chapter 23

After their most recent encounters, they were attacked by packs of monsters at least 3 more times, defeating all of them without danger and advancing steadily . Since the only enemies on this level were birds, midway through their journey, Tsutomu suggested flying the rest of the way to more easily deal with them . Missil chose to stay at ground level to chase after the gems that went rolling down the mountain .

 

Tsutomu himself seemed to be impressed by Missil, studying him as they continued on . He began to enthusiastically ask him for various information about the valley .

 

“Were you also snatched easily by the birds at first?”

 

As they descended further, Tsutomu began to see the exit of the forest secretly camouflaged . Missil appeared to be a little anxious at the question, before breaking it off with a laugh .

 

“Haha, the valley became so popular when the mid-tier clans like mine began to make it in, so I died a lot here . How about you, Tsutomu?”

 

Tsutomu and Missil began to strike up a conversation as they journeyed on, relating and sympathizing with each other until Missil moved towards Camille .

 

“You guys are mostly fine, right? This terrain favors birds anyways . ”

 

“Not really . I’ve been injured countless times since we’ve arrived here . ”

 

The red bird woman seemed quite relieved thanks to Tsutomu’s healing spells and was now spreading her wings wider . Tsutomu was still being subjected to complaints about Missil, but after they had run out of things to whine about Tsutomu brought up something of interest to him .

 

“By the way, the Feather Dance skill . Isn’t it going to disappear?”

 

“No . Although it looks like you’re making the feathers fly, you’re not actually doing it . It’s that kind of skill . It won’t change that quickly . ”

 

“Really? Then does it differ with the real Feather Dance in any way?”

 

“Oh, you think you know so much since you’re human? We’ve had a lot of practice, that’s all . ”

 

He knew about Feather Dance from his experience in the game . It was a skill that cut off the enemy’s sightline with feathers and lowered their accuracy and was usually used as an attack skill . \n 

“Oh, hey, Mr . Garm . I heard that you’ve helped countless of my friends . Thank you so much . ”

 

“It’s just what I do, no need to thank me . ”

 

“Would you mind shaking my hand if that’s fine?”

 

“I would but not right now . We must stay alert for monsters . ”

 

“Oh, right . ”

 

The girl with blue wings was quite embarrassed, turning her face red . Garm stayed attentive and continued the conversation .

 

“When we get back to the guild, we’ll receive our shares of the bounty from Missil . Until then, it’s important to stay on guard . ”

 

“Oh, yes, sure, sure!”

 

“Let’s do good here . ”

 

The blue bird girl danced in front of Garm as they continued their journey . Garm did not neglect his vigilance of the surroundings, even in such a situation .

 

They eventually reached the area specified by Missil without encountering any monsters . As the two birdwomen lowered their altitude, the Black Door began to appear .

 

Exhaling deeply, Missil pushed the gates open before turning around and facing Tsutomu, bowing generously .

 

“Thank you for helping me keep my gear safe . This thank you comes from the entire Silver Beast clan, and I’ll make sure to reward you more at the guild . ”\n 

“Thank you, but I’m sure you would have done the same . ”

 

“No . I know most other parties would have abandoned us without any second thoughts . ”

 

“That’s just how I was taught . I had a great teacher who always emphasized the importance of my values, right Garm?”

 

Garm turned silent, his ears folded halfway and his tail drooping . Seeing the awkwardness in the situation, Missil tried to break the silence .

 

“Garm you’re a great guy . Don’t tire yourself out too much, okay?”

 

Missil was stroking the heads of the 2 bird-people next to each other . Together with the, he began his descent into the Black Door . Garm accepted the kind words in silence . Missil turned back again to Tsutomu to gain his attention .

 

“You still going?”

 

“Yeah . I’ll probably keep adventuring until 18:00 . I’ve already cleared today’s quota, but I’d like to make it to the 56th floor . ”

 

“Wow, you’re aiming for the gorge? Well, if there’s anyone who can do it, it’s you . ”

 

Missil glanced at Camille resting on her giant sword before turning back to Tsutomu .

 

“Wyverns sometime seem to drop the Great Demon Stone . If you can get that, it’ll be worth a lot of money . That’s our goal right now . ”

 

“If you’re careful with the poison you can probably hunt it efficiently . ”

 

“Well, we’re gonna level up . It doesn’t make sense if we farm a stone we can’t even get . Oh, when do you have time to give us our reward?”\n 

“How about 19:00?”

 

“Alright . Wait around desk 1 at the guild receptionist . ”

 

Tsutomu checked his pocket watch as he confirmed the meeting place with Missil .

 

“Tsutomu, you’re a good guy . I was cautious when I saw the article . ”

 

“Thanks . That means a lot . ”

 

They said their goodbyes before Missil disappeared into the Black Door .

 

“Now, are we going to find the 55th floor’s Black Door?”

 

Tsutomu looked back at Garm and Camille and grinned .

 

 

After they had traveled for another 4 and a half hours, the party had cleared the 55th floor and found the Black Door heading to the 56th floor . They all excitedly rushed through it .

 

The area they were transported to was not a land where you would come to see lush, green, forests but rather a dead land . Tsutomu’s skin was exposed to heat as he blocked the intense light with his arms and tried to look around .

 

Light brown hills towered around them, and it looked like cliffs were about to collapse . The area where the 3 were transported was a little way away from the highest cliff . Tsutomu stared at the cliff before they re-entered the Black Door .

 

Deciding to head back to the guild, for now, the 3 arrived in front of the Black Door at the guild feeling as though they were floating .

 

The time was 18:30, which was around the time when workers would begin to leave their shifts . Tsutomu lined up at the crowded reception area and collected their unused potions from Garm and Camille . As Tsutomu stored them in his magic bag, he glanced over at the guild’s huge TV screen .

 

The TV was currently displaying one of the major clans flying above the ravines and fighting off a wyvern . Thin wings shone an earth-like green in the Sun as it flapped up and down . At the end of its long tail, you could see numerous spikes ready to pierce whoever dared attack it .

 

Four attackers cut through the wind and rushed towards the wyvern, aiming for its wings . One was slapped by its wings and began to fall to the ground . In the meantime, the other 3 rushed even faster towards the wyvern .

 

The attackers just kept on going aggressive without any thought put towards defense as they boldly tried to cut through its wings .

 

The final 2 attackers were finally able to pierce the wyvern, killing it . In a flash of light gems began to fall towards the ground . The view switched to their healer who was waiting at the bottom . He picked up some falling equipment before returning to a Black Door, causing the TV to switch channels .

 

This was the typical hunting style of the big clan known as the Aldlet Crow . They had many members, so they could manage it anyway . There were comprised of many humans and other creatures, all of ranging age groups . They were split up, with one of their divisions in the ravine and around 20 in the swamps .

 

Next, the TV switched to a party of 4 light attackers and a healer .

 

It was another big clan that was expected to defeat the Fire Dragon next to the Red Demon Clan . The clan was headed by a golden wolfman who was said to have unique skills like Camille . They were the Golden Wolves .

 

They were a really major clan, and recently they had succeeded in crushing the eye of one of the fire dragons, which was why they were rising in popularity .

 

During the holidays, Tsutomu has gotten the chance to see the Golden Wolves fight on the big screen . They had plenty of spells to help fight against fire dragons, and their countermeasure equipment were not bad . If you go off of this alone, they could likely beat a fire dragon .

 

However, they seemed to revolve around the golden wolfman too much . Tsutomu had seen the other members frequently sacrifice themselves in vain for the wolfman, and the potions were unequally distributed towards their leader . When he dies, however, the party swiftly collapses . To Tsutomu, it seemed like a one-man army .

 

After a few more minutes of spectating, Tsutomu’s turn had arrived, and he looked away from the TV, renewing his status card at the receptionist’s desk .