Volume 1 Chapter 18 Each Path
"It's no use. We can't push ourselves any further today. Let's go back."
Further north from Voltana lies a cave known as the Northern Dungeon.
In the lower layer of that cave, Fiione, a thief and scout, wore a light armor made from the skin of a high-quality red dragon as she calmly spoke.
Several days after an unexpected incident at the Guild in Voltana, Allen and his party continued exploring the lower layer of the dungeon in order to fulfill a request from King Cretia.
Near their feet, several large monsters lay motionless.
The monsters in the lower layer were quite formidable, and they couldn't defeat them cleanly, resulting in torn and scorched areas everywhere. They must have fought hard.
Allen remained silent, observing his exhausted party members.
Fiione, always attentive to their surroundings, was not focused on moving forward, but rather ensuring the safety of the return path.
"Perhaps what Fiione says could be true..."
Ellis, the Holy Knight, dropped her large shield to the ground as if to pierce it, recovering from fatigue.
"..."
Right behind Ellis is Dorothea, a black-haired female magician.
She wearing a purple dress, with a black magician's cloak draped over it. She doesn't say anything, but fatigue can be seen on her face.
"Haa... haa..."
And there is Leanne, the priestess.
Her magic power has already run out, and she is barely standing with the support of her staff.
Leanne's current level is 27.
Her growth rate is fast, and she has been blessed with a level cap and skills.
However, she lacks both the level and experience to venture into the lower layer of this dungeon.
So why is she down here now? It's because Allen, their leader, made that decision.
"No, I can still go on. Leanne-san, heal up."
Without accepting Fiione's proposal, Allen calmly calls out to Leanne.
"I'm... sorry. I've run out of magic power..."
As she answers, Leanne collapses to the ground.
(Damn! We can't conquer the lower layer like this...!)
Ever since the incident at the adventurer's guild a few days ago, Allen had been constantly frustrated.
Allen's Level Cap is 90.
And he has the same three skills as Leanne.
These innate abilities were his pride, proof that he was a unique and special being.
But that was all shattered that day.
The presence of Fatina, with a Level Cap of 100, whom he met at the guild.
If she had been just a little lower in level than Allen, he would have invited her to the party without hesitation.
But he couldn't do it because he simply didn't want to acknowledge an existence more special than himself.
It was Allen's pride that didn't allow it.
And then, there was Ark, a magician with an unknown ability that surpassed Allen, despite being at Level Cap 1.
Losing to a Level 1 that he had looked down on was an intolerable humiliation for Allen.
(It's impossible... what in the world is going on...?)
When Ark grabbed his arm, Allen couldn't even shake him off.
He repeatedly pondered why Ark was so strong, but he couldn't find an answer.
(If only I could obtain the 'key'...)
The 'key' sought by King Cretia.
If he could obtain it, surely he would be liberated from this frustration.
That's how Allen had come to think.
Therefore, he was determined to continue the exploration of the lower layer, even if it meant pushing through forcefully.
"Haa... haa..."
Leanne looked at the frustrated Allen while still lying on the ground, breathing heavily.
Leanne was also someone who possessed a similar sensation to Allen.
When Leanne and Ark first visited the Adventurer's Guild together, she asked the receptionist about the Level Cap and skills. In that instant, she believed herself to be a chosen individual, as if she were a character in a story.
And then, the S-Rank adventurer Allen approached her party, inviting her to join.
She felt as if she were part of a legend.
So, easily and as if it were natural, she was able to leave Ark, who was only Level Cap 1.
She realized that their worlds were now completely different.
However, her life, which was supposed to be smooth sailing, began to go awry.
"...Shall we return to the surface?"
With Allen's words, the party members found a temporary sense of relief.
* * *
A few days later, we received a call from the guild to begin the quest and arrived at the entrance to the eastern dungeon.
On either side of the entrance to the basement, men wearing matching armor stood side by side.
They were Cretian soldiers that I had seen several times in town.
(...Cretia soldiers?)
There were a total of ten of them, each carrying weapons such as long swords and axes.
Since this request was issued by the Kingdom of Cretia, they probably came to check if the adventurers were doing their job properly.
In the open area right in front of the dungeon, a large group of adventurers who had probably received the same request as us had gathered.
When Fatina and I entered the crowd, the surrounding adventurers gathered around us with excitement.
'Hey! You're here too! That's reassuring!'
'Oh! It's bro (niichan) with [instant death]! Nice to meet you, buddy!'
It sounds like I'm gonna die if you say it like that.
'Hey, beastkin sis (neechan), you stood up to S-rank Allen the other day, right! You're amazing!'
"Oh, um, well, you see, because... he insulted Ark-sama, so..."
According to what Fatina, who was angry at Allen and the others' attitude, heard from the receptionist, they left the inn they were staying at in this town and moved to another town. I haven't seen them since then.
"It looks like everyone's here. Now, let me explain the details of the request to all the adventurers."
One of Cretia's soldiers steps forward a few steps and announces.
All the adventurers' attention is immediately drawn to the voice.
"I think you've already heard at the guild, but the purpose this time is to confirm the route from the entrance of this dungeon to the end of the upper layer, in other words, the entrance to the middle layer."
Then, the soldier takes a deep breath.
"However, no one has entered the dungeon since the chimera were exterminated. There is a good possibility that the behavior range of the monsters inside has changed since before. We'll be waiting here, so please come back when you've confirmed. I wish you good luck."
Saying that, he returned to his original position.
At the same time, the adventurers started moving in a group.
Fatina and I also started walking to enter the dungeon.
"Hey."
On the way, a soldier who was explaining something suddenly approached me, so I stopped.
"Are you the adventurer who defeated the chimera?"
"It's not just me. We all defeated it together."
In response to that, the soldier bowed his head after a while.
"Thank you for protecting the town in my place."
Having said only that, he returned to his designated position as if nothing had happened.
Perhaps he is from Voltana or something.
So, the exploration of the upper layer began.
As I walk, I display my Abilities List.
A semi-transparent board appears in front of me, slightly obstructing my view, but there doesn't seem to be any sign of monsters at the moment, so it shouldn't be a problem.
On the board, it reads [Level: 30 Remaining Points: 10].
(I wonder if there's any ability that can penetrate that magic defense?)
There will definitely be monsters like the one with the chimera's goat head. Such a monster is sure to appear in the future.
Therefore, it would be good to have something that can counter it.
However, I can't seem to find it.
(So, the only option is to further unlock the part I can currently progress in)
I have 10 points remaining. Following 'Quadruple,' there is the ability 'Multiple Chant' which allows the use of (Death) on multiple targets. So, from here, I've decided to upgrade 'Range Increase' from level 1 to level 2, which I had stopped at until now.
I allocate 5 points to the symbol of 'Range Increase'.
Then the symbol shines, and 'Range Increase' changes to level 2.
At the same time, the remaining points decrease to 5.
(There's no place left to use the remaining 5 points...)
To increase the level 2 ability to level 3, 8 points are needed.
I'm lacking 3 points.
I'll have to keep leveling up for a while.
"Weird, isn't it? There are no monsters at all."
As the adventurer says, we are walking through the dungeon but no monsters are appearing.
"Don't let your guard down! We don't know when or where they'll attack from."
We cautiously walk through the paths we have passed in the upper layer, all of us remaining vigilant.
When I look at Fatina, she has also drawn her sword, perhaps as a precaution.
I wonder how long we've been walking like this.
I found myself descending the stairs in the hollow without ever encountering a monster.
Inside the hollow, the forest was peaceful, just like when I first arrived.
"Well, what a surprise!"
"Yeah, really! Since we're here, we should take a break."
(This time, on the contrary, the monsters disappeared)
It's peaceful without them, but it feels strange because dungeons are usually associated with monsters.
"Ark-sama, shouldn't we take a break too?"
Fatina suggested, so we decided to sit down in the dungeon forest and rest for a while.
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