RAWRRRRRR!
A Fluardian—a jet-bck werewolf, its thick mane atuated with golden patterns—loomed over the party like the physical maion of a pgue. Its deafening roar summoned a legion of smaller wolves, materializing from the air like wisps of smoke.
True to his word, once Zephyr regained sciousness and the party rested, Daisuke took on a supportive role, allowing the others to trate on vanquishing monsters and advang levels.
sequently, the Eye of Verity, Impeccable Parry, Magic s, and Magic Missile—serving as a det distra—saw signifit growth in proficy.
As the party utilized their well-anized formation to cut through monsters like a field of wheat, Daisuke recalled the segment of Thalia’s lecture.
— “Creatures from the deeper levels of the dungeon are uo asd to higher floors due to a less trated may. The mana would leak from their cores, resulting in their gradual weakening aual demise. For these monsters, the right may is as vital as oxygen.
Simirly, creatures from the upper floors avoid desding to lower levels, fearing not only being preyed upon by mightier monsters but also the risk of trag mana poisoning due to excessive exposure to highly trated mana.
People with weaker immunity face the risk of mana poisoning, if they desd too rapidly to lower dungeon levels. Left ued, mana poisoning could progress to mana deficy, ultimately resulting in fatality.”
Zephyr—bearing the aggro of the werewolf—paused in one er of the expansive chamber with a frown. His fs spyed wide, body crouched low as the monstrous Fluardian advanced with eerie determination.
Before the pup could unleash his Divine Armament skill, Daisuke ricocheted off the wall and ceiling like a humanoid spring, his heel striking the beast’s face, propelling it into the side of the cavern like an oversized rag doll.
“Take care of the smaller wolves while I keep the guardian busy!” Daisuke’s and echoed with authority.
“Got it!” The group responded in unison, their voices resounding through the chamber.
***
Early in the m, after the usual flurry of adventurers had flooded in and out of the lobby after applying for the newly posted quests, Thalia slouched against the er, blowing upward at the wisps of hair c her forehead.
"The m rush never seemed to tire you out before," remarked one of the female guild clerks with a knowing smile. "Are you perhaps... worried about that boy who keeps shooting you down?" she teased.
Thalia gred, teeth grinding. “I-I wasn’t rejected by him, okay!”
“But you admit you have a crush on him,” the girl retorted.
“Ah—” Thalia stammered, ensnared. “Shut up! It’s none of your business!”
The girl chuckled. “You’re like an open book, so cute!”
Fuming, Thalia ignored her, resting her head on crossed arms. It had been nearly a month since Haxks and the others embarked on their field test. She couldn't shake off the wnawing at her. She wondered if they were safe and if her teags had adequately prepared them for the challehey faced.
“Hi.”
The suddeing stirred Thalia from her thoughts, but her bright and expet expression faded upon seeing an unfamiliar face by the ter.
The boy scratched his cheek awkwardly. “Not who you were expeg?”
Thalia managed a brief smile, slipping into her professional demeanor. “No, it’s nothing,” she said, “how may I assist you today?”
“We would like to apply for this quest, please,” said the boy, sliding the job listing and four ID cards across the ter.
Thalia reviewed the job description and IDs, then gnced over the three young girls behind the boy—a party prised of an archer, mage, and healer, with the boy as the warrior.
It was a well-banced party, and the job was to eliminate a pesky group of goblins that were frequently terrorizing a small remote vilge, which was retively easy for an F-ranked quest.
Thalia swiftly ran their details through the Global sus Register and firmed that they were fresh recruits embarking on their very first job as adventurers.
"I don't mean to intrude," Thalia started with a siderate tone, "but wouldn't a gathering quest be more suitable for your first job? Dealing with Horned Rabbits and Forest Imps could help you acclimatize as new adventurers. Goblins might seem small and uening, but they actually be quite ing.”
“I think we’ve had enough acclimatizing through the guild’s field test thank you very much,” a feisty redhead among the girls responded flippantly.
“Plus,” the boy added with a simir level of insolence, “gathering quests don’t pay nearly enough to support our families and lifestyle. While I appreciate your , we’ll be stig to the goblin job.”
“Very well then,” Thalia responded with the same level of courtesy she had extended earlier. Without dey, she promptly pleted the application and watched silently as the party turheir backs and proceeded towards the exit.
Before she went through the doors, the healer turned and boologetically, as if on behalf of the others.
“Do you think they’ll be alright?” asked the clerk who was teasing Thalia just moments ago.
“Well, they seem to believe so.”
***
Finnian pulled his sword from the eye socket of the downed Fluardian, crimson red blood coating the long bde.
[Name: Finnian Lancaster
Species: Human
Level: 29 | EXP: 16,780/131,406 (12.76%)
Css: Samurai
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild
Title: Way of the Warrior
HP: 1259/3974 | MP: 36/521
Strength: 107 | Stamina: 78 (+13) | Agility: 61 | Intelligence: 44
Stat Points: 0]
Gavric pressed his boot onto the creature’s lifeless corpse, both hands wreng his mace from its shattered hind leg. Retrieving his shield from the ground, he secured it around his forearm.
[Name: Gavric Iro
Species: Human
Level: 27 | EXP: 8,520/113,906 (7.47%)
Css: Tank
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild
Title: None
HP: 1642/2904 | MP: 23/486
Strength: 100 | Stamina: 84 | Agility: 32 | Intelligence: 54
Stat Points: 0]
Rexar lowered his fists with a sigh, blood and gore dripping from his gauhat were now suffitly seasoned in battle.
[Name: Rexar Ashenwood
Race: Demihuman (Wolfkin)
Level: 26 | EXP: 92,957/105,625 (88%)
Css: Warrior
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild
Title: None
HP: 947/2575 | MP: 06/438
Strength: 86 | Stamina: 78 | Agility: 49 | Intelligence: 47
Stat Points: 0]
Lyanna had been diligently going around to retrieve her arrows from the fallen monsters, but now she paused in front of one, weariness evident in her posture—her back arched, her arms slumped with exhaustion.
[Name: Lyanna Emberlynn
Species: Human
Level: 25 | EXP: 52,210/97,656 (53.46%)
Css: Archer
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild
Title: None
HP: 1047/2651 | MP: 55/400
Strength: 83 | Stamina: 75 | Agility: 48 | Intelligence: 45
Stat Points: 0]
Elena leaned heavily oaff, her chest rising and falling, warm breaths esg her parted lips.
[Name: Elena Hawthorne
Race: Demihumakin)
Level: 28 | EXP: 17,469/122,500 (14.26%)
Css: Mage
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild
Title: None
HP: 1881/1930 | MP: 17/1033
Strength: 15 | Stamina: 55 | Agility: 36 | Intelligence: 173
Stat Points: 0]
Milo’s legs buckled, and he fell on his rear, awkwardly reag into his pouch for an MP potion before he came down with an unwele case of mana deficy.
[Name: Milo Kindlewise
Species: Human
Level: 24 | EXP: 48,189/90,000 (53.54%)
Css: Healer
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild
Title: None
HP: 1305/1726 | MP: 0/982
Strength: 14 | Stamina: 34 | Agility: 22 | Intelligence: 170
Stat Points: 0]
Zephyr y sprawled out on his tummy like a ci, a small pink toig out of his mouth.
[Name: Zephyr
Level: 28 | EXP: 14,956/122,500 (12.20%)
Race: Divi
Species: Wolf
HP: 2024/5278 | MP: 12/1137 | Attack: 242 | Defense: 145 | Satiety: 46/100 | Loyalty: 44/100
Strength: 184 (+34) | stitution: 87 (+30) | Agility: 108 (+30) | Intelligence: 162 (+30) | Dexterity: 72 (+30) | Ce: 38 (+30)
Stat Points: 0]
Daisuke sat atop the carcass of a lupine monster, a satisfied smile grag his face as he deftly flicked his dagger as if flipping a harmless . Though he made sacrifices to empower the party instead of himself, his skills had notably improved, and Zephyr, if nothing else, had experienced signifit growth.
[Name: Haxks
Species: Human
Level: 24 | EXP: 89,992/90,000 (99.99%)
Css: None
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild | Merts’ Guild
Title: Lone Wolf, Pathfinder, Unwavering Spirit, genial Denizen, Master of Divi, Devoted Hunter
HP: 1069/2501 | MP: 78/362
Strength: 72 (+18) | Stamina: 101 (+12) | Agility: 120 (+35) | Intelligence: 36 (+9) | Dexterity: 23 (+35) | posure: 23 | Indomitable: 6
Stat Points: 0]
My HP dropped quite a bit since I no let the 12% Stat increase from Zephyr outside of bat, Daisuke noted before his gaze shifted elsewhere. Looks like my Uats increased by a det margin though, especially posure.
Rexar shook the blemish from his gaus, his gaze fixed on Finnian who was meticulously ing his bde on the fur of the Fluardian. "Augh," he groaned wearily, the exhaustion evident in his voice. "I'm so tired—it feels like I'm about to die."
“Well, that would be a plete waste,” Daisuke remarked as he leapt from atop the carcass. “sidering you’ve basically reached the goal.”
“What? Really?” Rexar blurted out ied disbelief. “Everything just felt like a blur to me!”
“Like we were just lifelessly going through the motions,” Lyanna added with a strained smile.
“Exactly!”
“Well, that all ends here,” Daisuke reassured, much to the party’s delight. “It’s been a few grueling weeks, but you’ve all mao push through and gotten siderably stronger in the process—gratutions!”
Rexar gred at Daisuke. “Are you sure you’re not some sort of undercuild operative?”
Milo smiled awkwardly. “You sure are suspicious of Haxks.”
