Brigit lowered her stance, activating 【 Steadfast 】 while repeatedly striking her buckler with the flat of her blade, the cacophonous ringing drawing the angered moglin's attention. Kira took the opportunity to circle around, positioning herself between Ribbon and the moglin. From the way she held herself, Kira was ready to move Ribbon at the first sign of danger.

The girl was an amateur who'd never been in a Party or Team. By her own admission, she'd played video games that in her time were pure fantasy, as a healer who guided comrades around to defeat enemies using specific tactics and proven methods. Facing real monsters was decidedly different, but her ability to adapt to the situation...

'Humans really are something else,' Brigit thought with a wry smile as the moglin staggered to its feet and roared, showcasing its aggression while watching their reactions to determine its next course of action. Variants in Dungeons really were so much more clever than their usual counterparts... 'I think Kira's also a little special on her own. I told her to protect Ribbon, I'm glad she's taking it seriously instead of trying to do something foolish like prove herself in battle when her Level and experiences are below mine.'

Far beyond her expectations, Ribbon also seemed set on proving a valuable member of the Team. As soon as the moglin was standing she controlled her already summoned Dancing Lights once more and kept them spinning in irregular patterns around the creature's head. The creature wasn't dazed or fully distracted, but it did seem awfully annoyed, and hesitated to charge forth with the unknown threat the strange lights represented.

Though Kobolds were known to be timid, especially individuals separated from others of their own kind, Ribbon fought her own anxiety and natural nervousness to follow Brigit's instructions in combat. Her stats were low, but her determination was admirable, as was her precise control over what little magic she was able to display at her level.

A seed of guilt planted itself in Brigit's heart. She'd been so worried that Ribbon wasn't trustworthy... Yet that tiny Kobold was doing her best to keep up. She didn't even try to flee back towards the Sanctuary when Brigit was blocking the tunnel, under siege by multiple higher-leveled Variant goblins!

Instead, the tiny Kobold squared her shoulders and resolutely followed Brigit's orders to the letter. Even though her little legs were visibly trembling...

Brigit's grip on her sword tightened. For the two young girls, doing their best to work together in a new and scary environment, Brigit resolved to be the best shield protecting them from the harsh truths of Dungeon Diving. She wouldn't let them walk the path she herself was once forced down.

'So long as I draw breath, nothing will harm a single hair on their heads!' Brigit swore in her heart, dashing forward to once more slam her shield into the moglin's stomach. Without missing a beat, Kira shaped the earth behind the moglin's feet, small pillars of rock stretching up to ankle height. The creature's huge feet easily crashed through the little stone towers, but they managed to interrupt its balance. The moglin struggled to reorient itself quickly, but Brigit wouldn't give it the chance.

Her body still wreathed in the bright azure glow of 【 Vigor 】, Brigit followed up on her simple shield strike with an overhand slash, cutting the creature from shoulder to navel in one easy swing.

Unfortunately, no matter how well-timed her moves were, they weren't official Skills. And, the moglin was still 10-F. Before Brigit could recover her stance, an enormous fist slammed into her ribs, sending her flying into the nearest Dungeon wall. The force of the impact was softer than she expected, the stone that cushioned her landing feeling more like sponge than rock thanks to Kira's quick thinking and excellent usage of【 Earthshape】, but the wind was still knocked out of her lungs.

WARNING -10 HP

"Bri-mph!" Ribbon's tiny cry of surprise was muffled by Kira's hand swiftly closing around the Kobold's muzzle, preventing her from drawing the monster's attention back to herself. Ribbon's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed as realization hit, and she nodded at Kira to signal her understanding.

'Good girls,' Brigit thought, staggering to her feet. Even through her armor, the moglin took a whole third of her HP! Brigit swore, spitting out a mouthful of saliva tinged with blood. The creature was lumbering toward her, but since it was naturally slow she had ample time to reorient herself. "Kira! Rock the knee!"

"Pfft!" Kira couldn't help snorting a laugh at how silly the simple command was, while simultaneously pulling a small rock from her inventory.

SMASH!

"GROAR!" The moglin roared, not in anger but in pain, as the projectile struck the back of his knee and shattered the bones in the immediate area. Brigit saw herself that the rock was barely coated in Kira's lavender mana, the girl properly used the minimal amount of MP to cast【 Throw Rock 】, but it was launched with enough force to completely wreck the monster's meaty leg mid-step.

'Needs more practice,' Brigit sighed with a mixture of awe and resignation in her heart, then sidestepped and swung her sword with all her might.

The moglin fell forward into the blow, its flailing arms unable to catch neither Brigit nor the shining silver streak of her blade.

THUD!

THUMP!

The ground shook as the monster's heavy body hit before its severed head did. Blood splattered across the walls and floor, a brilliant spray of red against grey and brown stone.

"AH!" Ribbon shrieked in surprise, causing both Brigit and Kira to turn toward her in alarm, but the Kobold's eyes were shining as two golden windows hovered in the air before her.

From 2-F to 4-F in one fell swoop, not bad! Brigit nodded, satisfied. Kira didn't level, but they all were warned ahead of time by Ailsa that the Human Geomancer was an EXP black hole.

Then to her great surprise, a golden window appeared in Brigit's own field of view.

"I... I Leveled up?" Brigit whispered, her voice thick with emotions caught in her throat. Her hand trembled as she reached to touch the familiar yet unfamiliar screen.

【 LEVEL UP! 】

Level: 5 ► 6

HP: 20/30 ► 20/50 (+20 BI*)

MP: 4/10 ► 4/12 (+2 BI)

STR: 15 ► 21 (+4 BI, +2 VTB**)

INT: 7 ► 9 (+2 BI)

AGI: 7 ► 12 (+3 BI, +2 VTB)

DEX: 13 ► 18 (+3 BI, +2 VTB)

*Base Increase: The base amount your stat increased for the level up, unaffected by other modifiers such as VTB**. **Vigorous Training Bonus: You have expended great effort to increase these values in the past. Effort is rewarded!

"M-My stats! They went up so much!" Ribbon whispered, tears welling in her warm brown eyes. "INT from 4 to 11... DEX from 2 to 10?! Ah! My... My MP is 30! I even got a new spell! I... It's..."

Brigit swept the Kobold up into a hug, causing the girl to drop her staff in surprise, then the two laughed while tears rolled down their cheeks. Kira stood to the side, obviously feeling a little awkward until Brigit dragged her into the embrace as well.

"Thank you!" The Drakke said, squeezing them both so tight it actually decreased their HP by 1 each, but neither had the heart to complain or even point it out. "I... Thank you, so much."

"Leveling's a big deal, huh?" Kira asked, and Ribbon nodded emphatically.

"Yeah! I mean, every Level means you stand a better chance at survival, you know? And getting Levels is h-hard if you don't put your l-life on the line against m-monsters..." Ribbon looked down at her paws, then clenched them tight. "If... If I didn't get into the Academia, or m-meet you two, I... D-Dungeons would be... Impossible..."

"I was in a Company," Brigit said softly, setting Ribbon back on the ground. "But I owed them a training debt. So even though I was in a Party, and thus went to countless Dungeons and Gates... I didn't get a share of the EXP. Plenty of practical experience, and I learned to fight very well... Which further increased the training debt, along with my accumulated living expenses which also went toward the debt I owed. That's why I was so desperate to find a treasure before we met, Kira. If I couldn't erase the debt... I wouldn't Level up. I'd just keep getting dragged to Dungeons or Gates and forced to do menial labor. Clearing weak mobs, carrying gear, keeping watch, cooking the food, mining ores..."

"Ugh, black companies still exist, huh..." Kira muttered, then shook her head. "Do you still owe that debt?"

"No. The attempt on my life was a contractual breach, I was able to quit the Company and nullify my debt to them. Even if they wanted to try and get something out of me..." Brigit suddenly grinned and pressed a finger to her lips. "Sir Karl made sure everything was neatly cleaned up. I didn't even get Blacklisted. And now... Now I can actually Level up! Thank you, girls."

"Hehehe!" Ribbon giggled, her fluffy curled tail wagging at maximum speed. "With just three of us doing this Dungeon... Won't we Level up again if we beat the Boss?! If... If I could be 5-F..."

"Not even looking forward to the Boss loot?" Kira teased, pulling out her consolation slime plush toy for a brief moment. "Who needs to Level up when you can get squishy slime plushies, right?"

"Are you bitter about getting an enchanted toy?" Brigit said with a small laugh.

"Enchanted?"

Brigit raised her eyebrows at the obvious inquiry in Kira's voice, then pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Kira... From now on, make sure you use Scan on every object or monster you see for the first time, okay? You have the MP and the regen to use it without worries or discrimination. But most especially, you should always Scan Dungeon loot!"

"Oh... I forgot." Kira rubbed her neck sheepishly, then held up the slime toy and squinted her eyes. After a moment, her eyes widened. "Oh!"

"Did you really think the Dungeon God would just give you a normal plush toy?" Brigit said, shaking her head as she cleaned blood off her sword and shield with a rag from her inventory.

"...Yeah. Kinda..." Kira had the grace to look embarrassed, then her gaze turned affectionate as she surveyed the consolation slime with a new perspective. The toy was enchanted to provide comfort and consolation, a therapy toy for those who suffered a difficult time in their Dungeon. Brigit had one, since her first Dungeon dive ended with death at the hands of a Teammate. The first time she cleared a Dungeon with her new Company, the little toy had popped out and she'd felt a mixture of relief and disappointment.

Disappointment that it wasn't valuable, then relief that she'd be allowed to keep it thanks to that lack of value.

Her salamander was old, and a little raggedy around the edges. Well worn from many a needed hug through the years. But her consolation salamander was a precious friend that served her well throughout the years, no matter how rough things got. The soothing emotional magic of consolation toys must never be underestimated!

Brigit tossed the dirtied rag back into her inventory. Then she patted Kira's head, and ruffled Ribbon's ears. "Well done, ladies. Shall we clear the rest of the Dungeon?"

Kira hugged her slime once then put it away, and nodded. Ribbon grabbed her staff from where it'd fallen, nodding as well.

"Alright, let's do a full sweep! If Ribbon hits 5-F before the Boss, we'll have dessert for dinner!"

With renewed enthusiasm and sparkling eyes, the little Team charged down the tunnel back to the Sanctuary to hurriedly restore themselves before taking on the Dungeon once more.