𝓞𝒱𝗅xt.𝗇𝓔t
Today was a day in the Dungeons with my classmates.
They wanted to head down further into the twentieth floor and wanted me along as support for the boss fight. Odeta would also be accompanying us as additional muscle in case things go south.
But seeing that the Dungeon had already been restored to its normal state, it should not be as dangerous as before. Still, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.
I looked at Tika, Henri and Jules with a critical eye, checking that all of their equipment was in perfect condition.
“Do you have any potions?” I asked.
Tika nodded, prompting all of them to show the vials of healing potions they have brought along with them.
“Whetstone?”
They pulled out the stone in question without hesitation.
“A weapon aside from your main sword?”
Tika pulled out a long dagger while Henri and Jules each let a little bit of magic spark through their fingers alongside a knife they kept on their waist.
“Map?”
Jules lifted the parchment he would be using to map out the Dungeon.
“Supplies?”
All of us looked down at the piles of food, water and sleeping bags laid out neatly in front of us. Judging by the amount, it should be enough to last them at least three days, maybe even a week if they were to ration it.
I nodded, “Alright, looks like you’re all prepared! We can get ready to go then!”
The three of them started packing their things into the bags though Henri had a question for me, “Was it necessary to pack the rations too? Aren’t we just going in there for at most half a day?”
I raised an eyebrow at him, “And what happens if you get caught up in a trap and you lose your way inside the maze? Are you confident that you would be able to find your way out quickly? And what if you run into strong monsters blocking the way out?”
“Ughh… I understand… It’s better to be prepared for the worst than not at all…”
I nodded, “That’s right. I’m already taking into account the fact that this is an easy Dungeon, otherwise I would want you guys to pack at least enough food for a week.”
“Wahahaha! Sister Aster is always careful about these kinds of stuff! But it’s true that this is the standard that Dungeoneers would prepare before heading to the Dungeons! If you are not prepared well enough, then you are preparing to die!”
That sounds harsh but it is true, you never know what might happen inside the Dungeon so without proper preparations, you’ll most likely die the moment something unexpected occurs.
You might be fighting a monster and then your weapon breaks, without a backup weapon to fall back on, you’ll get killed right there and then.
You might also get caught up in a teleportation trap that sends you into a part of the Dungeon that you’re not familiar with, potentially with monsters stronger than you are. Without rations, you are forced into a race against time as you try to find your way out before you start fighting on an empty stomach.
That desperation might drive you to make mistakes which might turn out to be fatal as well.
That’s why there’s no such thing as over preparing for a Dungeon dive.
After the three of them had packed their things, I hefted my own Pack of Folding on my back and let Tika guide us into the Dungeon.
She placed her hand by the side of the stairs to switch our destination before leading the way down, the rest of us following closely behind her.
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, we found ourselves in front of the boss room where the door was left wide open.
“Are we the first ones here from our class?” I asked.
Tika shook her head, “No, I heard that there are other groups that have gone further than this. The fastest one is already at the thirtieth floor I believe.”
“Well, it’s better not to rush, we have until the end of the year after all.”
She nodded before we headed to the entrance of the boss room, peeking in to see what was waiting for us.
Inside the small hall was what looked like some kind of giant caterpillar the size of a pickup truck.
[Name: Giant String Caterpillar
Race: Monster
Stats:
20 Strength
5 Dexterity
20 Endurance
10 Magic]
Well… This was supposed to be an easy Dungeon after all so it’s no surprise that the monsters are this weak even if they were the floor bosses…
I don’t know if I should be glad that it’s not rats anymore but I don’t really feel that assured when it’s a giant bug either.
Tika turned to us,”Giant String Caterpillar… It can spit out a sticky string that would impede your movements so watch out for that. Its skin is also quite tough so you might need more force than normal to cut through it with your swords. Aster, please limit to healing and support. Odeta, I’ll rely on you to jump in when things get too dangerous for us.”
I nodded, “Don’t worry, I’ll watch your backs.”
Odeta thumped her chest confidently, “Leave it to me!”
Receiving our confirmations, Tika turned to Henri and Jules to make sure they were ready as well before stepping into the boss room with us.
The fog wall appeared behind us to block our exit which prompted the boss to let out a screech of challenge at us.
We quickly dropped our bags and took up fighting stances.
“I’ll take point! The both of you flank it!!” Tika ordered, charging straight towards the caterpillar with her longsword raised.
The caterpillar rose up on its hind legs and Tika quickly jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the sticky threads that were spit out from the monster before continuing her charge.
The boss stomped back down just as Tika reached it, her sword slashing down on its head from above.
The blade made a mark against the caterpillar’s skin but it was nothing more than just a scratch.
It still enraged the boss as it lunged forward to try and bite the swordswoman.
Tika raised her sword again to parry the blow, managing to block it though it did send her skidding back a feet or two.
Henri and Jules then reached the caterpillar’s side at that moment and slashed their own swords at it, their blades cutting into the monster’s sides at the same time.
Just like with Tika, their blades only caused superficial wounds at most so it wasn’t a decisive blow yet, though it certainly does seem to hurt the boss a little.
Tika rushed forward and slashed her sword again, preventing the monster from turning its attention to the two younger swordsmen at its flanks.
The monster then curled back a bit and Tika’s eyes widened, “Watch out! It’s going to spin!!”
All of them leapt away from the boss as it spun in a circle in an attempt to smash its attackers with its body. Unfortunately, Jules was just a little bit too slow and ended up being slammed by its tail end.
The boy was sent rolling away but he kept his grip on his sword, using the roll to absorb the impact of the blow he received.
The other two quickly rushed the boss again, trusting me to be able to take care of their injured brethren.
I leapt to Jules’s side and started casting [Close Wounds] on him, making sure I did the proper chant as well.
“You good?” I asked as the spell took effect on him.
“Yes, ungh… Just a small bruise I think, I’ll be fine.”
He quickly got back on his feet to join the fight again.
I watched as the three of them continued hacking away at the caterpillar, all of them still trying to get through the tough skin of the caterpillar.
Tika managed to stab her sword into one of the boss monster’s eyes which definitely dealt some damage as it reared up in pain.
Unfortunately for her, she did not manage to pull out her blade in time and the sword was wrenched out of her grasp while still stuck to the monster.
She reacted quickly and pulled out the dagger on her waist, equipping it with her dominant hand.
The caterpillar then opened its mandibles again which was a sign of it preparing to spit out its sticky thread again.
I quickly casted [Darkness Paranoia] on it, robbing it of its vision which sent it into a panic.
It reared up its head and the string ended up being shot onto the ceiling, giving Tika the chance she needed to climb up the caterpillar to reach its head and stab her dagger into the other side of the caterpillar’s eyes.
She then grabbed a hold of both of her blades and pulled back, cutting through the monster’s head before she leapt off the boss.
Tika landed on her feet as Henri and Jules hurriedly retreated from the monster falling on its side with a crash, its blood spilling out of the wound like a fountain.
Yep, it’s dead.
Oh, not bad, they managed to beat it quite easily on their own without much help from us.
Easy game.
Playing the support role in a party isn’t that bad either.