Date: March 21? 2021 - 2:45 pm?

Location: East Prussia? (B-rank Dungeon)

The twenty-nine Dungeoneers all showed up the next day and entered the B-rank Dungeon together. After some discussion, the group agreed on the general order of travelling once inside the Dungeon. At the front of the labyrinth would be Angela and Miel. At least one B-rank Dungeoneer needed to form the vanguard, and despite the Holy Vanguard’s namesake, they were at the back in order to maximize the level of protection for Taylor. Behind the two B-rank vanguards were the East Prussian C-rank Dungeoneers, and then the Prussian C-rank Dungeoneers. Without any use of smooth-talking (which likely would not have worked), Francesco was at the back with Taylor and the rest of the Holy Vanguard.

The group travelled in a relatively relaxed manner. There weren’t going to be any monster encounters for quite some time and there was no unnecessary mixing of Prussian and East Prussian Dungeoneers to increase tensions. Neither side was completely silent about their disdain for the other side as they talked to the fellow compatriots, but they at least did not devolve into arguments.

Thankfully, Angela and Miel as the two vanguards was acceptable for everyone since they were fine with being in the lead, the East Prussians actually liked them due to past raiding with them, and the Prussians, although not a fan of either of the two, still viewed this as the Prussians leading the group. Lastly, the Holy Vanguard took this as an opportunity to get along better with Taylor. Well, Riccardo, at least, tried. After a few attempts at small talk, the group at the back travelled in silence for a bit until Taylor suddenly asked Francesco a question.

“So, what do you think will be behind the doors?” Taylor asked the question with a somewhat low voice, not wanting to attract attention from the Dungeoneers ahead of them.

“Nothing that you should concern yourself with,” Francesco replied. Taylor, unsurprisingly, was not satisfied with that answer.

“If it’s something dangerous, you have to tell me.”

“It’s something that won’t be any issue for you.”

“What’s that supposed to be mean?!” Taylor involuntarily raised her voice and a couple of the Prussian Dungeoneers looked back. She quickly put on a smile and waved at the two of them. “Sorry, just a bit nervous since this is the first B-rank Dungeon for me.” She ended it with a laugh and the two of them smiled back.

“Not to worry, Frau Falcone, with us here, your safety is guaranteed.”

“Thanks.” Taylor beamed at them until they turned around again.

“You’re a strange one,” Francesco commented. Taylor glared at him slightly, which was enough to finally make it apparent to Riccardo the lack of goodwill she had towards him.

“Ah, Miss Falcone, I hope you can please forgive my friend. He has no way with words, but even so, he normally is not like this.” Riccardo shot a look at Francesco, prompting him to apologize. He did not. Taylor ignored Riccardo and moved in closer to Francesco.

“Do you know something that even those two don’t know?” she asked, in almost a whisper.

“Of course. It’s not like they know every meal I’ve ever had.” Taylor wasn’t the least bit amused by the joke.

“Even if you’re a B-rank Dungeoneer, do you really think you should be acting like this?” she asked.

“It won’t affect my ability to clear this Dungeon, so I don’t see any issues.”

“Are you saying that if it came down to it, you could clear this Dungeon all by yourself?”

“Yes. In fact, it might be better in that case.” Taylor was surprised. This level of arrogance was not surprising, given the prior conversations and the reports about his past, but the sincerity in his voice seemed to suggest that he was actually concerned about the rest of the Dungeoneers. “Oh, but I do think your map is excellent. This Dungeon raid would have definitely taken a lot longer without it.” The sudden compliment surprised Taylor even further, and she was left speechless for a moment.

“...Thanks.” Francesco looked at her blankly for a second.

“Thanks for what?” he asked, not understanding her belated response.

After another hour of travelling, Taylor called out from behind for the party to stop. They would soon be approaching the patrol range of the first minotaur so it was finally time to settle the matter of who would fight the minotaur. As Riccardo had predicted, after a few minutes of arguing, the party decided to leave the decision to Taylor.

After some consideration, Taylor decided on the following plan. Miel and Angela would fight the minotaur head-on. Taylor would be behind them, a relatively safe distance away, and she would provide aid using her falcon familiar to distract her and attack his head when possible. Next to Taylor would be the Holy Vanguard who are principally there to act as bodyguards. However, if necessary, Francesco and Francis can move forward to assist or to block attacks aimed at Taylor. Riccardo will stay in the back unless someone gets injured. In that case, he will move forward to heal them. Some of the Prussian Dungeoneers were unable to hide their dissatisfaction with Taylor’s decision, but they did not openly voice their dissent.

They proceeded as Taylor decided and after about another five minutes of walking, the first minotaur appeared, walking into their view from another path. It stared at them for a second, seeming to consider its next course of action. Miel did not want to wait around and moved first, followed immediately after by Angela. A bit delayed, Taylor sent out her familiar to assist.

The minotaur slashed horizontally with its axe and Miel dodged low. Angela, on the other hand, braced against the attack before the swing completed. She grabbed at the axe’s handle with her hands and seemed to wrestle with the minotaur for control of the weapon. As she did this, Miel didn’t miss a beat and attacked the minotaur in the back of its knees. The minotaur buckled just as the falcon arrived to swoop in at its face. The falcon slashed at one of the minotaur’s eyes as Angela completely forced the minotaur onto its knees by dragging down its axe.

Miel used her Skill to claw at the minotaur’s back with her bare hands. With an invisible enchantment, her fingers cut through like talons shredding through a slab of meat and the minotaur finally let go of its axe. With the stolen axe, Angela slashed at the minotaur. She intentionally held back from using her full power, but the blade easily cut through its shoulder and along its chest. Black blood sprayed out from the massive slash as the minotaur keeled over. Then, Angela used the axe to cut off the minotaur’s arms, one after the other. The minotaur howled out in extreme pain as the stone-faced Dungeoneers proceeded in the subjugation.

Angela then dropped the axe and grabbed the minotaur by the horns. She dragged it along for a bit and laid it out onto the ground, face down. Taylor came over, retrieving the minotaur’s axe when she arrived. Angela looked over at her, hands still firmly on the minotaur’s horns to make sure the armless monster could not suddenly attack. Taylor prepared to finish off the minotaur with its own weapon. Due to her lack of Strength, it still took two hacks at the neck before the monster finally died.

The minotaur’s body and axe both turned into black mist and the Dungeoneers’ bodies and clothes were spotless once more. Then, shortly afterward, the three of them received an update about defeating a B-rank Dungeon mid-boss.

Just a little bit further ahead, was the second minotaur. Upon confirmation that they were mid-bosses and not normal monsters, there was no longer a strict obligation to give Taylor the final blow. However, since the Holy Vanguard were to take the lead this time, Riccardo, on the others’ behalf, still invited her to support them. As a matter of saving face, two C-ranks each from the Prussian and East Prussian sides were to act as additional support while Miel and Angela sat out this time.

“Remember, you can’t kill it,” Riccardo said to Francesco as he walked ahead of the rest. “Just in case you can’t hold back enough, at least wait for Miss Falcone’s familiar to attack it first.” Francesco said nothing as he continued to walk past him and towards the second minotaur who had just appeared from another path less than fifty feet away.

The minotaur leered at Francesco. There was no way to say for certain, but it seemed to know that its comrade had already been defeated. It tightly gripped its axe and cautiously approached Francesco. The two continued to walk towards one another, with Francesco’s walking looking especially awkward with his spear in both hands. Perhaps due to this, the minotaur's gaze shifted and focused more on the falcon that suddenly flew at it.

The instant the minotaur looked away, Francesco suddenly charged forward with surprising speed. On top of the high speed, he also ran with a high level of dexterity. It wasn’t just at the level of someone who can walk on their own, he ran with the movements of a highly skilled warrior. The surprised minotaur tried to attack Francesco, but he easily evaded and thrust his spear through both of the minotaur’s arms. It let go of its weapon, and Francesco pulled back along with his spear as the weapon started to fall. Then, before the weapon hit the ground, with an effortless twirl of his spear, he sliced off one of the minotaur’s arms. Along with dexterous footwork, he connected one spin into another and slashed off another arm. Then, he sliced through both of the minotaur’s legs, cutting them below the knee. Francesco casually stepped back, giving space for the minotaur to fall forward onto the ground, with no ability to break its fall.

Lastly, Francesco stabbed his spear through the minotaur’s side, pinning it to the ground. Taylor walked over to them, clearly surprised by his performance.

“The rumours don’t do you justice,” she commented when she reached his position.

“Please kill it quickly. It takes a lot of effort to use my Telekinesis Skill at its highest effectiveness for too long.” Taylor was a little annoyed by the comment, but refrained from being spiteful. She quickly picked up the minotaur’s axe and finished it off. The Prussian Dungeoneers who were meant to act as support were disappointed with how quickly the battle was settled but said nothing. The rest of the Dungeoneers started to advance as the black mist of the former minotaur started to fade. Just as they were about to reach Francesco and Taylor, Francesco spoke.

“Before we continue, I would like to make a suggestion.”

“What kind of suggestion?” Taylor asked, noting that even Riccardo seemed surprised.

“Since we have confirmed that these minotaurs are mid-bosses, I think we should look for the Empowering Stones before going any further. We may also want to go back to the patrol path of the first minotaur to search as well.” It was a sensible suggestion. From the other B-rank Dungeons that were cleared so far, although few in number, all of them had Empowering Stones that were nearby the mid-bosses. However, this labyrinth was also unique in that a single regular monster was yet to appear. Although the information from other Dungeons so far was something to consider, it was also dangerous to make sweeping assumptions. For example, very recently, the first underwater Dungeon Outbreak occurred.

“Are you suggesting that the Empowering Stones are invisible or hidden in some kind of way? Or, are you suggesting this for some other reason?” Taylor asked. Despite the sensibility of Francesco’s suggestion, there was another reason why it was dismissed earlier. Taylor scouted the labyrinth with her familiars and mapped every single path. To suggest that there were Empowering Stones that were not noted on her map would have implied that her scouting was incomplete or incompetent. This was an insinuation that no nation nor the EA would ever make lightly.

“In absolutely no way is Francesco questioning your amazing capabilities, Miss Falcone,” Riccardo suddenly cut in. He then went right up to Francesco and tried to pull him away. He didn’t budge, so Riccardo just whispered in his ear instead. “What do you think you are doing? Don’t you remember the priorities?”

“I think it would be better to be safe. The patrol paths of the minotaurs aren’t too long, so it shouldn’t take much time to check them over again.”

“It might not take too long to retrace their path, but would you be satisfied with just going over it just once? How many times do you plan to walk back and forth until your search is complete? We do not have all the time to waste. We need to know what is behind the doors at the end, first.” This was said by one of the Prussian Dungeoneers.

“If that’s how you think about it, then I don’t mind just checking it over by myself.” Francesco’s response noticeably irritated a few more Dungeoneers.

“Oh, so you’re just planning to free-ride this Dungeon?!” one of the East Prussian Dungeoneers asked angrily. After the creation of the Dungeoneer ranks, the compensation system was changed to reflect a larger share of the Dungeon drops going to higher ranked Dungeoneers. It varied a bit from country to country, but at a minimum, higher ranked Dungeoneers were receiving at least three times as much as lower ranked Dungeoneers. This was, in fact, a compromise by the higher ranked Dungeoneers since they were essential to defeating the Dungeon Bosses. It would be a different matter, however, if a higher ranked Dungeoneer simply wasn’t present during the Boss battle at all.

“I don’t intend to take any share of the Boss drops if you happen to fight it.” If any of his former party members from the first C-rank Dungeon were here to hear this, they’d insist that this was someone completely different. This was not the case, of course, and instead of bewilderment, there was only increasing tension from Francesco’s nonchalant remarks. Although, certain Dungeoneers, such as Angela and Miel just looked on calmly, quietly whispering to themselves.

Francesco seemed to stop caring about the situation he had caused, and after deciding he wouldn’t be able to convince everyone, he just started walking away, down the patrol path of the second minotaur. Several Dungeoneers, of course, started shouting at him as he started to leave, but then Taylor suddenly drowned them out after summoning another familiar and having them both screech. Several Dungeoneers reflexively covered their ears, and even Francesco stopped in his tracks.

“Everyone, I want us all to remember that clearing this Dungeon is not the number one priority.” Most of the Dungeoneers looked at her in shock. “If it can be cleared, then fine. However, the real purpose is to investigate this Dungeon to add on to the world’s knowledge about Dungeons. This is to not only help in clearing future Dungeons, but to assess the approximate threat that the current Dungeon poses if there is an Outbreak.” Most of the Dungeoneers looked at Taylor, in either shocked or confused silence. This sounded just like the kind of spiel the EA officials always go on about, and having had to meet with so many of them in the past year and listen to them, these phrases had an unusual calming effect for veteran Dungeoneers.

“Okay, so what should we do now, then?” Miel asked, one of the few veteran Dungeoneers that had a more antagonistic relationship with certain EA officials.

“Normally, I would propose a vote, but I can tell that certain individuals would not be swayed by a majority opinion. So, instead, I think it may be better to split up, at least for now.” Now, that was not a very EA-like thing to say, given their constant emphasis on cooperation. Taylor continued speaking, already seeing that some looked ready to voice their opposition. “Please remember the Earth Alliance instructions. Our priority is survival, both personally, and for the people who would be endangered by an Outbreak. If there is another labyrinth behind those doors, we would not risk getting lost or getting caught in some kind of trap or ambush. We would return to the entrance and I would send one of my familiars through the portal, alerting everyone outside that we will not be clearing the Dungeon.”

A few Dungeoneers nodded along, including Riccardo.

“Also, if the Boss is behind those doors, then double checking for hidden Empowering Stones would be helpful just in case they are not behind those doors.” Several more Dungeoneers seemed convinced and the situation settled down. The prideful Prussian C-ranks elected to continue onward, and the East Prussians followed, not wanting to be called cowards by the hated rivals. Surprisingly for most, Taylor chose to scout the paths, along with three Holy Vanguard members. Miel and Angela were the last two to decide, but after certain remarks made by both the Prussian and East Prussian sides, they decided to go forward as well, although Miel looked reluctant to make such a decision.

After splitting up, the forward group encountered no obstacles until reaching the stone double doors. Their surfaces were smooth, with the exception of seven indentations that seemed to form a circular pattern across the two doors. Nobody seemed sure about what this could mean, but several noticed how the indentation that was furthest to the left appeared to just be a circle, whereas the other indentations seemed to be portions of a circle.

One of the Dungeoneers tried touching the indentations, and surprisingly, right when his hand pressed against the stone, the doors began to slowly open outwards, causing the Dungeoneer to quickly jump back. Peering inside, they could see a path that continues on a slight decline. On either side of the path were torches similar to the ones found in the D-rank Dungeon cave. A few of the East Prussian Dungeoneers looked at Miel and Angela expectantly.

“Should we check it out?” one of them asked. There was no update from the scouting side, nor was there an update about any Empowering Stones being destroyed.

“We should wait,” Miel responded. She was confident in her strength and even more confident in Angela, but she saw no reason to rush. A Boss fight has never lasted more than a few hours, so there was plenty of time to spare before considering challenging what may lie down this path.

“To think that every B-rank in this party would get cold feet. I am surprised to see that the Earth Alliance considers cowardice to be a qualification for ranking up.” Miel was annoyed by the Prussian Dungeoneer’s goading, but didn’t think it was worth responding to. “It looks like it is up to true Prussians of noble heritage to clear this Dungeon.” The other Prussian Dungeoneers heartily agreed.

“Yes, Herr Schumann, let us advance.” Alright, go ahead and get yourselves killed, you chauvinistic pigs, Miel thought. “The frauleins can remain in the back.” This remark easily incensed the East Prussian Dungeoneers who collectively agreed to advance forward as well.

“Come, we must not let these bastards underestimate us!”

“Just ignore them, if they actually had to encounter the B-rank Boss at its empowered state, a group of just C-ranks wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“But, I heard that a few of them were set to be promoted to B-rank soon!” Miel also heard that rumour, but didn’t believe it. It started going around just after she received her promotion, so she figured someone on their side just started circulating it to try to keep their pride intact.

“We can go in either after the rest of them get back here or after the Empowering Stones are destroyed.”

“See you soon!” one of the Prussian Dungeoneers called out after they all passed by the open doors.

“Jakub, let’s go!” one of the East Prussian Dungeoneers called out to Jakub, who was still trying to convince Miel and Angela.

“Coming!” he called back after turning around. Then, he looked back at the two women. “We know you’re not like the rest of those bastards. You can’t just let them get any advantage over you.”

“Like I said, without us, they won’t be able to do it anyways. Don’t throw your lives away, just stay here.”

“But, if they defeat the boss, we will have to live on in shame.”

“They won’t beat it.”

“Then we will also be shamed for not fighting.” Miel was close to getting fed up with his stubbornness. Actually, she was fed up. She was fed up with the pridefulness of both the East Prussian Dungeoneers and the other Prussian counterparts. She was fed up with this useless pride that all these men insist upon for the purpose of putting down others. A hateful pride, similar to what most men she knew used when belittling both her and her sister, Angela.

“Then go ahead and die with them.” Miel’s response was fierce, matching her expression. Miel thought better of the East Prussians, since despite their initial prejudice, she found them to be trustworthy companions. She also thought they could be very useful down the road for her future plans, but if they were going to get like this every time other Prussians get involved, then they simply weren’t worth dealing with anymore.

“Miel, are you sure we should stay behind?” Angela asked her, seeming to notice some pained thoughts running through her mind. The stunned Jakub finally recovered himself.

“I apologize if I offended you. However, this is something we must do. I won’t ask you to change your mind again.” Jakub turned around and left, disappointment on his face. After they reached the entrance, Angela asked Miel another question.

“How about I go ahead with them by myself?”

“What? What are you talking about?” Miel asked, genuinely confused.

“It’s just to make sure that we can save some of them. I don’t think you want them all to die.”

“I-” Miel quickly stopped herself to take a moment to think properly. “This was their choice. I don’t see why you should have to risk your life to save any of them if they weren’t going to give us their due consideration.”

“...I can handle myself.” Angela had to pause for a bit to digest Miel’s words. Failing that, she just responded to the part she did understand. However, just that much was still enough to make Miel reconsider.

“Okay, we can go in, but our goal isn’t to fight the Boss if it’s there. At most, we’ll drag back a couple of them and retreat, okay?” Angela nodded in agreement. The two then followed the rest, catching up with the East Prussians shortly afterward, who were very pleased that they changed their minds. After that, they soon caught up with the rest of the Prussians who had a few snide remarks prepared.

The group continued down the path for about another minute before reaching a large, circular chamber. It was similar in size to the D-rank Dungeon Boss room, but instead of the mysterious lighted ceiling, it was a dark, stone ceiling that was about twenty feet high. The only light sources in the room were a pair of torches on the far side of the chamber, which illuminated a stone platform that was about a foot above the rest of the floor. On that stone platform was a golden, jewel-encrusted chest.

“This really is starting to feel more like a Dungeon now,” one of the East Prussian Dungeoneers remarked aloud. “There’s even a treasure chest now.”

“Do you think the Boss is inside the chest?” another East Prussian Dungeoneer asked.

“Maybe the chest is the Boss?” a different person asked. As the East Prussian Dungeoneers debate, the C-rank Prussian Dungeoneers boldly advanced, expecting to find Rare, or even Super Rare artifacts inside the chest.

“Hey, stop right there,” Miel called out, having a bad feeling about the situation. As far as she could see, there were no other paths leading out of this chamber and they still haven’t encountered any other monsters.

The Prussian Dungeoneers ignored her and the East Prussian Dungeoneers also started advancing, while continuing their discussion.

“Maybe this is a treasure Dungeon? That could be the reason why it’s so unique. The real challenge is navigating through the labyrinth, and the drops that would come from the Boss are inside the chest.”

“That would be really lucky, then.”

“Hold on, guys, it could still be a mimic. We should get ready to fight the treasure chest just in case.”

“A what?”

“A mimic. Haven’t you ever played rpgs?”

“I’ve played P*****m. Does that count?”

The Prussian Dungeoneers finally reached the stone platform, but before they could take a step further, Miel stood in front of them, with Angela rushing to her side.

“Stop, do not touch the treasure chest!”

“Oh, now that there is no danger, the fraulein wants to keep all the rewards to herself?”

“Oh, just shut up. Even assuming that this is a real treasure chest, we shouldn’t open it until the rest of the party is here.”

“Why? To reward them for doing nothing other than wasting time? They haven’t found any Empowering Stones because there aren’t any. It should have been obvious that this was a special Dungeon.” Herr Schumann took a step towards Miel.

“If that is really the case, then we have to at least wait for the scout. If it weren’t for her, we would have gotten lost in the labyrinth.”

“She’ll get what she is owed.” Herr Schumann looked back at the others. “We all know to make sure that Frau Falcone receives her entitlement, correct?” The others loudly agreed. “See, unlike some people, we recognize when good work should be rewarded. Now, instead of wasting time standing around as those Roman Church soldiers waste more time on a fruitless search, let us retrieve the items here so we can clear the Dungeon and head back home.” He stepped past Miel and onto the stone platform. Angela looked at Miel, silently asking for the next move. Miel observed that several of the Prussian Dungoneers had various weapons at the ready and were eyeing Miel’s actions. If Miel tried to physically obstruct them, she knew a fight could break out, and if this really happened to be just a treasure chest, there would be a lot of damage to both her reputation and Angela’s.

“I just want it to be on record that I still think we should wait.” Miel backed off, as did Angela. The Prussian Dungeoneers snickered or laughed to themselves when the two women retreated. The East Prussian Dungeoneers, on the other hand, took Miel’s words more seriously and got ready in case a Boss battle suddenly began.

Herr Schumann approached the treasure chest and ran his hands over the encrusted jewels. Nothing happened, and he laughed to himself. Then, he pulled down the latches of the chest. Again, nothing happened, and the other Prussian smiled or laughed. Finally, he opened up the chest, and the torches were suddenly snuffed out. While in total darkness, the chamber shook as a stone block suddenly fell down, sealing off the entrance. Then, there was the sound of cracking stone as the ceiling collapsed on top of the party.