Chapter 21

Well, having paid the rent and tuition fees,

the remaining balance is 1,838 kirig.

The major expenses I had anticipated have mostly been taken care of, and with 2 kirig per day for food, we can maintain a decent standard of living for two people. If we avoid unnecessary spending, we shouldn't have any trouble living for the time being, but money can be needed urgently at any moment.

I plan to pay the rent of 450 kirig again in six months, and I haven't found any suitable staff or robes yet. Especially for a magic staff... if I want a decent rank, it will easily cost around 1,000 kirig, and it's the kind of money that can disappear in a flash if I'm not careful. Even though it's not urgent, I need to keep progressing through the dungeon.

So, starting from the day after the furniture was delivered, I decided to descend into the dungeon with Grace. I want to reach the 6th underground floor while the map is still usable, so today I aim to reach there.

"Is there anything I should be careful about?"

"The number of monsters will gradually increase, but the same method we used last time will work. The 4th underground floor has a door leading to a different area and a staircase going down, so if you see a door you don't recognize, don't go through it."

"Understood."

The staircase leads down to the lower levels. The branching door leads to a section that was once a sewer and connects to the old mine area.

Since my destination is the Forest of Twilight, I can just keep going down without taking any side paths. There's nothing to explore in this area, so the shortest route is the best.

"Phew!"

Grace's axe sliced through the air, literally crushing the goblin in the front line. With the obstacle removed, I cast a wind spell, Cyclone, from a state of circulation. The two goblins' bodies were thrown against the walls and ceiling of the dungeon, their flesh torn and bones shattered as they were blown away.

Grace, turning around, threw her axe at a killer ant approaching from the opposite side of the corridor. The ant, having lost its head, stopped moving.

We continue to use the strategy of sending a light ball ahead to eliminate any lurking monsters. The appearance of a goblin archer isn't a problem. Since goblins have good night vision, moving the light ball in front of them can blind them. The light must be extremely intense in the usually dark dungeon. Even if they shoot arrows, it's easy to defend or avoid them.

Thus, our exploration is going smoothly. We've been able to progress halfway through the 5th underground floor without much trouble, while also collecting transmigration stones and stripping loot from monsters.

"Are you okay with the blood rush?"

"There's no need to worry. The blood of goblins and kobolds... it's, well, smelly."

Grace frowned slightly. I can't really tell, but as a dampire, she can clearly sense the difference.

Well, that makes sense. The reason vampires risk attacking humans is probably related to this.

If there were alternatives, they could actively attack monsters to satisfy their bloodlust, and vampires wouldn't be targets for extermination but would be appreciated instead.

As we followed the light ball, the corner ahead became noisy.

We heard footsteps approaching from the other side, so Grace and I switched roles, with her taking the front and me the rear.

I can also handle close combat using staff techniques and martial skills. I want to improve these skills, and Grace can throw her axe for ranged attacks, so we can switch roles flexibly.

We set up an ambush at the corner. I crushed the throat of a kobold that rushed out with the tip of my staff, then pulled it down in a spinning motion. I pressed my weight into the kobold's mouth, silencing its muffled scream and finishing it off.

A second kobold appeared a bit later, and Grace took care of it. As soon as it was in sight, her axe was thrown, hitting the chest and slamming it into the wall.

With the ease of reeling in a yo-yo, Grace pulled the chain, and the axe returned with a brutal force, making a rough sound.

Well, it's mostly like this. There shouldn't be any problems. Grace tends to get excited and lean towards her vampire side when facing a large number of weak opponents, like the group of killer ants we encountered earlier, but since encounters are sporadic, that shouldn't happen.

We quickly stripped the loot from the kobolds and continued around the corner, where we saw the stairs leading to the 6th underground floor.

From here on, we don't have a map, so in a sense, the real dungeon exploration begins.

"The number of monster types increases from the 6th underground floor."

"What are they?"

"Wood Puppets and Wisps."

"I haven't fought them before."

"Wood Puppets don't exist naturally, and Wisps only appear in certain areas."

Unlike the monsters we've faced so far, they have some quirks, but basically, they are weak.

Wood Puppets are autonomous wooden dolls. They lack pain and fear, making them better front-line fighters than goblins or kobolds, but they're not that formidable.

Wisps are blue-white orbs of fire. They don't have a physical form, but they can deal damage when scattered, and they are very weak to magic. They are no trouble for Grace and me.

"We don't need to change our approach. The real challenge will be the way we progress through the dungeon... but since there are no traps and the structure is straightforward, we can stick to the basics."

"Like keeping the left hand on the wall, right?"

"Or the right hand. It's simple but reduces confusion."

Grace nodded after I explained the precautions. While some structures don't work, they still provide guidance.

As we progressed through the dungeon, we encountered a puppet. It had a spear, so I tried a light exchange of spears, but it was just a wooden doll. There was no resistance.

I spun my staff lightly, entangling and lifting its spear, easily disarming it. Grace then grabbed it, threw it against the wall, and destroyed its limbs, rendering it immobile.

The loot from the puppet is a glass orb located in the chest or head. It's a weak point, so destroying it stops the puppet, but doing so means no loot.

Wisps are... quite easy. Grace's axe disperses them into small magic stones with a single swing. The thick blade of her axe makes them easy targets.

The monsters we've faced so far sometimes form ranks, but if they are clustered, we can just cast a spell, and if not, we can take them out one by one. There were no particular issues.

In these shallow levels, there's no need to explore small rooms. As we continued down the corridor, we soon reached a wider area and discovered a stone monument.

"What should we do?"

"Let's return here for now. We don't want to waste the map."

"Understood."

I placed the required amount of transmigration stones on the palm of the goddess statue carved into the monument. Immediately, a magical array spread around the monument on the dungeon floor.

Standing inside for a few seconds would teleport us. A moment later, we were standing in the square at the entrance to the temple.

...We still look the same, so we shouldn't draw attention. Some people were even gossiping about us, probably because of the incident with the snake bite.

Grace dislikes being exposed in public, but it's better to operate the ring in a place with fewer people. We returned to the carriage parked at the stable and, inside the carriage, I took her hand and activated the cursed item.

"H... ah..."

Sitting in the seat, Grace closed her eyes and let out a small sigh.

To be honest... it sounded somewhat seductive.

Well... it can't be helped. Returning from a powerful dampire state to a normal human causes significant fatigue. The longer she stays in the dampire state, the more she gets used to it, and the greater the difference.

Dungeon exploration, involving activity in dark areas, can easily lean towards the vampire side. The backlash from the bloodlust might also be affecting her. Grace is taking deep breaths to calm herself.

Well... it was right to return to normal in the carriage. We should do the same in the future. Grace wouldn't want to be seen in a vulnerable state by others.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. It's a relief that I'm not feeling very hungry."

When our eyes met, Grace smiled. There was a calm atmosphere.

Yeah, it seems there are no problems. Then, let's go to the guild and exchange the loot for money.