It took us a while, but we finally arrived at the third floor. The monster population here wasn't much different from the floor before, consisting mostly of Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Orcs., with the only addition being the Lunar Glowstrikers, a species of lizard-like beasts whose tail produces a silvery glow.
The presence of these beasts on the third floor makes it the most popular floor in this dungeon.
First, these beasts vary a lot in size and strength, but they are usually not very strong, even at the level gap, so they are seen as an easy way to get experience.
Hunting them to cut their tails is a somewhat safe way to earn money as an adventurer since you don't need to go very deep on this floor to find them. They also have a higher tendency to approach a settlement in comparison with Orcs and Goblins.
Given that, the number of adventurers on this floor is comparable to the previous, and might actually be higher, making it an exception to the rule where the lower the floors you find yourself in a dungeon, the fewer people you'll see.
This makes it a bit awkward for me though, since I want to get as much experience as I can, and having to share it with other people is a big detriment when my Gift makes it so that our entire party gets the same experience as if the monster was defeated solo.
With this goal in mind, we went straight for the deeper parts of the floor, so as to avoid making unnecessary contact with others.
Mia was at a higher level than the current cap, so with her at the frontline we didn't have much trouble dealing with the enemies in our way up until a certain point.
Actually, I had to make her slow down a bit since the difference in levels between the monsters and the other girls was starting to become worrisome, and while Mia was fine, the rest of us could end up unnecessarily hurt.
Going at a fast pace was great and all, but the priority was the safety of our members.
Even more so since this floor can be deceitfully dangerous.
While the safety around the settlements is high thanks to the number of people and a high population of Lunar Glowstrikers, the deeper floors hide a great trap for those lured into a false sense of security.
In there, it's common to find tamed Lunar Glowstrikers mounted by the other monsters, and while they aren't such a big problem by themselves, it's often said that facing a mounted enemy is much harder.
Not only that, you can't think of them as a single-unit enemy, since even if you manage to bring a monster down from those lizards, you'll still have to face both of them.
And that's with only one "raider", in a group of five of these, for example, you'd actually be fighting 10 monsters.
There's also the fact that their combinations are hard to deal with, the Lunar Glowstrikers are easy to take down, but they are somewhat sneaky and fast, at least more than the other monsters, but when paired with the orcs who have self-defense, or the Hobgoblins who are crafty they become a deadly menace.
I decided to keep us from venturing too deep since we didn't begin raiding this floor at our 100% and underestimating the monsters in here was a bad idea.
Our pace was quite good too, after some time we actually managed to get 2 levels each, which was pretty good for the first day on a new floor, even when considering that it was in the low levels.
Miwen: "Ahh... I'm beat"
Claire: "Eh? So soon?"
Miwen: "You're the last person I wanna hear that from."
Before going back to the exit we decided to stay put for a while and made a very small camp.
The exit gate was a bit far since we had walked for a while to avoid other adventurers. Thus, resting a little was mandatory so that we could fight our way back.
During said rest, it seemed like Claire regained her usual spirit, as she tried to poke fun at me for being tired, even though she didn't manage to reach four rounds in our battle last night...
Licia: "Seems like Mia's working you to the bone huh?"
Miwen: "Pretty much, I won't complain since I'm the most inexperienced among us, but she could take it easier on me."
That girl was really enthusiastic about shaping me up for some reason, even though it was supposed to be her job to be at the front, she'd often have me fight an opponent alone so that I could grow and get some real experience, as she puts it.
I'm not against it since she clearly has good intentions, but man, she doesn't hold back. By the time we finally set camp, I had faced as many enemies of higher levels as the entire party combined.
Licia: "Hm... I think she sees a lot of potential in you, otherwise, she wouldn't bother giving you training."
Claire: "Or it's payback for always teasing her, I know I'd love to do it too."
Licia: "Heh, that's also a possibility."
If anything, I'd wager that's the sole reason, but Licia's interpretation is definitely comforting.
Licia: "Ah, about what happened in the morning, do you wanna talk about it?"
Miwen: "The boss battle?"
Licia: "No, the thing with that one guy...'
Claire: "Oh yeah, what was that all about? It's unusual for you to get heated up like that."
I see, so they've noticed I ended up being a bit too involved in that discussion...
Thinking back on it, they were the ones to bring my attention back to what was really important today, so it's only fair that I share a little bit with them.
Miwen: "I don't really have too much against the AOG, there are matters in which I agree with them, there's some I don't, as far as ideologies go, that's all from me, but..."
I'll always be attentive when they come up, because...
Miwen: "I used to live with my sister two years ago, but when she got her Gift, the first thing she did was join that group... seems like she got some notoriety in there, and even managed to become quite strong."
And all of that would be fine, I felt like I had been left behind a bit, but she was among the first to receive a Gift even though she wasn't alive for the First Contact, and though I won't deny that I was a bit jealous, most of all, I was incredibly happy for her.
Miwen: "After that, she started to come back home less and less, and even her attempts at making contact became less frequent, last time I saw her, she was doing okay though."
Whenever the Army of the Gifted comes up, I can't help but think about her.
Licia: "I see, so it's personal for you."
Miwen: "Yeah. Sis and I grew up together and were very close, so I have a bit of a distaste for the guys who stole her from me. I know it's pretty childish, but it's not like I hate them or anything either, I just hope they are treating her well and that she's not being caught up in something dumb or dangerous."
A headstrong girl with a sense of justice as big as the sky, we used to squabble a lot, so given the kind of organization she entered, I find it miraculous that she hasn't been in trouble with anyone yet.
Claire: "Your parents give you a lot of liberty huh?"
Miwen: "Eh... they are adventurers themselves, always exploring and making guides for dungeons, so they are often traveling and don't really spend much time with us."
I got this house close to a gate precisely because I didn't want to stay days inside the dungeon to make a worthwhile trip, I'd much rather go back home and continue the day later, at least while I can make tangible progress in a single day.
When the time when we need to stay days inside to get a single level comes... I have a few ideas, but I'll have to wait until then to test how practical they are.
Licia: "So it's not that you grew up together, but that you had only each other to rely on ?"
Miwen: "Mom and Dad tried to visit as much as they could, and they made sure that we were living as close as possible to the gates they were working on. They did contract babysitters for us when we were kids, and they also gave us a pretty good allowance... but yeah, since we were always moving out, we didn't really make any lasting friendships, with our parents away for most of the time, it was only the two of us living together."
Talking about my family with them feels a bit weird, it's not something I'm used to.
Furthermore, the feeling I get from them is already that of...
Miwen: "Let's get going alright, we can talk more back home."
Home is your own place in the world, where things feel right and you get to be yourself without any restraints. It's normal to think about it as just the house you live in, but to me, home now is the place I share with them.
Even more than that, they are an essential part of my home, and that's because Licia and Claire are as much my family as those I'm related to by blood.