Chapter 35

We are currently on the 9th floor of the Gorgo Labyrinth. Since then, we have been exploring the labyrinth daily.

Usually, it's good to explore the labyrinth once or twice a week, but exploring it daily is considered insane. However, since we can prepare all recovery and consumable items ourselves, we can fully recover by the next day even if we explore daily. Joseph, the old man, still follows us, but it seems that the target is only me.

"Sorry~"

Saying that, Nina decapitates a salamander. Although the salamander is covered in scales, Nina uses her magic to empower her weapon for close combat and uses magic threads for mid-range attacks. The magic-empowered weapon seems to have increased sharpness, easily slicing through golems with little resistance. It feels like this is more useful than my magic sword.

"What's with that battle cry?"

"Hehe~ It's become a catchphrase?"

It seems to have become a natural habit for her, and Nina looks a bit embarrassed.

Behind her, Lena is using wind magic to tear apart two salamanders. She has also leveled up to 15, and with more MP, she is using magic more frequently. Her stamina has also improved, and she no longer gets out of breath on the 3rd floor like before.

"...I'm fine."

"Don't get too cocky. Let's head back."

"Where's the boss?"

"We'll wait until we level up a bit more. Also, we need to pick up the equipment we ordered from the blacksmith today."

It's still early in the afternoon. It used to take Nina and Lena 10 hours to reach this floor, but now it only takes 4 hours. There are still some uncertainties about fighting the boss, so I plan to do it when Lena's level exceeds 20.

"I've also reached level 23, but it's getting harder to level up lately~"

"Indeed, it's suddenly become harder. Once you level up a bit more, we'll go to deeper floors, so be patient."

"...With my skills, there's no problem."

Since Lena was getting too cocky, I gave her a chop. She glared at me with teary eyes, but adventurers know that complacency can be fatal.

Still, because Nina and Lena are killing monsters faster, I'm running out of time to steal skills. I'm prioritizing stealing 'MP Recovery Speed Increase' from salamanders, but I'm often unable to steal 'Fire Resistance' and 'Spirit Magic' before they are killed. My skill level also stopped increasing after level 6. I can feel it improving when I steal skills, but the level remains at 6. It seems there's a significant barrier between levels 6 and 7.

"Old man, we're heading back."

"Why do you know?!"

Joseph, the old man, had changed his equipment this time, wearing a black outfit called 'Black Cloak' that nullifies detection up to level 5.

"How much did you pay for this equipment?"

There's nothing uglier than an old man's whining. There's a reason I noticed his stalking. Seeing Nina use her magic like threads, I applied the same technique. I spread my magic in a spider web pattern centered on myself. Anyone or anything that touches the magic threads is immediately detectable. The threads don't require much MP, so even Lena doesn't notice them. I named the technique 'Heavenly Net,' but I won't tell anyone.

"You're a noisy old man."

"Joseph, good luck~"

"...Die."

"Harsh..."

Lena's one-liners about Joseph are always harsh. She might be the type who holds grudges.

After that, Nina and Lena went to the guild to sell materials, while I headed to the blacksmith.

"Hey, old man, are you there?"

"Ah, I've been waiting for you. Look at this equipment, isn't it great?"

The blacksmith, excited, brought out the equipment from the back of the shop.

Ogre Boots (Level 5): Magic Resistance Increase

Ogre Shoes (Level 5): Magic Resistance Increase

"Hehe, how about it? I used the hide of an Ogre (Subspecies) lavishly!"

"Old man, this..."

"Did you notice? The Ogre's hide naturally has magic resistance, so it comes with the skill even without enchantment."

(Hmm, should I be happy or not... Is it impossible to enchant?)

I also received a shirt, pants, and hot pants made from Ogre hide.

"Here, this is a freebie."

The old man put a hat on me.

"This is a prototype. The hat is made from the feathers of a firebird and the silk of a steel spider. The glasses are made from the high-purity shell of a rainbow turtle to protect your eyes."

The prototype doesn't have a name, but it looks like a flying cap with goggles.

"Cool, how much?"

"I said it's free. Just keep shopping here in the future."

The old man said it was free, but the items didn't look like something he would give away for free. I gave him the broken weapons and armor from the previous adventurers and the scales and hide of salamanders we obtained in the labyrinth. He said he could make more weapons and armor with these and went to the back of the shop. I started to worry if he had any other customers.

At the guild, Nina and Lena were passing the time by looking at the quest board while waiting for Yuu.

"The Earth Dragon slaying quest offers 100 gold coins! That's enough to save for Lena's school fees."

"...Dragons are as strong as their rewards suggest."

"Right, dragons are at least rank 6 monsters."

Three adventurers approached Nina and Lena, who were chatting.

"Hey, we're about to take on a Goblin General quest. Want to join us?"

"We may look like this, but we belong to the clan 'Red Meteor.' You've heard of it, right? The largest clan in the city of Kama."

"...No, I haven't."

The adventurers laughed dryly at Lena's response but didn't give up. The elf adventurer held Nina's hand and spoke.

"This Goblin General is a named monster, and you get 10 gold coins just for slaying it. You can earn even more by selling the magic core and materials!"

Nina, who had been attacked by adventurers before, pulled her hand away and smiled politely.

"Umm... I only party with Yuu and Lena, so I'm sorry."

The elf looked disappointed, but the other two didn't give up and continued to persuade her.

"Come on, how about this? If you're unaffiliated, why not join our clan? We're promising rookies, so it's better to get along with us now."

"Exactly! You'll gain valuable experience by joining other parties."

"...Valuable experience?"

"Right! By joining various parties, you'll learn to handle different situations and contribute to your current party."

"...I'll go."

"Huh, Lena, are you serious?"

"That's the spirit! Are you coming, miss?"

"I'm not going."

After trying to persuade her for a while, the adventurers realized Nina wouldn't change her mind and went to the counter with Lena to accept the quest.

"Hi, Nina~"

Unaware of the conversation, Larit greeted Nina as usual.

"R, Larit..."

"Is something wrong?"