CH 25

Chapter 25: A Reason to Help

C-Rank Instant Dungeons are actually composed of 3 floors.

Yuto and Ellis cleared 2 floors and were taking a break on the stairway.

Yuto: “Fwew...I’m glad we were able to progress in this dungeon rather easily…”

Ellis: “Mr. Yuto is...incredibly strong, yes….”

Ellis’ eyes were wide open as she stared at Yuto who was drinking from his water sack.

She has yet to use her [HEAL] magic for any real injuries.

On the 1st and 2nd floor, they fought Orcs.

They are appropriate for a [EARTH] type dungeon - a monster with high toughness and defense.

An Orc is a boar-like creature standing on two legs.

They are protected by a thick layer of fat, and it requires a considerable amount of skill just to penetrate its hide and wound it.

But Yuto had a brand new weapon.

A katana made from a material that all adventurers dream of - a Mithril blade.

No matter how high the Orc’s defense was, against a Mithril blade, it cut through them like paper.

But Yuto is not blindly cutting the Orcs into pieces.

He is utilizing his [Critical Thrust] specialty, and attacking their vital weak points.

His battles have been brief and short-lived.

If an Orc approached Yuto, the next moment, its head was separated from its shoulders.

Yuto: (But it won’t just activate with any random swing of the sword though…”

Yuto has been experimenting with his [Critical Thrust] to a certain degree.

He wanted to know if he was able to strike an opponent’s vital weak point even if he did not intend to.

The conclusion? A random swing will not automatically strike an opponent’s vital weakness.

That was expected.

If that were true, every strike would automatically transform into a vital weak point. He would be practically invincible with an extremely dangerous specialty.

He could poke at his stiff muscles and accidentally execute himself.

Yuto: (From the feel of it, it looks like my attacks meant for vital weak points now have a higher chance of succeeding.)

For instance, the spine is composed of many bones.

If you try to decapitate a creature, there is a high chance that you will hit the bone in the neck.

With the [Critical Thrust] specialty applied, the chance of the blade coincidentally meeting exactly where the joints connect has been increased. But to Yuto, the chances were now something close to 100% accuracy.

He was lucky to have such a specialty within his Skill Tree.

Because of that, Yuto has been able to easily dispatch the C-Rank monsters.

Without a doubt, raising his Physical Strength and Swordsmanship have contributed equally to how effective he has been in battle today.

Ellis: “Um….Mr. Yuto….are you….hurt at all….yes?”

Yuto: “I’m doing well, thank you.”

Ellis: “Any problems with stamina?”

Yuto: “Nope. No problems there either. ….wait, can Heal Casters help recover stamina too?”

Ellis: “Yes, yes. I can use [HEAL] and [STAMINA CHARGE], yes.”

Yuto: “Wow…”

Yuto was surprised to hear Ellis’ list of spells.

He assumed that she could only use [HEAL].

Ellis: “S-so, if I cast [STAMINA CHARGE] during battle, yes. Then your battle will go smoother, yes!”

Yuto: “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that just yet. Please save your magic for now.”

In their first battles, every time Yuto would get into battle with an Orc, Ellis would target Yuto with a [HEAL] spell.

Yuto has been in several parties with a Heal Caster.

But this was the first time he saw a Heal Caster use [HEAL] magic with such bold methods.

Typically, Heal Casters would cast [HEAL] directly on party members after the battle is finished.

That’s because casting [HEAL] at longer distances will incur additional magic costs.

Throwing [HEAL] at Yuto from afar when Yuto hasn’t even been wounded is nothing but a waste of magic.

Hence, Yuto forbid Ellis to use [HEAL] this way.

If she continued to use [HEAL] like this, she would easily faint from magic exhaustion and would not be able to cast [HEAL] when that critical moment arrives.

Yuto: “Okay! Let’s go down to the 3rd floor. It’s the last floor so let’s give it our all!”

Ellis: “Y-yes, yes!”

They carefully descend down the steps.

Watching Yuto’s back while walking down the stairs, Ellis spoke to Yuto.

Ellis: “Why did Mr. Yuto, a D-Rank adventurer, come into a C-Rank Dungeon, yes?”

Up until this point, Yuto explained to Ellis briefly his rank and background.

When he first spoke of saying how he recently climbed up from E-Rank to D-Rank, she cried for him out of sympathy and pity.

Ellis: “Y-you’re going to die because of me now…..WAAAAAH!!”

But watching Yuto actually fight, after understanding his combat skills, Ellis no longer cried.

But even so, Ellis just could not understand Yuto’s actions and stared at him with wonder.

Yuto: “Hmmmm…. I don’t know if I can explain this well but…”

Yuto has been thinking about this since she first asked him the same question.

Why did his body suddenly move like it did?

Yuto: “Because it was something I would hate to have happen to me, maybe? And also--”

You walk into an Instant Dungeon, but none of your party members follow.

It’s not like Yuto hasn’t ever thought of the situation happening to him.

But up until now, Yuto has managed to survive without getting abandoned like that.

Once you enter, you can’t leave unless you clear it.

And the teammates you trusted suddenly betray you and leave you to die.

That was something Yuto would never want to experience.

And on top of that, he also felt this.

--if I was Ellis...

Yuto: “I thought, ‘If I was Ellis,’ then having someone come help me would definitely make me happy.”

That’s all. That’s the only reason Yuto needed for his body to move at that moment.

At those words, Ellis was lost in thought and words as she stared into Yuto’s face.

Because of that, she misstepped a step on the stairs.

Ellis: “Ahh!”

Yuto: “Whoa, got you.”

Yuto caught her body in the air.

Ellis’ ears visibly turned bright red.

Ellis: “Ack!! I-I-I-I’m so sorry, yes!!”

Yuto: “Are you okay?” Ellis: “Y-y-y-YESH! I’M ODAY!!”

Ellis tripped over her words, and Yuto, concerned, looked into her eyes.

But Ellis quickly turned her eyes away.

Yuto: (Did I do something to make her mad….?)

Yuto scratched his head as they continued to descend down the stairs.

Now Ellis kept a distance that was not too close but also not too far.

In a way, she walked behind him like an adopted kitten.

Yuto: (I hope she didn’t sprain her ankle…)

Yuto was worried for a moment, but Ellis was walking normally.

She’s also a Heal Caster so she would be able to heal her own injuries.

Yuto switched his mindset and began focusing on the next battle.

On the 3rd floor, they fought Orc Soldiers and Orc Chiefs which were one rank above the previous monsters they fought.

2 Soldiers and 1 Chief attack Yuto.

It’s probably because of the Chief that their movements were more coordinated than usual.

“BUOOOOGHH!!”

Yuto: “Whoa….!!”

Yuto dodges an attack from a Soldier, and changes his position by sliding his feet.

He gradually circles around and attacks the Chief directly.

Yuto: “---HAAAA!!”

With a shout, Yuto beheads the Chief.

With the Chief out of the picture, the two soldiers cannot coordinate their attacks as well.

Seeing his chance, Yuto beheads the other two quickly.

Yuto: “Fwew.”

Yuto relaxes his stance and swings the blood off his blade and puts the katana back in its sheath.

Maybe it’s because the monsters are higher rank, but it took more time to take down these 3.

Even so, Yuto still had more than enough strength left.

Ellis: “Mr. Yuto, do you have any injuries?”

Ellis skips to where Yuto is standing.

Her movements reminded him of a small animal, and it made Yuto smile.

Yuto: “I’m okay. Thank you.”

Ellis: “But Mr. Yuto! You are incredibly strong, yes! You’re amazing, yes! Even my party members…”

Not being able to finish her sentence, Ellis shakes her head to forget them.

She remembered the ones responsible for putting her in this position.

To get Ellis’ mind off the topic, Yuto quickly changes the subject.

Yuto: “....we’re getting close to the boss room. I’m assuming the boss will be an Orc King.”

Ellis: “P-probably. I believe so, yes.”

Ellis nods in agreement.

An Orc King is a C-Rank monster.

Yuto expects the Orc King to be about the same strength as him or maybe even higher.

If it was just him, he would be at a disadvantage.

But this time, Ellis is with him.

She is a Heal Caster that can cast [HEAL] type spells.

Even in the worst case scenario, Yuto could get injured and quickly recover because of her.

She can even help him recover his stamina.

If the battle prolongs, Yuto’s advantage would only continue to grow.

Yuto: “Okay, let’s go!”

Ellis: “Yes, yes!”

They pick up the drops from the Orcs they defeated, and they head further into the room.

There were 5 rooms total on the 3rd floor.

In each room, Yuto defeats them completely leaving just the last room.

The only remaining room now is the boss room.

Standing in front of the boss room, Yuto gasps as he sees what is waiting for him inside.

Ellis: “.....no……….”

Next to him, despair also creeps over Ellis’ face.

Inside the boss room, there was only one monster.

And that monster was not the Orc King.

The monster was made from the same material as Yuto’s katana - it was a Mithril Golem.