After yesterday, a relaxing, uneventful morning felt just right to calm the soul.
Me not rolling on the [Mana Gacha] at all helped, of course, but also...
Licia: "Morning."
Her sleepy face was a sight to see.
She was quietly stroking her hair, trying to smooth down some stubborn, rebellious strands.
Miwen: "Good morning."
She stood near the couch, seemingly unsure if it'd be fine for her to sit without me.
Seeing that I was about to finish breakfast, I asked her to come to the counter, but she had a different idea.
Licia: "Um... Can I set the table? I mean... Do you mind if I-"
Miwen: "Sure. That'd help me."
It almost made me laugh.
She looked so anxious, and it was just because she wanted to help and thought setting someone else's table would seem disrespectful.
Even though it hadn't been long since we had known each other, that was such a Licia thing to do.
Licia: "So... Did you get any good skills yesterday?"
Miwen: "Yeah."
I teased her a little, saying I was too tired before going to sleep.
So, of course, this cute Dungeon junkie woke up so curious about it that she couldn't even hide.
Miwen: "I got [Faster Tree Climbing] at level 2."
Level-wise, it was my best skill.
Licia: "Are you being serious?"
Yet, she seemed dejected about it, her shoulders dropping almost instantly.
I turned away to giggle at myself before telling her the rest.
Miwen: "There was also a skill that enhances sight and a skill that helps survive fatal blows. It also boosts training, but it's all chance-based."
Licia: "Oh... Two level-ups in one day, that's a bit absurd..."
...Two?
Had she already erased [Faster Tree Climbing] from her memory?
Licia: "So, um... Do I get them too?"
I knew from the beginning that she was eyeing up whatever I had gotten, as she kept asking questions yesterday, but I never expected her to be so blatant about it.
She had beaten around the bush, at least the bare minimum, and yet, it was hard to tell her no when she looked so excited about it.
Miwen: "Eventually. I've got no Kingdom Points, and although I could claim some now, I'd rather do it after we're back from the Dungeon."
Licia: "Hm... Is there any particular reason?"
There were a few.
First, rewarding myself that way kinda made up for the low pay we were getting.
However, the biggest reason was actually slightly more logical.
Miwen: "Everything in my Gift scales with my level-ups. Since there's always the possibility of getting one in the Dungeon, I'd rather save them for after a raid, so that I can get more out of it."
Besides, since there were no timing restrictions, I could claim and use everything inside the Dungeon itself if it came to that.
Licia: "I guess..."
She lost some of her excitement, supporting her chin with a hand while sitting at the table.
After thinking about it for a while, she seemed to realize it was better this way, and once I told her we'd be going to the Dungeon again today, the bothered look on her face vanished.
Along the way, several things still puzzled her, but she was making good progress and already recognized a few things.
The most important part, however, was how calm she looked.
It made her fit in pretty well.
Though I knew she was still somewhat lost deep down.
Before arriving at the Dungeon Gate, I offered to buy her some snacks from a pastry shop she seemed interested in, but after comparing the prices to what we got last time, she refused.
I still bought one anyway, saying I wanted it, and we shared along the way.
At the Dungeon Gate, there was a striking contrast between the look on our faces and that of Sam and Roy's.
Licia had enjoyed breakfast and her snack, while I enjoyed watching her reaction to both, so we ended up arriving with matching silly smiles.
Meanwhile, Roy looked anxious, and Sam seemed deep in thought.
I couldn't help but notice that these two always arrived earlier than us, and always together...
Maybe they lived near each other, but seeing them so in sync made me wonder if they'd gotten close enough to start coming together.
Roy: "We'll be fighting the floor boss today, huh? We're going at such a fast pace."
Compared to the old times, definitely.
However, we had long stretches of the floor mapped beforehand, information on the monsters that the Dungeon created, and even information on the boss itself.
This Dungeon had been explored pretty well, but past a certain floor, we'd be on our own, too.
Miwen: "True that. But I'm pretty sure we can handle it."
Our pace was around average, maybe faster by a small margin.
But I thought it'd be nice to reassure Roy a little.
After all, we had faced enough challenges to feel ready for the boss.
Sam: "I think so too, but let's try not to get overconfident, okay?"
She bumped his arm, but it was clear from her voice that she wasn't that confident either.
Still, he took a deep breath and calmed himself.
Roy: "Yeah, that's fine... What about you, Licia?"
Perhaps because of the snack earlier, Licia seemed slightly absent-minded.
Though honestly, she probably felt that she could take on the boss by herself, so she was the calmest among us.
Roy: "Are you sure you can fight the boss?"
Unlike the last time, his worries this time weren't that unfounded.
To someone without much fighting experience, Licia not being at the level cap seemed dangerous.
Even Sam worried a little, despite better recognizing Licia's talents.
Licia: "Ah, yes. I think Miwen and I can handle it."
She was starting to get slightly more comfortable with her role, leaning in against me.
Or maybe she just wanted to tease me back for keeping the skills a secret yesterday.
Roy: "That would leave Sam and me to take care of the goblins, right?"
The boss wasn't the only threat inside the room.
Four other goblins accompanied it, all of them stronger than the average monster inhabiting this floor. This made the battle incredibly challenging for solo adventurers, and most people recommended bringing a party of three, at the very least.
Originally, I'd have suggested that Sam or I distract the boss while the other two handled the rest, but with Licia, I was confident we could kill the boss.
Sam: "Well, it was bound to be this way even before Licia came, you know? One of us would have to grab the boss's attention while the others defeated the minions."
It surprised me to see that Sam had thought the same thing.
Then again, when it came to fighting, she was pretty quick to calculate our chances.
Roy: "I guess so."
After discussing our plan in detail, we prepared for the encounter by buying a couple of potions in the settlement.
Even the cheap stuff made Licia worry about our finances, but I had a few savings I could tap into for now.
She still decided not to take anything, though.
So just like with the snacks, I secretly got us a healing potion and shared a stamina potion with her.
I also got a strengthening potion, but I decided not to use it unless we really needed it.
I wanted to defeat the boss with our current strength, if possible.
We already knew the dark corridors that led to the boss's room, and we could never miss its gates.
Thanks to the potions, we cleared the path without any issues, and when standing before the boss, we recovered all our energy.
Sam: "Is everyone ready?"
Even though she was in front of us, she hesitated to open the door.
After looking back, she called for us, and we gathered our confidence.
We didn't shout or hype ourselves; we just nodded and, one after the other, we stepped inside the Boss Gate.
Once inside, there was nothing to see but darkness. No signs of any monster anywhere.
The door behind us creaked, slowly closing by itself.
We didn't want another party getting in our way, so we forcefully closed it ourselves.
That meant there was no going back.
The only way to leave the room was to defeat the boss.
Torches began lighting up in the walls before us, revealing 5 creatures hiding in the dark.
Standing in the middle was the Goblin Lord, the first floor's boss.
It was stronger than any monster we had seen on this floor, on par with a superior, if not stronger.
Instead of the usual club we'd see the stronger goblins carrying, this one had a small sword.
The records showed this monster had no particular skill with it, nor enough intelligence to come up with schemes, but as a goblin, it could easily adapt if the battle went on for too long.
The other four goblins all carried clubs, which they struggled to lift.
Once they noticed our presence, the goblins screeched, and Licia shot forward.
She avoided the four goblins with ease, leaving them open for Sam and Roy while she targeted the Goblin Lord.
In the blink of an eye, she had struck it multiple times, forcing it to go after her.
There was an immense gap between the recklessness she was showing and the cautiousness she had shown the day before, which left me a little puzzled.
However, I trusted her experience, and with her so happy to catch the Goblin Lord's attention, I used the chance to sneak behind it.
The metallic clash of her knife and the Goblin Lord's sword reverberated throughout the room, sparks flying from each encounter.
Even though the monster tried to force her to her knees, she seemed capable of mustering strength from nowhere, keeping it at bay.
While searching for an opportunity, I finally understood what she had in mind.
Her weapon had a smaller reach compared to the Goblin Lord's, and it was also not as durable.
If she fought on the defensive, she'd take the brunt of his force, and the knife could break. With the monster's momentum, she wouldn't get the chance to react.
By forcing the monster to focus on protecting itself, she cancelled its reach advantage and made the battle much more predictable.
It was definitely risky, but...
She was doing it, and doing it well.
As if soloing the boss wasn't enough already, her battlefield awareness easily matched her strength.
Despite storming the goblin with all she had, Licia noticed me approaching from behind, and swiftly cast her [Ice Magic] the next time her knife met the Goblin Lord's sword.
The moment their metal connected, the weapons became stuck in a layer of ice.
With both unable to take a single step away from one another, the Boss became confused and used all of its strength to free itself, breaking her knife in the process.
A couple of seconds too late, though.
She had given me a golden opportunity, and I didn't miss it.
The monster had its back turned to me, its hands and weapon stuck...
It was the easiest target I could ask for, and a moment later, I had its head depart from its neck.
I was a bit shocked by how easy it was for me, but I didn't fool myself. I knew that without Licia, that would've never been possible.
Battle sense, improvisation, awareness, strength, and flexibility...
She was too top-notch in too many things, to the point it was a bit scary.
Miwen: "You get MVP this time..."
Licia: "Hm?"
After the monster died, its body began to fade, absorbed by the ground.
However, almost as if predicting what was about to happen, Licia waited near it.
The moment the monster had fully disappeared, she undid the ice and grabbed the only thing that remained behind.
The Goblin Lord's sword.
Licia: "...Loot acquired!"
Even with [Sight Enhancement], her hand moved so fast I almost didn't see it.
She had a beaming smile on her face, but when she realized I was still there, she became a little quieter.
For some reason, she was slowly bringing the sword closer to her chest, too.
Miwen: "Yeah, you can keep it...?"
I wasn't sure what to say.
She clearly wanted it, and she definitely earned it.
Yet, she was still waiting for me to give permission.
If it wasn't a sword, it'd be incredibly cute, but since that wasn't the case... it was oddly cute.
Still, her pleased smile and the way she did most of the job were only half the reason why I handed it to her. The other half came from the goblin destroying her knife, and me wanting to see how much scarier she'd be with a proper sword.
Our battle ended so fast that we caught Roy and Sam still fighting their opponents, so we quickly separated to help them out.
Roy: "Oh, you scared me... Finished already!?"
I appeared beside him, capitalizing on a wide swing to kill one of the goblins.
Miwen: "Yeah... It went better than expected."
With only one goblin remaining, I drew its attention while Roy dealt the finishing blow.
Not much time had passed, but still, I was surprised to see he hadn't injured himself despite it being a 2-on-1. Seems like even he recognized it was better to be cautious and take his time.
Though it could've been that his anxiety stopped him from going for the finishing blow, I preferred the optimistic scenario and believed in his growth.
Miwen: "I think the girls are done on their side as well."
Roy: "Fuh... Looks like it."
There was just something about the two joyfully waving their hands while covered in blood that both Roy and I noticed, yet refused to comment on.
Once reunited, we noticed that a new door had appeared on the opposite end from the one we used to enter.
As soon as we passed through it, we found ourselves in a completely different settlement from the one on the first floor.
It was smaller, and the walls weren't that well protected.
The people around seemed way more wary and tired.
With the dark, tight corridors of the Dungeon visible from the Gate, it all added up to a slightly suffocating atmosphere.
Sam: "Do you guys want to try exploring a bit?"
Roy: "Well, we'll have to do it sooner or later, so I don't see why not."
I'd normally be against it, but the battle against the Goblin Lord was way less tiring than I thought it'd be, thanks to a certain overpowered blue-haired girl.
And also...
For some reason, I was very close to my next level-up already.
It didn't make much sense considering I had not killed that many monsters on our way to the Boss, at least not more than the others, but... Perhaps it was because I dealt the final blow to the Floor Boss?
That also felt a little wrong since Licia did most of the work and should've gotten most of the experience for it, but I had no way of knowing, so I accepted it as it was.
Miwen: "Let's not go too far from the settlement, though. The monsters on this floor range from level 4 to 7, and there are stronger species."
Roy: "Oh yeah, before our first day raiding the Dungeon, I saw some comments about the hobgoblins and the orcs being a pain to deal with."
Sam: "It's gonna be fine as long as we don't go too deep."
It surprised me to see that even Sam was excited to try, despite the danger.
And of course, Roy was all too eager.
The only oddball was Licia, who, despite looking everyone in the eyes, was silently swinging her sword into the air, getting a feel for its weight.
Our first raid on the second floor was short, but quite successful.
We tried two different routes without distancing ourselves from the settlement, so we ended up not finding any new monsters.
The lack of slimes was a bother since they were so easy to kill and gain experience from, but we found enough goblins to make up for it.
Their levels were always higher than the ones on the first floor, of course, but we only took battles where we had the numerical advantage, so we handled them without much problem.
By the end, Licia and I got our level-ups, but unfortunately, Roy and Sam didn't get theirs.
I wanted to help them get there, but the moment we saw the first hobgoblin, a dark creature that towered over Sam and Licia and commanded three other goblins, we decided to call it quits.
After all, that type of ability that lets monsters control other monsters was usually linked to a [Noble Monster].
Even if that hobgoblin was only a Lord, the lowest noble rank, we were in no condition to face it.
Licia: "Going back was the right call."
She pulled on my sleeves, the two of us staying behind the others.
Miwen: "Is that so?"
Licia: "Yeah. Hobgoblins are very deceitful since they look so close to a normal goblin, but they are much, much stronger."
I leaned in to hear her whispers, and she blocked her mouth so that they wouldn't echo throughout the corridor.
Licia: "Without knowing its level and rank, in the worst-case scenario, we'd be facing a level 7 Noble and a bunch of other level 7 goblins. I don't think we'd get out unscathed..."
She sounded slightly excited, but I could tell it was because of our decision and not the prospects of the fight.
She was just a Dungeon junkie, not exactly a battle junkie.
Still, I had to agree with her.
Even if we were all feeling high and I had gotten a level up, that alone wouldn't cut it.
Especially since, for this level, I focused on increasing intelligence and defense with the four points I got.
I wanted to roll on the [Mana Banners] while enjoying peaceful nights, without suffering from mana depletion, and I had skills I wanted to test as well.
While I could've increased my mana pool some other way, for now, I had the wiggle room, and it felt right to make use of it while I still could.
Still, the spike in difficulty between floors 1 and 2 was noticeable.
We had a few close calls and injuries on the first floor, but it was the first time we outright ran from a battle, knowing it was just too much.
It left a bit of a sour taste on an otherwise perfect raid, but no one was complaining.
Since we barely hunted anything, we only got two monster cores, each valued at $4.
We'd hopefully get strong enough to earn more on this floor compared to the previous one, but for the time being, I enjoyed buying Licia another snack on our way home, despite her concern.