LIGHTNOVELONLINE [15] : Combat to Celebration: A Day of Victory & Earnings
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"Watch out!"
Mika extended his left hand, using the shield attached to his gauntlet to block the attack from the war shadow in front of him.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!"
Airmid, who had nearly been injured, quickly adjusted her position, fending off another war shadow attacking from their formation's perimeter.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
Feeling the tactile sensation of their backs pressed together, Mika surveyed the quickly gathering war shadows around them and immediately used a sword form from Water Breathing. Gathering all his strength, Mika took a horizontal step and swung his body along with the sweeping strike.
The sharp sword stroke swiftly beheaded the war shadows surrounding the trio.
At this moment, Mika and his companions were on the sixth floor of the dungeon. After testing the waters on the first floor, they gradually delved deeper, battling the monsters on each level. While adapting to the environment, they searched for suitable places to continue their training, eventually arriving at the sixth floor, where they encountered their first real crisis in the dungeon.
A total of twenty war shadows.
Encountering so many war shadows was genuinely bad luck. Near a passageway, they had initially met seven war shadows—monsters that appear starting from the sixth floor. As they prepared to fight, eight more war shadows emerged from the walls on either side. This sudden emergence made the already narrow passage even more cramped, so they decided not to engage there.
Just as they considered retreating, more war shadows appeared behind them, blocking their exit. This unfortunate situation made Mika instinctively suspect an irregular event.
What is an irregular event?
In Orario, there's a saying: the dungeon is alive. This isn't just an empty phrase. The dungeon has a will and harbors malice toward adventurers. Normally, this isn't noticeable, but when adventurers are weakened from previous battles or otherwise off guard, the dungeon often delivers a fatal blow through an irregular event.
The most famous irregular event is a "Monster Feast." Normally, the dungeon spawns a limited number of monsters from the walls. But during a Monster Feast, monsters spawn continuously from the walls, quickly filling the area, and even attracting monsters from other places, creating a deadly situation for adventurers.
Other irregular events include cave-ins and enhanced species. A cave-in occurs when the ground beneath adventurers suddenly collapses, dropping them into more dangerous levels. Enhanced species possess strength far beyond others of the same level.
Encountering an irregular event is extremely dangerous and can be fatal, which is why adventurers say the dungeon is alive.
Though surrounded by monsters, Mika quickly ruled out an irregular event; if it were a Monster Feast, there would be hundreds of monsters. Moreover, irregular events rarely occur in the upper levels, as the environment there is too small for such events to manifest significantly.
Nonetheless, Mika remained vigilant. While they often trained, their abilities were no longer overwhelming on the sixth floor. Neither Airmid nor Mellie had experienced life-and-death combat, and they were more skilled in one-on-one fights, not group battles. With more training, they could handle this easily, but as newcomers, they were still at a disadvantage. Mika also worried the dungeon might exploit their situation, being "alive" and all.
...
With Mika's "Water Surface Slash," the five war shadows surrounding them were instantly eliminated.
"Be careful. War shadows are fast and strong, but their attacks are simple and easy to defend against."
"Got it!"
Hearing Mika's assessment, Airmid and Mellie nodded, firmly embedding the war shadows' information in their minds.
Gripping his sword tighter, Mika began to strategize. Their most dangerous moment had been when they were first surrounded. Had they panicked and lost a member, it would have been much harder to cope. But the trio remained calm and formed a triangular formation, ensuring no blind spots in their defense. By now, they had already slain eight war shadows, leaving twelve remaining. This number posed no real threat to them, and Mika planned to quickly eliminate them.
"Let's maintain formation and take the initiative!"
Formation is crucial for adventurers, especially as they delve deeper where soloing becomes impractical due to the sheer number of monsters. Effective teamwork and formations are necessary to survive and thrive. Loki Familia, for instance, could take weaker adventurers to the deeper levels by connecting everyone's strength through formations, with Finn being the master strategist in Orario.
"Understood!"
Upon Mika's command, Airmid and Mellie spread out slightly and shifted from defense to offense. Mika led the charge, with Airmid and Mellie flanking him in a triangular formation.
Soon, Mika clashed with the war shadows ahead, smashing one's head with his shield and following up with another "Water Surface Slash." Thanks to Yahweh's modifications, this slash was now exceptionally powerful, instantly eliminating any enemy in its path.
As they engaged the war shadows, Mika covered Airmid and Mellie, compensating for their gaps while all three reveled in the thrill of combat and continued honing their skills.
---------------------
"That was easy, easy!"
Looking at the fallen war shadow corpses around her, Mellie clapped her hands cheerfully, her face beaming with joy.
"Alright, don't get cocky just yet. Quickly, let's extract the magic stones!"
Mika gave Mellie an exasperated look and shook his head.
Aside from the initial danger, the battle had indeed been quite easy overall. Unlike ordinary adventurers, Mika and his companions surpassed others with similar ability values due to their mastery of the Breathing Technique. This technique significantly boosted their physical capabilities, allowing them to exert combat power far beyond their actual physical limits. As long as they could fully utilize their strength, Mika and his companions rarely faced insurmountable challenges in the upper levels of the dungeon.
Of course, irregular events were not considered 'normal.'
"As expected, encountering irregular events in the upper levels is rare. But we mustn't be complacent. While Monster Feasts and cave-ins may be unlikely, enhanced species could appear at any moment," Mika thought to himself as he collected the magic stones.
Among irregular events, only the appearance of enhanced species isn't directly related to the dungeon itself. Magic stones are the source of monsters' power and can be used as a resource. When monsters consume magic stones, their strength increases, granting them power far exceeding that of their current level. If adventurers encounter a group of monsters with an enhanced species among them and underestimate them, they risk casualties or even complete annihilation. The Guild mandates that adventurers must take the magic stones from slain monsters to prevent the emergence of enhanced species. Despite this precaution, enhanced species still appear frequently.
"I really hope we don't encounter any enhanced species!"
After collecting the magic stones, Mika led Mellie and Airmid further down. They felt the sixth floor was far from their limit.
...
"Wow, finally out! Fighting in such a dark, confined environment is really depressing!" Mellie exclaimed as they exited the dungeon.
Mika and Airmid nodded in agreement. For newcomers, such environments could indeed be uncomfortable. But thankfully, these conditions were something they could adapt to over time.
Shaking his backpack, which was now full, Mika's lips curled into a smile. Although today's goal was merely to adapt to the environment, their earnings were quite substantial. After testing themselves on each level, they eventually decided to stop and acclimate to the eighth floor before pushing further. They began feeling some pressure starting from the seventh floor, where killer ants—a communal monster—appeared in large numbers, some even capable of attracting more monsters.
Recognizing the strength and birth rate of eighth-floor monsters, Mika and his companions decided to establish a base there, officially starting their adventuring career. However, they didn't stay long on the eighth floor due to the time wasted on earlier levels and soon began their return journey. Today was the first day of their adventuring life, and their goddess was waiting to celebrate their return.
"Let's head to the exchange center first!"
"Hurry, hurry!"
Mellie urged excitedly, and Airmid's face also lit up with joy. This was their first real earnings!
They quickly reached the exchange center and emptied their backpacks of magic stones onto the counter. Filled with anticipation, they waited.
"Hello, this is your payment: a total of 32,000 valis."
Even though they had seen hundreds of thousands of valis before, the sight of the golden coins in the bag handed to them still made them incredibly happy. Unlike inherited wealth, this was money they had earned through their own efforts. Inheritance is finite, but the money they earned themselves had the potential to grow infinitely.
"We could have earned even more today."
Mellie looked regretful as she thought about the time wasted. After all, who would complain about having too much money?
"Yes, yes!"
Airmid nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Indeed."
Even Mika shared the same sentiment. Money always has a way of stirring various negative emotions.
As the trio pondered over ways to earn more valis the next day, the chaotic sounds from outside the Guild caught their attention.
"What's that commotion about?"
Seeing the crowd gathered around the notice board, the three exchanged glances and pushed their way through the throng.
Thanks to their well-trained control over their bodies, they soon made their way to the front. The notice board's announcement came into view, and the surrounding discussions reached their ears.
"Ryu Lion from the Astraea Familia has reached Level 2 in just one year and two months!"
"Wow, that's fast! Is that the fastest advancement in Orario?"
"No, no. The fastest record is still held by Alfia from the Hera Familia. She took only one year and one month, a whole month faster!"
"She's a 'monster of talent'! Almost caught up to her!"
"Are all the newcomers this fierce now?"
"Looks like the Astraea Familia is on the rise!"
Listening to the conversations around them, Mika, Mellie, and Airmid exchanged glances and exited the crowd.
As they walked home, they whispered among themselves.
"Do you think we can surpass that record?"
"I think it's difficult."
"Mika might be able to, right?"
"Mika? Yeah, he probably can."
Hearing this, Mika smiled and said, "Don't think too much about it. Anyone capable of vying for that record wouldn't actively pursue it."
"Huh? Why's that?"
Airmid asked, puzzled. Mika continued, "Those who can compete for that record are true geniuses, and they usually aim for their limits. They only seek to level up when they can no longer grow. No one would break through just for the sake of a record."
Typically, adventurers can level up once any of their abilities reach a D rank. Most ordinary adventurers seek to level up once their abilities reach C or B ranks. However, geniuses push their abilities to A or S ranks before seeking the necessary achievement to level up. The top-tier geniuses only aim for leveling up when all their main combat stats reach S rank and are nearly maxed out.
As adventurers level up, the gap between ordinary adventurers and geniuses widens, sometimes producing monsters capable of fighting beyond their level. The most notable example is the future protagonist's aunt, Alfia, who could battle a Level 9 opponent from her Familia when she was only Level 7. Considering the Level 9's capacity to fight above their rank, Alfia's prowess was terrifying.
However, Mika knew that Alfia's record would soon be broken by Ais Wallenstein, whom Mellie once admired.