28 - A Brother Dignity

"Yes! I leveled up!" chirped Kano with delight, spinning in circles as she felt the sensation of invincibility that came with leveling up. "I've got to be level 7 now, right?"

After three bridge-drops, Kano reached our target of level 7, and we could put the fifth floor behind us. We could have continued until she reached level 8, but it was more efficient for both of us to level up at the next place I had in mind.

While climbing down the ravine to gather our loot, I explained my plan. Wargs start showing up from the sixth floor and down. They're demon wolves, the monsters from which our armor's pelts come.

"Wolves?" repeated Kano. "Awesome. Gotta be easier than fighting orcs."

"Well, I wouldn't say that. They're pretty big and fast too," I replied.

Demon wolves had plenty of stamina and a keen sense of smell, allowing them to detect someone from great distances. Avoiding situations that could lead to being surrounded was vital to surviving against them. Once surrounded, escape wasn't an option. Fortunately, that was less likely to happen since the sixth floor's map had few open spaces.

Adventurers loved hunting demon wolves because they occasionally dropped demon wolf pelts and magic gems. These fetched a nice price in shops and the guild due to their firmness and fire-resistant properties. General wisdom said that if you were good enough to hunt demon wolves, you were good enough to make a living as an adventurer.

We would skip the sixth floor and head to the seventh instead. There were level 7 demon wolves, one level higher than on the sixth floor. On rare occasions, a level 8 demon wolf leader would spawn. However, we would need to dispatch this monster as quickly as possible due to its Howl skill, which attracted nearby demon wolves to its location.

The seventh floor was also home to orc tamers, orcs that rode demon wolves and could control the beasts. These foes were challenging as you had to contend with the wolf bites and sword swings of the mounted orc. Orc tamers also raised the group fighting strength of the demon wolves they controlled. If an orc had a pack of wolves under its control, it became a higher priority than a demon wolf leader.

Moreover, there was poor visibility due to how it was a heavily forested area with tree coverage that increased the risk of getting surrounded. If you only wanted to gather pelts, raiding the sixth floor was a sensible choice. I did have a good reason to take us to the seventh floor, though.

"For now, let's go to the seventh floor and test out fighting a demon wolf," I said.

"I hope we get lots of pelts. Then I can use them to get armor for my legs," responded Kano.

We wouldn't need to gather pelts to do that. Our profits from the magic gems and other loot would be more than enough to buy more armor.

"So, we're only going to test fighting the wolves," I explained. "There's somewhere else I want us to go...a hidden area."

"There's a hidden area?" asked Kano.

"Yep. Could be that we'll be the first ones to find it."

Kano's eyes lit up as she asked, "Will there be treasure?!" She started singing her "I'm rich!" song again. I wished she would stop that since it was embarrassing.

By the time we finished talking, we'd picked up all of the loot and crossed several rope bridges to return to the fifth floor's main street. We'd need to pass through the sixth floor first.

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The main street connecting the floors was as busy as ever. Most adventurers traveling to the sixth floor and deeper were after demon wolf pelts, all wearing the same distinctive black armor.

"Everyone's wearing demon wolf armor like me!" pointed out Kano. "I love it! It's like I fit in with these awesome adventurers, even though this is my second-ever raid."

"Yeah, well we did boost your level in one big move."

It was quite delicious to be able to monopolize the Orc Lord. If not, I would have spent a lot more time on the fifth floor.

If the other players were there, would they not take advantage of the bridge drop? I don't know if they've already gone deeper, or if they just haven't reached it yet, but in the end, I didn't see anyone who looked like that once.

After walking for about half an hour, we arrived at the 6th floor entrance plaza, which was just as crowded with adventurers as the 5th floor, with stalls, stores, and a place to buy magic stones and drops. Up until the fifth floor, it was common to see a party with all members in the vanguard, but from this floor onward, I often saw parties with rearguards who could attack from a distance with bows or magic, as well as recovery personnel. There are no more adventurers who look like beginners.

"Ah! They sell takoyaki! There's a cafeteria over there!"

"We'll be passing through the sixth floor, but let's grab a quick bite to eat first. What do you want?"

This is the first time I've been to the entrance hall of a hierarchy since my sister used the gate last time. It might be unusual for her to have never entered through a dungeon entrance before. I picked up some takoyaki from a stall because she wanted to try it, finished using the restroom, and headed for the seventh floor.

"What happens to the... waste in the toilets?"

"The dungeon absorbs it if you leave it there for half a day. No need to pump it out. You can even go there in an emergency."

"No lady would ever do that!" she protested, puffing out her cheeks. Normally, communication devices and rest facilities would be absorbed by the dungeon, but the invention of a magical tool using the nucleus of a low-grade golem has made it possible to resist absorption. Until this was discovered, only simple facilities could be built in the dungeon.

We headed for the seventh floor, chatting about the dungeon's illustrated book from the Adventurer's Guild library.

Since most of the parties hunting for werewolf skins use the sixth floor as their hunting ground, the number of adventurers walking from the main street on this floor is reduced. We could probably run.

"We're wasting time, so let's go for a short run."

"What? We just ate~" she complained.

I reluctantly agreed and started to run. There were several other parties running as well, so we didn't stand out. It was refreshing to run at a high speed, even if it was just a light jog due to the strengthening of our bodies.

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"I'm on the 7th floor! Huh? There aren't as many stores as on the sixth floor."

"All the werewolf hunting parties hunt on the sixth floor, so there are fewer adventurers on this floor."

Although there are fewer shops, there are still some stalls and resting places. However, the prices are all double the normal rates. A bottle of canned juice costs around 300 yen, but judging by the empty cans in the trash, it's selling well despite the high price.

It's really expensive, isn't it? No... can't we use this? I was about to move on when I thought to myself.

"Let's take a break. Oh! I want to check out that store over there!"

"There might be some treasures in the hidden area."

"What?... Well, it can't be helped then!"

If you're a cash-strapped sister, fish for treasure. This is what I wrote in my sister's manual as we headed to the hidden area's point.

There are countless huge coniferous trees growing here, making visibility very poor. If you cut this tree down, it will disappear and cannot be used as wood. The ceiling was high enough to look up at, glowing a vaguely pale light. I wonder if it is possible to photosynthesize in that kind of light... No, these aren't real plants but objects, so I guess it doesn't matter.

Within a few minutes of turning off from the main street to the eighth floor, we found a demon wolf. It was about two meters long, including its tail, covered in long dark gray body hair, and had a sturdy frame. The eyes that stared at us showed intelligence.

"It's not likely that you'll be able to sneak up on this guy; his footsteps and smell will alert you before you know it."

"It's coming!"

A single demon wolf was our opponent. It's a good idea to stay alert. The wolf's first attack seemed to target my sister. It lunged from a few meters away, aiming its fangs at her neck. She dodged effortlessly, and as she passed, she thrust her small sword into the wolf's side, slashing it open. The wolf cried out, "Caun!" and tried to flee, but it couldn't get up. I quickly closed in and finished it off, turning it into a magic stone.

"I'm sure I can handle just one demon wolf. Its movements seemed predictable."

"I leveled up all at once, but it doesn't seem to be a problem."

Even as a junior high school girl, physical enhancement through leveling up is equal for everyone. My sister's muscle strength, instantaneous power, and kinetic vision already exceed the average male by a comfortable margin.

Her combat sense was another concern, but she showed no signs of being unfamiliar with her sudden physical enhancements or frightened by battle. Even now, she's holding two small swords, slicing through the shadows with ease.

Maybe she's a battle fanatic. I picked up the Demon Wolf's magic stone and continued moving southeast on the «MAP».

Our destination is an area added in the latest DLC, "Dungeon Explorer Chronicles: Golem's Heartbeat." If it exists, it could offer new guidelines for dungeon exploration.

During moments when we didn't encounter enemies, I explained a few things to my sister to increase her game knowledge and dungeon awareness.

"Golem?"

"Yes, if you become an [Armored Knight], you can create and operate golems."

"What?"

Even before the implementation of the DLC "Golem's Heartbeat," information about the [Armored Knight] was released in small doses and attracted a lot of attention. Many players eagerly awaited its release, hoping to pilot the flashy golems.

However, when it was finally implemented, it turned out to be an unfortunate advanced job, criticized for being weak and useless.

The first reason was that the golem's combat power was too subtle. Many monsters in The Conquest had their physical attacks halved or nullified, limiting the golem's effectiveness to physical attacks.

Secondly, it moved too slowly. You could use it as a vehicle if you boarded it, but its movement speed wasn't very fast; running on your own was quicker. When it was a game, you didn't need a vehicle because you didn't get tired from running.

Lastly, the [Armored Knight] could use the |Golem Castle| skill to build golem structures in dangerous areas. The effect tripled HP and MP recovery speed, cured all conditions, and if you stayed in the castle for more than an hour, you gained a temporary 5% bonus to STR and INT.

Honestly, such skills weren't needed in the game. Since I was guzzling potions, I didn't want to build a base to recover HP and MP, nor did I need to stay in the danger zone. Electricity, water, a refrigerator, a bath, a toilet, and a soft bed were all included in the game, but they were nothing more than decorations.

But!

In this real-world scenario, the value of such a skill is immensely high. It's like, "If I have this, I can dive into a dungeon without ever needing to go home!" In fact, you could live in it. I desperately want at least a |Golem Castle|... I really want it!

So, I explained the details of the [Armored Knight] to my sister and told her that I planned to investigate it further.

"You definitely need that skill," she said.

"Exactly. So, I'm going to check if I can get that job. If there's a hidden map, it could be a great leveling point."

The DLC: Golem's Heartbeat introduced not only new jobs and maps but also added a variety of golems as monsters.

Golems are activated by energy from a crystal core, shaped like a 10cm doll. The core of some golems in the deeper levels is protected by magical steel, but the golems on the seventh floor have exposed cores, making them easy to defeat by targeting their weakness. Because of this clear vulnerability, they're excellent for leveling up. When defeated, they drop a nucleus, which can be used as a catalyst for [Armored Knight] to summon golems and can also be sold at the Dungeon Store.

The DLC added several new area, but the shallowest one is here on the 7th floor. In other words, we wouldn't know if the DLC had been implemented until we reached that point.

"There's a pit at the end of this path, and if there's a side hole at the bottom, that should be the hidden area."

"Oh!"

A small hill in the forest revealed a pit that looked to be at least five meters deep. We needed to climb down to see if there was a side hole at the bottom.

"I've got a rope. We can tie it to that tree."

I took the climbing rope out of my backpack and secured it to a nearby tree, making sure it was tied properly. It seemed secure.

"Can I go check it out?"

"Sure. Let me know if the hole goes all the way down."

"Aye, sir."

Without hesitation, Kano rappelled down to the bottom, just like the Self-Defense Force would do, and checked for any side holes. If there weren't any, we could explore around the area.

"Hmm? There it is! Bro, there's a side hole!"

"Okay, I'm coming down too!"

As I was about to descend, I heard a distant howl. It sounded like a demon wolf leader, not the usual demon wolf howl. Someone might be fighting nearby, but we decided to ignore it for now.

I rappelled down the pit as well, but slipped and landed on my backside with about two meters to go. Fortunately, Kano was too engrossed in exploring the side hole to notice my clumsy landing, preserving my dignity.

"Damn, you don't seem fine. Be careful next time, bro..."

It appears I was being watched closely after all.