Chapter 26

After defeating the leaden skeleton, I checked my own status.

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Zelos Sylphied

Gender: Male

Age: 15

Emblem: [Emblem of Nothingness]

Level: 30

HP: 300/300 MP: 55/150

Strength: 50

Endurance: 42

Speed: 50

Intelligence: 30

Luck: 30

Status Points: 6

Skills: [Parry] Lv.2, [Slash] Lv.2, [Magic Arrow] Lv.1, [Scouting] Lv.1

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"Alright, the skill levels of Parry and Slash have also increased."

As the system sound had indicated, they had both risen to level 2.

Due to this, the critical strike power of Slash had evolved from 30% to 33%.

In 'Cleone,' a proficiency system is used for skill levels, where the level increases with repeated use of the skill.

It makes sense that these two, which I have been using primarily, would be the first to level up.

I turned my gaze to Shuna, who was standing next to me.

"How about you, Shuna? Did your level increase?"

"Yeah, thanks to you, I reached level 30."

I looked at the status Shuna showed me.

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Shuna Trimmel

Gender: Female

Age: 15

Emblem: [Emblem of Magic]

Level: 30

HP: 240/240 MP: 62/210

Strength: 33

Endurance: 33

Speed: 38

Intelligence: 60

Luck: 38

Status Points: 6

Skills: [Magic Missile] Lv.1, [Sacred Enchant] Lv.1

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Not only had she reached level 30, but her maximum MP had also exceeded the target of 200.

"I don't feel right just riding on Zelos's efforts..."

"Don't worry about it, I'm doing this because I want to."

After telling the apologetic Shuna this, I nodded once.

(At any rate, with this, the preparations for the boss battle are complete.)

Given the level of the common enemies in this dungeon, aiming for a higher level would be inefficient.

Moreover, with our current status, we have sufficient values to defeat the boss.

The only remaining issue is whether Shuna has the will to challenge the boss.

Since we formed a temporary party with the condition of respecting her will at the end, I have no intention of forcing her.

(Well, how should I bring it up?)

Just as I was thinking about this,

"Hey, by the way, Zelos, you helped me level up until now because you wanted me to join you in the boss challenge, right?"

Unexpectedly, she brought up the topic herself.

"Yeah. But according to our original agreement, if you're not up for it, I was planning to turn back..."

"...Do you think, Zelos, that with our current strength, we can defeat the boss?"

"Yeah. While there is a minimum risk in a boss battle... we know the enemy's fighting style, so we can handle it sufficiently. If we get into a pinch, it will only be me, the front-liner, so you don't need to worry about that."

"Hmm."

I tried to reassure her, but for some reason, Shuna puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

Not only that, she leaned in closer.

"What are you saying, Zelos? We're a party, right? I know it might sound strange coming from me, who has been carried all this way... but I don't intend to push all the responsibility and risk onto you. So, if there's anything I can do, tell me everything. Let's win together."

With that, Shuna smiled.

"...So, you're saying you'll join me in the boss challenge?"

"That's what I meant... but now, you won't say it's a bother and you don't want to, right?"

"Of course not. I'm grateful, thanks, Shuna."

"Yay!"

With Shuna's strong offer, we decided to challenge the boss.

However, our remaining MP is still insufficient.

So, we moved to a safe area to rest for a while.

A safe area is a region within some dungeons where no monsters appear.

It is often near the boss room, and here we can fully recover our energy.

"......"

"......"

After that, a period of silence continued.

Suddenly, Shuna spoke as if she had just thought of something.

"It will take a little more time for our MP to recover, so why don't we talk about each other a bit?"

"About each other, like what?"

"Anything, really. Like, your favorite food... or why you became an adventurer."

Compared to favorite food, the latter seems like a much deeper topic...

But in front of me, Shuna continued.

"Actually, I just want to talk to you, Zelos. Would you mind listening for a bit?"

"Yeah, of course."

I nodded in response.

Then, after a moment, Shuna slowly began.

"Actually, the reason I wanted to become an adventurer is that I admired a certain hero."

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