"All right! We're saved!"
The thief's face lit up completely, a stark contrast to his earlier expression.
"You really defeated it!? That skeleton!"
"Th-thank goodness…"
The four adventurers collapsed to the ground in relief.
With the Skeleton Ogre defeated, the tension finally broke.
"Man, you're incredible! Thinking about it, no one ordinary could make it this far alone through a place crawling with monsters like that!"
"First things first—let's prioritize healing. Lay him down over there. I'll use healing magic."
The armored man instructed the thief, and together with the others, they gently lowered the barely walking injured man to the ground. The priest woman approached.
"Heal this one's wounds—"Cure"."
A warm white light emanated from her palm, and the wounds covering the man's body closed rapidly. His previously pale face quickly regained color and vitality.
"Thank you! My mana had run dry midway. I really appreciate it."
One of the four—a man in white robes similar to the priest woman—bowed deeply in thanks.
"No need. We help each other in times of trouble. Besides, without him, we would have been done for too."
The armored man turned to me as he spoke.
But I had fought only for myself.
"We're truly grateful to you. You took down the skeleton we brought here!"
"No, please don't worry about it."
In truth, I had gained a new ability unexpectedly, so I was the one who benefited.
I also confirmed that Instant Death Magic worked on undead.
So far, the magic had proven effective against every target.
However, some opponents resisted it—whether due to skill level or inherent resistance.
For those, I could use the newly acquired 『Quadruple』.
"Still, a skeleton appearing in the upper layers…"
"Yeah, I'd heard rumors lately about that sort of thing, but I let my guard down. Sorry."
One of the four—a man in light armor combining leather and metal, with a one-handed axe at his waist—spoke apologetically. Likely the leader of their party.
"This should be reported to the Adventurers' Guild. Depending on the situation, the kingdom might issue a subjugation request."
The armored man said, hand on his chin.
"Is it common for mid-layer monsters to come up to the upper layers?"
When I asked, the armored man nodded.
"Yeah. In dungeons, monsters generally stay within rank-based territories, but occasionally some stray beyond them."
So carelessness could lead to encountering strong enemies.
I had never heard that before.
"That said, it's not something that happens often. But lately, adventurers have been whispering that it's unusually frequent. I hope it's not some bad omen…"
"Hey, mind if I ask something?"
The thief spoke while eyeing the Skeleton Ogre's bones on the ground.
"These ogre bones are heavy, right? I'll take some too—mind sharing a bit?"
"Good grief… Crisis over and straight to looting."
The armored man let out a huge sigh at the thief's words.
"But yeah, bones from an ogre this size, especially undead and infused with mana, would fetch a high price."
Hearing that, I made a suggestion.
"If you'd like, go ahead and take them."
"Hm? You sure?"
"In exchange, sorry to ask, but please don't tell others what you saw today."
"…Got it. A favor from the guy who saved our lives. We'll report the skeleton in the upper layers to the guild, but we'll say we all worked together to take it down."
"I'd appreciate that."
Everyone nodded with relieved expressions.
I held my hand toward the Skeleton Ogre's bones and stored them in Coffin of the Dead.
"Whoa!? The bones just vanished!?"
"I'll hand them over once we're back in town, so don't worry."
"R-right… You really are one hell of a magician."
With that, I returned to the town of Boltana together with the adventurers from the upper layers.
I needed rest for my body, but more importantly, I had to organize my thoughts about what came next.
Before entering town, I retrieved the ogre bones from Coffin of the Dead.
Then divided them with the adventurers.
"Just so you know, if you're going solo, at least buy a cloak or something to make it obvious you're a magician. In those clothes, you don't look like an adventurer at all. Anyway, I'll repay this debt someday."
The armored man said that to me before leaving with the others.
He had a point.
For example, priests were easily recognizable by their white robes, even if only ceremonial.
Continuing to enter dungeons in my current outfit would only draw more attention.
Tomorrow, I would look for shops to sell the dungeon materials while also getting proper equipment.
After parting with the adventurers, I rented a room at an inconspicuous inn in the back alleys of town.
I lay on the bed and reflected on the hectic day.
So much had happened.
The commotion at the guild, the battles, the skill level-ups.
Defeating the Skeleton Ogre had raised my stats, but I was still far from S-rank adventurers.
For now, steady level grinding was the only path.
The skill level had reached 25 from the Skeleton Ogre.
I had 5 points available.
The urge to allocate them immediately was strong, but I might need them later for other abilities.
If I ran short, I would have to level the skill even further.
(But there's an unavoidable problem.)
Raising the level further came with an issue.
Going solo in the dungeon too often would make people suspicious.
Adventurers normally formed parties to complement each other's skills and help one another.
Boltana was full of adventurers.
So running into other parties like today would keep happening.
That could interfere with my leveling.
But I could not form a party.
Solving the root problem was difficult.
What would be the easiest solution?
(For example, moving around at night when people are asleep might work.)
Night was when monsters became more active.
Few people would venture out then.
For me, that timing was actually more convenient.
(All right. The next steps are mostly decided.)
Tomorrow I would visit shops in town to get equipped, then wait until night.
As soon as I closed my eyes, sleepiness overwhelmed me.
I had accumulated more fatigue than expected.
To prepare for tomorrow, I rested slowly.