Chapter: 174
The boss on the 10th floor was utterly powerless before the shield infused with divinity.
This was the same guy who got blocked by my parry before. There’s no way he could penetrate a shield reinforced with divine power.
The golem desperately flailed around, but all of it was just flailing. He crumbled to nothing in just a few minutes.
As I watched the remnants of the golem, which fell apart so trivially compared to when it first appeared, I leaned against my shield stuck in the ground and let out a long sigh.
Haaa. Seriously, this is so damn exhausting. I was half-exhausted now that the battle had ended.
Fighting the golem wasn’t much of a problem.
My stamina is pretty good, you know.
Back when I trained in the Allen family, I could move for a few hours without rest.
If I compare that to now, having grown immensely, I could probably move nonstop for two nights straight.
So it’s downright ridiculous for me to be dying from mere physical limits.
But the reason I’m on the verge of death right now?
There’s only one. The backlash from using the Divine Sword Technique for too long.
“Maintaining defense with divinity consumes an enormous amount of stamina, you know?!”
“That’s why I didn’t mention it until now. You’ll be dead exhausted afterward.”
As I’ve said before, I’m still clumsy with this skill.
I’m somewhat familiar with using it to strengthen my body, but any further application is pretty tough.
I can’t control the output, so I have to exert full power every time.
Infusing the shield with divinity was no different.
While blocking the golem’s attacks, I had to pour out divinity at maximum strength all the time.
That’s how I felt my stamina gradually dwindling in real-time.
If it weren’t for my unwavering will forcing me up, I would have just called for help from Karl and Alsatine, right?
…Ah. Right. I should have just called for help.
I had already achieved my original goal of checking my shield technique level, so there was no need to face this alone.
Aaaaah. Whatever. Damn it. It’s all because of that lousy canister.
Why is that ugly canister so damn tough?
It should have fallen over after just a minute like in the game.
And the reward for clearing the boss? Just a fire stone? What a total shabby nuisance canister!
“Shall we call it a day?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah. I can’t stand this shabby, stinky dungeon anymore.”
Originally, I planned to progress a bit further after clearing the 10th-floor boss, but that’s not happening.
If I force myself to continue, I might really faint. For now, let’s head back to the lodging and take a wash. I can’t stand this filthy feeling anymore.
*
While washing up at the lodging, there was a minor incident where an Sloppy Fox dove into the clothes I was wearing, but anyway, after cleaning up, I threw off my armor and put on light clothing before heading outside.
I needed to sort out the loot I obtained from the Menestel dungeon today.
Most of the items from the lower levels are useless junk as far as I’m concerned.
Storing these in my inventory only takes up space without being able to use them effectively.
That’s why it’s better to hand over this junk to the adventurers’ guild.
I can earn some money selling the loot and increase my evaluation from the guild, while hopefully boosting the favorability of the guild receptionist… but that’s unlikely. It’s just a relief if they don’t hate me.
“You really don’t need to go, Young Lady. I can take care of it.”
Karl seemed worried about me visiting the adventurers’ guild again.
He was the one who faced numerous greedy gazes at the guild last night.
He’s probably worried about me being exposed again.
Personally, I think it’s an unnecessary worry.
If my name wasn’t known back then, I’d understand, but now that I’m identified as Lucy Allen, who would dare meet my eyes?
What if they tried to pick a fight with me?
Sure, I might look like a cute girl right now, but the name Lucy Allen has the power to squash that cuteness flat.
I know better than anyone the strength my notorious name holds, so I ignored Karl’s worries and went to the adventurers’ guild.
Once I entered the guild, I confirmed that my expectations were spot on.
The moment I showed my face, silence fell over the entire guild.
“What a familiar atmosphere.”
“Yeah. Just like that boring scene we saw at the academy.”
People hurriedly turned their heads to avoid my gaze, some darting glances, while others squeezed into corners out of sheer terror.
It was a situation I’d often seen when I entered class late.
Desires or greed aimed at a cute, pretty girl? There’s no way that exists.
As I confidently walked toward the reception desk, people formed a line and willingly stepped aside.
The receptionist cast a desperate eye towards other adventurers as if asking for help, but no one responded to her.
“Excuse me.”
“Hey, big guy.”
“Yes! Lady Allen! What can I do for you?!”
She responded to me with a stiff demeanor, as if she wouldn’t give me any small trouble.
Watching her tightly wound up like that, I felt a sudden urge to mess with her.
I could easily pick at any weaknesses if I wanted to.
Starting with, “Are you scared of me?”
No. No. Let’s calm down.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been stressed all day, but my circuits have been taken over by the Mesugaki Skill.
What’s the point of harassing someone I’d have to see frequently?
Gathering my sanity, I told the receptionist I was here to process my loot.
“Loot? Please place it on the desk.”
“Here?”
“On this shabby desk?”
“Yes.”
Hmm. I wonder if everything can fit here.
Well, I’ll do it if you say so.
Pretending to open a Space Pocket, I began to pull out the loot that had been in my inventory.
Wow, this is a task, taking them out one by one. I ended up hunting too many trash mobs thanks to the lousy adventurers.
If I had stuck to the original plan, I wouldn’t have had to face such grind.
Thanks to that, I leveled up once, but I’m not thankful at all. I’d say the fatigue was much worse than the rewards.
“Excuse me…”
“Hey, big guy.”
“Is this it?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“What nonsense are you talking about? You look as dumb as you sound. Just place it on the floor. You have no complaints, right?”
“Uh, yes. Yes.”
After rummaging through my inventory for a long time, I finally managed to lay all the loot out in front of the reception desk.
In a game, it would have just taken a few clicks of the mouse to finish, but doing it in reality is a hassle.
Next time I go to the dungeon, I’ll just leave the junk items behind.
“…Is this really all you hunted today?”
“But?”
“So what? Is there a problem?”
“No! There’s absolutely no problem! I’ll process it right away!”
The burly receptionist and several guild staff began sorting the loot when a party approached me.
Oh, I remember them. The lousy party from the first monster train.
I had planned to say a few words to them, and now it’s perfect timing.
Stupid adventurers. It’s time to unload the frustration I’ve built up from tackling the dungeon on them.
As I waited to pounce on them with whatever nonsense they might say…
“We’re really sorry! Lady Allen!”
““We’re sorry!””
They suddenly bowed their heads before me.
What? Huh?
“We were out of line!…”
“Please, just spare our lives!…”
“I have a sick younger sibling at home!…”
Initially, I had intended to destroy their self-esteem, but as they bowed their heads so quickly, my head went blank.
If it had ended there, I might have regained my senses somehow, but as the first party bowed, others I had saved joined in, and my head felt dizzy.
The most ridiculous was Karl.
How could he be gaping from behind when he should be helping me!
If Alsatine hadn’t interrupted, I might have been squatting there watching them bow for a while.
Haa. You dumb, useless pup who can’t help outside of battle.
Just wait. I’m gonna kick that butt later.
After things settled down, I understood why the adventurers were so desperate.
The problem was that my notoriety was too high.
Think about it.
Even if they were desperate for their lives, they had put me, a reckless little lady from a noble family, in danger.
They probably thought if I stayed still, who knows what might happen to me. That’s why they chose to bow their heads and apologize first to save their lives.
“I’m tired.”
After assuring them I wouldn’t take any revenge, I leaned back in my chair and sighed internally.
I’m really so tired I feel like I might die.
Even if I spent the whole night training with Grandpa, I didn’t feel this dead tired.
“Shall we skip training today?”
“No. We have to do what needs to be done.”
Usually, I’d welcome a suggestion to take a break, but not today.
I need to properly practice how to infuse divinity into my shield.
There’s no telling what variables might arise in the Menestel dungeon, so how could I rest?
I can rest after everything’s wrapped up.
While I was gathering my resolve thinking about visiting Partlan’s territory later, a man approached me, triggering the beginning of the apology frenzy.
“Once again, I apologize. Lady Allen. It was because of me.”
Seeing him stand before me, shaking in fear, I guess he’s somewhat responsible.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“You think I’d care about a shabby commoner like you? Haha. Talk about delusions.”
As the Mesugaki Skill insulted him, the man mumbled, not knowing how to respond.
At this rate, he might just end up with a hole in his facade. Let’s get him out of here quickly.
Still, I’ll say what I need to say.
“Aren’t you too weak for an adventurer?”
“Hey, why is a pathetic weakling like you entering a dungeon where you could get beaten up by a girl? If you want to die, just do it miserably in a corner!”
Dungeon exploration is a life-or-death problem.
If you enter with half-baked skills, you’re just asking for a foolish death.
If you’re begging for your life at the lower levels, you might as well give up on being an adventurer.
Thinking it might leave an unpleasant taste, I spoke up unnecessarily, but the man waved his hands.
“No! I don’t want to die! So, um, you see… usually today, there aren’t as many monsters in the lower levels. But today, something’s off about the dungeon.”
The man explained that although he didn’t have the skill to go up, he was barely making a living as an adventurer at the lower levels.
But today, the dungeon was acting weird. There were more monsters than usual, and they were acting rougher.
“I’ve been wandering around the Menestel dungeon for quite a while, but this is the first time I’m seeing something like this.”
Listening to his story, I found myself at a loss for words.
The phenomenon he mentioned occurred on the day I entered the dungeon for the first time.
“Um, Grandpa. Is it possible that…”
“Hmm. Just as Armadi always watches you, the Evil God seems to be keeping an eye on you too.”
Right? This has to be because of me, right?!
…Thank goodness I saved all those people in danger.
Had I ignored that and later found out it was because of me, I’d be filled with guilt for a long time.
Now there’s one more reason to speed through the dungeon.
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