Ryuji changed his tattoo at the start of the dungeon after considering his situation.

    Although the shadow fox gave him significant benefits, such as ignoring death, he didn''t want to show the knights those techniques, even if they were kind to him.

    There is nothing in life that says something couldn''t go wrong. If the hero party fails or insults the king, he might have to fight those he helped.

    ''I know it''s paranoid, but one must always keep a few aces up their sleeve.''

    — Removed Shadow Fox Tattoo (Uncommon)

    Chosen by Shadow Fox

    — Added Goblin Tattoo (Uncommon)

    Tribal design on the back

    The moment he changed the tattoo, he felt a burning sensation in his crotch, then his back and chest, before he noticed that the words slightly increased his stamina by two points while moderately increasing his strength by four points.

    [Attributes]

    Strength: 16 (+2)

    Agility: 6 (-2)

    Stamina: 12

    Grit: 16

    Intellect: 8

    ''An increase of 2 doesn''t sound like much, but that''s the same as a warrior gains per level. So I gained a level''s worth of attributes for stamina.''

    The current dungeon was quite smooth, and the moment his tattoo fully settled, his eyes felt strange; the dark place, making it hard to see, became a lighter shade. He could see the cracks in the rocks, the small opening from where they entered the crossroads.

    ''This will help during combat in dungeons and at night.''

    "Ryuji, this dungeon isn''t that large, and the next room, with a battle, will have a so-called elite enemy, or boss, as former heroes seem to have dubbed them," Alicia whispered beside him, her soft voice and gentle tone causing Ryuji to tremble.

    "Ugh...!"

    The room had a simple design with a wide-open space, perfect for him to dodge but also for it to roam free.

    His axe flew forward towards its neck with all of Ryuji''s might in a massive overhand strike, but the wolf easily dodged it by jumping to his left.

    Before Ryuji even blinked, he suffered the most intense pain of his life.

    A direct swipe with its claw sent him flying backwards, tearing away a chunk of health, smashing the barrier and protecting him, making Ryuji thankful for the barrier that Sheila cast upon him as it absorbed the shock and protected him from instant death, as the claws hit his exposed neck probably a critical hit.

    "Fucker..." Ryuji growled with anger as the others entered the room.

    Paul opened his arms. "Thy holy lady of earth, grab this interloper and hold him still!"

    As he chanted, several earth pillars erupted beneath the wolf''s feet. Ryuji wasted no time; he sprinted forward as it struggled against the magic that held him, and with a single swing of his axe, he struck at its head with a powerful overhead chop.

    "Graaaaaww!"

    The wolf howled in pain as the axe connected; Ryuji didn''t stop and unleashed a follow-up sweep as he twirled around before kicking the wolf''s lower jaw, causing it to smash into the wall with a whine. ''No way, all that and barely a third of its health!?''

    "Holy shit... don''t forget us!" Simon''s body charged forward with a blur as he stabbed at the wolf''s tough fur, which seemed thicker than normal armour, with loud clangs.

    "Simon! Do not get arrogant and rush! Alicia, do as we trained!" Sheila yelled out.

    "I am a protector of justice and a daughter of the gods! Hear my prayers and devour my foes, rain fire upon this corrupted wolf and reduce it to dust—hail of fire arrows!"

    As Alicia chanted, a wave of flaming arrows rained down.

    They almost consumed the wolf''s body and burned away at its body before an arrow whistled through the air at its left eye, bursting the organ with a sickening pop.

    "GRAAAAAWWW!"

    However, that enraged the beast as it flicked Simon with a powerful kick. Its body was now double the normal size as its muscles and fur oozed with blood. It rushed towards Alicia without caring for anything else.

    "Thy holy lady of earth, grab this interloper and hold him still --"

    Paul tried against it, but the wolf''s power just tore the spell apart, and with a flick of its claws, a shadow blade cut at his body, destroying the barrier and sending him rolling through the mud.

    "Paul! Damn, this boss is an IRREGULAR! It ignores the tank! EVERYONE attack at will!" Shelia bellowed, her hands glowing with holy light as it enveloped Ryuji, healing his neck that bled profusely.

    ''Damn, we''re at a disadvantage.''