Published: January 22, 2026
“Raaah!... Orun!”
Will swung his twin-bladed sword at the winged demonic beast (manticore) rushing toward us, throwing its stance off balance.
Immediately, I plunged the Schwarzhase into its vital point, turning it into magic stones.
As expected of a sword crafted primarily from black dragon scales by a master blacksmith.
I activated [Sharpness Up], and even in its base state, Schwarzhase is superior to the swords I had been using until now.
Moreover, it’s finely tuned for me, so unlike other swords where I have to adjust myself, this one feels like it fully brings out my true potential.
I finally understood, in the truest sense, why advanced explorers insist on custom-made gear.
Seeing really is believing.
The 92nd floor is like a giant canyon.
Unlike the 91st floor, there are fewer demonic beasts.
However, each one’s combat power is quite high.
Some even put up a good fight against floor bosses from the lower layers.
The terrain is extremely uneven, and many demonic beasts can fly.
Since they often take higher ground, I have to stay alert not only front, back, left, and right, but also above and below.
It’s been three hours since arriving on the 92nd floor.
I’m cross-referencing the terrain data I’ve gathered with the unique mapping data from the silver rabbits of the night sky, choosing a route that avoids demonic beast encounters as much as possible while reaching the boss area quickly.
Thanks to this, battles with demonic beasts have been kept to a minimum.
Our goal this time is to reach the 93rd floor.
Since the final battle with the black dragon awaits, we want to conserve stamina by minimizing fights along the way.
This is the big difference between dungeon exploration and dungeon conquest.
“Ah, Orun-kun, you have a cut on your hand. Stay still, I’ll heal it.”
Lucre pointed out, and when I looked at the back of my left hand, I saw a slight cut with blood oozing out.
“There’s no need to waste healing magic on a wound this small—”
“No way!!”
Lucre interrupted loudly, almost yelling.
“Uh, well, you know, because there might be germs! It’s better to heal it if you can, right?”
...I messed up. I think I triggered Lucre’s trauma.
I should have realized how sensitive she is to injuries among our group if I’d thought for a moment.
I might have been insensitive.
“...True, there’s still a chance it could worsen. Okay then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Y-yes! Leave it to me!”
◇
Despite fighting repeatedly, we steadily push deeper inside.
Finally, we spot the cave leading to the boss area at the very heart of the 92nd floor.
It seems no irregular events occurred this time.
As we proceed through the cave, a massive double door appears, about three meters wide and ten meters tall.
Inside that door dwells the black dragon.
The interior is like a giant hall roughly seventy meters in diameter.
Most boss areas are similar in shape, differing mostly in size.
However, unlike the boss area on the 50th layer where we fought recently, the 92nd floor’s boss area has no ceiling—it's open to the sky.
If the black dragon takes flight, it could rise to a height where our attack magic won’t reach, so destroying its wings is essential this time.
“We’ve arrived. Everyone, stay alert and double-check your gear. Rain, Orun, start your preparations.”
I quickly check my equipment and inspect my newly upgraded storage magical tool.
After confirming everything’s fine, I concentrate mana into the blade of Schwarzhase, enveloping it in jet-black mana.
Ms. Rain also closes her eyes, focusing as she constructs her technique.
“[Vanguard Up], [Rearguard Up].”
Ms. Selma buffs Will with [Vanguard Up] and applies [Rearguard Up] to the three in the back.
Like [Vanguard Up], [Rearguard Up] applies five of the six basic buffs simultaneously, excluding [Strength Up].
I activate [Status Up] with [Quadruple Stacking] on myself.
“All right, ready? Let’s go!”
At Ms. Selma’s final check, we all nod in agreement.
As she touches the door, it slowly creaks open with a loud sound.