Chapter 61

Chapter 61 - Dungeon of the Rocky Mountain Part 1

After being rocked in the carriage for about three hours from the capital, we arrived near the dungeon's destination.

Since the carriage couldn't proceed any further, we decided to disembark here.

"I will await your return here as well."

"Yes, thank you for bringing us this far."

I thanked the coachman, and Chloe followed suit as he departed.

Afterward, we walked toward the dungeon and reached its entrance in a few minutes.

There were soldiers from the kingdom stationed here too, and we showed our adventurer cards to enter.

"Chloe, do you remember the information from the documents earlier?"

"Well, I tried my best to remember, but I couldn't recall everything."

I reassured Chloe that I remembered most of it, so we would be cautious in dangerous situations.

"Thanks, Jin-kun! Truly, you're the brains of this party!"

"There are only two of us, you know..."

As we conversed, we proceeded and encountered the first monster in the dungeon.

The creature we encountered was the most common monster in this dungeon, the Golem.

Specifically, it was the Normal-type Golem that frequently appeared in the lower levels.

"Jin-kun, it's my first time seeing a Golem. It's so huge!"

"Although it looks tough, we can actually defeat it quite easily. Chloe, watch closely, and I'll show you how to defeat the Golem."

With those words, I stepped forward and charged toward the Golem.

Among the monsters, the Normal Golem had the slowest movement.

Its vulnerability lay in the rocky protrusions that concealed its "core."

Attacking that core directly could lead to swift victory, especially with a character possessing considerable strength or using specialized magical attacks.

"Wow, amazing! You defeated the Golem in one blow!"

"Chloe, your recent magical training and good aim paid off. You're also good at aiming, Chloe."

"Next time one appears, I'll try to take it down on my own!"

Watching my battle, Chloe expressed her eagerness to fight as well.

A little while later, another Normal Golem emerged.

True to her words, Chloe stepped forward, leaving me behind, and challenged the Golem to battle.

With her physical abilities and keen eyesight, Chloe swiftly identified the Golem's weakness and attacked it with a water spell.

Water was the Golem's elemental weakness, and when Chloe's magic struck its core, the Golem collapsed instantly.

"Yay, Jin-kun, I did it!"

"Congratulations, Chloe. Your magical prowess has improved significantly, and your training is paying off."

"Yeah!"

Praised by me, Chloe happily returned my compliment with a smile.

However, the original Chloe hadn't practiced magic to this extent, so I wondered if my influence was responsible for her growth.

In the source material, while Chloe did use magic, she hadn't reached this level.

Considering she was originally skilled in close combat, her current proficiency in magic felt a bit out of place.

"Hey, Jin-kun, what's wrong? You look troubled."

"Oh, it's nothing. Just thinking about something."

Caught by Chloe as I pondered, I quickly dismissed it and urged us to move forward.

At this point, I could only accept that Chloe had indeed changed due to my influence.

Even my relationship with Flora had evolved to a friendship...

"Now that we've confirmed the results of our training, shall we try fighting together in a coordinated manner?"

"Absolutely. I've been training on my own lately, so our teamwork might be a bit rusty. We need to get our synergy back."

Chloe, who had dispatched the Golems with single blows, agreed enthusiastically.

From then on, we eliminated every monster that emerged from the dungeon, progressing steadily.

Using single strikes for the most part and staying composed even when facing multiple enemies, we continued our hunt, methodically advancing deeper into the dungeon.

"Oh, Jin-kun, look at that Golem. It's a different color."

"Get ready, Chloe. It's a Gold Ingot Golem... We have to defeat it."

"Huh? Yeah, I'll do my best, but what's going on, Jin-kun?"

Spotting a differently colored Golem, I shifted from my relaxed demeanor to full concentration. Chloe was bewildered by my sudden change.

The Gold Ingot Golem, as the name suggests, generates gold ingots within its body.

The quantity of gold varied, but even the minimum yield was worth more than the rewards for most quests.

However, hunting this Golem posed a challenge.

The Gold Ingot Golem engaged in combat and would flee if it sensed defeat.

Its escape speed exceeded that of a regular Golem, making it difficult for us to catch up in our current state.

"Chloe, the reason I've been defeating Golems in one strike until now was to prepare for this. We need to learn how to hunt Golems to take down this one."

"Jin-kun, you've been acting differently since earlier. So, what sets this Golem apart from the others?"

Chloe seemed to have overlooked or forgotten the information about the Gold Ingot Golem in the documents.

I proceeded to provide a brief explanation to Chloe about the Gold Ingot Golem.

"I won't let it escape!"

Realizing the potential of the Gold Ingot Golem, Chloe's determination matched mine.

From there, Chloe and I meticulously strategized and initiated our battle against the Gold Ingot Golem.