Chapter 15: The second expedition

The conversation with Moss continued even after the meal.

“Let’s move on to dungeon talk.”

Now that Soren had joined Moss’s party, he couldn’t just enter a dungeon as he pleased.

There was much to discuss with the party members—when they’d enter, what roles they’d take, and what their goal would be this time.

“Go ahead.”

“No matter which dungeon we choose, our goal is money.”

“Agreed.”

Soren nodded immediately.

Moss, who had lost all his money to gambling debts, was the most desperate, but Soren was also strapped for cash.

He didn’t have to worry about rent for the next month, but after that, things would get tough.

The only way to make money right now was through dungeons, and he absolutely refused to waste time on pointless ventures inside them.

“As long as we don’t get caught in another anomaly like last time.”

“Well… that depends on the anomaly, I suppose.”

Soren grimaced as he recalled the Dream Import Ban.

Even among the countless anomalies, some offered minor benefits, but it wasn’t worth diving into danger for such slim chances.

Especially when the stakes were his life.

He gulped down water before asking, “So, when’s the next dungeon run?”

“Probably the day after tomorrow. Going in tomorrow would be… unwise, don’t you think?”

Fair point.

Soren still hadn’t received payment for the items he’d looted in the last dungeon.

They needed to restock food and water, gather ritual offerings, and prepare.

There wasn’t enough time to do it all today.

“Day after tomorrow, got it.”

“And about our party composition…”

Moss trailed off, glancing around.

Soren did the same.

Moss, the cleric; Bork, the barbarian warrior; Loreia, the rogue; and Soren, the shaman.

With dungeon entry limited to four, their party was well-balanced, with no overlapping roles.

But they couldn’t just charge in blindly.

As a party, they needed to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses—what they could and couldn’t do—because that could be decisive in battle.

‘Moss can cast Eraypion’s Miracle, and Loreia… I’m not sure. Does she only use hand crossbows?’

This was especially important for Soren.

Most of his curses were indirect, lacking decisive killing power.

“Soren, you’ll always stay in the center of the party.”

Moss began by assigning positions.

Loreia, who carried the Lesser Watcher’s Rune, would take point, followed closely by Bork, whose Lesser Berserker’s Rune made him stronger the more he bled.

Soren would stand beside Bork, or behind him in narrow passages.

“Dungeons sometimes have tight corridors. It’s dangerous since we can’t watch all directions, but we’ll have to move single file when necessary.”

“…”

“I’ll take the rear. I can handle enemies from behind, and if a fight breaks out ahead, I can support immediately.”

Moss’s preferred weapons were a sword and shield or a mace and shield.

Since he’d gambled away his sword, his only option now was the mace.

Soren vaguely recalled a guidebook entry, ‘Blunt weapons are universally beloved. They’re perfect for early-game skeletons and goblins, neither of which resist crushing damage.’

Maces were blunt weapons.

They were a bit tricky to wield, but Moss would get used to them quickly.

They might lack the lethality of swords or spears, but that was unavoidable.

With four members, each had their role, and if needed, Bork and Loreia could step up.

“The same goes for entering rooms. Loreia checks first, then Bork.”

“And me after that?”

“Exactly. We have to watch for traps.”

Soren gave Loreia a skeptical look.

The moment their eyes met, she flashed him a thumbs-up.

He had no idea why she looked so pleased.

‘The order makes sense.’

Returning to the main topic, Soren mostly agreed with Moss’s plan.

When he was solo, he hadn’t thought about these details, but in a party, even minor tactics mattered.

Deciding the room-entry order was a smart, veteran move.

If they rushed in chaotically and ran into trouble, they’d be screwed—especially Soren.

He could counter with curses, but he was still too easy to neutralize.

Alone, he’d be dead before he could react.

“That’s why I’m at the back—to keep you safe.”

But now, he had a party.

Soren nodded silently.

He had no complaints or objections to Moss’s plan.

“Your curses are our trump card. Conserve them and replenish your resources so you can use them at the right moment.”

“Of course.”

“But we can’t protect you forever. Last time, the anomaly separated us, remember?”

***

Dream Import Ban.

There, Soren and the others had woken up scattered.

If something similar happened again—or worse, if they stumbled into an ambush by looters—

Soren scratched his forearm.

He wouldn’t die peacefully.

“Adapt to those variables. The same goes for everyone else.”

“Understood.”

“Normally, we’ll stick to the formation I just described, but in emergencies, we’ll adjust.”

“Like what?”

“Bork and I will take the front; Loreia, the rear. Your position won’t change, so don’t worry.”

Moss’s “emergency” likely referred to situations like the previous looter attack, where they’d have to fight head-on.

In those cases, Moss, with his shield, would lead, while Loreia, who disrupted enemies, would fall back.

“Anyway, to summarize…”

The default order was Loreia, Bork, Soren, Moss—both while moving and entering rooms.

“In emergencies, Moss would move forward, and Loreia would fall back.”

“Sounds good.”

Soren had no objections.

When neither Bork nor Loreia protested, Moss smiled and continued.

“Now, let’s discuss loot distribution.”

Soren’s eyes gleamed.

This was the most critical discussion when forming a party.

“Base distribution is equal shares. But transferring shares to others is allowed.”

Like most parties, Moss’s operated on fairness.

Soren was fine with that.

Unless something extraordinary happened, he wouldn’t be doing much fighting anyway.

It was like getting paid for doing nothing.

No reason to complain.

“Fair distribution works for me.”

“Good. Lastly… we need to talk about party funds. Someone has to manage them.”

Loreia hated math, and Bork was no better.

Until now, Moss had handled it alone, but things had changed.

“Soren, can we trust you with the party funds?”

“…Me?”

“Well, if you’re okay with it…”

Moss averted his gaze.

Clearly, he still felt guilty about gambling away their money.

Soren considered it.

He was decent at math, having learned from his father.

He’d even haggled with merchants himself.

“On the flip side, can you trust me?”

“You don’t strike me as the type to run off with the money.”

Moss’s friendly smile wasn’t just trust—it carried quiet confidence. 

“Try it if you dare.”

If Soren stole the funds, Moss wouldn’t sit idle.

Reporting it to the guild would make finding another party nearly impossible.

The guild wasn’t stupid, and neither were other adventurers.

“No one would dare recruit someone who’s already ruined one party.”

“I’ll do it.”

“I trust you, Soren.”

“We’ll see.”

After some effort, a sturdy coin pouch was placed in front of Soren.

As he frowned at its unexpectedly light weight, Mos—now looking relieved—continued speaking.

“Dungeon entry is the day after tomorrow at eight in the morning, by the plaza clock. Gather here by seven.”

“Understood.”

“Confirmed.”

With that, the first party meeting came to an end.

***

Moss, having roughly filled his stomach, stood up from his seat, and Bork followed suit.

“Loreia?”

But Loreia remained seated beside Soren, unmoving.

When Moss gave her a puzzled look, she reached over and ruffled Soren’s hair vigorously.

“Grocery shopping with the little one.”

“Oh, well… We do need to restock supplies. Use the party funds for it.”

“Mhm.”

“No, just go already.”

Moss and Bork’s replies were merciless.

As the two left the guild without a backward glance, Loreia sidled up to Soren, who looked slightly exhausted.

“Let’s go shopping.”

“…Yeah.”

In the end, Soren nodded with resignation.

‘Honestly, her personality is exhausting.’

***

The two days passed quicker than expected.

For Soren, they were a whirlwind of activity—grocery shopping with Loreia, settling the odds and ends from the last dungeon, and neatly organizing the party’s finances in the ledger.

While he wasn’t completely drained from the last expedition, if someone asked if he’d rested properly, his answer would be, “Well… not really.”

‘Why does it feel like I’m the only one working?’

That thought wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

Moss and Bork had vanished for those two days.

They were nowhere to be seen at the guild for the settlement, nor at the lodgings Loreia had arranged.

It was infuriating, but when Soren heard it was because of Moss’ gambling debts, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

At least Loreia helped during the shopping trips.

Whenever a pickpocket tried to make a move, she’d catch them on the spot and even squeeze out compensation.

Thanks to that, Soren’s funds grew slightly—though the increase was barely worth mentioning.

‘Food, water, offerings, healing supplies…’

Early in the morning, before leaving the inn, Soren packed his belongings into his bag.

If the last expedition had been about caution as a solo explorer, this time, he had to adjust to working as a team from the start.

For example, he swapped out all the offerings he’d prepared for solo exploration.

Now, he needed rituals that would benefit the entire party.

That was the purpose of his preparations.

Once his heavier bag was neatly packed, Soren checked his gear one last time and left the room.

“Breakfast, please.”

“Only this once. Next time, I’m charging you.”

“Ah, sure.”

The innkeeper handed him bread and cheese wrapped brusquely.

Meals were important.

He’d already paid, and he couldn’t afford to go hungry in the dungeon.

Soren’s steps carried him straight outside.

At dawn, the morning sky was an unfamiliar shade of blue.

The once ink-black canvas was now softly painted with white and blue, as the stars retreated like a receding tide.

Soren moved just as diligently, like one of those fading stars.

The dungeon guild wasn’t far—just a ten-minute walk to the large guild building.

“Adventurers…” Soren muttered disdainfully.

It wasn’t hard to guess why the red-light district and the guild were so close.

***

“Number 33! Hand over 33!”

“Miss! 71!”

“I’m 99!”

The reception desk was as chaotic as ever.

Entering the hall, Soren quickly scanned the room.

His party members stood out in a corner, waiting.

“Mr. Soren. You’re here?”

“Yeah. Have you eaten?”

“If you haven’t, we could use party funds to—”

“I already ate.”

“I brought some.”

He stuffed his cheeks with bread and cheese.

Eating quickly was a habit from childhood.

Loreia poked his swollen cheeks playfully.

“Mmph—hey!”

“Still tiny today.”

“Moss, what’s our number today?”

“24. A decent number, don’t you think?”

Soren knew nothing about number superstitions.

When he shook his head awkwardly, Moss also looked embarrassed and tucked the ticket away.

After a short wait, a loud bell rang from the reception desk.

“Five minutes! Dungeon descent in five minutes!”

It was time.

The once-noisy crowd fell silent, forming an orderly line toward the starting chamber.

Soren and his party followed.

A strange tension filled the guild.

“Number 24.”

“Here.”

“Hm. Not bad.”

Soren had no idea what Bork meant by “not bad,” but he nodded vaguely in response.

The starting chamber, now occupied by four people, felt cramped.

Whether it was cozy or just tight was debatable—Bork’s massive frame didn’t help.

Soren, squeezed between Loreia and the wall, groaned.

“Good thing you’re small, Soren.”

“Yeah. If the mage were any bigger, we’d be in trouble. Tiny’s just the right size.”

“…Is that a compliment?”

“It is.”

After a brief, grumbling wait, the room began to rumble violently.

Soren instinctively gripped his seat.

The other three also fell silent, staring tensely at the ceiling.

“Ancestors, watch over us.”

“I believe in glory and luck.”

“Here it comes. One… two… three.”

Whoosh!

The moment Loreia finished counting, the starting chamber plunged into gravity’s grasp.

Soren gritted his teeth and endured.

No matter how many times he experienced it, dungeon descent never got easier.

The walls screeched, the room shuddered, and the impact rattled the four adventurers inside.

Thud!

Just as the endless shaking threatened to overwhelm them, the chamber slammed to a stop.

Soren cautiously opened his eyes and tested his limbs.

“I’ll open it.”

Moss and Bork nodded silently.

With a creak, the door swung open.

Soren immediately thrust his lantern forward, pushing back the dungeon’s damp darkness.

At the same time, a bone-chilling cold swept over them.

“The Frost Caverns…”

Moss muttered from behind.

Having read the guidebook, Soren recognized the dungeon type immediately.

‘This time, too—let’s do this.’

If so, then all he had to do was move forward.

Soren took the first step.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes. Move out.”

Beyond the thick darkness of the dungeon ahead—

The time for another dungeon expedition had begun.