Kitahara was confident he could handle Level 2 monsters.
However, it wouldn't be a walk in the park.
The physical gap between them was simply too wide to ignore.
For his current self, these creatures were the perfect whetstones to sharpen his skills.
Kitahara didn't waste a second once he stepped onto the fifteenth floor.
He moved through the wide, luminous corridors, silently waiting for the Dungeon to offer its greeting.
The wait was short.
Within two minutes, the stone walls began to fracture and groan.
Four Minotaurs stepped out from the crumbling masonry, their massive frames casting long shadows.
Kitahara's lips curled into a sharp, predatory grin.
'Finally, the real show begins!'
He didn't wait for them to roar or posture.
Without a shred of hesitation, he lunged forward to meet them head-on.
The Minotaurs reacted instantly, their heavy hooves thundering against the floor as they charged.
The ground trembled under the weight of their rhythmic, violent thuds.
The vibration traveled up Kitahara's legs, but it didn't slow him down.
The distance closed in a heartbeat.
Minotaurs sometimes spawned with crude stone axes, but this group was empty-handed.
They swung their massive, obsidian-colored fists with enough force to shatter boulders.
To a normal person, those fists were as hard as iron.
The hide of a Minotaur was notoriously thick, especially around their knuckles.
Without a high-quality weapon, an adventurer would likely see their blade bounce off harmlessly.
For Kitahara, however, this wasn't an issue.
No matter how tough the hide, every creature had its flaws.
With the [๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ], those flaws were laid bare before his eyes.
He could find the structural weaknesses in an instant, allowing even a basic weapon to bite deep.
His current [๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ] was a high-end starter weapon, making the task even easier.
As they clashed, the world seemed to slow down.
Kitahara saw the weak points glowing like beacons on their massive bodies.
There were dozens of them... hundreds.
In his eyes, the four Minotaurs were nothing more than a collection of vulnerabilities.
He delivered a single, fluid slash.
The blade caught the lead Minotaur's arm, carving through flesh and bone from the knuckles all the way to the shoulder.
The limb fell away, severed completely.
Blood sprayed in a violent arc, painting the corridor red.
The beast let out a harrowing, guttural scream that echoed through the passage as it stumbled back.
The first one was neutralized, but the other three were already upon him.
Their attacks converged from the front and sides simultaneously.
Kitahara moved with a grace that bordered on the supernatural.
He ducked and weaved through the storm of fists, looking entirely unbothered.
While dodging, he mirrored his previous strike, taking the arm of a second Minotaur.
Just as the limb hit the floor, the remaining two monsters adjusted their trajectory.
Despite their bulk, Level 2 monsters were surprisingly fast.
Their reaction speed was nearly on par with Kitahara's own.
He managed to slip past one blow, but the second fist was already inches from his chest.
He didn't have time to dodge again.
Kitahara threw up his arm to block, bracing for the impact.
The force was staggering.
He was sent flying backward, his boots scraping against the stone floor for several meters before he could find his footing.
*Crack.*
The leather bracer on his forearm shattered into useless scraps.
It was basic gear designed for the Upper Floors.
Against the raw power of a Middle Floor monster, it stood no chance of remaining intact.
"Whew... that's some power," Kitahara muttered, shaking out his arm.
He could feel a dull, throbbing ache deep in his muscles.
Even with a constitution four times stronger than an average human, a direct hit from a Level 2 was hard to swallow.
These monsters were not to be underestimated.
But this was exactly what he wanted.
To improve his [๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐] through the [๐๐ฎ๐น๐ป๐ฎ], he needed to push every attribute.
[๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐๐ต], [๐๐ด๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐], [๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐], and [๐ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ] were straightforward.
[๐๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ], however, was different.
Beyond long-distance running and physical labor, the best way to raise it was to take hits in the heat of battle.
It had to be a real fight... a struggle for survival.
If he just let another adventurer punch him, the [๐๐ฎ๐น๐ป๐ฎ] wouldn't record it as meaningful growth.
He flexed his fingers, watching the four Minotaurs regroup for another charge.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips.
He kicked off the ground, turning into a blur of motion.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The real battle finally erupted.
Kitahara used them as whetstones, testing his limits against their brute force.
However, he couldn't play with them forever.
He needed to increase his [๐๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น].
If he just toyed with these four all day, where would his [๐๐ ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ] come from?
He stopped holding back after a minute of intense sparring.
He moved like a whirlwind, dismantling the beasts with surgical precision.
For the final one, he decided to test his casting.
A burst of [๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ถ๐ฐ] erupted from his palm, catching the Minotaur square in the face.
The monster's head vanished in a bloom of flame and gore.
Once the dust settled, Kitahara checked his progress.
Before entering the fifteenth floor, his [๐๐ ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ] had reached ten percent through his climb.
After killing just these four, it had jumped to thirteen percent.
He stared at the mental notification, genuinely stunned.
Kitahara had slaughtered a mountain of monsters on his way down here.
The blood he spilled and the effort he spent had barely moved the needle, crawling to a pathetic ten percent.
Yet, four Minotaurs just pushed his [๐๐ ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ] up by another three percent.
'Coming to the Middle Floors was the right call.'
Kitahara stared at the rising numbers, feeling the heat of the battle still pulsing through his veins.
'Let's see if I can push my [๐๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น] to rank 3 before I head back to the surface!'