Chapter 44

Arriving at the 10th floor, a large gate was visible right in front of me. I couldn't see what was beyond the gate, so I had no idea what lay ahead.

It seemed that if I entered through there, I could fight the boss.

The boss's experience points are quite rewarding. It also seems that ability levels are easy to raise, so I really want to learn new abilities from this boss. Perhaps because I leveled up three times during the battle with the lock golems at the entrance, I only leveled up once on the way to the 10th floor, so I think I will level up here. I've been trying various things along the way, so I believe I can learn many abilities.

The 10th floor is the level where the boss resides. Since no monsters appear unless you pass through the gate, there's no need to be on guard.

And here, I met other adventurers for the first time.

"Hey! Isn't that Leonis? It's rare to see you here, I thought you retired?"

"Yeah. I'm doing a dungeon patrol while training the younger generation. How's it going? Any strange occurrences?"

"Ah, not really on the lower floors. We haven't gone to the higher floors yet, so we don't know."

As Leonis and the other adventurer started talking, Lady Laz called out, "I'm taking a break over here," so I followed her. Fol smiled and moved to stand next to Leonis, apparently joining their conversation.

The 10th floor seems to be a safe zone, with no enemy presence. The boss is probably beyond the gate, but we haven't approached it yet.

"Let Leonis be and take a break. Their party will finish the boss battle, and then it will be our turn, so it will take a while."

"Is the boss battle done in order?"

I understand that those who are there first go first, but if we didn't plan to fight, do we really need to wait for them? It's already late at night, so they are probably here to fight the boss in the morning.

"That's right. You can't give up your turn. When the next person arrives, you have to fight. If you don't want to fight, you can't stay on this floor according to the rules."

"…Why is that?"

"Because a rare boss can appear during the boss battle."

A rare boss can appear?

Since the boss is predetermined, and we prepare to fight it, the appearance of another boss is dangerous, and it might be better to let someone who can win take the fight. I have some doubts, but when we entered the dungeon, they said they didn't expect there to be three, so it might be a common occurrence.

"Um, did three lock golems appear?"

"No, no. They appear randomly, one to three. It just happened to be three. But that's not the point. The boss can change. The rare boss is strong, but it drops valuable items. You can't specifically target it, but it's common to earn five times the usual amount in one battle."

"Then why can't we give up our turn?"

"Because there have been issues with people giving up their turn until a rare boss appears. Everyone wants to fight the rare boss. If someone keeps giving up their turn to only fight the rare boss, others would be upset. Also, monopolizing the floor with a clan is prohibited. So, if you're waiting before the boss, you have to fight when the next person arrives."

I kind of understand, but I don't really get it… I guess it's to prevent problems by following the order. Probably because the rare boss is valuable, and it's first-come, first-served, and you have to follow the order.

"…But they're talking and not preparing to fight."

Naga is looking at Leonis and the other adventurer.

Indeed, there's no fighting atmosphere. It looks like Leonis is trying to persuade them.

"He's probably on guard duty and will sleep in that tent. It's late, after all."

"Um… We were supposed to defeat the boss and then rest, right? Why aren't they fighting?"

"They probably thought no one would come and had no intention of going to the higher floors… or they had other purposes. It's quite troublesome to return to the 9th floor after defeating the boss."

Hmm.

In other words, they didn't want to fight but now have to. Even though it's a rule, it must be tough to be woken up from sleep. But… something feels off. I wonder why…

"Ah, um, Leonis. We…"

"I know. As a guild staff member, I can't break the rules. Get it over with."

"…Yeah."

After a while, the person who was talking to Leonis headed towards the tent, and people came out of it. It seems to be a party of five, with two men and two women in addition to the first person.

"What? Seriously, why are you here at this hour?"

"Sorry. We have our reasons."

"Leonis… Can't it wait until morning?"

"We're here for a guild investigation. I need to report the details. If I report that you set up a tent before the boss, you'll get evaluated."

"Ugh… Tough luck."

"Sorry."

The previous party disappeared into the gate, so I rejoined Leonis and Fol.

Since we had some time, we kept a distance from Leonis and his group and had a discussion with the three of us. My brother and the others have steadily leveled up and learned abilities.

I learned <Poison Resistance> and <Paralysis Resistance>, and my magic is progressing smoothly.

Naga is steadily learning <Presence Detection>. Also, the ability <Reverse Scale>, which he can learn from level 2, and his unique skill <Dragon Slayer>. I suspect that <Dragon Slayer> is more about dragon characteristics rather than just being effective against dragons. My brother said, "I checked in the bath, but there are no scales," but he didn't deny the theory about dragon characteristics. Anyway, we don't fully understand each other's abilities, so Naga's high abilities are quite mysterious.

My brother learned <Poison Resistance>, <Paralysis Resistance>, and <Blunt Resistance>, and other abilities related to combat.

At least, I now understand that status resistance is essential in this dungeon, even up to the 10th floor. Learning poison and paralysis resistance should be useful in the boss battle…

"Alright, the 10th floor boss room."

"The boss… is strong, right?"

"Given your levels, it's strong. The status effects are troublesome, but the attack power isn't high. Crane shouldn't die unless hit by a critical attack."

In other words, if the boss's critical attack hits, you die.

I know. I understand that my defense is extremely lacking.

I also know that you're quite worried. But, I can't continue as an adventurer if I can't fight without a party. My shield skill level has also increased, so my DEF has improved with each level up. As long as I don't get careless, I shouldn't die… I hope.

"I'll be careful."

"Crane. Your magic has high power, so you'll be a valuable asset. This boss doesn't have ranged attacks. Two ranged magic attackers should be enough to defeat it. Also, for status effects… especially paralysis, immediately heal affected allies."

"…Understood. I should cast magic from a distance, right?"

"Right. At first, the boss will charge and spread mushroom spores. If you get too close, the spores will cause status effects, so ranged attacks are the main strategy. When the boss's HP drops below half, it will summon minions and try to heal by growing roots. It's best to defeat the minions first. Healing is also troublesome. Take appropriate actions as the situation demands. Crane, if the boss targets you, use your shield to <Guard>. Granos or I will follow up, but be careful that the healer doesn't get affected by status effects. Naga, focus on the enemies in front of you. If you only worry about Crane, it will affect the whole party."

"…Understood."

As Leonis said, Naga's AGI isn't very high, so he's not suitable for follow-up. I appreciate his efforts to protect me, but I need him to protect himself. Actually, there are times when my defense doesn't keep up… but with high HP and DEF, the damage isn't significant.

"Granos. Try not to take too much hate. Also, don't get surrounded by minions."

"Got it."

My brother is the most stable in combat. He occasionally takes damage but efficiently eliminates enemies as a guerrilla fighter. With high attack power, he's an excellent attacker.

He also holds back to protect me, but he's a combat enthusiast…

He tends to fight at the front, so I need to be careful. He doesn't take unnecessary risks but enjoys front-line combat.

Leonis understands Lady Laz's stats and abilities but seems to have a subtle coordination. I heard they were in a party before, but they haven't been recently?

As long as she casts magic from behind the tank, there shouldn't be any problems. Her positioning is also good, and she's often told to follow her example… I get scolded for casting magic without a tank. I don't think it's that dangerous, but apparently, I'm not suited for the backline, so I'm told to stay in the middle, casting magic and occasionally swinging my sword.

I borrowed a bow from my brother, but the damage from magic is higher, so I haven't mastered it yet.

Leonis doesn't seem to rely on Fol's combat power, giving instructions not to depend on her. Fol mainly guards Lady Laz, so her abilities are still unknown. But, she should be similar to my brother, a guerrilla fighter.

Considering this, the party balance seems good. The main attacker is my brother. The tanks are two… no, Naga and Leonis also counterattack quite a bit. Lady Laz's magic damage is high, so the balance is not bad.

Healer? Well, that's me… but since I only properly healed during the lock golem battle, I'm not sure if I'm doing it right.

"Alright… it seems they're done. Let's go."

After about 30 minutes, the battle of the adventurers we met earlier seemed to be over. We readied our weapons and entered the gate.