In this world, there are various dungeons where adventurers delve in search of magic stones and resources from monsters. Lina loved exploring these dungeons, while Celica simply enjoyed the thrill of battle. As for Arkhiel, he found it entertaining because each time he killed living beings, he felt his power grow stronger, like when he used to play a video game and accumulated experience points to level up.
His physical characteristics were the same as the character he had created in the MMORPG video game he used to play in his previous life. Therefore, his abilities were the same as the subclass to which his character belonged: Shade Walkers. This subclass was a variant of assassin capable of using support spells, in addition to possessing assassin-specific skills.
Since Shade Walker spells didn't exist in that world, Arkhiel kept them hidden, and the only people who knew he could cast them were Celica and Lina.
They covered their faces as they headed toward the Adventurer's Guild, since if anyone found out that Celica visited those kinds of places, her reputation would fall even further.
Lina and Arkhiel wore mage robes with their hoods up to better conceal their faces, while Celica wore a Victorian-style outfit with slight military touches; her sword sheathed at her waist denoted her as a swordswoman. To conceal her face, she used a silk scarf wrapped around the lower part of her face and tied at the back of her head.
They finally arrived at the Adventurers' Guild, which was housed in a large neo-Gothic building in the bustling industrial city center.
Upon entering, a sense of excitement filled the air. The main entrance was framed by large carved wooden doors, decorated with reliefs depicting epic feats and fantastical creatures. Natural light filtered through multicolored stained-glass windows, bathing the lobby in vibrant, warm hues.
Huge maps hung on the walls, marking past routes and future expeditions. A central bulletin board displayed scrolls of pending missions, from simple escort tasks to dangerous quests.
Inside the guild facilities, it was easy to distinguish between the different types of people gathered there. Among the adventurers were mages, warriors, swordsmen, paladins, white mages, magic swordsmen, and rogues, all dressed in steampunk fantasy attire. However, the fusion of Victorian technology and magic had also given rise to a special class known as stonegunners.
Stonegunners used sophisticated firearms reminiscent of Earth's musketeers, but what truly set them apart was the use of magic stones as their primary component. Essentially, they were a more powerful and efficient version of archers.
"How may I help you?" They were greeted by the beautiful receptionist of the Adventurer's Guild.
In that world, people had very delicate features, so young women tended to have beautiful appearances, although Celica and Lina far surpassed beauty standards.
Everyone in the guild knew them as the mysterious A-rank adventurers, and the only ones who knew their real identities were the receptionist and the guild leader, though the identity they were known by was false. However, they were not the only A-rank party in that city, as there was also another party known as The Enlightened. So far, they had only exchanged words with them on one occasion, so they didn't know them well.
"We would like to explore the A-rank dungeon," Lina expressed as she handed the receptionist her fake identification card.
"Of course," the receptionist nodded, then wrote something down on some sheets and continued, "There's a search and rescue mission for the A-rank adventurers' party. The last known location of them was heading toward the A-rank dungeon. If you can find them, you'll receive a reward of 10 gold coins."
Usually, when adventurers disappear, a search isn't requested unless someone close to them does it. The fact that the guild had offered a reward for their discovery meant that The Enlightened was an important party, as most parties didn't even reach rank B.
In the game. The Enlightened played a secondary role, being assisted by the protagonist in defeating a magma dragon. Therefore, it was likely they were fine, unless Arkhiel's existence had influenced their disappearance. Despite his efforts to keep a low profile, the butterfly effect was something that would happen sooner or later.
They left the guild and headed toward the nearby forest.
"So those idiots got lost. Not even the reward is good enough to bother rescuing them," Celica commented disdainfully.
Since the age of ten, Arkhiel had been coming alone to that dungeon during the nights to become stronger. He could say he knew it like the back of his hand, so he thought it strange they had gotten lost, especially since he knew they were competent.
"If we find them, can I keep the coins?" Lina asked expectantly.
"Absolutely not," Celica responded firmly.
"Eh...? Why not?" Lina sounded like a child who had just been denied a toy by her parents.
"We'll split the reward equally."
"But neither Arkhiel nor you need money," Lina said before looking at Arkhiel. "Right?"
Still lost in his thoughts, he barely paid attention to their conversation.
"It doesn't matter, you can have my share," he said without much care.
Three gold coins were a significant amount in that world. Although Celica didn't need that money, she was quite greedy by nature. As for Arkhiel, he didn't need money either, as he could steal it from bandits or nobles whenever he needed it.
"Thank you!" exclaimed Lina, getting ready to hug him.
That was Lina, always looking to hug Celica or Arkhiel whenever she felt grateful, happy, or even whenever she had the chance.
It could be a bit annoying, and Arkhiel was sure Celica shared his opinion, but they still let her do it. He clearly remembered how Lina had clung to that person when they first met her, the fear in her eyes while still a seven-year-old girl, and how she had sought refuge in that person.
Sometimes it was better to forget the past.
"Why are you sad?" Lina asked, noticing his change in mood.
She could be as cold as ice when killing others, but she could also be overly empathetic toward those close to her. Although Arkhiel hadn't shown any change in his facial expression, it was surprising that she had noticed.
"I'm not sad," he replied neutrally.
"If you need the coins, you can keep them."
"I don't need them; you can have them."
"Yay!"
Before she could hug him again, Arkhiel pointed toward the dungeon entrance. After walking for fifteen minutes, they had spotted what looked like the entrance of a cave guarded by two soldiers whose job was to prevent unqualified people from entering the dungeon, and to deal with the weakest monsters that came out of it.
The guards recognized them immediately as they approached, avoiding the need for Lina to hand them the identification card. They greeted them with a bow and let them pass toward the dungeon entrance.
As they stepped into the dungeon, they found themselves surrounded by a dark, damp atmosphere. The rough stone walls seemed to retain moisture, and the smell of moss and earth filled the air.
Arkhiel raised his hand and concentrated his mana into the dungeon's humid air. The energy flowed into the suspended water particles, exciting their electrons. As they returned to their natural state, each particle emitted flashes of blue, reddish, and green light, which, once fused, created a white sphere of light.
Since he could only instinctively cast spells and perform skills belonging to the Shade Walkers, Arkhiel had learned conventional magic on his own because he found it quite interesting.
Fortunately, due to the nature of his being, he had innate control over mana, which had proven extremely advantageous.
In that world, magic was unleashed by creating magic circles while the mage channeled their mana and shaped it. The creation of magic circles could be equated with programming.
However, if a mage understood the scientific nature behind the spell in question, conjuring the circle was not necessary. Magic without a circle was known as noble magic because it was the nobles who, having a privileged education, usually did not create magic circles.
Of course, Arkhiel's shade magic was not governed by any scientific concept, since he was unaware of the physical and chemical structure of what he called black smoke, so it remained a mystery even to him that he could perform it almost instinctively.
Suddenly, the entire surroundings were revealed, showing every detail hidden in the darkness. They could see the rough stone walls, adorned with ancient inscriptions that they always encountered when exploring that dungeon.
This process took Arkhiel less than a second, thanks to his precise mana control.
The main passage stretched out before them, branching off in four different directions. All adventurers who had explored that dungeon knew that each fork had a different level of difficulty, with the third one from left to right considered the most dangerous. Celica led the way in that direction.
Lina, usually talkative, understood that in these places, it was crucial to maintain complete silence to detect any possible enemy.
After about five minutes of walking, poisonous spiders the size of a large dog began to emerge. Being weak monsters of rank D, Celica didn't even bother to draw her sword, leaving the task to Arkhiel.