' Now that's more like a dungeon ! '
After losing his dignity to the probabilities of the system, he finally found the stairs that were supposed to lead him down to the second floor.
A flat terrain paved with stone slabs, and stairs descending in the middle of it.
Though he didn't knew how dungeons worked since that wasn't explained in the game, by seeing a team of adventurers heading down by using them, he knew that he was at the right place.
" How is your condition Mariane ? "
" I'm in perfect state, master. "
Knowing it would be like that, since she didn't have the need to sleep anymore, and that her ability to regenerate alone would be higher than the little work of cutting small rabbits, it was evident, but he still wanted to make sure about it before going down.
" If you feel like you need to rest for a moment, just be honest about it, we still have plenty of stamina potions. "
" .. I will. "
While basic health potion didn't existed, stamina potions did, and the reason for that, was because they were more like a tonic for another date than anything, but he wasn't sure if those even existed in this world in the first place.
After all, the date system was only in the game, and to help players grow the affinity faster with characters, it was implemented, but he had yet to even see a single potion that looked similar inside the shops of this world.
' I guess it's kind of similar to coffee. '
Thinking about it that way, it seemed less weird to have those stamina potion being given every day.
" Alright, then let's go down. "
And with a few words on his part, they headed towards the stairs and slowly descended to the second floor that awaited them.
The thought of seeing another forest down those stairs along with a fake sky strangely resonated with his adventuring spirit, especially as he thought about himself coming out of something like a magic tree, stairs that came down from the fake sky, and such, but the reality hit him stronger than ever.
' ... Fuck, are you telling me that there are goblins inside of those caves ? '
Goblins were creatures weaker and smaller than a kobold, but still stronger than the average teenager, being somewhat of a threat against the normal adult.
Also, unlike kobolds, they would form group of three to five at max, more than that would mean that there is a shaman or a leader figure in the group, which could then be a bit more dangerous.
' Well, at least, I won't have to raid a goblin village or something.. '
While it's preferable to hunt inside a forest, for goblins, it also meant more way for them to build huts and traps, and if even given the time, they could build really rough and simple walls, as they were beings smarter than kobolds.
Though something like that probably won't happen inside a dungeon where adventurers explore and hunt monsters frequently, but at least, in a cave like he was now, the probability of traps and such was lowered to zero.
With no kind of wood to be found around, and merely few pebbles on the grounds, along with that moss growings on the walls of the cave, exuding a dim light as well, there was nothing for them to use.
" Mariane, can you hear something ? "
" I can, there is a few battles going on and a lot of footsteps, but it's kind of messy.. I'm sorry that I can't be of more help. "
" It's alright, that's enough if you can even do the difference between them, do you think you could lead us somewhere that doesn't have a battle ? "
" .. I will try my best, master. "
With that, the direction of their march was decided as he followed the maid with a way better hearing capacity than him.
The dim light of the moss being barely sufficient to find his direction and not trip on a random pebble, soon, shadows were visible far away, but from their height, they weren't goblins.
' Adventurers ? '
His question, that he didn't asked because he would've received an obvious answer to it, was confirmed by the appearance of a group of four.
Three men, where one was apparently a carrier by the big bag on his back, and a woman wearing a long dress like a mage, were walking towards them.
Giving a small nod to the group, he received the same sign back from the one who was the leader, and while no words were talked, they both let each other pass without further complications, having already reached a common ground through that small action.
" ... Master, did you happen to know them ? "
Mariane, skeptical about the whole exchange, asked a question that almost stole a smirk from Arthur, and shaking his head, he just explained.
" I don't, it's just a small code, the kind that doesn't change even if you're from a complete different kingdom. "
Actually, he thought about saying ' from a different world ' , but he wasn't sure how to explain that to Mariane, and if he did, either he'll have to explain everything, or she will misunderstand him from an entity able to summon others from different worlds, when he was just using the system he was given after being summoned here by someone else.
" I think I understand master, would it work if I try it as well ? "
" ... Mariane, I forgot to tell you, but it's also a thing between men, so unless you disguise as one, I would suggest to not try, or they'll find you suspicious. "
" I see.. "
Although he felt sorry that she couldn't try, as she seemed thoughtful when giving her response, at least, he was glad to have a very lady-like maid for himself, since a tomboyish one would completely stand out in this world.
" .. Master, monsters are coming. "
Quickly enough after crossing path with other adventurers, it was finally time for them to make their first encounter with goblins, a crude creature that barely covered it's genetalias with a piece of ragged clothes.
" Don't get injured. "
Giving her a simple order, Arthur took a step back to not bother her during the fight, but also to not pull any agro towards himself, as if something were to happen to him, she would jump first to take the hit in his stead.
" ... "
Not receiving an answer from her, he knew that she was probably smiling and trying to get back in the mood for a battle, so he didn't forced her to give him an answer and instead just waited safely on the side.
And like she told him, a group of five small creatures with a green skin made their ways towards them, but there was a problem.
' Is there no way to censure that ? '
What he thought would be a norm, was in fact, not, the ' magic ' of a clothes that would never reveal what is there to be hidden, wouldn't work in real life, and while the goblins thing was somewhat hidden from the front, it would be dangling around as they walked, and visible from the side, a sight that could be considered pretty much grotesque.
' At least, the size of it is proportional to their bodies.. '
Forget about a monstrous thing on a small goblin body, the thing barely got bigger than the one of a child, but it was still not a sight one wished to see.
" ... And also, don't let a single one of them alive. "
" ... Will do. "
Words that emitted sheer pressure, came out from the mouth of the beastkin woman, proving that she felt the same kind of disgust towards those indecent beings as him.
Taking the first step in the battle, Mariane raised her sword in the cave wide enough to allow a battle between two spearmens, and the goblins, who saw the beautiful woman, expressed their new found desires by raising their arms and yelling some kind of words from a different langage.
Also approaching her themselves, and trying to engage in some sort of melee by trying to grab her limbs, they couldn't expect that the ' frail woman ' in front of them had enough force to put all five of them down with a single hand of hers.
In a single swoop, she took the lives of three of them, cutting them apart like a warm knife through butter, and the last two goblins, who didn't had the time to react properly, tried to flee but couldn't due to the initial speed of rushing towards her, and met their ends as fast as the first three of them.
' Guess I'll step up now. '
" Mariane, do you still have the handkerchief ? "
Receiving the object he bought at a high price compared to it's quality, he kicked the head of the dead body to have it open his mouth, and enveloping his hand with the tissue, he started removing the right fang of the goblins.