Chapter 73 - Dark Sense and Giant Crab

“There’s the sound of water now. The humidity level feels like it is increasing too.” (Hikaru)

The flight of stairs went on for as long as the one in the 3rd Floor, but to think there would be a space like this underground… It is a bit hard to believe.

The stairs reached an end after a while.

*Dododododo*

A thunderous sound was echoing in the place.

The ground is damp from the spraying water, the air has water mixed into it, and my clothes were dampening just from being here.

“…What incredible scenery. It is to the point that it is a shame that only an explorer can get the privilege of seeing this.” (Hikaru)

When I went down the stairs, there was a gigantic waterfall that really looked like a dragon twisting its way up.

I am most likely around the midpoint of the waterfall.

The water seems to be coming from a pretty high place. Maybe it is a water vein?

I have confirmed the map of the 4th Floor just in case, but it is a three-dimensional floor, so I couldn’t tell clearly from the map. I see, so you wouldn’t be able to tell if you don’t walk around it yourself.

“It might even be 100 meters in height. If you were to fall into the basin, it would be deadly.” (Hikaru)

Even when speaking like this, I am unsure if my viewers can even hear me. The noise the waterfall is making is just that loud.

I can’t see the basin of the waterfall, but if you don’t have a safety measure, a way to avoid slipping, or a rope around you, you could end up just slipping and falling right down. It is a dangerous place that wouldn’t be strange for something like that to happen.

“I kind of understand why the 4th Floor is dangerous and isn’t recommended for exploration. It is possible to not notice the presence of monsters with the loud noise.” (Hikaru)

And in reality, in a silent space, sounds like footsteps and breathing can provide a lot of information.

If that’s being erased by the noise of the waterfall, I should consider the possibilities of getting hit by surprise have increased drastically.

“Now then, I will begin the exploration… Ah, before that, I will try out my new ability.” (Hikaru)

My View of Darkness has reached Tier 3 and has become a new Ability.

“My Dark Vision that allowed me to see in the darkness has changed into Dark Sense. Let’s try it out.” (Hikaru)

My current Proficiency is like this:

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[Dark Spirit Ability]

Tier 2 Ability

・Falsehood of Darkness [Shade Shift] Proficiency 4

・Casket of Darkness [Shadow Bind] Proficiency 74

・Call of Darkness [Summon: Night Bug] Proficiency 69

Tier 3 Ability

・View of Darkness [Dark Sense] Proficiency 0

・Transformation of Darkness [Phantom Warrior] Proficiency 6

・Deposition of Darkness [Shadow Storage] Proficiency 5

Tier 4 Ability

・Revelation of Darkness [Darkness Fog] Proficiency 88

Special Technique

・Return of Darkness [Create: Undead] Proficiency 1

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The Tier 1 is finally gone. You could say they are being raised well.

I personally am looking forward to the next stage of Night Bug. It is my only attack ability after all.

So I say, but judging from the amount of times I have used it, Night Bug falls into the category of the ones that are hard to raise. At this rate, Bind will be getting to Tier 3 first.

“Now then, here I go. [Dark Sense]!” (Hikaru)

The moment I activated the Ability, a wave of perception felt as if it spread around me like a radar, scanning the darkness.

The 4th Floor is a lot darker than the 3rd Floor. I would say that it is in the middle of the 1st Floor and the 2nd Floor in terms of darkness.

It is a strange sensation.

My ‘vision’ spread around the darkness I can see around, and I managed to learn about the terrain and even the monsters that are hiding in them.

If Dark Vision is an ability that allows me to see in the darkness, then Dark Sense is an ability that lets you find the ones in the darkness. The two are similar, but pretty different.

Being able to find enemies actively is big.

Moreover, the AOE is big, and it is possible to control for around a radius of 100 meters.

It spreads spherically with me as the center, so being able to search three-dimensionally is big too. With this, I can even find the ones hiding in the water.

I explain this out loud as I walk towards the monster that I found with Dark Sense.

It is a cave that you could say is filled with wet bare rocks. There are many places where monsters can easily hide in, like in uneven walls and ceilings.

And even when I knew where they were, they were in a shape that is hard to find.

“There it is; a Slime. There’s one sticking in the wall.” (Hikaru)

It is 20 meters away from here.

I don’t know if it has noticed me, but that figure of being half assimilated into the rock could make you miss it.

“[Summon: Night Bug].” (Hikaru)

Night Bug is an attack ability that has long range.

They are bugs, so you could say that’s natural.

The summoned dark insects made buzzing sounds and rushed to the Slime all at once.

The attack means of a Slime is to wrap their bodies around their target and dissolve them, or suffocate them, but against opponents like the dark insects that there’s no knowing if they even have any solid form, it is not that effective.

The insects munch onto the Spirit Vein center, and the Slime changes into a Spirit Stone in a few seconds.

It would be a troublesome opponent if you don’t find it, but as long as you notice it first, there doesn’t seem to be any problems.

“I safely defeated it. It really is important to get the first strike. Looks like Dark Sense will be doing work in the 4th Floor. It has an effective range of around 100 meters after all.” (Hikaru)

Even if the 2nd Floor is as dark as this place and the vision is bad, it is a floor that is filled with artificial-looking constructs in the whole area, and the ground, walls, and ceiling are made of stone. That’s why, on places like corridors, you would only need to be careful about your front and back, and there would be no problems, but that won’t go the same in the 4th Floor.

I can understand why Rifreya doesn’t like the 4th Floor.

“Now then, I would like to explore a bit. I have confirmed the map of the 4th Floor just in case, but it is a three-dimensional floor, so it doesn’t help much. I will just learn my way around.” (Hikaru)

I give my clumsy commentaries that I don’t know if they have any point at all, move away from the stairs a bit, confirm the terrain, and return. I repeat this process a number of times.

With just written information, I can’t really tell well just how the monsters come out, what kind of senses they rely on, or how fast they attack.

In the end, I have no choice but to learn in actual practice.

Last time, I had prior info that ‘the 3rd Floor isn’t that difficult’, so I could be slightly reckless, but if I were to pull that on the 4th Floor, I really would die. It wouldn’t be that amusing for the viewers, but this is as much as I can compromise with.

“[Dark Sense].” (Hikaru)

After walking for a while, Dark Sense detects a monster that is outside of vision.

I am using Darkness Fog as well, so I don’t think the chances of being attacked suddenly are high, but I shouldn’t lower my guard. I don’t have a scout, and this is my first time on this floor, so I won’t waste my abilities.

“There’s 2 Giant Crabs deeper in. They are bigger than I thought.” (Hikaru)

Dark Sense is convenient since I can tell by feeling the shape of the monsters it detects even without seeing them.

Giant Crabs are literally as the name states, and on top of having pincers that can split a human in half, it is covered in a hard shell. This looks like a monster that is a bad match for me.

Most of all, it is big. It is the size of a van…is going a bit too far, but it does feel like it is something close to that.

If it is Rifreya with her gigantic weapon, it might be possible to fight it, but fighting it with a normal weapon might require some real work.

By the way, I have investigated where the Spirit Vein center of this monster is at the guild, and it is in between its eyes.

“Honestly speaking, fighting two Giant Crabs with my combat capability is a bit difficult, but…I can’t withdraw here. I will do it.” (Hikaru)

I unsheathe my shortsword from my waist, and arrange my plan inside my head on how to fight it.

Fighting in a style that relies on Dark Spirit Abilities can corner me into a fatal situation with one irregularity. More so when I am alone. No one will be saving me here.

Even so…no, that’s why I am doing it.

In order to attract even more viewers, I have to create situations where the people watching can expect ‘this guy is going to die’.

I have already decided on this path.