Their party quickly went through the portal, leaving the Mega Slime's corpse behind. As soon as they got to the third floor, which looked almost the same as the first and second floors, they quickly turned around and retreated.
They had had enough for a day, so it was time they returned! As they got out, however, they were surprised.
"What's with this crowd?" Tina commented with disgust.
Around the entrance, several dozen parties were present, either about to enter the dungeon or returning after a day's hunt. There were so many of them that it was dizzying!
"Oh, you guys are back!"
As usual, the Oni Old Man manning the gate smiled as he welcomed Aster's party. However, as per the case all the time, only Cassy was kind enough to respond to his words.
"Yes! We just reached the third floor! Amazing, right?!"
"Ohh! Third floor after starting for a week? That's good; that's good."
"Right?" Cassy smiled sweetly before turning to face the crowd around them. "But, Mister, why are there so many adventurers around this time?"
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"Huh? Ah, you were conquering the second floor yesterday, so you didn't hear, right?"
"Hmm?"
"On the fifth floor, a new crypt was discovered! Since the ones who discovered it brought some amazing weapons, everyone is hyped about exploring it."
Apparently, this crypt suddenly appeared in a secluded zone on the fifth floor. Since nobody usually goes around those parts, it was a miracle that an eccentric party found it after trying to check the accuracy of the maps they bought.
They had been on the field for two days, so their supplies dwindled by a bit, of course. Thankfully, half of their ammo remained, so they don't have to buy more just yet. With regards to food, they still have enough for a day and a half, so that's no problem either.
With regards to potions, the only one they used was the one Tina applied to herself during the boss fight. In short, they were all green to go!
Aster smiled, not expecting them to have this much excess supply. "This is nice. Then, let's go greet whoever is leading this floor rush."
"Ah, I asked around, and apparently, it's a member of the Dragon's Roar Clan that's leading the event!" Cassy declared while being as sociable as ever. "When I asked, they said that anyone's free to join in, but they wouldn't take any responsibility for any injuries or losses we sustain."
"Hmmm, reasonable."
They were simply organizing the event, after all. Whether other parties join or not is their choice. In short, as usual, they had to look out for themselves too.
"Then, Kali, Tina. You two, go buy a substitute weapon first. Yours were destroyed during the boss fight, after all."
Aster told the two, passing his adventurer's card to Kali, but it was snatched by Tina. "Keep the expense low, as I don't have much balance left on my card either."
During the time they split up to buy supplies, Aster had already cut off a large chunk of his money to give to the others. After all, his task was merely grocery shopping, which didn't really cost him as much.
His balance was almost 1 million Tels, but thinking of the price of a weapon, it would barely be able to cover the amount needed by the two.
The two rushed on their way—quarreling as they went—going to the closest shop they could find, which was ten minutes away on foot.
While they were gone, Aster and the two decided to rest for a bit, sitting directly on the ground. While Liz and Cassy were chatting, Aster, however, was thinking about something else.
The anomalies they have faced on several occasions. And now, a new crypt appears on a floor above theirs. Aster wasn't suffering from main character syndrome, but he felt as if all those events were connected to him—or, to be more accurate, brought forth by his presence.
"It's as if some weird power is guiding me onward. Wishing for me to dive deeper into the dungeon while getting stronger."
He stared at the sky, now tinted heavily red and orange by the setting sun, and sighed.