"Ow, my head..."
Coming to my senses, I first checked the current time.
The sun was high in the sky at midday, and the savory smell of baking bread wafted through the air around me.
Luckily, it hadn't been long since I passed out.
The 1st floor boss subjugation party wouldn't depart until after dinner, so I had plenty of time.
Grumble.
My empty stomach growled for lunch.
I should grab some quick snacks first.
I'd earned a decent amount of gold yesterday, and I'd saved on dinner too.
I left the inn and headed into the bustling streets.
The roadsides were filled with delicious aromas as lunch preparations were in full swing.
I took a leisurely stroll, browsing the street stalls and people-watching along the way.
'...Quite a few nobles here too.'
Eight out of ten people walking the city streets were commoners.
But mixed among them were some who clearly had noble bearing.
Not just from fallen houses, but second sons of lesser families,
or high nobles who had come here to prove themselves.
Their gear alone set them apart from the commoners'.
"Here ya go. Chicken skewers. Thirty gold."
Today's lunch: chicken skewers.
I took a big bite, and the smoky charcoal flavor filled my mouth.
Perfectly grilled. Satisfying.
I devoured one skewer in seconds and ordered another.
"Not enough."
Even after finishing two from my seat, I was still hungry.
No choice—I popped into a nearby bakery and picked up some loaves for eating.
The bread's name... ciabatta, was it?
Full of holes but chewy like rice cake, it really filled me up.
I ate enough to satisfy my hunger and stowed the rest in my inventory.
For when I got peckish inside the dungeon.
Alright... time to head to the dungeon.
The boss subjugation party forms in the evening, so I had time before then.
But I still had things to do.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Passing through the cave and through the gate, the familiar dungeon came into view.
The entrance was still packed with people.
I considered heading straight to the 2nd underground floor... but I should check all the treasure chests first.
Time to test my new spells too. I headed to where the fourth treasure chest was hidden.
I walked to a less populated area first.
I'd awakened Blink, but no need to use it where lots of eyes could see.
Not that it mattered if they did... but why bother?
-Kreek.
Lost in thought, four goblins appeared.
Whumm—
I gathered mana above my hand, and it soon coalesced into a line, compressing.
I fired the sharply compressed Mana Bolt at the lead goblin.
Pffft.
It shot forward at tremendous speed, piercing the goblin's head. It toppled without a reaction.
The other three looked baffled by the sudden event.
'...About five shots max?'
Judging by mana consumption, five uses would empty my reserves.
Less mana than Chain Lightning, but definitely not suited for crowds.
Still, I needed practice.
I conjured Mana Bolts in rapid succession.
Three sharply compressed mana clumps pierced the remaining goblins' heads.
With homing, even casual tosses were hits every time.
They collapsed still clueless to the end.
⚙ System Notification ⚙[Goblin defeated.]
[Experience gained.]
The experience was negligible.
My level had shot up with Chain Lightning's awakening yesterday, so the EXP needed for level-up had increased a lot.
After this boss subjugation, I'd only visit the 1st underground floor to open treasure chests.
Post-battle, I had enough mana left for one more Mana Bolt.
That should cover Blink too.
"Hoo."
I focused my mind briefly.
Then.
Whoosh—
A short floating sensation like passing through the gate enveloped me, and suddenly I was in front of the goblin corpses.
Blink: instant teleport over a set distance.
Still awkward, but with practice, it'd be useful.
I picked up the magic stones, then recovered mana with the mana recovery rune.
At level 7 now, and with steady use, my mana pool had grown a bit.
Still a long way off, though.
"Next."
Mana restored, I resumed kiting hunts.
Kiting was second nature now; I could do it without taking hits.
I used Blink too, and for pulling aggro, Mana Bolts instead of ground stones.
I recovered spent mana with the mana recovery rune in between.
Glancing back, quite a few were chasing me already.
Including a special one.
[Elite Hogger]
-Squeal!
An elite monster of the 1st underground floor, twice the size of normal goblins: Elite Hogger.
A champion goblin variant wielding a blunt-ended club as its main weapon.
Its swings shredded armor durability, making it one to avoid early on.
But.
"Squeal!"
Whoosh—
The Elite Hogger swung its club at my torso, but I Blink-ed out of the way.
It chased my vanishing form, got jostled by the goblins behind, and was pushed to the rear.
Send it to the back like that, and kiting was easy.
However.
Pfft—
I chipped away at it with Mana Bolts in between.
Weak strength like any goblin, but its HP rivaled an orc's.
So it might not drop in one go—I focused.
Around thirty had gathered.
Clunk!
I lured them into a suitable room.
Then.
"Chain Lightning."
Zzzzap!
From my fingertips, lightning orbs linked by electricity struck the lead goblin.
Branches extended from the orb, chaining to all monsters in an instant.
And it didn't stop there.
The two split orbs reacted again, triggering another chain.
Lightning leaped from the struck goblins' corpses to those around.
The Elite Hogger at the back took the most, zapped from all sides.
It staggered, then collapsed.
⚙ System Notification ⚙[Elite: Elite Hogger defeated.]
[Experience gained.]
"...It worked?"
Even with a few Mana Bolts, I hadn't expected it to drop in one go.
Maximizing Chain Lightning's chain effect with thirty foes, sure, but all at once?
Level-up helped, but the spell's awakening was key.
As long as I could kite, solo hunting seemed fine.
"Nice and big."
The Elite Hogger's magic stone was over ten times larger than normals'.
Elite makes a difference in size.
No item drop, though. Shame.
"Oh well."
I gathered my mana and moved on.
The fourth treasure chest spot was near.
"Excuse me, could you turn back? No monsters left here."
A man blocked the path to the chest again.
He said it without a hint of apology, then plopped down in the narrow corridor ahead.
The mark on his shoulder: Azure Dragon Guild.
Dawn Guild didn't monopolize all 1st floor chests, it seemed.
One left, but no high hopes.
"You. Get lost."
Predictable.
A burly, hairy brute blocked the final chest.
His massive frame filled the corridor, but he moved fine.
Only one empty chest on the 1st floor, apparently.
Screeech—
No choice. I used an escape scroll to exit the dungeon.
Perfect timing—outside was darkening.
I headed straight to the city hall, the 1st floor boss subjugation assembly point.
"Dawn Guild here. Those joining our subjugation party, this way."
"Red Blade Mercenary Corps! Need one more warrior!"
"Healer? Azure Dragon Guild offering extra bonus."
The hall front buzzed with subjugation parties.
Bosses on each floor allowed all participants by rule, to avoid conflicts.
But only the final striker gets the item.
So even participants might walk away empty-handed.
To avoid that, solos often joined guilds or mercs as hires for bosses.
If their group got the item, hires got a cut based on contribution.
It was also a recruitment chance.
But... I'd go solo.
No loot, just regret.
I signed up for the boss subjugation and waited for start.
Bored, I thought to open the Status Window for a gacha pull.
Thud.
Someone bumped into me.
"Ah, s-s-sorry..."
Rustle.
The bread and food she held spilled everywhere.
Purple hair covering her eyes, she looked low on confidence.
Familiar face—one from basic training cohort.
The emblem on her shoulder: Dawn Guild.
"S-s-sorry... Sorry..."
She apologized nonstop, enough to make me feel bad, frantically gathering the dropped bread.
No need for that.
Just a light bump, and I wasn't watching either.
I picked up a nearby loaf and handed it to her.
"Th-th-thanks..."
Her thanks were a mumble, barely audible.
She bowed repeatedly and rushed off somewhere.
Dawn Guild flag on her, yeah.
Rookies in mercs or guilds handle odd jobs like that.
That's when.
"Time to depart."
With the subjugation start announced, the party headed to the dungeon en masse.