章 10: Chapter 10: Advancing to the ninth floor
Ptah, Saly, and Aisha walked through the bustling streets of the district, their silhouettes outlined against the setting sun. Before heading out, Ptah had given them both a massage with an ointment made from higher-quality materials than before, so they were feeling quite energetic despite having had a busy day in the dungeon.
Aisha had been curious about the massages Ptah gave to Saly and felt intrigued, so she asked if she could have one as well. Although Saly seemed a bit reluctant, she felt it would be selfish to refuse and said nothing, albeit grudgingly. For Aisha, the massages with the ointment turned out to be quite relaxing, and she thought they would be good for enhancing her beauty, which seemed to grow with time.
Saly suddenly stopped, her eyes shining with excitement. "Look!" she exclaimed, pointing to a skewer stand. The smell of grilled meat made her stomach growl. "Can we buy some, Lord Ptah? Please!"
Ptah looked at the stand, then at Saly, and finally at Aisha, who also seemed interested. "Alright, you can buy whatever you want."
While Ptah was buying the skewers, Aisha looked around curiously. Her eyes landed on a nearby armory. "Maybe we should check our equipment before tomorrow's expedition," she suggested, gesturing towards the shop with a nod of her head.
Saly, with her mouth full of meat, nodded energetically. "Good idea!" she said, or at least tried to, her words muffled by the food.
Ptah chuckled softly. "Finish eating first. Then we'll head to the armory."
After devouring the skewers, the trio headed to the armory, which had a forge inside. The interior was filled with shelves and counters laden with swords, spears, shields, and all sorts of armor. Saly immediately made her way to a section of halberds, her eyes shining as she spotted a particularly ornate one.
"Look at this, Aisha! Isn't it beautiful?"
Aisha approached, examining the weapon with a critical eye. "It is pretty, but it looks more decorative than practical. You need something that can withstand the wear and tear of the Dungeon."
While the girls discussed weapons, Ptah was examining a section of light armor. "Girls," he called out, "come take a look at this." He had examined one of the weapons and found its price to be quite inflated compared to what it actually offered, so he became more interested in the armor.
Saly and Aisha came over. Ptah was holding a pair of armguards made of a lightweight but durable metal. "These could be useful for both of you. They offer protection without sacrificing mobility." He had used his system to check the information on the armguards and noted that they were of very high quality despite being fairly inexpensive.
After trying them on and deciding they would be a good addition to their gear, they bought the armguards and left the armory.
After finishing their shopping, they decided to have dinner at a small nearby restaurant. The place was packed with adventurers, all talking animatedly about their exploits in the Dungeon.
As they ate, they discussed their plans for the next day. Ptah watched them, noticing how Saly devoured her food enthusiastically while Aisha ate more calmly but with equal appetite.
"I think you're ready to venture deeper into the dungeon," Ptah said, catching both of their attention. "How about trying to reach the ninth floor tomorrow?"
He wanted to complete the system's mission as quickly as possible and had prepared several potions with very expensive materials that could help them deal with poisonous monsters and high-recovery potions. Additionally, although neither of them had their stats in the E rank yet, they could compensate with their magic. This is why Aisha could defeat monsters from other lower floors more easily, and Saly had a skill that could make her stats similar to someone on the verge of reaching D rank.
Saly's eyes lit up with excitement, almost choking on her food in her rush to respond. "Really? That would be amazing!"
Aisha nodded, though she wondered why Ptah suddenly wanted them to head to the ninth floor, even though he had refused to let them ascend to the eighth until they improved their stats. Still, a confident smile appeared on her face. "I agree. We've mastered the seventh floor, it's time for a new challenge."
"Good," said Ptah, his tone becoming more serious. "But remember, you need to be careful and not get too confident. Your advisor should have already warned you that the monsters will be stronger and more dangerous. So please stay together and don't take unnecessary risks." Ptah said this while looking directly at Saly, hoping she would be very careful when using her skill and not lose control.
Saly nodded solemnly, though the excitement still shone in her eyes. "We promise, Lord Ptah. We'll be careful."
The next morning, the trio met at the entrance of Babel. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, tinting the sky a soft pink.
Ptah gave them both a final hug. "Remember what we talked about. Take care of each other and don't take too many risks."
"We will," promised Aisha, adjusting her new armguards.
"We'll come back with lots of stories to tell!" added Saly, practically bouncing with excitement.
Ptah watched them enter the Dungeon, a mix of pride and concern on his face, before heading to Lenoa's hidden shop for his daily work.
Saly and Aisha quickly descended through the first few floors, now familiar to them. The Goblins and Kobolds that had once been a challenge now fell easily to their coordinated attacks.
On the fifth floor, they encountered their first real challenge, a group of Dungeon Lizards. The creatures, with their green scales and sharp teeth, moved with surprising agility.
"Watch out for their tails!" shouted Aisha, dodging a lash from one of the lizards.
Saly nodded, using the long reach of her halberd to keep the monsters at bay. The runes on her weapon glowed faintly, increasing the power of her strikes.
Aisha, meanwhile, moved like a whirlwind among the lizards, slicing through them with ease with her greatsword. With a battle cry, she cleaved one of the monsters in half, its body disintegrating and leaving behind a magic stone on the ground.
"Well done!" exclaimed Saly, skewering another lizard with the tip of her halberd.
The battle continued for about a minute, the two adventurers moving in perfect sync. Finally, the last Dungeon Lizard fell, leaving several magic stones on the ground.
"That... was intense," panted Saly, leaning on her halberd.
Aisha nodded, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Yes, but we handled it well. We're getting better."
They continued their descent, facing more groups of monsters along the way. On the seventh floor, they encountered a swarm of Killer Ants. The enormous red ants moved with unsettling coordination, their mandibles clicking menacingly.
Aisha grunted, her sword slicing through the air and cutting one of the ants in half. "We need to kill them quickly before more come."
Saly nodded before charging forward, her halberd leaving trails of red light in the air. When dealing with the Killer Ants, she used the spearhead of her halberd to pierce their heads. She had discovered that using weapons like spears greatly increased penetration, allowing her to pierce through hard objects with ease, unlike bladed weapons which made cuts more intense and expansive, as well as creating a cutting light trail when applying more than one layer of runes. It is because of these characteristics of her magic that she chose the halberd as her main weapon, as it possessed both qualities. One could be much better than the other in different circumstances, and it was also possible to use the shaft for blunt attacks.
Aisha, taking advantage of the time Saly was giving her, began to chant her magic. "Come, champion of the savages!" she began to sing, and when she finally finished, with a single motion, a cutting wave shot out, shredding the Killer Ants in its path.
The battle turned into a frenzied whirlwind of constant attacks, with Saly and Aisha moving as if they were a single entity. The remaining Killer Ants fell one after another, unable to withstand the combined ferocity of the two adventurers.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the last Killer Ant fell. Saly and Aisha stood amidst a sea of magic stones, panting heavily.
"That... that was incredible," said Saly between ragged breaths, a look of awe on her face.
Aisha nodded, leaning on her sword. "It was. I think we're more than ready for the eighth floor."
After catching their breath and collecting their loot, they continued their descent. Finally, they reached the stairs leading to the eighth floor.
"Are you ready?" Aisha asked, her voice mixed with excitement and caution.
Saly nodded, adjusting her grip on her halberd. "More than ready. Let's show this dungeon what we're made of."
They descended the stairs and emerged onto the eighth floor. The change was immediate and striking. The ceiling soared almost ten meters high, and the ground was covered in short grass that crunched underfoot. The brown walls were covered in moss, and the phosphorescent light was surprisingly bright, almost like sunlight.
"Wow," murmured Saly, slowly turning to take it all in. "It's like we're in a completely different place." The change was remarkably noticeable. Though she had heard about it, seeing it with her own eyes was a different experience altogether.
Aisha nodded, equally impressed. "And look at how many rooms there are. The corridors are shorter too. We'll need to stay alert, monsters could easily ambush us here."
They moved forward cautiously, their senses on high alert. They didn't have to wait long for their first encounter. From one of the many rooms emerged a group of Kobolds, larger and more ferocious than the ones they had faced on the earlier floors.
"Here they come!" Saly shouted, readying her halberd.
The Kobolds charged at them, their claws glinting menacingly in the phosphorescent light. Saly used the reach of her halberd to keep them at bay while Aisha moved among them with lethal grace.
The battle was intense. The Kobolds were faster and stronger than they had expected, and soon Saly and Aisha found themselves fighting back to back.
"Watch your left!" Aisha warned, blocking the attack of a particularly large Kobold.
Saly turned just in time to dodge the claws of another Kobold, countering with a strike from her halberd that split the monster in half.
The battle continued, with Saly and Aisha working in perfect sync. Each movement of one complemented the other's, creating a deadly dance that the Kobolds couldn't match.
Finally, the last Kobold fell, disintegrating. Saly and Aisha stood panting heavily, but with triumphant smiles on their faces.
"That was... intense," Saly said, wiping sweat from her brow.
Aisha nodded, picking up the Kobold Claws left behind. "Yes, but we handled it well. These monsters are definitely stronger here."
They continued their exploration, facing more groups of other monsters like Purple Moth and Needle Rabbit along the way. Each battle left them a little more tired, but also more confident in their abilities and teamwork.
In one of the larger rooms, they encountered an unexpected challenge, a mixed group of Kobolds and Purple Moths working together, with a Blue Papilio hovering above them.
"This is new," murmured Aisha, readying her sword.
Saly nodded, her eyes quickly scanning the situation before the corners of her mouth lifted into a grin.
The battle that followed was much easier than what they had faced so far. The Kobolds were surprisingly fast, but their movements were simple, and the Purple Moths couldn't do much because Saly had already taken an antidote that worked specifically against their venom. Their weapons were also inscribed with the runes of her magic, rendering the Blue Papilio almost decorative, as its healing was nearly nonexistent.
"Intensify, reinforce, sharpen, aggravate, and help me annihilate my enemies!" Saly chanted, and with a fluid motion, the runes on her weapon became more intense and complex, causing it to glow with a red light. She began to spin it in circles, creating a ring of red light that grew with each rotation.
A couple of Kobolds charging at her were decapitated, and when she stopped, she left a red trail in a 380-degree horizontal arc around her from the spins she had made earlier. Some of the Purple Moths that approached were cut down even though Saly hadn't made any additional movements.
"Now, Aisha!" Saly shouted, having taken the lead and giving Aisha enough time to activate her magic.
"… and prove your worth. My starving blade is Hippolyta."
Aisha didn't need to be told twice. With a swing of her sword, she cut down the monsters in a straight line, including the Purple Moth.
Saly finished off the monsters coming towards them after the red trail of light left by her weapon had disappeared.
Finally, the last Kobold fell to Aisha's sword. The two adventurers stood amidst a sea of magic stones, only a little sweaty.
"That... that was fun," said Saly between breaths, leaning on her halberd.
Aisha nodded, wiping the sweat from her brow. "It was. Sophie had told us that it's very difficult for many adventurers to deal with groups of monsters if there's a Purple Moth involved."
While collecting their loot, they found a Blue Papilio Wing. "Lord Ptah is going to love this item drop, I've heard it's quite expensive because of how rare they are and how difficult they are to obtain," Saly commented.
After a brief rest to catch their breath and have a simple lunch in one of the hallways, they continued their exploration of the eighth floor. The rooms seemed to get bigger and the corridors more intricate as they went on, and they finally found the stairs leading to the ninth floor. It had taken them a long time because it was their first time.
When they descended to the ninth floor, the system appeared in front of Ptah.
[Congratulations on completing the mission: Send Saly to the ninth floor of the dungeon]
週次パワーステータス
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