Rhys Goldenleaf was the only son of Lord Sylvar Goldenleaf of Bluecove City. However, the pressure he felt as his heir was not because he was a son, but rather because he was a noble at all. He had constantly been reminded since he was a child that all that they had could be taken away at any time, if he failed to live up to his family legacy. You see, nobility was only for the strong as there was very little anyone could do against those strong enough to obtain S-rank. Such strength determined wars and could guarantee a bright future for any kingdom, but such ranks were also extremely rare.

Rhys sometimes felt that his life would have been easier had he been born of any other race. With a shorter lifespan, it would be less likely that he could obtain a high-ranking position at all and he wouldn't have to work so hard to protect his family's standing in this world. A local Lord was hardly even that important as far as nobles went yet how common and easy to come by the role was also made it that much harder to keep. After all, a viscount would likely have had generations of A-rank and S-rank individuals in their family with wealth and power to ensure the next generation would have a promising future. His family could offer him nothing more than men that barely qualified for a knight title to act as bodyguards while he was forced to enter dungeons from a young age.

Well, he supposed he should consider himself lucky. His parents had been discussing the possibility of sending him off to school in a distant kingdom with a far better dungeon nearby for him to train in. He would be assigned a single knight and a manservant, but he would otherwise be on his own for decades to centuries. Now that a new dungeon had appeared in their city, he could return to having private tutors at home and would only be required to enter the local dungeon on a regular basis to train. He could continue to live his life in what little luxury his parent's achievements afforded them.

Rhys knew he was, perhaps, being a bit cynical. His parents still lived in far nicer lodgings than most others could ever dream of. They were also better off than some nobles in other kingdoms, such as the nearby human kingdom of Deepvein. Many of the local Lords and ladies there wouldn't be able to afford knights to protect their children or servants to attend to their estates. They got to enjoy all of the hard work the title brought with it, but without any of the wealth that elves, like himself, had their whole lives to amass. Still, he couldn't help but complain as he walked through the entrance to the dungeon, escorted by three of his family's knights.

Currently, he was only a D-rank guardian class with a low level. If it weren't for him being a mere twenty years old, a baby as far as elves went, his parents likely would have disowned him by now. They weren't bad guardians exactly, but it wasn't exactly as if he could be married off for a political alliance and he hadn't been lucky enough to awaken a craftsman class. His sister was only slightly older than him at fifty years old and she had a seamstress class. Since she was also pretty, she had managed to fall in love with his now brother-in-law Eliath, who had, thankfully, been a high enough rank for his parents to approve of their marriage. Well, at least it was easy for Rhys to get any help he might need from the adventurers' guild since his brother-in-law was now the guildmaster in charge of it all.

When his knights finished dropping off the tribute on behalf of their group of four, they finally ventured into the first [Monster] field room. Rhys immediately brought up his magic shield to protect himself while his guards formed a protective circle around his perimeter. They would distract the [Monsters], being careful not to kill them any more than necessary, and he would attack when he was confident enough that he could do so without coming to harm. As cheap as the whole thing was, Rhys was hardly going to argue with the procedure when it ensured he could level up without being harmed.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Of course, such strategies were slower than they should be and often were limited in their usage. His parents had warned him of as much when they had assigned the guards to watch over him. They were meant to scout out the area, give him time to adjust to any new circumstances, and then he would need to take more of a direct approach. It was slightly different from the usual party dynamic, but only by playing an active role would he be able to guarantee he could gain enough experience from his kills. As for gaining real battle experience, he had plenty of supplemental swordsmanship lessons, among other things, to fall back on and ensure he couldn't end up completely helpless.

The gargoyles in the first, as well as the next couple of rooms, were annoying. Rhys didn't like the way they stalked them from up in the trees before jumping down as they attempted to ambush them. The way they cackled and screeched and their stone forms grated against the metal of his weapon was also unpleasant. The amount of experience they gave wasn't bad, certainly better than killing goblins and slimes in the forests, but it still wasn't what he needed at his current level. At his rate, he'd have to train for several days in a row just to gain one level and it would only get worse as he continued to advance. If it wasn't for the threat of being shipped off, he'd have tried to convince his parents to let him wait until the dungeon grew more so that he could fight more worthwhile enemies.

After clearing the six [Monster] field rooms a number of times, their group continued to advance forward. When they entered the next room only to be met with several other adventurers, including the guildmaster, his knights went on high alert. Seeing his brother-in-law, Rhys called out

"What's going on here?"

The room was mostly quiet, even despite being overcrowded. Everyone was standing on different platforms, but seemed to be watching Eliath rather than doing much of anything. That was probably due to how little space there was to actually stand anywhere. Even Rhys's group of four felt crowded as they stood on the land mass near the entrance. Eliath looked his way, pointing behind him, as he replied

"This is a challenge room and the door is locked, so everyone is stuck here. You have to complete the course before you can leave, but most everyone is struggling. You're lucky to have only just arrived now, of all times, as I only have to stick this last landing and then we can all get out of here.

Only one door will open and I plan to leave the dungeon, so anyone who doesn't want to remain stuck in here for the next week or so will have to come with me. You know how it is, once I leave the doors will all be locked again until someone else completes it."

Rhys nodded resolutely. As much as it would be nice to have a break from classes and training, he hardly wanted to spend the next couple of weeks making a fool of himself and his knights as they attempted to complete whatever this challenge was. It was far better to go home where he could have a hot bath and a decent meal.

Eliath made the last jump across to the land mass in front of the exit easily. Compared to the rest of the course, it was incredibly simple. The jump across to the entrance platform was trickier, but it wasn't like the challenge could be considered failed once it was successfully completed anyhow. It was just unfortunate for his knight who ended up clocked in the head as the huge elven man came barreling into him. Rhys watched amusedly as his knight proceeded to fall into the water and then had to be fished out by the other two. They hadn't been expecting this sort of challenge, so they were all still wearing their armor.

Well, Rhys supposed, at least father will be happy to hear more about the dungeon at dinner tonight. He'd likely be disappointed by how little time he spent training in the dungeon today and his lack of progress regarding leveling up, so it would be nice to have something to distract him from it.