CH 158

I fell asleep on the bed in the rest room and woke up the next day.

I checked the time on the clock hanging on the wall of the room... And it was just before sunrise.

"I must have slept too much... It seems that I was more tired than I had imagined..."

Today is the fourth day in the dungeon.

I was tired from fighting monsters, but more than that, I was mentally exhausted from working with the new friends I had made.

It is not that I am shy.

But... when I work with people I don't fully trust and don't know their abilities, I have to be careful in my own way.

I was also more mentally drained than I should have been so that they... especially Shakuna and Ryuna... would not have to worry.

"However... we've got a lot of time to spare, and if everything goes well, we should be able to reach our target floor by the end of the day."

I'm getting used to the improvised party, and we're working well together.

At least... we won't be in as much trouble as we were in the monster house yesterday.

Though the boss monster of the 50th floor is even stronger than the 40th level guardian, but even so, we shouldn't have much trouble.

Of course, we must be on our guard.

As yesterday's accident shows, there are no absolutes in the dungeon strategy.

We must always be prepared for the unexpected, and we must work hard for the last day of the dungeon.

With renewed vigor, I get up from the bed.

"Okay, the others..."

I stretch my arms lightly and look around me... the others seem to be still sleeping.

Ryuna was in the bed next to me, and Shakuna was sleeping in the bed on the other side of her.

Hadiss is also sitting by the wall, asleep with his great sword in his arms.

Though he was a straightforward priest-knight who always took the responsibility of staying up late, but he must have been too tired to sleep after a hard day's march yesterday.

"He must have fallen asleep after being on guard duty...I'm sorry about that..."

Anyway, I get up from the bed and approaches Hadiss so as not to wake the two women.

"Hey, wake up!"

"Hmm... Huh... You're...!?"

I shook his shoulder lightly, and he immediately woke up. His eyes widen, and he grips the hilt of his sword as if in a panic.

"Calm down, I'm not your enemy. If you make too much noise, you'll wake up the princess."

"Pardon me... I must have been sleepwalking."

Hadiss seemed to remember the situation, and he slumped his shoulders and took his hand off the hilt of his sword.

"You're not going to get any sleep in that position. There is still time for you to lie down."

"...I guess so. Maybe I'll borrow your bed for a while."

I point to the bed with my finger and Haddiss nods his head after thinking for a moment.

Yesterday, Haddiss had stubbornly refused to lie down even though I offered him a bed, but today he readily agreed.

It seems that Haddiss also trusts me more now that we have been through the ordeal together.

Just as I have come to feel a strong connection with the three of them, it seems that we are also opening our hearts to each other.

"Hahaha... though it doesn't raise this old man's favor, I'm grateful..."

I shake my shoulders and clears my throat as I look at Hadiss lying on the bed.

"Well...today is the last day to attack this party. Since we're here, I'll prepare breakfast."

It may come as a surprise, but I'm not a bad cook.

After all, in the game, players can create dishes by consuming food items. By eating the food they cook, they can get healing and buffing effects that are useful during battles.

"I have just the right ingredients... curry is a safe bet."

There is no such thing as a failure with curry.

It is a bit strange to make curry in the morning, but Maafern Kingdom is a country with a culture close to Arabia, and they tend to prefer strong flavored food.

If I made curry in the morning, they would not be so reluctant to eat it.

"All right, then, let's get to work."

I grab the ingredients from my bag and head for the kitchen in the corner of the rest room.