When we reached the seventh floor, we immediately changed our strategy. Jalal wanted to make Rebecca use her magic, but I stepped forward and then told them about my idea. They wanted to see the technique that I showed that day, once again, but this time, against real targets.
“Why not just use Rapid Fire?”
As expected, Clarice had that skill as well, and we probably could deal with the monsters using only that skill, but then the others would barely get any real experience. They also needed combat experience in tough fights before facing the boss of the section.
“Rapid Fire is limited. It is a guaranteed attack, but it consumes stamina.”
“Ah, makes sense.”
“You can take three of them at a time, once every two battles. The others will work the same to dispose of the monsters to make the experience share balanced.”
Everyone nodded after Jalal declared that. In any case, it didn’t take long before we found the six fire wolves dashing toward us… it looked like a lot fewer people were in that part of the dungeon than we had expected. Regardless, as soon as the monsters showed up, I tossed my arrows in the air and quickly grabbed them as they fell.
The first two arrows flew in a straight line to the foreheads of the monsters and pierced them… but the last one passed above the final target… I messed up with my aim at the last moment while nocking the arrow and since I tried to keep the pace, that was the result. I should have just taken half a second to aim properly…
You received 50 experience points.
You received 50 experience points.
Clarice quickly covered for me and killed two of the fire wolves as well. She didn’t want to let the frontline be too burdened by an unexpected number of enemies. Still, things ended fast, since Rebecca wounded the remaining wolves with arrows on their paws.
“Ouch! This place is getting really hot.”
While the three of us were skinning the monsters, Clarice decided to use the walls to rest her back a bit, but soon she regretted that. When she touched the walls with her forearms, she quickly felt the heat. Her gloves and boots could protect her from the heat, but not if her skin touched the fire or something hot directly.
The gear that Jalal, Gao, and Rebecca bought was made of parts of the materials people could get from the fire wolves, so they had a bit more resistance to the heat. Even so, things will only get harder as they go deeper into the dungeon.
‘Perhaps it is too soon to talk about the next section when we don’t even know when we are going to face the boss… we aren’t seeing many parties around, but only around twenty of them should have defeated the first boss.’
Since the guild was managing things, people didn’t have to worry about the same party defeating the bosses and then making other parties not get their chance for a new class. So, all the groups that find the boss chamber will eventually obtain their chance to face it. I could tell that there were hundreds of parties working in this dungeon, but only a handful of them were reaching the first boss chamber.
Putting that aside, thanks to our efficient teamwork, I was getting a lot of experience, so I had to consider which parameters I should increase. I was doing fine strength wise… so, I was considering increasing my Spirit for the first time. That was supposed to help with magical attacks and harsh conditions like heat in a dungeon, but I was also doing fine in that aspect thanks to my enchantments.
“So… what is your goal here, Miss Clarice?”
“Even you, Rebecca? Why do you have to try to be so polite and distant, like Clive?!”
“We just met today. It is obvious why. You didn’t answer my question, though.”
“Well, I was curious to see how humans explore their dungeon and how they work as a team.”
Rebecca squinted her eyes… she probably wanted to say that she came to see us like we acted like animals in a cage. She knew better than to say that out loud, too.
“It is truly refreshing. People back home are a lot more annoyed with their meddling and they are always walking on eggshells, even with those that didn’t accomplish a single thing.”
“Why?”
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“Well, I don’t take pride in this, but we have this tiered system going on for us. It goes from the tenth class to first class. The families receive their rank based on their accomplishments and those who are just born receive those titles, too. If compared to human society… I guess the tenth to the sixth class families would be low nobility and the fifth to the first class would be high nobility.”
The low nobility, which includes families from the tenth to the sixth class, are considered the lesser elite. Though they hold noble titles, their influence and wealth are limited compared to the higher tiers. They govern smaller territories or play administrative roles in the local governance structure. Many of these families may be newly titled, having earned their status through military service or economic success. Their focus is often on rising through the ranks and forming alliances with higher-class families to improve their social standing.
On the other hand, the high nobility includes families from the fifth to the first class, who are the most powerful and influential in Elven society. These families typically control vast territories, oversee significant resources, and have direct access to the governing council. Their influence extends to regional governance, major political decisions, and military leadership. High nobility tends to be ancient, with long-established bloodlines that have shaped the history of the Elven nation. The most prestigious among them, especially first-class families, include those with deep ties to the elder council.
The distinction between low and high nobility creates a clear social hierarchy within Elven society. Families in the low nobility aspire to climb the ranks, often through strategic marriages or demonstrating loyalty to the crown. High nobility, in contrast, works to maintain their established positions of power and influence, often forming alliances among themselves to control key aspects of governance and military affairs. This system reinforces social stability while allowing for some upward mobility, depending on a family’s achievements and relationships. That is what I understood based on Clarice’s explanation.
“Wouldn’t you find it annoying if a snot-nosed brat acted as if he was better than you for no particular reason?”
“... I probably would.”
I didn’t have the chance to focus on my thoughts, but at least I learned something interesting. In any case, those three assumed that Clarice was part of low nobility among the Elves, but I wasn’t one hundred percent sure of that. I didn’t know if I should ask it either since she could use that chance to get too friendly with me. She was already trying too hard at that, and I didn’t want to give her even more ammon.
“Your frown makes me think that you want to ask what my family is in all that mess.”
Clarice looked at me while grinning. She might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but she had good instincts. If she were smart, I wondered if she could become someone important in the Aeloria Dominion… Still, I couldn’t be certain yet if her oblivious nature was an act or not.
“Don’t assume too much.”
“You think that the standing of your family determines the kind of person you are, Clive?”
“A wise man once said that birth is neither high nor low. I believe that, so let’s leave it at that.”
“That seems like someone who has some ties to important people, but they had a good head on their shoulders. I want to meet them one day.”
“That is probably impossible.”
It was impossible since I was talking about the character of a game… in any case, why was I treating the sentences of a game character like ancient wisdom? Was I getting into my awkward phase again?
“Anyway, let’s focus on exploring this floor. We still have to decide if we will camp here or in the previous one.”
The fights were manageable as we were fighting as a group, but with two or three fewer people things might change. Everyone nodded at my words… it was midafternoon and if we had to return to the previous floor, it would be better if we did it after finding the entrance to the next one.
We probably could do it with only two, if Clarice and I were working together, but her eyes were too sharp. It would be better if I worked with anyone else just in case, in order to avoid trouble. That being said, we might not have that much freedom…
As for the other three working together to face six of the fire wolves at the same time… that would be really difficult, but it was doable, I even came up with a trick to make them fight and I still would gain a lot of experience while I rested.
“This path here has more footsteps, and they don’t look tired, so I guess they followed the best route to the next floor.”
Everyone looked to the ground when Clarice said that. The ground was rough. There was no room for footsteps to be seen there. I tried to get closer, but even with my dexterity, I didn’t see any signs either. Still, she was an elf and they live in forests… tracking is her second nature.
“All right, tell us the best route, Clarice.”
Clarice nodded with a smile on her face after hearing Jalal’s words. Thanks to that, we found the entrance to the next floor one hour later. It looked like I got lucky again with someone with good senses. The only downside was that this someone wasn’t as obedient as Nimir. Regardless, Clarice decided to ask the next important question.
“So, what is the plan? Return to the previous floor or rest here?”
“Let’s do some tests. I believe that Clarice and Clive can work together as a pair and deal with six fire wolves, but the three of us, I am not so sure about it…”
The thing that I feared the most was about to happen and there wasn’t much that I could do about it… in the end, we confirmed that Clarice and I could do that. The monsters didn’t have the chance to reach us at all. Still, the other three struggled without our support. They didn’t get hurt at first, but it was only a matter of time.
“Since I will be resting, I won’t need my mana. You can use this to make up for it.”
I passed to Rebecca some pieces of paper with the same tattoos on it. It was the one to activate Mystic Link and give her the chance to use my mana. Usually, without my skills, that wouldn’t be possible, but I figured that if I tried to make a simple stick with a bit of paper and glue, that would do the trick, and I confirmed that while I was training.
“A Tattoo? Do you have that class? How long will this last?”
“One hour, once the time passes, the tattoo will vanish completely. With this one, you will be able to use my mana freely during that time. With that, you should be able to stun the monsters with your Frostbolt.”
They didn’t know about that kind of class and skill, so they couldn’t help but furrow their eyebrows in surprise. It was the perfect kind of support for a beginner mage.