On the ninth day as an adventurer, I started my day with water and fresh clothes.
I would run errands with some of the adventurers I was acquainted with and complete tasks given to me by deities we knew of.
First, running over to a larger house in the same district after finishing errands related to upkeep.
Greeting people who were chosen to work in businesses run by their deity.
I saw the deity I was to complete a small quest for.
For the sake of my career, we'll consider this entity to be called Purple Wreath-Sama.
They were the kind to say exactly what they meant even if it surprised you into shaping up. They had good memory but didn't recall the names of people they were uninterested in, whether or not they were deities.
I was given letters to deliver, most of those letters were to a mage-friendly deity.
They calmly spoke to me about reality. That my original intentions for becoming an adventurer would guide me to my place in this world.
Paying me and reminding me to return in exactly 35 days for another batch of deliveries.
The next moment, I travel towards the more forested parts of the city.
Encountering a party of catgirls and then one of amazonians. As well as attracting the attention of an experienced mage adventurer.
Recounting a moment where they noticed my hand often playing with the air to pull and raise mana. Gushing over my persistence to gain magick. Even to the point of excitedly asking if I split and sliced the wind in small, folding corners to allow elemental energies to calm down.
Speaking to me and letting me know about how a mage could prevent stalling or passing out.
Whether it be by getting knocked out or reaching mind zero.
It was sudden and I didn't expect to be hugged, but I was given one that almost knocked me unconscious despite her Strength not being that high.
Their sword and bust shaking while lifting me by my armour to not have me fall over before she squeaked the tiniest apology.
I then traveled down smaller roads to where trees and half-indoor fields lay. Flowers and small plants dotting the entire location. Smaller buildings here and there with a group or individual instances of adventurers being seen practicing.
Running races taking place in the back of matching buildings.
Then this adventurer at level one spoke with a deity.
For the sake of my career, we'll consider this entity to be called Light Steps-Sama.
Dressed in a robe and classical themes behind them. Dye production and painters spread throughout the entire area. Cold and warm themes surpassing what mortals could make in his own painting.
Statues and marble towers in the deepest reaches of this sector.
Adventurers resting and sparring close by. Shade and tranquility. Murmuring at different times with people walking for more than a few steps.
The smell of the ocean and dense inky liquid on wood palettes. Smoke fanned away from the entrance of taller buildings. Hallways to the sides of buildings and in between combined buildings.
I entered a hallway which led me to deeper areas of this sector. A park almost completely empty.
Encountering a deity with their bust showing as clear as day, drinking.
For the sake of my career, we'll consider this entity to be called Dangerous Smile-Sama.
I delivered the rest of the letters and parcels.
They asked me all sorts of questions but only listened to my reply less than half the time.
Some of those questions being very close to what I've done so far or thought of while entering the dungeon.
Accurately projecting my following week of status updates. Pinching or patting where they're normally not supposed to if they were a girl.
Her painted nails trying to tease me whenever daggers were the focus of a conversation. Her hands keeping up with the sudden playful jabs of her nails before sending me over to their “younger sister from home with connections” whom would “find the perfect match for me” for dungeon runs in the future.
For the sake of my career, we'll consider this entity to be called Soft Stones-Sama.
Introduced to me while they still wore pajamas. She planned to measure my body for scientific reasons but only when it seemed I would be set to level up and race to my own kind of fantasy as an adventurer.
After that I walked out to the part of the city made up mostly of sandstone.
A few songs at most to measure the time.
Polished sandstone and pale stone floors making-up the rest of the enclosed location.
I delivered a letter to an influential but unknown deity.
Waving goodbye and promising to visit again in the future after finishing up business.
For the sake of my career, we'll consider this entity to be called Baneful Architect-Sama.
Leaving as quickly as I could while being mindful of any intersecting roads, I ran to a nearby area. A house with broad doors, several stories and six windows on the third floor where a parlor stayed level with 22 buildings close to the area.
My Goddess saw me and reminded me to practice my swordsmanship so as to deliver the full force of my strikes during battle.
Then this young level one adventurer was sent to finish the rest of what was planned for this specific day.
For the sake of my career, we'll recognize this moment to be where I have a conversation with and deliver letters to someone known to cross seas.
Then moved to where there is storage and guarded buildings.
For the sake of my career, we'll recognize this moment to be where I have a conversation with someone as though they were a firekeep.
For the sake of my career, we'll recognize this moment to be where I deliver something to someone from the Northern Sea Shore.
For the sake of this story, we'll recognize this moment to be where I purchase health potions from someone likened-to a pheonix from the southern realm.
For the sake of this story, we'll recognize this moment to be where I purchase mana recovery potions from someone with a soft shell.
For the sake of this story, we'll recognize this moment to be where I purchase health potions from someone as a warm day would be.
These three potion purchases were made to continue a beneficial relationship between both familias and adventurers.
A sort of lightly fortified long-term investment to have access to a wide array of potions.
I presented myself as being a reliable damage dealer and tank for people in the role of supporters.
More and more of the supporters opted to schedule dungeon runs with me while accompanying attackers joined because of the way we split loot.
If you downed the enemy, you kept the loot and got another pouch to continue collecting.
Each person being responsible for their own collecting while enough people kept watch.
Supporters gained more Excellia, Attackers gained more Vallis, I gained more experience and earned their trust.
They're all good and dear me, they're adorable when their smiles come from the heart.
We each had weapons and basic armour from our respective familias. Mostly leather and metal shin or forearm guards.
After the ninth day I spent the evening reading while in the company of our parties.
We had started dividing lanes in the dungeon and repeating branching into a corridor after scouting. Maximizing the reach of each party while limiting any openings in the recently cleared map we had of the floor.
Someone somehow managed to acquire magick!!!
It was the amazonian girl from Light Steps-Sama's Familia.
They were open about the description and power of this magick. Especially since we'd be working together as colleagues.
A magick called “Sharpen” which coated their weapon with a magickal aura and increased the damage dealt by that weapon. It seemed to be the kind of magick effective against monsters with strong hides or spectral monsters seen later on in deeper floors.
Yet another adventurer to be the core of the party they become a permanent member of while advancing their career.
Indistinct looks directed towards me from the more playful deities got me curious as to how I was viewed but I reorganized my thoughts to inspire each attacker to strive for the means to overcome the odds.
Several of them then demanded spars and the smaller ones asked for a race with all of us included.
I somehow beat all them in one-on-one spars with wooden weapons.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
After seeing the results, I placed 5th overall with my Agility score as it is. This reminded me to ask my Goddess to update my status once I completed my twentieth day entering the dungeon.
It was a brilliant day, when we were to form new parties with the goal of challenging one floor deeper after elder members of the allied familias explored on lower floors to earn money.
The gods and goddesses were all together and lounged while holding a conversation where we could hear their sincere opinions.
They made assessments and compared individuals while also confirming accurate statements with one another. Teasing the ones with only a single adventurer under them. Then shifting the conversation to cover the balancing of each party.
Before then ending it by stating that “the children should decide for themselves” and that “We should give them an opportunity to lead their companions.”
So, we were to decide which ten would lead a party and then leave the remaining nine to be trained before sending them tomorrow in twos or threes while working on teamwork.
I stood up along with the “Sharpen” spell amazonian girl, the “Charge” skill werewolf kid, the high vitality humanoid tomboy, the high agility eastern humanoid girl, the high agility and strength dark elf girl, a high strength humanoid girl, a high magick humanoid child with two magick chants, a high magick elf girl and a high magick and vitality elf girl.
We were known to be the most capable while also not having any competitors in our familias. A few strong or more durable adventurers spoke up to challenge a few who were already standing but multiple voices told them to sit down in opposition.
It was then that we were given the choice of picking who to be a part of our party. With everyone deciding to leave it to the discretion of our deities in what order we were to call someone over.
They spent a short moment before we decided that either I or the amazonian girl were to start.
She motioned for me to start so I did.
Immediately asking for the more modest yet enthusiastic girl from the east with recent increases to her Strength and Magick ability scores.
Then after a round of picking people, I called over a bunny demihuma with a high defense, then an elf with the same novel tastes as I have and then another demihuma with horns. Afterwards with only 17 people left to choose from, I decided to ask an amazonian girl with a somewhat high vitality to join our party.
We were to coordinate which party would enter one after another.
I asked to be the fifth to enter. Everyone agreed. They each made their own plans.
I sat down to introduce myself to my party members for this run.
Stating my equipment choice, my Agility and Strength ability scores and the composition I'd prefer leaving with to enter the dungeon.
The amazonian would be carrying a spear and preferred to not be left to handle aggro. She would be in the role of supporter but would not be carrying a backpack.
The bunny demihuma asked to be trusted with a large shield and shortsword. They were to have the role of tank and look out for dangers from the front.
The horned demihuma would be carrying a round shield and shortsword. To be an attacker that aims at openings.
The elf girl asked to be allowed to carry the backpack and a spear. To behave as a support while being protected by the group.
The girl from the East decides to be a main attacker and brought her own weapon. A sword with an enchantment to absorb a tiny willowy mist of mana from the air to reactivate the enchantment. She explained that she had been carrying this to train her Magick ability.
This knowledge elicited a giggle of excitement from the amazonian supporter of this party.
She explained that it didn't automatically absorb any of her mana so there was no danger of experiencing mind down.
This warranted more attention on the girl from the east but that was to be for the future. We were still level one newbies for now. It did get me hopeful for multiparty delving in the future.
After this we all moved together in one big group. Walking to the entrance of the Tower of Babel. Giving a minute to each party to travel to the first floor and then explore at their own pace.
As the fifth party, I marched us to the first floor then to the second while having each member face off against a single monster.
A spear or shortsword interrupting attacks from monsters.
Then we went to the third floor and went through every corridor we could find while mapping.
If it was a group of two or less we attacked. If it was one then we'd play a game to decide who gets to practice ambushing it. If it was more than that then we decided to not attack more than five monsters at a time.
This went on until they needed a break. The Amazonian and Eastern girl were the ones without tiredness just as I was. Taking deep breaths in a relaxed yet prepared stance together.
I would keep watch from the rear and listen in for movements.
While they seemed to keep up well enough, the amount of conflict we overcame took teamwork.
I would be ready with a sword and daggers to attack enemies that couldn't be targeted yet by the attackers and tank. Then the horned demihuma and Eastern girl would attack if there was a good opportunity. The bunny demihuma would push and block whenever possible.
The elf and amazonian would follow our lead to incapacitate the enemy.
Most of the time it was three or four goblins or kobolds. Until it became three joined by two or two joined by three. Either the dungeon was targeting us or the parties in front and behind were pressuring the dungeon to act more offensively.
We decided to start pulling back and retracing our steps. We encountered the sixth, seventh and second party having a conversation. Seeing us and explaining that the dungeon was more active and that the first and third party had already left to practice on the first floor.
The fourth party were still exploring but were likely to move back up to the surface once they passed the third floor.
The eighth party joined us in this main corridor of the dungeon. Because of the different strengths of each party, it was obvious that the eighth and seventh should return to the surface.
I gave a warning to the sixth party to return to the second floor to gain experience before leaving once they needed more than a break to continue. Loudly claiming that they shouldn't be tired when exploring.
They acknowledged this and moved with some distance between each group.
I asked my current party if they could continue and it seemed that they could. I intended to loop through the paths of the later part of the third floor to find the third and fourth parties, just in case.
After carefully scouting and sneaking, we managed to find a roughed up fourth party with a wounded tank. The wound didn't seem life-threatening but it would be too dangerous for them to move to the nearby stairwell.
They asked us to lead them out of the dungeon for a pouch full of crystals to which we all wordlessly agreed.
We guided them back the way we came but kept encountering groups of five enemies. Then their attacker and secondary attacker joined ours by getting rid of the rest of the monsters. It was happening more frequently.
Until we saw groups of seven after scouting and having to find alternate paths that may not even meet up with the path we knew how to navigate.
This happened again and again… with the scream of a horrified adventurer somewhere behind us once we got back halfway to the second floor.
Our supporters joining the fight to speed up the process and their supporters pulling upwards and with the wounded as they walked.
We heard noises from behind and more screams close by. Unfortunately it seemed that with our groups and the many newly made parties from different deities, the dungeon had started preying on us. Our kills matching with the amount of enemies thrown at us.
Groups of three were quickly dispatched but we could not continue avoiding the main paths. An entire seven kobolds tried to ambush us but we responded fast enough to prevent it.
Then a group of four entered the room while we were down to three kobolds from the previous group.
After that we had to include their supporters when killing the downed enemies.
The horned demihuma clipping an enemy before it was bashed by our own tank. Then spears would get rid of the weaker monsters. It was difficult to figure out which kobold was weaker though, they had no defining features.
I would attack while our party members with a sword or spear followed.
Dodging claws and scratches meant I couldn't attack as often as I needed to.
So large sweeping attacks from the flank was what I was reintroducing into my attacks. Pulling a dagger out before one-hit killing a monster.
After that, the amount of noise we made was likely too much. Yet another group of monsters but we broke through them easily until we started taking a short break.
The dungeon may move slowly to target us again once we started sneaking past a corridor but small adjustments in our marching order made encounters more manageable. These naturally dangerous moments providing a bountiful lesson in the dangers of delving.
If it was a clear path, we would sneak until we made it back to the beginning of the floor. Only to see a party of humans being wiped right in front of us. It was the only path leading out of the third floor.
Their screams called in all the monsters that could hear it. So we ran. We ran to slay those monsters and to leave the third floor.
Unfortunately, we were seen by monsters as soon as we made it to the dead party. Our supporters took all the items and bags off of the dead adventurers. We didn't feel bad, it was something our allied parties all agreed to do for our good.
It was better than allowing the dungeon to absorb it. Not that they had much anyways. So we picked up a weapon if ours were worn down.
I only took a dagger and a shield.
First, directing our swordswoman, supporters and tank to take the lead up the stairs and to inform me if there was any trouble up ahead.
The tank and I covered for the other party before staying to prevent monsters from following us. Once most of us made it up the stairs, we followed until the spear carrying elf girl stepped in to push the monsters back.
I brought my arms back and then threw the shield to down the enemies shambling up the stairs.
A sword to cut them down before they could run away. A spear that cut in to deal a fatal blow. A shortsword to end the crawling of a few enemies.
We wiped them out as quickly as we could because there were more behind them.
If the tank seemed tired, I sent them back up the stairs. If the monsters crawled over their dead ilk, we attacked mercilessly.
Once we were at the top of the stairs, we left one side closed with spears ready and then the tank and horned demihuma would meet the monsters full-force. Ever so often switching between myself or one of our group as the main attacker. I drank a health potion to recover from some of the glancing blows I received.
We underestimated the amount of monsters from that previous group. So far we had taken down more than fifteen monsters. With eight or twelve left.
I was getting restless, our tank was tired and could only block attacks and everyone was pretty much done for the day. Yet still we were fighting for our lives.
I called out to our attackers to make way for a charge to be made to send enemies down the stairs.
I threw a dagger at a goblin, the three with shields charged forwards and knocked as many of those weak monsters down the stairs. The girls with spears thrust down to prevent them from getting up and then I called back everyone to choke the entrance to the third floor.
I and our attackers stayed in front while everyone else was commanded to stay put. Only raising their weapons since they were tired. The amazonian girl taking out an emerald potion, likely an emergency potion she could finally find time to drink.
Ever so often we would back up if we needed a moment after attacking and then the next person would be up. The enemy didn't have strong attacks but their ferality couldn't be ignored.
I could take down a few while someone fought for time. If it weren't for our armour we'd be more heavily damaged.
“Shield bash ready then use spears to push some away while I deal with the front!”
“Aye!” “Yes!” “Hai!” “-hai!” “Got it!”
One shield back from the right side, then another towards the center, then spears separating the enemies while I charge in cut down enemies. Afterwards I take out two daggers to attack only their heads.
Taking them out with as much accuracy as possible. With even better timing and reacting to attempts to hit me.
Either I'd kick them or collapse their weak scrambling. My canines pulling up a seething growl.
I pulled back and retrieved my sword.
Moving again to slash at the monsters.
Winding back an attack before sweeping up to knock them away.
This worked. It worked well enough.
But we heard that three enemies were coming from behind.
“Bunny! Spears! Deal with that!”
“Fuck…” “Yes! Got it!”
I could keep at it but I wouldn't accept a mistake. I shouldn't be hit at this moment. I can't so I won't.
The sheep demihuma and an attacker from our party were both at my sides. I led with a sword but it was close to breaking. I could tell.
I would thrust with the sword, thrust again to divert aggro. I would switch with the swordswoman before attacking when they pulled back.
Now it was only three enemies but I couldn't look back. I pushed the sheep from behind to take care of one of the kobolds. Then I attacked two of them before sidestepping.
A sword slashed down to stop a goblin. I finished it off while shoving the other enemy into the next. Moving back up the stairs then kicking it to the wall.
Rolling past to the side where there were no weapons on the floor, I look to see our supporters having downed an enemy each.
Back to the stairs, realize that we no longer have any enemies left to attack. So we rest while that wounded tank from the other party looks worse but only from the pain.
With this amount of monster corpses, I command our one non-tired member to retrieve their stones.
“We're not wasting our efforts by giving up the cores.”
They do that without complaint.
Everyone is either staring at the long corridor leading to the surface while catching their breath or watching as they pull up dead monsters from the stairwell.
Once we're done, we move up while leaving enough room for someone to scout.
I decide to scout another path while they do so but only to where I have visibility. Otherwise I come back and guard the front of our group.
Moving past the scouted paths and fighting against single enemies, we make it back to the first floor. Where the second and first party can be found after likely having similar troubles to what we've encountered prior to walking up the steps.
We explained what happened and someone wondered out loud if moving together would increase the risks. We moved carefully until it seemed clear to quicken our steps.
Second and first would be on different paths that both happened to be surrounding a middle path which we would move through. No scouting, only working our way back to the city of Orario. We all agreed.
I took the lead, followed by attackers with supporters in the back.
On the way there we saw the two parties again at an intersecting area that lead to the exit. Behind us, a group of enemies but because it was so close to the exit, we asked everyone to simply leave me and one of their party leaders behind.
It was five kobolds all sprinting at us. I wasn't worried but I felt aggressively vicious.
So we fought those kobolds, until I asked them to leave the last two to me.
They went up without looking or saying anything. I prepared to raise the cracked sword but it fell apart. Yikes.
Back to daggers, I drew both of mine and ran to aggressively crush fragmented pieces in then attacked the other before goring its skull with a piercing dagger.
Leaving after doing so and not caring to stay any longer.
We made it a point to leave behind weapons we found in the dungeon even if it was considered common practice to keep what you find in the dungeon since it was only on deeper floors that you would see hungry monsters or heinous bipedal monsters. There was no misunderstanding that we were meant to clear the dungeon of enemies to work towards removing the last of the dungeon's bottom floors.
This was only the very start of the very top directly under the Tower of Babel. Blades and arrows often found in one exit to the floor above or a row over to the edge of where monsters spawned.
Up I went to the surface where I was met with my party and everyone else.
I was pulled into a tight squirming hug from someone but I was already dazed by the events. Asking to bring ourselves to the healer to drop off the seriously wounded and then to have one of us turn in the crystal cores with the recorded list of who-earning-what.
It was such an eventful day but I could only return home with the need to hear my Goddess encourage me to improve so as to not be in such dire danger again.
Dear Goddess, I need a hug!