Danmachi: Magus Rex

It had been two days since the monster ferria event where Magnus battled the silverback. He had taken a slow approach on the second day due to the absence of his buckler, but yesterday he had gotten his new buckler that was of a greater quality than the one he previously had, no doubt courtesy of Dian Cechts bargaining skills, the man may look like a normal old man, but he had the soul of a viscous business god underneath. Regardless the new buckler was amazing in quality and could easily block or deflect most attacks. Despite not being able to shrink it back to a more mobile form like with his previous one, Magnus was still happy with his new piece of equipment.

Yesterday he had dived once more to the 10th floor after getting proper clearance from Misha who had witnessed him easily take on the mutated silverback. Due to that he was cleared to dive all the way to the 12th floor. Misha may have been strict but she wasn't one to hold back her charge when he clearly proved his prowess.

Hence his goal for today was to reach the 12th floor and hopefully finish his goal and successfully gain Misha as his advisor, although he guessed that by now she would become his advisor whether he succeeded or not.

* * * * *

Standing infront of the Dungeon entrance, he was once more greeted by the guild employee Albert

"Good Morning Albert-san, did you come to the Monster Ferria yesterday?"

"I got a day off and went to visit with my wife and children, I have to say, you showed a spectacular performance, you made my son and daughter instant fans of yours. Also congratulations on joining the Dian Cecht familia, although I thought you'd join an explorer one"

"Thanks for the compliment but I haven't joined the familia, I went up their as their representative"

"I see, facing a silverback was a remarkable feat nonetheless. I guess you'll be diving down to the dungeon once more today?"

"Of course, I plan on reaching the 12th floor hopefully and complete my goal for the week"

"I see, well I wish you best of luck young Magnus"

Waving goodbye, Magnus moved on into the dungeon for a fresh day of exploring

* * * * *

Standing in front of the mist covered 10th floor, Magnus took an eager first step into the mist. Prepared for the low visibility this time, he focused instead on his hearing to track any nearby enemies.

Making his way through the 10th floor, Magnus met little to no monsters with the occasional imp being the max. He also encountered an enemy he had yet to meet in his previous two endeavors, the bad bats, monsters that used sound waves and sharp claws to fight adventurers. They weren't easy to detect and their sound attacks were a constant bother to sensing the surroundings, but waiting for them to dive in for an attack, Magnus waited for the last moment before taking them out in on strike.

So far he had yet to meet another monster that could rise from the dead like that mutant silverback, so he put that thought at the back of his mind as he continued further down the dungeon.

The next monster he met was on the 11th floor, the hard armored, an armadillo type monster that had a hard shell, possessing one of the greatest defenses in the upper floor.

That was a tough fight but aiming for the chinks in the armor, he was able to slowly wear the monster down and deal the fatal strike.

* * * * *

Magnus had finally encountered an old acquaintance in the form of another silverback. Deciding to take on the challenge, he decided to take it on without enchantments.

The fight was more or less the same as the previous one but due to being more familiar with the beast, he was able to dodge most of its telegraphed attacks and use counters as a way to score an easy win.

'I've grown better at handling monsters now I guess. It a bit different that dealing with humans like I did previously so I guess it takes time to get used to it.' Shrugging at his quick victory, Magnus cautiously approached the fallen ape just in case it decided to start moving again.

Seeing it turn to dust and leave behind its crystal, Magnus let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding and moved on.

He also encountered an Infant dragon, but he could easily tell that it was beyond his capabilities even with enchantments at the moments so he snuck away and avoided the battle.

* * * * *

Looking at the dense mist that exceeded even the one on the previous two floors, Magnus knew he was going to have his work cut out for him.

Advancing slowly, he walked onto the 12th floor, cautious for any signs of the enemy.

As he was walking down the path, he heard slight growling sounds nearby. Cautiously approaching the sounds, he reached a small clearing where a dog type monster was breathing flames and roasting a orc that had tried to charge it.

'Hellhound, what's this guy doing here, they're only supposed to appear on the 13th floor and below. Hellhounds are estimated to be in-between Level 1 and Level 2 in strength, if I use my enchantments, can I maybe take it down?' Considering his options, Magnus decided that it was worth the risk to attempt this fight.

"Tribuo Sword Acri, Tribuo Buckler Ferreus, Tribuo Self Celer" calling upon his favorite combination of enchants, he got into position to rush the hound but before he could make a move, it seemed like the dog had sensed his use of magic and instantly turned in his direction, letting loose a burst of flame.

Rolling to the side to dodge the incoming attacks, Magnus got into position to charge and rushed towards the beast.

Surprised at its prey running towards it, the hellhound took a moment to react by which time Magnus was already at its side. Slashing at its flank with his sword, he managed to leave behind a huge gash before the hound could do much to dodge.

Angered the hound bite at him, as he leapt back to dodge the bite, it let loose a burst of flame towards him.

Seeing the danger, Magnus knew he was in no position to move again, so he did the one thing that came to his mind, he threw his buckler straight at the gaping maw of the hellhound. It was a testament of the excellent forging behind the buckler as it cut through the flames and got stuck in the hellhounds jaw.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Magnus charged as the hound was trying to deal with the shield in its mouth. Getting into positions beside the hound, he got his blade ready and with all his power behind his strike, he chopped down and cut off his head.

Taking his buckler from the disintegrating corpse and reattaching it back to his arm, Magnus let out a sigh of relief

'That was seriously dangerous, I really shouldn't underestimate this place' giving himself a slight shake of the head, he picked up the loot that consisted of a single magic crystal, he started his journey of the day back to the surface.

* * * * *

At the guild Magnus had to deal with the scolding he received from Misha while trying to explain that he did not infact go to the 13th floor but the monster came to the 12th floor.

Intrigued by this piece of news, Misha temporarily forgot to scold her impulsive charge as she noted down this information to be spread to the other adventurers just in case they meet the same fate of a higher floor monster on lower grounds.

Glad to see her distracted, Magnus quickly took his money and ran out of the guild while leaving behind a cheery greeting and wave while Misha just let out a sigh and went back to work while shaking her head.