Chapter 07: Aiming for the Deep Layers
The day to enter the Dungeon had finally arrived.
We were currently standing in front of a large house that served as the entrance to the Dungeon.
"We’re fully prepared, right? We have Potions, and we brought antidotes just in case. We’re good."
Zeke muttered the words, and I wasn't sure if he was trying to convince us or himself.
"Yes. We’ll be fine," Ike replied.
With that, excluding Lina, the four members of the Bryant family began their Dungeon Attack.
First, we opened the door to the Dungeon, walked to the end of the hall, and turned left. The path to the right had already been explored by the others; apparently, there were a few rooms, but it ultimately ended in a dead end.
A few goblins appeared in the hallway, but Ike skewered them effortlessly with his spear.
Since monsters in the Dungeon are naturally absorbed by the labyrinth over time without needing to be burned, we simply harvested the magic stones and left the corpses. However, in special rooms, corpses supposedly turn into magic stones immediately. Those rooms are also known to spawn an abnormal number of monsters.
Eventually, we arrived at a particularly large room. They said they hadn't been here before.
Using Search, I sensed three Hobgoblins, five Goblin Mages, and ten regular Goblins inside.
"Ike, Mars, can the two of you handle this?" Zeke asked.
"No problem," Ike answered immediately.
"Mars, just take out the Goblin Mages first with 《Wind Cutter》. If you have any leeway, help with the Hobgoblins."
I nodded.
We entered the room, and I immediately fired off a volley of 《Wind Cutter》 spells, making short work of the five Goblin Mages. Since the regular goblins were standing in front of the mages, I sliced them up in the process, leaving only the three Hobgoblins and five regular goblins remaining.
To support Ike, I fired a horizontal 《Wind Cutter》 intending to blind a Hobgoblin. Instead, everything from the eyes up was sliced clean off.
"H-Huh?"
Was it because my Wind Magic level hit 11? Or because my Magic stat increased? The power seemed significantly higher than before.
I took down the remaining Hobgoblins with 《Wind Cutter》, while Ike, who had already charged forward, dismantled the remaining goblins with workmanlike efficiency.
Ike looked at me, exasperated.
"Goblins, Hobgoblins... none of it makes a difference to you anymore, does it, Mars?"
Zeke and Maria seemed to share the sentiment, nodding in agreement.
There was a treasure chest in the corner of the room. Since I was designated as the chest opener, I used Appraisal to ensure there were no traps before opening it. Inside was a spear.
【Name】 Flame Lance
【Attack】 35
【Value】 C
【Details】 Can be Enchanted with Fire Magic.
Another item to make Ike stronger.
Though, this one specifically noted that it could be Enchanted with Fire Magic. Does that mean normal weapons can't hold an enchantment?
When I relayed the details to everyone, it naturally became part of Ike's equipment. Only Ike's gear was getting progressively more amazing. All he needed now was armor.
We decided to leave his current spear here and pick it up on the way back.
Beyond the room was a staircase leading up.
Because everyone always used phrases like "diving" into a Dungeon, I assumed we would be going down, but apparently, we were going up.
The second floor had a slightly different atmosphere.
For one, normal goblins stopped appearing. It was only Hobgoblins and Goblin Mages now.
The Hobgoblins were fine, but the Goblin Mages were annoying.
If I saw an 《Earth Bullet》 coming, I could react and slice it down, but if they fired from outside my awareness, I took decent damage. Because of this, everyone explored with a sword or dagger in their dominant hand.
Still, when ten or more Goblin Mages appeared at once, unless we took the initiative, we inevitably took hits.
Every time that happened, I healed them with 《Heal》. Just as I had deduced before, the recovery amount of 《Heal》 appeared to be 10 + (2 / Magic). It healed for 36, so the decimals were likely truncated.
Even so, wouldn't this floor be grueling without 《Heal》?
After passing through several rooms, we found a room with a glowing white entrance.
"It’s a Safe Zone. Let’s rest."
According to Zeke and Maria, monsters didn't spawn here, nor could they enter.
"It’s a little past eleven now. Let’s eat lunch, rest until twelve, explore a bit more, and head back home around two."
It took us about three hours to get here. Well, since we were exploring on the way, the return trip would probably only take two hours. That should leave us with plenty of energy to spare.
We continued our exploration, slaughtering Hobgoblins and Goblin Mages, and for the first time in a while, my level went up.
【Name】 Mars Bryant
【Title】 -
【Rank】 Human - Baronet Bryant's Second Son
【Condition】 Good
【Age】 5
【Level】 8 (+1)
【HP】 41 / 46
【MP】 3902 / 4528
【Strength】 29 (+3)
【Agility】 32 (+3)
【Magic】 57 (+4)
【Dexterity】 47 (+3)
【Endurance】 28 (+3)
【Luck】 30
【Unique Ability】 Heavenly Gift (Lv MAX)
【Unique Ability】 Heavenly Eye (Lv 5)
【Unique Ability】 Lightning Magic S (Lv 0/20)
【Special Ability】 Swordsmanship B (Lv 3/17)
【Special Ability】 Fire Magic G (Lv 2/5)
【Special Ability】 Water Magic G (Lv 1/5)
【Special Ability】 Earth Magic G (Lv 1/5)
【Special Ability】 Wind Magic A (Lv 11/19)
【Special Ability】 Holy Magic C (Lv 4/15)
【Equipment】 Wind Dagger (Sylph Dagger)
It felt like it had been ages since I hit Level 7, so I was happy.
Moving further in, we encountered another large room.
Looking inside, I saw seven Hobgoblins and a goblin I’d never seen before—larger than a Hobgoblin, equipped with an axe and armor.
I appraised the new goblin.
【Name】 -
【Title】 -
【Race】 Goblin General
【Threat】 D
【Condition】 Good
【Age】 2
【Level】 5
【HP】 72 / 72
【MP】 1 / 1
【Strength】 35
【Agility】 25
【Magic】 1
【Dexterity】 1
【Endurance】 38
【Luck】 1
It was quite strong—Threat Level D.
Its stats were close to Randaril, the D-Rank adventurer I met at the guild. If it got close to Maria, she’d be in trouble.
Upon seeing the Goblin General, Zeke and Maria spoke up.
"So, there is a Goblin General. That means there's a Goblin King in the deepest part."
"Yes, it seems so. But if the boss is a Goblin King, we can officially market this as a Beginner Dungeon."
"Right. We’ll need to invite the Adventurer’s Guild to the city. We should have them decide on the city's name, too."
They seemed strangely happy about the Goblin General. Even though I thought it looked pretty tough.
"Ike, Mars. Watch your father and mother fight this time," Zeke said, slowly entering the room with Maria.
Despite having the element of surprise, the goblins noticed us. I watched intently.
"《Earth Fortress》!"
"《Ice Fortress》!"
Zeke and Maria chanted.
Immediately, a dome of earth formed around Zeke, and a dome of ice around Maria. They looked like igloos, but slightly different—there were no entrances.
A Hobgoblin smashed its fist against the ice dome with all its might, but the ice didn't even crack. The Goblin General tried to destroy the earth dome with its axe, but only managed to scrape off a little dirt.
Then, from within the domes, 《Earth Bullet》 and 《Ice Arrow》 spells flew out to assault the goblins.
The defensive power was amazing, but the piercing power and destructive force were impressive too. Is this why he’s called the Brown Shield?
They wiped out the enemies in the blink of an eye. In the corner of the room, we found a treasure chest. That was the first time we’d found two in one day.
I appraised it as usual.
【Name】 Treasure Chest
【Special】 Trap (Arrow)
【Value】 3
【Details】 Drop rate and contents vary based on 【Luck】.
Ah, it says Trap (Arrow).
I told Zeke about the trap, and he told me to open it from behind. I did as instructed, and an arrow shot violently out of the front of the chest.
Thank god for Appraisal.
I checked the contents.
【Name】 Earth Spider's Staff
【Attack】 3
【Special】 Magic +3
【Value】 C
【Details】 Slightly shortens the casting time of Earth Magic.
Oh, this is a pretty good item.
When I explained the staff to Zeke, he said, "I'll take this one," looking absolutely delighted.
Yeah. No matter how old you get, getting stronger gear is exciting.
We returned home briefly to grab preserved food and blankets before diving back into the Dungeon. Now that we knew there was a Safe Zone, we planned to stash our supplies there.
Since our next trip would be an overnight Dungeon Attack, everyone was swarming Lina, likely because they wouldn't see her for a while.
Everyone needs a little healing for the soul, after all.
The next day, once preparations were complete, we dove in again.
Since Zeke and Maria were carrying heavy loads, Ike and I had to handle the monsters. Knowing we couldn't let any slip past us made me a little nervous compared to last time.
Maybe that tension was a good thing, because we reached the second floor's Safe Zone in two hours.
On the way, we picked up this item from a chest:
【Name】 Golden Treasure Sword
【Attack】 6
【Value】 -
【Details】 Low attack power, but value varies by person.
When we picked this up, Zeke and Maria’s eyes practically turned into dollar signs.
The sword was made of gold and inlaid with diamonds and various other gems. The hilt was studded with jewels, and the scabbard was equally luxurious. They told me, "Well done, Mars!" over and over again.
I thought, give me equipment instead of this, but seeing Zeke and Maria so overjoyed made me happy too. Since I couldn't be a good son in my previous life, I wanted to bring them at least a little joy now.
They said they’d buy me whatever I wanted when we got back to town. I thought about gear for myself, but thinking rationally, Ike needed armor the most.
I decided to think about it before we returned to the city.
We dropped our luggage in the Safe Zone, ate a very early lunch, rested, and then went out to explore a new sector. However, after spending nearly the whole day exploring the second layer, we found neither stairs nor treasure chests. It was exhausting with zero harvest.
Zeke said that finding a chest once every five dives was considered lucky. Apparently, many of his adventurer friends had never even seen a treasure chest... I hadn't realized I was setting my expectations so high.
We returned to the Safe Zone, ate dinner, cleaned ourselves up, and went to sleep. We planned to start exploring early tomorrow morning.
By the way, "cleaning ourselves up" involved me continuously casting the Water Magic spell 《Water》 while everyone took a shower.
So that’s why Maria shrewdly brought a washbasin.
I once heard that when Zeke and Maria dove into dungeons alone—without us kids—Maria hated overnight Dungeon Attacks because she couldn't wash herself. In other Dungeons, Safe Zones are usually crowded with multiple parties. If she tried to bathe there, she’d undoubtedly be subjected to the lecherous gazes of other adventurers.
If this Dungeon becomes popular, I bet we could make a fortune building gender-separated bathhouses in the Safe Zone and charging an entry fee.
After spending the night in the Safe Zone, we headed toward the area we hadn't explored yesterday.
There were several Goblin Generals on the way, so we used them as practice partners for Ike's spear training.
When he tried to block the axe swings—which relied on brute force—with his spear, he got blown away.
Every time that happened, I healed him with 《Heal》.
And when the Goblin General was about to die, I healed it with 《Heal》 too.
Even so, the Spear vs. Axe matchup is pretty terrible.
Unlike a sword, if a spear gets deflected, it leaves a massive opening. A sword can parry, but the length of a spear means your stance gets completely broken if you miss a block.
It was probably great experience for Ike. Though, I felt a bit sorry for the Goblin General...
I tried firing a 《Wind Cutter》 as a test, but hitting the armor only caused a light cut. If I aimed for the joints or the neck, I could deal a fatal wound, but I couldn't slice it in half.
Progressing smoothly while doing this, we found another large room on the second layer.
Inside were three Goblin Generals and seven Hobgoblins.
With multiple Generals, it might be tough for just Ike and me. However, Zeke and Maria told us to try. Spartan parents.
As usual, I took out the seven Hobgoblins instantly with 《Wind Cutter》.
The Goblin Generals headed toward us, so I decided to use a different tactic. I focused entirely on their legs.
I rapid-fired 《Wind Cutter》 at their legs and used 《Wind》 to push them back whenever they got close. The strategy worked; all three fell to their knees, unable to move.
Ike finished off the immobilized Generals.
"Mars, you never cease to amaze me," Ike said with a wry smile.
Zeke and Maria just watched as if this was only natural.
Ignoring my family's gaze, I looked around the room and found a treasure chest here as well.
"Man, to think we're finding so many chests. I feel bad for other adventurers... but I'm happy," Zeke said, signaling me with his eyes. Appraise and open it.
I confirmed there were no traps and opened it.
【Name】 Aquamarine Necklace
【Special】 Magic +4
【Value】 C
【Details】 By channeling Water Magic, creates a Water Barrier around the body.
Oh! It was a necklace with a simple design.
I explained the effect to Maria and gave it to her. She was delighted and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Even if she is my mother, getting a kiss from a beauty feels pretty good.
Beyond the large room was a staircase going up. Looking up from below, the third layer seemed to have a clearly different atmosphere than the second.
We climbed the stairs and walked down the passage until we found a slightly larger room. Peeking inside, a bizarre scene unfolded before us.
There were twenty Goblin Generals.
And twenty black pools of magic were swirling on the ground.
"I've never seen a Spawn Room this dense before. Amazing."
In a normal Dungeon room, monsters respawn one hour after being wiped out. Because of this, when adventurers attack the deeper levels, they often leave one monster alive in each room. If ten monsters spawn and you leave one, the other nine won't respawn, so you don't have to worry about the return trip even if you go all out on the way down.
This is apparently a common tactic when diving into unexplored Dungeons. Though, you can't do it in popular Dungeons.
A "Spawn Room" is a room where monsters respawn even if you don't wipe them all out. Moreover, the respawn time is short—only thirty minutes.
So, to pass this room safely, we had to kill twenty monsters within thirty minutes.
It would be easy if I could kill Goblin Generals with 《Wind Cutter》, but I didn't have enough magic power yet.
Then Zeke spoke up.
"Actually, having a room like this is good. If you gain experience here, you might become C-Rank adventurers. We can expect demand for intermediate adventurers too. Ike, Mars, give it a try. If it gets dangerous, Mom and Dad will protect you. Clearing twenty Goblin Generals is roughly equivalent to a C-Rank party quest. It'll be a good test of your skills."
With that, he pushed Ike and me forward. Spartan as always.
I advanced with Ike, preparing to fire 《Wind Cutter》.
Thinking that just stopping them wouldn't be enough this time, I poured more magic than usual into the spell. The 《Wind Cutter》 sliced a Goblin General clean in half.
Taking this as a signal, Ike circled around expertly, engaging a Goblin General one-on-one.
I hit the Generals coming toward me with 《Wind Cutter》, but having seen what happened to their comrade, they learned quickly, charging while defending with their axes.
I could slice the axes in half with 《Wind Cutter》, but that meant I had to shoot twice to kill one General. If I hit their armor, it took three shots. They managed to close the distance and land some attacks, but I fought while instantly healing myself with 《Heal》.
Ike looked pretty exhausted too.
It was my first time seeing him fight while Enchanting his weapon with Fire Magic. That showed just how desperate he was.
Seeing the situation, Zeke and Maria finally joined the fray.
I got surrounded by Generals and fell into danger a few times, but I deployed 《Sylphid》, ran away, and fired 《Wind Cutter》 repeatedly.
I made a huge discovery during this battle.
When 《Sylphid》 is active, the wind forms a barrier that reduces damage when I take a hit.
While we were fighting, we got down to the last three, but the Generals we defeated first started respawning.
I noticed during the fight that the Goblin Generals here turned into magic stones immediately after dying.
Ignoring the respawns, we kept killing. It took about 50 minutes to wipe out the initial wave of Goblin Generals in the Spawn Room. Once we did, a treasure chest appeared in the center of the room.
【Name】 Treasure Chest
【Special】 -
【Value】 1
【Details】 Drop rate and contents vary based on 【Luck】.
A chest with lower 【Value】 than usual.
I told Zeke and Maria the value, and they said, "Just open it for now." Inside was a lump of iron.
【Name】 Iron Ingot
【Value】 E
【Details】 -
It was the hardest fight yet, but the loot is the crappiest...
I told them my MP was on the verge of depletion, so we decided to retreat to the Safe Zone.
Back in the Safe Zone, we ate lunch and rested. Zeke told me to sleep, so I emptied my MP completely and went to bed.
Ike's MP was getting low too, but since it takes six hours for him to fully recover, he decided to power through without sleeping.
When I woke up, we went back to the Spawn Room.
Ike had recovered somewhat, but his MP was low, meaning he couldn't use Enchant much, so I had to work extra hard. However, a happy miscalculation occurred.
Ike seemed to have leveled up midway through and was holding his own in a one-vs-two or even one-vs-three situation without enchantments.
I leveled up too. I could now slice them in half by hitting unarmored areas without pouring in extra magic.
Even better, until now I couldn't cast other spells while 《 Sylphid》 was active, but now I could use 《Wind》, 《Air Blade》, and 《Wind Cutter》 while maintaining the cloak.
I would learn later that only a limited number of people can cast two spells simultaneously. Ignorant of this, I used them together as if it were perfectly normal.
And we discovered one more thing.
If you defeat twenty Goblin Generals within thirty minutes, a treasure chest always respawns.
Monsters spawn from the black swirls of magic, and chests spawn from the white swirls.
However, all the respawned chests had a Value of 1, containing only Potions or Iron Ingots.
I don't know how many we killed, but we eventually couldn't carry any more magic stones, so we decided to go home. Well, my MP was almost dry anyway, so it was perfect timing.
When we returned from the Dungeon, the townspeople called out to us with relief; apparently, they had been worried.
"I'm just glad you're safe. We were worried."
"If you don't mind, please tell us about the Dungeon sometime."
I wondered why everyone was being so formal, but then I remembered Zeke had been promoted to Baron.
When we arrived home, the members of Blue Fang and Lina welcomed us. While I held Lina, Zeke and Maria tried to line up the loot on the table, but there was so much it ended up covering the floor too. Once finished, they gazed at the pile, their expressions softening.
Zeke gave some of the loot to the members of Blue Fang. Specifically, all the Potions from the chests and several Iron Ingots.
Since users of Holy Magic are rare, Potions are apparently very expensive. The people of Blue Fang were overjoyed.
After the Blue Fang members left, we took a bath and ate dinner. We were exhausted, so we decided to sleep and hold a family meeting tomorrow.
We were taking the day off tomorrow, so Blue Fang would be diving into the Dungeon from the morning.
Before draining my MP, I appraised myself.
【Name】 Mars Bryant
【Title】 -
【Rank】 Human - Baronet Bryant's Second Son
【Condition】 Good
【Age】 5
【Level】 9 (+1)
【HP】 51 / 51
【MP】 7 / 4533
【Strength】 32 (+3)
【Agility】 35 (+3)
【Magic】 62 (+5)
【Dexterity】 51 (+4)
【Endurance】 31 (+3)
【Luck】 30
【Unique Ability】 Heavenly Gift (Lv MAX)
【Unique Ability】 Heavenly Eye (Lv 5)
【Unique Ability】 Lightning Magic S (Lv 0/20)
【Special Ability】 Swordsmanship B (Lv 3/17)
【Special Ability】 Fire Magic G (Lv 2/5)
【Special Ability】 Water Magic G (Lv 1/5)
【Special Ability】 Earth Magic G (Lv 1/5)
【Special Ability】 Wind Magic A (Lv 11/19)
【Special Ability】 Holy Magic C (Lv 4/15)
【Equipment】 Wind Dagger (Sylph Dagger)
I thought being able to use 《 Sylphid》 with other wind magic was due to my Wind Magic level rising, but the level hasn't changed. Could it be because my Dexterity passed 50? But Maria has over 50 Dexterity, and she said she can't dual cast. I'll have to verify this later.
I appraised Ike, who was already asleep in the next bed.
【Name】 Ike Bryant
【Title】 -
【Rank】 Human - Baronet Bryant's Eldest Son
【Condition】 Good
【Age】 8
【Level】 14 (+2)
【HP】 80 / 80
【MP】 0 / 570
【Strength】 49 (+6)
【Agility】 38 (+4)
【Magic】 27 (+3)
【Dexterity】 21 (+2)
【Endurance】 46 (+6)
【Luck】 10
【Special Ability】 Swordsmanship C (Lv 4/15)
【Special Ability】 Spearmanship B (Lv 5/17) (4→5)
【Special Ability】 Fire Magic C (Lv 4/15)
【Equipment】 Flame Lance
【Equipment】 Fire Spirit Sword (Salamander Sword)
【Equipment】 Fire Bracelet
He went up two whole levels...
Spearmanship hit Level 5 too.
With equipment included, isn't Ike the strongest in the Bryant family now?
We held the family meeting the next day.
As a result, it was decided that Ike and I would grind levels in the Spawn Room for a while, and the Golden Treasure Sword would be kept at home. Also, Ike and I would go to school when we turned twelve.
In this world, children attend school from age twelve to fifteen. Depending on the country, some go until seventeen. It's not mandatory, of course, but we decided to go to increase our future options.
Fortunately, the Bryant family now has a massive amount of magic stones. Just this pile is worth a considerable amount of money.
Hunting Goblin Generals is strictly for leveling me and Ike up, not for money, okay? Probably…
I want to give Lina a good life, too.
Starting the day after the meeting, the serious Goblin General hunting began.
First, we hauled massive amounts of preserved food and emergency Potions into the Safe Zone.
Then, Ike and I simply hunted Goblin Generals relentlessly.
While we hunted, Zeke and Maria culled the monsters on the second floor. Basically, they cleared the monsters between the second and third floors.
However, since they are both mages and don't have as much MP as I do, they fought cautiously. The Spawn Room was the opposite. A massive pile of Goblin General magic stones accumulated in the room.
It was fine because the Dungeon absorbed the corpses, but if this were outside, it would be a disaster.
We repeated the cycle: spawn four chests, go back, eat, drain MP, and sleep.
This time, Ike drained his MP too. When Ike and I slept in the Safe Zone, Zeke and Maria would come back to join us.
As usual, I woke up first and went to the Spawn Room with Zeke.
Honestly, this part was the hardest. Hard, but great experience. I deployed 《 Sylphid》 and attacked with 《Air Blade》 and 《Wind Cutter》... but I hit a wall here.
I couldn't cast 《Wind Cutter》 while attacking with the Wind Dagger. Not just 《Wind Cutter》, but 《Wind》 and 《Air Blade》 too. Of course, other elements were impossible as well.
I learned that for other elemental magic, I couldn't cast while running or jumping, let alone attacking. The only magic I could cast while running around was Wind Magic.
But I'm not the type to give up just because I can't do it. Since I can attack with the Wind Dagger while maintaining 《Sylphid》, surely I can do the rest if I put in the effort.
Telling myself that, I fought the Goblin Generals. Zeke only helped when I was in a real pinch, so I desperately fought twenty Generals at once.
I ended up needing Zeke’s help almost every time, but occasionally, there were times I could defeat all twenty alone.
And here, I made another discovery.
If you defeat twenty Goblin Generals alone within thirty minutes, the chest appears with a Value of 2.
Sometimes, Silver Ingots or High Potions dropped, which was a nice bonus.
When returning to the Safe Zone, Zeke cleared the enemies, so I just had to follow him. I’d drain my MP, sleep, wake up, and go back to the Spawn Room with Ike.
We continued this routine for over a year. I turned six, and Ike turned nine.
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