We got more things on the twelfth floor, and steadily proceeded through the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth floors, collecting a lot of strange things, dyes and other drops, and finally found the Boss room on the fifteenth floor.
ââOver there!ââ
(Oh, yes. I can see something that looks like a Boss room~)
âN~ this is a good place to end, so this should be our last one.â
If we get too absorbed in capturing the dungeon, we will miss the time to return to Guardia, so I think I will end it here.
(Ehh~ we are leaving already~?)
(Itâs unfortunate, but it cannot be helped~)
(Vector, donât be selfish now. This was agreed upon from the beginning!)
(Thatâs right. Itâs not like this is our last time here, right?)
(Thatâs right! Endure!)
(⦠Okay~)
As we walked along, soothing the discouraged Vector, the door to the Bossâs room came into clear sight.
Then I noticed that there were people there.
âââAh.âââ
âââââHaah!?âââââ
The âDawn Starâ party we met a few days ago was resting in front of the Boss room door.
Moreover, they looked at us as if they were looking at something strange.
âNonono! How come you are already at this floor!â
âThatâs right! Itâs strange!â
âWe only met you at the fifth floor. You have captured ten floors in this period!?â
Kurt-san, Timon-kun, Hughbert-san shouted one after another.
We have been capturing one floor a day, so itâs taken us a little over ten days to get to this point. There were some floors that took a little longer to capture, and we took some detours, so Iâd say itâs been about twelve or thirteen days.
Well, it would normally take several months to get here, so Iâm not surprised of their reaction~
âConsidering Takumi-sanâs teamâs abilities, they should be able to capture these many floors in the shortest number of days.â
âIndeed. They have both the strength and mobility.â
Brian-san and Rovel-san began analyzing the situation calmly.
âAre you all resting up before the Boss battle?â
âYes, we want to be in perfect physical condition before the Boss battle.â
âCorrect. That is very important.â
That being said, we have never taken a break before the Boss battle before~
âOniichan.â
âNot going to fight the Boss~?â
Allen and Elenaâs expressions were urging, âAlright, letâs step into the Boss room right awayâ.
âAllen, Elena, we have to keep the order and wait for our turn. The people from the Dawn Star were here first, so we will go after them.â
âââ¦â¦ I see~ââ
Being stopped by me, Allen and Elena became a little dispirited.
If there are multiple challengers in front of the Boss room, the ones who arrive first have the right to challenge the Boss first.
This rule seems to have been established because in popular dungeons, multiple challengers encountered each other in front of the Boss room, causing a dispute over who would challenge it first.
The door to the Boss room is closed during the battle to prevent intruders from entering, but once the battle is over, the next person can challenge it immediately, so I donât think thereâs really any need for such a dispute in the first place, but I guess itâs no use thinking about it.
âWe are resting as you can see, so you can challenge it firstâ¦â
ââReally!?ââ
Brian-san gave his permission, and Allen and Elena smiled.
âBut are you guys going to be all right without a rest?ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Brian-san was worried about us trying to challenge the Boss room as soon as we arrived.
In the advanced dungeon, the slightest hiccup can be fatal, so you should never overdo it or do anything rash.
âMy children have a lot of energy, you see~â
ââFull of energy!ââ
âBut now that we have met everyone again, why donât we take a break together?â
âSure, I donât miâââ
ââEhh~ are we not going~ââ
As if to cover Brian-sanâs agreement, Allen and Elena raised their voices in frustration.
âWhatâs the difference a few hours would make?â
âWanna go~â
âQuickly~â
âIf we go early, we will just end up going home early too, you know?â
When I reminded them that once the Boss battle is over, the capture of the dungeon will come to an end as well, Allen and Elena stilled.
ââGot it! Will wait!â
The two of them changed their opinions.
ââCan go play?â
âDonât go too far from here.â
ââOkay~ââ
(Ah, Iâm going too!)
(Me too~)
In order to stay in the dungeon as long as possible, they decided to call of the Boss battle for the time being and play at the fifteenth floor.
And so, Allen and Elena went back into the forest with Joule and Vector.
âTa, Takumi-san, you are letting the children go out alone!?â
âThey promised me not to go too far, so it will be fine. They also have proper escort.â
âAh, you are rightâ¦â
Probably still worried, the Dawn Star five were glancing toward the forest with concern.
(Fufu, they are kind people~)
(Indeed. To be worried about children they just met, they are quite good.)
(Good people!)
After a while, the Dawn Star looked relieved when they saw the children returning happily. They are good people after all~
ââOniichan!ââ
âWelcome back~â
ââ((We have returned!))ââ
âAny injuries?â
ââNone! But!ââ
âGot.â
âSouvenirs!â
Allen and Elena took out stuff from their pouches one after the other.
âââââHehh~~~â¦âââââ
Pelts, horns, feathers, dyes, and more. The Dawn Star party members let out surprised voices after seeing the amount of loot the kids took out.
âT, this is the stuff you got together with the Fenrir and Scarlet King Leo, right?â
ââNot really?ââ
âThis is Allenâs.â
âThis is Elenaâs.â
ââââââ¦â¦âââââ
The representative of the Dawn Start, Kurt-san, checked whether the loot was obtained by Joule and Vector, but the children indifferently denied, so now they were at lost for words.
(The things I got are here.)
(Mine are these~)
Then, Joule and Vector held out baskets of dropped items, saying that this is what they had collected. It seems they didnât leave it with the kids, but brought it themselves.
(We were competing over the number of loot we got!)
(Niichan, count it~ who won?)
âEh? You were having a contest?â
ââYeah!ââ
I see, they didnât mix the spoils because they were having a contest, so they each had their own with themâ¦
âAlright, alright. I just have to count it, right?â
ââPlease~ââ
I counted the loot and found that Allen, Elena, and Joule had the same number, while Vector had one less.
ââVictory~ââ
(We did it! That means Vector is last!)
(⦠Damn it~ Just one? Just by one!? So frustrated~~~)
Allen, Elena, and Joule were hopping about in delight, while Vector melted down to the ground in dejection.
âTa, Takumi-san, is this really what the kids obtained? By defeating monsters?â
âBrian-san! Rather than that! The number! Itâs impossible to collect this much in such amount of time!â
âItâs both!â
The Dawn Star was greatly confused.
ââSaid we can fight!ââ
Facing the Dawn Star, Allen and Elena puffed out their chest pridefully.
When they met at the fifth floor, they told them that they could fight, but they didnât believe them, so they were not happy about it~