Passing through the first, second, and third floors via the shortest route, Kazane-san and I arrived at the fourth floor. The cave scenery remained monotonous, but the encountered monsters varied.
Our first encounter on the fourth floor consisted of one Goblin, one Hobgoblin, one Goblin Archer, and a new monster called the Goblin Shaman.
The Goblin Shaman resembled a Goblin but with a more colorful loincloth, a skull helmet, and a staff. Known as a tricky foe on the fourth floor, the expectations matched their abilities in battle.
The monster group attacked with the Goblins and Hobgoblins at the front lines and the Goblin Archer and Goblin Shaman at the back. Kazane-san initiated the battle with a wind attribute magic attack, targeting the Hobgoblin.
Upon Kazane-san’s attack, she moved in for a close-range assault on the Hobgoblin with her dagger, her signature move against them. However, before she could strike, a fire magic attack from the Goblin Shaman hit her, interrupting her attack and causing damage.
Despite the attack not being fatal, the speed and tracking ability of the fire magic made it challenging to avoid, dampening Kazane-san’s spirit. As the Hobgoblin launched a fierce attack, Kazane-san had to prioritize defense.
While Kazane-san was under pressure, I managed to defeat the Goblin with a single spear strike, turning it into a magic stone. However, I couldn’t evade the Goblin Archer’s arrow attack, taking a hit to the abdomen. The arrow disintegrated into a black haze upon impact.
Despite the Leather Armor’s defense, the hit wasn’t significant.
“Daaaah!” I disregarded it and charged towards the Goblin Shaman. Kazane-san seemed to have defeated the Hobgoblin a bit later than me, but this allowed me to act quickly. However, the Goblin Shaman unleashed a second fire magic attack aimed at me.
The target was me. I attempted to defend with my shield, but I couldn’t evade it in time, taking a direct hit to the side with the flame projectile.
“Ugh…!” As I moved in, the Goblin Shaman fired another fireball attack, landing a blow to my side.
“Rokuyari-san! Take this!”
Kazane-san swiftly dealt with the Goblin Archer using two short swords in one strike. I charged at the Goblin Shaman and launched an attack with my spear. Although it hit, one strike wasn’t enough to defeat the Shaman.
Only after enduring another fire magic attack did I manage to turn the Goblin Shaman into a magic stone. After repelling all the monsters, Kazane-san and I collapsed to the ground.
“Phew, phew… Oh, we took a beating… Rokuyari-san, are you okay?” Kazane-san expressed concern.
“I took quite a hit… Oh, my HP is less than half now,” I replied.
“Oh, scary.”
If a seeker’s HP drops below zero, they apparently faint on the spot. Nearby seekers usually become the primary target for monsters, but cases of unconscious seekers being targeted haven’t been reported so far.
If HP drops to zero, it goes negative, leading to a dead end if it reaches the same negative value as maximum HP. For now, as long as I don’t push myself too hard, it shouldn’t come to that.
Since awakening as a seeker, the fear of “death” doesn’t seem as intense. It’s more like a reminder to be cautious and avoid that outcome.
I decided to use “Earth Heal” to heal the injuries of both Kazane-san and me. Since Kazane-san only took one hit from the Goblin Shaman’s magic attack, one application of “Earth Heal” fully healed her. However, after enduring two fire magic attacks from the Goblin Shaman and one arrow from the Goblin Archer, I required two “Earth Heal” applications for full recovery.
As a result of just one battle, my MP decreased to “28/40.”
“In a third-level battle, it’s usually a balance of two or three fights before using a single Earth Heal spell,” I mentioned to Kazane-san.
“It’s tough… Just one Goblin Shaman really changes the battle balance,” Kazane-san remarked, concerned about the challenges of the fourth floor.
“We need to take out that Goblin Shaman first,” I agreed. However, it seemed challenging to defeat the Shaman with just one “Wind Slash.”
“We’ll have to think about it… Maybe if I level up and get ‘Lock Bullet’… But either way, it still consumes MP,” I pondered aloud.
We both fell into thought, contemplating our options. According to dungeon information I found online, the fourth floor’s monster composition was described as the “third floor monster composition plus one Goblin Shaman.”
The Goblin Shaman was always part of the lineup, making the enemy composition quite formidable.
“Should we focus on leveling up in the third floor for a while?” I suggested.
“It seems like the best option. I just reached level 11 yesterday, so it might take a while for me to level up. We need something impactful,” Kazane-san agreed.
Consequently, we temporarily abandoned the fourth floor exploration and decided to return to the third floor for leveling up.
However, a breakthrough in this stagnant situation came after our dungeon exploration that day.
Around 5 PM, after returning to the Dungeon Comprehensive building, I noticed a missed call on my phone. Upon redialing, a familiar voice of my sociable junior greeted me.
“Hey, Rokuyari-senpai! I have a favor to ask. Could you take me to the dungeon?,” the junior requested.
My part-time job junior had some puzzling request for me, following our dungeon exploration that day.
