CH 44

The usual Guild’s training grounds.

This time, I was able to meet the members of without any interruptions.

[Sorry, I haven’t been able to watch over you guys much lately.]

It had already been two weeks since their party cleared the .

The first week of work on the Status Appraisal was supposed to be over already, but as soon as the information about Classes were released, the situation reverted back to the way it was a week ago.

In addition to being busy with the Status Appraisal itself, I had to adjust the conditions with the Guild, verify and compile accurate information, educate the Guild personnel, and write a promotional manga.

It was Radd who responded to my apology.

[It was no problem. If you become famous, it’s a benefit to us too, Old man.]

When he said that while adopting a rather formal attitude……

[You can just say that you’re happy Rex is being praised.]

[O- Oi, Prana!]

——Prana immediately made fun of him.

Seeing Radd and Prana’s exchange for the first time in a while, I even feel somewhat relieved.

[T- That aside, Old man. What are you going to have us do today? If you called us all the way up here, we must be doing something special, right?]

Radd hurriedly changes the subject, but his tone conveys a hint of vigilance.

(Radd is more perceptive than I thought.)

In addition to training, Radd’s party and Resilia had been going around conquering reasonably strong dungeons.

Thanks to that month of training, Radd and the others have maintained a high ability level compared to their level.

They know which dungeons have trap functions in it, and if they’re just going to normal dungeons, they don’t need my supervision anymore.

……Yes, if they’re going to “normal dungeons”, that is.

The amount of EXP required for growth jumps after Lv 10, so even if they conquer a reasonably strong dungeon, they won’t gain many levels.

In a normal RPG, you can spend many days in the same dungeon or even become a recluse in that dungeon, but in this world, monsters don’t immediately respawn after death.

You would need to go to another dungeon until enough monsters have respawned, but the main dungeons in the area have already been cleared.

The usual strategy would be to move on to another area, but that would be a waste of travel time.

So, I’m thinking of using one of my favorite tricks in the game to shore them up.

[This time too, I’ll have you guys go on a dungeon attack, but it will be a little more challenging. That’s why I’m going with you.]

[A dungeon of a level that Old man has to come huh. ……Heehhh, I’m pumped up!]

Radd exclaimed at my words, and the other members of the party also seemed more fired up than fearful.

[Well then, we’ll start by looking for a Quest at the Guild, right?]

[No.]

Sounding accustomed to adventuring, Radd said, but I shook my head at that.

[We’re not going to the Guild. The Guild wouldn’t have any Quest in the dungeon we’re heading to now. After all……]

Seeing Radd and the others looking blankly at me, I told them while trying to hide the delightful smile trying to creep up my lips.

[————–The place we’re heading to was “a dungeon the Guild hasn’t found yet”.]

※　※　※

(If I remember correctly, after you pass through this thicket, behind it is……)

Searching behind the thicket from my memory, I easily found it.

A gaping entrance to the abyss.

It was a new path leading to a new dungeon that no one had probably ever found in “this world”.

[……This way.]

I called out to Radd and the others who were waiting for me.

[For a dungeon to be in this place……]

[Seriously. For a new dungeon to be this close to the town……]

Seeing the entrance to the cave spread out before them, Radd and the others were surprised.

[I see, it’s one of those that you’ll never know about unless you get close to it. How did you find such a place, Rex-san!?]

Nuku, who has the most inquisitive mind among the group, said excitedly, but I couldn’t only wryly smile inwardly.

(Well, it’s a dungeon that I’ve been through so many times that I’m sick of this place.)

I feel sorry that I’m somewhat deceiving them, but I don’t say it out loud.

I just glance to the side and my eyes meet those of Resilia, the only one here who knows what’s going on, and we both exchange a wry smile.

In B&B, many dungeons start out undiscovered, except for those that are important to the storyline.

Most of them have entrances hidden in obscure places like this, but they’re easy to find if you have knowledge about them in the game.

Rather, the most important part is after the discovery.

[So, Old man. Is it alright not to tell the Guild about this dungeon?]

It’s the option to report the existence of this dungeon or not.

They were rather perplexing options, as either choice has its advantages and disadvantages.

If you report the dungeon to the Guild, you will receive a reward based on the importance of the dungeon, and you would be able to receive Quests related to that dungeon from then on.

In this case though, other Adventurers will start exploring that dungeon, which will reduce the number of monsters in the dungeon and may result in the contents of treasure chests being taken.

On the other hand, if you explore it in secret, you can monopolize the monsters and treasure chests in the dungeon and get a lot of EXP and items, but you won’t receive additional rewards from Quest accomplishments, and because of the large number of monsters, it takes extra effort to defeat and conquer only the Boss-type monsters.

In this case……

[We’ll report it after we explore it once.]

Unfortunately, with the passage of time, most undiscovered dungeons are discovered and reported by other Adventurers.

No matter how much you hide them, you can’t monopolize them forever, so the logical way of doing things here is that even if you don’t immediately disclose them, and after you explored the dungeon once, you should report them and receive the reward.

(Well, I didn’t find this dungeon by myself to begin with.)

The game field of B&B is vast.

It’s quite impossible to find a dungeon by walking around in such a large field, so players’ first playthrough is usually spent visiting dungeons that have been discovered by other adventurers.

However, the locations of undiscovered dungeons are fixed, so if you make a note of the location of a dungeon you discovered in the first playthrough, you can become the discoverer in the second and subsequent playthroughs, as if you had discovered it yourself.

[Hehe, then we’ll have the first touch on everything here!]

While Radd was innocently saying such things with excitement……

[Is this going to be alright? It’s a dungeon no one’s entered yet, right?]

In contrast, the cautious Nuku was a little worried, but there’s no problem regarding that.

[Don’t worry. I’ve already explored it, I just haven’t reported it to the Guild.]

[Ahh, I see. In that case……]

As Nuku breathed a sigh of relief, I continued speaking within my mind.

(Well, in-game, that is.)

The game and this world are nearly identical, but not exactly the same.

Even if I knew about this place in-game, it’s not a good idea to be too relaxed.

[However, this dungeon isn’t simple. The monsters’ level is 25. The enemies are mainly Skeleton-type monsters, and they mainly lay in wait for surprise attacks. It’s not a place that should be explored at your level.]

[Lv 25……]

The party gulped at my words and clutched their weapons with serious expressions on their faces.

Radd and the others’ Status has already grown to exceed that of a typical Lv 20 Adventurer.

However, even with their superior ability levels, it would be difficult to conquer this place.

But this time, there was no need for them to earnestly conquer this dungeon.

[So don’t think about clearing the dungeon this time. Your goal is to level up. We’ll defeat as many weak monsters as possible, and pull back when we reach our limit.]

When I declared so, the nervous Nuku and the others seemed somewhat relieved.

On the other hand, Radd was brimming with fighting spirit……

[Hey, Old man. You said “we’ll pull back when we reach our limit”, but that means you don’t mind if we just beat them all up, right?]

[Yeah, of course. ……If you can do that, that is.]

[Heh! Don’t come crying when you see how much we’ve grown!]

Looking at him talking so boldly, I inwardly hold back the smile creeping up my lips.

(Sorry to trick you but……)

Unfortunately, the dungeon attack this time isn’t going to be as lukewarm as Radd and the others are imagining.

Of all the dungeons I’ve been to, I chose this one over the others simply because it’s undiscovered and untrodden, making it convenient for leveling.

What’s more, this is the most famous “grinding spot” in B&B, which is even said to have “fundamentally changed the exploration strategy of B&B”.

[Alright! Now that everything is decided, let’s see how far we can go!]

I followed Radd and the others, who were oblivious to my intentions, as they headed for the dungeon in high spirits, and entered the dimly-lit cave.

————Now then, let the hellish level grind begin!