"We have decided to keep on pushing, this is probably the last time we go in here before a top-tier guild teams up with the strongest Heroes to take down the boss of this floor. They will make sure to obliterate every single strong monster there is, so we need to give our new members as much experience in actual figths as we can before we enter the second floor. The difficulty is much higher there and we will need to make sure we are in the best shape." The leaders announced.

The group packed their things, finished eating and prepared for the upcoming struggles. Arath, to his dissapointment, didn't get much time to rest as he had to tidy up after the meal and clean Elizabeth's equipment. When everyone was ready, the group set off and decisevely moved forward. This time around they stumbled across monsters quite often, every twenty minutes a minor fight would break out but no casualties on adventurers' side occured. Elizabeth, now assured of Arath's skills in a team fight, ordered him to take part in battles on several occasions in order to get experience what it was like to fight in a competent group. The more he fought with the Leafers the more he got confident and he didn't even noticed when being a part of this big group became normal for him.

The rest of the day passed by without surprises and when they run out of food and exhaustion was more than visible in eyes of the mercenaries, Elizabeth gave the order to retreat.

"Let's go back, there is no point in pushing our luck even further today. We will bury the dead in the Hall of Bravery and return to our homes. You have free time until the boss is defeated, and when that happens I will expect you to be ready on the next day. You did well today and showed what it means to be one of the Leafers, I'm proud of you guys." She lifted everyone's spirits with just these few sentences.

"Hall of Bravery? What is that?" Arath asked a young man next to him.

"Do you remember the first room in the Dungeon? The one with a fountain in the middle of it? Everyone that has died in the Tower is buried there, that's why we call it Hall of Bravery." He answered.

The burial ceremony wasn't long, they buried the deceased spent ten minutes in silence and after that everyone just went home. Death wasn't a rarity and at one point most people just got used to it, loss of the dearest people had it's toll on everybody, not just the poor.

When Arath returned to his apartment Anga was cooking a dinner for her sister while the elderly couple was sitting in the living room drinking coffee and playing some kind of a card game. Arath wasn't particularly good at any gambling games so he had no idea what it's name was. He didn't have much strength, so after taking a quick bath he fell unconscious as soon as his head touched the pillow. The next day he mostly spent his time by cultivating, eating, being bored and having bland and meaningles conversations with Bogun and Donna who didn't spare any comments about Arath's tattered look.

"You should go to a barber. Get new clothes. Buy this, buy that." They would constantly share their opinions on everything, asking was just a meaningless courtesy in their regard.

Cultivation of his spine was going surprisingly well, in just one day few parts were already fully awakened and smile never left the man's face.

'I really don't know why this happened to me or what it exactly means, but I can't complain. I awaken just as quickly as Heroes so let's just hope that I will be as strong as them in a few weeks time. Of course they've got better equipment and teachers but I have lived with my Element longer and have real battle experience.' He thought to himself.

Another day passed by, with nothing surprising happening and only on the third day did the news of boss being killed reach the public opinion. The whole First City celebrated and more renowned mercenary groups started to prepare their best members to go in soon. Arath, happy about having the opportunity to enter the second level with a bigger group, prepared his weapons and on the next day joined Elizabeth's team near the entrance to the Tower. Surprisingly, this time, nobody called him 'squire' or jokingly bullied him, because as he found out a new member has joined the Lefears and the title has been passed down on him. The newcomer was a nineteen boy with wild and unruly black hair and a face that said 'I will kill you when no one is looking'. Not being the squire had it's ups and downs, Arath didn't have to listen to other's people orders now but instead was expected to be a worthy and useful member of the group that voluntarily took part in fights.

Elizabeth welcomed all adventurers that decided to go to the second floor with her and thanked for the trust that they had put in her.

"I promise to do my best to not let you down and lead us towards victory. I apologise for each and every one of my mistakes and hope to live up to your expectations." She declared, before the team entered the Tower.

They didn't meet any other group or monster on the way to boss chamber. When they entered the room, a huge hedious body of a blind ghoul was lying on the floor untouched and behind it an array made up of glowing runes indicated where the entrance to the second floor was.

'Here we go to the lion's den.' Arath couldn't tell if he was more scared or excited.