Dungeon · Upper Floors · 9th Floor Passage
Ronan stumbled out of the passage, looking exhausted. He leaned against the wall, tilted his head back, and gasped for air. A sharp pain pounded inside his head, making his face twist.
"Huff... this is the first time... I've pulled out this much Mind and used this much magic at once... I can barely take it..." he whispered hoarsely.
"Sss..."
He gritted his teeth against the pain and fumbled through his Supply Pack. He quickly pulled out a test tube, yanked off the oak stopper, and drank the citrus-colored liquid in one gulp.
[Name]: Magic Potion (Mind Potion)
[Origin]: Orario
[Type]: Potion
[Effect]: Restores Mind; reduces mental fatigue.
[Description]: A citrus-colored solution, usually kept in a test tube with an oak stopper. The price is 10,000 Valis, though it changes a lot with the market. It is a necessary item for mages.
The expensive Magic Potion slid down his throat, and its effect spread through him almost immediately.
Ronan closed his eyes. A cool feeling spread through his head, quickly easing the sharp pain until it dropped to a level he could bear.
He finally let out a long breath. His body went slack, and he slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. His staff fell to the ground with a clatter.
"First time exploring the 10th floor... ran into an Orc... fought with everything I had, but still couldn't win."
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
Jeanne leaned on her flag-spear and stood with one hand on her hip, looking at him. Her eyes showed both amusement and helplessness.
"You took one small setback and immediately started thinking about running away. I don't know what to say. Are you weak-willed in battle, or should I praise you for being cautious?"
Ronan rolled his eyes at her words. Easy for her to say. She didn't have to deal with things the way he did.
For Jeanne, as long as Holy Maiden was active, her overall ability rose dramatically.
Even though she was still technically a Level 1 newcomer who had only recently received a Falna, her actual combat strength was already far beyond that of an ordinary beginner.
If you added her highly polished martial arts, combat experience, and willpower, it became even more obvious.
That was why she could hold off multiple Orcs at once and still have enough focus left to check on Ronan.
"My dear Saint," he answered weakly, "those were Orcs. Their raw power is way above mine, and their defense and life force are ridiculous. I worked that hard just to kill one, and it nearly made my head burst."
"The Dungeon doesn't play fair. The moment we show weakness, more trouble will come. If things get worse, we won't even have a chance to run."
"So I'm stopping our losses here. Going back to the surface, preparing properly, and trying again later is the best choice."
Jeanne pressed her lips together and thought for a moment. Then she realized his situation really was different from hers. She gave a small nod and said apologetically,
"You're right. I didn't think about it from your side. I'm sorry, Ronan."
Ronan waved his hand. Most of his Mind had recovered by now, so he stood up and picked up his staff.
"Let's spend the rest of the day exploring the 9th floor. We can finish updating the map too."
"Alright, I'll follow your lead."
Compared to the giant monsters on the 10th floor, the normal monsters on the 9th floor were much easier for Ronan to deal with.
With Jeanne standing in front of him, all he had to do was stay behind her and attack. He was in a very good mood.
"Cinder!"
"Cinder!"
"Cinder!"
Wherever he pointed his staff, nothing could stay standing.
Every time the magic crystal lit up, another monster died.
Their screams were cut short, followed by the sizzling of burning flesh and the smell of charred monster flesh.
"This feels great."
With his huge reserve of Mind, he used magic as casually as if he were throwing out one attack after another from a safe distance. No normal monster on the 9th floor could take a single hit of Cinder.
If one somehow survived, he simply cast again.
Jeanne stood beside him, watching the surroundings with a calm, unreadable face.
Even though their time on the 10th floor had been short, that intense fight had still changed Ronan. At least on the 9th floor, he was no longer as tense and cautious as before. He looked much calmer and more confident now.
"You really are adapting, Ronan," Jeanne whispered with a sigh.
The two of them kept moving forward. They successfully explored all the strange routes and side rooms on the 9th floor.
As time passed and more monsters fell, the Magic Stone Bag at Ronan's waist grew heavier.
After finishing off the last monster, he stood up and tossed the magic stones into the bag. Then he lifted it and weighed it in his hand. Hearing the crisp, pleasant clinking of the stones, he smiled from ear to ear.
"There were some problems, but today was definitely worth it," he said cheerfully. "What I made in one day is worth more than many days of my old work."
"I'm rich!" he added before he could stop himself.
Jeanne smiled when she saw how genuinely happy he was.
My first adventure feels... pretty good, she thought.
Ronan glanced at his brass pocket watch and snapped it shut. Then he waved his hand grandly.
"It's getting late. We're done for the day. Let's go home."
The trip back was much smoother than the exploration.
They already knew the map well. Moving through the complicated passages, they quickly returned to the main route and headed upward using the same stairs they had taken earlier.
9th floor, 8th floor, 7th floor... As they went up, the number of adventurers in the passages increased.
Ronan gave Jeanne a look, and she nodded in understanding.
They kept a low profile. Carrying their full backpacks, they quickly blended into the large crowd of adventurers returning to the surface.
As they walked, they listened curiously to the conversations around them.
"Did you hear? The Astraea Familia caused a huge scene on the 7th floor today."
"Tsk, that news has already spread all over the Upper Floors. Rumor says Evilus has been causing trouble, so they were in a bad mood and went to vent it on the monsters."
"Really? Those girls don't seem like the type to hold grudges. Especially Scarlet Harnel. Does she even get angry like that?"
"Uh, well, even if she doesn't, Kaguya and Lyra definitely do, right?"
The adventurer spoke carefully while glancing around. Then he leaned close to his companion and lowered his voice.
"I heard that those two..."
"Shh! Shut up! Do you have a death wish? You can't say things like that!"
"Uh..."
The two men fell silent, both looking embarrassed.
The topic ended there, and Ronan and Jeanne stopped listening.
Under their hoods and masks, their eyes met. They immediately thought of the Monster Party caused by the Killer Ants.
Looks like the Familia of Justice is taking the blame for us.
Seems that way.
I was worried the Guild might investigate us. Now I don't even need an excuse. The Astraea Familia really are good people.
...
With that shared thought, they stayed silent and continued following the crowd toward the surface.
About an hour later, they finally returned to the entrance plaza beneath Babel.
Feeling the weight on his shoulders and thinking about everything in his bag, Ronan kept a straight face. His knuckles had gone a little white, but inside he felt relieved.
Along the way, he had tried to act normal and keep his presence low. He did not want anyone to start watching them.
He was not afraid of trouble, but he hated it, especially the kind that could be avoided. If he got dragged into something just because he had been too flashy, he would feel like an idiot.
As an adventurer, the best choice was not to attract attention before you were strong enough, especially with Orario currently full of dangerous people.
They left Babel and stood on the stone steps, looking at the city under the setting sun.
The orange-red sun was slowly sinking behind the distant walls, casting its last warm light over the land.
A breeze passed by, lifting the corners of their cloaks.
The road home was covered in sunset light.
"We're back."
Ronan's voice was steady, as if everything had finally settled.