Chapter 15: Encounter
The next day, we visited the Adventurers’ Guild in Okuri. It was surprising to find a guild in such a remote city, but I suppose it was just how things were.
The scale of the Adventurers’ Guild was comparable to that of Euron, the viscount’s territory, but considering the size of Okuri, it was clearly smaller.
There was only one D-Class Dungeon and one C-Class Dungeon in the vicinity of Okuri, and since adventurers were primarily elves, the numbers were understandably low.
Of course, when a party consisting of humans, beastmen, Oni Race, and High Elves entered such a guild, we inevitably stood out. However, there were no humans who approached us, which I attributed to the elves’ gentle nature.
Mariane went into a back room and returned after a while.
“It seems there are still no requests from the ‘Holy Tree Hollow.’ Other than that, there doesn’t appear to be any unusual information.”
“In that case, let’s go as planned to request a craftsman who can handle dragon scales. If we have time left over, we might as well enter the D-Class Dungeon.”
“I agree. It’s been about a week since we last entered a dungeon, and we should warm up before investigating that newly formed dungeon.”
The other members nodded in agreement with Larni’s words.
We left the guild and followed Sfenia’s lead to the craftsman’s workshop.
The workshop was not wooden but a three-story stone building. It was likely made of stone due to the use of fire, as I could feel the heat wafting out as we stood at the entrance.
Sfenia peeked inside and called out, “Is Master Rampart here?”
“Ah, I am indeed. Oh my, if it isn’t Lady Sfenia! I heard you became an adventurer. Are you perhaps looking for something?”
The man who approached us looked to be in his thirties. He was larger than most elves and quite muscular, but his face had more of a merchant’s demeanor than that of a craftsman, creating an odd contrast with his physique.
“Actually, we have obtained scales from a ‘Dark Flare Dragon,’ and I would like to request you to forge armor from them. I believe only you can handle such materials.”
“Ah, scales from a ‘Dark Flare Dragon’—how rare! Are these your party members?”
Master Rampart noticed us and looked puzzled, as it was only natural that there were no other elves in Sfenia’s party.
“This is ‘Soul’s Guidance,’ a B-Rank party. Although our leader, Soushi, is B-Rank, he possesses strength that far exceeds that rank.”
“I am Soushi from ‘Soul’s Guidance.’ It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
As I bowed my head, Master Rampart did the same in return.
“Thank you very much. I am Rampart. It seems you have some rare materials. May I see them right away?”
“Of course.”
I retrieved two sets of dragon scales from my Item Box.
As I laid out thirty jet-black scales, each about the size of a large plate, Master Rampart’s face lit up with delight.
“Wow, this is amazing! I’ve never seen so many scales from a ‘Dark Flare Dragon’ at once. With these, I can create various designs.”
“I’m thinking of making armor for the front line. I would like two sets focused on defense and two sets that are lightweight and easy to move in.”
This was the agreed-upon use for the materials during our travels. The defense-focused armor would be worn by me and Karma, while the mobility-focused armor would be worn by Larni and Mariane.
“With this much material, I could make four pieces that protect just the torso. However, it will take about twenty days.”
“Can you really complete it in such a short time?”
“Yes, it will be fine. I just finished my previous job, so I can dedicate myself to this. By the way, do you have any other rare materials? For example, if you have some mithril, I could make even stronger armor.”
“Ah, in that case…”
I took out the mithril shards I had obtained from defeating mithril monsters and laid them out. There were about two hundred of them.
“Wow, this is impressive too! Collecting this many shards must have been quite the effort.”
“Well, there were various circumstances involved…”
Thinking back, mithril monsters had high defense, so for an ordinary party, defeating even one would require considerable effort. However, with ‘Soul’s Guidance,’ we could weaken them using ‘Divine Halo’ and defeat them in large numbers, leading to a naturally higher yield.
“Oh, I also obtained some ingots.”
When I added the mithril ingots I had found in a rare treasure chest, Master Rampart’s eyes sparkled.
“Wow, you even have ingots! With this collection of materials, I can create something exceptional. I would be delighted to take on this order.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
It seemed we were finally going to acquire dragon equipment.
‘Soul’s Guidance’ already stood out, but with this, we would stand out even more. At this point, it might be a strategy to embrace that visibility fully. However, it was also a double-edged sword.
Afterward, we headed to the D-Class Dungeon.
It was a large tree-shaped dungeon located about twenty minutes away from Aadorf by running. Of course, there were no issues with the difficulty, and we completed the exploration in about four hours.
Near the lowest level, we encountered a large pig-like monster called the ‘Iron Pig,’ which had tough skin and dropped meat. Since Karma joined the party, the number of weak monsters had significantly increased, allowing us to gather about three tons of pork.
By the way, three mid-bosses called ‘Murder Trees’ appeared on the fifth floor, and we received iron, copper, and silver ingots from the treasure chests. It seemed that elves excelled in metalworking and jewelry crafting, as these materials were abundant in this dungeon.
The boss at the lowest level was two giant caterpillars known as ‘Thousand Needle,’ and everyone acquired new resistance skills or leveled up existing ones.
When we returned to Aadorf and delivered a large quantity of meat to the guild, they were astonished by the amount and expressed immense gratitude. It seemed that the meat shortage was severe, and coming from a background where food was a priority, I felt a pang of sympathy. It might be worth gathering some meat occasionally while we were here.
The next morning, when we went to the guild, we were informed that two requests had come in from the governing body, ‘Holy Tree Hollow.’
As previously mentioned, one was for ‘Investigating the Newly Formed Dungeon,’ and the other was for ‘Investigating a Mysterious Presence Residing in the Forest.’
“Soushi, which request should we tackle first?”
“Well, let’s get the dungeon investigation out of the way first. I have a rough idea of what to expect.”
As I suggested this to Freinir, Larni’s wolf ears perked up.
“It’s probably the ‘Wandering Dungeon,’ right? It would be interesting if it’s even more difficult this time. That would mean we could acquire some good skills.”
“I’ve heard of this ‘Wandering Dungeon,’ but it will be my first time. I’ve heard that a vampire awaits at the lowest level, and I’m a bit excited.”
“This is also my first time hearing about it since joining this party. Irregular dungeons like this really get the blood pumping.”
“Ah, now that I think about it, it will be Shizuna and Karma’s first time as well. If we handle it like usual, we should be fine. Just be careful of Lyra Nora… the boss vampire is incredibly strong.”
As I recalled that enchanting female vampire, Sfenia narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke.
“Speaking of which, I heard that ‘Supreme Radiance’ also came to investigate the dungeon. They must have already entered.”
“That’s likely. However, I feel it might be a bit difficult for them to defeat Lyra Nora.”
“I agree. Especially that technique ‘Blood Lance Thousand Dance’—only adventurers with extraordinary strength like Soushi can fully defend against it. If they reach her before we do, there could be casualties.”
“Plus, I wouldn’t want them to steal any skills from us.”
Larni seemed to have some thoughts about ‘Supreme Radiance.’ It was understandable, as it was hard not to have feelings about them.
“Alright, let’s head to the dungeon for our investigation after this. Mariane, please take care of the paperwork.”
“Understood. Shall I also accept the other request?”
“Of course, I intend to take that one as well, but is it alright to process them together?”
“Since it’s a designated request, there shouldn’t be any issues.”
With that settled, we decided to head to the ‘New Dungeon.’
The guild had already conducted an initial investigation, revealing that undead monsters appeared, with the first floor being equivalent to D-Class, the second floor to C-Class, and the third floor to B-Class monsters.
This aligned with the characteristics of the ‘Wandering Dungeon’ we had previously explored, but since the dungeon’s class had increased, the difficulty would likely be higher than last time. Before worrying about ‘Supreme Radiance,’ we needed to be cautious ourselves.