I could tell that the girls were still slightly agitated due to the news about the Dungeon Rampage while we were making our way to the dungeon today, however, there was not much I could do.
I tried to reassure them, but I think only after they see for themselves that it's not as bad as they think will they dispel their worries.
For now, my priority remains to get level-ups in our current dungeon.
While there is yet to have an effect, it's the only action I can take to increase our chances in the Event, whatever they may entail.
After we met Roy and Sam today, we entered the Dungeon with the objective of going deep inside the second floor.
It could be a little risky, but the girls and I agreed we would be able to do it.
This was also a good chance to get another level-up quickly.
It was also necessary to explore further as we had yet to get to the boss room, which according to the available information, was a little deeper on our current path.
Although there was one close if we went another direction, we felt it was safer to pass through the boss room the least possible, even more so considering the events that happened in the Dragon's Nest with the third floor's boss leaving and all.
By going this way, while harder to reach the boss room, if something were to happen, our escape path would be toward the settlement instead of deeper inside the floor.
Still, this was bound to change eventually, as we advanced further enough on the floor to reach the boss room.
It worked as a milestone that indicated to us that we had gone deeper than any other time we've been on this floor.
Sam: "This is a good landmark, to go further from here would be pretty dangerous..."
Roy: "I think we would be able to dive deeper though..."
Miwen: "Yeah, we aren't facing many threats for now anyway."
Sam & Roy: "Eh?"
Somehow, they seemed very surprised by such a simple statement.
Miwen: "W-what?"
Sam: "Well, you know... Normally you'd be the first one to advocate for caution...."
True... I do think I keep it to a reasonable level though.
However, this time, I had the incentive of the Events to try and advance as much as possible.
It wasn't that I had forgotten about the risks, but rather that I judged it worth it for us to face them a little more.
Miwen: "Well then, let's just proceed with caution okay?"
Sam: "Fine by me."
Since everyone was aware that this was more risky than what we were used to, there was a certain air of excitement to be felt as we went deeper into the dungeon.
It made me understand why certain people are so fond of taking immense risks. It wasn't just for the reward, but also in search of this feeling.
However, it was not something that could sway me.
On our way, we managed to kill a lot of monsters.
Mostly hobgoblins, but sometimes even orcs fell prey to us.
Since their level was higher than what we found before we passed by the boss room, the experience they were giving was also better, and I got really close to a level up.
Eventually, we found 2 Orcs. One of them had a greyish skin tone, while the other had skin more red than normal.
They were obviously two [Superior Monsters], an alarming presence.
Not only were they the strongest species on this floor, but orcs are naturally hard to kill due to their thick skins.
They are considerably dumber and so less tricky than a hobgoblin, but what they lack in intelligence, they make up for in raw strength.
Miwen: "What do you two think?"
Licia: "It's doable, but it would be hard..."
Claire: "Sis and I can take care of one of them, but the other one would be a bit too much. I'm worried that you guys would end up being injured if you fought against it..."
Worrisome... but I didn't want to pass on the experience.
So I proposed an alternative.
Miwen: "What if I confirm their levels and one of them ends up being weaker than the cap?"
Roy: "You can do that?"
Miwen: "I have a skill for it, but it costs mana so I don't use it frequently... It's just that this time there's a good chance for us and the experience would be pretty sweet..."
I usually only use it in cases like this, where it might be worth it to pursue some risks.
Although I normally just advise everyone to retreat anyway since we have no need to rush...
The balance was a bit skewed this time though.
Licia: "If they can detect that a skill is being used against them, they may figure out our location and charge against us... it's a bit risky..."
Claire: "If you want to do it, I won't impede you..."
They seemed to be having doubts about it and in cases like this...
Sam: "I guess this calls for a vote then? I'll vote against it. I don't think it's worth it since we can keep coming back for more experience..."
Roy: "I don't like running away from these types of challenges, we will need to end up risking ourselves more and more as we advance as adventurers, to run away from a battle just because it's hard would make us unprepared for the challenges up ahead. I'm fine fighting them."
Perhaps for the first time, I was on Roy's side.
Licia: "I'm not sure... I don't like risking it so I'm also against..."
Both arguments were solid, and normally, I would side with Sam, especially after hearing Licia's opinion, however...
Miwen: "I think it's worth it, at the very least I should check their levels..."
Claire: "I told you I'd do it if you wanted to, so..."
Thankfully Claire was a little more interested, so we ended up outvoting them.
At least when it came to figuring out their levels.
And so, I first checked the one with grey skin. Using [Appraisal] on it I ended up finding out that he was at the cap, at level 7.
His Gift also made him resistant to non-elemental attacks, but I couldn't get a name or more information about it due to the level difference.
Thankfully the other one, the orc with red skin, was a much easier target.
He had [Flame Breath] as a Gift, which was pretty self-explanatory.
And the good news was that he had yet to reach the cap. And so, if we ganged up on him, we should be able to take it down.
Roy: "See? It's gonna be easy!"
...I never said that.
I understood that he was trying to hype us up, but I felt it was best to be more realistic about it, and so did the others.
Sam: "So, are you sure you guys wanna do it as you said previously? I believe it would be better to have a 3-on-1 against that grey one since he's stronger..."
Claire: "No need, it's better this way as the chances of someone getting hurt will decrease..."
Licia: "Also, if you manage to defeat the red one quickly then we can have a 5-on-1 against the grey one."
While they said that, the truth was that Claire and Licia were stronger as a pair than Sam, Roy and I were as a trio.
They are also quite capable and coordinated when fighting together, so mixing someone inexperienced with them would actually hurt their chances.
Sam: "If you say so..."
Thus, the battle against the two orcs began.
Everyone locked in on their targets, and although it was sad that I was separated from the girls, I knew they would be alright.
And while it might be bad to admit it, if something happened to them, I would rush to their side without thinking twice.
Still, in our battle, the first one to launch an attack was Roy.
He tried to slash the arm of the red orc sideways, however, he used his huge club to block the attempt.
When it came to handling his weapons, he seemed to be the best monster we had encountered, which made things hard as daggers and knives weren't exactly a counter for it.
We lacked the reach, and if we wanted to win, we would need a direct hit, so after Roy jumped back to disengage, Sam and I surrounded the monster.
This way, no matter how strong it was or how he used his club, as long as we managed to attack him simultaneously, he simply wouldn't have room to defend himself.
Once again, Roy dashes toward his opponent, getting blocked and then counterattacked by the orc.
However, the wide motion it took to attack Roy gave Sam and me an opening to slash his back, stopping him in his tracks.
Roy, who had just created distance, closes in again and attacks him from the front.
We were only doing superficial damage at best, but it was enough to enrage it, as the monster was stuck.
Every time it tried to attack, it was met with counters from its blind spots.
Thus, it finally used his Gift of [Flame Breath].
While Roy, its primary target had made enough distance to evade it, in a circling motion, the orc turned to Sam and me, making all of us retreat from his attack range.
It didn't seem like he got tired after doing that, but it was costly energy-wise to keep up like this.
Not to mention, it was consuming a lot of time.
If more monsters came, we would be in an incredibly difficult spot.
Still, what we had to do to defeat it was clear.
First, the flames were too much of a problem. We couldn't let them get to us or it would be game over.
Second, we needed a powerful strike to end this as fast as possible. Before he had any chance to recover, adapt, or learn.
With this in mind, I decided to focus entirely on this fight.
As Licia and Claire said, it was definitely doable, but it would be hard.
So, I decided my next steps and how I was going to defeat it.
Sam and Roy attacked him again, but this time, he answered with its [Flame Breath] straight away.
Once he stopped, Sam tried to attack again, but the orc managed to send her away by swinging his club at her.
I circled around him. Waiting for a good opportunity, which came exactly when Roy attacked him to cover for Sam.
His attack went through, and he damaged the monster's ankle.
While not a deep cut, it was enough to reduce its mobility, as well as to get all of the monster's attention.
Enraged, the Red Orc launched his flame attack once again, almost a wave of flames headed toward Roy.
However, this left him open, and I used [Focused Strike] alongside [X Slash] hoping that the combo would be enough to kill it.
Surprisingly, it was more than enough.
As if cutting through butter, I sliced his neck clean, making his head fall to the ground.
Defeating a strong opponent like this one made me want to celebrate, but before that, I noticed that Licia and Claire were still fighting theirs, so I quickly headed their way.
Claire: "Took you long enough."
Miwen: "Do you really think so? Looking at this, you guys are the ones being late."
Claire: "Hmh... can't deny that..."
Although she was a little mad at that comment, she still admitted it.
Sam: "What's the problem?"
Claire: "I'll change with Licia and she will explain it to you."
As she says that, Claire launches herself towards the Grey Orc, Licia, seeing that, disengages the battle.
Licia: "Oh you're here, good. Now we can win."
Miwen: "What's happening, is it that tough?"
Licia: "A little bit, Claire and I can keep up with him, but the real problem is that he's very annoying. Only elemental attacks work on him, and Claire and I can't keep using magic-based attacks due to our low mana, so..."
It was impressive that a single one of them was able to hold him back long enough for the other to leisurely explain things, but judging by Licia's state, it was also definitely tiring.
Miwen: "That's a bit of a problem then, I also just used up almost all of mine..."
Licia: "I was hoping you didn't, but that's alright. There's a way for us to win."
As she says that, Licia grabs one of my daggers and enchants it with her frost coating.
Licia: "Give me the other one, with this you should be able to damage it."
After doing that for all our weapons, the four of us join Claire and start attacking the Grey Orc.
Although it had a higher level, as his Gift was mostly defensive and Licia's countered thanks to her frost coating, it was not as problematic as the red one.
It also lacked any ranged attack.
With five of us surrounding it, the monster relied too much on circular attacks with his club, in an attempt to get even a single one of us distracted.
Of course, this never happened, and we took turns cutting him whenever possible.
Without context, this looked like a bullying case. Even more than what we did with the Red one.
Alas, Licia's coating wasn't going to last forever, but thankfully the damage we were doing was enough.
He couldn't handle it for much longer, and eventually, either due to the bleeding or a perforation of one of his vitals, the monster died, marking the end of our battle against the two superior orcs.
This battle ended up being enough for everyone to level up, and it even made me somewhat close to the next level.
As such, it ended up being well worth it to me.
Sam: "I'm glad it's finally over, but we are coming back for sure now."
Miwen: "No complaints here. I'm exhausted..."
Our raid ended as we made our way back from the second floor.
Sadly, the orcs didn't drop anything noteworthy, but we did get a good amount from other monsters, and when dividing it, Roy and Sam made $18, while the girls and I got $45.