“Long time no see, Arthur. Having you here makes this adventure feel a lot safer.”
“Long time no see, Will. About your father…”
“I’ve had nothing to do with the Ashley Family for ages. Now, I’m just the Guild President of the Adventurers’ Guild, nothing more.”
After more than ten years apart, the members of the legendary Adventurer Party who once subjugated the Evil Dragon were reunited. It wouldn’t be wrong to say everything had changed.
Sasha and Susan had already returned to their own cities, and in their place was a little girl named Renee.
She shyly hid behind Arthur, looking anything but reassuring no matter how you looked at her.
“Little one, once we get down there, stick close to uncle, all right? Don’t go running off, okay?”
“No!”
Sigh, kids will be kids. The shy ones are the most troublesome. I just hope she’s as useful as Arthur says.
“Let’s go, Uzo! We’ll talk after a drink at the tavern!”
“Ah? At least let us buy some ‘white wine’ to take with us…”
“No way. If I let you in, you’d never come out. Move it!”
Same as ever—if no one drags this Dwarf, he can’t take a single step away from booze.
“Will’s really reliable now. Hard to believe a dozen years ago he was just a snot-nosed kid who could cast fourth-tier water magic. Now he’s old enough to be a father…”
“You sound so old, Arthur. You’re one to talk. You look like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, but inside you’re already a gran—”
In an instant, an invisible pressure seemed to sweep over.
The short-haired swordswoman squinted, a faint smile on her face. Except for her ahoge swaying up and down, nothing seemed amiss.
“I didn’t say anything!”
Phew… That bone-chilling cold just now was no joke. A woman’s age is definitely forbidden territory.
“Uncle! How old is Sister Arthur, really?”
Hey, hey, you brat, are you looking to die? Watch the mood here.
She’s not shy at all now, huh?
Fine, telling her isn’t impossible.
“Your sister here is an eternally seventeen-year-old beauty. Maybe one day you’ll catch up to her in age, who knows.”
“Really?”
Pfft… no, must hold it in. Laugh here and I’ll be kicked out.
“Ignore him, Renee. If it weren’t for that baggage, we wouldn’t have gotten lost in the Maze. Let’s go.”
So petty. She’s the one who teased me about my age first…
That’s enough banter for now. This Dungeon’s Maze could give even Sasha a headache. If we leave a “directionless wanderer” unattended, who knows how much time we’ll waste.
There’s still a mountain of work waiting for him at the Adventurers’ Guild Branch…
“Let’s go, Uzo. You lead the way.”
“Alright, leave it to me!”
……
The Magic Spring in the Entrance Zone was still gushing as always. For magicians, this was a rare “Magic Potion.”
It’s a shame, though, that once you draw water from the Magic Spring, most of the magic leaks away, making it nearly useless for mana recovery.
“Seems like there are even fewer people in the Central Hall than yesterday.”
As a regular at the Labyrinth Tavern, Uzo immediately noticed the unusual state of this Dungeon.
Normally, the Hall of the Entrance Zone would be packed at this hour. Now, though, only about a third of the usual crowd remained.
As for why, Will already had his suspicions. About five days ago—the day he met his old friend Arthur—while they were gathered at the tavern, they experienced a small Earthquake.
Of course, only a select few noticed the massive wave of magical energy hidden within that Earthquake.
Judging from today’s situation, if something troublesome didn’t appear deeper inside, then this magical Dungeon had probably generated a New Dungeon Layer!
To be honest, he wanted to rush into the depths of the Dungeon to investigate, but there was just too much work at the Branch—reviewing Adventurer Commissions, approving new Adventurer applications.
By the time he found time, it was already today…
Work is such a drag… Why is there only one Sunday in a week?
“This Dungeon may have given birth to a New Dungeon Layer. That’s why I called you all here—the Adventurers’ Guild needs to reassess the Dungeon’s Danger Level.”
“Cut the official talk. You just want to go down there for fun, don’t you?”
Exactly right. Using a Business Trip as an excuse to go on an outing—grown-ups know how to seize every chance to slack off!
Of course, nothing is more exciting than adventuring with friends.
Borrowing a line he once heard from a certain landlord loli—As an Adventurer, you must journey to the stars and abyss!
———
After five days, Su Yao finally managed to save up 120,000 DP. Of course, just this much DP probably wasn’t enough, so he secretly took 2,000 Gold Coins out of the Bank Vault behind Chlorel’s back.
If he gets caught, he’ll definitely get a “beating,” but isn’t secretly topping up in games exactly the kind of thing kids can’t resist?
Just 2,000 Gold Coins—now that he’s got a mine at home, he can pay it back in no time. Not a big deal～
“Spend 350 DP to summon [Clay Golem]?”
“Yes!”
[Clay Golem]: A figure made from a core serving as the mana source and gathered clay. Usually humanoid, with legends saying earth spirits dwell within.
Su Yao could have bought Monster Spawn Points for this monster, but he summoned it individually to create a “moving wall” that fit the mine’s style.
Golems are usually humanoid, but nobody says they can’t look like “walls,” right?
Hmm, failed. The clay color is too different from the rock walls. For now, place a few at Monster Spawn Points to patrol as “fodder” in the third Dungeon Layer.
Next.
“Spend 700 DP to summon [Rock Grem]?”
“Yes!”
Also an earth-type monster powered by a magic core—why is one called “Grem” and the other “Golem”? In some versions, they’re also called “Stone Golem.”
This guy’s color actually matches the mine walls. But… using them just as “moving rock walls” seems a bit of a waste?
Imagine an Adventurer seeing a big boulder blocking the path—then suddenly it comes alive and attacks…
Hehe~ Just imagining it is thrilling!
Next.
“Spend 1,400 DP to summon [Steel Golem]?”
“Yes!”
These monsters exist in the Dwarf King Dosalsuo Dungeon. They say you often see them roaming in mines with iron veins.
Having them around saves a fortune in mining costs. Instead of the trouble of digging, isn’t it easier to defeat them and smelt them?
No wonder the Dwarf King City Salsor was built atop that Dungeon.
After Magic Ore, here comes the second Strategic Resource—no, Strategic Monster! I mentioned before, if there’s no ore vein, placing Steel Golem Monster Spawn Points becomes super expensive, right?
Now, it’s a Price Drop!
Just like the evil Gaben putting a Green Label on some game I’ve been eyeing… why not buy, Poet?
However, “Please choose an appropriate location to place ‘Iron Ore Spirit’s Blessing,’ please choose an appropriate location to place ‘Iron Ore Spirit’s Blessing’…”
Huh? Why… can’t I set it up?
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