The next day's dungeon exploration started from a small room on the second floor, probably one where no monsters appear. It's quite doubtful whether I can earn enough money to get Roxane just by staying in the dungeon, but since it's late at night, there's nothing else to do. I warped into the dungeon from the wall right next to the entrance of the Baire Inn.
The exploration of the second floor had already progressed quite a bit, and as soon as I entered the dungeon, I found a small room adjacent to what seemed to be the boss room. Perhaps because it was late at night, no one was waiting in line.
I should use Durandal for the boss battle. I took out Durandal, removed the five times MP recovery speed, equipped the Fifth Job, and headed to the back of the small room. The jobs I equipped were Warrior and Swordsman.
If I had remained in the Third Job and equipped the Mage, I could have gained one-tenth of the required experience, but I decided not to. Since it's a boss battle, it's better to prioritize safety over experience. It might be useful to have magic or a rush attack at some point.
The door at the back opened immediately. I tightened my focus and entered the adjacent room. Smoke gathered, and a monster appeared.
White Caterpillar Lv2
As the name suggests, it's a white version of the Green Caterpillar, and it's a bit larger. Just like the Udo Wood on the first floor, it seems that the boss is a similar type of monster to those that appear on that floor.
While I was thinking about this, an orange magic circle formed under the chest of the White Caterpillar. It's not good. It's going to spit silk. Although it's a different monster from the Green Caterpillar, it might have a different special attack, but since it's still a caterpillar, it's likely to spit something from its mouth. I focused on the monster's mouth and chanted Fire Wall.
The White Caterpillar spat silk. As expected, it was silk. Immediately after the White Caterpillar spat the silk, a wall of fire formed in front of me. The silk that was supposed to hit me was burned by the Fire Wall. The sound of the burning silk faintly echoed.
The magic proved useful right away. If I had remained in the Third Job and equipped the Mage instead of the Warrior, I don't know what would have happened.
I moved to the side and attacked with Durandal. After a rush attack, another magic circle appeared.
I took a step back, observed the monster's movements, and chanted Fire Wall. Fool. No matter how many times you do it, it's the same result.
However, I'm alone here. Since it's a boss, it's likely to be a long battle. The enemy's strategy of trying to immobilize me with silk first is a good one.
Conversely, if I get entangled in the White Caterpillar's silk, it won't be good. I'll be beaten up while I can't move properly. I'll take it down before that happens.
I moved to the side and swung Durandal. I raised my sword and chanted Rush, then struck. Durandal hit the monster's head.
It's not down yet. As expected of a Level 2 boss.
I took a step back and observed if a magic circle appeared at my feet. However, the White Caterpillar didn't spit silk but launched a body attack. I tried to avoid it, but I got hit on my right elbow.
I endured the pain and swung Durandal at the monster's side. Finally, the sword cut through the monster. The White Caterpillar fell over.
Silk
The monster disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving behind a glossy thread. It's probably a higher-quality item than just a regular thread.
The White Caterpillar seems to be quite intelligent. It first tried to immobilize my feet, and when it lost its composure, it switched to a direct attack. Does it have some intelligence?
However, it might be possible to achieve this with a simple program. It's hard to tell if it's intelligent just from one hit with Durandal. The Green Caterpillar might have had a similar action pattern. It's not intelligent enough to be called that. It performed the same special attack twice, which was nullified by the Fire Wall. Perhaps it switched to a physical attack after realizing it wouldn't work twice.
I looked around the room. There was nothing special. It seems the party that went through before me passed without being wiped out.
I went to the next room and moved to the third floor.
The small room leading to the third floor is almost the same as the ones on the first and second floors. There's a black wall behind me, and the path extends in three directions.
The shortcut to the boss room on the second floor was the path in front. On the first floor, it was to the right, and on the second floor, it was in front. So, on the third floor, it should be to the left.
I kept Durandal in hand, remained in the Third Job, and entered the path to the left.
Needlewood Lv3
The first monster I encountered was a Needlewood. It seems the third floor is Level 3. I rushed over and swung Durandal.
With Durandal, it's a one-hit kill even at Level 3. Even if the monsters get stronger at Level 3, I've been leveling up steadily, so it would be a problem if it weren't this easy.
Cobalt Lv3
The next one that appeared was a Cobalt, a monster that seems to be common on this floor. It's a small, dark blue humanoid with large eyes, pointed ears, and fangs. Its face is large, making it about two heads tall, with the face taking up about half of its body. It holds a knife in its right hand. That's probably its attack weapon.
Blades are scary. The scratches from a monster's body attack were healed by Durandal's HP absorption, but would a cut from a blade be healed by HP absorption? A cut might be okay, but what if it's a severing?
It would be difficult to sever an arm, but a finger might be possible. Or if my insides were torn out, or if my nerves were severed. Would the blood that flowed out be restored by HP absorption?
I have various concerns. Of course, I don't want to test it.
Against an enemy with a blade, the first move is crucial. I chanted Fireball. A ball of fire formed above my head.
Too slow.
The Cobalt's movements were sluggish. It only managed to take two or three steps before the fireball reached it. The confused monster was caught by the fireball. The Cobalt was enveloped in flames and fell over.
Weak.
The Cobalt was taken down with a single Fireball. It's weak. So weak, Cobalt. A single Fireball shouldn't be enough. The Green Caterpillar Lv2 took two hits, and the Needlewood Lv2 took three.
Cobalt Salt
When the Cobalt disappeared in a cloud of smoke, it left behind a white fang. A white fang sounds good, but it's probably just salt in name. Since I have some leeway with my level, I put it in the item box.
I took out the item box, making sure no one was around. I already have thirty-three gold coins and twenty-one silver coins in the item box. It's safer to put them in the item box than to carry them in my backpack. I might not use the silver coins in the item box because it's a hassle to cast a spell in front of people, but I hope there's no magic to steal the contents of the item box.
I kept Durandal out, thinking I would need it for the third floor monsters, but it's probably not necessary against this weak Cobalt. I put Durandal away and equipped the Third Job, with five times MP recovery speed.
Green Caterpillar Lv3
Cobalt Lv3
The next ones that appeared were two of them. Convenient. I chanted Firestorm as soon as I saw them. The fire particles attacked the two monsters. The Cobalt was taken down with that alone.
I cast Fireball at the remaining Green Caterpillar. The monster withstood the fire. The Green Caterpillar Lv2 was taken down with two hits, but it seems it needs more at Level 3. It seems to have gotten stronger from Level 2 to Level 3.
I gave the approaching caterpillar a third hit. Since the first hit was a Firestorm, I had enough time to cast the third hit. The Green Caterpillar fell over, leaving behind silk and disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
The Cobalt is weak. Weaker than the Green Caterpillar on the second floor. It might have the potential to cast a powerful spell, but the Cobalt is treated as a disappointing monster by both the innkeeper and the knight. It seems it should be a beginner-level monster that appears on the first floor.
I'm not sure if there's a reason for it to appear on a lower floor just because it's weak. Since it doesn't actually appear on a lower floor, there probably isn't a reason. Reality is like that, I suppose.
In my case, I think it's good that the Cobalt appears on the third floor. The Cobalt has a large, blue, and creepy face but is somewhat humanoid. If I had faced a humanoid monster from the start, I might not have been able to handle it calmly. The Needlewood is clearly a plant, and the Green Caterpillar is a caterpillar. By gradually getting used to them, I might be able to handle the Cobalt.
Also, the Cobalt has a blade. When facing an enemy with a blade, fear will inevitably come first. Since I've gotten somewhat used to the dungeon and monsters and have leveled up through repeated battles, I might be able to overcome that fear.
If the monsters on the first floor were Cobalts, I don't know what would have happened. It might have worked out somehow at the time.
Cobalt Lv3
It might have a weakness to fire. I tried a water spell next. Waterball was also a one-hit kill.
Being weak means I get less experience. It's inefficient.
Jackknife One-handed Sword
When the Cobalt fell, the blade it was holding remained. It seems to be a folding knife. It's scary when an enemy has it, but it's a small knife.
I folded it to put away the blade.
When I fought, the Cobalt often left behind a Jackknife. The Needlewood leaves a leaf about one in ten times, but the Jackknife is left behind about one in three times. It seems the drop rate of items varies by monster. The Green Caterpillar has only left silk so far.
I don't know how much the Jackknife will sell for. It probably won't be much. It's just a knife, and it's a drop from a Cobalt. If it were a weak monster with a high-value drop, it wouldn't be disappointing.
This was confirmed when I went to the adventurer's guild. After returning to the inn and having breakfast, I went to the adventurer's guild.
"Can you buy Cobalt Salt?"
I asked the thirtysomething woman at the counter.
However, if you see what I'm selling, the guild will know the status of my dungeon exploration. It's not a problem right now, though.
"Yes, we can. It's the cheapest item we buy at the guild."
"Specifically?"
"Four nals per piece."
Cheap.
The thirtysomething woman laughed at my disappointment. Her smile was priceless.
"Hmm."
Since there's no choice, I put all the Cobalt Salt on the tray. With the 30% bonus, selling in sets of five would earn me one nal, but it's only one nal, and I don't have the energy to do it.
"The guild also buys Jackknives."
The thirtysomething woman informed me. It seems my status is known to the guild, but it might just be that many adventurers bring both Cobalt Salt and Jackknives.
"But I heard you don't buy equipment."
"We do buy Jackknives. Since there are so many, they are melted down to make copper coins."
The Jackknife was silver, not copper, but it's probably made of copper.
"By the way, what's the price?"
"Ten nals per piece."
Cheap.
Well, it's a small item, so you can't make a hundred or two hundred copper coins from a single Jackknife. The price is probably about right.
"Got it. Eight hundred mnyamnya, item box, open."
I turned to the side and chanted the spell in a low voice so the thirtysomething woman wouldn't hear. It's more like a grocer's name, Eight Hundred Long, than eight hundred treasures. I took out the Jackknives and put them on the tray.
"Please wait a moment."
After a while, the thirtysomething woman brought me 808 nals. Really 800.
Being weak, the Cobalt doesn't earn much money. It's slow, weak, and cheap.
At the same time, a red light went on for preparing the amount of money needed to buy Roxane by the deadline.
It seems I should judge that it's impossible to earn the money needed to get Roxane from the dungeon. It's clear that I can't earn money on the third floor, where the Cobalts are the main monsters.
If I advance to a lower floor, it won't be that easy. The third floor is half Cobalts, but Needlewoods and Green Caterpillars also appear. If the Needlewood from the first floor appears on the third floor, the Cobalts from the third floor will probably appear on the fourth and fifth floors.
Even if I clear one floor every two days, I can only reach the sixth floor by the deadline. The Cobalts will definitely hold me back. It's hopeless to expect to make a fortune in the dungeon.
There's the option of paying an explorer at the dungeon entrance to take me to a lower floor. However, there's no guarantee that I can earn the money needed to buy Roxane just by going to a lower floor.
First, the expectation that I can earn more by going to a lower floor has been shattered by the appearance of Cobalts. Second, considering the danger, I can't just jump to a lower floor. The Green Caterpillar got stronger from Level 2 to Level 3, so it's almost certain that the monsters will get stronger in a lower floor. I might get stuck on the fourth or fifth floor. Third, as of three days ago, exploration had only reached the fourth floor, so even if I advance, I can't go much lower.
I should consider other ways to earn money besides the dungeon. I should focus on that.
I considered earning money with leaves, but it seems impossible.
A detox pill sells for 25 nals, and with the 30% bonus, ten pills sell for 325 nals. The guild buys leaves for 80 nals, and the woman at the reading shop said the market price is double, so if I can buy leaves for 160 nals and generate ten detox pills from one leaf, I can make a profit of 165 nals. If I can collect nearly a hundred leaves a day, I can easily earn more than one gold coin.
However, when I asked the thirtysomething woman at the guild, it seems the guild doesn't buy leaves. Not only can't you sell them to the adventurer's guild or explorer's guild, but you can't even post a request for them to be bought. It seems there's an agreement with the alchemist's guild that all items used to make medicine are sent to the alchemist's guild, and then distributed to guild members.
There's no choice. I should be cautious about joining any guild, and even if I do, I probably won't get a hundred leaves a day. If I got a hundred leaves, all the herb gatherers would be rich.
If herb gatherers started posting buy requests, it would get out of hand. They've set up barriers to entry to prevent newcomers from making a fortune. The world is well-organized.
It seems impossible to earn money with leaves. If I can't earn money in the dungeon or with leaves, what should I do?
The option has been there from the beginning.
Bounty hunting.
In the morning, I decided to walk around the town of Baire instead of entering the dungeon.
I appraised and checked the jobs of everyone I saw. The ability to appraise is a big advantage. I can tell who is a thief