Moments later.
The goblin—dead beyond dead.
Its corpse dissolved into a foul black mist and vanished into the air.
Then it dropped a tiny magic stone, no bigger than a fingernail.
Magic stones—gifts of the Dungeon.
Orario thrived by using these stones to craft various tools and items;
Then exporting them worldwide to earn vast sums of money;
Accelerating the development of the Labyrinth City, step by step into prosperity.
Because of this,
The Guild buys back monster loot and dropped magic stones from adventurers.
Putting away the Thousand Feathers Wand, Raven Eltharion stepped forward and picked up the pale green crystal.
The stone glowed faintly with a soft aura.
"You're kidding, right?"
"That's it?" Raven looked dumbfounded. "Can this even sell for 100 valis?"
For reference—
A decent meal at the Hostess of Fertility tavern costs about 1,000 valis for one person!
Even a fried potato ball from a street stall costs 30 valis.
Looks like...
Earning money isn't easy!
Those adventurers with no combat skills—risk their lives just to survive.
…
After slipping the stone into his pocket, Raven Eltharion's eyes gleamed thoughtfully.
The reason for coming into the Dungeon—
Was to kill monsters and earn enough money for tonight's meal with Goddess Hestia!
After some thinking, he figured he needed at least 2,000 valis to return with peace of mind.
If a goblin only dropped 100 valis-worth of magic stone, then he needed to kill 19 more.
"Alright, 19 goblins left, huh?"
With that in mind—and thinking of his strongest defensive magic—Raven couldn't help but feel excited again.
He noticed…
This golden magic barrier had an extremely powerful repulsion effect.
Whether it was physical or magical attacks from outside,
The damage received would be reflected back at the attacker—with double the force!
Just like the goblin earlier.
It threw its strongest punch—only to be instantly sent flying into the wall by its own force.
This effect resembled that of the "Zaghnaught" from the Dungeon's 70th floor—its magic reflection!
Except—Zaghnaught could only reflect magic.
Raven Eltharion?
He could reflect both magic and physical attacks.
And with double the damage!
As expected from the legendary Holy Light Shield—a near-absolute defense.
Of course, there were drawbacks.
It was tied to Raven's own mana, stamina, spiritual energy, as well as his level and stats.
Currently, as a Level 1 adventurer,
He could just barely withstand attacks from Level 5 monsters.
But if it were a Deep Floor Xenos—like the Level 7 Minotaur girl?
Raven's body would definitely not hold up.
Also worth noting—
"Dreamfeather Aegis" is a group defense & healing spell, usable on multiple people at once.
But!
The cost was that Raven's mana and spirit energy would deplete even faster!
"No good!"
"Sure, I can protect myself now… but my overall power is still too weak."
"I need to find a way to get stronger—fast!"
His eyes gleamed with determination.
He knew—
If a floor boss like the Black Goliath punched him head-on,
He'd be sent flying—barrier and all—in one hit!
That was something he absolutely didn't want to happen.
Coming to Danmachi world was meant to be fun—
Not to get pounded into the dirt!
…
"Gyiiyaa! Gyiiyaah!"
Suddenly, a gang of tiny goblins launched a surprise attack from behind!
One of them even wielded a savage spiked club.
Raven spun around and quickly counted—
Ten goblins in total!
"Not bad. Nine more to go."
With eyes that viewed them like lab rats, he muttered, "Let's try some attack magic now."
He raised his wand and calmed his focus, starting a chant for a thunder spell.
The Thousand Feathers Wand—its skull eyes gleamed with an eerie blue light upon receiving his mana.
Blue particles flickered across the shaft like starlight.
"——Thunder of the sky, strike down the enemies I have chosen! ——Thunderplume Oblivion!"
A large blue magic circle instantly appeared on the dungeon ceiling—its radius wide.
As the chant ended—
Bolts of roaring blue lightning crashed down, one after another,
Raining divine wrath from above, blasting straight through the goblins—
The sheer force even cracked the floor beneath them.
BOOM!
The entire hallway shook violently.
Walls crumbled, rubble flew, scorch marks spread, dust filled the air.
The destruction was so intense—even Raven almost got caught in it.
Thankfully…
His magic barrier was still up—so he was unharmed.
Otherwise, in that narrow corridor—he'd probably be dead from his own spell!
Seconds later, everything went quiet.
The scene looked like total ruin—collapsed and wrecked, just like a war zone.
As for the ten goblins?
Not even a trace of them remained!
The dropped magic stones… were likely buried under piles of rubble.
"This…"
"That strong?"
Raven was shocked—even he scared himself a little.
It was the combined effect of his passives—"Demonic Frenzy", "Majestic Overlord", and the [Thousand Feathers Wand].
The magic firepower—
Already rivaled a Level 4 adventurer!
"Crap…"
His lips twitched. "All those magic stones—gone?"
He quickly came to a conclusion—
Don't ever cast wide-area spells recklessly in narrow corridors!
Shaking his head,
Raven stopped thinking about it—and moved on to test his third magic.
——Cycle Summon!
Anyone who's watched Naruto knows the power of Edo Tensei.
And Raven's spell?
Wasn't much different!
Gripping his wand tightly, he focused and began an extra-long incantation.
"——Supreme God of the Underworld, ruler of shadow!"
"——I beg of thee—I offer thee my plea—sacrifice the life essence of those around me…"
Halfway through—
Raven felt a terrifying drain on his mana and spirit energy!
A massive dark magic circle gradually formed in front of him.
"——In return for your mercy, by your divine might…"
"——Grant new life to the one I cherish! ——Cycle Summon!"
When the chant finished—
Two-thirds of his mana, stamina, and mental energy were instantly drained!
Raven bent over, leaning on his wand, gasping for breath.
Thankfully—
He wasn't completely dried out!
From the center of the magic circle—
A gorgeous woman slowly began rising from below, her form gradually taking shape.
When she was fully visible—
Raven froze in place.
It was Silence — Alfia!