Chapter 16
Chapter 16
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Ilana (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After parting ways with Ilana, I headed straight to the shantytown.
The city was still buzzing with life deep into the night.
Most of the folks from the dungeon depths, including the Labyrinth Lords, had emerged and filled the taverns to the brim.
"Halt for a quick inspection."
As a result, the number of knights and guards patrolling the streets had multiplied beyond compare.
Whenever big shots came down from on high, these showy displays always ramped up—no matter where you went.
I breezed through the pointless checkpoint and arrived at my lodging.
Creak. The door swung open with a familiar screech that almost felt welcoming now. Only three days left on this seven-day rental. Time to start scouting for a new place. I flopped onto the bed and fiddled idly with my status window, sleep stubbornly evading me. Moments like this made me miss my smartphone something fierce. Then, it hit me—the item in production. I tapped the Dimensional Forge tab.
[Commission accepted. Production commencing.]
— 3 days, 12 hours until completion
"It's accepted."
Somehow, the commission had gone through without me noticing, and the staff was already being crafted.
The production time was blazing fast.
Compared to a blacksmith player taking at least two weeks on an item, this was over three times quicker.
Maybe they boosted convenience when they switched to single-player mode.
The prices they charged felt off somehow... but whatever.
As long as the item turned out right, I didn't care.
I poked around the shop window for no real reason.
The only one unlocked was the 1st Circle Shop.
Gotta hit level 20 ASAP to open the 2nd Circle Shop.
1st Circle magic had too many limitations.
I waved my hand like shutting off a phone, dismissing the status window.
If I wanted to hunt tomorrow, I needed proper rest.
Dawn broke, and I headed straight to the second underground floor.
Wooong— Crossing the gate, the air hit me like a damp sponge—humidity through the roof. Swamps as the theme would do that; it was downright unpleasant. I stretched lightly. Hunting solo felt... lacking somehow. Pulling mobs was efficient and kept things exciting—no boredom. Still, solo wasn't bad. Had to hunt down that second-floor treasure chest anyway.
"Alright then."
I stepped out from the second-floor entrance. Right around the corner.
"Ah, h-hello thereee..."
"..."
Ilana was standing there. I gave a casual nod to her approaching greeting. What were the odds? Second day in a row running into her in this massive underground labyrinth.
"Small world, huh."
"Y-yeah..."
She peeked at me sideways, head turned away. A bit odd, sure, but better her than nothing.
"Party up again today?"
"Y-yes! I'd love to..."
She jumped at the offer. Treasure chest could wait. Hunt while you can, as much as you can.
"Same as yesterday, then."
"Y-yes...!"
Crackle—! Lightning turned the last lizardman in the pack into a charred husk.
[Lizardman defeated.]
[Experience gained.]
"Hoo..."
Battle over, Ilana panted heavily beside me.
We'd pushed for a full ten lizardmen, and she looked half-dead.
Her mana held up fine—casting spells seemed effortless.
But dashing around to pull them? That was taxing her stamina hard.
"Short break."
"Y-yeah..."
She collapsed to the floor like she'd been waiting for the word.
I dropped down beside her casually.
Ilana's stamina sucked, but her combat sense was sharp.
No instructions needed—she timed her Bubbles perfectly to clump the lizardmen.
Before, stragglers would linger, dragging out cleanup.
Now? Neat packs, battles smooth and stable.
"I'll grab the magic cores."
"Oh, let me..."
I scooped up the dropped cores and split them with Ilana.
"Ah... Th-thank you..."
She clutched hers like treasure.
Distribution done—time to call it?
Spellcasting drained mental energy.
Add in sprinting for pulls, and fatigue piled up fast.
"Let's wrap for today."
"Huh? Oh..."
Ilana trailed off, sounding disappointed.
Stamina shot, but not calling it tough?
Weird.
"W-we should party up again next time..."
"Sure."
I gave a vague reply and disbanded the party.
If timings aligned, we'd cross paths again someday.
The next day.
"We meet again, hehe..."
"..."
Bizarrely, Ilana was right there upon arriving on the second floor.
We partied up on the spot and hunted the same way.
Mid-battle, I hit level 15.
We quit when fatigue set in.
And the day after.
"Um... wanna hunt a bit longer today...?"
"..."
Four days straight with Ilana.
She wasn't there when I arrived on the second floor, but she'd pop up from somewhere soon after.
No targeting spells I knew of could track someone specific.
How was she zeroing in on me?
Scouting every entrance on the second floor?
"Um... why are you staring...?"
"Nothing."
No bad vibes, so we hunted like before.
Three days of partying revealed bits about her naturally.
"Um... Rain."
"Yeah."
"Between Dawn Guild and Azure Dragon Guild... who do you think would win in a fight...?"
She was surprisingly chatty.
Mostly nonsense, though.
"Dunno about guild wars... but Lords clashing? Dawn takes it."
"Ah... figured as much...?"
Ilana absorbed my words with grave seriousness.
...It was just offhand.
"So... Dawn versus the Empire... what then?"
"Empire wins. Nation versus guild? No contest on scale."
No way a guild force matched a country.
Unless city guilds allied up.
"Hehe."
Ilana wiggled her feet, amused.
Chatting it up was fun for me too.
Never thought I'd be playing "medieval fantasy guild cup" in a world like this.
People were people anywhere.
"Heading up."
"Yess~"
Three days together, and she'd loosened up plenty.
We bantered about pitting guilds and figures against each other as we exited the dungeon.
Parted with Ilana in the bustling streets and strolled along.
"Pleasure to meet you."
A muscled man blocked my path.
"Humphrey of Dawn Guild. You're Rain Astria, right?"
"..."
I nodded curtly.
"Heard about your standout performance in the boss raid. Got time?"
"We can talk here."
"Fair enough."
Humphrey pulled a document from his pocket and handed it over.
At the top, in bold letters: 【Second-Floor Exploration Plan】.
"Dawn Guild's launching a second-floor resweep. Interested?"
Guilds rescanned dungeons for one reason only.
Unfound treasure chests or lost explorers' bodies.
His tone ruled out the latter.
Treasure chests it was.
"Plenty of unmapped areas on the second floor. Chests too, naturally."
He laid it out transparently.
Mentioning chests meant they planned to share rewards.
"Guild recruitment?"
He chuckled and shook his head at my question.
"My orders were just to make contact. Join or not—up to you, Rain."
Even outsiders welcome?
He smirked, confident I'd bite.
But...
"I'm good."
I knew all the chest spots. Why bother?
"...Pardon?"
"Won't join. Later."
"W-wait... Rain, think it over. It's a no-lose deal."
"I'm good."
Chest hunts fell into two types.
Guild-led periodic resweep teams.
Or independents hiring guild muscle—like scratching a lottery ticket.
Chests were jackpot dreams.
Hired guild help for that? Common enough.
They'd checked I was unaffiliated, so assumed yes.
"Gotta head out—business."
"W-wait..."
I brushed past the blocker and returned to my lodging.
Want my stamp? Offer items or gold.
Cheap tricks wouldn't cut it.