Five days passed since Xeno and Korinna started making progress through the Volcano Layers. After making it to layer sixty-five and defeating the Bolseyer with a fair bit of struggle, the team of four returned to the Clan House, where a messenger had been waiting to inform them that Melchor would return two days later than initially planned.
“All right, we’ll be taking the remaining two days off. Then we’ll aim for layer seventy when Sir Melchor returns!”
“Cool, cool,” Diniel replied unenergetically.
“Very well. I will see you all later!” Xeno followed up, and immediately left the Guild to head home and see his wife. His footsteps were as weightless as ever despite his being tired from exploring the Dungeon.
Two days later, Melchor returned to Dungeon City as he had planned, and the team immediately resumed their exploration from layer sixty-one.
Thanks to Korinna casting the <<Adventuring Deity’s Protection>> on everyone, the scorching heat of the Volcano layers was no longer an issue. And Xeno insisted on using his own <<Ember Aura>>, so he was the only one in the group with a shining silver aura.
“It’s nowhere near here. We should go west and try again.”
“Understood.”
Diniel, having used <<Eagle Eye>> to expand her range of vision and find Black Gates over the past few days, now had a good idea of the terrain of the Volcano’s early layers. Still, she had spent much less time here compared to the Beach and Valley layers, so she still was not able to find the Black Gates here all that quickly.
As a result, the team’s general rate of progress was currently at one layer per day. On the fourth day, they reached layer sixty-five, which meant they had to face the Bolseyer.
It had been one month since Absolute Helix’s first victory against the Mount Golem; due to the effectiveness of the Scorchstone Robe that Tsutomu had used during that time, the Bolseyer had been hunted hundreds of times since. The major Clans, always on the lookout for more efficient hunting methods, had gathered information from the journalists and Dungeon Maniacs to create increasingly effective strategies, and over time, that allowed the mid-tier Clans that had gotten past the Fire Dragon to find success in this hunt as well.
Those mid-tier Clans and the Guild’s staff members all hunted the Bolseyer for Scorchstone Robes, and by now, quite a few had been obtained and were circulating in the market.
However, since the chests dropped by the Bolseyer could also contain other items, the Scorchstone Robes were trading at a fairly high price. Still, just the other day, Golden Tune had purchased one, and using it, they got through layer seventy at just about the same time as the Guild did.
And the Scarlet Devil Squad was now back in full swing, with their primary Attacker being Alma, wielding the Black Staff again — though with a much better attitude this time around. Their Clan Leader Weiss, on the other hand, had been trying out his own style that covered the roles of both Attacker and Tank. If all went well, the Scarlet Devil Squad likely would not take more than another month to prevail over the Mount Golem.
Now that Alma was properly exploiting elemental synergies, the use of her Black Mage skills and other magic tools allowed her team to easily get rid of the Bolseyer’s slimy membrane, robbing it of its on-land movement and figuratively turning it into a fish that bled out gold coins.
“Bye.”
As for Diniel, all she needed was to shoot at the Bolseyer’s face. And when enough of her arrows hit, the monster’s body burst into light particles and disappeared. It did not drop a treasure chest this time, but the team was not hoping for one anyway, so they simply collected the Colorless Large Magic Stone and immediately proceeded down to layer sixty-six.
After that, they continued to progress at the same steady rate of one layer per day. In the end, after a total of two five-day work weeks, they reached layer sixty-nine.
When Daryl reported that to Tsutomu at the Clan House that evening, he nodded in satisfaction.
“Looking good — way better than I expected, in fact. I didn’t think you’d go through a whopping thirty layers in just one month.”
“It’s thanks to Miss Diniel — her scouting skills really helped us find the Black Gates quickly.”
“Ah, I see. So, how about layer seventy? Think you’re up for it?”
“…With some difficulties, maybe,” Daryl reluctantly gave Tsutomu his honest opinion.
He was not underestimating his party members, of course. Xeno may be too self-absorbed to perform at his best most of the time, but aside from that, he was a perfectly capable Tank. Korinna had been using the <<Medic>>-like <<Ray of Solace>> more often lately, so from the perspective of a Tank, she was an excellent Healer, too.
Still, he did not think the team would be able to beat the Mount Golem on their first try. Daryl would have said he was up for it if they at least got a few attempts, but this time they were not exploring normally, but rather on a job for Melchor. Considering that, Daryl figured they should do the practical thing and make progress as quickly as possible instead.
“Is that so? How about Hannah and I switch in? Should make things go smoother, at least.”
“Yes, that would be helpful.”
“……”
Despite saying what he honestly thought, a part of Daryl did want to try facing the Mount Golem again, determined to support his party just as everyone had been supporting him. He wanted to claim a victory over the Mount Golem with the mission team, not by relying on Tsutomu and Hannah’s help.
Still, they had to work in the best interest of Melchor’s mission; personal feelings had no place here. As such, Daryl tried to hide any frustrations he might have and nodded to Tsutomu.
Despite his attempt at hiding his feelings, though, they still showed clearly on his face. Seeing that, Tsutomu pondered for a moment and then said,
“You know what? I’ll ask Sir Melchor if he’ll give you a few tries first.”
“…Huh? But why?”
“Well, because it looks like you don’t want us to switch in, that’s why.”
“T-that’s not true! I would never make that kind of face!”
“Hey, I never said anything about your face. And don’t be like that — it’s a good opportunity for you. This will be done with Sir Melchor’s approval anyway. Just give it a try if he lets you, all right?” Tsutomu said without thinking anything in particular as they walked to the dining table to wait for dinner.
Daryl’s face turned pale as he followed Tsutomu and tried persuading him otherwise, but was wholly unsuccessful in the end.
――▽▽――
The morning of the next day, Tsutomu went with the mission team to meet Melchor…
“Sure, why not?”
“Huh!?”
…And he gave his approval without a second thought. The answer came so quickly that Daryl could not keep his voice down.
“Well, I didn’t expect to reach layer eighty in less than two months anyway. I reckon trying things out for one week wouldn’t hurt.”
“I see. What I have in mind is that, if the team fails twice, Hannah and I will switch in. How does that sound, sir? Ah, and if you’d like, you could deduct some amount from the reward if the team takes too long, too.”
“Now, don’t sweat the details. I’m fine with that.”
“Thank you, sir. That’s what we’ll be doing, then. Well, you heard him, Daryl — give it your best shot, you four!”
“Uh…”
Daryl could only get out a half-hearted reply, perhaps due to being unable to keep up with the conversation’s tempo. Tsutomu promptly left the group, and as they looked at him go, Diniel heaved a sigh, Xeno celebrated this development… and Korinna panicked just about as hard as Daryl was.
“Sir Melchor!! Are you sure about this!? If we fail, it’s not going to look pretty!”
“I don’t mind. Ah, and let me guess… you really don’t want to rely on Tsutomu, do you?”
Melchor had noticed a gradual change in Daryl’s attitude the closer the team got to layer seventy, and the conversation just now confirmed his suspicion. It was especially apparent when Daryl predictably started panicking as he was confronted with some carefully chosen words that got to the heart of the matter.
“Well, that’s… That doesn’t have anything to do with your mission, Sir Melchor.”
“Now, you’re still young — you don’t need to start doubting everything. If I say don’t sweat the details, you don’t sweat the details.”
“…I’m sorry, sir.”
“No apologizing, either.”
Melchor smiled and stroked his beard. Daryl raised his head, seeming to have made up his mind now.
“…Thank you, sir! Just wait and see — we’ll win this on our first try!!”
“Hohoho, now that’s the spirit. Give it your best shot, young man.”
“Yes, sir!!” Daryl cheerfully replied, clenching his fists. His eyes were filled with determination — the determination to make good use of this chance Tsutomu and Melchor had given him.
“Don’t get all excited by yourself,” Xeno spoke up. “My wife is already looking for the best ways to secure us the victory. And remember that you will have my skills at your disposal.”
“I-I’ll do my best, too!” said Korinna.
“All right! I won’t let you down!” Daryl answered, his eyes sparkling.
Behind them all, Diniel said nothing in particular as she looked at a nearby Monitor.
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