Like a white mist, the chilling air swept along the ground, reaching beneath the Strengthened Species.
The moment it made contact, the one-eyed lizard became frantic, desperately struggling to break free.
Unfortunately, due to its low resistance to ice attributes, it froze instantly and ceased all movement.
Thanks to the elemental advantage, even though Alicia wasn't a high-firepower offensive mage, her spell instantly took down the Strengthened Species.
With a single blow from Ais's sword to its head, the Strengthened Species turned to ash on the spot, leaving behind an absurdly large magic stone.
Ordinary one-eyed lizards had magic stones the size of an egg, but this one was different—its sheer volume was comparable to a rugby ball.
"Taro, are you okay?"
Noah took out a potion and approached Taro, who was lying motionless on the ground.
After assessing his dire condition, Noah decisively uncorked the potion and poured the entire bottle over him, then took out another one and fed it to him.
"Ugh, this is so embarrassing," Taro muttered self-deprecatingly.
But that wasn't really the case.
Having experienced Ais's 'friendship-shattering punch,' he now deeply understood the vast disparity in abilities between different levels.
A one-eyed lizard with latent Level 2 potential could toss Taro around like a toy using just its tongue.
To challenge opponents of higher levels, skills mattered more than raw stats.
Take, for example, a certain golden-haired elf who would join the Loki Familia a few years later.
As a Level 3, her magic was powerful enough to instantly defeat even a Level 5.
Among ordinary adventurers, such feats were unheard of.
Their knowledge was limited.
If you told them the truth, they'd laugh at you and call you a fool.
After two potions, Taro quickly recovered.
"I thought I was going to die," he said.
The first thing Taro did upon getting up was to frantically check his body for any issues.
When the Strengthened Species had been tossing him around, he couldn't even feel his limbs.
"I'm surprised you didn't let go even in that state," Noah remarked, genuinely impressed.
Taro was the type to step up when it mattered.
"By the way, Noah, was that magic you used earlier?"
"No…"
"Oh, right. If it were magic, the power would've been too weak."
'Too weak? Seriously?!'
Even that level of effect had consumed 80% of his mana.
Given his stats, being able to affect a latent Level 2 Strengthened Species at all was nothing short of a miracle or sheer luck.
"I'll go retrieve the magic stone. You should be able to move on your own now, right?"
"Of course! I could take on two more Strengthened Species right now!"
'Yeah, you should probably rest... I need to keep my distance from this guy.'
'He's always tempting fate, and I don't want to get dragged into it.'
Noah noticed subtle changes in all three of them.
If he made physical contact, his Truth Seeker ability could identify the specifics, but even without using the skill, he could roughly guess.
All three had likely achieved the 'great feat' required for their respective levels.
Strengthened Species were rare, especially in the upper floors.
Without their intervention, countless lower-level adventurers would have been slaughtered.
After this, both Ais and Alicia would probably level up to Level 3.
And Taro would reach Level 2.
No time for jealousy.
Everyone had their own opportunities.
In Orario, hardworking individuals were everywhere—even monsters who were more talented and worked harder than you.
To avoid being left behind, you had to keep making the right choices.
As Noah stored the magic stone in his backpack, his gaze swept across the pitch-black depths and suddenly caught a fleeting glimpse of information.
"What's that?"
He narrowed his eyes, straining to focus on the indistinct object in the darkness.
Until the Truth Seeker provided the answer.
"Platinum Ore Rich Vein"
Yield: Platinum Ore (43%).
Iron Ore (11%).
Adamantite (5%).
Gems (2%).
Stone (39%).
'It's here! It's really here!!'
"Miss Alicia! I've found an ore vein! Please come this way!"
Alicia, who had been discussing the battle with Ais, looked both surprised and delighted.
Ore? The Dungeon didn't just spawn monsters—this was another unexplained phenomenon.
Discovering new harvestable resources or minerals would earn the discovering Familia rewards from the Guild.
In the upper floors, which had been thoroughly explored, such a find was practically unimaginable.
Taro was even more excited.
"Ore?!"
The group followed Noah to the rich vein.
"My god…" Taro stared in awe at the shimmering ore vein before him.
Without another word, Noah pulled a pickaxe from his backpack.
"Time to get to work!"
"Leave the mining to me, Miss Alicia. How about we end today's expedition here? If we try to collect all of this, our backpacks might not have enough space."
"Ah, yes… that's fine."
Alicia had been an adventurer for years, but this was her first time witnessing ore mining.
She wanted to help.
Though she didn't know what skill allowed the boy to carry heavy loads with his small frame, mining required pure physical strength.
Just as she was about to ask if he needed assistance, she saw Noah already striking the ore with rapid, forceful blows.
Clang, clang.
Noah hammered away at the rich vein like he was pounding rice cakes.
"He's… incredibly strong."
Unlike the inexperienced Ais and Alicia, Taro seemed to grasp the underlying secret.
It was that gauntlet.
A blacksmith's soul stirred within him.
"Noah, that thing on your hand… it's some kind of equipment, right? It doesn't seem like just a regular piece of armor."
Anyone would notice it wasn't ordinary.
After all, wearing protective gear only on the hands was strange—it wasn't like he needed to maintain them for playing the piano.
It made no sense to leave his torso unprotected while only guarding his hands and wrists.
But what if it wasn't just armor—or not armor at all?
"You noticed, huh."
Noah had no intention of hiding it.
He raised his left hand in full view of the three.
"This is equipment I crafted for myself. Its name is Raven Feather・Modified."