Chapter 0046 Final Day of Class
-x-X-x-
The fifth and final day of the dungeon beginner course.
Questions and answers were held in the lecture room in the morning, and all the students were scheduled to explore the first layer of the dungeon in the afternoon.
By the fourth day, all the basic information needed to dive into the dungeon had been given.
Dungeon structure, traps to watch out for, enemies to watch out for, tools needed for exploration, etc.
Incidentally, for the hands-on training in the afternoon of the fifth day, the guild would provide the minimum tools necessary for exploration, such as potions and antidotes.
That was very much appreciated by the dungeon beginners.
After all, many dungeon beginners were also newcomers as adventurers.
Aside from adventurers from other countries and cities, those who register as adventurers in the City of Rune first hone their skills in the upper floors of the dungeon.
While selling the magic stones and materials from the dungeon to the guild and accumulating money and achievements, they would also receive requests from the surface to raise their adventurer level.
In a way, raising adventurer level by doing both dungeon and surface requests was the mainstream adventurer activity in the City of Rune.
For example, Niles and Etho, who were in the same room as Ryo, have a schedule of entering the dungeon on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and completing surface requests on Tuesday and Thursday, with the weekends as rest days.
It was inevitable that one would gain practical experience in the dungeon.
Thus it was said that adventurers in the City of Rune were better at fighting than adventurers in other cities because they could do it repeatedly from an early stage.
And once they reach a certain adventurer level, they would be in a position where many rewarding requests would be open to them on the surface and they would no longer delve so much into the dungeon.
Since there were rewarding requests on the surface without needing to explore deep into the dungeon, there was no need to take the risk.
As a result, the depths of the dungeon were not explored.
The deepest part on record was the 38th layer.
Considering that after the dungeon layer exceeds thirty, even a B-class party would start to struggle, it was unavoidable that the exploration did not proceed any further.
"We're finally entering the dungeon in the afternoon. I'm feeling nervous."
Amon whispered to Ryo quietly.
"It's still morning. Amon, if you're nervous from now, you'll be exhausted by the afternoon."
Ryo answered with a bitter smile.
"I know but …"
The questions and answers continued even as they had their conversation in quiet voices.
Students would raise questions on matters that were not mentioned in the lectures so far and the guild staff instructor, who was a former adventurer, would answer the questions.
However, no one asked about the information that Ryo wanted to know.
(Hmm, do I have to ask myself? It's embarrassing but … better to ask and be embarrassed than not ask and never know.)
"Are there any other questions?"
Ryo raised his hand.
"Yes, Ryo, do you have a question?"
"Yes, it may not be related to the dungeon in the City of Rune, but is there something like a transfer function to the floor that has been cleared before?"
When he asked that question, everyone except the instructor was surprised.
Next to Ryo, Amon was also surprised.
Yeah, it was an expected reaction.
"Oh, Ryo, I'm surprised you know about this. There are certainly dungeons like that. To supplement Ryo's question, there are dungeons where, for example, if you clear up to 10 floors, you can proceed with the exploration from the 10th floor the next time you enter."
The students were uniformly surprised to hear that.
That was natural.
With such a function, they could go home every day, refresh themselves, and continue exploring.
No other feature would be more useful to a dungeon adventurer.
But …
"But unfortunately, the dungeon here in Rune doesn't have that function. It seems that it can be found in the dungeon of the Western Nations … but I've only heard about it so I don't know the mechanism or details."
"That's all right, thank you."
(As expected, there is no such function in Rune's dungeon. Well, I just want to delve a little into the dungeon and am not aiming to conquer it.)
While he had that thought, Amon whispered to him.
"Ryo-san, you know something so amazing! As expected of a D-rank adventurer."
The day Ryo moved into the dormitory, he told his three roommates, Amon, Niles, and Etho, that he was registered as a D-rank adventurer.
That said, since Niles and Etho were his seniors as adventurers, he didn't put it in a way that would make them lose face.
"No, I just heard about it from somewhere …"
Ryo felt under pressure from Amon's glittering eyes.
Then, in the afternoon, all the students moved to the dungeon.
The dungeon in the City of Rune was in the center of the city.
To be precise, the city was built around the dungeon.
The city was surrounded by walls, but the entrance to the dungeon was also surrounded by two layers of bulwarks.
"I believe I explained in the lecture that there may be monster outbreaks in the dungeon once every few years, but they may even come out to the surface. This double layer of bulwarks was built to prevent them from exiting into the city center."
The city walls were meant to prevent attacks from the outside, but the bulwarks at the entrance to the dungeon were for trapping monsters that overflow from the dungeon.
Beside the entrance to the dungeon, there was a branch office of the Adventurer's Guild.
Whenever a person enters the dungeon, their name, date and time would be recorded.
If they do not resurface after a long time, they would be treated within the guild as 'life or death unknown'.
In addition, when they return from the dungeon, they could sell the magic stones and materials at this branch office.
"Today, all the students have already been recorded, so we will dive into the dungeon right away."
Upon hearing the instructor's voice, a wave of nerves spread among the students.
Ryo and Amon were no exception.
Amon was particularly stiff.
"Amon … I think you should relax a little more. Look, take a deep breath."
Suha Suha
"I-I feel a little better."
He doesn't look like there was any change … Ryo thought so but he didn't voice it out.
"Ah, yeah. Well, it's okay because everyone is here."
"Yeah."
After saying that, they followed the very end of the group of students, passed through the double doors of the dungeon, and went inside.
"It's pretty wide."
They arrived at the first floor of the dungeon after going through the door and going down about 100 steps.
It was a fairly large hall. To the point that he couldn't see the walls.
"As I said in the lecture, there aren't many monsters on this first floor. You can move on your own but only move as far as you can see this hall. Two hours later, we'll be heading out. If you do not return by then, we will head out without you and request the guild to rescue you. Once that happens, I don't think you'll be able to delve into the dungeon for a while!"
Ryo and Amon walked in a pair in the hall.
Amon was a Swordsman, but he just came out of his village yesterday, so his skill was not there yet.
Apparently, there was a retired adventurer who trained him in the village, but that was only for about half a year. Therefore, they explored as both side-by-side, instead of him as a Swordsman vanguard.
"Hmm? There is something."
Ryo whispered to Amon.
"Hm? Where?"
Amon looked around restlessly.
"No, it's ahead, but still a distance away. We'll encounter it in about a minute. I'll stop it with Water-Attribute Magic, and then Amon can attack with your sword."
"Y-yes, I understand!"
Amon was so stiff that he could see it from the side …
(Well, if I stop the opponent's movement completely, there will be no problem.)
And one minute later, they could finally see the monster.
"Soldier Ant. Unlike other ants, they do not spit formic acid. It is easiest to cut off their heads at the base of the neck."
It was a beginner-level monster that appeared in the 『Monster Encyclopedia: Beginner's Edition』 given by Michael (pseudonym).
Its total length was about one meter. It will also appear in dungeons.
"Yes, I understand."
"Well then, I'll try to stop it's movements.
Nine ice spears were fired from Ryo's left hand, drawing a trajectory and piercing the Soldier Ant from the sky.
Giiiiii
The screams of the Soldier Ant echoed.
Nine ice spears pierced the Soldier Ant's six legs, belly, torso, and head and it was sewn to the ground.
"Amon, approach from the side and slice off the Soldier Ant's head."
"Yes!"
Amon pulled out his sword, drew an arc counterclockwise and reached the side of the Soldier Ant, and swung his sword down from the top with spirit.
"Ha!"
Jakin
The Soldier Ant's head was brilliantly cut off from its torso and died.
"Well done!"
Ryo approached Amon, applauding.
"Fu, fu, fuu."
Amon was still a little excited.
But he calmed down as he took deep breaths.
"We did it, Ryo-san."
"Yeah, well done. Gathering the material is difficult so let's bring the magic stone home. It's Amon's first monster commemoration of the dungeon."
Ryo said with a smile.
"Eh? Is that okay?"
"We are adventurers. In the dungeon, the point is to earn money, right?"
Then Ryo thrust his Michael-made knife into the head of the Soldier Ant.
Animal-based monsters had magic stones near their hearts, but insect-based monsters often had magic stones in their heads.
And it was written in the Monster Encyclopedia that the Soldier Ant had a magic stone in its head.
Soon after, he took out a small magic stone about the tip of his little finger.
The magic stone that was washed with water and cleaned was pale yellow.
It seemed to be of earth attribute.
Ryo handed the magic stone to Amon.
"It's a souvenir."
"Yes."
Amon who received it was almost crying.
It wasn't an enemy that was particularly memorable and they didn't struggle to defeat it, but for some reason his tear glands were warm.
However, he managed to resist crying.
"Now, let's slowly return to the meeting place. In the dungeon, slimes would clean up this corpse. Dungeons are so convenient."
Ryo commented and then walked next to Amon, who was elatedly looking at the magic stone.
(The best way to gain confidence is to have successful experiences)
Amon was stiff when he dived into the dungeon … but there was no sign of that anymore.
-x-X-x-
"Then, to celebrate the end of Ryo and Amon's course, cheers!"
In the dining room attached to the guild, a celebration was held by the four people from Room 10 of the dormitory.
That said, the cafeteria did not serve alcohol nor could they bring some in.
In the first place, Amon was still a minor so he couldn't drink alcohol either.
And so, all four of them had juices instead.
Niles and Ryo had apple-like Rindo juice, while Etho and Amon had orange juice.
Both were good for the body so they were quite popular with men and women adventurers.
"Not only that, hunting a Soldier Ant in your first dungeon dive during the course's practical … not bad, the two of you."
Etho said with a grin.
"No, I only dealt the final blow; it was thanks to Ryo who stopped its movements."
Amon said bashfully while holding a piece of chicken.
"Amon, you were able to defeat it with a proper swing of your blade so there is no need to be humble."
Ryo praised Amon while eating a beef-like steak.
"Well, in any case, all is well since you guys were able to get a magic stone."
Niles laughed heartily while holding a bone-in chicken thigh in each hand.
The food in the guild cafeteria was delicious.
And the serving was also large.
Although it was a restaurant that could be used not only by adventurers but also by the residents of the City of Rune, since the main customers were adventurers, the fundamental portions were huge.
"Our party will be taking a break tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, but what do the two of you plan to do?"
After finishing each dish, Etho asked Ryo and Amon while drinking a refill of his juice.
It was Friday night. Niles' party rested on Saturdays and Sundays.
"I'd like to dive into the dungeon a little … but going alone is a bit … should I look for a random party?"
Amon was motivated because he didn't want to forget the sensation he felt today.
"Amon, so fired up! That's how a vanguard should be!"
Niles, as a Swordsman, seemed to care about Amon, who was an Apprentice Swordsman, as fellow vanguards.
"I understand your feelings, but there are many hits and misses when joining random parties …"
Etho did not recommend finding a random party.
"If that's the case, do you want to dive with me? I'm thinking of taking a look up until the third floor."
"Really!? Yes please, I would love to!"
Amon hopped onto Ryo's suggestion immediately.
"I'm a little worried that there were ants on the first floor."
"Yeah, typically we only see things like bats on the first floor. Now that I think about it, didn't we come across a Soldier Ant on the first floor too?"
"Yes, we did. When I asked the guild, it seemed that there had been occasional reports of encounters with Soldier Ants on the first or second floors in the past six months."
Etho seemed to have sought confirmation with the guild.
"Why are ants appearing even though they shouldn't be there?"
"That's because the ants are digging holes vertically and crawling up."
"!"
Niles, Etho, and Amon were surprised by the sudden intruder and looked toward the voice.
"Abel, I'm not impressed that you would scare newcomers as a veteran."
Only Ryo wasn't surprised because he was aware of the signs that Abel was approaching.
"Scare … I'm pretty sure all I did was answer the newcomer's question accurately."
Abel sighed while making a bitter face.
"You guys are Ryo's roommates, right? I'm Abel. Ryo's strength isn't bad, but he has a personality problem, so please try to put up with it."
"Abel, are you trying to start a fight?"
A provocation coming from Abel. Ryo accepted it and stood up.
Of course, they were just fooling around.
"Ah, Abel … Abel from Crimson Sword! I'm Niles, a Swordsman. I'm just a fledgling F-rank adventurer who recently came to Rune, but you're my idol! If it's not too much to ask, could I please shake hands with you …"
Niles, who was feeling nervous, stood up stiffly at attention and introduced himself to Abel.
"Oh, of course."
Abel held Niles' hand and replied.
"Do your best. But don't overdo it. After all, survival is paramount for adventurers, especially in dungeons."
(I think the reason why Abel is so popular is that he can say these kinds of things smoothly while shaking hands.)
Ryo thought to himself.
"Anyway, why is Abel in the guild at this time?"
It was close to 8 pm.
Typically adventurers would finish their reports to the guild by about 6 pm and then either return home or go out for a drink.
In that case, it was quite unimaginable to see them in the guild near 8 pm.
"Oh, I was significantly delayed by the request I picked up. I just only arrived back."
Just as Abel explained, a voice echoed from behind Abel.
"Ah~! Abel, here you are!"
It was Rin, Abel's Magician party member.
"Abel, didn't I tell you that you have to report to the Guild Master. Don't run away."
The priest, Rihya, called out from behind.
"No, you see, as a veteran, it is my duty to give guidance to newcomers …"
"I'm sorry, Ryo and others. I'll take Abel. Warren, hold Abel."
After Rin said that, Warren, the Shield-Bearer, lightly lifted Abel onto his shoulder.
Abel was also quite tall, at about 190 centimeters, but Warren, who could be said to be a giant standing over 2 meters tall, could "lightly" lift him.
"No, wait, Warren. I can walk on my own. Hey, put me down."
Seeing the scene, laughter rose from the surroundings.
"Ryo, I'm sorry. We have to report to the Guild Master, so we'll take Abel."
As usual, Rihya's voice sounded like ringing bells.
"Yes, of course. He's the leader of the Crimson Sword so you can boil him or grill him however you wish."
"Ryo, you traitor! I said let me down Warren."
"That was … an amazing sight …"
Amon said very calmly.
"Oh, Rihya-san, just like an angel …"
Etho was muttering something.
"Abel-san is really cool."
Nile was lost in his own world.
Was there even a 'cool' element just now …
-x-X-x-
Ryo and Amon were on the second floor of Rune's dungeon.
It was a floor with wolf-type monsters such as the Lesser Wolf.
"
The hind legs of two Lesser Wolves were sewn to the ground with ice spears to prevent them from leaping.
"Hah."
Amon launched an attack at one of them.
The Lesser Wolf responded with its uninjured front legs and jaws.
Amon repeatedly attacked and backstepped, accumulating damage on the Lesser Wolf while making sure he didn't receive any.
(That's very effective against a stationary opponent. I'm interested in how he will fight against mobile opponents …)
After several attacks that disabled the Lesser Wolf's front legs, Amon thrust into its throat.
Amon defeated the other, whose hind legs were locked by ice spears, in the same manner.
"Good job."
"Yes, thank you."
Amon replied with a flushed face.
It was not as exciting as yesterday but he felt a thrill right after defeating a monster.
Ryo collected the magic stone from the monster that Amon defeated first.
Those two added up to six Lesser Wolves that they had encountered since entering the second floor.
For the first four wolves, Ryo sewed all their legs to the ground with ice spears like yesterday's ants and had Amon deal the final blow.
As for the recent two wolves, he had Amon fight them with only their hind legs sewn to the ground with ice spears.
"How about it, Amon? For the next one, just one wolf … with no damage would be a troublesome opponent … so I'll damage one of its front legs and let you try fighting it?"
Rather than exploring the dungeon, it had completely turned into battle training for Amon.
"Please do so!"
"That's a good reply."
Everyone likes motivated and honest young people.
Ryo was no exception.
However, Ryo looked like he was in his late teens, so he was pretty much a 『young man』 too …
"But Ryo-san, is that okay?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm very grateful that you are combining both dungeon exploration and combat training, but I think Ryo wouldn't be satisfied …"
Amon asked while washing the magic stone harvested from the Lesser Wolf with water.
Originally, water was precious in the dungeon but since there was a Water-Attribute Magician, they had an inexhaustible supply.
"You don't have to worry about that. It's natural to help my roommates get stronger. By the way, Amon's swordsmanship or movement is similar to Abel's swordsmanship, but you learned from a former adventurer in the village, right?"
"Abel-san's …! Ah, yes. I was taught by an old man named Kiro … Even though he's an old man, he has a toned body and does fieldwork well. I heard that he learned swordsmanship at a large dojo in the royal capital, a somewhat famous school … I think it was the Hume school of swordsmanship."
Amon was apologetic that he didn't remember much.
"I see. If you build a solid foundation, you'll surely become very strong. Because Abel was like that too. Let's continue."
With that said, the two started walking side by side.
Like yesterday, they walked in parallel.
"I thought Ryo is a Magician, but are you familiar with swords too?"
"A long time ago, I had sword sparring with my teacher but I can't say that I'm familiar with swords because it's an original style."
Ryo replied and stared off into the distance.
The figure of Dullahan, the Fairy King, came to his mind for the first time in a long time.
"You're amazing! You have sword technique on top of being a Magician … Eh? But you don't usually carry a sword."
(I remember having such an exchange recently …)
"This is my sword."
He replied and drew Murasame out of his belt before forming the ice blade.
"Wha-wha-what is that …"
Amon's eyes were wide open with interest.
That said, a sword blade that was formed with ice, or rather a single-edged sword that was closer in form to a katana, would cause anybody to react like Amon when they see such a thing for the first time.
"A sword for Water Magicians given to me by my teacher."
"An Ice blade … Yeah, you can't make the blade if you can't use Water-Attribute Magic. But this is the first time I've seen one."
At that moment, Ryo reacted.
"Two Lesser Wolves are coming from the front."
"Ah, yes!"
Amon, whose head was spinning a little from seeing Murasame, unsheathed his sword and braced himself.
"Then, as mentioned earlier, I will damage the front leg of one of them so please fight it."
"Yes!"
"
Two ice spears pierced the hind legs of a Lesser Wolf and sewn it to the ground.
Then, a water jet shot through the left front leg of another Lesser Wolf.
"Kyainnn"
The Lesser Wolf was shot in its front leg but it stood on three legs and faced Amon who was approaching.
The Lesser Wolf's magic stone was a small green magic stone so it had the Wind Attribute as a monster, but it can't use long-range attack magic like Air Slash.
Even if it charged, it could not attack at the speed of sound like the Assassin Hawk, a monster with the same Wind Attribute.
It was a 『Lesser』 monster and a monster that appeared on the second floor, so it was not that strong.
Still, for Amon, who had just registered as an F-rank adventurer, it was a strong enemy one-on-one.
To be safe, Ryo had applied an ultra-thin Ice Armor spell on both of them.
As it did not affect movement during battle, Amon had already forgotten about it.
Ryo thought that was better for training.
Amon's fighting style was basically the same as when fighting against the immobile Lesser Wolf with hind legs sewn to the ground.
The repeated tactic of attacking and pulling away.
However, even though it was shot in the front leg, the Lesser Wolf still sometimes charged in from the front, so he had to dodge diagonally backward many times.
(I see. His style of fighting ensures that he doesn't take a lot of damage. The worry is running out of stamina. Well, stamina can be trained by anyone as long as they run seriously, so it can be done … Now that I think about it, I haven't run at all recently …)
When he was in the Rondo Forest, he ran every morning … Well, he ran while training his magic control, but he hadn't done that since he left the forest and started traveling with Abel.
But in a shared room with four others, he was worried that he would wake the others up. Amon defeated the Lesser Wolf as Ryo was thinking to himself.
"Good job."
However, he seemed to be quite tired as he was supporting himself with his sword.
"Amon, sit down and take a break."
Ryo, with a swing of Murasame, cut off the head of the Lesser Wolf whose hind legs were sewn to the ground.
Then, he extracted the magic stone with Michael's knife.
After taking out the magic stone from the Lesser Wolf that was defeated by Amon too, Ryo returned to Amon.
"
The Ice Wall stretched to the ceiling and covered all four directions, forming a safe area of 5 meters squared.
"This ice wall cannot be easily broken through so take your time to rest."
"Sorry."
Amon replied and lay down spread-eagled. He was still out of breath.
(If I want to be on the safe side, I should put an ice wall on the floor too … No, the ground is uneven, so I can't use Ice Wall … What about Ice Bahn, it has some durability and will work … but it's 'ice' after all so it will be cold … I wonder if it won't be cold if I apply it about 5 mm below the ground … In the first place, I wonder if I can generate an Ice Bahn inside the ground … I'll experiment on this when I return to the surface.)
While Ryo was thinking about creating Ice Bahn as such, Amon, who had somewhat regained his breath, got up.
"I'm sorry, I can move a little now."
Ryo could tell that he was actually overdoing it.
"No, this is not a situation where you have to overdo it, so just rest. It's a good idea to drink water first."
Amon drank water from the water bottle as he was told.
Since there was a chance that something could cause them to separate from each other, each of them had their own dungeon exploration tools.
For example, water bottles, potions, antidotes, etc.
"Phew."
Amon exhaled audibly.
"Even so, this Ice Wall is amazing. It's completely transparent, isn't it? I've never seen transparent ice. Isn't it always white?"
"It's because of the impurities and air in the water. If you remove them completely, you'll get transparent ice even without magic. Though this was made completely transparent using magic."
Ryo laughed as he said that.
Even on modern earth, nearly completely transparent ice could be made.
Even if it could not be made with the home refrigerator or an ice machine used for business use, with time and effort, it could be made by a professional using more than 48 hours.
For example, the ice used in ice sculpture would be manufactured in such a manner.
On Earth, things that took so much effort and time could be made in an instant on 『Phi』 … magic is great!
"Water-Attribute Magic is amazing!"
Amon looked at Ryo and the Ice Wall with a look of adoration.
(All right, I'm contributing to improving the status of Water-Attribute Magicians little by little.)
Ryo nodded in his heart.
"Anyway, battling a moving opponent is so exhausting …"
Amon was slightly depressed.
"Did you fight monsters when you were in the village?"
"I've only experienced fighting against lone monsters with a few people."
Fighting one-on-one and beating the hell out of one using numbers are completely different in how the battle wears down the nerves.
"Amon's style of fighting tires you out easily after all."
Hit and away sounds good, but it means that it involves a lot of approaching and breaking away movements.
It leads to constant leg movement and is prone to causing fatigue as a result.
"Is that so..."
Amon was still slightly depressed.
"But if you do it right, I think it's a way of fighting that is less likely to cause serious injuries. The point is that you only need to have endurance. And anyone can train endurance."
"Is that true?!"
Amon looked at Ryo with glistening eyes.
"Run earnestly. With just that, anyone can develop endurance. Build a body that is resistant to fatigue. It is a versatile capability that is useful in any situation."
"I see!"
"After that, practice swings are useful for building endurance for the upper body muscles such as the arms and shoulders. You practiced that in your village too, right?"
Even when you examine swordsmanship all over the world, none advocate not performing practice swings and routines.
"Yes. I did it every day, including other routines."
"I believe keeping that up is the way to improve. I traveled with Abel for a while and even Abel practiced his routines every day early in the morning."
"Abel-san too!"
"Abel may be a genius with the sword, but he puts in effort even as a genius."
"I … I don't think I have a talent for the sword."
Amon said in a slightly lower tone. He still seemed to be a little negative of himself.
"Amon, the strongest master I know, when asked what talent is, he said 『Talent is the will to persevere』. Perseverance is power."
Amon looked up enthusiastically and stared at Ryo.
"Amon, are you unable to continue putting in the effort?"
"No … I'll do it! Let me do it!"
Ryo nodded while watching Amon screaming 'I will do it!' next to him.
(It is so difficult to be a motivator … The ability to inspire people … is something I want badly.)
Ryo, who was great at stirring up Abel … It seemed that the world would be difficult in many ways.
-x-X-x-
Sunday, the next day.
As expected, it would not be a good idea to dive into the dungeon for two days in a row, so Amon started his training immediately.
In the early morning, he did practice swings before breakfast and after breakfast, he ran at the adventurer's guild's outdoor training ground throughout the morning.
Of course, he didn't have much stamina yet so he ran slowly.
However, he did not stop and even if he had to walk sometimes, he kept moving for the time being.
It was also what Ryo used to do in the Rondo Forest a long time ago.
The motivated figure of the youngest member had a positive effect on the seniors.
Seeing Amon running, Niles and Etho also started running.
That said, the frail priest Etho immediately dropped out …
Incidentally, Ryo did not join them.
If they got a glimpse of Ryo's bottomless stamina, they might even be discouraged!
However, he didn't join them not because he was thinking about such things, but because he just had something else he wanted to do.
It was to find out about alchemy.
In the City of Rune, there were two large libraries, one in the south and one in the north.
The library in the south, which was close to the Adventurer's Guild, had many books for beginners and the general public.
Ryo was told that, so he decided to go to the South Library first.
There was a large square in front of the library and also a fairly large bookstore next to it.
(There's business to be made because loaning of books is prohibited by the library. So people would search for books in the library and buy them at the neighboring bookstore … a style of business that is unthinkable on Earth.)
The entrance fee to the library was 2,000 Florin.
If nothing went wrong, half of it, 1000 Florin, would be returned when he left.
The library was enormous.
Perhaps it was as big as the dome stadium that he was taken to when he was on Earth?
"This … I don't think it's possible to find it alone."
He went back to the counter and asked for the location of introductory books related to alchemy.
"Please follow me."
Then, a woman who seemed to be a librarian who was working near the counter guided him.
It seemed that it was far away from the counter.
They walked for more than five minutes and finally arrived.
"If you're a complete beginner, I recommend reading this book and this one first. Also, as for beginner's recipes … I think this is good."
Then, the female librarian picked out three books for Ryo.
『Introduction to Alchemy』
『First Alchemy』
『Alchemy First Recipe Collection』
The authors were all Neil Andersen.
Ryo thanked her and moved to an empty seat with the three books.
The number of users was actually quite small.
The 1000 Florin fee was not cheap for the common people.
– All alchemy is performed through the use of magic circles or magic formulas.
-There are no restrictions on the materials used to draw the magic circle.
-The magic circle is activated for the first time by channeling the magic power through the magic circle that has been drawn.
– A magic circle can operate without receiving magical power supply from humans if the magic stone and the magic circle are connected and are very compatible.
And many other information.
Incidentally, it seemed that 『magic formula』 could only be used by advanced alchemists and above so it was not necessary at this stage. (TLN: '魔法式' can either mean magic formula or magic ritual/ceremony)
『Introduction to Alchemy』and 『First Alchemy』 were for beginners, so they explained from a logical point of view why alchemy was possible, what it was good at and what it was not good at.
『Alchemy First Recipe Collection』 had both a collection of recipes and also simple magic circles that could be used for alchemy.
Towards the end of the recipe collection, he also found recipes and magic circles for a few potions.
However, there was also a cautionary note.
『Because there is a high risk of running out of magical power, do not attempt unless you are a skilled Magician.』
(Ah, so that's why so few people make their own potions …)
Ryo didn't know how much magical power a skilled Magician would have, but if a lot of magical power was needed to make a potion, adventurers would naturally find it better to buy them instead.
(Well, as alchemy practice, it would be better to make something I need, such as potions necessary in dungeons, rather than to make something I don't need.)
HeI was also happy to see the recipe for an antidote.
It seemed that there were several ways to make potions, but there were also recipes that could be made with ingredients that were easily gathered in the dungeon.
(Although it may be hard to gather the ingredients on the surface, these materials could be gathered in the dungeon by exploring up to the 5th floor. This might be a lucky chance.)
In Ryo's mind, he had already decided to buy 『Alchemy First Recipe Collection』 at the bookstore next door after leaving the library.
However, since he had already paid 2,000 Florin to enter the library, he decided to read up a little more.
In the end, Ryo left the library two hours later.
He went straight to the neighboring bookstore and found the 『Alchemy First Recipe Collection』 for sale.
But … the price was 100,000 Florin … 10 gold coins …
(So expensive … No, I guess that's normal for a book … But anyway, the money I have isn't enough.)
It was a problem, and when he was thinking about what to do, he suddenly thought of it.
(The guildmaster said that one would be bought by the feudal lord, so the gold for that would be deposited quickly … I wonder if it's already in.)
With that in mind, Ryo walked towards the Adventurer's Guild. It was just one block north.
In conclusion, Ryo was a little surprised to find the amount of money in his account.
It was purely from the sale of the Wyvern magic stone.
He probably didn't have to work for money for quite some time.
There was no need to work hard for money … what a wonderful thing to hear!
It was fine to live however and do whatever he wanted … all hail Wyverns!
For the time being, Ryo took out about 15 gold coins and headed for the bookstore.
However, he noticed something when he left the guild.
(Eh? Isn't it a little dark?)
The sun was out.
It was out, but … he felt that it was getting darker little by little.
(A solar eclipse …?)
The people of the City of Rune on the street also looked up at the sky with a hint of anxiety.
By the time Ryo arrived at the library square, the sun was completely hidden by the moon.
And the scenery of the world changed.
-x-X-x-
The world had flipped.
Ryo could only express it that way.
All the signs of people around him had disappeared.
However, the scenery remained the same.
For example, his feet were still on the cobbled road of the City of Rune.
(It feels like I'm in a subspace … as expected of a fantasy world.)
However, he had a throbbing feeling that something was dangerous.
(Should I do what the submarine captain would say, 'Fire just one ping' … I'm certain there's something, but since I don't know where or what it is, I guess that is my only choice …)
Ryo took a deep breath and imagined.
(
At that instant, a wave of 『stimulation』 spread through the water vapor floating in the surrounding air centered on Ryo.
(I found it. About 200 meters ahead, the size is almost the same as a human, but the sonar reflection is strange …)
After analyzing up to that point, he felt an abnormality from the front.
(『Ice Wall 10-Layers』)
A spell that severs, like a Sonic Blade, flew in from the front and hit the ice wall before bouncing off.
(What power …)
So far, he had defended against many monster attacks with the ice wall, but that destructive power was overwhelmingly high among all of them.
"Hmm? Did a human get dragged in?"
He heard the voice not far away from him.
The being should have been about 200 meters away from the reaction of the Active Sonar, but the voice was much closer.
Then, as the voice gradually approached, Ryo saw it.
Height 175 cm. Almost the same as Ryo.
Bipedal gait.
Two arms.
The appearance was human at first glance.
However, if looked closely, there was a tail.
And there was something that looked like a horn.
The body was a woman by human standards. Because the chest was bigger compared to man.
The face was … a beautiful woman.
Although she was a beautiful woman … Ryo wasn't charmed at all.
After recognizing its existence, the first impression he had was …
(...Akuma?) (TLN: Refresher: Akuma = Devil, but the author made a distinction between Akuma悪魔 and Devilデビル)
In 『Monster Encyclopedia: Beginner's Edition』, there was a section on the 'Akuma' that Michael (pseudonym) seemed to have added on purpose.
Remarks: Pray that you do not meet one.
(Yeah, I might have met one … and in an unusual space …)
The presence of the Akuma (provisional) was staggering.
Perhaps around the range of Behi-chan or Griffon?
If that encounter was in the normal space, Ryo would have escaped as fast as he could.
Yes, he would escape like a genuine rabbit, without looking back. (TLN: The idiom for Japanese to 'Escape as fast as possible' is literally 'Like an escaping rabbit'.)
However, he was in a space where escape was unlikely.
At present, Ryo's back was drenched in cold sweat.
"Oh well. There will be no problem as long as I kill them."
The moment she said that, a huge amount of magical power converged on the hands of the Akuma (provisional).
(That's dangerous!
In front of Ryo, 10 layers of Ice Walls were generated one after another, overlapping each other.
A multitude of Ice Walls stretched towards the Akuma (provisional).
The hellfire released by the Akuma (provisional) crashed into the overlapping Ice Wall 10-Layers and penetrated it with almost no loss of momentum.
(I wonder if this can stop it.)
Ryo channeled magical power into the stacked Ice Wall 10-Layers to strengthen it while shedding cold sweat.
The spell consumed the ice walls about halfway through. By then, its speed had slowed down a little too.
After it consumed another half more, it had slowed down considerably.
When it reached the final Ice Wall 10-Layers … the Akuma's (provisional) hellfire was extinguished.
(I stopped it ...)
Ryo was relieved.
And then....
In an instant, the final Ice Wall 10-Layers broke.
Following his intuition, Ryo desperately twisted his body to dodge the wind spear that was aimed at his heart.
But he was too late.
He escaped a direct hit to his heart but was stabbed at his left shoulder … however, it shattered without piercing him.
Nevertheless, pushed by the momentum of the spear, Ryo's body flew backward while rotating.
"The wind spear didn't penetrate …"
The Akuma (provisional) was astonished.
"I was surprised that he was able to block the hellfire, but the wind spear too … no, that robe … the Fairy King's robe …?"
The Akuma (provisional) squinted and focused on the robe Ryo had on that blocked her wind spear.
"There's no doubt about it. The Fairy King's robe … no wonder. I guess I have to slash directly?"
Ryo was blown away but because he twisted his body, he was hardly damaged.
(
He didn't know how effective it would be but it was better than nothing.
"Well, in any case, die."
When the Akuma (provisional) picked up her sword that appeared out of nowhere, she rushed in and closed the distance to Ryo in an instant.
Ryo also held up Murasame and received the attack.
Ryo parried the Akuma's (provisional) sword.
He also fought back by relying on sideward sweeps and thrusts.
However, the movement of the Akuma (provisional) was abnormally fast.
(Is she moving using Wind Magic, not just footwork?)
Ryo's sideways sweeps and thrusts were just a diversion.
He fundamentally devoted himself to defending.
Ryo, who was devoted to defending, could not be easily taken down.
In the past, it could be said that in the close battle with the evolved one-eyed Assassin Hawk, he also won by thwarting its attacks by defending.
Even when he practiced with Dullahan, the Fairy King, his defense was not easily broken through if he devoted himself to defending.
Ryo was an impregnable fortress when it came to the sword.
And his stamina was inexhaustible.
As expected, even the Akuma (provisional) couldn't hide her frustration that she couldn't bypass his defense no matter how long she attacked.
"That sword is also the sword of the Fairy King … Who the heck are you …"
The Akuma (provisional) held her sword with her right hand as she attacked while collecting a small amount of magical power in her left hand.
(
Before the magic was activated, it was struck and offset by an Icicle Lance generated from midair.
"What's with that generation speed … you monster."
"You're one to say that."
Ryo unintentionally retorted when a monster called him a monster.
"Mu … you can understand my language? You're trouble after all. I must kill you."
"You've been trying to kill me since a while ago …"
The sword fight became even more intense.
However, Ryo had more leeway compared to the beginning.
It was probably because he had become accustomed to the Akuma's (provisional) sword handling.
However, that was also noticed by the Akuma (provisional).
Therefore, she took a distance by leaping back to get a fresh start.
(Chance!
He timed it as the Akuma (provisional) was on her downward trajectory and fired off ice spears from the front.
(
The Akuma (provisional) erased all the first 32 ice spears by simply waving her hand.
64 additional ice spears spread like a fan and rapidly converged toward the Akuma (provisional).
However, all of them disappeared just by a wave of her hand too.
"Only this much …"
When the Akuma (provisional) said that, the main attack of 256 ice spears fell from directly above the Akuma.
A silent attack from the blind spot after attracting her attention forward.
As expected, even the Akuma (provisional) was delayed in responding to it.
"Ku."
However, he didn't think it could be defeated with just ice spears.
(
When she turned her attention up, he once again attacked directly from the front with ice spears.
The Akuma (provisional) created an earth wall to defend against that.
(
And then his true attack, 256 water jets with ice abrasives were generated on the 『other side』 of the earth wall which fired in a random number of angles and sliced the entire space including the Akuma (provisional).
The earth wall created by the Akuma (provisional) was also dissected by the abrasive jet and collapsed.
Ryo, holding up Murasame, plunged into it.
But....
He was just a split moment, a second, or even a millisecond, late.
The Akuma (provisional) certainly seemed to have been damaged to some extent by his Abrasive Jet, but by the time Ryo rushed in, her regeneration was already complete.
"Rapid Regeneration!?"
"Don't look down on me, human!"
Ryo released the fastest frontal strike he could.
However, the Akuma (provisional) parried it.
Ryo stepped back and readied his sword without pushing too deeply.
The surface of the Akuma's body was squirming.
(Is that the part that was regenerated? I couldn't defeat it with a frontal attack … in that case.)
For an instant, Ryo turned his gaze slightly upwards.
The Akuma (provisional) showed a dramatic reaction.
She retreated immediately.
She was wary of the fall of 256 spears from above.
But that was beyond Akuma's expectations.
(Although it was a gaze to guide her attention as a distraction … It is counterproductive if she retreats so far away.)
There was a distance of about 20 meters between Ryo and the Akuma (provisional).
He had no way of reducing that distance in an instant.
But the Akuma (provisional) had.
(I guess it will be a magic battle again …)
After thinking so far, he heard the voice of the Akuma (provisional).
"Hmm … Unfortunately, the time has run out. It's been hundreds of years since I've had such a battle. It was a lot of fun, human."
"Are you running away?"
Upon hearing that, 'Kukuku' the Akuma (provisional) laughed devilishly.
"There's no use provoking me. This 『corridor』is a special space. Even I have restrictions that I can't escape from. My name is Leonor Uraca Alburquerque. What's your name?"
Ryo wondered if he should answer.
The name represents the body … or because he grew up in the country where they believe words hold mysterious powers …
He was wary that he might be trapped if he gave his name to the Akuma.
"Hm? Do humans not have names?"
The Akuma (provisional), no, Leonor, found it amusing.
"My name is Ryo. Akuma."
Leonor was surprised to hear that.
"Akuma … you know our true identity … perhaps I should have killed you even if I had to force myself …"
But she shook her head.
"I don't have enough time and you are not an opponent that I can beat easily in the first place. It's unavoidable. Let's meet again, Ryo."
"No, sorry but I don't wish to see you again …"
'Kukuku' Leonor laughed once again.
"Don't say that. If you have that much power, we'll meet again even if you don't want to. It might be me, or one of us. Don't be killed by anyone other than me. I shall be the one who kills Ryo. By then, I will be stronger than I am now. See you again."
Then, Leonor's presence disappeared.
And the world regained its color.
-x-X-x-
"I managed to survive …"
The last time he was so close to death in a fight … was with the one-eyed Assassin Hawk?
For the time being, he sat down on the bench in the plaza because it was eye-catching that he was standing alone in the plaza in front of the library.
(Since the one-eyed Assassin Hawk … Now that I think about it, it used magic nullification. Behi-chan also had a magic nullification space. And now the Akuma, Leonor, could erase the Icicle Lances with just a wave of her hand … 32 or 64 lances were gone in an instant…)
"Ow."
Pain ran through his left shoulder.
It was the spot where Leonor's wind spear hit.
There weren't any broken bones. Probably just a bruise.
It served as proof that the battle just now was not a dream.
But more importantly, he was surprised that the robe did not have a scratch on it.
(If it weren't for this robe, I would have a big hole in my shoulder … I'm thankful to my teacher.)
Ryo thought of Dullahan in his heart and bowed with gratitude.
(Leonor's magic … that was magic, right? It had ridiculous power … but above all, that movement speed … that speed at which she rushed in in an instant and the speed at which she retreated in an instant … it was probably not spatial transfer but some kind of Wind Magic … something like a breakdown rush … damn you Wind Magic!)
For some reason, Ryo's reflection led to reputational damage to Wind-Attribute magic.
(By the way, she said the time was up …)
And the solar eclipse was over.
Ryo arbitrarily concluded that the solar eclipse was probably involved.
There were so many people around but only Leonor and Ryo were in that space.
(There are so many things I don't understand. For now, I won't think about what I don't understand! All I have to do now is buy the alchemy books and collect information about Akumas when I return … But even Abel didn't know about their existence.)
During their trip to Rune, Ryo once asked Abel if he knew about Akumas.
But Abel answered that he knew about Devils but not Akumas.
(Abel is probably the third son of an aristocratic family so … if even a person in the so-called intellectual class did not know about it, information on them probably can't be easily collected.)
"For the time being, let's buy the books and go home."
There was no one in Room 10 of the dormitory.
From the window of Room 10, he could see the outdoor training ground of the Adventurer's Guild.
"Huh? Don't tell me they're still training?"
Among the people in the training ground, he spotted the three people from Room 10.
"If I wasn't tired, I would have messed you bastards up …"
Niles said with regret.
Niles, Etho, and Amon were knocked down on the ground and five men were looming over them.
"Hah! It's even more refreshing to see sore losers."
All five were adventurers from Room 1 of the dormitory.
Did they lose in mock combat or something?
"That's rich coming from people who launched surprise attacks …"
Etho said bitterly.
"Hey. Then are you guys going to tell the monsters in the dungeon to say a word before they attack? Or say 'I'm tired now so please stop'?. Don't be a fool."
The man from Room 1, Dan, jeered at them.
"That's exactly right. The ones who have their guard down are at fault."
At the same time as the voice echoed in the training ground, ice spears pierced the solar plexus of the four others from Room 1, except Dan, who was making a fool of them.
Of course, the tips were rounded so they were not injured.
All four were just in agony.
"Wha …"
"What happened? Ice spears hit their stomachs."
Then Ryo appeared at the training ground.
"Ryo!"
The three people from Room 10, who were still lying on the ground, called Ryo's name at the same time.
"You..."
"Don't let your guard down. You said some good things earlier. Would you tell the opponent to say a word before they attack? … of course not, right? Sigh … Niles, and you two, you guys are slacking off."
That said, Ryo first made Etho drink a potion.
Once the priest Etho recovers, the other two would also be restored.
"I'm ashamed …"
Niles replied softly.
"Well, you guys have been running all the time since the morning and are at the limits of your stamina so it can't be helped. On Saturdays and Sundays, you guys will have to strengthen your stamina even more."
"Eh …"
A voice leaked from Etho, who seemed to be the weakest of the three.
Actually, Amon who just came out of his village should be the least physically fit but … Amon seemed to somehow pull through with sheer will.
"And then, this person standing there …"
"He's Dan from Room 1."
Niles informed Ryo.
"Ah, you're Dan. What are you going to do? Your companions were struck down by surprise attacks so are you going to turn tail and run away?"
"Who do you think you are?!"
Dan shouted, pulling out his sword.
Then, he slashed at Ryo forcefully.
(Too slow...)
It was an obvious swing with a huge windup!
Ryo dodged by stepping his left foot forward to the left and moving the center of gravity to his left foot.
With his left hand, he grabbed Murasame's handle (without its ice blade) with a reverse grip, pulled it out of his belt, and slammed it into Dan's right flank.
In boxing terms, it was a liver blow … a strike to the liver.
Moreover, the power was increased by properly twisting the legs and hips from below.
Dan's leather armor couldn't absorb the shock.
"… Guha."
Dan collapsed, rolled to the ground, and fainted in agony.
(I thought that my bare hands would hurt because he was wearing armor so I struck with Murasame's handle … It feels different from boxing after all … it's so different just because the wrist sensation is different?)
Ryo was verifying the punch without worrying about Dan who was in agony.
"I wouldn't want to be him …"
Niles looked at Dan rolling on the ground with eyes full of pity.
"I almost died a little while ago … so it seems that the excitement from battle hadn't cooled down yet."
The three people from Room 10 were surprised to hear that.
Dan wasn't in a state to hear those words.
"Oh right, Etho, could you treat my shoulders as well?"
Ryo said and showed Etho his left shoulder.
"This is terrible! There are no broken bones but … I can tell that this was caused by an incredible impact … I mean, it would have been dangerous if it struck your heart."
Then Etho cast a recovery spell.
"Mother Goddess, give me a healing hand
In a blink of an eye, the bruise marks disappeared along with the pain.
"This happened because I barely evaded an attack aimed at my heart… I'm glad I'm alive."
"What did you fight!?"
Niles, Etho, and Amon screamed the same question.
An opponent who could threaten Ryo's life, even though Ryo was capable of overwhelming a Swordsman with just physical skill despite being a Magician …
"I'll talk about it next time if I get the chance."
Ryo smiled and ended the conversation.
(Getting cornered by Leonor but showing off one-sided power against F-class adventurers … that's not cool …)
They left the four people from Room 1 and Dan, who was in agony, lying on the ground.
Niles, Etho, Amon, and Ryo were all grimy because of all that happened, so they all headed to the public bath.
Naturally, each household did not have a bath, but there were dozens of public baths in the city.
They were like privately run public baths.
This was also possible because there was a large river on the north side of the city, a water channel that draws water from there, and a sewerage system that passed under the pedestrian walkways.
It was completely beyond the normal infrastructure of a medieval city … Ryo thought to himself.
"Thank you, Ryo. If you didn't come, we would have ended up being ridiculed by Dan."
"Even so, Ryo-san's movement was amazing! Even though you're a Magician."
"Amon, the Magicians now can do at least this much."
"No, that's not true."
Amon was impressed, Ryo played dumb, and Niles retorted.
Etho snickered as he tried to stop his laughter.
It was such a peaceful Sunday afternoon that it seemed like Ryo's encounter at the library plaza was but a dream.
-x-X-x-
"By the way Ryo, you said you went to the library today but what were you looking for?"
In the evening after returning from the public bath, the four were having their dinner at the guild cafeteria.
Compared to the Swordsman and Apprentice Swordsman, Etho, as a Priest, wondered what Ryo was investigating.
"I was looking up Alchemy."
"Can Ryo do alchemy too?"
"No, I haven't performed it before but there are some things I want to try when I have the chance."
Ultimately, he wanted to make ice golems to cultivate the fields in the Rondo Forest.
However, that was a secret that Ryo kept to himself which he had not revealed to anyone yet.
"I've heard that you can make potions with alchemy but it consumes a lot of magical power …"
"Yes, I bought a recipe book for beginners and that book also wrote something like that."
"You bought a book …?"
Niles stiffened.
Etho smiled bitterly.
Amon didn't understand how much money was needed and just had an amazed look on his face.
"With the reward money I received for guiding Abel …"
"As expected, Abel-san! He can pay enough money to buy a book!"
To the Swordsman Niles, Abel was exactly the hero he admired.
"Rihya-san is truly an angel …"
For some reason, at the mention of Abel, Etho seemed to have thought of Rihya and muttered with red cheeks.
"Books sound expensive."
Amon's reaction was very common sense and Ryo was relieved to hear it.
"Right, Ryo, tomorrow we'll be teaming up with Amon to dive into the dungeon as a party of three … How about Ryo come with us?"
"I'm sorry, I'll have to decline. There are some things I want to do on the surface."
Ryo bowed and refused.
"Oh, yeah, I thought you'd say that so don't worry about it."
Niles scratched his head and said.
Etho was also smiling wryly.
The difference in ability was too distinct. Between Ryo and the three of them.
Of course, there was also a clear difference between Niles and Etho, who have been diving into the dungeon for more than half a year, and Amon, who had just left a village.
However, that was still insignificant compared to the difference with Ryo.
Both Niles and Etho clearly understood the difference.
They were slightly aware when he was able to register for D-class immediately but were convinced when they saw him defeat Dan with a single blow today.
Dungeon exploration would certainly go a long way if they had a strong adventurer.
There would be progress, but it would be unreasonable for both parties.
For those who had to do their best to follow, and for those who were carrying the burden of the weaker party members.
Therefore, the guild also recommended exploring by forming a party with the same ability.
Meanwhile, Ryo was in this situation because … normally, a person who had just registered as an adventurer would not be so strong.
Ryo was among the few exceptions … and it may be unavoidable for the guild because it was unexpected that such a person would opt to move into the dormitory.
Next Monday.
"Well then, we'll be setting off."
With that said, Niles, Etho and Amon went diving into the dungeon.
Ryo was outside the city.
He decided to run outside the walls.
It would have been fine to do so at the outdoor training ground in the guild, but he was also a little curious about what was going on around where he lived.
And while running outside the walls, he constructed ice Tokyo Towers in both hands.
Just like how he used to do in the Rondo Forest.
Magical control training and endurance … it was training for both aspects.
As his skill with magical control increased, the speed of his magic generation would also increase.
Yesterday, Ryo lost to Leonor in many ways, including power, but he did not lose in the speed of magic generation.
That was because he managed to prevent Leonor's magic as she was creating it during their sword fight.
And that was precisely why he wanted to be able to use magic faster and more accurately.
He must pull ahead in the area where he was leading.
As for the areas he lost in, he also had to train further so as not to lose anymore.
The sense of overwhelming difference was the difference in movement speed after all.
Leonor reduced the distance of several tens of meters to zero in an instant.
That was probably Wind-Attribute Magic.
And Ryo could only use Water-Attribute Magic.
Could he achieve something similar with Water-Attribute Magic…?
On Earth, there was something called 『water jet propulsion』.
It was mainly used by surface vessels by sucking in water and expelling it backward… and the opposite reaction of that expulsion would cause the vessel to move forward.
Water Jet … Yes, Ryo had already made use of it.
To cut things.
He could just use that.
In fact, he had already experienced moving using Water Jet.
He used it to escape from the sea immediately …
When he was in a battle with the Bait Ball.
And during his escape from the battle with the Kraken.
He used Water Jet ejected from the soles of his feet to propel him upward.
At that time, he had his hands full in battle and couldn't afford to think about the risk of failure but … when it came down to utilizing it, it succeeded well …
It was possible to fire Water Jets from the soles of his feet.
However, if he wanted to use it in battles on the ground, he would have to fire them from his back.
From his back …? Certainly, he would have to fire them from his back.
However, he felt that his neck would snap …
Then from the head too …? Certainly, he had to fire simultaneously from the back of his head as well as his back.
However, in that case, he felt that it would hurt his arms and legs …
In other words, from the shoulders, upper arms, thighs, hamstrings, and heels too …?
It seemed like he would have to fire them from the entire back of his body.
He managed to secure the image for the time being but … he would like to start by trying it with as little momentum as possible.
(If I made the ground ice with Ice Bahn and done well, even Water Jet with minute propulsion would move me forward …?)
"
Then, he drew the image in his head of Water Jets spouting from the entire back of his body.
"
Ryo imagined the maximum number of Water Jets that he could currently generate, 256, firing out from his back … they actually fired but …
"I'm not moving..."
It wasn't a surprise.
He sensed that he did move just a little.
Ryo collapsed to his knees, with both hands on the ground.
"I lost..."
It seemed that he lost to something …
One minute later …
"Well, I don't think I can do it yet … If I can upgrade 256 to 1024, there is a possibility that it would work."
Ryo recovered.
And started running again.
Niles, Etho, and Amon were on the fourth floor of the dungeon in Rune.
Goblins appeared on this floor.
Goblins weren't a big deal when alone.
Compared to the Lesser Wolf that appeared up to the third floor, they were easier to defeat if there was just one.
However, goblins had weapons and may attack in groups.
Their weapons were usually swords with chipped blades and broken spears, but rarely some goblins used bows too.
And even more rarely, some goblins could use magic.
But except for those rare goblins, it was easy to beat them unless you were surrounded.
However, nothing on their body could be used as material. Nobody would purchase anything taken from them. Except for their magic stones.
"The hunting speed is different with just one additional Swordsman."
Niles laughed energetically while collecting the magic stones of the defeated goblins.
"You're right. Especially with Goblins, it's noticeable."
Since Etho was a Priest in the magic class, he concentrated on casting recovery during the battle but helped to strip materials and collect magic stones.
In fact, he was the best in doing so among the three.
"Compared to Lesser Wolves, Goblins move slowly so I think it's easier to beat them."
Amon was less accustomed to collecting magic stones than Niles and Etho.
Still, he managed to harvest magic stones.
"Okay, let's take a break."
Under Niles' command, all three took a break against rocks.
That said, they were in a dungeon. They could only rest their bodies but couldn't get rid of mental fatigue.
Nevertheless, it was important to include proper breaks.
Niles was a type of adventurer who maintained a fairly large safety margin.
Amon was very grateful for that as a person who had just begun to dive into the dungeon.
"Amon, water is a must but you should lick some salt as well."
And he also took care of others.
"Right, you mentioned it after our run yesterday, salt."
"Yeah. After sweating, it's a good idea to have water and salt. It's a practice from my village."
"Mother Goddess, lend me a healing hand, 『Lesser Heal』"
Etho treated the injury on Amon's arm.
"Phew, it was a little dangerous just now."
Niles was collecting a magic stone from the bow-wielding Goblin Archer.
Yes, there was a goblin using a bow in the group that they just defeated.
Although it was the fifth floor by just advancing a little further ahead, there have not been any reports of encounters with groups that have Goblin Archers on this floor…
"It's not a good prospect, isn't it? Goblin Archers on the 5th floor. We are a party of three so we could somewhat manage."
While Etho was treating Amon, Niles harvested the magic stones from the three defeated bodies.
"Okay, let's return to the surface for today. It's earlier than usual but even if we divided it by three, we have earned more than usual."
Niles had a big smile.
Surviving was the most important matter.
Needless to say for Abel, Niles also knew the importance of life.
It was from past experience.
Don't overdo it. Be sure to leave some spare capacity and return to the safe zone.
Niles knew of its importance.
One hour after the three people from Room 10 withdrew from the dungeon.
On the fifth floor, the E-class party 『Eternal Waves』 was being annihilated.
"Why is there such a goblin on the fifth floor, it's impossible!"
"I'm out of magic … I can't do it anymore …"
"Ugu … shit … but …"
"Help …"
"…"
Five E-class adventurers met their end.
-x-X-x-
"Ni-Nina-san …"
"Oh, Niles-san and party, welcome back. You are early today."
"Yo-you have worked harbuh."
Etho silenced him by lightly chopping the back of his head since he was stumbling on his words and utterly failing at keeping his composure.
"We came back early because a Goblin Archer came out on the fifth floor."
After saying that, Etho showed Nina the magic stone he had taken from the Goblin Archer.
There was only a slight difference in size between the magic stones of Goblins and Goblin Archers.
However, Nina, as the receptionist, could tell at a glance that the magic stone that Etho took out was not a normal Goblin drop, but one from a Goblin Archer.
"This is certainly a Goblin Archer's magic stone … I believe there haven't been any reports of them appearing on the fifth floor in the last few years. I will report this to the Guild Master at once. I will also write a notice on the bulletin board. Thank you for reporting this."
Nina thanked them and left the reception, headed off to report to the Guild Master.
"Ah, Nina-san …"
Niles was still in a daze.
"Haa … Niles, let's go. We still have to sell the magic stone."
Etho and Amon worked together to pull Niles to the magic stone sales window.
A knocking sound was heard at the door of the Guild Master's office.
"Come in."
"Please excuse me."
Rune's guild master, Hugh McGrath, was wrestling with paperwork as usual.
Hugh, a fierce-looking giant, looked like a person who would have nothing to do with paperwork but that was a big misconception.
In the first place, there was no reason why the Adventurer's Guild Guild Master in Rune, the largest frontier city, would not be capable of paperwork.
If he didn't have above-average processing power, an organization as large as his wouldn't function.
"Master, I have a report. Just now, the party of F-rank adventurers Niles, Etho, and Amon reported to the reception that they encountered a Goblin Archer on the fifth floor of the dungeon."
Nina began reporting, even though Hugh was still looking through documents and did not give any particular signal.
But all the Adventurer's Guild staff in the City of Rune did that.
After all, Hugh instructed them to do so.
"Goblin Archer and the fifth floor? That usually comes out on the 10th floor or lower."
"Yes, that is correct."
He naturally stopped looking at the documents and looked up at Nina who was reporting while standing.
"It might be a sign that something is wrong. Who's the B-rank party in town right now?"
"Crimson Sword and White Brigade."
"Is the core unit of the brigade, Phelps and his party, around?"
"Yes, they came back from an expedition the day before yesterday so they are probably still here."
Nina responded without hesitation.
"Okay, ask both Crimson and White to come. I'll have a request for them an hour later here in this office."
"Brigade will be there too, right? I'm not good with them …"
"What are you talking about after coming here? You've known each other since you were little, right?"
"Well, Abel is forever complaining about something. Why don't you emulate Warren a little?"
"…"
They were in the corridor in front of the Guild Master's Office.
Abel, Rihya, Rin, and Warren were heading to the office under the nomination of the Guild Master.
"Haa …"
Abel sighed and knocked on the door of the office.
"Come in."
"Please excuse us."
Abel entered the office.
As expected, Guild Master Hugh, White Brigade Leader Phelps, and Deputy Leader Sheena were there.
"Hey, Abel."
Phelps called out in a friendly tone.
His height was 190 cm, which was almost the same as Abel, but thinner.
Twenty-four years old, blonde, blue eyes, and handsome.
His popularity was enormous.
Abel was very popular with both men and women, but Phelps was unusually popular with women.
Of course, he wasn't hated by men … just the target of jealousy of men.
Due to his appearance and popularity of the opposite sex, despite being a target of jealousy from the same sex, he was always respected as an adventurer.
That was because of what he has achieved so far.
"Hello, Phelps."
Abel greeted with a bitter face.
"You always stick to that same greeting, Abel."
Phelps said with a smile.
Hugh spoke as soon as the Crimson Sword sat down.
"Thank you for coming, Crimson Sword and White Brigade. I think you have received a brief explanation from the messengers. A Goblin Archer was confirmed on the fifth floor of the dungeon."
"Master, how accurate is that information?"
"100%. Three F-rank adventurers defeated a group of three, including an archer, and brought back the magic stone. The reception confirmed that it was an archer's magic stone."
Hugh affirmed with a 100% to Phelps' question.
"F-ranks could hunt a group including an archer, I look forward to the future."
Abel said happily. The existence of excellent juniors was promising for seniors.
"The leader Niles has good judgment. He will survive long as an adventurer."
Hugh gave his seal of approval.
"Niles? Are those three Ryo's roommates?"
"Yes, Niles, Etho, and Amon are Ryo's roommates. How do you know that, Abel?"
"Well, I only spoke to them a little the other day …"
(After all, survival is paramount for adventurers, especially in dungeons.)
Abel smiled softly and nodded lightly, remembering what he had said when he met them in the cafeteria.
"Okay. The information is confirmed. So what exactly is your request to us?"
Phelps urged Hugh to continue.
"I want Crimson Sword and White Brigade to dive into the dungeon and check for the occurrence of a 『Great Tidal Bore』."
When the phrase 『Great Tidal Bore』was heard, everyone present felt nervous.
A 『Great Tidal Bore』 was an explosive increase of monsters that occurred once every few years in the dungeon of Rune.
The precursor to its occurrence was that monsters that would otherwise be on the deeper floors could be seen multiple times on the upper floors.
However, in reality, ant-type monsters could also appear on the upper floors by digging vertical holes in the dungeon, such as the Soldier Ants seen on the first floor.
Therefore, even though there have been reports of Soldier Ants appearing on the first floor for half a year, it was not tied to a Great Tidal Bore.
But this time it was a Goblin Archer.
What should only appear below the tenth floor was found on the fifth floor.
There was sufficient evidence to suspect it may be a precursor to a Great Tidal Bore.
Moreover, ten years had already passed since the last Great Tidal Bore.
At present, it was not strange that a Great Tidal Bore could occur at any time.
"The reward is 100 gold coins in advance and 200 after returning."
"Guilmas, I'll confirm again, we only have to check if it is occurring?"
Abel verified the contents of the request.
"Yes, only check if it is happening."
"What if it has started?"
This time, Phelps confirmed the subsequent response they should take.
"Once you have confirmed that it is happening, immediately return to the surface and report. I will also frequent the branch office. We will abandon the dungeon entrance and utilize the double wall on the surface to intercept them with the guild and the Margrave's Knights. I have already reported this confirmation request and the subsequent interception plan to the Margrave."
Everyone was even more nervous when they heard that.
The fact that the interception plan had already been reported to the Margrave meant that Hugh was already convinced that the Great Tidal Bore was happening.
"I'll have to request that you enter the dungeon tomorrow morning. Probably the day after tomorrow, I'll have all the adventurers in the City of Rune standby in the guild. There is a notice on the guild notice board stating that exploration of the dungeon is prohibited from tomorrow. Of course, even the branch office beside the dungeon will stop entering the dungeon after tomorrow."
Hugh was making use of everything he could.
Even Hugh, a fierce-looking giant who seemed to even have muscle for brains, was the guildmaster in the City of Rune and a former A-rank adventurer.
That position would be impossible unless his mind was also first class.
"Crimson Sword, White Brigade, will you accept this request?"
"Yes, the Crimson Sword accepts this request."
"White Brigade accepts the request."