Chapter 38

"Hey, I'm all hyped up from morning!

After all, today is the day we finally tackle the Prolin Dungeon.

I'm brimming with energy, a stark contrast to how I was last night, and I'm planning to gather my thoughts and share the strategy with everyone while enjoying breakfast.

Eh, bipolar? No way, no way.

I'm super motivated to aim for the top and my appetite is incredible from morning. Sure, my thoughts are a bit scattered and my body feels a bit sluggish, and I have no motivation for anything other than being number one, but it'll be fine, right?

'I'm thinking of diving into Prolin today.'

'Understood... However, even if we clear it as a team, the Blacksmith Guild might not recognize it.'

'Eh? Why?'

'Clearing a dungeon is usually done in large groups. It's called a 'group clear' and is regularly organized by the Adventurer's Guild. So, if an unknown team declares they cleared it alone... '

'They won't believe us?'

'Yes.'

'What if I show them the mithril alloy?'

'Even then, mithril can be obtained not only from the boss of Prolin but also from regular monsters.'

Oh... This is a real mood killer.

'What if we gather a lot of mithril by clearing it multiple times?'

'...Right. We can do that multiple times.'

Yukari said, 'I completely forgot about that possibility,' and reconsidered.

Sylvia tilted her head but was also thinking along. Eco, on the other hand, was playing with the leaves of a potted plant, swaying in the breeze.

'In that case, we might be able to trade with the Blacksmith Guild without waiting for the group clear. However, the Adventurer's Guild won't be happy if we cut them out.'

'Ah, I see.'

The group clears are held at regular intervals, but if we clear it out of turn, we'll be ruining the guild's reputation in front of the many adventurers they've gathered. They'll definitely resent us.

'Why don't you participate in the group clear and show your prowess, Second-sama?'

Sylvia said this with a lot of question marks floating above her head. It's a good suggestion, but there's one fatal flaw.

'If we could get an F-rank team into the group clear, that would be great.'

'Mm, right...'

A group clear of an unexplored dungeon is the ultimate opportunity for an adventurer to achieve fame and glory. The best from across the kingdom would be gathered. There's no way a new F-rank team would be allowed to join.

But if we clear it on our own, no one will believe us, and the Adventurer's Guild will become our enemy... Ah, we're in a bind.

'The best strategy might be to contribute as much as possible to the Adventurer's Guild and get approval for the next group clear.'

Yukari said this calmly. She probably had this in mind from the beginning. Otherwise, she wouldn't have insisted on registering as adventurers yesterday.

But how many months will that take? I can't really be bothered to do it step by step. Is this because I'm still thinking like it's a game? Or is it the difference in time perception between the relatively long-lived Dark Elves and ordinary humans?

'...Ah.'

Then, I suddenly thought of something.

'Hey, Yukari. Isn't it that if our adventurer rank is high enough, we can participate in the group clear? Or even if we're A-rank, they might recognize a solo clear?'

'Ah, yes... In theory, that's correct. But if you're aiming for A-rank, it might be more efficient to contribute steadily and earn the right to participate in the group clear.'

'No, I just remembered a good method.'

'Good method?'

Yes, the method that was useless in the Mevion era—'Explosive Rank-Up.'

'Alright! Let's head to the Prolin Dungeon right away.'

I led the confused group, full of determination, and started walking.

Explosive Rank-Up.

This is a method to rapidly increase your adventurer rank.

However, in Mevion, the adventurer rank was a meaningless title, and the higher the rank, the more useless it became, so it was quickly discarded. Still, the fact that someone found the fastest way to rank up, even for something so valueless, shows the diversity of online gamers.

The fastest method to rank up took at least six days. Even in the online game era, few people were willing to spend six days just to increase their rank, so this information was almost forgotten. I happened to remember it because it was related to a certain technique. It's useful now, proving that knowledge is power.

So,

A-rank in six days. How, you might wonder, but it's actually simple.

Collect 'Mana Crystals' that automatically generate in the dungeon at regular intervals and submit them to the Adventurer's Guild. That's all.

Mana Crystals are the most efficient items for earning 'Guild Contribution Points' among those that can be submitted without limit. If you can collect a large number, it's the best way to rank up.

In the Prolin Dungeon, about 128 Mana Crystals are generated per day. If you submit 83 per day, you can accumulate enough Guild Contribution Points for A-rank in six days. In other words, submitting about 500 Mana Crystals will get you to A-rank.

Why only 83 per day? It's not that you don't want to, but you can't. Mana Crystals don't all appear at once; they generate at regular intervals, so there's always a waiting time. Therefore, even if you don't sleep, you can only collect around 85 per day.

So, where are these Mana Crystals in the dungeon? The answer is 'hidden rooms.'

These hidden rooms contain a large number of Mana Crystals. If you can find them, reaching A-rank is a piece of cake.

The method to reach these hidden rooms is the 'Explosive Jump,' a hidden technique that gave rise to the term 'Explosive Rank-Up.'

The Prolin Dungeon has the most hidden rooms among B-rank dungeons, making it ideal for collecting Mana Crystals.

I like Prolin not just for its vast and beautiful caves but also for its many hidden elements. The abundance of hidden features is quite appealing to gamers. Using various techniques to explore every nook and cranny was a great pleasure back then.

Let's summarize.

We aim to reach A-rank in six days by contributing to the Adventurer's Guild. To do this, we need to submit 83 Mana Crystals per day. Therefore, we need to enter the many hidden rooms in the Prolin Dungeon. And the method to enter these hidden rooms is—

'Explosive jump?'

Explosive Jump, also known as 'Sad Jump.' Why 'sad'? Because it's 'Fire Attribute • Third Form,' abbreviated as 'Hi-San.'

Eco, who heard my explanation, opened her mouth wide and tilted her head.

'Yeah. When Eco jumps, I'll cast Wind Attribute • Third Form at her feet, and then Sylvia and I will cast Fire Attribute • Third Form at her feet in that order. Eco, defend with Corner Shield Technique, Kaima Shield Technique, and Gold General Shield Technique, all in a downward direction.'

In essence, it's a hidden technique to jump higher than a normal jump. If done correctly, you can jump nearly 20 meters high. This technique is possible solo if all skills are at level 9, but with lower skill ranks, it requires at least two people.

'Got it!'

Eco responded enthusiastically.

'Are you sure this is safe? Really safe?'

Sylvia said this with a worried expression. I think Eco's MGR is high enough, but we should probably do a rehearsal just in case.

I looked around again.

The dungeon was a large, wide space with gray, rocky walls exposed everywhere. The vertical shafts were very deep, and the horizontal tunnels were very complex, making it dark and eerie without strong light.

We had already cleared the monsters in the area. The Prolin Dungeon is filled with 'Golems,' large rock monsters, but they can be defeated with one or two shots from a Rook Bow Technique at level 9, so they're not much of a threat. However, they provide good experience points, making them ideal for skill training.

The Prolin Dungeon has a large, vertical cave and smaller side caves that branch out in all directions, making it vast, large, and complex.

Hidden rooms are scattered everywhere, making it extremely difficult to explore them all. Even the world's best wouldn't remember every connection. Therefore, we need to be careful when choosing a practice spot to avoid falling into a large cave after an explosive jump.

'Alright, let's practice here.'

I chose a safe spot, moved Eco to the wall, and prepared Wind Attribute • Third Form at her feet.

'Go, jump!'

With everyone ready, I gave the command.

Eco jumped, and my Wind Attribute • Third Form caused the air to expand beneath her. She was launched about 3 meters high by her Corner Shield Technique. Immediately after, Sylvia's Fire Attribute • Third Form and Kaima Bow Technique exploded, and Eco deflected it with her Kaima Shield Technique. The knockback effect provided additional vertical thrust, doubling her height. Finally, my Fire Attribute • Third Form and Kaima Bow Technique finished the jump, and Eco was propelled even higher with her Gold General Shield Technique. She reached about 15 meters above the ground. That's more than enough.

'Kyaa-ha!'

Eco descended with a big smile.

...

'Is, is this okay!?!'

'Ah, damn, I forgot!!'

'What!?!'

Yukari panicked, I realized my mistake, and Sylvia started to worry.

We hadn't considered the landing! In Mevion, it would have just reduced a bit of HP, but this is reality. I can't let Eco get hurt!

'Eco! Corner!'

I shouted, and Eco immediately raised her shield. I created a makeshift pool with Water Attribute • Third Form at the landing spot.

Splash! The shield and water collided, and water splashed up like a geyser.

'...!'

Eco landed and sat on the ground, eyes wide with surprise. Then, she stood up, her expression determined.

'Ha-ha-ha-ha!'

The drenched Eco ran over with her ears perked up, breathing heavily. I was worried she might be hurt, so I ran over too.

'Second! Again! Do it again!'

Eco pleaded, jumping around me with a very happy face.

I'm glad she's not hurt, but I feel like I overreacted. Sylvia and Yukari were relieved but also a bit exasperated.

'Okay, let's do it for real next time.'

'Got it!'

I said this and moved to our target location.

'Got them all!'

'Great, come down then.'

There are about three spots in the Prolin Dungeon where a large number of Mana Crystals appear. All of them are hidden rooms, and they are so high that you can't reach them without the Sad Jump. You could probably climb with a rope, but that would take too much time, and Golems would spawn again. Most people probably don't even know these hidden rooms exist.

Because of this, collecting 100 Mana Crystals by having Eco gather from the three spots was easy. The crystal generation points were untouched, and there were large, untouched natural Mana Crystals. At this rate, reaching A-rank in six days will be a breeze.

'Alright, let's go submit them!'

We returned to the surface, feeling elated.

'This, this...!?!'

The guild receptionist was shocked.

'They... they're real...! So many Mana Crystals...!'

She looked back and forth between me and the Mana Crystals with a gaping mouth.

It feels great.

'Will our team reach C-rank with this?'

The Adventurer's Guild's rank-up rules are based on 'Guild Contribution Points.' Therefore, as long as you increase your points, you can rank up quickly, even with a dubious method. I hope the real guild system is the same.

'...Yes, yes, of course!'

Good, good, that's great. We've jumped from F-rank to C-rank. The Adventurer's Guild is easier to deal with than I thought. I just hope they don't say something like, 'To reach A-rank, you need to do more than just submit Mana Crystals.' (Flag)

'I'll submit all of them. Deposit all the money. Raise both personal and team ranks.'

'Understood!'

'Thank you, Camelia. I'll bring more tomorrow.'

'Y-Yes, sir!'

I called her by name, reading it from her name tag, and winked at her.

...It was a creepy, sleazy act, but it seemed to work well with this appearance. The receptionist, Camelia, blushed and looked at me with a dreamy expression. Even in a notorious guild like the Adventurer's Guild, I can build a good relationship with the receptionist.

'Second-sama...'

'...Master.'

There is a price to pay for the white-eyed looks from my companions.

Especially Yukari's glare is terrifying. Was it that disgusting? Well, I guess so.

'Huh?'

Eco is her usual silly self. I felt a bit tender and gently stroked her chin, closing her cute, open mouth.

'...Ah, well. For the next five days, we'll collect crystals and kill Golems for experience. Once we reach A-rank, we'll clear Prolin quickly, farm Mithril, and make a fortune. Then, we'll buy a house in the capital. That's the plan.'

I spoke about our future plans to cover up my embarrassment.

Sylvia and Yukari still gave me a side-eye, but they agreed to the plan.

'Yes. I agree with the side experience. Should we prioritize Yukari's blacksmithing skills for a while?'

'No, there's no need to prioritize blacksmithing anymore. We'll set the experience distribution to be equal among all members.'

'That means we'll focus on improving each member's skills, then.'

Sylvia nodded in understanding, her face slightly relaxed. She must be happy to improve her skills and become stronger. I understand; I felt the same way when I first started.

'By the way, Sylvia will focus on magic bow techniques, Eco on shield techniques... What about you, Master?'

Yukari asked, seemingly curious.

...Hmm, me.

Right, bow, sword, magic—now might be a good time to improve that.

I looked at Yukari and said with a sense of purpose.

'I'll start improving my summoning skills from tomorrow.'

Thank you for reading.