Chapter 91

Exploring the mine dungeon is proceeding smoothly.

There are many cave-like floors, and occasionally, bats attack. Other than that, there are many lizard-like monsters that blend in with the rocks and pill bug-like monsters. It’s a bit troublesome when they attack on narrow paths with cliffs on the sides, but it’s fine in open areas.

I’m being careful to recover frequently. I don’t expect to encounter unexpectedly strong monsters, but just in case... It’s a bit low-level, but it’s better to be safe.

We’ve defeated the boss at the entrance, so there shouldn’t be any major problems, but...

“Got it! ...Phew, that’s done.”

Leus kicked off the cliff and pursued the bat that was trying to fly away. He jumped about 4 meters, which is more than twice his height, and struck the final blow from high up.

“Good job. Was it pretty easy?”

“Well, this much is no problem. Did I impress you?”

“Hmm? Yeah, you’re strong, strong.”

“No, no, no! You don’t get it!”

When I casually praised Leus for defeating the bat, he pouted and got upset. No, I know Leus is capable. He hasn’t reached level 20 yet, but there don’t seem to be any issues with his STR or DEF.

For regular adventurers, it’s recommended to be over level 30, but maybe it’s because he had abilities from the start, or maybe it’s due to his race... his skills are more than sufficient.

Tiga, compared to Naga, has lower DEF and MDF, but he’s still pretty solid. He doesn’t participate in attacks, so it’s unclear, but from the way he stops monsters with his shield, his stats don’t seem low. However, he’s slow. He says it’s not due to the aftereffects of poison, but he’s just not very quick to begin with.

Leus often jumps around. He has an ability called "Jump," which allows him to jump about twice the normal height... without kicking off walls, he can easily jump over 3 meters. He can perform tricky combat moves by jumping over monsters and circling behind them, making it easier to target weak points. I give him instructions, but he also makes his own judgments. He attacks when he can, but he doesn’t take unnecessary risks, so his balance is good.

However, even if he grows and reaches the same level, his combat ability is expected to be one or two levels lower compared to Naga and my brother. Leus and Tiga seem to gain new abilities as they level up. However, it’s unnatural that they didn’t have any before, so it’s possible they were adjusted for combat in the empire.

“You don’t seem to be struggling much...”

“In dungeons, certain types of monsters tend to appear more frequently, making it easier to handle. Additionally, the popularity of this dungeon is partly due to the ease of gathering materials... This dungeon is one of the most profitable in the kingdom, so there are many adventurers, and the number of monsters is significantly reduced.”

Indeed, this dungeon is very popular. There are points for mining iron and copper, and there’s a low chance of finding gems. It’s better to gather from the upper floors, so there are fewer people in the lower levels. Actually, the Mushroom Forest dungeon has more frequent monster appearances... but here, the monsters are thinned out, so there’s no continuous combat, making it less challenging.

“Should I mine this?”

“Yes, but be cautious as it makes a lot of noise, so please keep an eye on the surroundings.”

At the gathering point, we use a pickaxe to mine the ore. I thought it wouldn’t matter who gathered, but there’s a hidden LUK stat, so it’s better for someone with high luck to do it. I suspected I might have the highest luck among us...

“Hey, another one! This is a good start, isn’t it?”

However, something unexpected happened. Everyone tried, but whenever Leus did, a gem always mixed in.

The ratio for Leus is about 8 iron ores and 2 gems. For me, it’s about 6 iron ores, 2 copper, and 2 silver, with occasional gems. Naga mostly gets iron ores and is a bit down. Iron ores are cheap in Malestat because adventurers bring a lot, so it’s not very profitable. Tiga gets more copper ores than Naga.

Since the content gathered varies by person, it’s a good idea to let the luckiest person do it.

“Hmm. If we sell these, we can pay off the debt quickly.”

I appraised the gems (raw) and checked the prices. Yeah... they’re quite valuable.

“Eh! We don’t need to rush, right?”

“I just mean that it seems like we’ll accumulate money quickly. ...We came here to gather materials for better equipment, so it’s good that we can also gather funds.”

Our current equipment is second-hand. I think buying new ones is also an option. Ideally, we should get steel or better materials for our equipment, not just iron.

While talking to Leus, Tiga also approached.

“Yeah, but even if we split the profits, it might not be enough?”

“Tiga, that’s true... but if we distribute the gathered items, I don’t need the ores, so I’d like the monster materials... It would be great if you could consider that.”

Our goal is to gather ores. We need a considerable amount for Leus, Crow, and Tiga, so we’re exploring the lower floors. However, I want monster materials. Preferably, materials that can be used for alchemy! Bat wings and lizard tails are also useful.

“Hey, are there more gathering points?”

“No, this is our first time, so we don’t know... but there’s no need to rush. If we slowly explore this floor, we’ll find them, right?”

Since we entered the dungeon, Leus has been very enthusiastic. He said, “I wanted to explore dungeons when I came to this world!” and quickly covered his mouth. If there were people around, what would he do... I haven’t told him not to make statements that could reveal he’s a foreigner. Tiga nodded and made Leus sit down to talk.

It seems there’s no one around. If there were, he wouldn’t start lecturing here. Yeah... Leus sometimes doesn’t listen.

“...I understand.”

Naga also nodded beside me. It turns out he was also excited. I remember he enjoyed the Mushroom Forest dungeon. As we followed the two, who were enthusiastically looking for the next gathering point, I checked the surroundings. There were no monsters, so it should be fine.

After exploring all the gathering points on this floor, we decided to take a short break and sat on a comfortable rock.

“Didn’t you and your brother hunt many monsters during your journey?”

“...We spent more time fishing. We heard that the Silver Beauty fish was good for alchemy, but after several days, we couldn’t catch any.”

“Really? River fish?”

“...No, lake fish. We spent time by the lake. We grilled the fish we caught and they were delicious... On the last day, we encountered Ars and others being attacked by monsters. We couldn’t defeat the monsters... so we had to take them to a town instead of a village... and after that, various things happened, and we returned.”

He said helping the attacked people was the trigger, but... Naga seems exhausted. However, from yesterday’s conversation, it seems my brother caused some trouble.

Naga’s journey with his brother was apparently fun. It was his first time fishing, and he caught other fish besides his target, which they grilled and ate. He seems more talkative than usual.

“Your brother said he’s going on another trip. Is he going fishing again?”

“...No, it can only be caught during winter, so it’s next year. ...He plans to research materials to gather in the spring.”

“...It doesn’t seem like he needs to travel far for that.”

“...It’s a side trip. He said he wants to see the country with his own eyes... I also want to see more.”

“Yeah... that’s good.”

He seems more eager to travel than when we parted. It’s a good trend... but a bit sad.

“I want to go too! I want to go too!”

“Leus, it’s not good to interrupt conversations.”

Tiga stopped Leus from interrupting. It’s fine since we weren’t discussing anything important.

“Eh, but I want to go.”

“When your brother returns, you can go with him. It’ll be fun, right?”

“Isn’t Crein coming?”

“I still have a lot to learn from my master...”

We might go together eventually, but not for a while.

Well, fundamentally... my brother and Naga are already overpowered. If three more people join, I might not be needed. We have Crow for magic.

“Oh, but a stampede might happen soon, so we’ll focus on adventurers for a while. We’ll be dealing with a large number of monsters.”

“Then, let’s practice! Naga, let’s set up over there.”

“...Okay.”

The two ran to a place where about 20 rock-type monsters were clustered.

Well, it’s good they’re enthusiastic... but they don’t need to rush in. The monsters move slowly, so it should be fine...

A stampede is more likely to happen in spring... but it’s not guaranteed. It’s good to be prepared. I think my brother is considering this... but with Naga and Leus, they might get carried away.

“How many monsters do you expect in a stampede? I think there’s a huge difference in our abilities.”

“That’s true. Even in a party, we can act separately... but I don’t recommend it.”

Somehow, it feels better not to act separately.

Hmm. I can’t think of a reason.

“Is there a reason?”

“...No. It’s just that it might be dangerous for foreigners to act freely... something feels off.”

“There’s no specific evidence. It’s just that foreigners are treated poorly in this country.”

“Yes... the nobles are quite cunning. Currently, all the foreigners in the kingdom are in the capital, gathered by imperial decree. However, the prince is hiding us three. The Duke Valt family, who are loyal to the king, were also hiding two. They haven’t shown absolute loyalty to the king. They might be trying to acquire more foreigners from other families.”

Even as slaves of noble families, their safety isn’t guaranteed.

The Medici family is a facade. If a slave is kidnapped, they don’t have the resources to find them, and even if they do, negotiating with the other party seems impossible.

From the beginning, they were targets... because they have abilities that nobles want... Tiga.

“Is that person even more dangerous?”

“I don’t know his abilities... but even if he’s kidnapped, the prince’s faction won’t act. Even if we act together in the future, if we’re told to send him to the capital, we can’t refuse...”

“Would they abandon him even if he might be killed?”

“...They’ve already abandoned dozens of foreigners in this town. They only saved my brother and Naga by chance, knowing that others will become meat shields in the future... If including him causes problems later, it’s better not to.”

It’s the result of acting without considering the bigger picture.

It looks like they only saved those within their sight, but in the end, they’ll get dragged into a quagmire and become more tainted.

For safety... they’re willing to be dogs of the nobles.

This is probably where our intentions don’t align. Tiga, who fled from the empire, doesn’t want to involve himself with nobles... our values differ.

We’ll cooperate where we can... but there are parts where we can’t trust each other.

“I’m preparing for the worst... the girl who was with Ars won’t be an ally. So, even if we include him, there will be lingering issues.”

“He’s not against it, right? If I include him and problems arise, I’ll leave with him. What do you think?”

“...I don’t want to be betrayed from behind, so I’ll kick you out too.”

“Then, let’s agree on that.”

...I can’t strongly object.

If there’s a grudge, it will be with me or my brother, not Tiga and Ars. I don’t know why he wants to include him... but if he has a reason, it’s fine.

“We got off topic. If we don’t act together during the stampede, I’ll talk to the guild.”

“Your plan is... even with the skill difference, you think you can avoid casualties?”

“...I want to narrow the skill gap before the stampede starts. But I won’t sacrifice anyone.”

Those two are specialized in combat... I think Leonis will adjust the stampede to match my abilities.

So, I need to narrow the gap with them. I’m not as durable as paper armor, but I’m not very resilient.

If I can match my defense, it should be manageable. That’s why gathering materials for better equipment here is effective.

“Then, I’ll count on you.”

“Um, for what?”

“For the next instructions. You know this place best, right? The two have finished their battle.”

Hmm? When I looked closely, Naga and Leus had finished the group and Naga was disassembling the monsters. Leus was waving at us.

“Tiga, Crein, come on!”

“Yeah, I’m coming... would you like a hand?”

“No, it’s fine... we have a long way to go.”

He casually offered his hand to help me down the step, but then jumped off the rock. I don’t need his help... our intimacy isn’t high enough yet.

We joined Leus and Naga and continued deeper into the dungeon.

However, since we came here in the afternoon, it’s probably better to wrap up and find a place to camp for the night.

We won’t go past the 10th floor. I don’t say we can’t defeat the 10th floor boss... but our coordination isn’t there yet, and if something unexpected happens, we might not be able to handle it.

We’ll decide to return when we reach the 10th floor. It’s tense... we’re not hostile, but adding more companions is challenging.