After a long time, oir tears finally stopped. The kids had actually fallen asleep while crying. Meanwhile, Tinalara, who was still awake, was still dealing with the sudden change that affected all of them.
"We'll be in your care... Ale—human..." Tinalara still couldn't brig herself to say my name.
Despite having been entrusted to me by Clighton, she still was unsure if I was trustworthy with taking care of both her and the kids.
Of course she'd feel that way... she's an adult goblin who is now going to be taken care of by a human teen.
However, this was all there was to it. Not only was this her commander's last wish before he died, she was equally cautious of what would happen to them if they stayed on the dungeon.
Stay here and experiment the unknown of what would happen to them if they stay, or come with me where there is a world they can live in. As far as we all know, they could either dissappear or be sent to an even more dangerous world after the dungeon vanishes. Or they could be sent to their original world.
No one knows, and it is at this moments where the hardest choices are made, and she decided to put her faith in me.
"You won't be dissapointed, Tinalara. I'll make sure of it" I told her with a determined expression. I wasn't letting my promise with Clighton be broken, I'll keep my word and make sure that all three of them are safe.
In the end, I had to think quickly.
I couldn't just show up with two goblins and an orc at my side. People would immediately get suspicious—maybe even try to snatch them away for experiments.
So, I did the only thing I could think of.
Just like the spider that had hidden itself within the dark cloak, I suggested that they try entering it as well.
Watching them vanish was like witnessing a magician's trick. I simply stretched out my arm to give them space, and one by one, they slipped inside, disappearing completely.
I'd worried it might not work—after all, they weren't technically "tamable monsters" like in the game. But at least this was one problem solved.
One less problem didn't mean no problems, though. I still had to escape this dungeon and find Agatha's group.
Which meant climbing back up through the floors. Since I was on the very bottom, at worst there should only be a one-floor difference between us, assuming they kept exploring downward.
That was the best-case scenario. The worst? They were still stuck on the third floor—the one I'd fallen from—and I'd have to wander floor after floor, shouting like a lunatic until we found each other.
Nah. They're strong. There's no way they're still back there.
"Haaa... no point wasting time," I muttered, pushing myself up. My body wobbled immediately, and I collapsed back onto my knees.
"I feel like if I close my eyes now, I'll sleep for three days straight..."
Still, I forced myself back onto my feet. I had to move. I had to find them before something worse happened.
The floor I was on had already been cleared thanks to me and the goblin squad. The next one, though, was untouched. Every fight had to be avoided. I crept through the dark passages, sneaking around monsters, searching, listening for any familiar voices.
The floor above was the same—still unexplored.
Finally, one more level up, I found signs of cleared rooms.
Exhausted, filthy, bruised, I stumbled through the halls, calling out their names.
"Alen!"
Enrick's voice echoed back, full of surprise—and relief.
Footsteps pounded closer. I turned and saw them rushing toward me.
"Guys!" I waved frantically.
"Alen!" they shouted in unison—before slamming into me.
"Wa-wait—ughck!" I wheezed as the whole group tackled me to the ground, crushing me in a massive hug.
"Thank god you're alive," Eusta said, gripping me tighter than anyone else.
"We were so worried... can't you detect traps? Why didn't you dodge it!?" Agatha scolded, but her voice wavered. Tears spilled down her cheeks despite her sharp tone.
"I was useless again... forgive me, Alen," Enrick muttered, biting his lip, his eyes filled with guilt.
"First the lich, and now this... Alen, we're so sorry," Vi added, her long fox ears drooping low. "You probably don't even want to explore dungeons with us anymore..."
"Guys, wait—it's nothing! Just a small mistake on my part," I said quickly as they all finally let me breathe. "And of course I still want to explore with you."
"Your fault!? Stop that, Alen!" Agatha snapped. "We're your seniors! We should have protected you—and we failed again!" Despite being the one who scolded me for not seeing the trap coming, she was the first one to take the blame away from me.
"No... I was careless too," I countered, smiling at her despite the ache in my chest. "So if anything, we're equal."
"Geez, Alen. Don't act like that..." Enrick sighed, defeated.
"I think it's perfect," Vi said gently. "We both have plenty to learn."
Their bickering over whose fault it was turned casual, and I finally had a moment to really look at them.
They were a mess. Dirt, blood, torn clothes, dented armor—they were just as beaten up as me.
"You guys had a rough time coming down here?" I asked with a weak chuckle.
"Oh? And what were you doing while we desperately searched for you?" Agatha smirked, smug as ever.
"Well... I beat the boss!" I crossed my arms, grinning proudly.
Sorry, guys. I can't exactly tell you about them.
"You... what!?" they all exclaimed at once.
I pulled out the mana stone and Bluemar's Hope artifact Sana'aviro had given me and held them up.
"A troll boss. Almost too much for me—but I had some help."
Their eyes widened.
Agatha snatched the mana stone from me first, weighing it in her hand. "So heavy... so full of mana... He's not lying."
"Why would I lie!?" I shot back, snatching it back from her. Apparently, the mana stone mattered more than the wooden carved artifact.
"A troll... are you sure you're only a first-year?" Eusta asked, stunned.
"Help? From who?" Vi pressed, sharp ears catching my slip.
"Uhh... the boss room was full of monsters. They attacked me and the troll both, so I used the chaos to finish it." The lie rolled out as smoothly as I could manage.
"Alen, you..." Enrick's tense tone broke into laughter. "You're amazing."
"A troll! You're really something else, little man."
"It feels like you don't even need us," Agatha muttered.
"Isn't that better?" Vi nudged her with an elbow. "He's here because he wants to be with us. Because we're friends."
Agatha turned away with a small pout. "I guess..."
As for me, my face burned at all the praise.
"A-anyway! The dungeon might collapse any second. Let's grab what we can and get to the gate room," I said, hurrying ahead of them before they could see the faint blush in my face.
"Let's go!" they chorused.
...
On the way, I explained—carefully—what had happened after I fell to the last floor. Of course, I left out any information about the spider, the goblin squad, and the cloak's new function.
They told me it had been four hours since we were separated.
After looting as much as we could, we gathered everything in the gate room and prepared to leave.
They insisted I keep the mana stone and whatever I'd found on the bottom floor. I agreed, walking away with a solid haul to sell later.
Of course, the mana stone and the wooden artifact were untouchable. Those went straight into the "important" pile. Everything else? Sellable.
Among the loot I kept, I even found weapons that would suit the goblin squad I'd be taking care of.
By the time we stepped out of the dungeon, it was already past midnight, probably around three or four in the morning. The moon shone brightly despite the time, the mountain winds cold and biting.
The coachman had set up a fire while waiting. His horse was huddled close to the flames.
Naturally, he complained the moment we arrived—about how long we'd taken, how we'd kept him waiting, how he'd have to charge extra.
Enrick stepped forward to negotiate, probably to stop Agatha from tearing into the poor man.
As we set up everything inside the carriage, the dungeon behind us suddenly flared with blinding blue light before dissolving into glittering mana particles.
And with that, it was over.
Another dungeon, conquered.
A dungeon where I'd learned things that would change everything for me moving forward.
New uses for Elemental Defense. Krath's Glide. The cloak's hidden potential. The spider. The Eleventh Songbird Squad.
So many pieces to carry with me—
For the future of the Dragon's Roar story.
We'll probably arrive right for the sunrise, meaning that the only moment I had to sleep would be right now on the way back into Aurum Academy city.
That would give me enough for a two to three hour nap. And, once we reach the city, we'll arrive just in time to do all the tedious papers in the green tower about the dungeon we just cleared.
After that... another day of learning at the academy, and then my date with Franchesca...
I don't think a three hour nap will be enough to recharge for the next day...
The second day of the second month.