“Of course! Honestly, even if you hadn't asked me, you would've found out soon enough after staying in Manacos a bit longer. Those two dungeons are the most popular spots for upperclassmen from Manacos.”
“The Glimmer Dungeon is dim overall, and most of its monsters are stealthy and fast. In an environment like that, if your spellcasting speed isn't fast enough, you'll suffer terribly. Of course, as long as you manage to cope, your spellcasting speed will naturally improve. Once you're skilled enough at casting, mastering Chantless Casting won't be so difficult...”
“The Echo Labyrinth has a complex layout and is filled with monsters. You'll often face multiple enemies attacking from different directions at once. Mages need to analyze the situation on the fly as much as possible to find the best response. Over time, you'll learn to multitask, building the foundation for Simultaneous Casting...”
Listening to Ilus's explanation, Shulim realized that these two dungeons were indeed perfect for her current situation.
“Thank you, Ilus!”
“You're welcome. Oh, right—if you're going to a dungeon, don't forget to get a pass from the Adventurers' Guild first. All dungeons are managed by the Adventurers' Guild, so you can't enter without permission. Of course, you could also just register as an adventurer, which is even more convenient.”
“I understand. I'll go right now.”
There wasn't much time left today, so Shulim intended to visit the Adventurers' Guild to process her pass now, allowing her to head straight to a dungeon tomorrow.
Downing the cup of Ilus's special blend flower tea in one gulp, Shulim bade Ilus farewell and took her leave.
“Oh dear, oh my~ Such an action-oriented child~ You could at least finish the tea first.”
Watching Shulim's departing back, Ilus had no choice but to pick up the half-full teapot and drink by herself.
...
Zargin's Forge.
Clang! Clang! Clang...
Amidst the clanging of ironwork...
“Master Zargin, I'm here to pick up my mithril sword.”
Clang—!
Zargin stopped his forging motion and turned to look at Shulim.
“Ah, it's you. Your mithril sword is fixed.”
Zargin stood up, walked to a rack near the forge wall, and took down a sword.
“Here, this is your sword.”
Looking at the sleek sword before her—which, despite being silver overall, emitted a faint purple glow—Shulim hesitated.
Was her mithril sword supposed to look like this?
No matter how she racked her memory, her previous mithril sword didn't match the blade in front of her at all.
“...Um, Master Zargin, is this really my mithril sword?”
“Yep, that's right. It's yours!” Zargin replied with absolute certainty.
“...But I recall my mithril sword didn't look like this.”
“Oh, that—”
“I added some magic steel and forged it anew, which is why it turned out like this. After all, if I just repaired it as it was, you'd probably break it again before long, wouldn't you?”
“Magic steel?!”
Shulim remembered that it was a magical metal far more precious than mithril, famed for its extreme durability...
“Don't worry, it was just leftover scrap. Keeping it was useless anyway, so I won't charge you extra for that.”
“Eh, but—”
“Alright, alright, stop dragging your feet. I still have forging to do, so take your stuff and get going!”
Zargin forcefully shoved the new mithril sword—or rather, magic steel mithril sword—into Shulim's hands.
Then he turned around, walked back to the anvil, and picked up his hammer to start hammering again.
Clang! Clang! Clang...
“...”
Feeling the new sword in her hand, which was noticeably heavier than before, Shulim quietly sheathed it.
“Master Zargin, thank you.”
“...”
Clang! Clang! Clang...
Not wanting to disturb Zargin's forging, Shulim turned to leave the forge room.
“Hey, Shulim—”
The hammering sound behind her suddenly ceased.
Shulim paused.
“If you need anything forged in the future, just come straight to me. Don't go asking that old hag to write letters anymore!”
Clang! Clang! Clang...
The sound of hammering resumed once more.
“...”
...
After leaving Zargin's Forge, Shulim made her way to the Adventurers' Guild located in Downtown.
Looking up at the massive signboard featuring a crossed sword and wand, Shulim pushed open the swinging doors and stepped inside.
The interior of the Adventurers' Guild was a spacious hall. Toward the far end were over a dozen open counter windows, each staffed by a guild receptionist processing business for adventurers.
Tables and chairs were arranged along both outer sides of the main door. Even though it was broad daylight, several adventurers were sitting there drinking foam beer...
At the far end of the right side was a large notice board covered in quest requests, around which many adventurers gathered to inspect the postings.
To the left was a staircase leading to the second floor. From the main hall below, the second floor was out of view, making it unclear what was up there for now.
Shulim selected a service counter with a shorter line and stepped into queue.
Before long, it was her turn.
The receptionist at the counter asked with a standard professional smile, “How may I help you today?”
“I'd like to get entry passes for the Echo Labyrinth and the Glimmer Dungeon.”
“Entry passes? Certainly. Could you please show me your student ID?”
Shulim was currently dressed in her Manacos student uniform, making her identity obvious at a glance to any outsider.
Furthermore, not just anyone could apply for a dungeon pass. Students from Manacos were able to enter dungeons simply by registering their identification due to an agreement between the academy and the Langard branch of the Adventurers' Guild. Ordinary residents of Langard, on the other hand, had to go through a series of verification procedures before they could possibly obtain a pass.
Shulim handed over her student ID.
“Alright, please wait a moment!”
The receptionist glanced at Shulim's ID and then began filling out some paperwork.
Shortly after, the receptionist handed Shulim back her student ID along with a dungeon pass.
At the same time, the receptionist asked, “Would you also like to register as an adventurer?”
Shulim fell into thought. Now that she had the entry pass, she could go straight into the dungeons. Was there really any need to register as an adventurer...?
Sensing performance metrics waving from Shulim's hesitation, the receptionist's eyes lit up, and she immediately began explaining.
“Miss Shulim, if you become an adventurer, you can enjoy a discount on dungeon entry fees! A ticket that normally costs two thousand Cole will only cost one thousand Cole!”
“In addition, as an adventurer, you can freely take on commissions and earn rewards in the future. The Guild can also directly convert your dungeon loot into cash! Of course, these benefits are exclusive to registered adventurers!”
“You don't need to worry about it interfering with your studies either. In fact, many Manacos students register as adventurers when getting their dungeon passes. It makes earning money and disposing of monster materials much more convenient—saving you effort in the long run! So, Miss Shulim, would you like to register as an adventurer?”
Rate on N.U.
