In the reception hall of the adventurer guild, there were adventurers sitting at the tables, chatting and making arrangements. The excitement over new adventures brought about a cheerful mood that you would not expect from adventurers living life day-by-day.
On the board there were quests for monster hunts and medicinal herbs and mineral collecting, and in front of it were new adventurers staring at it intently.
This adventurer guild, New Beads didnt put out very profitable quests. After all, this guild was nothing more than a perch for new adventurers to rest on until they were ready to fly. What adventurers in this guild really needed to do was
Labyrinth exploration.
Thats right! Yes. Of course.
The three of them agreed with Nick.
First of all, were rank G The lowest rank. We have inexperienced members and we just formed our party so I guess it cant be helped So I was thinking our first goal should be to get to rank F.
What do we get if we rank up?
Nick answered Tiannas question.
There are only three labyrinths G ranked parties can explore, but if we reach rank F, well be able to explore more. Among them there are some we can easily beat with this party.
So we have to rank up first. How do we do that?
In the deepest part of a labyrinth lies its strongest monster, the boss. We need to defeat the three bosses of the G rank labyrinths and bring back proof.
It sounds easy, at least in theory.
Its not that hard. Its like training for people with no experience fighting monsters.
Nick took out a map from his pocket as he was talking.
It was a rough map for adventurers, centered around the Labyrinth City and with the location of labyrinths around it.
We have the goblin nest Goblin Forest, the Sticky Goo Gate crawling with slime, and the Shadow Wolf Cave with shadow apes and shadow wolves.
Theyre all about half a day away from the city, and if things go well we can beat one in one day.
But
But?
Tianna and Sem, do you have any experience exploring labyrinths or fighting monsters?
Tianna and Sem answered with a serious look on their faces.
I took down monsters when I was training magic But Ive never actually been inside of a labyrinth.
Same here. I only helped take down monsters that wandered onto the road as I was traveling.
Its alright, its only natural to have beginners with us. Thats the whole reason why theres restrictions on the labyrinths. Karan, you have experience dont you?
Yes But
But?
I dont really remember the goblin forest, sticky goo gate, or shadow wolf cave. I only went there once and explored intermediate labyrinths most of the time.
Ahh
People who possessed combat skills before becoming adventurers didnt pay a lot of importance to beginner level labyrinths, especially if someone powerful joined the party. It was best to finish those labyrinths quickly and move on to more profitable ones.
Karan, how about we take our time exploring instead of just defeating the boss and leaving?
Why? I think its better to move up to rank F and move on to other labyrinths
Karan asked, and Nick raised his index finger.
We can think of it as training. Each of the three labyrinths have different characteristics. Goblin Forest has a lot of goblins, and while theyre individually weak, they move in packs, the slime in Sticky Goo Gate are a pain because theyre strong against magic, and the monsters in Shadow Wolf Den arent strong, but they are very good at concealing their presence.
It sounds like they all have their own obstacles.
Said Tianna, to which Nick lightly nodded in agreement.
I want to see if we can deal with various types of labyrinths. And there is another important factor in labyrinth exploration.
Important factor What is it?
We have to turn the monsters we defeat into cash
Everyone enthusiastically nodded in agreement.
Everyone in Survivors had a common problem.
They needed to earn money quickly, even if wasnt not much, to pay for their inn and livelihood in general.
Monsters have magic energy accumulated in certain body parts, like slime cores and wolf fangs. Goblins dont have a lot of magic energy, but they can be a problem if there are too many of them, so if we cut off the ears of the goblins we kill, the guild will pay for them.
I dont really want to do that, but I guess we have no choice
I only have experience picking medicinal herbs
Tianna and Sem shrugged.
Theres a method to it, and youll get the hang of it as you get used to it. Its modest work, but if you neglect it you wont make a lot of money even on harder dungeons, right Karan?
S-Sorry Ive never done it.
Then you can learn alongside Tianna and Sem. Alright?
Got it.
Karan saw no issue with it and agreed.
The monsters in G ranked labyrinths arent strong, but they are numerous. The longer we stay and hunt them, the more money well make. Lets start by steadily making money and going up from there.
Yes, first I need money for rent
Tianna whispered while gripping her staff.
Your room is in a nice spot, thats why its so expensive.
Thats not it. Its just the money I have right now You know
[Its not a lot because you spent so much on gambling] Thought Nick, but he didnt actually say it. His reason for not having money was not too different.
W-Well then! Lets go explore a labyrinth right away!
Said Nick, and everyone agreed as they braced themselves.
Alright. Yes. Understood.