The news about the Dungeon Rampage still made the girls agitated, even as we made our way to the Dungeon.
There was a limit to how much I could reassure them, and without seeing for themselves, their anxiety could only get so low.
Even though my last level-ups hadn't changed the difficulty sliders for the [Events], they were one of the most straightforward ways I could think of to increase our chances.
So, despite the circumstances, raiding the Dungeon remained a priority for me.
Today's objective was to explore deeper into the second floor, so that we could get the next level-up quickly.
Hopefully, we could also reach the boss room, which was still a little deeper in our path.
Though there was one close if we went in another direction, the incident with the Dragon's Nest third-floor boss leaving its room made us wary of that path; in case of a Dungeon Rampage, we'd be forced to run deeper into the floor instead of toward the settlement.
But as expected, the difference was minimal. Even though we took the longer path, eventually, we reached one of the Second Floor's Boss Rooms.
It was a terrifying milestone in our progress on this floor.
Sam: "...Going farther would be pretty dangerous."
She slouched against the wall opposite the Boss Room's doors, her eyes darting between them and us.
Roy: "I think we can go deeper though..."
A sigh escaped Sam.
She looked at me, clearly waiting for a more cautious analysis, but...
Miwen: "Yeah, we're doing fine enough."
Sam & Roy: "Eh!?"
Their eyes widened so suddenly that even I was surprised.
Miwen: "W-what?"
Sam: "Well, you know... You're usually more careful...."
I couldn't deny it, but I also couldn't explain to her that it'd be more dangerous for me not to take some risks here.
Honestly, even with my incentives, I stood by my words.
It wasn't without risk, but the rewards were worth it, and I was fairly confident we could handle most scenarios.
Miwen: "Well then, let's just proceed with caution, okay?"
I gave her a friendly wink, taking the lead.
Sam: "Fine by me."
As we walked farther down our path, the worry in our hearts slowly gave way to excitement.
It was an addictive feeling, almost as sweet as the promised rewards themselves.
However, I enjoyed it in moderation, remaining attentive to the growing toll that every fight had on us.
We had run into several groups of hobgoblins and orcs, all of them stronger than before the Boss Room mark.
As I inched close to my next level-up, the battles we faced had become tiring enough that we'd need a couple of minutes to catch our breath before walking another step.
Eventually, we ran into 2 orcs.
Both were slightly bigger than normal orcs, but what caught our attention the most was that one had a greyish skin tone, while the other seemed redder than any other orc we had seen.
Orcs were said to be dumber and less cunning than hobgoblins, but these two were clearly [Superior Monsters], so we could expect anything.
Careful not to provoke them, I turned to my partymates behind me before confirming their stats.
Miwen: "What do you two think?"
We hid behind a small depression.
Hidden under the darkness of the Dungeon, I whispered to Licia and Claire, the professionals.
Licia: "We can do it, but it wouldn't be easy..."
Claire: "...Sis and I can take care of one, but two might be a bit too much."
After watching the two monsters for a couple of seconds, the two seemed to have reached the same conclusion.
While they were confident about their victory, Claire and Licia worried about Roy and Sam, thinking they might get hurt during the battle.
Since the experience was so valuable, I proposed an idea.
Miwen: "What if I confirm their levels and one of them ends up being weaker than the cap?"
Roy: "You can do that?"
Normally, I would save the little mana I had for the fights themselves, but in dubious situations like these, I'd usually advise the others on whether it was best to fight or retreat.
Miwen: "I have a skill for it, but it costs mana, so I don't use it frequently. This time, I think we have a good chance, and these monsters would give us a lot of experience, so..."
Licia: "If they detect that a skill is being used against them, they may figure out our location... If they turn out to be too strong, we'll have to run."
Despite the gentleness in her voice, her whispers carried the intensity of a seasoned adventurer.
Claire: "If you want to do it, I won't stop you..."
While everyone seemed to have a worry or two, Claire shrugged, her lips curling into a small, excited smile.
Still, we had to make a decision, so before the monsters could notice us, we held a vote.
Sam: "...I'm against it. We can come back tomorrow for the experience..."
Roy: "I think we'll be forced to take on more risks as we climb the ranks, so I don't like running away this early on. I feel taking only easy battles will make me unprepared for the challenges ahead. I think this one is fine."
While Sam seemed to be considering it, Claire nodded all the way as Roy voiced his opinion.
Licia: "I'm not sure... I don't like risking it, so I'm also against..."
As expected, I'd normally have sided with Sam, and we would have begun working our way back to the settlement, but this time...
Miwen: "I think it's worth checking their levels, at the very least..."
Claire: "I told you I'd do it if you wanted to, so..."
I didn't pressure Claire or Licia to vote with me, so it was a relief to see Claire also had an interest in the fight.
Since we had outvoted Sam and Licia, I checked the grey-skin orc with [Appraisal].
The monster had reached the level cap for the second floor, level 7.
Despite our level gap, I also got a little description of his Gift's effects: A basic resistance to non-elemental attacks.
The second orc, the red-skinned one, was a much easier target.
Standing at level 6, the monster had [Flame Breath] as his Gift, which seemed self-explanatory.
Roy: "See? It's gonna be easy!"
He raised his fist, hyping us up.
Sam briefly chuckled before letting a soft sigh escape her.
Sam: "Since the grey one is stronger, are you sure you don't want to face it 3-on-1?"
Claire: "No need, it's better this way since it'll decrease the chances of injuries..."
Licia: "Also, if you manage to defeat the red one quickly, then we can have a 5-on-1 against the grey one."
Honestly, Licia and Claire were stronger as a pair than Sam, Roy, and I were as a trio, and inexperienced amateurs like us would only hurt their coordination.
Sam: "If you say so..."
She seemed a little unsure until the end, but a few more words from Roy convinced her it would be fine.
So, we separated into two groups, each locking in on their target.
It was a bit sad to separate from the girls, but I trusted their judgment and followed Roy as he slashed at the orc's arm.
Despite carrying a huge club, the monster reacted fast enough to block and send him away.
As Roy regained his footing, Sam and I surrounded the monster.
Unlike other monsters we'd fought, it handled the club surprisingly well, giving us a noticeable weapon disadvantage, as my daggers lacked the same reach his club offered.
We waited for Roy to recover so we could attack simultaneously, but the monster swung his club in a wide motion, targeting both Roy and Sam.
This gave me the chance to slash his back, stopping him in his tracks, while Roy used the opportunity to jump him from the front.
My blade didn't pierce the monster deep enough to kill, and seemingly, Roy's also only enraged it.
However, we had stuck the monster in a loop, as every time it tried to attack, someone would attack it from a blind spot.
Seemingly cornered, the orc used his [Flame Breath].
The fire spewing from his mouth briefly illuminated the dark as it headed towards Roy, who jumped back to evade it.
Even though his target was out of range, the monster continued to turn its ugly face toward Sam and me, the heat of its breath forcing us to retreat a couple of steps.
The monster then swallowed hard, narrowing his eyes at us.
It didn't seem like using its Gift tired the orc.
But for us, it was a headache.
Not only was it dangerous and time-consuming, but the brightness of his fire could easily draw the attention of other monsters.
We couldn't afford even a second under those flames, so I decided to bring its end quickly, with the most powerful strike I could.
Having revealed its trump card, the monster didn't waste any time cutting Sam and Roy's next swing with its fire.
Once the flames subsided and the orc caught its breath again, Sam tried to hit its stomach, but the orc still reacted quickly, sending her away with its wooden club.
Seeing her roll on the ground, Roy dashed forward, slashing the red-skinned's ankle.
While not a deep cut, it reduced the creature's mobility and brought all its attention to him.
The red orc resumed his fire breath again, launching a fiery wave toward Roy, but...
He was wide open to me.
Combining [Focused Strike] and [X Slash], I sliced the monster's neck clean, as if cutting through butter.
As its head fell to the ground, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, I had no time to celebrate, as Licia and Claire were still fighting their opponent.
Claire: "Took you long enough."
She was a little worn out, catching her breath while Licia fought the grey-skinned orc.
Miwen: "Do you really think so? I think you're the ones who are taking your time."
Claire: "Hmh... I can't deny that..."
She stretched her arms, her eyes fixed on the battle between Licia and the orc.
Sam: "What's the problem?"
Claire: "I'll change with Licia, and she will explain it to you."
Hearing Claire's steps as she charged forward, Licia jumped back, disengaging the orc.
Licia: "Oh, you're here, good. We can win now."
Perhaps because of the smile she wore upon seeing me and the others mostly unscathed, Licia was slightly less tired than Claire.
Though her breath was also more unsteady than before.
Miwen: "What's happening? Is it that tough?"
Licia: "A little bit... Claire and I can keep up with it, but we can't finish it off. Only elemental attacks are working, and we're low on mana."
While Licia explained the situation, Claire handled the orc solo, proving her words.
The monster seemed faster than the one we fought, yet she always seemed a step ahead.
If her attacks dealt more damage, she could undoubtedly defeat the monster by herself.
Miwen: "That's a bit of a problem then, I also just used up almost all of mine..."
Licia: "Not the words I wanted to hear, but... That's alright. We should still have this."
She extended her hand, asking me for my dagger.
A thin frost coating permeated the dagger as she traced her fingers over the blade.
Licia: "Give me the other one. With this, you can damage it."
Using very little of her mana, Licia enchanted all of our weapons with her [ice Magic], giving an element to all of our attacks.
Unlike the red one, the grey orc's ability was purely defensive, and with Licia's workaround, the monster stood no chance against the five of us.
The monster resisted its fate, swinging its club wildly, but surrounded by all sides, it couldn't defend itself.
Instead of a single powerful blow, we slowly overwhelmed the orc until it couldn't stand anymore.
It was hard to know who dealt it the final blow, or if it had just bled to death; however, as the monster hit the ground, our battle ended.
We all leveled up with the experience gained from the two orcs, and surprisingly, I got close to my next level-up as well.
As I thought, this battle was well worth the risk, but...
Sam: "I'm glad it's finally over, but we are going back for sure now."
She put it best.
We got more than we could've asked for.
Miwen: "No complaints here. I'm exhausted..."
We carefully made our way back to the settlement, leaving the Dungeon through the Second Floor's Gate.
Despite no notable drops, at the Dungeon Office, Sam and Roy made $18, while the girls and I got $45 for our effort.
It was a shame that the orcs didn't drop anything for us since it would've probably been worth a lot, but we all went home with our heads raised high, feeling like we had proved ourselves a little.