Ronan crouched among the corpses.
Wearing a mask and a hood, Ronan was fully covered. He held a dismantling knife and skillfully cut open the monster bodies, extracting the magic stones.
He quickly removed a magic stone and explained things to Rose and Lorie, who were trying to ignore the bloody sight.
"Ending a fight doesn't mean the work is over."
"For adventurers and supporters, the most important part starts after the battle. That means collecting magic stones and Drop Items."
"Why do we hunt monsters? It is for the magic stones inside them and the Drop Items that might appear."
He paused his movements for a moment. He glanced at the two of them and added:
"Of course, some groups care more about achievements, glory, and fame than money. For example, the Astraea Familia values justice above profit. The Loki Familia values Dungeon achievements."
Ronan smiled.
"As you can see, our Veyr Familia, or at least I, am not like that. I am more practical. To me, results matter more than talk."
"So, you must remember: this work must be taken seriously. It is directly related to the Familia's money and how well we live."
He looked at Lorie and spoke playfully.
"Lorie, you don't want to end up homeless in Daedalus Street, right?"
"Waa! Rose! Ronan is bullying me again!"
Lorie puffed out her cheeks and hid behind Rose, making a face at Ronan.
Rose sighed softly.
"Alright, Ronan. Stop teasing Lorie."
He made a small joke to help them feel less uncomfortable. After that, Ronan began to give detailed instructions on technique and experience.
Ronan needed money more than ever, so he knew how important supporters were.
Because of this, as soon as the battle ended, he immediately brought Rose and Lorie along to start this important job.
On the other side, after a short rest, Aura finally recovered some of her strength.
"Lady Jeanne, I..."
Her voice was still soft.
Jeanne lightly patted her silver hair and spoke with encouragement.
"Aura, you did a great job. Without your Magic, it would have taken much more effort to kill those Orcs. Do not look down on yourself. You did well."
She paused and continued calmly.
"Remember, when fighting in the Dungeon, efficiency matters. Finish fights quickly and waste as little strength as possible. That is the best way. Only then will we have the strength to deal with the Dungeon and other unknown dangers."
Jeanne stopped there and did not give more details. She did not want Aura and Lorie to learn too much about the darker side of adventuring too early. This was also what Ronan wanted.
Inside the Dungeon, the harsh environment and violent monsters were normal. If you were unlucky, you might even encounter an Irregularity.
However, monsters were not the only danger.
There were also the mad members of Evilus, and adventurers with bad intentions.
A visible attack was dangerous, but a trap you could not see was even worse. You had to stay alert at all times.
"I... I understand."
With Jeanne's comfort, Aura relaxed a little. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Half an hour later, the team gathered again.
Rose looked normal, but Lorie's ears were drooping and she looked tired. Ronan, however, looked very happy.
When he thought about the haul, he could not hide his grin.
"Looking at your face, did we get a lot?" Jeanne asked with a smile.
Ronan raised his eyebrows and grinned.
"It was worth the effort. We made more than I expected."
Jeanne thought for a moment.
"This must be the 'newbie luck' you mentioned. After all, we have three newcomers entering the Dungeon for the first time."
Ronan had a feeling that if she kept talking, the future might actually turn out that way.
He didn't want that!
Revelation shouldn't be used like that!
To keep his good mood, he quickly changed the subject.
"Cough. After this test, I think our team can handle the next floors. I suggest we move through the 10th and 11th Floors quickly, then focus on the 12th Floor. What do you think?"
Ronan's suggestion was reasonable, so everyone agreed.
"In that case, let's rest for a moment and then head to the 11th Floor."
"Wow! Is this the 11th Floor? The ceiling is much higher than the 10th Floor!"
Lorie stood at the front of the team with her sword. She looked around curiously.
The team had just come out of the passage and was standing on a terrace looking down.
In front of them was a giant room with a wide staircase coming from the center. This was the start of the 11th Floor. Similar to the 10th Floor, thick white mist was everywhere. Only the area where the team stood, the clear area at the start, was easy to see.
Ronan felt lucky. It was good to have a clear place to observe from. If they walked out and immediately hit a wall of monsters, it would be bad. How would they make money then?
Looking at the large room, the visibility was good. A grassland stretched out far away, and the grass was high enough to cover half of their boots. There were also dry trees like the ones on the 10th Floor, growing around the area.
"Tch. More trees monsters can use as weapons. Do these things appear on every floor starting from the 10th? They are very common."
Ronan was also visiting the 11th Floor for the first time. Seeing so many trees that monsters could use as weapons gave him a small headache.
As a mage who fought from behind the front line, he could stay at a distance and attack. Natural weapons did not affect him much.
But it was different for Jeanne and Rose, who were at the front. They would have to face monsters that were much more dangerous because they had weapons.
Whether it was a human or a monster, having a weapon made a huge difference in a fight.
"Let's go. Keep the formation. Aura is in the center. Form a circle around her. Explore carefully."
Jeanne quickly took command and gave orders.
The team followed her orders immediately. They formed a circle around Aura and carefully walked down the stairs into the misty grassland.
Rustle, rustle.
The tall grass made it a bit harder to move.
They walked for a while but did not see any monsters.
Ronan stayed alert and checked the map. He used a quill to mark the map and guided the team.
"Go right. There is a connecting passage ahead. Turn right at the intersection. The map says that is the main route."
"Okay."
Everything went smoothly. Soon, the team reached the first passage.
Squeak.
Lorie's ears moved as if she heard something.
At the same time, Jeanne raised her arm to tell everyone to stop. She held her spear horizontally with a serious expression.
"Be careful. Something is coming. It's coming this way!"
Rose immediately took a defensive stance with her shield and pointed her sword forward.
"Is it an Orc?"
Jeanne frowned and shook her head. Based on her Revelation, she said:
"No, it is not an Orc. It is something more dangerous than an Orc."
Ronan told Lorie to protect Aura. He quickly pulled out his Adventurer's Handbook and turned to the page for the 11th Floor.
"Found it. It's a Hard Armored. It's a monster that first appears on the 11th Floor!"
With Ronan's reminder, everyone recalled the information about the Hard Armored. They had studied hard recently.
According to the Guild records, the Hard Armored was similar to the Killer Ant from the 7th Floor because of its tough shell and high defense. Unlike the ants, its belly and chest were weak points. However, as a monster from the 11th Floor, its shell was much harder than a Killer Ant's.
Many adventurers had learned that the hard way. The defense of a Hard Armored was much higher than any other monster on the 11th and 12th Floors. It was known as one of the strongest defensive monsters of the Upper Floors. Its shell could even bounce off the attacks of a strong Dwarf.
The handbook said it was almost impossible for a Level 1 adventurer to defeat this monster alone in close combat. Only very talented people or those with special abilities could do it.
In terms of defense, the Hard Armored was considered S-rank.
The monsters on the 11th and 12th Floors usually ranged from B-rank to S-rank in threat. The Hard Armored alone made these floors much more dangerous.