chapter 5

The trio of Garm, Tsutomu, and Amy returned to the guild to have their status cards renewed . Now that he had reached level 10, the level of Tsutomu’s heal had risen as well, and it now became “High Heal” . Should he raise its level, it would then be able to revive a party member within 3 minutes of their death .

 

After he was able to receive confirmation, Tsutomu went straight to the receptionist and requested to withdraw some money .

 

“Well, then… here’s one high-quality gem… Oh, please include some cash since this will also include an appraisal certificate . ”

 

“Gotcha . ”

 

Tsutomu submitted his status card on the counter as he talked to the receptionist .

 

At the guild, they also have these financial institutions that allow you to store money in a huge custom-made magic bag . Tsutomu really liked the feel it had, so naturally, he used it a lot .  

 

The service was essential to adventurers, who ran the risk of dying and losing their items . If there were any trouble near the guild, their staff would take care of it .

 

You could leave your equipment at the guild so that if you die, you don’t lose as much . Some explorers even choose to deposit most of their equipment, runes, and G at the guild and go out with only one piece of clothing .

 

“Let’s go out and see how much we can eat . I bet I’ll beat you!”

 

After seeing Tsutomu receive 100’000 G from the receptionist, Amy was bobbing up and down like a cat who just caught a fish .  

 

“Yipee! Hooray!”

 

“… Tsutomu, are you sure?”

 

In contrast to Amy, who was singing carelessly, Garm looked at Tsutomu seriously and raised his eyebrows . Tsutomu tried to hide his voice so Amy couldn’t hear it .

 

“I’d like to discuss the dungeon search we’re doing tomorrow, but for you guys, it might be a little bit stressful, so it’s probably best we sit down and eat while discussing it . ”

 

“Well, then, I guess I’ll follow your lead . ”

 

“How about we eat at “The Barell’s Hat”?\n 

“I think Amy’s banned from there . How about “The Fish Diner”? It has a reputation among catkin because they cook live fish there . ”

 

“Sure, let’s go . ”

 

Tsutomu gave Garm a thumbs up as they returned to Amy, who seemed upbeat .

 

They left the guild in the evening, when the road was really dim, and the lights from the fire runes began to flash . Garm traveled on the cobblestone road without hesitation .

 

“We’re here . ”

 

Amy shook her body in excitement as she saw the big fish mascot on the front of the restaurant .

 

“We’re here! It’s usually costly and crowded . ”

 

“There shouldn’t be many people at this time . ”

 

Following Amy, who was acting like a child, Garm entered the restaurant . Tsutomu followed suit while gazing at the colorful fish they had on display .

 

They were received by a blue fox and a fish-man who was seemingly able to grow limbs .

 

When everyone was seated, a tall fisherman came to their table and handed out glass cups while singing . Then, water was created using magic and poured into empty glasses . In an attempt to show off, the fisherman danced while distributing the menu .

 

Amy ordered how much she saw fit and relayed her order to Garm and Tsutomu . The food was delivered to them almost immediately .

 

Black bread shaped like a baguette with a seaweed salad . A small dish of fried fish cooked entirely in a variety of colorful sashimi . And a fish that was so big Tsutomu couldn’t hold it with both arms even if he tried .

 

When all the food was almost at the desk, Amy began urging Tsutomu to eat, saying she’ll be the first to win . Tsutomu did not continue the conversation and started daydreaming about having soy sauce on top of the sashimi .  

 

“Tomorrow will be our party organization, and I think I’ll use Garm as a tank . ”

 

“Tank?”\n 

Amy leaned her head forward while taking a large bite .  

 

“Well, the tank plays the role of the party shield . ”

 

“Can you protect Tsutomu? It would be a good match for a dog!”

 

“I don’t mind . ”

 

Amy spoke while showing a broad smile . Garm, who had been briefed beforehand by Tsutomu, replied quickly .

 

“Since Garm’s a knight… can you use any skills that steal the enemy’s energy?”

 

“Well, I haven’t used any in a long time, so I might have forgotten . There’s this one called “Combat Cry” that fully counters enemies . I remember there are many others like it as well . ”

 

“You should probably use your skills to complement your normal attacks to draw the enemy’s attention . However, your stats don’t cater to that style . Amy will defeat the monsters one by one with me, and I will slowly heal any injuries you sustain during battle . ”

 

“Huh?”

 

Amy, who was busy eating fish, stopped chewing because her name was called .

 

“I don’t think Amy will have to move around much, and I believe she should only focus on one animal at a time anyway . ”

 

“First of all, we should just beat up the monsters!”

 

“Yes . Even if Garm can’t defeat those monsters, we’ll get Amy to do it since that will work . ”

 

“Don’t bother . If it’s me, it will be too easy!”

 

Sashimi after sashimi, Amy stuffed everything into a fork and pushed it into her mouth . Tsutomu ordered a glass of water and slowly drank it .

 

“Garm, I don’t think you’ll be able to catch enemy attacks that effectively right now . Remember, it is the most burdensome role, and I think it’s challenging, so thank you . ”

 \n

“Well, I don’t mind if you think it’s for the best . ”

 

“Thanks . I might also make mistakes at the start and apply healing skills to the enemy, so we should practice our roles in the grasslands first . I want to reach the swamp eventually . ”

 

“Understood . ”

 

Garm, who had put a portion of the large fish in the baguette, threw it into his mouth .

 

“Let’s continue the conversation while in the dungeon . Bon appétit!”

 

And with that, Tsutomu and Garm joined the feast with Amy .

 

 

“Combat Cry!”

 

Almost the same time as his scream, a red wave came oozing from Garm’s body . The five goblins who were hit by the spell began to struggle . They cried out some insults and began to charge towards Garm . Unlike the previous day, Garm was wearing proper equipment, handling his staff on the right and a silver shield on his left . Tsutomu slapped the charing goblins with his hand .

 

In the meantime, Amy was playing around with her armor set, when she pierced the neck of a goblin with her sword .

 

In front of Tsutomu, the five goblins suddenly turned into gems . Tsutomu ran towards the gems and picked them up hastily, being wary of the surroundings .  

 

Since he saw no enemies approaching, he continued on and placed the gems inside his magic bag . At present, his party was able to advance to the 9th floor, where they felt the breath of nature amidst the vast grasslands . As he looked up, he saw a large black gate splitting the space in front of him .

 

“Tsutomu? It’s the gate to the 10th layer . ”

 

“Yup . Let’s check it out . ”

 

“Ok . ”

 

Garm rushed forwards towards the black gate . The grass had spread around the black gate, but the center was devoid of any life, and wooden huts were irregularly erected on the leveled soil . As soon as the last person, Tsutomu, entered, the black gate closed .

 

With that, a crowd of goblins rushed out from the huts carrying clubs and swords . There were also about 50 with bows and arrows . When a few blueish goblins emerged and shouted their battle cry, they all began charging towards Tsutomu .

 

“Protect!”

 

As Tsutomu slammed his white cane towards the ground, cherry-like colors then surrounded the trio . Several goblins were focusing on Tsutomu, and a few others were shooting arrows towards him .  

 

“Combat Cry!”

 

The same red wave from a while ago spread around Garm . Most of the goblins began to struggle around him . In a desperate attempt, they continued to fire their arrows .

 

Tsutomu turned his staff towards the goblins . An invisible blade cut the front of the goblin’s feet as they fall to the floor .  

 

Then, two pairs of assaults came on the side of the archers . Amy, who was silent until now, threw the charging goblins backward . Amy was cutting through the goblins as if she was cutting grass .  

 

The goblins who were not affected by their spells jumped towards Garm, who eventually bashed all their skulls in with his silver shield . They were then stabbed and turned into gems .  

 

However, they were still losing the numbers game . Ten goblins alone were not enough to take down Garm . His silver armor can sustain multiple hits as the goblin chased in pursuit .  

 

A goblin who was laughing maniacally while raising his club had his head blown off by Garm’s shield, and was shaking violently until dissolving into green particles . Some goblins were taken aback by the sight .

 

Garm’s stats were B+ . This meant that even the fire dragon’s breath, which was the boss of the valley biome, could not blow him away immediately . In addition, Tsutomu’s “Protect” spell stacks on top of this so that the goblin’s blows feel like a massage to him . At one point, he was taking on more than 30 goblins at once .

 

Meanwhile, Amy rushed towards their leader, the blue goblin, as soon as she finished off the archers .  

 

It was a little smarter and stronger than the other goblins, but it quickly died and transformed into a gem after Amy hit it over the head . Amy soon hurried to Garm’s aid .

 

As Garm pierced through the last goblin, it transformed into the same gems as the rest . With a squeaky sound coming from afar, two black gates appeared in front of the trio .  

 

“Shall we go?”

 

“Yes, let’s . ”

 

On that day, Tsutomu was able to beat his previous floor record and reached the 21st floor .