RAWRRRRRR!
A Floor Guardian—a jet-black werewolf, its thick mane accentuated with golden patterns—loomed over the party like the physical manifestation of a plague. Its deafening roar summoned a legion of smaller wolves, materializing from the air like wisps of smoke.
True to his word, once Zephyr regained consciousness and the party rested, Daisuke took on a supportive role, allowing the others to concentrate on vanquishing monsters and advancing levels.
Consequently, the Eye of Verity, Impeccable Parry, Magic Chains, and Magic Missile—serving as a decent distraction—saw significant growth in proficiency.
As the party utilized their well-organized formation to cut through monsters like a field of wheat, Daisuke recalled the next segment of Thalia’s lecture.
— “Creatures from the deeper levels of the dungeon are unable to ascend to higher floors due to a less concentrated mana density. The mana would leak from their cores, resulting in their gradual weakening and eventual demise. For these monsters, the right mana density is as vital as oxygen.
Similarly, creatures from the upper floors avoid descending to lower levels, fearing not only being preyed upon by mightier monsters but also the risk of contracting mana poisoning due to excessive exposure to highly concentrated mana.
People with weaker immunity face the risk of mana poisoning, if they descend too rapidly to lower dungeon levels. Left untreated, mana poisoning could progress to mana deficiency, ultimately resulting in fatality.”
Zephyr—bearing the aggro of the werewolf—paused in one corner of the expansive chamber with a frown. His four legs splayed wide, body crouched low as the monstrous Floor Guardian advanced with eerie determination.
Before the pup could unleash his Divine Armament skill, Daisuke ricocheted off the wall and ceiling like a humanoid spring, his heel striking the beast’s face, propelling it into the side of the cavern like an oversized rag doll.
“Take care of the smaller wolves while I keep the guardian busy!” Daisuke’s command echoed with authority.
“Got it!” The group responded in unison, their voices resounding through the chamber.
***
Early in the morning, after the usual flurry of adventurers had flooded in and out of the lobby after applying for the newly posted quests, Thalia slouched against the corner, blowing upward at the wisps of hair covering her forehead.
"The morning rush never seemed to tire you out before," remarked one of the female guild clerks with a knowing smile. "Are you perhaps... worried about that boy who keeps shooting you down?" she teased.
Thalia glared, teeth grinding. “I-I wasn’t rejected by him, okay!”
“But you admit you have a crush on him,” the girl retorted.
“Ah—” Thalia stammered, ensnared. “Shut up! It’s none of your business!”
The girl chuckled. “You’re like an open book, so cute!”
Fuming, Thalia ignored her, resting her head on crossed arms. It had been nearly a month since Haxks and the others embarked on their field test. She couldn't shake off the worry gnawing at her. She wondered if they were safe and if her teachings had adequately prepared them for the challenges they faced.
“Hi.”
The sudden greeting stirred Thalia from her thoughts, but her bright and expectant expression faded upon seeing an unfamiliar face by the counter.
The boy scratched his cheek awkwardly. “Not who you were expecting?”
Thalia managed a brief smile, slipping into her professional demeanor. “No, it’s nothing,” she said, “how may I assist you today?”
“We would like to apply for this quest, please,” said the boy, sliding the job listing and four ID cards across the counter.
Thalia reviewed the job description and IDs, then glanced over the three young girls behind the boy—a party comprised of an archer, mage, and healer, with the boy as the warrior.
It was a well-balanced party, and the job was to eliminate a pesky group of goblins that were frequently terrorizing a small remote village, which was relatively easy for an F-ranked quest.
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Thalia swiftly ran their details through the Global Census Register and confirmed that they were fresh recruits embarking on their very first job as adventurers.
"I don't mean to intrude," Thalia started with a considerate tone, "but wouldn't a gathering quest be more suitable for your first job? Dealing with Horned Rabbits and Forest Imps could help you acclimatize as new adventurers. Goblins might seem small and unthreatening, but they can actually be quite cunning.”
“I think we’ve had enough acclimatizing through the guild’s field test thank you very much,” a feisty redhead among the girls responded flippantly.
“Plus,” the boy added with a similar level of insolence, “gathering quests don’t pay nearly enough to support our families and lifestyle. While I appreciate your concern, we’ll be sticking to the goblin job.”
“Very well then,” Thalia responded with the same level of courtesy she had extended earlier. Without delay, she promptly completed the application and watched silently as the party turned their backs and proceeded towards the exit.
Before she went through the doors, the healer turned and bowed apologetically, as if on behalf of the others.
“Do you think they’ll be alright?” asked the clerk who was teasing Thalia just moments ago.
“Well, they seem to believe so.”
***
Finnian pulled his sword from the eye socket of the downed Floor Guardian, crimson red blood coating the long blade.
[Name: Finnian Lancaster
Species: Human
Level: 29 | EXP: 16,780/131,406 (12.76%)
Class: Samurai
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild
Title: Way of the Warrior
HP: 1259/3974 | MP: 36/521
Strength: 107 | Stamina: 78 (+13) | Agility: 61 | Intelligence: 44
Stat Points: 0]
Gavric pressed his boot onto the creature’s lifeless corpse, both hands wrenching his mace from its shattered hind leg. Retrieving his shield from the ground, he secured it around his forearm.
[Name: Gavric Ironheart
Species: Human
Level: 27 | EXP: 8,520/113,906 (7.47%)
Class: Tank
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild
Title: None
HP: 1642/2904 | MP: 23/486
Strength: 100 | Stamina: 84 | Agility: 32 | Intelligence: 54
Stat Points: 0]
Rexar lowered his fists with a sigh, blood and gore dripping from his gauntlets that were now sufficiently seasoned in battle.
[Name: Rexar Ashenwood
Race: Demihuman (Wolfkin)
Level: 26 | EXP: 92,957/105,625 (88%)
Class: Warrior
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild
Title: None
HP: 947/2575 | MP: 06/438
Strength: 86 | Stamina: 78 | Agility: 49 | Intelligence: 47
Stat Points: 0]
Lyanna had been diligently going around to retrieve her arrows from the fallen monsters, but now she paused in front of one, weariness evident in her posture—her back arched, her arms slumped with exhaustion.
[Name: Lyanna Emberlynn
Species: Human
Level: 25 | EXP: 52,210/97,656 (53.46%)
Class: Archer
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild
Title: None
HP: 1047/2651 | MP: 55/400
Strength: 83 | Stamina: 75 | Agility: 48 | Intelligence: 45
Stat Points: 0]
Elena leaned heavily on her staff, her chest rising and falling, warm breaths escaping her parted lips.
[Name: Elena Hawthorne
Race: Demihuman (Beastkin)
Level: 28 | EXP: 17,469/122,500 (14.26%)
Class: Mage
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild
Title: None
HP: 1881/1930 | MP: 17/1033
Strength: 15 | Stamina: 55 | Agility: 36 | Intelligence: 173
Stat Points: 0]
Milo’s legs buckled, and he fell on his rear, awkwardly reaching into his pouch for an MP potion before he came down with an unwelcome case of mana deficiency.
[Name: Milo Kindlewise
Species: Human
Level: 24 | EXP: 48,189/90,000 (53.54%)
Class: Healer
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild
Title: None
HP: 1305/1726 | MP: 0/982
Strength: 14 | Stamina: 34 | Agility: 22 | Intelligence: 170
Stat Points: 0]
Zephyr lay sprawled out on his tummy like a corgi, a small pink tongue sticking out of his mouth.
[Name: Zephyr
Level: 28 | EXP: 14,956/122,500 (12.20%)
Race: Divine Beast
Species: Wolf
HP: 2024/5278 | MP: 12/1137 | Attack: 242 | Defense: 145 | Satiety: 46/100 | Loyalty: 44/100
Strength: 184 (+34) | Constitution: 87 (+30) | Agility: 108 (+30) | Intelligence: 162 (+30) | Dexterity: 72 (+30) | Courage: 38 (+30)
Stat Points: 0]
Daisuke sat atop the carcass of a lupine monster, a satisfied smile gracing his face as he deftly flicked his dagger as if flipping a harmless coin. Though he made sacrifices to empower the party instead of himself, his skills had notably improved, and Zephyr, if nothing else, had experienced significant growth.
[Name: Haxks
Species: Human
Level: 24 | EXP: 89,992/90,000 (99.99%)
Class: None
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild | Merchants’ Guild
Title: Lone Wolf, Pathfinder, Unwavering Spirit, Congenial Denizen, Master of Divine Beast, Devoted Hunter
HP: 1069/2501 | MP: 78/362
Strength: 72 (+18) | Stamina: 101 (+12) | Agility: 120 (+35) | Intelligence: 36 (+9) | Dexterity: 23 (+35) | Composure: 23 | Indomitable: 6
Stat Points: 0]
My HP dropped quite a bit since I no longer get the 12% Stat increase from Zephyr outside of combat, Daisuke noted before his gaze shifted elsewhere. Looks like my Unique Stats increased by a decent margin though, especially Composure.
Rexar shook the blemish from his gauntlets, his gaze fixed on Finnian who was meticulously cleaning his blade on the fur of the Floor Guardian. "Augh," he groaned wearily, the exhaustion evident in his voice. "I'm so tired—it feels like I'm about to die."
“Well, that would be a complete waste,” Daisuke remarked as he leapt from atop the carcass. “Considering you’ve basically reached the goal.”
“What? Really?” Rexar blurted out in excited disbelief. “Everything just felt like a blur to me!”
“Like we were just lifelessly going through the motions,” Lyanna added with a strained smile.
“Exactly!”
“Well, that all ends here,” Daisuke reassured, much to the party’s delight. “It’s been a few grueling weeks, but you’ve all managed to push through and gotten considerably stronger in the process—congratulations!”
Rexar glared at Daisuke. “Are you sure you’re not some sort of undercover guild operative?”
Milo smiled awkwardly. “You sure are suspicious of Haxks.”