I began a thorough exploration of the second floor.
Occasionally using Durandal to recover MP, I basically defeated monsters with magic.
Needlewood Level 2
Green Caterpillar Level 2
This time, conveniently, a Needlewood and a Green Caterpillar appeared when I didn't have Durandal out.
As soon as I spotted them, I cast Firestorm.
Since Firestorm hits monsters reliably, there's no need to lure them.
As soon as the fire died down, I cast the second one.
Then the third.
The Green Caterpillar was defeated by the third.
Only the Needlewood remained.
I received a branch swing and cast the fourth Fireball to finish it off.
It seems there isn't much difference in firepower between Firestorm and Fireball against a single monster.
The Green Caterpillar can now be defeated with three hits, but the Needlewood requires four.
It doesn't seem that the MP consumption of Firestorm increases significantly when there are many monsters.
If a large number of monsters appear and can be wiped out with four area-of-effect spells, it would be efficient.
I wonder if there are small rooms where a large number of monsters appear, like on the first floor.
Just when I'm hoping for such a room, it seems that such rooms don't appear conveniently.
Traps where a large number of monsters appear seem to be rare.
I checked dead ends and small rooms while occasionally taking out and putting away Durandal, and hunted monsters.
After leaving the dungeon once, I entered the second floor again in the afternoon.
The Green Caterpillar could be defeated with three Waterballs, Breezeballs, or Sandballs.
It doesn't seem to have any particular weakness.
The Needlewood could also be defeated with four Breezeballs or Sandballs.
It doesn't seem to have a weakness to fire magic.
I didn't test Waterball because the last time I hit it, it didn't seem to take damage.
I'd like to test it, but I don't get the chance often.
If I try to cast four spells, I inevitably get hit by the enemy's attacks.
Considering the panic if I can't defeat them after four hits, it would be better to test when I have Durandal equipped.
However, I don't want to cast four or five Waterballs when I have Durandal out because I don't have enough MP.
If a pair of monsters, including a Needlewood, appeared when I had Durandal out, I could hunt one with Durandal to recover MP and cast spells on the other.
But they don't appear conveniently like that.
Needlewood Level 2
Needlewood Level 2
Finally, they appeared when I was about to end today's exploration.
I cast Waterball at the monster on the left.
I hit the second one when the left Needlewood was half a step behind.
It's dark in the dungeon. Unlike fire magic, which illuminates the surroundings in red, it's hard to judge when to cast Waterball.
Incidentally, the hopeful idea that monsters can't avoid attacks from a distance if they can't see them well was thoroughly debunked.
The Green Caterpillar avoided Breezestorm, for some reason.
I stepped forward with Durandal ready and cut down the Needlewood on the right.
I narrowly avoided the branch swing from the left monster.
I cast the third Waterball.
The monster didn't fall.
Thanks to leveling up, I can now defeat Needlewood with three Fireballs.
It might have been the wand's effect, so I tried the fourth one.
The branch swung vigorously. I missed and took the hit.
It seems the monster has resistance to water magic.
I swung Durandal in one stroke.
The monster was split in two.
Leaf
The Needlewood disappeared in smoke, and fortunately, a Leaf was left behind.
The Green Caterpillar only drops thread so far.
Some monsters don't seem to have rare drops, or the probability is different.
Since a Leaf appeared, I decided to end today's exploration.
I cast Warp and thought of the wall of the adventurer's guild.
There are probably other places I can move to, but I'm not sure if it's allowed.
It's probably better not to go to strange places.
Some people moved to the lobby of the Bail Inn, so that's an option, but it's better not to use it.
The magic to move to buildings is probably Field Walk for adventurers.
If I, who am not an adventurer, can use Field Walk, it would be strange.
I could argue that I am an adventurer, but if my Intelligence Card is checked, it would be immediately clear that I am not.
I appeared inside the adventurer's guild building.
The atmosphere is pleasant with a moderate number of people, which feels good after moving from the lonely battlefield.
"Anyone going to the capital one-way?"
When I came out of the guild, someone who had also come out of the wall was recruiting passengers.
The capital, huh.
I might go.
The person recruiting is also beautiful.
"How much does it cost?"
I asked, offering a 30% discount.
It's a middle-aged female adventurer.
However, she is an elf, female.
She looks about twenty.
I'll pretend I didn't notice her age.
"Normally it's two silver coins, but for one-way, it's a fixed rate of one silver coin."
"Hmm."
It seems the 30% discount didn't work.
I took out my backpack and handed over one silver coin.
"That size of a backpack should be fine. With the trust of a friend, with a pure heart, party formation."
The elf adventurer cast the party formation spell.
A message appeared in my mind asking if I accept the party formation.
I thought "Yes," and it disappeared immediately.
I see. So this is how party formation works.
At the entrance to the dungeon, the party was formed in the same way.
It seems only members of the same party can move using teleportation magic.
Just because a backpack is fine doesn't mean anything can be transported.
It seems to be treated as carry-on luggage.
I wonder if the contents of the item box are safe.
Before I could worry, the elf adventurer cast Field Walk.
The wall in front of me turned black.
There's no time to hesitate.
Thinking about it, the contents of the item box were safe with Dungeon Walk and Warp. Field Walk should be fine too.
I followed without falling behind.
On the other side of the wall, a large room spread out.
The basic structure is the same, so it's probably the adventurer's guild in the capital. It's about three times the size of the guild in Bail.
There are about ten rows of counters.
The party formation spell was being cast, and "party release" appeared in my mind.
The other adventurer who came with me bowed and left.
He cast the party formation spell, followed by Field Walk, and led five people from the adventurer's guild in the capital through a black wall.
That adventurer probably hadn't been to Bail.
So he had an elf adventurer who had been to Bail take him there first, then came back and led his party to Bail.
"By the way, I saw a mage use Field Walk the other day. Can mages use Field Walk?"
Since it's a good opportunity, I asked the female elf.
"Well, I've never heard of it. Maybe you saw wrong?"
"I see. That's probably it."
"Then, I'll be going."
The female elf also left.
It seems mages using Warp or Dungeon Walk is rare.
She didn't seem particularly interested, probably because she doesn't care about other people's jobs or skills.
If I were handsome, she might have shown more interest.
Damn. That's how it is.
I went outside the adventurer's guild.
The capital was crowded with buildings.
The buildings are a brownish color, like the bricks.
Since they are not modern buildings, they feel more oppressive.
It feels like I wandered into ancient Rome or the golden age of Baghdad.
Of course, I haven't been there, but it probably looked something like this.
The road in front of me is wide and straight.
According to a history textbook, medieval cities were designed with winding roads to prevent enemies from passing through.
The straight roads in the capital suggest it is peaceful.
The sun is still high.
There might be a time difference with Bail.
Since I didn't come for sightseeing, I returned to the adventurer's guild immediately.
There was a board with notices posted on the left side.
I approached but couldn't read them.
Looking around, a beautiful lady came over with a smile.
"Would you like me to read them for you?"
As expected, the guild in the capital is different.
The level of the reading service is elegant and refined.
She is a 21-year-old villager. She's not as stunningly beautiful as Roxane, and she's wearing a loose blue outfit, but she has a lively aura.
"Sure."
"Ten nals for six minutes."
The price is the same as the explorer's guild in Bail.
I took off my backpack and handed over ten copper coins.
When I handed them over, our fingertips touched, and I got a little excited. I'm a boy, after all.
"Please."
"Then, until this clock runs out."
The sand timer system is the same.
A chance to legally stare at the lady's waist.
But I can't stare for too long.
Damn. That's why it's time-based.
"Is there a place that buys branches?"
"Um, are you a new adventurer?"
Is that a beginner's question?
I'm not even an adventurer.
"Why do you ask?"
"Items that are listed for buyback are specific. They are hard-to-get items dropped by stronger monsters. The guild has plenty of branches in stock, so no one bothers to list them for buyback."
When I asked, she kindly explained.
I see.
There's no way there would be a buyback request for branches. Only a beginner who doesn't know better would look for it.
"Then, there's no thread either?"
"No, there isn't."
"Is there a place that buys antidote pills?"
Since I'm already exposed as a beginner, I might as well ask everything.
"You can buy them from the guild."
"Does the guild buy back wands?"
"The guild doesn't buy back items left by monsters, such as equipment or perishable food. You can sell equipment to weapon merchants or food to restaurants, or consume it yourself, or sell it on market day. Items in the item box don't rot."
Food doesn't rot in the item box.
That's a good thing to know.
"Are there any requests for monster hunts?"
"Hunting monsters is the job of the lord's knights or warriors. There might be requests to hire adventurers as members of the knight's team. Would you like me to read them?"
If I could earn money from monster hunts, the slave trader would have told me.
He wouldn't give me a good opportunity if he didn't know me.
"No. Are there any one-time job requests?"
"There are jobs to guide people using Field Walk."
To earn money with Field Walk, I only know Bail and the capital.
Besides, I can't use Field Walk, only Warp. There's a limit to how much I can bluff.
Since there's nothing I can do, I asked about the items listed for buyback.
There are also items like shark fin and sirloin. Such items exist.
"Time's up. Do you want to continue?"
"No, that's fine. Thank you."
I want to talk more after the session.
"For item buyback, the explorer's guild in Koolatar has more requests than here."
"Koolatar's explorer's guild. Got it."
I don't know anything about it.
It's the first time I've heard the name.
I parted ways with the kind lady and had my items bought back at the counter.
"What's the cheapest fatigue recovery medicine?"
Since I'm here, I asked the lady at the counter.
"Strengthening pills. They cost sixty nals."
"What's the cheapest healing medicine?"
"Nourishing pills. They also cost sixty nals."
They're quite expensive.
If I used them instead of Durandal, I'd be in the red.
In the end, I didn't buy anything and returned to the adventurer's guild in Bail.
When no one was around, I muttered, "Mnya mnya, Field Walk."
I heard the Field Walk spell but couldn't memorize it.
I thought "Warp" in my mind and recalled the wall of the adventurer's guild in Bail.
I entered the black wall in front of me.
This way, it looks like I moved using Field Walk to others.
I emerged in the adventurer's guild in Bail.
It's evening in Bail.
The capital seems to be west of Bail.
Incidentally, the buyback price for thread is ten nals.
The Green Caterpillar is a nuisance because it spits out thread, but it doesn't make as much money as the Needlewood. It also has no rare drops.
Indeed, it's not a good combination of monsters.
Today's total earnings are 1,144 nals.
I don't think I made a calculation error. It's only a quarter of yesterday's earnings.
However, I haven't performed herbal synthesis, so four Leaves are still in the item box.
Four Leaves can make forty antidote pills. Forty antidote pills are worth a thousand nals, so it's about half of yesterday's earnings.
Today's focus was on testing the usability of magic.
The time it took to put away Durandal also affected the exploration time.
I returned to the Bail Inn.
"Three days, please."
I told the innkeeper while taking out my pouch.
The accommodation fee I paid on the first day was for up to this morning.
"Sure."
"Is there a money changer around? I have a lot of copper coins."
"There's no such place. I'll take a hundred copper coins as well as silver coins."
There doesn't seem to be a money changer.
If there were, I could have made a profit by buying gold coins at a 30% discount and selling them at a 30% premium.
Thinking about it, exchanging a gold coin for a hundred silver coins wouldn't be a business.
Even if there were a money changer, they would charge a fee, so I couldn't make a profit this way.
I placed five silver coins and 192 copper coins.
This reduced the number of copper coins significantly.
"And I'd like some hot water after dinner."
"Alright. Three days with dinner and hot water, that's 686 nals. It's a special service."
I got six copper coins back.
The hot water costs twenty nals, so maybe I got a 30% discount.
I don't understand.
"Can I skip the Intelligence Card check?"
"The check is every ten days. I checked two days ago, so it's still early."
"Can I order dinner now?"
"Sure, go ahead."
For me, dinner time is a time to study numbers.
Yesterday, I confirmed the number one.
What will I choose today?
"Welcome. We have sirloin today, so I recommend one."
When I entered the dining room, the inn's lady recommended one of the four menu items.
It seems sirloin is an ingredient, as I heard in the capital's guild.
The meal includes a small steak. That must be sirloin.
"Then, I'll have one."
"Thank you."
I couldn't resist after seeing it.
I lost.
I wondered if she could recommend four, but if the recommendations are in order of preference, it makes sense.
I'll get my revenge tomorrow.
"I'll have three."
For the next day's dinner, I chose three since she didn't make a recommendation.
"Understood. Would you like herbal tea?"
Good. That's the correct answer.
This way, I know the numbers one and three, which are also used for the room key.
There are four dinner menu items, so the remaining two are probably two and four.
How can I confirm them?
I thought about a strategy while eating dinner.
This is a form of escapism.
I know.
In fact, there's a bigger problem.
I should be thinking about that.
Today's total earnings were 3,320 nals, including yesterday's Leaves.
Considering the value of the Leaves, it's about the same as yesterday. Since I just wandered around the second floor, it's not surprising that it's not much different from yesterday.
It's not surprising, but a gold coin is still far away.
Only ten days are left, and three have already passed.
Can I gather the money by the deadline?
To be honest, at this rate, it's tough.
There don't seem to be any treasure chests or similar items in the dungeon.
Maybe there are on lower floors, or they are hidden in a way I haven't noticed, or they don't exist at all. There are various possibilities.
Can I really make a fortune in the dungeon?
Even if I could, it wouldn't help if it's eleven days from now.
From now on, it will also be a race against time.
Kaga Michio, male, 17 years old
Explorer Level 21, Hero Level 17, Mage Level 19
Equipment: Scimitar, Leather Armor, Sandal Boots
The only relief is that my levels are steadily increasing.