Chapter 50

"Well then. I wonder if it will go well this time."

Channeling magic through my staff, I prepared to meet the oncoming monsters with a roar. I received the orc's hammer with the Ouroboros. A light impact and a loud sound, disproportionate to its lightness, as if something had burst, echoed. It was the sound of the orc's hammer shattering upon impact.

The orc, dropping the handle of the hammer and staring at its numb hand in shock, was about to be attacked. Gripping the glowing blue dragon staff, I struck out—sending the orc flying, rolling into a pile with the others.

"Hmm. It's hard to control the power."

The quality of a magic staff is determined by how much it can reduce the loss when converting magic power into spells, how quickly it can deploy the spell, and how much it can enhance the caster's magic.

In my case, since I use it for close combat as well, I have to consider its length, weight, and durability.

As for the Ouroboros—it excels in all these aspects. While I can't go all out at once, there's no sign of the staff breaking so far.

This time, I swung the staff at the remaining orcs with proper control. I knocked them away, tore them apart, and sent them flying up to the ceiling. It seems the staff can change the nature and shape of the magic power to some extent, even without a spell.

After dealing with all the orcs, the dragon carved on the staff wagged its tail tip, which it held in its mouth, as if satisfied. When I stroked its throat, it narrowed its eyes in apparent pleasure.

...It seems to have a magic creature, like a gargoyle, integrated into the staff. This characteristic became apparent during actual combat. The dragon staff Ouroboros is a magic staff designed for a magic circulation system. The magic creature integrated into the staff assists and amplifies the magic circulation.

"That new staff of yours is amazing."

"...But I have to be more careful with it than before."

I looked at the staff as Ashley, who was surprised, spoke. The Ouroboros seemed somewhat proud. It almost looked more like a dog than a dragon.

The problem, of course, is that it's too powerful. If I misjudge the control, the spoils of battle will diminish.

The dragon staff is indeed enduring my magic and delivering results. No, it's delivering too much. Whether it's magic or physical attacks, if I misjudge the control, even the parts I want to keep will be destroyed.

While it's true that the bigger can encompass the smaller, it will take some effort to get used to handling it. ...I'll think of it as good magic control training.

"Can I take the lead from now on? I want to get used to it as soon as possible."

"Understood. I'll cover the rear."

Grace. I'll lead, followed by Sheila and Ashley, with Grace bringing up the rear as we proceed through the dungeon.

We are currently on the 19th floor underground. The difficulty of the dungeon increases significantly after the 20th floor, which is why there are quite a few adventurer groups exploring these floors.

While this area is a high-traffic zone, it means resources are scarce, and the rewards from monsters and treasure chests are not great. However, the presence of many people makes it safer. If we are at a disadvantage in a battle, we can expect reinforcements.

"Five people coming around the corner."

"Understood."

Sheila alerted me. I leaned my staff against the ground to avoid unnecessary alarm and waited for the approaching adventurer group.

"Oh...!"

The adventurers were surprised to see us.

"Hello."

"Yeah. You guys are... the demon slayers, right? That's impressive."

"Thank you. Good luck to you."

"You too."

The adventurer group gave a vague smile and disappeared into the depths of the cave.

We occasionally encounter other adventurer groups in the cave area, but there are no particular troubles. If anything, they seem more nervous than we are. It seems we've become quite well-known. If being a bit feared means avoiding trouble, that's fine by me.

Well, the last group was walking with their hands on the right wall... so if we walk along the opposite wall, we should find the stairs.

As expected, we soon found the stairs. The 20th floor underground was a huge dome-shaped floor, made entirely of stone, reminiscent of the central part of the border city.

"What's that building?"

"It's a shrine. There's a branching point and a stone monument inside... or so it seems."

At the far end of the dome, there was a temple-like building with large pillars. It looked like a bonfire was burning at the entrance. Several adventurer groups were walking towards the shrine with torches in hand.

Inside the shrine, there were a few adventurer groups gathered, looking serious. Heather, the receptionist, was among them.

"Ah! Theodore!"

Heather approached me in a hurry, holding a red transmigration stone.

"...What's going on? Why are you here?"

"It seems a Guardian has appeared beyond the branching point."

"Here, on such a shallow floor...?"

Heather nodded seriously.

A Guardian. A powerful monster that can appear anywhere in the dungeon from the 20th floor and beyond. While they don't appear frequently, exploring the 20th floor and beyond requires accounting for the possibility of encountering a Guardian.

For a Guardian to appear in this area... it's unlikely that any adventurer group would have the means to counter it. The floors beyond the 20th are indeed more diverse and difficult, but...

"There's an adventurer group that escaped from the Guardian using a red transmigration stone... According to them, they saw other adventurer groups in the same area. We are calling for those with the ability to rescue them. I came here to raise awareness and... I hoped you might appear, as I knew you were in the cave area."

"So... a rescue request?"

"Yes. The Guardian is a Sword Boar, and it appeared in the Twilight Forest. While we can't force you, we can offer a substantial reward for its defeat and the rescue of the others."

Heather offered a reward of 1500 kirig for just accepting the request, with additional rewards for success.

The location is the Twilight Forest. We have to defeat it to proceed anyway.

It seems no other powerful adventurer groups are available for the rescue. Either they are in town or somewhere in the dungeon. If we could find them, they would be here.

So, it seems we are the only ones who can face the Guardian. If the stranded adventurer groups don't have a means to escape, their survival will be in doubt by the time a proper rescue team is formed.

"Alright. We'll go."

There's no need to think too much about accepting the request. I came to the dungeon to train and earn money. The problem is...

"Grace and the others—"

"I want to go with you. I already know that Theo is much stronger than me. But I don't want to be absent from your battles."

Grace placed her hand on her chest, speaking matter-of-factly.

"As for the injured... it's better to treat them quickly. If you consider us a burden, I understand, but—"

Ashley looked at me directly, clearly wanting to come along.

"I'm going. I won't let them catch us off guard, and I won't miss any of the stranded."

Sheila spoke without hesitation.

There's no time to persuade them. What they say is true. Having Ashley and Sheila with us will be helpful in ways other than combat. Ashley wants to become stronger, and Sheila wants to improve her standing with the Adventurer's Guild. I want to understand their feelings.

The opponent is a Guardian, a Sword Boar. The location is the Twilight Forest.

A good opponent if we can defeat it, but a bit too much for Ashley and Sheila to handle directly. We have the red transmigration stone, and we have Caduceus to consider—let's see.

"...Alright. I'll take the lead and protect everyone, but in return, Sheila, you must use the red transmigration stone to get everyone to safety if I give the order. If you sense danger, even without my order, at least get Ashley and yourself to safety. If you can promise that, I'll take you along."

"I promise. I will."

"Thank you, Theodore!"

There's no need to worry about getting separated in the Twilight Forest. Caduceus will protect the two of them.

"Understood. I'll explain the precautions for the Twilight Forest on the way."

"Thank you."

"To Heather. We're going, so please continue to guide everyone."

"Be careful!"

With the serious Heather and the other adventurers watching, we headed towards the gate leading to the Twilight Forest and stepped through without hesitation.