Chương 105: Descending With Style

Mana surges ceased after half a day. We looked at the passage soon after, but no monsters emerged. I examined the path to the 2nd layer and then Healer Melon.

"Maybe we should turn back?"

"It is up to you. There are risks in either direction. But getting a class is important for your health. That was an incredibly large dungeon break, but unless you are doing something particularly stupid, the choice is yours." I both appreciated and was annoyed by Healer Melon letting me decide. I was uncertain, and he likely felt the same. Ultimately, I was the leader of this little group. Even though Healer Melon was a higher level than I was and older, he was a support caster.

My life would be in the greatest danger as we went down. Therefore, the person on the front lines would typically decide for the whole adventurer team.

"We continue. Defeating a high-level monster was difficult, but we won and defeated a lot of minions at the same time. The major risk is a surprise attack from an Abnormal, especially with things muddled after that dungeon break. We need to pay close attention to our surroundings, but we keep going," I replied. Healer Melon nodded. Ozy agreed with me as well and let out a hiss from my shoulder. We went down the passage to the 2 nd layer, climbing on the rocks jutting out.

There were no monsters at the bottom of the passage. While it seemed like a rule for the dungeon, one had to be incredibly careful. Focusing on my Depth Sense, I could tell which way the next passage was on this layer. The direction felt clearer. Like a stream after a storm, the flow of Mana was more obvious with the torrent that had just passed through. It took only a couple of chambers to find the next passage. We easily defeated the monsters. Gathering the red cores would be too time-consuming.

I didn't want to linger longer, even though I'd done it previously. That dungeon break had put me on edge. Ozy found eating them enjoyable, too. While he would gain experience from the Mana within them, it would be a long time before he became too big to travel easily with me. A solution would be needed once he got bigger. I would have to ask the experts at the College who had shared the ideas about enhancing his abilities with Alchemical skills. I also needed to get him one upon our return.

Training him to heal with animals would be doable while I was at the College. No one trained pet monsters in healing. The expense was just not worth it with how rare healing skills extracted from monsters were. Also one would need a professional healer to train their pet up in those skills. We reached the 4 th layer before I called it a day. I made sure we stopped off the route between the passages between the layers in case another dungeon break occurred while we were resting.

I broke out a portable cook set from my spatial pouch along with packed meat, vegetables, spices, and bread. There were two small folding chairs and a small folding table.

"When did you get all of this?" Healer Melon asked.

"Some enterprising merchants in Genoa put together a catalogue, which they printed out for the students and staff of the College. I ordered it all," I replied. He sighed heavily.

"Oh, the catalogue. I am getting old, missing something that obvious."

"You can't be that old," I said, and he shook his bald head with a smile.

"I am over 300 years old. Without your mother, I would have had to retire soon." I gave him a look of shock before turning back to cooking. Ozy looked up at the cooking station with disdain and went back to nap on my shoulders.

"I guess I never asked,""Vitality is quite powerful, and people get more desperate as they get closer to the end. At least many do. That is why a trip when you are old is often called a final descent, since you will try to gain as many levels as possible or die trying, before exiting the dungeon."

"You must have seen a lot."

"Not as much as you would think. I spent more time learning. Unlike the College, which rushes people, the Five Star Institute of Healing is about consistent progress and not killing people. I then adventured for a while after I graduated as a healer. After that, it was challenging to pick up jobs." Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"Really? Aren't healers in demand everywhere?"

"Only for going into the dungeon. Cities have few jobs. There are a lot of us. The Five Star Institute of Healing trains around 1, 000 healers every year. If each one works for 200 years, that is 200, 000 healers working at any time."

"Oh, that is a lot," I replied as I began carefully seasoning the meat. I would cut the vegetables next and make stir-fry. Judy and I had learned about a nice sauce from Genoa, and I was going to share it with Healer Melon.

"While we aren't as competitive as the College, we are still competitive. Being power leveled to level 80 by your mother gives me a chance to retire with style after watching over you until you graduate."

"I can't convince you to stick around?"

"While your cooking smells delicious, ultimately, I want to relax, and the dungeon is anything but relaxing. I will have a spot teaching adventuring and healing at the Institute after this, which is where most healers go once they have enough accomplishments to their name."

"You were at the Institute when my mother recruited you?"

"Yes, jobs for healers come to the Institute. I was hoping to pick up something, and your mother showed up at the perfect time. Even though watching you can be exhausting sometimes, it isn't that bad," he teased. I kept cooking for another minute before I spoke up again.

"Do you think I can do it?"

"Do what?" he asked.

"Become a supreme legend and surpass my mother?"

"It will be difficult. Insanely difficult. Supreme Warlady Elena is the highest benchmark you could set for yourself. But I don't think it is impossible unless you become fat from eating too many sweets…"

"I need some joy in my life. Unless you want me to take up driving?" I teased back.

"No. I absolutely forbid you from that nonsense. Those couple of months in Undercraft were the worst."

"I wonder if the city is doing okay and if Anerac is alright."

"Hopefully, he got off Pic. But beyond that, he is probably okay with his mother. Your father did a good job of evacuating the city. The casualties were only a couple of hundred out of a city of thousands. That is quite decent for a disaster of that scale."

"And the Dark Cabal?"

"Best not worry about them until you are strong enough. Unless they mess with certain things or target the College, it is best to leave them alone, like a powerful sleeping monster. A fight will be hard and unpleasant. Thinking about going after them?"

"Yes. I was hoping I would find powerful companions at the College, but I just got Ozy," I replied while Ozy wiggled a bit and bumped my neck with his snout.

"Dinner is done." I began plating both our meals.

"Ah, excellent! Thank you. You are improving in your Cooking skills."

"It is something fun I can work on at the College that is hands-on."

"As for finding a team, you are unlikely to find anyone among your classmates in the first couple of years. As graduation approaches and the class size shrinks, people attend more social events to network."

"Doubt I will get anyone else who would want to adventure with me in the top 10."

"You would be surprised. While there is a lot of pressure from Windshell Gossimer, she might be a good teammate if you can work out your differences and come to an agreement."

"Really? The elf who would want to kill me after graduation? Isn't that insanely risky?"

"There is risk, but she is just one example. I mentioned her only as an example of a caster archetype you could team up with. Others like her aren't as competitive or dangerous, and could make good teammates. A caster like her requires a front liner who is capable. The people graduating from the College are normally determined to get levels after graduating, putting their skills to use and honing them further in the dungeon."

"If there is someone who can keep up."

"Don't be too picky. Most adventuring teams have a set time they are together — around five to ten years at most — before they break apart. You have seen the low and the high end of adventuring teams. But the mid-levels are full of teams with similarly minded individuals," Healer Melon explained.

"I will have to look into that once I graduate." Being an adult was hard. Before, my mother handled all the long-term decisions, but now I have to handle everything. I had to figure everything out. It was exhausting in a way that was hard to describe. There were so many things I had to worry about and take into consideration.

"This is good. What is it?" Healer Melon asked about the dinner I just made.

"Beef vegetable stir-fry with Genoa sauce," I replied.

"While the Genoese might not know what they are doing politically, they definitely know how to make some great sauce."

"I know. They are definitely skilled in sauce making and trading. The other stuff is a mess."

"The College will probably leave at the start of your second year. I heard the Dean is in talks with various nations. The Five Star Institute is being considered as a stopping point."

"Hmmm, not that it would change much. Despite the College flying, it is still just an institute of learning. Only if you go to the edge, will you realize you are up in the sky."

"Better than shaking about or running into storms. I can't handle that kind of thing. Thankfully, it has been incredibly stable."

"If it fell, it would be a massive disaster."

"Which is why so many nations are hesitant about allowing the College. Also, its movement will disrupt trade networks, politics, and the local power structure. Some people are advocating that it makes a loop around the continent, but all of that takes time and isn't our concern."

"It would be nice to know where I will end up when I graduate so that I can plan things from that point onwards. But that is far in the future, like forming a team. I have other priorities," I said while thinking of Ozy. We finished dinner and, not for the first or last time, I really wanted magic to clean everything.