My D Rank Skill is Actually SSS-Rank

Chapter 12: The Dungeon's Depths and the Whisper Slime's Secret

Alaric stood before the imposing, iron-bound doors of the Guild's dungeon, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. A dungeon. Finally, some proper combat-adjacent content. Though, knowing my luck, it'll be less 'epic boss fight' and more 'tedious chore list'. Agnes, the Guild Registrar, was still giving him instructions, her voice a monotonous drone that barely registered over the distant echoes of the festival's lingering, off-key confessions.

"Remember, Alaric," Agnes droned, her finger tapping a dusty parchment. "The Whisper Slimes are the priority. They've been causing... incidents. Adventurers coming out babbling about their secret love for knitting or their fear of fluffy bunnies. Highly unprofessional. And the traps are unreliable. Optimize them. Make them... functional."

"Functional. Right. Optimal fear management," Alaric muttered, giving her a sarcastic thumbs-up. He glanced down at the transparent slime, which was now perched on his shoulder like a very clear, very judgmental parrot. It jiggled, emitting a faint, high-pitched hum that sounded suspiciously like Agnes's droning voice. You're enjoying this, aren't you? You little SSS-tier menace. Just wait until I refine your 'mimicry' into 'permanent silence'.

Agnes finally finished, waving him off with a weary hand. "Don't take too long, boy. We have other assets that require your... unique touch."

Alaric pushed open the heavy dungeon doors. A blast of cold, damp air, thick with the scent of earth, decay, and something faintly metallic, washed over him. The entrance hall was dark, the rough-hewn stone walls dripping with moisture. Torches flickered sporadically, casting long, dancing shadows. It looked like a standard, low-tier dungeon.

System Notification: Location: Guild Dungeon - Entrance. Environment: Damp, Dark, Suboptimal Illumination (C-Rank). Threats: Whisper Slimes (C-Rank), Malfunctioning Traps (D-Rank).

"Suboptimal illumination? You don't say," Alaric muttered, pulling out a rusty, discarded torch holder from the wall. D-Rank material. Perfect. He focused his skill. The rust vanished, the dull iron gleamed, and the holder transformed into a perfectly balanced, lightweight staff, topped with a crystal that pulsed with a steady, bright light.

System Notification: [Basic Material Refinement] activated. Material: Rusty Torch Holder (D-Rank Iron). Result: Perfected 'Staff of Ever-Bright Illumination' (SSS-Tier Artifact). Condition: Indestructible, Self-Recharging Light, Repels Minor Pests, Minor Aura of 'Optimal Visibility'.

"Optimal Visibility. Nice," Alaric hummed, twirling the staff. The light it cast was bright, clear, and steady, cutting through the gloom. "No more tripping over loose rocks. And repels minor pests? Take that, dungeon cockroaches." The transparent slime on his shoulder jiggled approvingly. See? I told you I was good at this.

He ventured deeper, the 'Staff of Ever-Bright Illumination' cutting a path through the darkness. The dungeon corridors were narrow, winding, and filled with the unsettling echoes of dripping water. He kept his eyes peeled, not just for threats, but for 'materials'. Every loose stone, every discarded bone, every patch of mold was a potential SSS-tier artifact.

Suddenly, a faint, ethereal whisper drifted through the air. "Your deepest fear... is being forgotten... a mere footnote in a sea of overpowered protagonists..."

Alaric froze. A Whisper Slime. Already? And it's going for the existential dread? Bold move, little blob. He felt a strange unease, a flicker of his Earth-bound anxieties. No, no, I'm Alaric now. I break the meta. I don't get broken by it.

He spotted the source: a translucent, shimmering blob, slightly larger than the common green slime, oozing slowly from a crack in the wall. It pulsed with a faint, unsettling aura.

System Notification: Monster Detected: [Whisper Slime - C-Rank]. Skills: Fear Inducement (B), Emotional Manipulation (C). Materials: Whisper Slime Core (C-Rank), Ethereal Goo (C-Rank).

"Fear Inducement, huh? And Emotional Manipulation? Sounds like a glorified therapist," Alaric muttered. He extended his hand, focusing his skill on the slime. He wasn't going to fight it conventionally. He was going to optimize its very essence.

The Whisper Slime shimmered, its ethereal form pulsing faster as Alaric's warmth enveloped it. The whispers intensified, then distorted, becoming a cacophony of conflicting anxieties. Then, silence. The slime began to condense, its form becoming perfectly solid, yet retaining its translucence. It solidified into a small, perfectly smooth, clear crystal.

System Notification: [Basic Material Refinement] activated. Material: Whisper Slime (C-Rank). Result: Perfected 'Crystal of Unburdened Truths' (SSS-Tier Artifact). Condition: Indestructible, Absorbs Negative Emotions (Passively), Emits Aura of 'Emotional Clarity', Compels Confession of Deepest Desires (Non-Harmful), Stores Confessions (Retrievable by User).

Alaric stared at the crystal in his hand. "Absorbs Negative Emotions? Compels Confession of Deepest Desires? Stores Confessions?" His jaw dropped. This is even better than the elixir! This is a permanent, passive truth serum! And it cleans up emotional messes! This is the ultimate social exploit! I can make anyone confess anything, and it's not even my fault! It's the crystal's fault! Plausible deniability restored!

His perverted mind immediately supplied: I can make Master Elara confess her deepest, most embarrassing thoughts about my 'optimization' skills! Or Sir Grady's secret fanfiction ideas! The possibilities for 'research' into the human (and monster) psyche are endless! And I can store them! For future reference!

The transparent slime on his shoulder jiggled wildly, emitting a series of perfectly pitched, high-volume giggles that sounded suspiciously like Master Elara's opera aria. "Oh, the robes, they bind my soul!" it squeaked.

Alaric shot it a furious glare. "You! You're still doing that?! And you're louder now! I'm going to refine you into a perfectly clear, perfectly silent paperweight that only hums soothing lullabies!"

The transparent slime merely jiggled, then bumped its head against his cheek, as if saying, You know you love it.

He continued deeper into the dungeon, the 'Crystal of Unburdened Truths' clutched in one hand, the 'Staff of Ever-Bright Illumination' in the other. He encountered more Whisper Slimes, each one quickly 'optimized' into a gleaming 'Crystal of Unburdened Truths'. Soon, his pockets were clinking with these SSS-tier confession-absorbers. The dungeon air, once heavy with unsettling whispers, now felt strangely light, almost peaceful.

He then came across the next problem: the malfunctioning traps. He entered a narrow corridor. A dart trap, clearly meant to fire from the wall, was instead sputtering erratically, sending rusty darts bouncing harmlessly off the ceiling.

System Notification: Trap Detected: [Malfunctioning Dart Trap (D-Rank Mechanism)]. Condition: Broken, Ineffective, Suboptimal Threat.

"Suboptimal threat? You don't say," Alaric muttered, approaching the trap. This was a classic D-Rank problem. He focused his skill on the rusty mechanism. The metal hummed, the rust vanished, and the gears whirred, perfectly aligning themselves. The darts, instead of being rusty, became impossibly sharp, gleaming projectiles.

System Notification: [Basic Material Refinement] activated. Material: Malfunctioning Dart Trap (D-Rank Iron). Result: Perfected 'Trap of Absolute Precision' (SSS-Tier Artifact). Condition: Indestructible, Perfect Aim, Fires Adamantine Darts, Minor Aura of 'Inevitable Doom'.

Alaric stared at the now perfectly functional, deadly trap. It looked terrifyingly efficient. "Perfect Aim? Adamantine Darts? 'Inevitable Doom'?" He whistled softly. "Well, that's one way to optimize a trap. No more adventurers complaining about 'unreliable' dungeon experiences." He imagined a poor adventurer walking into this. One-shot, probably. Efficient. Very efficient.

He carefully stepped around the 'Trap of Absolute Precision', resisting the urge to test it. He wasn't here to die; he was here to optimize. He continued, refining every malfunctioning trap he found. Pit traps that didn't open suddenly became perfectly concealed, bottomless chasms. Swinging blade traps that got stuck became impossibly fast, razor-sharp scythes that moved with silent, deadly grace. The dungeon was slowly transforming from a pathetic hazard course into a perfectly optimized death trap. For optimal adventurer challenge, of course. Gotta give them a proper experience.

As he delved deeper, the dungeon began to change. The walls became smoother, the air cleaner, the light from his staff reflecting off newly polished surfaces. He was not just optimizing the traps; he was optimizing the dungeon itself.

He entered a larger cavern. In the center, a faint, greenish glow emanated from a pool of murky water. He approached cautiously.

System Notification: Environmental Hazard: [Stagnant Mana Pool (C-Rank)]. Condition: Impure, Suboptimal Mana Flow, Attracts Low-Tier Corrupted Creatures.

"Stagnant Mana Pool? Suboptimal Mana Flow? This looks like a job for... me," Alaric hummed. He extended his hand, focusing his skill on the entire pool. The murky water began to churn, the impurities separating, glowing faintly, then dissipating into the air. The water became impossibly clear, shimmering with pure, vibrant mana. The greenish glow intensified, becoming a beautiful, pulsating blue.

System Notification: [Basic Material Refinement] activated. Material: Stagnant Mana Pool (C-Rank). Result: Perfected 'Pool of Pure Mana' (SSS-Tier Artifact). Condition: Provides Instant Mana Regeneration (Passive), Purifies All Impurities, Emits Aura of 'Serene Power', Minor Side Effect: Causes Overwhelming Urge to Meditate (for Non-Users).

Alaric stared at the now dazzlingly beautiful mana pool. "Instant Mana Regeneration? Purifies All Impurities? Causes Overwhelming Urge to Meditate?" He chuckled. This is incredible! I just made a free mana potion dispenser! And it makes people meditate! I could use this to make Master Elara stop grumbling! Or Sir Grady stop talking about squirrels! The possibilities for 'optimal' relaxation are endless!

He felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to sit down by the pool and just... breathe. His mind felt clear, his thoughts tranquil. Whoa. That's the side effect. Gotta be careful with this one. Don't want to accidentally meditate myself into a coma.

Just then, he heard a new sound. Not a squeak, not a whisper, but a low, guttural growl. A large, shadowy figure emerged from the deeper darkness of the cavern, its eyes glowing red. It was a corrupted beast, drawn by the stagnant mana.

System Notification: Monster Detected: [Corrupted Shadow Beast - B-Rank]. Skills: Shadow Claw (B), Mana Drain (C). Condition: Aggressive, Corrupted.

Alaric grinned. Finally. A proper fight. And a B-Rank monster. Let's see how my SSS-tier refinements handle this. He tightened his grip on the 'Staff of Ever-Bright Illumination'. He had a perfectly optimized dungeon, a pocket full of confession crystals, and a very judgmental, transparent slime. He was ready.