“Already tired, now are we?” Erik chuckled, looking at Alya. “Do you have any escort quests?” he asked with a curious expression.

“I don’t think we have any of those. The only escort quest we have right now is to the forest, and earlier level of the dungeon, you won't take them now, would you?” she asked, her tone neutral as she returned her focus to the paperwork.

“You sure do know me,” Erik said as he rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish smile. “I’ll probably not. Guess I’ll go down and find some monsters to slay,” he said, clenching his fist and bringing it in front of him.

“You are just like a kid sometimes, Erik” Alya said, looking at him with a smile.

“Is that a good thing?” Erik replied with a smile. His expression changed to mock anger as he continued, “Hey, hey, wait, no! I don’t want to hear such a bad remark again from someone who is just four years older than me.”

“As you say, mister,” Alya said in a teasing tone. She quickly glanced around the guild and noticed the absence of Seras.

"Your friend isn't with you today?" Alya asked in a serious tone, giving a slightly concerned look.

"Actually, she didn’t come with me today. We’re getting new first-years at my school, and she didn’t want to miss the chance to meet the newbies on their first day—or so she said to me," Erik added with a neutral look.

"You should have stayed at the institute too," Alya said, raising her eyebrows. "Don’t you like those kinds of things?" she asked in a curious tone.

"Hmm, I could like them. But hey, who’s going to send money to my family?" Erik replied with a smile.

"Didn’t you already earn well from your last trip to the dungeon last week?" Alya asked with, a noticeably confused look on her face.

"Hmm, my sister will be joining a school soon, and I’ve decided she should have the best. I mean, I know I shouldn’t try to spoon-feed her everything, but you know what?"

"What?" Alya questioned.

"I think working hard for my sister and mom kind of helps me with my life as an adventurer too. I mean, I get stronger from exploring dungeons, you know. It’s not like I’m doing them a favor," Erik said in a serious tone.

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He quickly changed his tone to a happy one.

"And you know what? Once she’s an adult, she’s on her own. I’ll just send some money to Mom and spend my earnings like a maniac!" Erik laughed maniacally.

"You would, huh? Highly doubt it. You know what? You should still try to enjoy those kinds of things at your school. Those days never return," Alya said.

Erik waved his hand, dismissing her comment.

"Well, don’t you know? School is just a side gig for me. My main life’s going to be as an adventurer," Erik added with a determined look.

Alya stood up from the counter, grabbed the collar of Erik’s armor, and pulled him toward her.

"You shouldn’t say stuff like that. It could get you in trouble," she whispered with a serious, pissed tone.

Erik looked at Alya with a small smile.

"Oh, but it depends on who I’m talking to. And you? I don’t think I’ve got to keep a lid on myself if it’s just you."

Alya blushed slightly at the unexpected comment. "Is that so?" she murmured softly before quickly regaining her composure. "But there are also plenty of adventurers around," she pointed out.

"Don't worry even if the headmaster finds out about this. They won’t kick me out of Celera. I’m one of the best they’ve got, and the headmaster doesn’t care about comments. He cares more about strength—which I have plenty of," Erik added with a confident look.

"Is that so? Well, whatever happens, don’t go into the deep dungeon without Seras, at the very least. Am I clear, Erik?" Alya said sternly, with a serious expression.

"I could probably survive in the deep dungeon even on my own," Erik replied casually.

"Don’t make me repeat myself!" Alya shouted, her voice louder and more forceful.

Erik stumbled slightly at her reaction, but as he looked at Alya, he realized this was her way of showing she cared for him. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you worry. I was just teasing you a bit," Erik said in an apologetic tone.

"I’ll only go as far as the 16th floor since I’m alone. I think I can handle the 16th floor as long as I’m not careless," Erik added with a small smile, as he turned back to move away from the counter toward the exit.

Alya sighed, placing her right hand on her forehead. "You’re talking as if 16th floor is child’s play," she muttered.

"Don’t worry. I’ll run away if things get too scary," Erik replied, turning back to look at her.

"Be safe!" Alya shouted after him. As she said this, she refocused on her work, her concern still evident.

With that, Erik set off toward the dungeon. According to legend, the dungeon had 100 floors in total, with the difficulty increasing drastically every five floors. The change was so significant that a team capable of exploring the 10th to 15th floors might barely survive between the 16th and 20th floors. The floors beyond the 20th were referred to as the deeper dungeon, inhabited by far stronger monsters. Only high-ranking adventurer’s parties dared to explore that part of the dungeon.

The dungeon also had powerful creatures known as dungeon bosses every ten floors. These monsters were formed from the accumulation of mana particles from creatures killed inside the dungeon. Their creation was entirely random and depended on the dungeon's current ecosystem and environmental factors.

These dungeon bosses were far beyond what normal adventurers could handle. Fighting one was essentially a death sentence for most low-ranking adventurers. To defeat these creatures, top guilds like Wolf Fang and White Tiger Guild were offered substantial rewards. These guilds would send their best adventurer’s party to take on the dungeon boss.