Volume 1 Chapter 19 Before And Now
I sit on the grass and take a rest while looking out at the lush forest, even though I'm inside a dungeon.
Looking around, the other adventurer parties who came with me were resting in the same way.
It seems that among the adventurers heading to the eastern dungeon, taking a break in this cave like Gaston and his group did is common.
Occupations such as magicians and priests that use magic consume magic power when casting spells. This magic power slowly recovers when resting.
Using potions for magic power recovery immediately restores a certain amount of magic power, but carrying a large quantity of bottles becomes bulky and expensive if used for battle every day.
For these reasons, it seems that adventurers rest and recover their magic power in safe zones within the dungeon like this cave before heading to the next destination. Although, this time is a rare situation where no battle has happened.
"Here you go, Ark-sama."
After a while, Fatina handed me a glass of water. It seems that I unintentionally made her worry about me.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
I accepted the glass and drank the water.
The cold water flowing down my throat felt pleasant against my heated body from walking.
Fatina also had her own glass and sat right next to me.
"Um... Can I ask you something?"
"Hm? Is there something bothering you?"
Fatina leaned in, looking at my face, and spoke.
"No, I'm sorry... But a few days ago at the guild, I heard from Elvira-san. And also, about Ark-sama's childhood friend..."
"Oh, you mean Leanne."
Fatina said that apologetically. The animal ears on her head drooped completely.
I see. I guess that's why she became friends with that receptionist because they were talking about that.
"That's right. I thought Ark-sama was still worried about what happened back then."
"No, I don't really care. In the first place, it's natural that Leanne gave up on me. She's Level Cap 80, while I'm only Level Cap 1. There are probably fewer people who would willingly team up with someone like me."
So it was inevitable that Leanne would join Allen's party instead of me.
"But, that's..."
"It's not a story that Fatina should be concerned about. Besides, I don't even remember what happened at that time."
In fact, I only vaguely remember what happened during Adventurer Registration.
What I can remember at the moment is the hateful look in Leanne's eyes when she left the guild with Allen during the Chimera subjugation the other day.
But even in response to that, I only felt like I was being disliked, nothing more.
And then, Fatina stood up and came right in front of me. And she brought both fists to her chest──
"But! What I said back then was definitely not a lie!"
"Huh?"
Fatina suddenly blushed after raised her voice.
Back then, was she referring to the lines she said to Allen at the guild?
I think it was something like, "I will always be by your side from now on."
"I see..."
At that time, I didn't think deeply about it, but I never imagined that someone would say such things to me, who is called the weakest adventurer.
Fatina said she wants to team up with me.
And she listened to me during the fight against the chimera, and bravely helped me defeat the goat-head.
I realized that she had saved me countless times.
"Thank you, Fatina"
With gratitude in my heart, I express my thanks to Fatina.
"Huh?"
At that moment, she suddenly widened her eyes as if surprised by something.
"Hm? Is something wrong?"
"N-no! It's just that, it's the first time I've seen Ark-sama smile, so I was taken aback..."
"The first time?"
Did I really smile after such a long time?
Certainly, up until now, I've only been focused on becoming stronger, so perhaps I haven't had the leisure for such things.
"Gail-san used to say that every time we met. He'd say, 'That bro has no charm, and he looks fierce,' and all sorts of things."
"Well, I've had that fierce look since birth..."
Next time I see that shopkeeper, I'll make sure to get my revenge.
Anyway, as we continued our trivial conversation for a while, several adventurer parties finished preparing and stood up.
'Alright! Let's get going soon!'
'Yeah! Let's finish this quickly!'
After their words, the other adventurers all began to finish their break.
"Let's go then!"
"Yeah, let's do it."
We stood up together and joined the other adventurers.
And so, we resumed our journey towards the end of the upper layer.
The path beyond the cave is similar to the entrance of the dungeon, with only red-brown soil and some exposed rocks.
As before, there are no signs of monsters in the dungeon.
With no battles to slow us down, our progress is swift. If we continue smoothly, we should be able to return quite quickly to the end of the upper layer.
"How much farther to the entrance of the middle layer?"
Fatina asked as we walked.
"I've never been this far ahead, but from what I've heard, we're about halfway there."
"Then we're almost there!"
Fatina walked energetically without showing any signs of tiredness, saying so.
It might be better than being unnecessarily scared of monsters.
And then, after walking for another 2-3 hours along a long straight road, the scenery gradually began to change.
"Ark-sama, look! Grass is growing!"
When Fatina looked at the wall that she pointed at, vines were growing abundantly there.
"It's strange, isn't it?"
"Yeah, you're right."
(Just like the previous hollow, are plants also growing here?)
In this dungeon, not only inside the hollows but also in various places, plants are growing.
As we proceed, the scenery becomes more green than red.
I heard that the scenery changes significantly on each floor of the dungeon.
Except for the hollow we just took a break in, the upper layer of this eastern dungeon is a place covered in reddish-brown soil.
However, the place we're currently in is covered in grass and tree roots are exposed everywhere.
Perhaps, the end of the upper layer is near.
As I walked on the grass for a while, other adventurers stopped.
"Alright, we finally made it to the entrance of the middle layer."
"In the end, not a single monster appeared, huh?"
"Well, with three gold coins, it's still a big profit!"
"Hmm, is this the end of the upper layer? It really ended without any monsters appearing, huh?"
"Yeah..."
It is clear that the decrease in the number of monsters is definitely due to defeating that Shadow Chimera.
I don't know how long monsters will stop appearing in the upper layer from now on, but it might be just right since I planned to advance to the middle layer.
As I slowly moved forward, a large stone staircase suddenly appeared before my eyes.
The staircase continues further underground, and it is faintly bright below.
"Wow, suddenly a magnificent staircase appeared, huh!"
"Oh, sis, haven't you seen it before? This is what they call the end of the upper layer. And if you go down these stairs, you'll reach the middle layer. Inside, there are ogres, skeletons, hobgoblins, goblin shamans who use magic, and many other monsters!"
"Oh, I see... I didn't know that."
A nearby adventurer told Fatina.
(I see, so this is the entrance to the middle layer.)
Since there were no impressive structures like this in the upper layer I had been passing through until now, it feels even more mysterious.
What is certain is that this dungeon is not a natural cave but clearly a structure intentionally built by someone in the past.
"Ark-sama, it seems that other adventurers are returning to the surface. Shall we go back too?"
"Ah, right."
Either way, currently this eastern dungeon is in blockade, so it's not possible for us to go to the middle layer ahead of others. We should go back to the surface for now, listen to the guild's advice, prepare ourselves, and then come back again.
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