21 - Sleepless Night

With the successful capture of the Lich, all TV programs broadcasted an emergency bulletin about the Focus's achievement. One TV station even extended its special program by four hours, replaying the 32nd-floor capture and featuring commentary from a former adventurer.

My mother and sister, who are big fans of Focus, stayed up late watching TV, thrilled by the success. Meanwhile, my father was already in bed due to his early morning routine.

"It's past midnight; shouldn't you go to bed?"

I was amazed to see the whole country celebrating the new level's success, with the program seemingly running indefinitely.

"I'm off tomorrow, so I'll be fine!"

"Oh, but I have work tomorrow."

There was something I wanted to ask them...

"What would you think if you had the chance to become an adventurer?"

"I'm an old lady, Theo. I don't think I'd be able to fight monsters..."

Physical strength declines with age, making it difficult to be an adventurer. But when I mentioned that strengthening your body in dungeons has an anti-aging effect, she lit up like a child with a new toy.

"Why didn't you tell me that earlier? I think I'll go slime hunting tomorrow after work!"

"Yeah, I want to go too!"

I read about anti-aging in an adventurer's magazine at the guild library. The saint of this country once said, "The secret to staying young? It's the dungeon. If you think that's a lie, tell it to the [Saint]." She has been diving into dungeons since before the war and is still active, though her age remains unknown since she doesn't reveal her face. Well, that's a story for another time.

I tried to talk to them gently, explaining, "It's tough to fight normally, but there's a good power leveling spot on the fifth floor. If you want to be a frontline dungeon hunter, you need to get used to fighting. But if you just want to get stronger quickly, power leveling is the way to go. You'll also pick up tactics and knowledge along the way."

"Can I go to the fifth floor? Isn't it too early?" my sister asked.

"Dad is only on the fourth floor, but the adventurer school is amazing," my mother replied.

"You've only been in the dungeon for two weeks, right?" My sister tilted her head, counting on her fingers.

Even my father struggles to raise his level, despite recruiting a party of almost ten people to patrol the dungeon on weekends.

At higher levels, forming a party is more efficient, but at lower levels, it's often better to find a good hunting ground and level up solo or in pairs. You just need to know the right spots.

"Mom, since you're working, we'll go when you have time. If it's with Sophia, we can go the Sunday after next. Tomorrow, I want to level up a bit more so I can power level safely."

"Yay! But how do we get into the dungeon? I don't have an adventurer's card."

"Yes, Sophie is only 14. The Adventurer's Guild won't allow it," my mother added.

Entry to the dungeon is strictly controlled by the government. The gates aren't well-known to the general public, so normally they would be inaccessible. It's probably not a good idea to bypass the gates to enter the dungeons anyway.

"There's a good way to do it. Rest assured that it's safe."

"Yay!"

"Fine... But if it gets dangerous, don't push yourself too hard."

"Yes!"

The TV was still broadcasting a program celebrating the successful conquest of the dungeon.

"By the way, do you think Focus will come back to defeat the boss again?"

"Once you defeat the floor boss, it doesn't reappear or move to another location, so you can just move up without having to defeat it again."

"Oh, I see."

The Orc Lord on the fifth floor was also a floor boss initially. To defeat such a creature with [Novice] adventurers around level 5, you'd need a considerable number of people. But it'll be a lot easier if I use the bridge drop tactic.

"So, I'm looking forward to Sunday. Good night, brother."

"Yeah, good night."

I went to brush my teeth and get ready for bed. But after watching that dungeon attack, my blood is still pumping, and I don't think I'll be able to sleep...

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As I lay in bed, I couldn't help but reflect on how close I came to losing my life. Conquering floor bosses that no one had ever defeated and reaching previously unreachable levels was a monumental achievement in the game. Battling powerful monsters was the hottest topic among The Conquest players.

Floor bosses were significantly stronger than the regular monsters on each floor, making it extremely challenging for a small party to defeat them. However, defeating them was crucial to progressing to the next floor.

In the game, clans would often team up to challenge the floor bosses, trying repeatedly until they succeeded. Just before I came to this world, there was a massive effort by multiple clans to conquer the 100th floor.

The battle shown on TV earlier was markedly different from a game. Adventurers risked their lives and the lives of their comrades to face these challenges. While the broadcast might seem glamorous, it was clear they had endured countless failures and faced pressures and fears beyond imagination. In this world, the concept of "try and die" was unacceptable.

From my own experience with the Orc Lord, I realized the importance of constantly revising dungeon strategy plans.

Still, I gleaned a few insights from watching that Lich battle. One key takeaway was about the manual activation of skills.

From what I observed in the video, the adventurers relied solely on auto-activation and never manually activated skills by drawing magic circles or combining skill motions. It's unlikely they avoided showing this on TV. Manual activation can shorten cooldown times and enhance skill power. If they were fighting on the edge, they would normally utilize every advantage available.

If that's the case, then it's likely that manual activation is either unknown in this world or is subject to some form of restriction, carefully hidden and controlled. The former seems more probable.

I also learned something about jobs. The only mid-level job that supports recovery is [Priest]. Despite the abundance of [Priests] in Focus, there was no one with the advanced job of [Cleric]. Even Mikazuchi hadn't reached the [Cleric] job. At a level where they could fight liches, they should have accumulated enough job experience.

The tank role was being played by a [Warrior], who typically functions as an attacker, using a shield. In that battle, even among intermediate jobs, a [Knight] would have had higher resistance to both physical and magical attacks, making it illogical to exclude them given their skills.

So, is there information on how to transition to jobs like [Cleric] and [Knight]?

I couldn't find any information on [Cleric], but research revealed that [Knights] have been confirmed in some European countries. Because of the potential misuse of dungeon information, it's likely not widely shared with the private sector and is often highly classified.

For example, [Samurai] is an advanced job confirmed only in Japan. The Japanese government keeps the job change method for [Samurai] a state secret, offering it to promising young individuals in exchange for their loyalty. Similarly, it's plausible that certain countries increase the number of [Knights] by treating it as a privilege. In a sense, high-level adventurers are regarded as a national asset.

There was one thing I couldn't understand: why didn't they deploy [Saints] in the battle against the Lich?

A [Saint]'s skill, |Turn Undead|, should have been capable of inflicting massive damage on the Lich, which has high magic resistance. Even if they were not particularly skilled, a [Saint] could still have dealt more damage than a [Samurai]. Additionally, a |Sanctuary| spell would have restored the area while simultaneously damaging the undead, making the fight against the four Chaos Soldiers considerably easier.

Most importantly, the |Revive| spell, which can resurrect the dead, is a critical skill. Even if it isn't used during a fight with a floor boss or another strong enemy, just having the ability to revive makes a [Saint] indispensable.

Surely there are [Saints] in this country, so why didn't Focus seek their assistance? Are there none available, or is the existence of [Saints] a bluff?

I can't be certain whether [Saints] are real or not, but it's troubling that the [Saint] role is one that Sasaki could potentially take on during the event.

If she easily becomes a [Saint], what impact will that have on Japan and the rest of the world? Even if this scenario plays out as it did in the game, there are too many variables to predict. We need to understand how unknown jobs, including the protagonist's [Hero] role, will affect the world.

In this regard, I need to meet with a high-ranking adventurer, ideally a Japanese [Saint], to hear their stories and make informed decisions. But first, I must level up so I can meet them without hesitation. Right now, as a level 7 [Novice], I'd be turned away at the gate.

I shouldn't overthink this. Sleep will come soon...

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Dear readers,

I deeply apologize for the recent lack of updates. I was involved in a bike accident that left my hands unable to write new chapters. Thankfully, I have fully recovered, which is why I am able to upload today's new chapter. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Sincerely,

[AuctorExMachina]