As an Adventurer's Guild employee, Eina had never set foot in the dungeon, but she possessed extensive theoretical knowledge about it.
The Minotaur clearly belonged to the middle floors.
Its escape to the upper floors would undoubtedly deal a devastating blow to Level 1 adventurers, resulting in a one-sided massacre with no chance of resistance.
She didn't doubt Akihiro's words.
Yesterday he'd asked about monster types and characteristics of the upper floors, and at that time they'd only discussed up to the 10th floor area. As for the subsequent floors—
Those were middle zone territories, areas he hadn't been involved with yet.
"The Minotaur"
was the powerful monster that had fled to the upper floors. Looking at Akihiro sitting safely before her, Eina breathed a sigh of relief.
"When encountering powerful monsters, you should try every possible means to escape."
"Don't take blind risks."
Eina warned seriously. Concerned for Akihiro's safety, she felt this brief break wasn't entirely necessary.
Without consulting monster encyclopedias, she explained from experience: "The Minotaur is a walking disaster for new adventurers!"
"I could tell."
Akihiro could sense Eina's concern from her serious tone. Not being argumentative by nature, he recalled that earlier battle.
He reviewed the situation: "It's indeed larger than underground lizards, can easily smash through floors, and has thick defenses."
"The Minotaur's robust physique and thick defenses also make its weaknesses obvious."
Its attack methods are relatively cumbersome, but with a flexible body and quick enough reactions to dodge attacks. As long as you can penetrate its defenses, it can be defeated.
You've learned this much?
Eina's face filled with astonishment after hearing Akihiro's detailed analysis. She never imagined the Minotaur would be defeated by him.
After all, he just registered as an adventurer yesterday.
Being able to return safely from his first dungeon exploration meant Akihiro had potential, but she'd never thought just by observing battle scenes—
He could master so many combat techniques. Was this talent?
It seemed Lady Hestia's familia had truly found an exceptional seed. Eina nodded slightly in recollection.
"Akihiro-kun, it's amazing you could learn all this, but I still hope you won't take unnecessary risks."
"Of course."
Akihiro controlled the conversation's pace inexplicably, leaving Eina unsure how to proceed, so she had to ask: "Do you have any other questions?"
"Yes."
"How much can these magic stones be exchanged for?" Akihiro opened his pouch and poured the contents onto the table. As for the specific value—
He wasn't entirely clear.
"No problem." Eina immediately agreed, but after examining the magic stones on the table, her expression gradually stiffened.
Based on size, she could roughly determine which floor's monsters dropped them.
The magic stone only the size of a pinky finger joint was likely dropped by slain goblins and kobolds. Slightly larger ones came from underground lizards.
The key was the baby-fist-sized magic stone.
Combined with Akihiro's analysis of the Minotaur's weaknesses, Eina suddenly felt a sense of absurdity. This was a new adventurer—
The guy who registered yesterday!
Venturing into the dungeon for the first time today, and he could eliminate a Minotaur from the middle floors?
A true genius!
From what she could recall, only a handful of people achieved this level, and in recent years, just one person from the Loki Familia—
A sword princess who also had a frail human body but reached Level 5 by age 13.
Ais Wallenstein.
The adventurer she registered yesterday had qualifications matching the "Sword Princess," making it hard for Eina to calm down.
Looking up again, she couldn't help seeking confirmation: "So you really were the one who resolved the Minotaur that escaped to the upper floors?"
"From an objective facts perspective."
"That's correct."
Akihiro responded in a relaxed tone.
——
Exiting the Adventurer's Guild again, Orario's nightscape was particularly vibrant, with street vendors selling all kinds of wares.
This happened daily, really.
As for specific changes, perhaps it was that Akihiro suddenly had assets in his wallet—as long as things weren't exorbitantly priced,
He at least had confidence to bargain now.
Today's total income: 21,300 valis.
Had he not encountered the Minotaur, today's dungeon haul would've been reduced by 3/4, with pocket money cut by half.
Including upgrading Hestia's meals, it should suffice for four or five days.
Moreover, Akihiro's adventures wouldn't end here. He'd improve the "Sword Soul Template" profession level and explore toward middle floors.
Adventure rewards would only grow. Once enough valis accumulated, it'd be better to prepay the money Hestia owed Hephaestus.
Let's dine at the Hostess of Fertility.
Deciding the dinner location,
Akihiro first went to North Street where Hestia worked, but didn't find her at the potato stall. After
Eliminating that possibility,
He headed toward Northwest Street, also known as "Adventurer Street," location of the Hephaestus Familia branch.
At night, Adventurer Street resembled North Street—purely for consumption.
Clearly much livelier, with the Pure White Healing Institute of the Dian Cecht Familia, the elf grocery, and Hephaestus's weapon shop
All gathered here.
After a day of dungeon diving, some adventurers inevitably needed to regroup.
As the most famous weapon shop in Orario's labyrinth city, the Hephaestus Familia branch occupied the street's most prominent spot.
Glass display cases showcased weapons of various styles.
All exhibited weapons were high-quality. The only drawback was their steep prices—though this might be Akihiro's personal shortcoming.
Surveying the brightly lit shops,
His brief scan soon spotted Hestia cleaning the counter, now wearing a shop attendant's uniform.
"You really are working here."
"..."
Akihiro had complicated feelings toward Hestia, who always liked to show off, but the key was her sincerity made refusal difficult.
Opening the glass door, he entered the shop.
Hestia, not pausing her cleaning, reflexively asked: "Welcome to Hephaestus's weapon shop."
"How may I help you?"
Akihiro briefly scanned the shop's weapons before clearing his throat slightly altering his voice. "Let's go eat."
"This is a weapon shop."
"For dining, I recommend the Hostess of Fertility on West Street." Hestia kindly reminded the customer.
After wiping down the weapon display counter before her,
Realizing something amiss, she suddenly turned and found Akihiro standing at the shop entrance with a smile.
"Akihiro-kun!!"
"Your dungeon adventure today is over?"
In slippers and ignoring the other shop attendant, Hestia rushed over and threw herself at Akihiro.
When her arms wrapped around his neck, the tension accumulated in her heart instantly dissipated.
Feeling the girl's warm embrace, Akihiro prepared to fulfill their one-sided agreement. He spoke softly: "Hestia-sama, shall we go dine now?"
"It's a celebration for successfully completing the dungeon adventure."