Chapter 10: The Twilight Clan 04
Having conquered the D-Class Dungeon on the fifteenth floor, we made our way to the Adventurers’ Guild. I called for Mariane, the guild receptionist, and requested to speak with her in a private room.
“Is it that another special situation has arisen?”
As she prepared the ledger and writing tools, Mariane looked at me with a gaze that suggested she was already accustomed to such occurrences.
“Yes, a Rare Boss appeared on both the fifth floor and the lowest level.”
I pulled out the materials from my Item Box and laid them out on the table. While Mariane showed no particular reaction to the black horns of the Armored Minotaur, she was visibly taken aback by the pitch-black scales and massive horns of the dragon, almost lifting herself from her seat in surprise.
“This is… without a doubt, the scales and horns of the Dark Flare Dragon… I can’t believe it appeared in a D-Class Dungeon…”
“The Dark Flare Dragon? Is it perhaps a B-Rank monster?”
Sfenia asked, and Mariane nodded with a gasp.
“Yes, that’s correct. It is one of the top-tier monsters among B-Rank. The mere fact that it can appear in a D-Class Dungeon is a threat in itself… I apologize, but may I confirm your Adventurer Cards?”
“Of course.”
After taking our cards, Mariane stepped away and returned about five minutes later, her expression one of shock as if she had seen a ghost.
“Indeed, the defeat of the Dark Flare Dragon has been recorded. Congratulations! You will automatically be granted the title of Dragon Slayer.”
“Dragon Slayer?”
It was a term I had heard somewhere in my past life, but I never imagined it would actually exist in this world. When I asked for clarification, Larni reacted.
“Wait, you don’t know, Soushi? It’s a title given to adventurers who defeat dragons. Having it earns you respect as an adventurer and attracts better requests.”
“So it’s like a title. But I thought that kind of monster could be taken down by anyone above B-Rank, so there should be quite a few of them, right?”
“Um, I don’t think there are that many. Right, Mariane?”
“Yes, as far as the guild is aware, there are very few. There are simply not many legitimate dragons to begin with, and defeating one requires considerable skill. By the way, just because it’s labeled as B-Rank doesn’t mean it’s easy to defeat the Dark Flare Dragon.”
Mariane’s words carried a tone that seemed to chide my ignorance. It was clear that the foe we faced was stronger than I had initially thought…
“Was it really that strong? I felt like our attacks were effective against it.”
“No, a typical party would have been wiped out by that breath attack. The Dark Flare Breath is said to have the power to turn a castle to ash in an instant.”
Sfenia’s explanation made me realize the gravity of the situation. So it was a monster that focused heavily on offensive power. In that case, simply surviving against it was a victory in itself.
“I see. Regardless, we certainly pulled off something quite spectacular. By the way, Mariane, will the title of Dragon Slayer be made public?”
“No, the guild will not disclose such information unless the individual wishes it. However, it will be shared internally within the guild, and requests may be facilitated based on that information. If necessary, it may also be communicated to the royal family.”
“Understood. In that case, please refrain from making it public. Is everyone okay with that?”
“As you wish, Soushi-sama.”
“Hmm, I think Soushi is concerned about potential troubles. So, that sounds good to me.”
“I believe it is best to keep it that way until we reach the appropriate rank.”
With that, we decided to handle the matter with Mariane in a way that would minimize public knowledge.
Mariane, while agreeing, continued speaking.
“Soushi-san, if you have the financial means, I recommend not selling the scales and horns just yet. If dragon materials circulate, rumors will naturally spread. Moreover, keeping them will allow you to use them later for crafting armor.”
“I see, thank you. I will take your advice.”
As expected of a skilled receptionist, she seemed to be overly invested in our success. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was okay with that, but it wasn’t something I needed to worry about.
“Wow, dragon material armor is supposed to be incredibly expensive, right? If we have the materials, we can get it made.”
Larni said excitedly, but in reality, crafting armor would likely require us to reach at least B-Rank. At our current level, wearing dragon gear would be far too conspicuous.
Afterward, the announcement of Freinir and Larni’s promotion to C-Rank was made, and we officially became a C-Rank party known as the Fortuner.
When I first became an adventurer, I remember looking at the C-Rank Fortuner and wondering, “Can I really become something like that?” But now that I was part of it, it didn’t seem all that impressive. Human perception is such a fickle thing.
Now, aside from the matter of being a Dragon Slayer, the immediate concern was planning our party’s future activities.
Naturally, we should challenge the C-Class Dungeon in Euron, but I learned from Mariane that the dungeon there has twenty floors and is reputed to be quite difficult for a C-Class Dungeon.
According to her, there is a good C-Class Dungeon in the neighboring Lautrec territory, and we all agreed to head there soon.
The next day, when I informed Mariane that we would be leaving Euron in three days, she said, “I will arrange a request for you when you depart, so please be sure to let me know the day before you leave.”
Although she didn’t disclose the details of the request, I figured she wouldn’t give us anything strange, so I agreed for now.
Until the departure day, we would be diving into the D-Class Dungeon on the fifteenth floor for practical training and skill development.
“The only skill I can use in the dungeon is Holy Light, and even then, it seems limited to that,” Freinir said, sounding a bit disappointed.
Before us lay over ten Hobgoblins, all sprawled on the ground, barely clinging to life. They had been struck by a rain of Holy Light that had rained down from above, leaving small holes all over their bodies.
This was the result of using Holy Light, activated above the monsters with Remote Cast and then expanded with Range Expansion. It was quite a brutal attack. I feared that if I combined it with Charge and Dual Magic, it would be terrifying, but it seemed I still lacked the stamina for that.
“If the Barrier also expands, we might be able to trap the monsters inside, but can we attack from within?”
“That’s true. If we use Remote Cast, we might be able to unleash Holy Light inside the Barrier.”
“I see, let’s try that next time.”
We diligently tested our skills. While we managed to trap monsters inside the expanded Barrier, we couldn’t attack with Remote Cast and Holy Light. According to Freinir, “It might be because the level of Barrier Magic is higher than that of Remote Cast,” so further testing would be necessary.
Larni’s Blade Extension could only extend about ten centimeters due to her level. When extending the blade, the point of impact changes, requiring adjustments to her sword swings, making it a surprisingly technical skill.
“But it’s definitely a strong skill. I need to level up and become like Anatoria!”
Larni said, but given her proficiency in Body Control, I figured she would be just fine.
Sfenia’s First Strike proved to be more useful than I expected. She would initiate with magic as soon as the battle began, followed by rapid-fire arrows, and when the time was right, she would unleash magic again without hesitation… This greatly increased our ability to control the battlefield. While the strength of each hit was one thing, being able to overwhelm with sheer volume was significant.
“I feel like I’ve gotten about twice as strong over the past few weeks.”
Sfenia’s words spoke volumes about the importance of skills.
However, I still felt that raw ability was essential. As high-ranking adventurers, we couldn’t afford to neglect our daily training.