Ch.321Failing NPC. (2)

I don’t know what skill Master acquired, but about a week ago, I gained the ability to check Master’s location whenever he checks ours.

[Master has started heading this way from Ponia. Ray, don’t you think it would be quite troublesome if he discovers that you’ve been sitting idle here and put Lady Ira in danger?]

“Hiccup!”

When I relayed this information to Ray, who had been resting for several days at the Muller estate after our battle with the demon, she initially exclaimed “Jack is coming~!” with excitement, but then started hiccuping nervously as she remembered how we were pushed back by the demon and the Church forces. “W-what should we do?!” Well, there’s really only one thing to do.

[We need to level up. You, me, and Lady Ira too. We need to prove that we can handle him without any problems.]

“…Where? Aren’t the monsters around this town too weak for us to gain levels anymore?”

Setting aside Ray and myself, even Lady Ira had stopped gaining levels. I thought the Empire’s monsters, averaging between levels 200 and 250, would help Lady Ira grow, but after defeating the previous demon and leveling up, these monsters were now too weak for her. So while working daily as a maid for the Muller family, I searched for a place to level up by checking my status window, and as a result…

[I found an undiscovered dungeon similar to the one in Natie. It’s a bit far from this estate and somewhat dangerous due to its proximity to the Church border. The average monster level is over 500, with mid-bosses at level 600—quite a challenging dungeon.]

“But our levels are only in the early 400s…?”

[After defeating the demon, you reached the mid-400s, and I barely surpassed level 500. If we push ourselves, we can definitely hunt there.]

I remember when Ray first entered a dungeon with Master, she was only level 30. Master’s average stats weren’t precise either, and they leveled up through extremely difficult battles. If that’s the case, there’s no reason why Ray and I, who have grown stronger than Master was then, couldn’t defeat monsters with just a 100-level difference and no intelligence. After hearing my explanation, Ray pondered for a long time, and her deliberation continued until Lady Ira returned to our room…

“Yes! I want to go too!!”

[I thought you might say that.]

“Nnngh…!! If it gets dangerous, we’ll just come back, right?”

In the end, Lady Ira dispelled Ray’s anxiety. Well, I’ve been checking the interior with my status window, and while it’s quite a difficult dungeon, it’s not impossible for Lady Ira to hunt there with her skills.

So, after getting permission from Brown Muller, the lord of the Muller estate, to temporarily return to our adventurer duties, we even received his generosity in the form of a luxurious carriage…

“Yay~! Let’s go~! Adventure time~♬ If I get stronger from this, I can become an adventurer with big brother~!”

“Oh, hello?”

[Oh.]

“…Oh?”

For some reason, Grace Muller was sitting in the carriage with a bulging travel backpack. Wait, Lady Ira? This little girl is only level 60, but we’re going to a place with level 500 monsters!

“M-Miss Muller? The place we’re going is really dangerous…”

“Ah, p-please treat me as if I’m not here! Just think of me as a hugging doll for Ira!!”

-Squeeze!

[…A hugging doll with quite a strong will. Trying to sneak along with us.]

“Is it really for Ira? Because it looks like Miss Grace is the one hugging her…?”

It seems Lady Ira had shared our conversation with her, and now Grace wanted to come along after hearing about getting stronger. I was debating whether to send her back to the Count or not. Honestly, if we just went and talked to the Count, he would surely stop her. As a responsible guardian, I should…

“Haha! Please take good care of our daughter too! The Muller family believes in Ray’s abilities! I’m sure this will be a good experience for her!!”

“Grace, your mother will scold you later for trying to leave without telling her, okay?”

“That’s right! I’ll scold you when you return!! So come back without getting hurt!!”

“Eek?!!”

[We failed to get rid of her.]

“This isn’t right…”

The Muller family, having absolute trust in our—specifically Ray’s—abilities after we saved their people, casually entrusted their daughter to us. We couldn’t exactly explain that it was “extremely dangerous because of the level difference,” so we ultimately decided to protect her and help her level up as well.

Haha, now I understand why Master is frustrated about not being able to talk about levels and status windows.

So we headed toward the dungeon I had found, with Grace in tow.

“Eeeek?!! Ira?!! Monster!! Monsterrr!!!”

“Hehehe, it’s okay. Piyak!”

“Piii~!”

-FWOOOOSH!!!

On the way, we sent the carriage back to the nearest village once we reached areas with monsters like [Great Wolf: 200] or [Grand Grizzly Bear: 240], which served as leveling targets for Lady Ira. Throughout this, Grace never strayed an inch from behind Lady Ira’s back. And as she watched Lady Ira hunt efficiently, she began to help(?) by using her own spirit, resulting in:

[-Profession: Count’s Second Daughter- Level: 119 Name: Grace Muller. Age: 13.]

[She stole Lady Ira’s experience points.]

“…Don’t say ‘stole,’ she was just trying to help, right? Let’s not view it so negatively.”

By the time we reached the dungeon entrance, she had surpassed the level of her town’s knights and guards. Tch, I was planning to send her back in the carriage if her attacks proved ineffective in the dungeon.

And so, with Grace now able to deal very small but definite damage to enemies, Ray and I had to look after her growth as well…

“Gor?! Is this really okay?!! Aren’t you in pain?!!”

“Don’t worry about me and just cut through the monster and me in one strike. Lady Ira, Grace, please hurry and burn the monster along with me.”

“Okay! Got it!!”

“Is that really okay?! Ira! Shouldn’t we think about this a bit?!! Wait, why the voice? Gor, you could speak all along?!”

To be precise, I mostly held the monsters with my giant form while Lady Ira and Grace attacked, and Ray finished them off. We ended the first day when my HP dropped below half. The next day, Lady Ira and Grace, now at levels 300 and 210, leveled up by burning me along with the monsters. And then…

“The mid-boss of this floor will be handled by Ray and me. You two just watch. If it gets dangerous, flee immediately to the dungeon exit.”

“That looks really strong. Are you sure about this?”

“Let’s test that new skill you learned. It should work somehow. Probably.”

“…Probably?”

Ray and I defeated the [Dark Knight (Heavy Infantry)] guarding the stairs to the next floor, opening the entrance to the next level. Then again, I used my giant form to grab monsters from the lower floor and let them be burned. After repeating this for four days…

“That appears to be the boss here, but…”

“Ira, Miss Grace? I don’t think that’s just from one skill and a splash of water. The surrounding marks…”

“Hehehe, sorry sis. We thought you’d be happy if we defeated it ourselves.”

“I-I’m sorry. After contracting with a high-level spirit, I got a bit carried away…”

[Ruler of Knights Durahan: Level 680]

[HP: 443,623]

“…When I first checked, its HP was over 700,000. You’ve beaten it quite a bit.”

“I used big brother’s skill, but it didn’t fall!”

“We burned it with Piyak’s flames and Windria amplified the flames with a whirlwind, but it still charged at us unharmed. Oh, it doesn’t seem to summon minions like the boss from the upper level. So…”

Hmm, so they attacked it several times, and when it wouldn’t die, they retreated? I’m not sure whether to praise them for being cautious or scold them for taking such a risk. Anyway.

“So, you know its attack range and charging behavior, right?”

“Yes!!”

“Yes! We’ve done our preparation!!”

Preparation? This isn’t an academy… No, never mind.

“Good. Then let’s proceed as usual. I’ll grab it first with my giant form. If it breaks free from my grip or summons minions, Ray will handle the minions, while Lady Ira and Grace concentrate attacks with their spirits. Never give up your distance.”

“Please don’t let it summon anything—that skill is too exhausting!”

Ray grumbles as she draws her sword, and I move forward ahead of everyone. Its level is about 40 higher than mine, but…

[Heeeead. Give me your heeeead!!!]

-Swoosh!! BANG!!!

“Where did you leave your own head that you’re asking for someone else’s?”

[Slime Mime Golem: Level 639]

[HP: 109,993]

When I deliberately offer my neck to its sword, the blade fails to even scratch the skin—or rather, the golem’s neck. As I thought, its HP is too high, but its attack power seems weak.

-Grab!!

[?!! My heeeead?!!]

“This isn’t a head, it’s your sword. And since you swung first, it’s my turn now, isn’t it?”

[Skill: Mimicry activated.]

After grabbing the sword that struck my neck and taking it away, I mimic the exact sword strike it used… Ah, it doesn’t have a neck.

“If there’s no neck, I’ll just strike anywhere.”

-CLANG!!!

[Guuuhhh?!!!]

Hit by my sword, it’s pushed back considerably and looks quite bewildered. Hmm, the Dark Knight Heavy Infantry from above was actually more troublesome than this.

“Lady Ira. Ray. Miss Grace. I’ll be your shield. Feel free to attack as much as you want.”

“Okay!!”

“Yes! Mr. Gor!!!”

“Gor, don’t let your guard down, okay? If it summons something, I’ll really collapse from exhaustion.”

Isn’t it ridiculous to worry about letting my guard down against a dungeon boss that’s already lost its weapon? I shrugged at Ray’s words and charged into a position where I could easily take hits from the creature.

Let’s defeat it quickly this time and level up.