CH 253

Episode 253 – Get-Together

After defeating the Elemental Golem, we successfully made it back to the Safe Area and rested our tired bodies.

Then the next day, we went down to the 23rd layer for a second try, this time with me as the main attacker. Our hidden goal for this time was to successfully defeat the Boss twice in one run.

Making it to the 30th layer required us to be able to easily defeat the Elemental Golem, so we wanted to put forward our best efforts in getting used to this Boss fight. After all, there were even tougher enemies awaiting us beyond the Elemental Golem on the 24th layer.

After we had defeated the Elemental Golem for the second time within two days, we went back to the Safe Area on the 10th layer and, after taking a break, made our way out of the Dungeon. The moment we had stepped out into the Adventurer’s Guild, we were met with the loud, earsplitting sound of cheering.

…It seemed that a huge crowd of people who had been watching us on the Dungeon monitor had assembled. Just from the looks of it, it was about twice as many people as the time we had first made it to the 20th layer.

“Conquering the Dungeon at the Fastest Pace as a Party of Three.”

Because of the article that Tobias had written, there had been an explosive growth in the number of fans due to us defeating the Elemental Golem this time around, which had further ignited the growth in our popularity.

“[Sun Strelka] is coming out! We watched your fight against the Elemental Golem!”

But I’m really not sure if I should be happy or sad about being this popular. I responded to the crowd with an ambiguous expression and then slowly dragged my feet forward, holding back the exhaustion that was surging within me.

“For now, thanks for your hard work everyone.” (Lewin)

“G-Good work out there.” (Rosalie)

“Good work.” (Aruna)

After we had slipped out of the Guild, we headed to Araku Village, which had become our usual spot for get-togethers and review meetings. Aruna ordered a drink and occasionally took gulps out of it while slumped over the table, while Rosalie sipped on her juice. I was drinking water, desperately trying to keep my eyes open while fighting off the sleepiness.

“I thought our second fight against the Elemental Golem went pretty well, but what do you guys think?” (Lewin)

“I a-also think it went well. I had said this back when we were in the Dungeon, b-but that was my best Dungeon p-performance in my life.” (Rosalie)

“Other than the time when Lewin was testing out various items, it wasn’t too bad.” (Aruna)

Like me, they both felt that it went pretty well, and they didn’t raise any special points to reflect on. As Rosalie had said herself, she was really performing like a completely different person altogether, and my items, well… I just wanted to test them out for future reference. After these first two fights against the Elemental Golem, I felt that I could fight it more consistently in the future.

“Well then, it’s fine if there are no points to reflect on for the fight against the Elemental Golem. I guess we’ll just get used to it with more practice.” (Lewin)

“Yeah. No problem with that.” (Aruna)

“I also have no problem with that plan.” (Rosalie)

After unanimously agreeing on this point, we had exhausted our list of topics for today’s review meeting. Due to the food that I’d ordered not arriving yet, I wanted to extend the conversation a bit more, but I wasn’t sure what to talk about.

Maybe about our increasing number of fans, or about clearing the Dungeon beyond the 23rd floor? …Come to think of it, there was one thing I was curious about.

“Um, this is a bit of a change in topic, but… Rosalie-san, what are you planning to do after the Elemental Golem?” (Lewin)

From what I recalled, Rosalie had cleared until the 23rd layer as an adventurer before retiring and joining the Adventurer’s Guild as an employee. Her entire party had retired and disbanded. In other words, something must have happened with either the Elemental Golem or whatever was on the 24th layer, so it wouldn’t be strange for her to stop filling in for the party at this point.

“Uhhh… To tell you the t-truth, I was originally planning to leave the party after c-clearing the 23rd layer. I mean, I’d never even t-thought that we would reach the 23rd layer, but…” (Rosalie)

“Then does that mean you’re going to leave now?” (Lewin)

“N-No! That was only how I thought a long time ago. But if Aruna-san and Lewin-san don’t mind, I w-would be glad if you could let me stay and help you clear for a little while longer.” (Rosalie)

Hearing those words made me relieved from the bottom of my heart. If Rosalie left, the normalcy our party was enjoying would reach an abrupt end.

Now that we had gained popularity, there would be a lot of people who would express their interest if we were to put up a recruitment notice, but in order for a 3-person party to work, they needed to have a proportionate level of strength. And aside from their strength, they would also need the ability to understand our strategies and tactics.

…Considering all of those points, I realized all over again how lucky it was for someone like me, who was completely nameless at the time, to have found and recruited both Rosalie and Aruna into my party right off the bat.

“That’d be great, Rosalie-san! If you left now, we would basically have to start from square one. Thank you so much.” (Lewin)

“N-Not at all. I’m the one who should be thanking you. I’m not exaggerating when I say this… but right now, I’m having the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. I’m really glad that I was able to fill in for this party,” Rosalie said with a bashful smile.

“I’m also having a lot of fun clearing the Dungeon with you and Aruna-san!” (Lewin)

“You two are so cheesy. I’m getting embarrassed just listening to you guys.” (Aruna)

If anything were to happen, I had the strength to protect her, and as long as we didn’t get into a serious pinch, I should be able to deal with any situation that arose. Besides, there was always Aruna, who was both powerful and highly adaptable.

“In that case, I’m looking forward to continuing to work with you, Rosalie-san!” (Lewin)

“Yes, me too!” (Rosalie)

“Tell me what happened to your party someday, Rosalie. We can talk about it over some drinks.” (Aruna)

“I d-don’t really mind telling you two, you know? B-But it won’t be a pleasant tale.” (Rosalie)

“Are you sure it’s alright? I’d like to hear about it, if you really don’t mind.” (Lewin)

In this way, our review meeting/get-together in Araku Village continued late into the night as we listened to the story of Rosalie’s past over food, alcohol, and juice.