Dungeon, 1st Floor.
At the entrance to this floor closest to the surface, Riezel and Lefiya descended the stairs.
Accompanying them were other adventurers—Beastmen, Dwarves, Elves, and even Amazonesses.
Among them, Riezel and Lefiya didn't stand out much. Aside from a few male adventurers casting slightly lustful glances at her, the two hardly drew anyone's attention.
Lefiya, however, seemed a bit uneasy. She tightly gripped her staff, carrying a massive backpack on her back, and followed behind Riezel, taking each step cautiously.
He chatted casually with her until they completed the descent of the stairs and set foot on the soil of the 1st Floor.
"So, just like we discussed earlier, I'll take the role of vanguard, and you'll be the rearguard for firepower support. Is that okay with you?" Riezel asked.
"N-No problem!" Lefiya quickly nodded, not expressing any objections.
"Great. Then, I'll leave it to you." Riezel nodded and instructed. "Since we're short one member in our party, as the rearguard, you might face some risks. I'll do my best to keep any monsters away from you. Just focus on chanting your magic."
Typically, dungeon exploration was most effective with a party of three, handling attack, defense, and support roles. The vanguard took on the main offensive role, drawing enemy attention, and blocking their advance. The mid-guard defended against enemy counterattacks and supported the vanguard. The rearguard primarily provided long-range support, using magic attacks, bows, or crossbows, and also handled recovery for frontline injuries.
The Guild and Familias organized exploration using this party example, as a party of three was considered the minimum requirement for dungeon exploration unless conditions didn't allow it.
In situations where a party lacked a member, becoming a party of two, the burden on each member increased, and the likelihood of encountering unexpected dangers rose.
Lefiya, being a pure rearguard mage, could do little other than long-range attacks and support with magic. Considering this, Riezel took on both the vanguard and mid-guard roles himself.
In other words, he had to act as the vanguard, charging forward, attracting enemy attacks, and intercepting all monsters to prevent any from reaching her position. This burden was indeed heavy, making Lefiya feel somewhat guilty.
"Sorry for not being of much help..." Lefiya said while avoiding eye contact with him.
"Don't say that." Riezel shook his head. "You're a rearguard mage; that's your role. You shouldn't be doing things beyond your responsibilities."
With that, he took out a map, unfolded it, and laid it out in front of them.
"Considering our party was just formed, and we don't know each other well yet, let's take it easy today. We'll probably be fine exploring up to around the 9th Floor. What do you think?"
Lefiya, who was a Level 3 second-class adventurer, even as a pure rearguard mage with no close combat abilities, held the advantage in levels. Floors with only Level 1 monsters were unlikely to cause fatal injuries to her. Therefore, unless they descended to the 13th Floor with Level 2 monsters, she would likely only sustain minor injuries even if attacked.
However, considering it was their first time cooperating as a party, going directly to the 10th to 12th Floors with larger monsters might have posed some risks. Therefore, Riezel temporarily set the goal for the 9th Floor.
Although he personally wanted to go further down, today's goal wasn't seeking excitement but honing group combat. He had to abandon the idea that could be criticized by everyone and focus on the 'safety' issue that he wasn't too keen on before.
However, while Riezel felt he had sufficiently considered safety, Lefiya was startled by his idea.
'9th Floor?!'
Lefiya looked into Riezel, filled with shock.
'No way, right? He just became an adventurer not long ago, and he even received the blessing recently. He's a complete rookie. How can we run off to such a deep floor?'
She thought with worry.
As someone who accompanied Familia seniors on distant expeditions, she had ventured to depths around the 50th Floor. Naturally, a mere 9th Floor wouldn't scare her.
But Riezel had joined the Familia not long ago. Even though Lefiya couldn't quite adopt a senior attitude in front of him, she knew how dangerous it could be for a rookie to venture into the 9th Floor.
It was a floor that only seasoned adventurers, considered skilled even in Level 1, could tackle, and that too in a proper party.
For Riezel, a rookie who had joined the Familia less than a week ago, going to such a floor only with her, who was still immature in her own right, and taking on the roles of vanguard and mid-guard simultaneously was, to put it bluntly, a reckless move.
"No worries." Riezel assured as he sensed her reluctance. "It's just the 9th Floor. It won't pose any danger to me."
With his current status, the 9th Floor held almost no difficulty for him.
Without delving into details, his basic abilities like 'DEX' and 'AGI' were already at B-rank, with 'STR' and 'END' at C-rank.
According to the safety exploration requirements for Level 1, from 8th to 10th Floors needed a basic ability between E-rank and C-rank, while the 11th and 12th Floors required B-rank to S-rank.
Therefore, he could easily explore down to the 11th Floor or even the 12th Floor without a problem.
"But..." Lefiya, who was still unaware of all this, was somewhat concerned and hesitated.
Seeing her like this, Riezel didn't insist.
"How about we try exploring first and decide later how far down we can go?"
At his suggestion, Lefiya breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly.
"Then let's go." Riezel put away the map and smiled at her.
Looking at the calm and steady smile on his face, Lefiya seemed to find reassurance and started to smile as well, which was rare.
At this moment, she had no idea that the calm and steady demeanor she perceived was just a surface impression.
Soon enough, her understanding of him would shatter into pieces.
===
Dungeon, 6th Floor.
This floor was deeper than the 5th Floor, often referred to as the first casualty line for adventurers, and far more dangerous than the 5th Floor.
On this floor, there lurked a creature known as the War Shadow.
It had a humanoid silhouette, devoid of any fur or skin-like texture, its entire body seemed as if coated in black paint. The head formed a cross, the face resembling a mirror, presenting a heteromorphic monster strikingly similar in height to a human shadow.
The War Shadow, along with the Killer Ant on the 7th Floor, earned the moniker 'rookie assassins'.
While their attacks were predictable, they possessed astonishing power and speed. With arms boasting an impressive reach, they could extend from various angles.
Their sharp claws could effortlessly sever heads, much like a longsword. For rookie adventurers who had only faced low-level monsters like Kobolds and Goblins, they posed a deadly threat.
Especially when the numbers of War Shadows accumulated, even a seasoned Level 1 adventurer could risk their life if surrounded.
Considering this, many adventurers regarded War Shadows as one of the most threatening monsters on the upper floors. Dealing with one or two was manageable, but encountering a group of them, unless you were at a higher level, was a challenge rarely undertaken.
However, today, a rookie who had recently received a blessing shattered this unspoken rule between adventurers in the most brutal manner.
*Pu-chi!*
Accompanied by a sound resembling the cutting of flesh, a silver sword swiftly sliced through a War Shadow's neck, sending its cross-shaped head soaring.
Riezel, wielding a slender sword, darted among a group of War Shadows.
The numerous War Shadows surrounded him, extending their sharp claws, intending to disembowel him. Yet, their usual speed and attack range were ineffective before him.
With bullet-like speed, Riezel effortlessly dodged the sluggish War Shadows. His sword easily pierced through countless sharp claws, creating flashes of blade light, disemboweling, and killing War Shadows on the spot, without stopping.
From a distance, it looked like a phantom flickering among a group of War Shadows, creating waves of blade light and afterimages, engaging in a one-sided massacre that was particularly awe-inspiring.
"..."
Lefiya, who watched from a distance, was left in awe.
Originally planning to chant her magic for support, completely forgot her duties and stared blankly at the rookie wreaking havoc among the monsters.
'...Is he really a rookie?'
'Such an experienced movement.'
'Such beautiful swordsmanship.'
'Could a rookie really achieve such feats?'
'Are rookies this strong nowadays?'
'Then, what am I?'
'A useless trash?'
Lefiya started to doubt herself, dumbfounded by the scene before her eyes.
But most surprisingly, amidst Riezel's ruthless onslaught, she perceived a familiar figure. A figure she had admired, idolized, and cherished for a long time.
'Miss Ais...?'
'Mr. Riezel's fighting style... Why does it resemble Miss Ais's so much?'
Lefiya was confused.
Support and read advanced chapters at:
pat*reon.com/VALRRR
The battle ended quickly.
In the midst of the storm of slashes, not a single monster survived, all turning into a scattered mess of limbs and debris, leaving Riezel victorious.
"What happened?"
Returning with his slender sword in hand, Riezel was puzzled as he saw Lefiya standing there with a blank expression.
"No-Nothing!" Lefiya snapped back to reality, shaking her head while hesitating as she looked at him.
"Just say what you want to say."
Seeing her hesitation, Riezel spoke up.
"T-That..." Lefiya stuttered for a moment. "Do you know Miss Ais?"
Clearly, witnessing his fighting style so similar to Ais's, Lefiya began to doubt their relationship. She even recalled that not long ago, when she and the others returned from the expedition, Ais seemed to have noticed the newly joined Riezel and was quite attentive to him.
This unavoidably made Lefiya think too much, and her gaze towards Riezel changed.
In response to her question, Riezel raised an eyebrow while smiling faintly.
"Are you that concerned about my relationship with Miss Ais?"
Without hesitation, Lefiya nodded, then quickly shook her head afterward.
"I-I'm just a bit curious!"
Her face turned inexplicably red, with a guilty look.
Seeing her funny reaction, Riezel chuckled and answered her question.
"I consulted her about magic and coincidentally learned some of her swordsmanship. Apart from that, there's nothing else between us."
Instead of calming Lefiya, his explanation left her stunned.
"Consulted about magic?" Lefiya looked perplexed.
"Yeah." Riezel nodded. "I have magic with a nature similar to your 'Elf Ring'."
"Oh..." Lefiya instantly understood. But precisely because she understood, she became even more astonished.
"Does Mr. Riezel have the same magic as me?" Lefiya was extremely surprised.
"Well, somewhat similar." Riezel didn't elaborate much and simply agreed with her.
'Does that mean... He learned Miss Ais's magic...?' Lefiya muttered quietly inside her heart.
Her first thought wasn't about getting closer to him, who had the same type of magic as her, but rather, an instinctive urge to shout.
'So envious!'
Without warning, she looked at him with eyes filled with envy, almost as if there was a great divide between them.
'Why isn't Miss Ais an Elf?'
Lefiya couldn't help but puff her cheeks as she thought about her magic, which was restricted to learning only from the same race.
"Okay, let's keep moving." Riezel chuckled awkwardly, quickly changing the topic and turning to leave.
"Wait a moment!" Lefiya hurriedly stopped him. "We haven't collected the magic stones yet!"
After saying that, she jogged over to the corpses of War Shadows that Riezel had just defeated. She took out a knife she carried with her, digging out a small crystal from the chest area of one of the War Shadows.
That crystal was a magic stone, a crystallization of magical energy obtained from a dungeon monster's body. It could be used to create various incredible magic stone products, such as the magic stone lamps in Twilight Manor's courtyard.
Due to the Guild's monopoly on dungeon resources, they managed the purchase of these stones, processing them into products, and shipping them to other countries for big profits.
Adventurers actively explored the dungeon to exchange the magic stones they obtained from monsters for money with the Guild.
It was said that the stronger the monster, the larger and more valuable the magic stone in its body. In comparison, magic stones from the 6th Floor wouldn't fetch much, perhaps not even a thousand valis.
Nevertheless, money was money.
Lefiya enthusiastically dug out more magic stones, causing the monster corpses, now devoid of magic stones as their cores, to rapidly lose color and turn into dust.
This was the fate of monsters without cores. Their corpses couldn't even be preserved, as if they never existed in the first place.
Occasionally, only some particularly developed parts could be left behind, called drop items. These could be used as materials for weapons, armor, and potions, exchanged for money with the Guild, or sold to merchants in need.
Besides magic stones and drop items, the dungeon also contained special minerals, plants, and natural products with unique properties. Adventurers sought these as treasures and hoped for wealth, especially for some exceptionally precious and rare items that could fetch a fortune on the market.
In essence, most adventurers entered the dungeon for this purpose—to strike it rich overnight. Familias like Loki Familia considered these resources crucial for their operations.
The dungeon was indeed an incredible place, both magical and dangerous.
Watching Lefiya collect the magic stones and toss them into her large backpack, Riezel rubbed his nose.
He dared not tell her that he had never bothered to collect any magic stones or drop items in the dungeon before. The former great young master, who couldn't wait to rush into the dungeon and slaughter everything in his path, had never developed the habit of managing resources properly.
"Can I say I completely forgot about this?"
Riezel couldn't help but say that as he saw Lefiya so energetically collecting magic stones to the large backpack swaying behind her.
"Or maybe I can carry the backpack for you?"
Upon hearing his suggestion, Lefiya decisively shook her head in refusal.
"Mr. Riezel is the vanguard and even takes on the role of the mid-guard. Your responsibility is to charge forward and defeat monsters. How can you fight while carrying such a big backpack?" Lefiya said with an earnest expression. "In the dungeon, if there isn't a dedicated supporter to accompany us, it's common for the rearguard to take on the role of a supporter. You just have to be vigilant."
She referred to a supporter as someone who specialized in recovering and storing magic stones and drop items.
These people were typically not strong combatants, their purpose was to free adventurers' hands and bodies, preventing them from fighting with heavy backpacks or items.
In Orario, some less powerful people specialize as supporters and take on employment from adventurers. In larger Familias with generally strong adventurers, supporters were often temporarily filled by lower-level juniors or rearguards.
Lefiya was a rearguard and obviously had no intention of handing over the supporter's job to Riezel.
"But your level is higher than mine..." Riezel emphasized.
"But I don't need to charge into the fray, so it's fine." Lefiya asserted firmly. "On the contrary, a vanguard like you absolutely cannot add too much weight to the body. No need to worry."
As for whether it was appropriate for a girl to run around with such a large backpack, Lefiya didn't even bring it up.
Even as a pure rearguard mage with limited close combat ability and lower physical endurance, she was still a bona fide Level 3 second-class adventurer. Carrying a backpack was easily manageable for her.
"Fine..."
Seeing her stubborn attitude, Riezel had to give up.
If not for the awkward issue of how to explain, he would have suggested putting the backpack in the Dimensional Magic Cube's storage space.
With the existence of storage space, he didn't need to worry about the weight problem.
Unfortunately, he couldn't say that, so he could only watch her diligently retrieve every magic stone and continue to carry the large backpack.
"Done!"
After a while, Lefiya finally ran back.
"Let's go." Riezel nodded, turned, and walked away.
"W-Wait for me!"
She hurriedly caught up, temporarily setting aside another question in her mind. But this question lingered throughout the day in her heart.
'Even though he's a rookie who recently received a blessing, why is he so powerful?'
Staring at his figure speeding up and charging into the group of monsters ahead without fear nor hesitation, this question persisted in her heart.
===
Amid Riezel and Lefiya boldly pushing forward as a newly formed party, little did they know that right after they left, an anomaly erupted in the very place they had just departed from.
*Crack—*
It started as a faint cracking sound.
On the dungeon walls, a crack appeared without any warning, emitting a subtle gleam from within.
*Ba-dump! Ba-dump!*
A heartbeat seemed to echo within, growing louder with each passing moment.
This spectacle wasn't uncommon in the dungeon. Any adventurer had encountered this phenomenon more or less. Because this was the sign of a monster about to be born.
Indeed, monsters in the dungeon were birthed this way.
They didn't exist as life in the dungeon from the start; rather, they incubated and hatched within the dungeon.
Just like birds breaking out of their shells, monsters would emerge from the dungeon walls at regular intervals, ensuring an endless supply and an unchanging number of monsters in the dungeon.
This explained why the types of monsters encountered on each floor were typically fixed.
Each species had a designated birthplace and rarely ventured to other floors unless something unexpected occurred.
Of course, exceptions existed.
And now, this exception was unfolding on the 6th Floor.
This was the so-called anomaly.
*Crackle—!*
Amidst the grating cracking sounds, the dungeon walls were giving way, allowing a massive figure to emerge from within.
*ROAAAAAARRR—!!!*
Before long, an ear-splitting roar reverberated through the floor, causing it to tremble slightly as if offering a blessing for its emergence.
Support and read advanced chapters at:
pat*reon.com/VALRRR
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT