Cerie seems to have given up on becoming a blacksmith.
I want to encourage her somehow, but I donāt know how.
"Since Iāve become a slave, even if I became a blacksmith now, it would only cause problems."
Thatās true.
A blacksmith who is a slave would likely face many complications.
If I actively encourage her to become a blacksmith, she might distrust me.
"Well, well, donāt worry. Things will work out eventually."
All I can say is something irresponsible like that.
The one who would be troubled if Cerie doesnāt become a blacksmith is me.
In essence, itās my selfishness, so I canāt force my hopes on her.
"If Master says itās fine, then itās fine. Thereās no problem."
"Okay."
Roxanne also encouraged her.
Where does that trust come from?
Of course, I do intend to make things work out.
"Then, since we can fight on the sixth floor, weāll move to the seventh floor next. Iāll take care of the monster extermination, so Cerie, focus on evasion and defense in battle. After that, work well with Roxanne."
It doesnāt seem that a Villager Level 4 would die from a single hit on the sixth floor.
After confirming this, we moved to the seventh floor.
From the seventh floor onward, weāll proceed with the dungeon as usual.
The bonus point settings are based on the concept of increasing the experience points gained.
With the addition of party members, the experience points will be distributed.
Right now, itās better to quickly level up Cerie.
The promotion of crystallization will be more restrained, but since we donāt urgently need money, itās fine.
One-tenth of the required experience points is 31, twenty times the gained experience points is 63, sixteen times the promotion of crystallization is 15, Fifth Job is 15, spell abbreviation is 3, MP recovery speed increase, appraisal, job setting, and character reset are 4, totaling 131.
Since itās up to the Fifth Job, Iāll remove the Succubus.
For the Slow Rabbit in the Kooltar Dungeonās seventh floor, Iād like to add the Chef, but for now, the Alchemistās Plating is still necessary.
"Cerie, itās okay to move a bit closer to the wall."
"Okay."
While confirming the coordination between Roxanne and Cerie, we proceeded with the dungeon.
When three monsters appear, Roxanne takes two, and Cerie takes one.
Itās easy for me.
When four monsters appear on the eighth floor, it wonāt be that easy.
When thereās one or two monsters, Roxanne handles the front, and Cerie attacks from the side.
A spear would be better, but itās too much trouble to switch, so we stick with the club.
"Can you see the shape of things yet?"
"Yes. I think it will be fine if we deepen our coordination. Please take care, Cerie."
"Likewise, please take care."
In reality, rear roles are much easier compared to front roles.
They are at the cutting edge of the frontline.
The load on the front is significantly greater.
If you make a mistake and get hit by an enemy attack, it hurts.
Thereās even a possibility of death.
Thereās also the pressure and responsibility of supporting the party.
Being a front role is tough.
If you stay in the back, youāre free from such burdens.
If thereās no significant risk of a full party wipe as a rear role, I could probably go to the top floor of the dungeon.
Of course, if the enemies get stronger, monsters that use area-of-effect magic will appear.
If I say I want to hire a front role, it means gathering scary big brothers from the slave traders.
I canāt thank Roxanne enough.
"Roxanne, thank you."
"Yes...?"
"By the way, do you know what kinds of magic Cerie can use?"
Ignoring Roxanne, who doesnāt seem to know, I ask Cerie.
"Iām not very familiar with magic jobs, but there should be three basic types: area-of-effect magic, single-target attack magic, and defensive magic."
Storm, Ball, and Wall, apparently.
Is there a fourth magic that hasnāt been found yet?
"Master, itās about time the sun rises."
After continuing to hunt, Roxanne informed me.
Roxanneās internal clock is accurate.
Iāve gotten too used to having a clock, so I sometimes forget the time.
However, itās not just healing; itās group healing.
It probably heals the entire party.
"Itās a healing spell."
"Like a female version of a Cleric, I guess."
Since itās a Priestess, itās probably a job exclusive to women.
There might be a male version of the job.
"The male version of a Priestess is a Priest."
But thinking about it, Roxanne, who is female, also has the Cleric job.
Cerie has both the Cleric and Priestess jobs.
Group healing for Priestesses and Priests, single-target healing for Clerics.
Thereās probably a disadvantage, like higher MP consumption or less healing, because itās a group skill.
For now, since we donāt get hit by continuous attacks, a single Cleric is enough.
"Men are Priests, and women are Priestesses. How do you become a Priestess?"
"I, I couldnāt become one."
Indeed.
"Um, did you do anything to become one?"
"At the Holy Job Guild I went to, they had a waterfall training at the guildās sacred site."
"Waterfall training?"
"While being hit by the waterfall, you unify your mind. They say thereās a moment of enlightenment. I had a moment of enlightenment, but..."
Cerie averts her gaze.
No, since she eventually got the Priestess job, the enlightenment she had wasnāt a mistake.
"Itās fine. I heard that only half of the applicants can become Priestesses. Even if you canāt become a Priestess, it wonāt hinder your activities in the dungeon."
"Thatās right. Thereās absolutely no problem."
"Yes."
I comfort her with Roxanneās help.
"But if they set conditions like being a Villager Level 5 or higher for applicants, it would be better."
"Huh?"
"No, because..."
When she couldnāt become a Priestess after the waterfall training and got the job when she became a Villager Level 5, itās probably because the condition to become a Priestess included being a Villager Level 5 or higher.
If they set that condition beforehand, tragedies like Cerieās could be avoided.
"..."
"Master, you might not know this, but only Explorers have levels."
When Cerie fell silent, I looked at Roxanne in confusion, and she informed me.
"Huh? Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Explorers gain a larger item box as they gain experience, which is called a level. Other jobs donāt have such indicators. I donāt think you had a level when you were a Villager."
In my case, I was a Villager Level 1.
Thinking about it, I only know my level when I appraise or set my job.
This information isnāt available to others.
Intelligence cards show the First Job but not the level.
So, levels arenāt known in this world.
"I see. Thatās how it is."
"Itās fine. Not knowing such things doesnāt hinder your performance in the dungeon at all."
"Thatās right. Thereās absolutely no problem."
I was oddly comforted.
I think Iāve mentioned levels before.
Was I a weird kid?
"Youāre still you, even if you donāt know things."
"Being too smart can also lead to misunderstandings. One of the great scholars in the past lived in a barrel."
Is that supposed to be comforting?
"Then, letās get back on track and proceed with the exploration of the seventh floor of the Bairel Dungeon."
Damn.
Am I a kid with a disappointing head?
The exploration of the seventh floor of the Bairel Dungeon went smoothly.
Maybe I was unconsciously holding back because I lacked confidence to advance to the eighth floor.
By the morning exploration, we had almost mapped the area and arrived at the boss room in the afternoon.
I was planning to go shopping with Cerie in the afternoon, but since we were here, we decided to proceed with the exploration.
If we clear the seventh floor today, we can go to the eighth floor in the early morning in Kooltar tomorrow.
In the waiting room next to the boss room, there were a few people.
It seems the previous party was in battle.
Even in the less crowded Bairel Dungeon, itās not uncommon.
Boss battles take time.
There are more people during the day.
There were six men in the waiting room, probably one party.
When I tried to appraise them, I noticed their gazes.
They were clearly looking at Roxanne.
Of course, their gazes were directed at her ample chest.
These guys.
Should I rust all their Durandals right here?
But before I could act, the battle in the boss room ended.
The door to the boss room opened.
The men, after giving Roxanne a final glance, entered the boss room.
"Damn."
"They all did it again."
Cerie and I were disappointed.
Look at Cerieās chest too if youāre going to look.
Iām the one who has to deal with the aftermath.
"That was a lecherous gaze."
Roxanne said.
She must have noticed it.
That means she also noticed my gaze.
"Just ignore it."
"Yes."
I drew Durandal and gave Roxanne and Cerie nourishing pills as a precaution.
I also gave Cerie a copper spear.
"A spear is better here."
"Um, are we fighting now?"
"Thatās the plan."
"The boss of the Escape Goat is a Pahn. Itās a half-human, half-beast monster that uses magic. The magic is quite powerful, and if itās cast at close range, even Roxanne canāt dodge it. Pahn is considered a strong boss in the lower floors due to its powerful magic, despite being weak to physical attacks. The previous party was probably testing their skills. Itās common to equip weapons with the skill to delay casting before fighting a Pahn."
I nodded, and Cerie gave a lecture.
I see.
Gathering information about monsters before fighting is effective.
Itās very useful.
Even if the dungeon is different, the monsters are the same, so the monsters in the Bairel Dungeon are not unknown.
But itās our fault for not gathering any information until now.
However, it canāt be helped.
I canāt reveal my information.
If I use a radar to know the enemyās position, my position can also be detected.
In a situation where I donāt know left from right, blindly gathering information isnāt always the right choice.
"Great. You even know about the monsters. Cerie, youāre really useful."
"Thank you."
"From now on, Iāll rely on you."
From now on, Iāll ask Cerie or have her gather information if I donāt know something.
"Yes."
"But itās fine. We have a weapon with the skill to interrupt casting."
I show Durandal.
"Doesnāt that sword have the MP absorption skill?"
"It also has the casting interruption skill."
"..."
When I answer, she looks at me strangely.
Itās a look of fear, as if sheās looking at something dirty.
Stop that look.
What if it becomes a habit?
"Is it, um, bad?"
"Um, I know itās not impossible to add multiple skills, but... how should I put it, itās just..."
"Is it rare?"
"When fusing Monster Cards, if it fails, the equipment is broken down. The materials remain, but the first Monster Card is lost, even if the equipment had skills."
If you try to fuse another Monster Card to an already successful skill-equipped item and fail, you lose the initial success.
Fusing Monster Cards often fails.
Itās not worth risking a skill-equipped item.
Thatās why few people try to add multiple skills to an item.
Only a real challenger or a wealthy eccentric would do such a thing.
Otherwise, itās just a fool.
Is that what her look means?
Since I havenāt denied that I have connections to blacksmiths, she probably thinks I made her do it.
"Um... oh, the door opened. Letās go."
Fortunately, the door to the boss room opened, so I decided to escape.
Escaping into the boss room is a first for me.
Not many people get to experience this.
"Understood."
"Yes."
We rushed into the boss room through the open door.
"Whoa."
We were surprised when we entered.
The boss room was littered with equipment.
Swords, armor, and other items were scattered everywhere.
Including gauntlets and boots, there were probably over twenty items.
Among the scattered equipment, a human-like figure with two legs covered in fur stood.
A human?
It glared at us.
Although it looked human, it had a mask-like, eerie face.
Two ominous horns protruded from its head.
Pahn Level 7
It was a half-human, half-beast monster with goat legs and goat horns.
The boss was there, and the equipment was scattered.
This meant that the men who entered the boss room before us were wiped out by this Pahn.