In Danmachi with My System

My fingers curled tightly around the hilt as my heart throbbed with excitement. After not fighting for an entire week, my body was eager for action.

"Stay behind me," I realized Lili was about to say something, a reassuring smile curving my lips.

The ants didn't give me time for more words. The first one leapt from the wall, its thin, sharp claws out in front of it, aiming for my neck.

I swung the Ravenous Mandible in a quick arc, and its head flew off before it could reach me. Its body fell to the ground, still writhing, as the other four closed in.

I dodged the next attack, which came from my right side, and used my momentum to slash my sword into its abdomen. The cut went deeper and deeper until it split its body in two.

I glanced over to see the other three moving together. There was a cunning and dangerous gleam in their red eyes as they circled me from the sides and the front.

When I first confronted them, they were not as strong or intelligent. It seemed that the killer ants had changed forever since that day when the dungeon went crazy.

Swosh!

One of them appeared before me in the form of a reddish blur. Its front arm lunged forward at breakneck speed, and I'm sure it was trying to catch me off guard. But since our last encounter, I had gained strength. Not only had I leveled up, but I had also been practicing my moves non-stop. That, not to mention the special bonus of my Title when facing insect-like monsters.

The speed of my chain sword projected the very image of lightning striking its target.

At the same time, one of them darted straight for my legs while the other aimed for my heart. I could not dodge both at the same time. I lifted my leg so that the claw hit the sole of my foot and decided to grab the other one before it pierced my chest.

―Kriiik?

They shook their bodies violently and tried to wriggle out of my hands. They seemed to realize my intentions when they saw my sinister smile. I lowered my foot and, with a dull crunch, tore the claw that had hit the sole of my foot apart. Simultaneously, I squeezed the other claw hard, feeling the exoskeleton crack under my grip.

The ants writhed and let out a high-pitched screech that echoed through the cave.

I thrust forward, letting the chain stretch out and the blade cut through the air around me. Their glowing red eyes reflected my growing form, and by the time they tried to react, I had already decapitated one.

One last ant remained, the largest of all. In the past, their sizes did not vary much, but the same could not be said since the change. It seemed that from now on, there would be some sort of hierarchy among them.

This ant's eyes burned with hatred. But that only fueled my excitement. It lunged at me with its one tearing claw, and I faced it with a defiant grin. Just as its attack subsided, I rustled the chain in my hands and, with a twist, wrapped it around its body. A sharp jerk was enough to immobilize it. Its legs slipped uselessly to the ground before it fell with a clatter that raised a curtain of smoke.

I approached slowly as the ant screeched. Finally it stopped screeching and just looked at me, and when I saw it lift my leg over its head, I almost thought I saw something ridiculous in its gaze.

Was it fear?

I tilted my head. And when I finally let go, the crunch that followed was like a watermelon exploding under my feet.

The last ant's head spread like mush across the floor, and silence returned to the hallway.

A glowing thing jumped out of its body.

A drop!

Just seeing the pillar of light made my eyes light up.

[Gauntlet]

―Name: Killer Gauntlet

―Set: Killer Swarm

―Rank: D+

―Store Cost: 40000 Soul Essence

---

―Stats―

+30 Endurance

+20 Strength

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Passive Skill: Exoskeleton

When the user has 100 Stats Points in Endurance, the Endurance increases by 20%.

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Active Skill: Minor Toxin

The gauntlet releases a cloud of poison that reduces the target's movement speed by 25% for 5 seconds. The effect can be reduced or canceled depending on the target's strength.

―Cost: 50 MP

―Cooldown: 40 seconds

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Set Effect (2 pieces): Stun

When 2 items from the "Killer Swarm" set are equipped, attacks have a 20% chance to stun your opponent for 1 second.

---

Set Effect (4 pieces): Blocked

Set effect (5 pieces): Blocked

---

I bent down and picked up the drop as the system filled my vision with the details of the gauntlet. A red gauntlet like the exoskeleton of killer ants.

A set with passive and active skills. Not bad. Mostly very useful. There was a reason I was more interested in the drops than any experience.

Without completing the class quest, I couldn't level up. But equipment like this could fill those gaps. I could get stronger without relying on the stagnant experience system.

I could also see that the set came with other features. If I got the right amount of the set, I would unlock some of the set's skills. That alone is quite useful.

On the downside, the Killer Swarm set could only be dropped by Killer Ants. This meant that if I wanted all the pieces, I'd have to spend hours farming on this floor.

I paused to consider this before shaking my head. I entered the dungeon today determined to get to the middle floors. Perhaps I could clear my schedule another day and devote the entire day to farming Killer Swarm set.

Opening the system menu, I checked the option I was sure was there. The others could not see the drop left by the system, but they would see it once equipped. I didn't want Lili to see a gauntlet suddenly materialize around my hand.

Ah, here it is! I set the Killer Gauntlet to invisible and put it on. Immediately, I noticed a slight change. It didn't weigh anything, but I could already feel the extra strength built into my body.

―Stats―

Strength: 73 (+50) = 123 +15% = 141.45

Endurance: 63 (+30) = 93

Dexterity: 75 (+25) = 100

Agility: 80 (+10) = 90

Perception: 90 (+10) = 100 +3% = 103

I quickly checked my stats. That's when I realized that the passive skill of the Killer Gauntlet didn't work.

It did not meet the requirements.

Without thinking twice, I allocated 7 points to Endurance, using the SP I had saved for emergencies. I felt a slight tug on my body.

[Endurance: 70 (+30) = 100 + 20% = 120]

"120 Endurance. Nice".

Closing the menu, I turned to Lili.

Her eyes were wide. She blinked a few times as if to ask, "What the hell just happened?" Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, she pulled herself together and ran toward me, practically running into me as I tried to step back.

"Huh? What's going on?"

"Incredible, Eithan-sama, truly incredible, I've never seen anyone move like that before! It's as if the ants were just flies to you. Even the biggest one didn't stand a chance! Lili can't believe it. How can you do that? Oh, right, it must be because Eithan-sama is a super strong adventurer! And how did you learn to fight like that? You sure trained a lot, haven't you?"

She spat out these words with the intensity of a machine gun.

"Training? Huh..." I shrugged. "Something like that."

"Lili knew it! Eithan-sama must be a hard worker! Oh, but he must also be a genius. Lili had never seen anything like it! Beheading so many ants without even breaking a sweat! Ah, right, Eithan-sama is level 1, right?"

"Umu, that's true."

It seemed that she was a support who used to be with level 1 or maybe 2 adventurers. That's why even though I was level 1 in her eyes, my performance surprised her.

A level 1 adventurer fighting as a level 2...

"Woah, Lili admires Eithan-sama the most!"

"I'm just doing my best."

Most people in Orario looked at you with suspicion or interest, depending on whether they considered you useful or not. Lili, on the other hand, seemed genuinely impressed. I wondered if she was acting. Although from the way her eyes sparkled, she seemed sincere.

"Just doing my best! Eithan-sama is very modest, aren't you? Lili is sure that if Eithan-sama became more famous, everyone would revere you as a hero."

That made me laugh slightly. "A hero, huh? I don't think I'd go that far."

Lili folded her arms and puffed out her cheeks. "Eithan-sama should have more faith in himself! If Lili were an adventurer, she'd want to be like Eithan-sama. But of course, Lili is not strong. That's why she can only admire from here."

"It's good to be strong, but it's not everything. Strength means nothing if you don't know how to use it. In my case, I use it to go back to my family... Yes, I do..."

Lili blinked. Then she nodded with a cheerful smile.

"Lili understands. But that's what makes Eithan-sama so special, isn't it? You are not only strong, but you also have a purpose. That's something few others have!"

I wasn't sure if she was making it up or if she really thought that about me, but I decided not to argue. In her world, maybe what I said made sense.

"Whatever," I said, gesturing to the dark tunnel ahead of us. "We should get going. I don't want to stay in an anthill too long."

"Lili will follow Eithan-sama anywhere! But can Lili ask a favor?"

"A favor?"

"Please don't go too far away when you fight! Lili doesn't want anything bad to happen to Eithan-sama. It would be terrible."

I gave her a calm look.

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