Three new monsters appeared before Nim and Mirra. Observing their appearance, they noticed they were three giant red caterpillars.
"Fire caterpillars," said Mirra with a bit of disgust.
Without waiting for the caterpillars to approach, Nim charged at them.
He quickly reached one and slashed with his sword.
Swoosh
The caterpillar was decapitated and fell. Even without its head, it kept writhing. After Nim eliminated that caterpillar, he noticed something different.
(These caterpillars are tough)
Although it looked like he had easily killed the caterpillar, the truth was his sword barely made it through its shell.
The sword would probably break on the next attack.
In the middle of his thoughts, the remaining caterpillars attacked. One tried to crush him with its weight; Nim stepped aside and dodged the attack.
The caterpillar didn't give up and started chasing him.
The next instant, Mirra joined the battle and attacked the other caterpillar. Her sword was perfect for these monsters; the slashes she made were able to pierce their shells.
Seeing that, Nim unsheathed the sword Mirra had given him.
He dodged another attack from the caterpillar and slashed at it.
The caterpillar was cut in half.
(Good sword)
The caterpillar writhed while its other half did the same. After bleeding out, it went still and died.
With that, only one remained. Nim turned and saw Mirra attacking the last caterpillar. It moved slower because of Mirra's cuts.
Nim approached, wanting to land the final blow.
"Leave it to me, I'm almost done with it," said Mirra upon seeing Nim approach.
"Alright," said Nim. Though he said that, he would act if Mirra was in danger.
Mirra refocused on her battle. The caterpillar charged using its massive body, Mirra dodged the attack.
The caterpillar wasn't fast enough to touch her. Besides, its attacks were simple: just charging or crushing.
Relying on that, Mirra had been able to hold out against the caterpillar.
"Fall already, you annoying bug," Mirra was growing impatient seeing the caterpillar still standing.
After several slashes, the caterpillar had lost too much blood, especially from its neck, where it had a large, deep cut.
The serious injuries made its movements slower.
Mirra saw the opportunity and approached the caterpillar to land the final blow. Using all her strength, she slashed at the caterpillar's neck.
The wounded caterpillar couldn't react in time and was decapitated by Mirra.
"Finally"
Mirra sighed deeply. It had taken effort to eliminate this monster. Moreover, this battle made her realize the difficulty of this floor.
A simple caterpillar had taken that much time. It seemed she'd have to level up as quickly as possible.
Nim approached after Mirra finished her battle. Though he had quickly eliminated the other caterpillars, he too had noticed the rise in difficulty.
The two looked at each other with serious expressions and continued exploring the fifth floor.
They kept advancing and encountered more monsters.
This time, it was a group of ant-men wielding short-range weapons.
Nim, as usual, took the lead. Mirra followed behind.
As they approached, Nim decided not to draw his sword; instead, he used his fists and punched an ant.
The monster was sent flying. Nim didn't spare it another glance and continued attacking.
Another nearby ant tried to land an attack with a mace. Nim didn't dodge and received it with his fist.
The mace shattered into pieces from Nim's strength, and the ant staggered from the impact.
After intercepting that attack, Nim was surrounded by the two remaining ants. Seeing the incoming attacks, Nim smiled.
Thump Thump
The ants were sent flying several meters.
Mirra arrived and saw three of the four ants lying on the ground.
Without delay, she went toward the last remaining ant. The ant had tried to pursue Nim when Mirra launched an attack.
The ant didn't dodge in time and took a slash to the chest.
(Good)
Mirra was pleased to wound the ant quickly. The monster growled and lunged at her.
She managed to dodge one attack, but the second hit her armor. The ant had less defense than the caterpillars but was faster.
Mirra became engaged in a battle of attrition.
Nim, nearby, watched the fight. This time, he decided not to interfere. Besides, he had a plan in mind. He turned his gaze elsewhere and moved away.
Mirra, locked in battle with the ant, didn't notice Nim's movements. Now she had eyes only for the ant.
After a few moments, they had exchanged several blows. Mirra was sweating but didn't stop attacking.
Until at some point, she found an opening and landed a fatal blow on the ant. The ant screeched in pain and collapsed.
"Uff..." Mirra tried to steady her breathing and looked at the bloody ant on the ground—it wasn't dead yet.
She approached and drove her sword into its skull. The dying ant trembled and died.
"Mirra"
Nim called out to her, seeing her battle had ended.
"This ant was just a little tough."
Nim smiled at her words.
"Alright, if you want, we can take a break."
Mirra hadn't been hurt thanks to her armor, but Nim still worried.
"No, I'm fine. Besides, I'm about to level up," Mirra replied.
"Okay, but before that, I have something for you." After saying that, Nim moved.
Mirra looked at what was behind Nim and saw the bodies of the ants he had struck.
"What is this?"
Nim explained his plan.
"You want me to land the final blow on the monsters from now on?" Mirra was surprised by Nim's plan.
It also meant something else.
She was holding him back.
She was aware the last battles had taken her more time. It wasn't like the previous floors, where she was just a little slower. If the next monsters were stronger, she might not defeat them.
"I know you might not agree, but just until you level up and get a class."
Mirra, wanting to say more, held back her words.
It was true she was close to leveling up. When she leveled and got a class, her strength would soar.
After thinking of the pros and cons, there were only benefits for her—but she simply didn't like the idea.
It wasn't so different from going with academy instructors.
"Ahh... fine. When I get a class, we'll see who's holding who back."
After Mirra said that, Nim brought over the wounded ants' bodies.
Mirra quickly finished them off.
"Now let's go. Soon I'll become a real swordswoman and be able to use skills," said Mirra as she took the lead.
Nim followed her.
...
Grrr
A small fire golem roared as it was wounded. The spikes on its back were shattered by a strong blow.
Nim, who had just attacked, stepped back. His sword trembled slightly.
Nim had realized his sword wasn't ideal for this kind of monster, as most monsters on this floor had good defense.
Even so, he had managed to slice off a large portion of the golem.
In the middle of his thoughts, the golem approached again.
Nim dodged while slashing with his sword. His intention wasn't to finish it off.
The golem continued to lose parts of its body with each blow. Until at some point, it lost the ability to move.
Seeing that, Nim turned around and headed for Mirra. She was fighting another golem.
"Annoying rock," said Mirra after her attacks had little effect.
The golem, seeming unaffected by her strikes, charged at her. Mirra stepped back and dodged.
As she tried to strike again, she saw Nim appear near the golem.
Nim punched the golem. The rocks on its body exploded as it was hurled away by the blow.
Boom
The golem hit a rock and shattered it from the impact. After the dust settled, it stood up, staggering, only to be met with another blow.
Punch, punch, punch. Nim didn't stop attacking; each hit shattered the golem's body.
Suddenly he remembered something and stopped.
(I did it again)
He stepped back and looked at the golem missing several body parts—he had almost killed it.
Mirra approached when she saw Nim stop. Seeing the dying golem, she smiled.
"Who was it that suggested this plan?" said Mirra with an annoyed smile.
Nim could only smile at her words. It was true this had been his plan, but along the way, he had nearly failed at not killing the monsters.
The two golems were the sixth monsters they had encountered after the ants. During that time, Nim had forgotten the plan a few times.
Because of that, Mirra had teased him.
"Alright. Looking at my experience bar, I'll level up after killing one or both golems."
Mirra held her sword and showed an excited expression. Getting a class was a major moment for any adventurer.
Mirra struck the wounded golem several times. The golem's reddish rocks turned dull, and it died.
Seeing she hadn't leveled up yet, Mirra went after the other golem. After several slashes, the last golem followed its companion's fate.
Mirra felt a warm sensation in her body, along with a faint pressure.
Nim, seeing Mirra pause, knew she had leveled up. At that moment, he raised his guard and watched the surroundings for any monster appearances.
"Finally"
Mirra broke the silence, then turned to Nim and smiled brightly.
"Congratulations," said Nim.
"Yes, thanks to you I did it in such a short time. Now I want to try out my new strength."
Nim watched Mirra swing her sword in the air. Now, this strange girl had not only grown stronger but also more energetic.