I woke up less exhausted than before, despite still feeling the effects of the mana depletion.
It was still too soon for my mana pool to have increased, so I assumed that the increase in strength or maybe the excitement over yesterday's successful raid was the cause.
Whatever the case, my body was light enough for me to stretch a little before tidying up and leaving the house.
I arrived at the Dungeon Gate about fifteen minutes earlier than the agreed time, but to my surprise, Roy and Sam were already waiting there.
They hadn't brought any new equipment with them, but that was understandable.
Before investing, it was better for us to test the viability of this career. If we relied on weapons to beat the first floor of a novice Dungeon like this, it probably wouldn't be sustainable to continue.
Still, while their equipment hadn't changed, they had. Subtly, but noticeably.
Sam's energy was the same as yesterday; when she spotted me, she jumped and called my name. Roy remained reserved, but his posture was far more relaxed than before. Their smiles were just as friendly, but now they carried a distinct spark of confidence.
Realizing I was mirroring that same energy made me grin. It wasn't just me who felt lighter today.
It wasn't bad to be happy about our achievements, even the small ones, but once we had entered the Dungeon, overconfidence could be fatal.
So, while still hoping for things to go smoothly, I reminded myself that we had only taken the first step in a long journey, calming my beating heart and focusing on keeping my guard up.
After all, in a world where logic-defying phenomena are the norm, caution was often the only thing separating survival from death.
Once we left the settlement, the difference a single raid made became obvious.
While we still couldn't pinpoint the source of every echo in the dark corridors, the sounds no longer distracted us as much. We gauged the threat's distance better, knowing when to raise our guard.
The weaker monsters, like the slimes near the entrance, posed little threat. Outnumbered, we held our ground easily; when we held the numerical advantage, it wasn't even a battle.
Roy's performance, in particular, surprised me. With experience from yesterday's raid and free from the injury he suffered early on, he was much quicker on his feet, dealing with most enemies without breaking a sweat.
Interestingly, the same was true for Sam.
She was already capable before, but ironically, now that our stats were equal, the difference between us became more apparent.
The way she handled her positioning and movement was much more professional; she timed her attacks better and found openings we couldn't see.
At one point, she shifted her weight onto a single leg, unleashing a flurry of three consecutive kicks. With immaculate precision, she struck the core of every slime mid-leap, sending them crashing to the floor, where they instantly dissolved.
Seeing that, Roy looked at me, and we both smiled nervously.
With this, we had cleaned the area around the settlement of monsters.
However, our levels were higher than theirs, so we earned little experience from it.
Since the experience required for a level-up increased with every level, we were caught in a dilemma.
We could either spend days killing the monsters around the settlement, accepting the decreased experience they offered us, or...
We could delve deeper into the Dungeon, where we'd find monsters who lived longer, and thus, grew stronger.
It was something we tried to avoid thinking about, but thanks to our performance today, it didn't take us long to reach the same spot we stopped the raid at yesterday.
Like it or not, we had to make a decision.
After a little talk, we confirmed that everyone understood the risks, and despite them, we felt like we could handle the stronger monsters and continued on our way.
A few minutes after hyping ourselves up, we found two giant stone doors, closed tight, so that not even light could escape them.
The eeriness around it, despite not making a sound, muffled the entire Dungeon.
Our eyes and all of our senses were fixated on it.
The monsters in this Dungeon were on the weaker side for the first few floors. There weren't many traps, and both the level cap and its growth from floor to floor were low.
It was the perfect Dungeon for newbies.
Yet, the boss waiting behind these doors was a wholly different story.
It stood at level three, the level cap of the first floor, and had four goblins guarding it, with two being a single level below the cap.
At level one, challenging the boss with anything less than a party of five would be suicidal, and even then, the odds still favored the boss.
This was almost enough to push this Dungeon off "Easy" and "Newbie-friendly" territory.
Even though our party's combat ability was higher than average for our level, with two people short, it'd be hard to see us getting out unscathed.
Our chances of winning weren't zero, especially if Sam could distract the boss long enough for Roy and me to kill the minions and help her against the boss, but...
No one dared suggest we open the doors.
Without a word, we instinctively stepped back in fear of a Boss Rush, a rare Dungeon occurrence in which the Boss leaves his room without any apparent reason or trigger.
Worse still, a higher floor's Boss could descend, seeking to leave the Dungeon.
Just imagining it was terrifying. We'd stand no chance even against the second floor's Boss.
Hell, most parties on the first floor wouldn't. Without a veteran party, it'd be a city-wide crisis.
Even though, due to the level cap, we'd one day have to choose between facing the boss directly or hopping to another Dungeon with a higher level cap, this was a concern for the future.
In that moment, the only thought in our heads was to hasten our steps.
Only when the doors were outside my view, and we stopped to catch our breath, did I give it any thought.
The Dungeon Hopping strategy was the safest. We could get more levels elsewhere, distribute our stats to keep them below the cap, and then return to this Dungeon with better odds against the Boss.
However, this was expensive, tiring, time-consuming, and above all...
Since so many people used this strategy, there were too many adventurers with balanced builds out there, and not enough parties seeking them.
Not having a dedicated role, in most cases, was almost like an admission of having hit one's own limit.
Still, it wasn't our case yet, and needing only one more level to reach this Dungeon's cap, we made our way past the boss room, officially reaching into the deep parts of the first floor.
It didn't take long for the maps we had to become unreliable, showing corridors that didn't exist and unrealistic measures.
Slimes had become so rare that before seeing a single one, we had already killed thirteen goblins.
With fewer humans roaming these parts, the monsters grouped up more often.
Standing a few feet before us was one such group, composed of three goblins.
The first one rested a heavy club over his shoulders, just like the one I fought yesterday.
The other two seemed unarmed, but one of them bothered me.
A black, tattered cloak completely hid its back and arms. While a massive club was impossible, it wouldn't surprise me if that monster was hiding a weapon beneath it.
Roy: "You guys wanna do this together, or would you prefer to isolate them in one-on-one battles?"
We were hidden behind a small stone formation, and Roy spoke in whispers.
I kept vigilant, trying to catch the smallest glimpse under the goblin's cloak.
It was too suspicious. More than how to fight them, I was still weighing whether we should fight at all.
Normally, I'd say it wasn't worth the risk, but our only retreat route was a direct path to the boss room, so...
Miwen: "Isolating the battles would be better, I think."
The Dungeon was too dark and uneven for a group fight. Even in open areas, space was limited, and without numerical advantage, chaos would only work against us.
Until we gained more coordination and experience, fighting together was more dangerous than fighting alone.
Sam: "I can probably take one really quickly and then help you guys.... But only if you ask nicely~"
Roy: "I see... I'll facilitate your job then. I'll get the shady one with the robe. Miwen can handle the one carrying the club, since he already has experience with that. Fair?"
It was a good thing that all three of us recognized that the cloaked goblin was a different threat from the ones we had faced so far, but Roy's plan worried me a bit.
I had no problems dealing with the armed one. I had learned a lot from last time, so I believed it could be an even smoother battle.
However, when it came to the cloaked one, Sam seemed like a better answer than Roy.
Since Roy recognized the danger, he was either trying to show off, make up for his last mistake, or... He genuinely was the type to jump into danger first, either due to sheer confidence or a desire to keep others from harm.
From what I'd seen so far, he wasn't that confident, so I silently respected his determination.
Sam: "Fine by me."
Miwen: "Be careful."
Despite my worries, Sam dealing with the least dangerous was also a good strategy. Her boasting earlier wasn't for nothing; she could probably finish that one super fast.
Seemingly thinking the same, she jumped before Roy and me, tackling her opponent first.
Hopefully, the few seconds she gained by starting her battle first would give her ample opportunity to help us.
Her first kick isolated her opponent from the others, and before they could raise their arms against her, Roy and I attacked.
Our enemies were confused, mine overreacted, and, attempting to avoid me, almost fell back-first into the ground.
Had I been a little faster, I could've finished it with the surprise alone, but I didn't regret being careful.
I already knew it was the key to dealing with a goblin like this one.
So, I waited for him to swing the club first, hoping to smash his head or cut his neck.
Unfortunately, the opportunity window was too narrow.
So, I created some distance.
Forced him to come after me, carrying the heavy wooden club all the way.
Goblins weren't very smart. They saw red.
Yet, monsters as they were, the creatures were still capable of thought.
If I were too repetitive and took too long, the beast could learn. Worse, it could adapt.
So, instead of repeating the same pattern again and again, I took a deep breath and focused as much as possible.
This goblin wasn't tiring as fast as I hoped.
He raised his club higher and faster than the one I fought previously.
While stronger than any other monster I had fought so far, I knew his body had to have a limit.
For a brief second, I caught the monster unfocused.
Using what little brain cells it had, it tried to analyze the situation and figure out how to kill me.
Unfortunately for him, I wasn't planning on giving him time to think.
I approached fast, only two steps before him.
In that ugly face, I could see I had caught it off guard.
The monster that had already overreacted once did it again.
The swing that followed was much wider than he could handle.
With a single side step, I avoided it.
The monster lost its balance.
And he never recovered from it.
A slash later, the blood pouring out of its neck painted the ground red.
Our eyes met, his filled with hate and ferocity, even as life left him, refusing to close.
I had focused so much that every moment felt like an eternity.
I could tell the exact moment the creature breathed its last, without missing a single second of its death.
It was a grotesque sight.
For a second, I was stunned.
But I knew better than to dwell on it, worry, or celebrate.
After a single blink of my eyes, I regained my awareness.
Sam: "Roy!"
Before the monster's corpse and club could hit the ground, Sam broke the eternal second of silence.
Her shout had completely muffled the sound I was waiting for.
Following its direction, I saw her first.
Roy wasn't with her, and instinctively, I searched for him with my eyes.
I found him on the ground, wrestling with the goblin he tackled.
Before I could react, Sam, already finished with her opponent, had jumped to help him.
I was a little farther away, but I followed her without thinking twice.
Her punches resounded throughout the walls of the Dungeon.
They got the goblin off of Roy.
On a stroke of bad luck, the monster fell next to me.
It squirmed on the ground.
Briefly.
My blade met its chest.
Again.
And again.
I wasn't looking for the heart, an organ, or any vitals.
I just hoped that with enough tries, one would eventually be the killing blow.
Without knowing what happened to Roy, I continued attacking mindlessly.
I knew Roy could take on a level 3 goblin, so I didn't give it any chances.
I was considerably more violent, and it rapidly became a far more gruesome sight than any other.
For a moment, it was hard to tell which of us was an unthinking creature.
My earlier battle, by comparison, seemed merciful.
Still, there was no other way.
The moment my eyes fell upon the monster overpowering Roy on the ground, there were only two outcomes.
Either I killed it, or it killed me.
Sam: "You okay? There's a cut in your leg, you're bleeding, you-"
Panic started to creep in.
Before finishing a sentence, she started another.
Roy: "Y-yeah I'm fine-ish... It's a Gift... It caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting a goblin to be able to launch a wind blade. I tried to react, but I wasn't fast enough, so... This was the result."
Sam: "We're calling today off. We need to take you out of here."
Roy: "Sure. Sorry."
He looked dejected, looking away from her.
Sam: "Don't worry. You coming too, right, Miwen?"
Miwen: "Yeah, just a second."
Her nerves were all over the place, and she rushed the decision, but I fully agreed with her.
If anything, her reaction was the natural one.
Before giving Roy a shoulder, I grabbed the stones that the goblins dropped.
The cloaked one had dropped a green orb, which at first sight didn't look like the Monster Core that the one with a club dropped.
On our way back to the settlement, Sam and I took turns helping Roy out and clearing the path.
We avoided as many battles as we could, so it didn't take us long to get back to where slimes still dwelled.
There was no helping it, though.
By the time we reached the settlement and the exit gate, we were worn out.
Still, we at least made it back alive.
While worse than yesterday's injury, the cut on Roy's leg, upon inspection, wasn't fatal or anything close to it.
Although he definitely needed magic, a potion, or a doctor.
He told us that one of his neighbors was good at healing magic and that he'd probably be able to come tomorrow, too.
Then, he cheekily added that we didn't need to worry.
It was a huge weight off my chest to hear this, but I was still a little worried.
I thought he might have been overexerting himself for our sake.
Before heading back to our homes, we passed by the office to trade the monster cores and the orb from the cloaked goblin.
The orb turned out to be a Wind Mana Orb from a level two goblin, and since everyone participated in the battle, I suggested we should share the reward.
It was only worth $12, but I hoped it would at least be a consolation prize to Roy.
We also got $6 from the Monster Cores dropped today, so, albeit not much, we were making progress.
The tendency was for our rewards to keep rising, too, so I was actually happy with this.
And thus, we all said goodbye to each other, and my second day as an adventurer came to an end.
It wasn't perfect, that's for sure, but...
There were plenty of things to be excited about.
We were growing, improving in many aspects...
And while it might've been selfish, my thoughts were divided between worry for Roy and the desire to roll in the Gachas again.