Ch.2424. Dungeon Entry

Cat.

That was the thought that immediately came to mind upon seeing the other person’s face.

Her haughty eyes curved with disdain. Beneath her snow-white skin lay features that would captivate anyone, yet the chilly current flowing through her amber eyes kept others at a distance.

If Elin was ice, the girl before him was like a blazing flame.

“What, you’re Rex?”

The girl who spotted Rex asked in a prim voice.

“Yes.”

“Show me your medal.”

Rex handed the medal to the girl. Only after confirming the number written on it did she nod.

“That’s right. Follow me.”

Rex carefully observed the back of the girl as she walked ahead, boldly pushing people out of her way.

She appeared to be around twenty.

She looked about the same age as Rex.

At her waist, she carried both a thin, long stiletto dagger and a short sword, seemingly using them alternately.

The leather armor she wore showed clear signs of wear from repeated battles. It looked like she had regularly patched it with new leather whenever it became damaged.

One way to gauge a warrior’s skill was to examine their equipment, and from this perspective, the girl before him was clearly skilled.

After all, the very fact that she had survived long enough for her equipment to become so worn proved her ability.

He had been told they would arrange for a veteran adventurer, and he had secretly imagined a man with a bushy beard, but reality often exceeded imagination.

The girl stopped in front of a table.

“Here.”

One woman and three men were sitting around the table, engaged in conversation. Naturally, they were all armed.

This time, Rex’s expectations were correct—everyone except the girl was middle-aged. Including the girl, there were five people in total.

A man with a visibly balding crown welcomed the girl.

“Oh, you’re here. And the rookie is… right beside you.”

Rex bowed his head awkwardly.

“I’m Rex. Pleased to meet you.”

Though it was just a simple greeting, the man rose from his seat with a hearty laugh and patted Rex’s back.

“Quite polite. I’m Harald, and that fellow with the jug-sized nose is Patrick, the one with the slanted eyes is Connor. And lastly, this lovely lady sitting here is the pride of our party, Madam Eira.”

As Rex bowed again, everyone waved at him in a friendly manner.

The overall atmosphere of the party was cheerful. They seemed to have maintained their party for a long time, as they exchanged jokes with each other without hesitation.

Rex examined each person gathered at the table several times.

Fortunately, as Harald had said, each had distinctive features, making it easy to remember their names.

“Chloe. Did you explain everything?”

Harald addressed the girl.

So her name was Chloe. While Rex was committing that name to memory, Chloe grumbled with a sullen face.

“I just brought him here—when would I have had time to explain? And why do I always have to bring in the rookies? Let someone else help out for once.”

Harald ignored her complaint and pulled out two chairs.

“Well, now that introductions are done, let’s get to the point. Please, sit down.”

Chloe let out a scoffing laugh but eventually sat down.

Rex, who had been watching cautiously, also took a seat, and only then did Harald begin speaking.

“We’ve already discussed this once, but since we have a newcomer, I should explain again.”

Harald conducted the meeting with skilled eloquence. When others occasionally voiced their opinions, he accepted what was worth accepting and firmly rejected what wasn’t.

While the others conversed, Rex remained silent.

He knew nothing to begin with, and he was a complete outsider in this party. It was enough to follow their decisions.

Still, the group maintained an atmosphere that was considerate of Rex. They explained unfamiliar proper nouns and dungeon ecology in simple terms, things that would be familiar to them.

“Dungeons basically have 10 levels. If you go deeper, you’ll encounter special terrain, and from there, even renowned adventurers can’t guarantee survival. Our party hasn’t yet crossed the threshold of the 10th level.”

Rex listened carefully to each piece of information they shared.

“Anyway—our first goal today is to enter the 3rd level.”

Chloe seemed displeased with that statement. She had her arms crossed and was tapping her forearm with her finger.

When Rex looked at her with puzzled eyes, Harald explained in a tone suggesting understanding.

“Our party usually moves between the 7th and 8th floors. We had planned to do so today as well, but the guild suddenly assigned us a rookie, so we hastily changed our schedule.”

In summary, it meant that because Rex had joined them, they were going to a lower level than usual, and that’s why Chloe was so irritated.

Considering that the deeper one goes into a dungeon, the greater the rewards, it wasn’t an unreasonable situation.

If anything, the others who accepted Rex without complaint showed better character.

“Miss Chloe.”

“…What?”

Chloe stared at Rex with narrowed eyes.

Rex immediately bowed deeply. Surprise flashed across Chloe’s face.

“I’m sorry. I’ll do my best not to get in the way.”

Rex said, keeping his gaze fixed on the ground.

Swallowing his pride was nothing to him.

If he could observe and learn from the veterans’ knowledge and experience up close, he could do even more than this.

Truly.

“Ah… really.”

Chloe muttered in an embarrassed tone and scratched the back of her head.

Rex was still bowing. Finally, Chloe sighed and gestured for him to stop.

“It’s fine. I… I tend to have a sharp demeanor, so you might have misunderstood, but I wasn’t trying to make you feel unwelcome.”

Only then did Rex raise his head. As his blue eyes met hers, Chloe looked away as if uncomfortable.

Harald whispered to Rex, trying to suppress his laughter.

“Chloe may seem tough on the outside, but she’s surprisingly soft inside. She’s especially weak against diligent folks—just like you.”

“What are you saying? Cut it out.”

Chloe frowned and pinched Harald’s side.

“This one’s pinches are getting sharper.”

“Let’s just get going. We’ll be late at this rate.”

Patrick, who had been silent until now, abruptly joined the conversation.

Harald nodded and looked around at everyone.

“Right. Since everyone seems ready, let’s get moving. Chloe.”

“Hmm?”

“Explain things to Rex as we go. Rex, don’t hesitate to ask if there’s anything you don’t understand.”

Chloe was about to complain as usual about why she always had to take care of the rookies, but she closed her mouth when she saw Rex staring at her.

“Tch… Fine.”

With that, Rex and the group left the adventurers’ guild.

***

Dungeon exploration was fundamentally done in parties, and the primary principle when forming a party was to avoid overlapping positions.

If everyone stood at the front line, the rear would be vulnerable, and if everyone clustered at the rear, there would be no one to hold off enemies at the front, among other issues.

To prevent such confusion, adventurers created a system of roles.

Vanguard, Archer, Scout.

A proper party needed to distribute these roles evenly.

“So, are you a vanguard?”

Though the question came out of nowhere, Rex understood what she meant. It was what Chloe had been explaining until just now.

“Yes. For now, at least.”

“Hmm…”

Chloe examined Rex with a curious gaze. Her eyes eventually settled on the greatsword tightly bound to his back.

“A zweihander. It looks bigger than others—are you sure you can use it properly?”

With that comment, Rex realized that the formal name for the greatsword he carried was a zweihander.

“You don’t need to worry.”

Rex answered with a bitter smile.

“Is that so? Anyway, the rest of your equipment looks good too. You came well-prepared.”

Chloe looked Rex up and down and nodded, as if giving him a passing grade.

Rex’s equipment was similar to Chloe’s: leather armor, a dagger, and the zweihander—that was all.

If he had known they were going straight to the dungeon, he would have visited a blacksmith first to purchase additional armor, but he hadn’t had time because he was joining the party.

Just looking at Harald walking ahead, he wore chain mail with a gambeson over it, and iron greaves below.

When Rex made a puzzled expression at her comment about being well-prepared, Chloe elaborated.

“Clueless rookies usually spend all their money on armor from the start. But for beginners, just light leather armor is enough. Most monsters in the lower levels are small, so heavy armor makes you too slow to catch them.”

“I see.”

“Of course, this is only for beginners. When you go deeper, proper armor becomes essential. Because…”

As Rex listened with wide eyes, Chloe continued her explanation with a proud voice.

While Rex was absorbed in Chloe’s lengthy discourse, the slant-eyed man beside them snickered.

“Just a moment ago, you were complaining about being a babysitter and dealing with a rookie. What were you so upset about? You two seem to get along just fine.”

“Uncle Connor. I already have a headache because of Harald, and now you too?”

“You look ready to eat me alive. Alright, I was wrong.”

Connor made a gesture of surrender with both hands, then extended one to Rex.

“I didn’t have time to greet you earlier. I’m Connor, the party’s scout.”

Rex shook Connor’s hand and was about to introduce himself again.

However, Connor quickly continued before Rex could speak.

“Ah, I already know your name, so no need to say it. I just wanted to say hello, so don’t feel pressured.”

“Yes. I look forward to working with you.”

Connor lightly patted Rex’s shoulder and walked ahead, whistling.

“He always picks on me.”

Chloe glared after him with a displeased expression.

Though her tone was prim, her eyes held warmth when looking at her companions.

“You all seem close.”

When Rex murmured this casually, Chloe cleared her throat and said:

“Anyway! We’re almost there.”

True to her word, the densely packed buildings gradually thinned out, revealing a vast plaza.

The ground was paved with precious marble. Water trickled from a small fountain installed in the center.

“That’s the dungeon over there.”

Chloe suddenly pointed to a distant location.

“The Temple of Boreas, God of Wind.”

At the edge of the plaza, a hill-like formation rose up, and atop it stood a pristine white temple that came into view.

Even now, numerous people who appeared to be adventurers were climbing the stairs leading to the temple.

‘It really is a temple.’

Though he had heard about it from Nellia, the administrator at the guild, seeing it in person left him feeling dazed.

A dungeon in a place dedicated to a god.

It seemed absurd, but Rex tried to accept it. After all, the blessing he possessed was equally implausible.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

While Rex was still admiring the temple’s grandeur, Chloe turned back and urged him on.

Rex quickly moved his legs to follow the group.

The path to the temple was arduous. He had never encountered such long and high stairs in his life.

But there was an end to them. The group, who had gone ahead, waited for Rex and Chloe in front of the temple with exhausted expressions.

“This damn dungeon wears me out every time.”

“These hellish stairs are more of a problem than what we face inside.”

“What are you all doing? Let’s go in. You’ve all had enough time to adapt, yet you still grumble every time.”

Eira, the woman with the warm demeanor, coaxed the men and pushed them forward.

Inside the temple, priests in black and white garments moved about in perfect coordination. They seemed too busy to rest as they dealt with the influx of adventurers.

A nun approached Harald. They appeared to know each other.

“Mr. Harald. Are you entering the dungeon?”

“Yes.”

“Understood. Please come this way.”

The nun led the group deeper into the temple. Other adventurers were still waiting in line for their turn.

As Rex looked around with a puzzled expression, Chloe shrugged.

“Advanced ranks can enter the dungeon without waiting.”

“I see.”

So it was a meritocracy. Though it seemed like an unfair privilege, it also served to motivate individuals.

The nun stopped in front of a massive door.

“Harald and five others. Recorded. You may enter now.”

At those words, Rex tilted his head in confusion.

That large door clearly seemed to be the entrance to the dungeon, but how were they supposed to enter when it wasn’t even open?

Looking at his companions, he noticed they all had their eyes closed.

With hands clasped and heads slightly bowed, they looked as if they were praying.

Chloe spoke:

“Rex.”

“Yes?”

“Close your eyes.”

Though he didn’t understand, he decided to follow her instruction.

As he closed his eyes, a cool breeze suddenly enveloped his body.

Simultaneously, a floating sensation, like falling through the air, crept up his spine.

Thud!

Rex almost lost his footing but managed to steady himself.

‘What’s going on?’

When he opened his eyes, the temple where they had been standing had vanished, replaced by a maze.

As Rex was taken aback by this scene that defied common sense, an admiring voice came from behind.

“Oh. Good reflexes! You’ve got talent.”

Turning around, he saw Chloe watching him with an expression that said, “Look at this one.”

The others also seemed unfazed, as if this was nothing new to them.

Connor took out a map from his bag and pointed to a specific spot. It seemed they were checking their strategy before beginning the exploration in earnest.

Of course, Rex just stood awkwardly to the side.

Then Chloe addressed him.

“Don’t worry.”

“Pardon?”

“You just need to watch from behind. It’s customary for newcomers to the dungeon to act as porters.”

I see.

Rex nodded readily.

When he thought about it, it made sense.

Why would they send a rookie to a veteran party? They probably wanted him to observe and learn firsthand how dungeons work and how to tackle them.

“Well, if the opportunity arises, you might face a monster or two.”

Chloe muttered with a smirk.

And about three hours later, Chloe’s words became reality.

“Are you… really a first-timer?”

Rex could only scratch his cheek awkwardly.