“Let’s head on in.”

Jill takes down the earth wall as we head into the passage. We cautiously walk through the dirt pathway with CZ’s eyeball scouting ahead. The journey was relatively safe but there were limits to her eyeball’s usability. If there were hidden arrows being shot out of the wall or spikes emerging from the ground, her eyeball couldn’t detect them because they were hidden. But even without her eyeball, the traps weren’t difficult to handle because we had magic to protect us.

“Four giant rats ahead.”

“Alright, we’ll gun them down and if any get close, the vanguard will handle them.”

I shoot a flare of fire into the air to reveal the enemies and as CZ had said, there were four giant rats the size of adult dogs. Suprised at our appearance the rats rush towards us but they screech in pain as they were quickly gunned down. Only one of the giant rats had escaped the barrage of bullets and charged at Ken.

Unable to react to the situation, Ken was frozen in place as the giant rat attacked him. Fortunately, Gorou rushed over and used his shield to send the rat flying. It slammed against the wall and was paralyzed so Gorou took this time to kill it with his shotgun. The entire time Ken had still not recovered from his shocked state, it was only when William shook his shoulders did he come back to reality.

“Ken, this is your third mission already. You need to get used to killing or you’re going to die in this field of work.”

“Y-yeah, I’m sorry.”

After that encounter, we were ready to continue exploring but Fifi stops me and tells me to dissect the rats. I stop the others as I head on over to the rat that Gorou had killed. Its head was blasted into bits and it was letting off a putrid odor.

“Alright, I’ll teach you how to dissect monsters so listen carefully. We could dissect the entire body but we don’t have the space to carry all of it so we’ll only take the most important parts.”

I follow Fifi’s instructions before cutting off the rat’s tail and pulling out its claws. She recommended for me to also pull out its fangs but the rat’s head was blown to pieces. Next, I laid the rat on its back before cutting open its chest. I didn’t really want to put my hand in there but Fifi said this was a necessary step for getting the best parts out of monsters. Since it had just recently died, its insides were still warm and slimy.

“What am I looking for?”

“Look for a blue rock. It might be faint but feel for where the mana is the most concentrated.”

I do as Fifi says but it was somewhat difficult. All living beings have mana so even though it just died, the rat’s body still had mana coursing through its body. I continue to search and I was eventually able to feel something. In the region near its heart, I could faintly feel that there was a large concentration of mana.

“Ah, I found it.”

“Jackpot!”

I pull out a small blue crystal that was pulsating with mana. It was somewhat pretty even though it was covered in blood.

“What is it?”

“Hehe, it’s a mana crystal.”

“A mana crystal?”

“Yep, these mana crystals have a wide variety of uses. You can put them in weapons to increase the magic damage or even put them in armor to reduce magic damage. There are other uses but the most widespread use is to restore mana. It’s a shame but this one is too small to be used for anything else other than restoring mana.”

“Restoring mana!”

What an amazing item. There have been so many times where I’ve passed out due to running out of mana but this can mitigate that. This would allow me to fight using magic more often or even using stronger types of magic without worrying about the mana cost.

“But why is this my first time seeing one. I’ve killed so many zombies but I’ve never seen a mana crystal before.”

“Naturally you won’t be able to find mana crystals in the undead. Mana crystals can only exist if its host is living but even in those cases where the undead has a mana crystal, it usually breaks once the undead is killed. Mana crystals themselves aren’t that common to find in everyday monsters. Only monsters that are bathed in strong amounts of mana on a regular basis have a chance to obtain a mana crystal.”

“What’s the difference between a mana crystal and a mana pool? From what I can see they sound very similar.”

“There are similarities and differences but the biggest difference is that mana crystals are artificially made while mana pool is something a being is born with. Ok, enough with the questions, let’s get to dissecting the other rats. If we’re lucky we’ll find more mana crystals since these monsters have been living in a dungeon.”

I dissect the other rats but was only able to find one other mana crystal. By the last rat, I had gotten somewhat used to pulling out the claws and fangs of the rats but even then, Fifi said that only half of the materials were suitable because I had damaged some. I store the materials into my backpack as I turn to face the others.

They were all looking at me in shock. Looking at my body, I was completely covered in blood and reeked. I was going to wash off with water magic but remembered that we were restrained to only using one type of magic. I grab a water bottle and wash my arms along with the two mana crystals.

I hand the two crystals to Jill and Mako as well as explain to them how to use it. After a short break, we continue down the passageway but the paths became more complicated. There were now multiple paths and we could only rely on our gut instincts to find the right path.

Time quickly passed as we were met with multiple dead ends and many encounters with monsters. Besides the giant rats, we also fought with giant bugs, giant moles, and even feral hyenas. Our encounters were so often that the backpack I was carrying was already filled to the brim with materials.

I asked why Fifi didn’t store the material in her pouch but she told me that this was a trial I have to face on my own. Once again she told me to not become too reliant on items. Hearing her explanation, I don’t bother her anymore as I try to fit the materials in the most compact way.

After wandering for a few hours, we finally discovered something that wasn’t a dead-end or monsters. We found a wooden door and discussed whether we should open it or not, but William decided that we should open it.

Gorou stood in front of the door with his shield raised up as he slowly opened it. William and Gareth aimed their guns while Jill and Mako were ready to use magic. The door creaks as Gorou opens it and everyone’s tension rose. We didn’t know what was going to be behind the door but it could have been an exit or even a room of monsters, but it was something we didn’t expect. There was a single wooden chest in the room.

“Is it a trap?”

“Should we open?”

Everyone was curious about its contents because a treasure chest in a dungeon usually meant treasures. William decided that we should at least secure the room so we could rest even if we didn’t open the chest. CZ’s eyeball looked around the room and confirmed that there weren’t any monsters. Mako then used her wind magic to check if there were any pressure plates or tripwires that would activate traps but there wasn’t any.

Deciding that it was safe, we took off our luggage and locked the door behind us before surrounding the chest. William signaled to me to ask Fifi if it was safe and she said that it should be safe. Once again it was up to Gorou to face the risk head-on. None of us could deny that Gorou was the person who risked his life the most as our defender. If it wasn’t for him the journey would have been ten times more difficult.

The chest was easily opened and Gorou took out a leather pouch, it was the kind that was used to store water. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief that there wasn’t a trap but there was disappointment that it wasn’t some amazing treasure.

“Alright, let’s take a small break before continuing the exploration.”

William gave me the pouch so Fifi could inspect it. He had to make up an excuse so it didn’t seem suspicious to Ken, Rachel, and CZ. It would be more convenient if they knew about Fifi but the more people who knew about her, the more dangerous it could be.

“Hmm, it can store about as much as the pool of water in the mansion back in Ostempal.”

“A swimming pool?”

“So about 20,000 gallons or so. That’s amazing.”

Jill and Mako confirmed its ability with Fifi and the pouch was indeed amazing. I sensed some mana coming off the leather pouch but didn’t expect it to have such an amazing ability. 20,000 gallons were such a large amount but in our current situation, it wasn’t really useful. We didn’t find any water sources in the dungeon so we can’t fill it up yet.

“Where should we go now, Jill?”

“This area’s a dead end so we should head back and take the other path. This room seems relatively safe so I’ll mark it on the map.”

It’s amazing seeing how much Jill has changed. Back in Ostempal, she was a quiet girl but now she didn’t have any trouble speaking clearly. Even her control of earth magic was catching up to me after just a few weeks of training. But it wasn’t just her who had improved, Gorou and Mako have improved just as much or even more.

Gorou’s ability to defend anyone in the nick of time has made it so we took minimal damage throughout the exploration. He was doing his job so well that he didn’t even have to use his healing magic. Mako’s ability to control the battlefield was amazing. With her wind magic, she would deal with traps, bind the enemies, divert their attacks, or even push allies out of the way from danger.

They’re all so amazing that they might not even need me anymore. They were dependant on me back in Ostempal but they’ve all grown strong ever since.

“All right, let’s go.”

After resting we grab our luggage and begin our journey through the dungeon again. Just like before, we fight monsters and encounter dead-ends in a continuous loop. The only difference was that we were encountering more rooms like the one we found the leather pouch but unlike that one, there weren’t always treasures. Sometimes we could come across rooms full of monsters, rooms filled with glass jars, rooms filled with farming tools, rooms filled with unknown vegetables, and even a room that had a pool of water.

We killed the monsters and left the rooms with glass jars and farming tools alone. Fifi had me picked some of the vegetables because she said they would be useful in the future and the room that had a pool of water was swiftly sucked into the leather pouch. We proceed with even more caution because it was odd how we were encountering more rooms filled with various objects. It was like these rooms were being used as storerooms by someone.

“William, CZ says she spotted a lizardman ahead.”

“How many?”

“Just one.”

“We’re going to ambush it. The vanguard will get the lizardman’s attention and lure it here before CZ stuns it with her ability. We’ll use this opportunity to figure out the lizardman’s weakness. We already know our bullets have little effect so Jude will try fire, Jill will try earth, and Mako will try her wind ability.”

Ever since we started exploring the dungeon, this was our second encounter with the lizardmen. We had to avoid the lizardmen the first time around because CZ discovered that there were 5 lizardmen resting inside of a room. William had swiftly decided that we should avoid them because they were too strong for us to handle, even Fifi had agreed with his decision. When we fought those 8 lizardmen to save that unknown man, it was easier because we were only trying to escape and not kill the lizardmen.

Each lizardman was incredibly strong and tough to kill so fighting a group of them would be difficult. This time is different though, the lizardman is by himself and is unprepared to face off against us.

Gorou, Ken, and I turn around the corner and the lizardman was off in the distance. We got closer but the lizardman still didn’t notice us because it was eating. Seeing that we had the advantage, I threw a fireball to get its attention. Annoyed at being interrupted while it was eating, the lizardman screeches and chases us.

We ran around the corner as the lizardman was right behind us. The moment it turned the corner, its body was stunned. I turn around and was finally able to get a good look at the lizardman. It was wearing leather armor that covered its chest and legs. In its right arm was a spear that was at least 7 feet long.

“Burn them into a crisp, Flame Wave.”

“Become a blade sharp enough to cut my enemies, Wind Blade.”

“Earth spikes.”

A wave of flames washes over the lizardman but it doesn’t do much damage. The lizardman’s scales were resistant to flames and all my attack was able to do was charr its leather armor. With perfect timing, Mako’s Wind Blade cuts through the flames and leave a large gash on the lizardman’s chest, it dealt a significant amount of damage. Following her attack, two spikes appear from the ground and attack the sides of the lizardman but there was not as much damage as the Wind Blade. The earth spikes were able to shatter some of the scales on the lizardman’s sides but it couldn’t pierce in any further.

“The chest is the weakest spot.”

I rush in with my sword and slash at the lizardman’s chest. Following the path of Mako’s Wind Blade, I slash from the top of its chest all the way to the bottom. Blood gushes out but wasn’t dead yet. The lizardman continues to struggle and at the last second, it was able to free itself. It swings it’s spear towards me as I kick off its body and dodge.

“Jill, block its path.”

The lizardman tries to run away but with Mako’s quick commands, Jill was able to set up an earth wall. Even then the lizardman does not stop running, it crosses its arms before rushing into the earth wall. The wall easily shattered as the lizardman runs away.

“We can’t let it escape or it’s going to call for help!”

Jill tried to use earth magic to bind the lizardman’s legs but now that it could move it was able to deal with it. Even Mako’s wind blades aimed for its back was easily destroyed by its scaled tail. Gorou, Ken, and I give chase but the two were too slow. Gorou’s armor and shield were too heavy while Ken wasn’t prepared for the enemy to run away.

The lizardman turns the corner and I follow, but as I turn the corner the lizardman’s spear aimed to end my life. With barely a second to react, I swing my sword upwards to divert the spear but the lizardman’s attack didn’t end there. Letting go of the spear, it tried to stab me with its claws.

Everything was happening so fast that I wasn’t able to use magic or I’d risk my life. Even the simplest magic took some time to cast so all I could rely on right now was my physical abilities. In such a dire situation I began to remember Mako’s teachings.

“Sometimes the best defense is offense. If you aren’t able to escape an enemy’s attack than just attack faster than them.”

I put energy into my legs as I jump towards the lizardman. I had gotten close enough that the lizardman’s attack had passed by already. Now my sword was aimed towards the lizardman’s heart.

“Jude, watch out!!”

My sword was right in front of its chest but it did something I hadn’t expected. Its mouth was wide open as its fangs were aimed for my head. I was careless and forgot that my opponent was a monster, not a human. I thrust my left arm into its mouth as a last-ditch effort. I could feel the fangs ripping into my arm but I wasn’t going to let it take it.

“EXPLOSION!!!!!”

Mana gathers into my left arm and explodes into a burst of flames. The lizardman’s head explodes into millions of pieces as I was sent flying away. It was my own magic so I wasn’t hurt but my clothes were burnt off. I landed on the ground and rolled a few times before coming to a stop. I lied there on the ground as I was all out of energy.

My Explosion magic expended a lot of my mana and wasn’t very efficient. The concept of it was to gather mana as quickly as possible into one region before exploding it outwards. It wasn’t very practical for a battle but the damage output is amazing. I would have recovered my mana by now if I crushed a few mana crystals but I had dropped my backpack when the fight started.

“Haah, thanks Fifi. I would have died if you didn’t warn me.”

“You better be grateful! You owe me an infinite amount of donuts for worrying me so much!!”

Fifi wiped away her tears as she healed my arm. I really was an idiot, how could I forget that my opponent was a lizardman. He had the head of a lizard so he was definitely going to use it in a fight. Just because he was humanoid in nature I had fought him like I would fight a regular human, it was a blunder on my part.

“Jude, are you ok!?”

“Jude! Jude! Jude!”

The others rushed to my aid as they saw me on the ground. Gorou began healing me while Mako was crying as she held onto me. I wrapped my right arm around her as I tried to calm her down.

“I’m fine, Mako. You don’t need to cry.”

“O-oh, thank god you’re fine, Jude.”

Mako separates herself from me as she hands me mana crystals from my bag. I crush them in my hands as I absorb the mana into my body. I keep hearing Mako mutter to herself so I look at her and could see that her face was blushing. Her eyes kept on shifting from my face to the lower half of my body.

Realizing that I was naked I try to cover my private parts and the scars on my body, but I couldn’t cover much with only one arm. Everyone else gathered around to check if I was fine but I could do nothing to cover my bare naked body. Luckily William handed me an extra pair of clothes as Gorou finished healing my arm. I quickly put on my clothes but it was a struggle because the feeling in my left arm hadn’t fully come back.

The others were all awkwardly looking away as Mako and Fifi stared at my body. I thought I had gotten over others seeing my scars but it still made me feel sick to the stomach. Making them feel uncomfortable with my scars also made me feel uncomfortable.

“*Cough *cough. Let’s find a room we can rest in.”

William got everyone’s attention as we all packed our stuff before heading for the nearest room marked on Jill’s map. It was silent the entire time.