Finally, after a quite long journey, we arrived at the dungeon that was our destination. It was a very long and tedious journey for me. We started the journey during the day, but we arrived at our destination in the evening.

The slow pace of our journey made it clear how long it took for us to reach our destination. The first factor that contributed to our slow progress was the mode of transportation we used. Two horses were pulling a cart carrying six people inside, and that significantly slowed down the speed of the horses due to the heavy load. Additionally, the road conditions were terrible, further delaying our travel time.

The dungeon's location deep within the forest also consumed a lot of time to reach. Moreover, the path we took was different from the main roads connecting cities. It could hardly be considered a proper road since we had to choose a path that our horse-drawn cart could traverse. There were no dedicated routes leading directly to the dungeon, as it was situated deep within the forest.

Multiple times, we had to get off the cart to push it out of holes, and we also had to fend off forest monsters that attacked us. There were numerous challenges along the way just to reach our destination. I hope the guild compensates us adequately, considering the difficulties we encountered during the journey alone.

"Alright... we will set up camp here, and we'll determine the guard shifts for each group," Flitz instructed everyone.

Since we arrived when it was already dark, we couldn't enter the dungeon immediately. We had to postpone our entry and consider how tired we were from the journey. Therefore, we decided to rest and spend the night at a location we deemed safe near the dungeon. Perhaps we would begin exploring the dungeon tomorrow morning when we were refreshed.

"Okay, as usual, this time we'll establish three guard shifts. The first shift will be my group, followed by Carson's group for the second shift, and Draco's group will take the last shift. Since my group has the first guard shift, you can rest now to ensure you're fresh tomorrow morning," Flitz instructed the groups.

"Flitz, what about Vans? Is he not going to take a guard shift?" an adventurer asked Flitz.

I didn't mind being assigned a guard shift at any time, but it seemed that Flitz didn't allocate a guard shift for me because I was alone. He only arranged guard shifts for each group.

"Oh, for Vans, he will join our group's guard shift," Flitz replied.

"Alright, then we'll take our time to rest first, and please wake us up when it's time to switch shifts."

"That's fine with you, right, Vans?" Flitz asked me.

"Yes, it's not a problem."

After agreeing on the guard shifts, the other groups set up their tents while I helped Flitz's group in setting up and preparing for our shift. We gathered some firewood to create a bonfire for illumination. I hoped it wouldn't attract monsters since we were making a fire in the middle of the forest, which was likely filled with many creatures. But Flitz assured me that it was safe from powerful monsters in this area. Nevertheless, I activated my detection ability as a precaution.

"Hey Vans, you haven't forgotten about my challenge earlier, right?" Nick asked me.

Earlier, during our journey, Nick requested a sparring match with me, and I agreed. It wouldn't hurt to have occasional practice battles to gain more experience among fellow adventurers.

"Yes, I remember. But is it okay if we do it now?" I asked Nick.

I thought that engaging in a fight now might disturb the others who were resting.

"I don't think it's a problem. The sooner, the better, because I'm really eager to test myself against you," Nick replied enthusiastically as he drew his large sword from his back.

"Hey Nick, it might disturb the others if you do it now. Some of them might already be preparing to rest," Flitz advised the stubborn Nick.

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It seemed that Flitz, as the group leader, could think more rationally than Nick. And that aligned with my current thoughts as well. We would definitely disturb the others if we fought now.

"But this is the best time for us, as tomorrow morning, we'll already be exploring the dungeon," Nick insisted.

It seemed like Nick was determined not to give up on his desire to fight me.

"Alright, Nick, maybe we can move a bit away from this spot so as not to disturb anyone," I suggested to Nick.

"Okay, that's fine."

We finally moved a little away from our camping spot and found another, more spacious location for our match. The four of us went, along with Flitz and Myira, who wanted to watch our fight. Viola said it was fine for her to stay behind and guard alone.

"Hey Vans, you're not allowed to use magic," Nick shouted from his position.

"Okay, I won't use any magic at all."

It wouldn't be fair if I used magic while Nick didn't.

"*Whoosh..."

With full speed, Nick darted towards me, tightly gripping his sword with both hands. I was prepared, wielding my white sword, Althea. This time, I opted for a single sword as I felt it was sufficient to face Nick, but that didn't mean I underestimated his strength.

"*Boom..."

"*Whoosh..."

Our swords collided forcefully, creating a resounding impact and causing the wind to gust around us. Nick thrust his sword down with great force, while I defended myself by positioning my sword horizontally above my head. He exerted a powerful push towards me, capitalizing on his advantageous position. I had no choice but to channel magic to reinforce my stance and counter Nick's attack, ensuring my position remained steady.

"*Whoosh..." Nick was slightly pushed backward.

"*Slash..."

I retaliated with a counterattack, swiftly lunging forward and thrusting my sword towards him. Nick quickly blocked the force of my sword, causing our blades to intersect in front of our bodies. I then applied pressure with an enhancement spell, exerting a force that pushed Nick back a few meters.

"You're truly strong, Vans," Nick said, catching his breath.

Despite his slightly shorter stature compared to mine, Nick possessed an impressive speed that couldn't be underestimated. His sword strikes held considerable strength. I could sense the power he wielded from his earlier attacks. In terms of strength, he was slightly above Ralaegh. Judging from the amount of muscle he possessed, he was the type of person who worked hard to build his strength, unlike me, who had obtained power through luck.

"*Clang..."

"*Clang..."

The sound of our swords clashing echoed throughout the night. Nick continued to intensify the frequency and strength of his sword strikes towards me, attacking from various angles, relentlessly searching for my weaknesses. He increased the power behind his strikes, even though his body was drenched in sweat from fatigue.

Meanwhile, I adjusted my strength to match Nick's attacks. This fight with Nick was vastly different from my encounter with the guild master. The tension was on a completely different level. Right now, I felt more like a tutor to Nick.

"*Slash..."

"*Clang..."

Our swords clashed continuously, with various forms of sword attacks and defenses. It had been nearly an hour since we started fighting.

"Phew... Damn you, Vans. Why don't you seem tired yet?" Nick complained, his breath heavy.

Nick refused to give up. He continued to attack me relentlessly, seemingly determined to expend all his energy in this battle. I had to appreciate his fighting spirit and refusal to surrender. I still parried several of his slowing sword strikes, occasionally launching counterattacks to maintain the appearance of a balanced fight and avoid underestimating him. I didn't want to underestimate him.

"Crack..."

"Damn it! Isn't this an embarrassing defeat, losing due to exhaustion," Nick grumbled, collapsing from fatigue.

"Phew..." I sighed, although not as exhausted as Nick.

Finally, the match ended after almost an hour. The simple conclusion from our battle was that there was a significant gap in power between a D-rank and an A-rank.

"Aaah... my sword, my Mithril sword!" Nick exclaimed loudly.

He shouted in dismay, realizing that his mithril sword had cracked in several places. He only noticed it now after the fight. Well, it was partly my fault too. I hadn't informed him beforehand that his sword would likely be damaged from direct clashes with mine.

I had witnessed this before. Even mithril swords would shatter if continuously clashed against mine, especially when Nick wielded his sword with full force against me. It was only natural that his sword would quickly develop cracks in several areas due to the difference in durability between our swords.

"Here, Nick. Sorry for damaging your sword. You can borrow mine for now," I said, handing him my Mithril sword.

I had two Mithril swords in my storage that I hadn't used yet. I gave one of them to Nick, realizing that he probably didn't have another sword with him. It would be dangerous for him to enter the dungeon with a damaged sword like that. Perhaps I would compensate him for the sword maintenance expenses after we completed this mission.

"Hey, Vans, why did my sword end up like this? Is your sword stronger than Mithril?" Nick asked curiously.

"Well, I'm not sure about that," I replied to Nick.

Of course, I wouldn't give a specific answer regarding the type of metal my sword was made of. Besides, it would be more troublesome if I did answer.

After my fight with Nick, Flitz, and Myira also wanted to challenge me. It seemed like I was having three different sparring sessions in a single night.