"Daphne, Cassandra, what about you two?"
After a moment of thought, Finn turned to the two girls.
"Captain, it's the same for Cassandra and me."
"Bell-kun gave us a lot of weapons at first, but since we didn't have space pouches, he let me pick one weapon and used the rest to trade for a pouch."
Daphne had a feeling there might be more to it, but didn't dwell on it and simply answered honestly.
Finn was silent for a moment. The surprise on his face faded as he recalled Raul's earlier hesitation, and he let out a quiet sigh.
"Since Bell-kun gave them to you, then make sure you use them well."
Neither Daphne nor Cassandra seemed particularly affected—or perhaps Cassandra's nature simply made her less vulnerable to such influence.
Raul, however, appeared to be more deeply affected.
Unfortunately, bringing it up wouldn't help much. Raul's situation likely wouldn't improve just by pointing it out. And if he couldn't resist temptation himself, no amount of advice from others would change anything.
'Bell-kun must have noticed it too.'
Finn shook his head in resignation. It was honestly embarrassing.
Riveria, Gareth, and Loki each cast a glance at Raul, who still wore a confused and clueless expression.
The Dungeon's subtle influence was undeniably harmful to adventurers. But for those able to overcome it, it became a strength. That's why they all believed their Familia members had to overcome it on their own.
But for Raul—a Level 4 adventurer—to still be under the Dungeon's influence was rather disappointing.
Finn let out a helpless smile and decided to let the matter drop.
Maybe Raul really couldn't break out of it on his own. Maybe the pressure they'd placed on him was too much.
At this point, Finn no longer expected Raul to shake it off by himself—but that only meant Raul needed to recognize the issue for himself.
"Raul, is there anything more impressive coming up?"
"Ah, there's Cassandra's arrow. That was during the test on the 20th floor. Daphne and I distracted the Killer Bees while Bell-kun assisted Cassandra in firing the shot. That moment… I'd say it was on par with the Vice Captain's fire magic."
Seeing the serious expressions on the others' faces and the topic shift back to the experiment, Raul couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. But since the Captain asked, he answered earnestly. And indeed, the highlight of the footage was Cassandra's shot.
Having redirected their focus, Finn and the others immediately perked up.
"Stronger than my magic? Raul, are you sure you didn't mistake it?"
"How could I have mistaken that? And it's not just me—Cassandra and Daphne were there too. They saw how powerful that shot was. They just haven't seen your magic, Vice Captain—otherwise, they'd think the same as I do."
Riveria clearly wasn't convinced. She wielded one of the most powerful staffs and cast magic of tremendous force. Yet Raul was claiming Cassandra's arrow matched that? It was hard not to be skeptical.
Raul understood how unbelievable it sounded. He himself hadn't been able to believe it at first either. Cassandra didn't even possess offensive magic. Yet with Bell-kun's support, the arrow she fired had been terrifyingly powerful. It left him baffled, too.
But he wasn't the only one who had seen it. Cassandra, who had fired the arrow, and Daphne, who had hidden with him behind a tree to avoid the firestorm, had both witnessed its power.
Raul quickly looked to Cassandra and Daphne, hoping they'd speak up and back him up.
"Yes, Vice Captain, Cassandra's arrow really was powerful."
Noticing Raul's pleading glance, Daphne didn't shy away. After all, the arrow had indeed been incredibly strong.
"Back then, Raul and I hid behind a large tree to avoid the firestorm that followed the shot. The air turned scorching in an instant. When the flames subsided, everything in sight was burned to ashes, and the ground had turned into a pool of magma."
"Even though Cassandra and I have never seen the Vice Captain's offensive magic in action, that arrow was genuinely terrifying."
After she finished, Daphne nudged the nervous Cassandra, who was clutching the hem of her clothes.
"Come on, Cassandra, you should share your thoughts too."
She gently pushed her forward.
"Eh?"
Suddenly pushed into the spotlight and now face-to-face with both the Captain and Vice Captain, Cassandra's social anxiety flared up. Being stared at by so many eyes made her freeze up completely.
Seeing her distressed, Finn quickly stepped in to comfort her.
"Cassandra, there's no need to rush. We just want to hear how you felt in that moment. It's okay if you can't explain it clearly right away. Take your time—and if you really can't manage, we can look at the footage again later."
Reassured by Finn's gentle tone, Cassandra managed to calm herself a little. Though still nervous under everyone's expectant gaze, she gathered her courage and began to explain.
"That arrow was fire-enchanted through the bow. The flame transferred onto the arrow when I nocked it. Then, Bell-kun channeled wind onto the tip of the arrow. When I fired it at the target, the wind dispersed and the flames completely ignited."
"I... I haven't seen the Vice Captain's magic myself, but that arrow actually melted the ground."
"...And after I shot it, I fell flat on my back."
She added the last part a little sheepishly—after all, collapsing after a single shot was a bit embarrassing.
Hearing her detailed description, Finn smiled and nodded.
"You fell because the arrow's power was immense. Cassandra, how did your hand feel after releasing it?"
"My hand was fine... Before, when I directly imbued wind into the bow, it made my arm ache. But when the attribute was applied through the bow instead, it didn't strain my hand nearly as much."
"Seems like Bell-kun adjusted the application method a bit during the test."
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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