Chapter 50: Critical Hit and Mana Absorption

'If it were the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, I wouldn't be seeing it only after I attacked. And even then, I wouldn't be seeing just one.'

After a brief analysis, Bell concluded that the white mark wasn't a "death line." It was something else—something he hadn't considered.

'What exactly is it?'

For the moment, he had no answer.

Still, Bell knew he couldn't just stand around. He resumed searching the first floor for other newly spawned goblins. As he listened carefully to the surrounding sounds, he noticed his hearing had become even sharper than it was just minutes ago. Even the faintest noises now reached his ears.

He understood the reason. It was a familiar sensation—part of his ongoing growth and evolution. More questions had surfaced, but that didn't make him impatient. Finding the answers was more important. If he couldn't identify the problem, he wouldn't know which direction to take next.

He needed to understand the cause of his extended magic endurance.

And he needed to figure out what was behind those white slits appearing on the goblins.

Sword in hand, Bell moved cautiously toward the source of the sound. But the sound was already drawing near—and before long, three goblins came rushing toward him.

'Must've heard the last goblin's dying cries and came running. Well, that saves me the trouble.'

Three goblins charged straight at him. This time, Bell didn't hold back. Lightning arced across his skin as he activated Lightning Command and moved in.

In a blur of speed and flashing steel, he swung his sword while zipping through the battlefield.

A single flash of lightning later, and the goblins' arms were already airborne. Bell immediately turned and scanned their bodies—once again, the white slits appeared. Two on their backs, one on the front. He slashed at the two with slits on their backs.

His previous strike had already been shallow. But this time, the depth was reduced by half again—barely more than a scratch across the goblins' skin.

"Aaaah!"

The two goblins let out piercing screams, their bodies trembling violently as if enduring searing pain. The strange reaction caught Bell off guard, but he quickly realized something—no matter how shallow the wound, if it touched that white gap, it inflicted overwhelming damage. It wasn't a lethal "death line," but a "damage line" that caused massive pain.

The sight sparked a feeling of déjà vu. It was right on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't place it. He pushed the thought aside and used Lightning Command to flash in front of the last goblin. The white gap was still there—for about three seconds—before it finally vanished.

Then it hit him.

'Critical hit!'

That's what it was—the white glowing marker that appeared after striking the goblin. In FGO, critical stars would drop after dealing damage, and the more stars you had, the higher the chance of landing a critical hit on the next turn. And a critical hit, naturally, meant a huge damage spike.

With that realization, everything clicked into place.

Bell swung his blade in a horizontal arc. The goblin, too stunned to react, was decapitated on the spot. He stepped forward, turned, and brought his sword down on the two goblins still writhing in pain on the ground. Their heads fell, and their bodies dissolved into black ash.

At that moment, Bell clearly felt something flow from the void into his body, quickly replenishing the little magic he had spent.

All his earlier questions now had answers.

'A critical hit… I didn't expect that bright white slit to be a critical hit indicator.'

'No wonder the Lightning Command used up less magic than I expected. It wasn't that it cost less—it's that when I damaged the goblins, I absorbed the energy stored in their bodies. That energy was converted into magic I could use.'

That explained the initial boost in endurance. It was definitely a good thing for Bell. The discovery about critical hits was just as important. After enough combat and damage, a glowing marker would appear on the enemy's body. Striking that point would result in devastating damage—an advantage that would be vital in future battles.

When facing monsters with thick hides or massive stamina, where clean kills were difficult, landing critical hits would be essential. And for someone like Bell, who planned to operate solo, maximizing damage mattered a lot. He wouldn't be able to last in prolonged fights, so avoiding them altogether—and relying on critical hits to end battles quickly—was the ideal strategy.

'Still, critical hits probably don't appear every time. This isn't a game where just attacking drops crit stars. In reality, they must work differently.'

'Maybe it's related to the body's movements or blood flow—creating temporary points of extreme sensitivity. So the glowing indicator… maybe it's just showing me exactly where that pain point is.'

That explanation felt far more grounded. It made more sense than some game system—it was scientific, even plausible. With the mystery solved, Bell's tension eased. His goals for the day were accomplished:

He'd practiced Lightning Command in combat, refined his sword technique, uncovered the nature of the white highlight, and learned why his magic endurance had improved.

"Time to head back."

Shaking his head, Bell put the questions to rest. He was the cause of today's "commotion" in the Dungeon. But even if he blended in with the crowd and acted like someone overwhelmed by the Monster Parade, no one would suspect a thing. If the same phenomenon occurred on other floors, plenty of low-level adventurers would retreat early—making it easy for him to disappear among them.

With that thought, Bell returned Kuji Kanesada to his four-dimensional space and quickly headed for the exit.

As he neared the surface, he saw numerous wounded adventurers climbing the stairs. Their complaints reached his ears.

"Man, what's with the Dungeon today? It's like a riot broke out—Monster Parade on almost every floor."

"Tell me about it. I barely made it back alive."

"What the hell's going on? This kind of thing never happens."

"Yeah. This is the second time since that mess a week or so ago. I don't want to keep facing this kind of chaos. Who knows if we'll even make it out next time."

"Right! It was the same deal seven or eight days ago."

As he listened, Bell instinctively lowered his hood, doing his best to minimize his presence.

...

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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