something he'd have to get used to. Unfortunately, there wasn't much time to adapt.
More footsteps echoed through the corridor, drawing closer.
They were controlled, quiet—likely more goblins.
Bell focused on stabilizing his breathing, pushing his body to adjust to the tension. Slowly, the trembling in his hands faded as he gripped the goblin's dagger more firmly. His breathing leveled out, settling into a calm, steady rhythm.
In survival, especially in the wild, the first priority is always stamina—and the same principle holds true in the Dungeon. Managing physical and mental energy is crucial. If you misjudge your limits, it's all too easy to get surrounded by monsters.
Before long, four—no, five—goblins had taken cover in the nearby shadows, hiding in places nearly invisible to the human eye. Luckily, Bell was already used to the dark. His eyes had long since adjusted, allowing him to clearly see the figures lurking within it.
Their skin was a deep, inky green. Their bodies were thin and wiry, ears slightly pointed, and their faces twisted with savage, feral expressions. Each held a slightly curved short sword in a reverse grip. The blades gleamed with a cold, deadly light, exuding an ever-present sense of danger.
'Four... no, five.'
Bell remained calm. It might have been his first time facing monsters, but his body had adapted quickly to the combat environment. He didn't know why, but both his instincts and reflexes were adjusting at an incredible pace.
His mind was sharply focused, more so than he'd ever felt before. The five goblins were spread out enough to avoid clustering. In a one-on-one scenario, they were nothing to worry about—but in a loose encirclement like this, the risks multiplied.
'I'll need to make full use of the four-dimensional space. Using the supplies I've stored there will definitely give me an edge in combat.'
'I'm far enough from the first-floor entrance now that even rookies wouldn't wander into a spot like this. That means I can act freely without drawing any unwanted attention.'
Bell had made up his mind. This fight wouldn't just be about refining his technique—it would be his first field test of how to use four-dimensional space in real combat.