Most of the girls returned to the Kingdom to wait for us to reach the Dungeon, but this time, Beatrice insisted on following Licia, Claire, and me.
Her initial reaction to Earth was similar to the others. She seemed amused at the cars, tall buildings, and even stores and signs caught her eye.
But perhaps thanks to everything she'd watched since her summoning, Beatrice quickly grew used to the most mundane things on Earth.
She also didn't seem like the type to let her enthusiasm show, so I only got a few glimpses of her stronger reactions. Most of the time, she seemed to be in deep contemplation, quietly observing the world around her.
While on our way to the Dungeon, we ran into a man on the sidewalk fervently distributing flyers and enthusiastically promoting something to everyone who passed by him.
We crossed the road without batting an eye at him, but the man insisted on following us with a big smile plastered all over his face.
That had never happened to me before, so I could only imagine that he was either very passionate or, more likely, he saw three pretty girls and thought he had the perfect excuse to try his luck with them.
Considering how eye-catching Licia, Claire, and Beatrice were, I could hardly blame him.
Though things didn't exactly go as I thought they would.
??????: "Hey there! So... um... you guys know about the Army Of The Gifted, right? We are recruiting new members, so if you could um... I mean, if you wanna join..."
Despite brimming with confidence when approaching us, he started stuttering as soon as he looked the girls in the eye and opened his mouth.
From time to time, his gaze shifted toward Beatrice.
She was wearing a sweater and jeans that tried to hide her curves, but that only made them more evident.
His eyes kept drifting down from her eyes to her breasts, and whenever they did, Beatrice would move her hand, almost as if directing his gaze.
He tried averting his gaze, if only to make it less obvious, but everywhere he looked, a pretty girl was staring right back at him.
I almost felt offended when he looked at me and smiled, as if my being so average was a saving grace for him.
Miwen: "Sorry, I'm not really interested, so-"
Beatrice: "Hm... Isn't that the army they were talking about on the television box?"
That brought a relieved smile to my face.
While I wasn't too concerned about the war the girls were talking about this morning, knowing it was about the Army Of The Gifted made me even more confident that there was nothing to worry about.
The Army Of The Gifted was an army in name alone.
They were actually an organization that fought for societal change, leaning towards a "Gifted-oriented society".
Even though they had various different branches and representatives, most members just did their own thing, and I'd only hear about them during protests.
Miwen: "...I thought you guys were already gaining popularity. Why the campaign?"
There was a whole thing with the government proposing to register everyone's Gifts into a database a few years ago, only months after the AOTG was established.
The AOTG was firmly against it, and that earned them the favor of those who thought that'd be a breach of privacy and those who were concerned about stigma stemming from the nature of certain Gifts.
Once people born after the 'First Contact' reached the age where they could gain Gifts, there was a sudden spike in their already high popularity.
Teenagers who had just been granted powers were eager to change the world. The AOTG, having already impacted decisions many times, was the perfect place to have an impact on society.
AOTG Recruiter: "Yeah! But it's a new era, man! Didn't you hear what our leader said!?"
...I had not heard anyone call the AOTG's president a "leader".
Especially within the organization.
From the little I had seen, the guy was quite humble and only showed his face at debates and protests seeking to expose his ideas.
Most of the footage I'd seen from him was actually on the ground, doing the same work as everyone else.
It was that image of an ordinary person stepping up that helped sell their ideas so well.
Miwen: "That's kinda weird..."
Perhaps this guy had only joined recently.
But I'd think anyone interested in joining the AOTG would know these things better than I...
AOTG Recruiter: "Dude, seriously. What they did to the guy at the candy store fire was messed up!"
Miwen: "I'm not sure about that."
For a while, the news wouldn't shut up about a man who used [Wind Magic] to stop a fire in a street a couple of blocks away from the Dungeon the girls and I were heading to.
He was hailed as a hero for depriving the place of oxygen and stopping the fire by himself, before the fire department even arrived, but...
Miwen: "Things could've gone wrong."
I knew I should give him the time of day, but he had already stopped us, and Beatrice seemed oddly interested in hearing more.
AOTG Recruiter: "But it didn't. And what did he get? A fine?"
Miwen: "A warning. The fines never came-"
AOTG Recruiter: "Still! It's not fair. The fire could've easily spread. The guy saved lives."
He looked at Beatrice, as if trying to gain points with her.
I understood the sentiment, and I agreed it was a good thing in the end, but...
The authorities were right.
If there was anyone at the store, he could've easily killed them.
If he made even one mistake, he could've caused a blast and made things worse.
Miwen: "Wasn't there a similar case a few years ago, too? The girl with [Green Magic]..."
Just a year or two after the First Contact, there were national headlines about a child who tried to save her family, only for-
AOG Recruiter: "That was a tragedy. But things have changed now, right? We know more about Gifts. And it's not like the authorities get it right all the time, either..."
Miwen: "Fair..."
It was a tough debate.
On one hand, leaving things to those who actually studied and trained with that very thing in mind was definitely better, but...
Asking people not to help when they have the power to also didn't seem right.
Gifts changed too much.
For better or worse, people had the power to do much more.
Society was fragmented.
We had doctors and healers.
Bulldozers and really strong guys.
After most of the crisis of The First Contact ended and it was time to rebuild, and everything and everyone was welcome to help.
Now that we were returning to normalcy, the question of what normal even should be became too poignant to ignore.
Miwen: "Licia... Save me."
While the man was distracted by Beatrice's body, I whispered into Licia's ears.
Just loud enough so that Claire, standing by her side, could hear it as well.
Licia: "Um... It might be a good idea if we head out now... We don't want to be late."
Claire: "Come on, Miwen, let's not waste too much time!"
She started pulling on my arm, and I smiled awkwardly, making my way past the man.
On her way out, Beatrice gave him a small wink before asking us to wait for her.
Miwen: "I wanted to buy snacks but... Guess we lost too much time, huh?"
Claire: "Gah! Seriously!? You should've said it sooner."
I meant them more for Beatrice, since it was the first time she walked Earth's streets, but she just shrugged.
Meanwhile, Claire had pouted harder than I'd ever seen, her cheeks red with fury.
Still, since we made our way straight to the Dungeon, we recovered all the time we'd lost.
Before making our way to the Boss Room, I called Anna from the Kingdom.
With Claire and Licia leading the way, we faced as few monsters as possible, reaching deep enough into the Dungeon that the only sounds we could hear were screeches and howls of monsters.
Once we stood before the door to the Boss Room, I called Mia and Ellie to join us as well.
After a deep breath, we opened the doors.
Just like on the First Floor, the Boss Room of the Second Floor was cast in darkness for a few seconds before fires started being lit on pillars around the room.
The light cast by the fire revealed six monsters standing a few meters before us.
All of them were Orcs, with three of them taller and bulkier than the rest.
Licia: "Are those the mid-bosses, Miwen?"
Miwen: "Yeah. They are [Lords], so be careful"
We readied our weapons.
Standing the farthest from us, in the center of their formation, we found the seventh monster in the room, the Boss of the Second Floor.
The monster dwarfed even the [Lords], its roar causing the flames around it to sway and flicker.
Miwen: "Remember, the Boss is a [Superior] and doesn't suffer damage while the [Lords] are still standing, so waste as little energy on it as possible."
The girls nodded, and we entered our own formation, with Mia, Claire, and Licia taking the front while Anna and I stood a couple of steps behind them.
The Boss launched a storm of water bullets towards us, but Licia froze them mid-air, and the ice shards fell to the ground.
We had agreed on bombarding the [Lords] as fast as possible, counting on Licia and Mia's [Ice Magic] to deal with the Boss' [Water Magic].
However, while I was still preparing the biggest fireball I could, Claire and Beatrice had already launched theirs, hands flaring with a second volley.
The monsters defended themselves with the large, thick slabs of iron they passed off for swords.
While Claire's magic exploded on the face of her target, Beatrice's burst into smaller fireballs on impact.
Just like she'd done when booping Ellie's nose with a small ember, those fireballs circled around the cleaver of the Orc Lord she targeted, hitting his chest one after the other.
Claire: "Tch. Fire mages shouldn't be using tricks like that..."
Beatrice: "Fufu. But I'm not a fire mage... I'm a witch, remember?"
Claire instantly fell for Beatrice's provocation.
The flames on her hand enveloped the blade of her sword, and a second later, she launched a wave of fire in the form of a horizontal slash toward the monster.
Even though the monster blocked it, the heat seemed to burn its hands, and the flames enveloped its body, burning it in an instant.
Claire: "Hmph. Your loss."
She turned to Beatrice, a smug smile plastered over her face.
My fireball exploded the other Orc Lord's hand when he defended it, giving Beatrice the opportunity to finish it off.
She blew onto the fireball in her hands, launching a small beam of flames that pierced through the monster's chest, burning its heart.
The fireball then vanished, and she seemed to recover some of the mana she'd used with that attack.
Something I had only seen veterans doing.
Beatrice: "Good teamwork, yes?"
She took a step toward me, completely ignoring Claire's flaring eyes.
Miwen: "Yeah..."
As she leaned toward me, holding tight on the staff as if to emphasize her body, I glanced away, only to see Ellie firing arrow after arrow toward the Boss, keeping it occupied almost by herself.
The Boss swung its cleaver, unleashing a water whip that not only blocked her arrows but also lashed toward her.
Her eyes were focused, but her motion was anything but. She rolled on the ground, avoiding the attack with a cute, flustered expression, looking almost surprised she'd actually made it.
When our eyes met, a small yelp escaped her, and she scratched her head, looking shy and awkward.
Still, she quickly returned fire, her expression changing as soon as she had the bow in her hands.
Mia: "...Are you just gonna watch?"
She turned her back to the battle and stepped toward me, her arms crossed.
Miwen: "I'm recovering my energy."
Her eyes rolled, and she bumped my right arm before bending forward, her nails extending into claws as she spread her fingers.
Mia: "Try to keep up, okay?"
She charged at the Boss, reaching it before I could even catch my breath.
With a high jump, she kicked the Boss away a couple of feet.
Since we couldn't damage the Boss yet, I tried surrounding it from the other side while she toyed with it.
I was hoping to help by attacking from its blind spot and drawing its attention, but with no regard for our formation, the Orc cast its water whip, trying to hit us both at the same time.
Mia's reaction was swift.
With her hand pressing firmly onto the ground, she conjured a wall on her side.
While the whip exploded against the ice wall, she fixed her sharp eyes on the Orc Boss.
The monster extended one of its arms, showing an open palm.
It clenched its fists and drew them closer to itself, almost as if taking a battle stance.
I glanced toward Mia, only to see the water around her erupting.
Miwen: "Behind you!"
Mia jumped into one of the pillars as the water took the shape of spears.
Using the pillar as a launch pad, she threw herself toward the Boss, stopping right before the Boss as the spears followed her.
Her tail swayed to the side, and I caught a glimpse of a smile on her face moments before she dodged to the side, letting the Boss attack itself with its water spears.
Even though the Orc Boss couldn't be damaged, it instinctively brought down its hands, and the spears splashed onto it.
It was a small blunder.
Maybe a one-second window.
Yet...
Mia was already behind it.
Mia: "That's a hit, your turn."
If she could damage the boss, that might've been it.
Since that wasn't the case, she simply bumped its back, similarly to what she'd done to me.
The Boss turned toward her, lifting its cleaver into the air before striking with all its might.
With a sidestep, Mia dodged the monster's attack, retreating to me while still facing the Boss.
Mia: "So now you're acting shy?"
She turned from him, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at me.
Miwen: "Eh?"
Though she had shown how easy it was for her, I couldn't believe how unserious she was taking the monster.
Mia: "Come on. I'll help you improve."
Miwen: "...Sure."
I still wasn't sure what she wanted from me, but she seemed to be enjoying herself, and I'd rather not spoil her fun.
Besides, I also wanted to test myself a little.
After her demonstration, the Boss erected a thin, swirling shield of water to protect itself against Ellie's arrows, its preying eyes fixed on Mia.
I fired a few small but fast flame bullets at the monster, hoping that it'd block with its cleaver.
Instead, it cast a second swirling shield of water, letting the water pool before its feet after it had blocked my shots.
Leaving water on the ground only worked to its advantage, so while charging forward, I froze the puddle, launching a wave of ice nails toward the monster from the side.
Taking a note from Mia's book, the monster ran in my direction, letting the nails follow behind it.
Its cleaver rose before me, striking the ground with enough force that I could feel the shockwave even after dodging away.
Suddenly, I felt an arm reaching over my shoulders from behind.
Mia: "What was that?"
Her hand reached down my shoulder, and she pulled me toward her with a little more strength than necessary.
Miwen: "I wasn't expecting it to do that."
Mia: "Mm. Fine. But the problem is that you retreated. You win by keeping up the pressure, so you need to have a follow-up planned for a successful strike and one for when you fail."
During my fiancée's lecture, the boss roared for the second time.
The last [Lord] preventing it from being damaged had fallen.
Ellie readied her bow, but seeing Mia and me talking a few feet away from the Boss, Licia asked her to lower it, giving me a thumbs up.
Mia: "Your ideas are solid, but..."
Miwen: "You think my attacks are too disconnected?"
She averted her eyes, considering it for a second.
Mia: "Yeah."
Her tail swayed, and she withdrew her arm, gently pushing me toward the Boss.
Or at least, as gently as she could.
Mia: "Go ahead. If it gets tough, I'll save you."
Miwen: "Thank you, darling."
She kicked the ground, her brows furrowed as she hissed at me.
Mia: "I hope he strikes you down, Idiot!"
Carrying the hopes of my cute fiancée on my back, I sprawled an ice pillar beneath my feet, dodging the water bullets that the Boss launched toward us.
Once I had arrived at a good height, I froze the air, creating an ice slide that led me directly to the monster.
The Boss cleaved through the ice, readying its weapon to strike me down.
Expanding the shards on the ground into a thin layer of ice, I froze its feet, jumping from the ice pillar moments before the monster could reach me.
I was ready to slash him with my flame-coated blade, but the monster propelled itself with a burst of water.
Keeping the momentum alive, I rained down icicle spikes his way from the slide, while also launching spikes from the ice pillar.
As the monster protected itself with the massive chunk of iron he used as a weapon, I stabbed the air, launching the flames coating my sword forward, in the form of fire arrowheads.
The monster used its water shield to block the fire, focusing on the ice spikes instead, but...
A second later, with my dagger extended into an ice spear, hidden amongst the fire arrowheads, I stabbed through the water shield, cutting off the Orc's head.
Thanks to the fire coating, the monster never noticed that one of the flame projectiles wasn't like the others.
And with [Focused Strike], even though I turned a stab into a slash, I was still powerful enough to finish it off in a single strike.
Mia: "...Not bad."
She caught my waist from behind with her two hands, like I was a prize teddy bear.
Miwen: "Really? That's all you have to say?"
Her face tensed, and her fangs appeared.
I answered with the warmest smile I had, and she relented.
Mia: "...You lack experience to improvise well, so you fall back to simple tactics after one or two well-thought-out strikes. You need long, drawn-out challenges to improve."
Miwen: "I see. I'm looking forward to more advice-"
Mia: "Call me whenever you want a beating. Darling."
Her forced smile was terrifying.
Still, I knew this was her way of saying she wanted to spend more time with me, which I was more than happy to oblige.
Miwen: "My fiancée is just that cute, huh?"
Mia: "What was that!?"
She turned around with her fists clenched, and I just pretended not to have said anything, bumping her shoulder before joining the other girls.