Volume 1 Chapter 20 Frain Party
Descending to the 5th floor, we remained cautious of our surroundings, but it seemed like nothing significant was going to change.
"..."
The cave-like interior remained unchanged. The dry stone walls twisted and turned, giving the appearance of a labyrinth. In the distance, I could sense the presence of what seemed to be monsters.
And I was confident that we could handle them without any problems.
"―――Let's retreat."
""Got it.""
Without changing my declaration, I gave the order, and then looked back the way we came. There, a group of familiar men were standing in a row.
"Huh?... Tch, it's Wade."
"...Frain."
Frain. He was a fellow trainee who had been granted fire magic and challenged me to a practice battle. We hadn't interacted much since then, but I knew he had been participating in training from a distance after his wounds had healed.
Now, that guy was standing there, his face more scarred than before. Probably because of the fireball he threw at me that bounced back, burning his face.
"Hey! You guys from Wade's party! Damn it, you guys followed us here!?"
"Huh?"
The one making trouble was one of Frain's followers. Like a thug, he started saying things that didn't make sense.
"What are you talking about?"
"Because you―――"
"You idiot, knock it off. Wade wouldn't do something like that."
Just when I thought things were about to escalate, surprisingly, Frain intervened. He clenched his fist and thumped the thug's head. The thug held his head and turned towards Frain.
"Hey, Frain! What's your deal! I―――"
"Don't do stupid stuff. And these guys got to the 5th floor before us."
"Well... but..."
"Don't try to argue with nonsense. Just shut up."
So, the thug went silent. As we stood there, Frain looked at us with a guilty expression.
"...Sorry about that, the idiot was causing trouble."
"――――No. It's not a big deal."
"Alright then. We'll let you pass."
"Yeah..."
We stepped aside. Frain and his group, except for Frain who glared at me, continued ahead.
Without thinking, I questioned,
"Hey, Frain. Getting to the 5th floor is the condition for the Copper Adventurer's Badge. Exploring the 5th floor won't yield much."
"Huh? ...What's up, Wade, scared?"
Frain smirked teasingly. I chuckled and teased back,
"Not at all? Seems like you have a lot of idiots on your party. Maybe you misunderstood the conditions."
"Oh!? You got some nerve!"
"Hahaha! Wade, you've started talking like that too. Much better than your arrogant attitude before."
Frain laughed loudly, causing the thugs in Frain's party to fall silent. I shrugged my shoulders and said,
"You too, Frain. You seem more relaxed now, it's a good vibe."
"Okay, okay, enough with the pleasantries. You going home? We're moving forward. So, just disappear quickly."
"What's with the cold shoulder?"
"Do friendly guys become adventurers?"
Frain retorted as he and his comrades raised their hands and walked off into the distance. They were probably just like us - a leader making decisions and members following those decisions.
After watching them disappear into the darkness, I turned to the two of them and said,
"...Let's go home. For now, we are all just copper torch adventurers."
"Yeah...."
"Yeah, that's right. I'm a little concerned about them, but that's a different story..."
At that moment, a deep scream echoed from the unknown. We turned our gaze over there in an instant. Deep in the darkness. At the far end of the darkness. Where Frain and the others had gone ahead.
"Hey, Wade-kun, look."
"That scream just now――― It's Frain-kun and the others, right?"
To the two of them in panic, I said,
"We're changing the plan. Let's go check on them. If they're in danger, we'll provide support."
"―――Alright. Got it."
"You've got good judgment. Understood, leader."
After giving the command, we started to run. It had only been a dozen seconds since we parted ways with them. We could catch up soon.
As we continued down the winding path of stones, we entered a large space. Light. The torches of Frain's party. And the enemies illuminated by them―――
"...Chimera."
A colossal figure towering above them. A chaotic composite beast of multiple animals. It had the heads of a lion and a goat, and a snake hissed from its tail with a distinctive sound.
Plus, Frain's thug was almost swallowed up. Its sharp fangs pierced through the thug's back, making blood drip here and there.
"W-Wha, a C-Chimera...! Th-This was, uh, the boss of this dungeon, right...?"
"H-Haha. This might've been a little too much... Whether we can handle this or not."
My eyes widened, and I gritted my teeth. But there was no option to retreat at this point.
"Hey, Frain! We've come to help!"
"Huh! Tsk, you heard the screams and came running... you idiots. You guys are gonna die too."
"Let's try doing something before we think about that. We'll cover you. Rescuing him should be top priority, right?"
"Yeah. Do whatever you want. Because you won't be able to go back without killing them!"
As he spoke, Frain unleashed "Fire Arrow!" shooting arrows of flames. It seemed he had learned a new magic spell. Fire Arrows were faster and sharper than Fireballs, flying straight towards the Chimera.
However, the Chimera swiftly dodged that attack. Frain clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Hey, Slow Magic! You've been getting faster lately! Get rid of it withh those moves that don't suit your physique!"
"Don't order me around like that. I'll manage without being told."
As he spoke, I reached for my back.
There was a weapon too heavy for a normal person's hands. A massive iron lump. The super-special greatsword. Since I received it from the shopkeeper, it hadn't been used practically even once.
I removed the leather sheath. Ice's eyes sparkled with excitement, Clay chuckled and said, "Finally, it's your turn," while Frain just stared in disbelief, saying, "...Wasn't that just for show?"
I wielded the sword, using [Weight Reduce] to lessen its heaviness. The Chimera, noticing, spat out the thug it had almost swallowed and growled at me.
"Let's do this!"
My whole body tingled with anticipation.
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