Chapter 62

"Alright, this is where we part ways. I have to visit a friend nearby, and I'll also be setting up a meeting with the owner of the house next to mine for this evening," Bahamut said, seeing that there was nothing left for her to do at the guild.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to go alone? We had originally planned to escort you back after we were done here," Draco asked, concern evident in his voice.

He was worried about the safety of their goddess.

Bahamut chuckled softly, her confidence shining through.

"Fufu, stop being such a worrywart, Draco. I've been in Orario for 4 years now, so I know my way around. Besides, I'm pretty strong even without using my Arcanum." she said.

Draco wanted to protest, but Bahamut raised her hand, silencing him.

"I'll be fine. You all just focus on your first dungeon dive and return home safely, okay?" With a gentle pat on his shoulder, she turned and made her way towards the exit.

Draco hesitated, his lips pursed as he considered her words.

'Sigh, it's the Evilus that I'm worried about,' Draco thought.

He knew Bahamut had no reason to lie to him, especially in concern to her safety.

Draco watched her go, a sigh escaping his lips.

"I can't help but worry," he murmured to himself, before turning his attention back to the group.

"Ahem, sorry about that. Let's begin the meeting, Rose-san," he said, addressing the guild advisor who had been patiently waiting.

"It's quite alright, Draco-san," Rose replied with a stoic expression.

"Now, why don't we start with all of you introducing yourselves?" she said.

"Me first! I'm Michalis Black, age 11, and the future vice-captain of the Bahamut Familia. I'm skilled in stealth attacks with daggers," Michalis began excitedly.

Thwack!

"Ouch, what was that for?" Michalis complained.

"Behave," Draco warned him sternly.

"Sigh, I'm Clair Strauss, age 12. I'm a decent spear wielder," Clair said, her tone more subdued than Michalis'.

"I'm Eleni Black, age 11, and I use a long sword," Eleni introduced herself.

"Nikolaos Black, age 11, and I'm a heavy hammer user," he stated.

"Dimitra Black, age 11, and I'm a bow user," she said.

"Vasileios Black, age 11, and I use a sword and shield," he introduced himself.

"Vasiliki Black, age 11, and I'm an ice magic user," she said, forming icicles in her palm to demonstrate.

Finally, Draco spoke up, "And I'm Draco Black, age 12, and the captain of the Bahamut Familia." he reintroduced.

Rose nodded, her eyes scanning the group approvingly.

"Rose Fannett, age...…Ahem your guild advisor," she said, introducing herself.

She almost let slip her age, but quickly caught herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Now, let's begin." She paused, a slight hesitation in her voice after reading a sheet of paper.

"I see that you've all received some form of training, based on the information given and the diversity of your weapons. However, it's best not to underestimate the dungeon." she warned.

New adventurers tended to get cocky, overestimate themselves and get a bit greedy, which usually results in them getting killed quickly.

"We don't plan to," Draco assured her.

"Hmm, yes, that's good to hear," Rose mused, her gaze traveling over their well-crafted armour.

"Your equipment seems to be of high quality, which is quite unusual for new adventurers. May I ask where you acquired it?" she asked.

"From a Hephaestus familia store between the 4th and 8th floors of Babel, I invested a decent amount of our savings on them, Ensuring our safety is of the utmost importance." Draco replied.

"Hmm, that was a good investment. With this, I would recommend that you all stick to the 1st to 4th floors for the time being. Even with good equipment, you all still need time to adapt," Rose suggested, a bit impressed by their preparedness.

Clair nodded thoughtfully. "May I ask why the first 4 floors in particular?"she asked.

"Normally, I would suggest newbies to stick to the 1st floor, also known as the 'Beginning Road,' as it's suitable for new adventurers with stats ranging from I to H," Rose explained.

"But given your training and equipment, I've decided to expand your operational range to the first 4 floors. The deeper you go, the more dangerous the dungeon becomes, so it's important to take things slowly and build up your experience." she added.

Clair nodded in understanding, her question now answered.

"That makes sense. We'll be sure to heed your advice and focus our efforts on the first 4 floors for now." she said.

Rose nodded, satisfied with her response. "Excellent. Now, let's discuss your strategy for your first dive. I'd like to hear your thoughts on how you plan to approach the dungeon and ensure your safe return." she said.

"Before that can, I ask what kind of monsters we should expect on those floors?" Nikolaos inquired of Rose.

"Mostly goblins, kobolds and dungeon lizards spawn in those areas. Well there is also the jack bird on the first floor, but it isn't a monster that you all should concern yourselves with," Rose replied.

'Hmm, I believe we can handle much deeper floors, but no need to disregard her advice,' Draco thought.

'We can use the first week to practice our abilities freely. She will naturally gain some insight into our true capabilities if we deliver a massive amount of magic stones through the week. Then she will naturally increase the range in which we can operate.' he decided.

"Will we be provided a map of the surrounding area, or is it something we will have to purchase ourselves?" Draco asked.

"You will have to purchase one; they are readily available in the guild," Rose answered.

The meeting continued, with Rose explaining the various rules, things to avoid, and consistently warning them not to go deeper than the recommended areas.

They also came up with various plans and strategies to proceed.

Soon, the meeting ended, and the Bahamut familia were allowed to begin dungeon diving.

As they exited the guild, Draco and his group headed straight for the Babel tower.

Around the area, freelance supporters offered their services, but Draco ignored them.

Supporters were an essential part of dungeon diving, as they helped pick up magic stones, saving adventurers time, drew attention to unnoticed enemies, assisted with fights, and provided other valuable means of support.

For large familia's, they were even more important, as they performed all the menial tasks.

However, for a new and small familia like theirs, they were going to do all the work themselves.

Draco planned to rotate the group, switching between active fighters and supporters.

This could be achieved by switching and rotating the front line fighters when they were exhausted to act as supporters.

He wasn't going to place his trust in some random supporter from an unknown familia.

The entrance to the dungeon was on the first ground floor of Babel.

In the center of the room was a 10-meter-long hole that led straight into a circular room spiraling downwards.

Within the circular room were multiple columns spaced at equal intervals, and the ceiling was adorned with a beautiful, realistic painting of the real sky.

"Whoa, is this for real? Are we really in the dungeon?" Michalis exclaimed, mesmerized by everything around him.

Draco, Clair, Eleni, Nikolaos, Dimitra, Vasileios, and Vasiliki were also fascinated, but they kept their composure.

Thwack!

Draco smacked Michalis on the head to quiet him down.

His action could possibly put them in danger, as it essentially screamed to everyone around that they were newbies.

Draco wasn't worried that they might be attacked by adventurers for now, as no one was stupid enough to attack in the early floors, which had a high volume of witnesses.

However, being marked as possible prey wasn't a good feeling.

When they went deeper into the dungeon, there was definitely going to be a higher possibility of being attacked by malicious adventurers.

Not wasting any more time, Draco quickly led his familia down the stairs towards the first floor, before any more unwanted attention was drawn to them.

Upon descending into the first floor, Draco was immediately struck by the captivating sight that greeted them.

The wide hallway before them was adorned with walls covered in a mesmerizing blue luminous moss, emitting a captivating glow that seemed to pulsate with a subtle energy.

The air was filled with a unique, earthy-woody scent, likely emanating from the peculiar moss that clung to the walls.

As Draco took a deep breath, he could feel a subtle, rhythmic pulse of energy emanating from beneath his feet, almost as if the very ground was alive and beating like a heart.

In the distance, Draco could see a group of newbie adventurers grappling with the challenges of the dungeon.

Goblins spawned by the cavernous expanse were engaging the new adventurers in fierce combat, testing their mettle and determination.

'So this is the Beginners road,' Draco mused, a sense of anticipation and trepidation welling up within him.

The air was thick with the promise of adventure, and Draco knew that the trials and tribulations that lay ahead would require every ounce of their skills and fortitude.