Novel Full Chapter 147 - Help (1)
Without finding any method to help them, Billy's party headed toward the dungeon the next day, and while they made progress faster, they didn't have much energy left when they reached the point they decided to retreat on the previous day. As expected, the progress of their skills helped, but…
"Maybe we should check some items with good effects…" Lily said.
No one replied to that. It seemed like taking the easy way out, and that was why Lili said so hesitantly. Using magic alongside their physical skills was one thing, but using outside sources like items was kind of cheap. While they were thinking along those lines, Marie was watching them in amazement with her poker face. Those kids were too serious from her perspective. No adventure would be crazy enough not to go and look for items that will help them clear the dungeon.
What changed that situation was when Alexander and Natalie decided to take some risks like Billy and parry or dodge the enemy's attacks at the last moment. It was risky, but they could defeat the enemies instantly if they succeeded with that.
Alexander and Natalie saw themselves surrounded when focused too much on dodging and waiting for the perfect moment to attack on their first attempt. So, Billy and Sarah saved their asses. However, they had visualized how things would be beforehand on the second attempt. After fighting dozens of those monsters, they already knew all their attack patterns, so when one of them tried to pierce Alexander's head with its claws, he dodged by taking a half step to the side. In the end, Alexander had been a bit slow, and the claw almost ripped off his ear. Still, in exchange for that, Alexander saw the enemy in front of him wide open for a moment. Without any hesitation, he impaled the monster while showing a vicious expression…
Instead of dodging at the last moment, Natalie used one of her swords to parry the attack of the enemy. She was quite impatient, so parrying didn't fit her style. Still, her motion had been so smooth that it looked like she had to lead the monster to a stance where it would be wide open… once she finished that motion, the next and much more brute one followed by, and the creature ended up with its throat cut.
"Wow, that was awesome…" Lily said.
"You do that all the time, though," Natalie said. "Your firing motions are so fluid that it looks like firing several arrows one after the other is just a single action."
"You think so?" Lily frowned. "I never thought it was like that."
Alexander and Natalie kept using that tactic over and over again. Still, now and then, they made a mistake, and they saw their life pass in front of their eyes. However, before the enemies could scratch them, Billy would blow them away with Wind Sphere. The number of mistakes increased because it was quite nerve-wracking to do that again and again, but Billy could see their skills improving.
"I guess this will be enough…" Billy thought.
On their third day on the fourth floor of the dungeon, they eventually reached a point where they were surrounded by ten of those monsters, and while they succeeded in defeating them without suffering major wounds, Billy decided to retreat… even though they were pretty close to finding the stairs that would lead them to the next level.
"We can do it… we have one week left, but it will be more than enough to clear the dungeon," Lily said while smiling and clenching her fists.
Billy agreed with her, but he wished that she hadn't said that in order not to jinx them. Nevertheless, that kind of superstition didn't exist in that world, so the people there were fine with it.
"I wonder how things will change on the fifth floor… the monsters are already difficult as they are, but…" Kate said while furrowing her eyebrows.
Billy was curious about that as well, but as one would expect, Marie's lips were tight as they could be. The woman had too much free time and not even a small bit of willingness to help them. In any case, after returning and selling the materials, Billy did some calculations and confirmed that each one of them could already get four gold coins. So, he had more than enough to buy one of those trees that bear fruits that restores mana. His main goal for that mission had been accomplished, and now he was starting to feel a bit more relaxed… Still, the weather the next day literary threw him some cold water. It was raining again…
"This is… troubling," Alexander said.
"That is one way to say that, but I have a feeling that our problems just have started," Billy said.
Billy wasn't the type to say things like that without a reason. So, Alexander got worried as well. Clearing the dungeon would be like doing a favor to the people of that state, and it will help their party and the people back home. So, Alexander had even more motives to try it. In any case, even if it would be a lot more difficult to reach the fifth floor, Billy decided to go to the dungeon, and the others weren't against it.
The group didn't have a hard time on the three first floors and half of the fourth, but when the number of monsters began to outnumber them, things started to get complicated. At first, they only get a few scratches, but eventually, even the backline began to get hurt. Lily had some good reflexes, but Kate didn't. Billy had to protect her, but he could only do so much when five of those monsters were charging toward them.. Eventually, the exhaustion piled up, and a disaster almost happened when Natalie almost had her jugular cut… Billy hurried to treat her wound since she was still bleeding a lot.