Chapter 9: The Start of the Beginner Mid-tier Dungeon Conquest and Our First Party Runs!
The Beginner mid-tier dungeon is structured with the assumption that it will be challenged by a party.
There are a few traps here and there, the enemies grow stronger and more numerous, and the boss at this level is no longer something you can realistically solo. At the very least, you need a healer, or you’ll just get whittled down and crushed.
Even so, it’s still considered a Beginner-level dungeon, and with a proper party setup, the difficulty is tuned to be fairly manageable. That’s what defines a Beginner mid-tier dungeon.
It goes down fifteen floors, with a wide variety of monster roles appearing, so plenty of people tend to stumble at this stage. But—
"They’re heading your way, Ester!"
"Leave it to me! Hah—『Long Thrust』!"
Ester’s two-handed spears struck with a skill-enhanced blow, and the Sword Goblin vanished in an instant.
"Alright then—『Sonic Sword』!"
"Guh!?"
I didn’t fall behind either, cutting down another goblin.
Since Beginner mid-tier raises the level cap, I was able to participate directly in battle too.
"Was that the last of them?"
Sierra finished off the final enemy with a clean 『Shield Bash』, bringing the skirmish to an end.
We stayed alert, checked the surroundings, then relaxed with a breath.
"Good work. I think we’re really starting to find our rhythm."
It was Monday morning. <Eden>’s full party had come to tackle the <Wild Grass Plains Dungeon>.
And as you can see, it was a flawless victory. Not a single stumble.
So much so that Lana was pouting that she didn’t get a chance to heal.
That’s why I appointed her as the party’s tactician.
I asked her since I’d be busy fighting, and she happily took on the role. The problem is, all her commands so far boil down to "Over there!" and "That way!"—which isn’t exactly useful.
Still, it does lighten the mood. Lana’s voice is both strong and cute, and somehow it makes you want to try harder.
Ester, in particular, perks right up whenever Lana calls her name, rushing forward with a huge smile.
Well, I’ll teach Lana the finer points of giving orders eventually. No telling if she’ll actually pick it up, but at least she has the motivation.
As for the new party setup, it was working smoothly.
Until now, it had just been Sierra tanking and Ester attacking, but with me able to fill both roles, our stability shot through the roof.
At first, Sierra kept her eyes on me, wary of my movements, but once she judged me trustworthy, she started leaving me responsibilities as well.
The roles were settling in nicely: Sierra tanks, Ester cleans up the overflow, I jump in if there are more than two enemies, while Lana and Hanna stay protected in the back.
Whenever I tank, Sierra is freed up, so I naturally slide into an attacker role.
Sierra’s reliability as a tank is outstanding, so this balance should hold steady until the Intermediate-level dungeons, where monster groups start appearing in sixes.
"Alright, let’s move on to the boss room. With our current coordination, we can’t lose."
"Yes! Let’s go already!"
"My Job’s still only level 17… will that be alright?"
"We’re high-ranking jobs, remember? With our SUP being that much higher, a few levels behind doesn’t make a difference in raw stats."
"I-I’ll just be cheering everyone on from the back… Do your best, everyone."
Lana, who until now had only gotten her time to shine during boss fights, perked up the moment "boss" was mentioned and practically bounced forward.
Ester, though, seemed uneasy about being under-leveled. Technically speaking, level 20 was the recommended level for fighting the boss.
But Sierra was right. High-ranking jobs had overwhelmingly superior stats. The recommended level was set for mid-rank jobs, so at 17, a high-rank job could handle it just fine.
And besides, our gear was overkill.
Even if we rolled a rare boss, there was nothing to worry about. I’d beaten them solo, after all.
After descending to the 15th floor and taking a short rest in the safe zone, we plunged into the boss room. Hanna was with us this time.
It was decided after Lana exclaimed, "It’s not fair if she’s the only one without a medal of clear!" Her words carried the weight of a decree, so that was that. I had no objections, of course. We even made her take off her <Bracelet of 『Guest』>.
"Thank you, Lady Lana."
"N-No need to thank me. You’re part of <Eden> too, Hanna, so it’s only natural."
Up until now, Hanna had been shrinking back around her noble companions, but Lana’s kindness was finally opening her up. And Lana, embarrassed but clearly eager to bond with Hanna, responded warmly.
The heartwarming chatter between the girls made me smile—until it was time to face the boss.
This time, the boss was actually waiting in its chamber, like it was supposed to.
If it had been a rare boss, the room would’ve been empty, so this one was a standard boss.
"As I said before, the boss is one <Knight Goblin>, two <Sword Goblins>, and two regular <Goblins>. We stick to the plan. Lana, are you good?"
"Leave it to me! I won’t mess up like last time!"
"No, it’s fine even if you do mess up. Just try your best. If anything happens, we’ll cover for you."
If you get so afraid of failure that you can’t act at all—that’s the real mistake. Just like Lana had been before.
After all, this was just a Beginner Mid-tier boss. A few mistakes here and there don’t matter.
In fact, this is the perfect time to make lots of mistakes and learn from them.
"Hanna, your job is to stay in the back and use 『Fireball』 to keep them in check and support us. Don’t worry about finishing them off. Just make sure you don’t hit your allies."
"O-okay, got it."
Magic is basically like shooting. Hanna has only just started using 『Fireball』, so there’s no way she can aim properly at moving monsters yet. That’s why I just asked her to focus on not hitting the rest of us for now.
As for Ester and Sierra, I didn’t need to say anything. Their performance speaks for itself.
"Alright then, battle starts!"
"""" Yeah!""""
Oh, this time Sierra even joined in the cheer. Nice.
The boss, the <Knight Goblin>, just sat there on its wolf, waiting.
Well, it is a Beginner-level dungeon boss. As the first of the group-fight–type bosses, its opening moves are pretty tame.
That means now’s our chance to clear out the minion goblins.
"『Shine Lightning』!"
""Guh-bwah!?""
Since they scattered as they ran in, my 『Shine Lightning』 only hit two of them.
Still, that should’ve dealt a good chunk of damage.
Those two immediately turned their aggro toward me.
"『Provoke』! Good, that’s working!"
"『Blessing of Protection』! 『Blessing of the Lion』!"
"『Fireball』!"
The other two got pulled by Sierra.
Once that was confirmed, buffs started flying in from Lana—defense up and attack up.
Next, Hanna fired her staff’s 『Fireball』 trait, but unfortunately, the goblin dodged it.
"『Appeal』!"
"『Long Thrust』!"
"『Blessing of Holy Light』! 『Blessing of Swiftness』!"
"『Fireball』!"
I pulled more aggro from my pair of regular goblins, and then Ester, boosted by the buffs, drove her skill clean through one of them.
Rule of thumb: in a fight, you start by picking off the weak ones first.
Lana calmly cast buffs that raised our magic power and agility, covering the whole team.
Then Hanna’s cooldown ended, and she fired another 『Fireball』. This time it connected—hitting one of Sierra’s sword goblins.
"Y-yes!"
Hanna clenched her fist, beaming.
That one felt good. Sierra had just bashed it back with 『Shield Bash』, and Hanna’s shot landed square on the staggered target. That’s the kind of hit that feels great.
Meanwhile, I finished off my side.
Regular goblins are weak. Even as boss minions with buffed stats, they were still easy prey.
Switching roles from tank to attacker, I lunged at a sword goblin.
"『Sonic Sword』!"
"Gub!?"
Nice—scored a clean critical and knocked it down. Looks like I even pulled its aggro, so I’d better finish it off before it gets back up.
"『Long Thrust』!"
Ester, coming in just behind me, charged at the other sword goblin. Good call.
I left that one to her while I kept hacking down the staggered one until it dropped. That’s when things shifted.
"The boss is moving! Reapplying buffs—『Blessing of Protection』! 『Blessing of the Lion』!"
The <Knight Goblin> starts moving once only one minion is left.
It always targets the one who killed the most goblins. Since I’d taken out one regular and one sword goblin, its aggro came straight to me.
So, I switched roles again, back to tank.
"Leave it to me! 『Appeal』!"
Having a sub-tank is really handy. Sierra could stay with Ester until she finished off the last sword goblin, while I took the boss’s attention.
I mean, if I really went all out, I could solo this thing no problem—I’d already beaten the <Emperor Goblin> alone. But this was a party run, so I stuck to my assigned role.
"『Fireball!』"
"『Prayer of Healing』!"
I’m still learning the ropes as a real tank, so a few attacks slipped through and grazed me.
Noticing my HP dip, Lana happily rushed to cast her healing spell.
Hanna’s 『Fireballs』 didn’t land, but the boss reacted to them, interrupting its own attacks several times to dodge.
Good, good. Just like I taught her—perfect support fire.
"『Provoke!』"
"『Long Thrust』!"
Before long, Sierra and Ester finished off the minions and rejoined us.
The <Knight Goblin> turned to face Sierra after reacting to her 『Provoke』.
My 『Appeal』 and Sierra’s 『Provoke』 have almost the same effect, but since I’d been focusing on blocking instead of counterattacking, my hate value eased off, shifting aggro to Sierra.
With her taking over as tank, I switched roles back to attacker.
To avoid pulling hate, I held off on skills and just whittled away with basic attacks.
"Yah, take this!"
"『Prayer of Healing』!"
"『Fireball』!"
"『Long Thrust』!"
"Cooldown’s up—『Provoke』!"
"Alright then—『Sonic Sword』!"
Sierra handled the <Knight Goblin>’s strikes beautifully, though damage inevitably piled up. Lana cast a healing spell and restored her to full health in one go. As expected of the 【Saint】. With her, one big heal buys us dozens of seconds without needing another—her hate control and MP efficiency are just on another level.
Since Sierra was solidly holding aggro, I cut loose and started chaining skills. Still, I avoided using 『Brave Slash』. That thing’s way too strong—it’d end the fight in an instant.
And with our gear being what it is, we didn’t even need a unique skill. Before long, the moment came.
"G-gobuuuuugh…"
Ester’s 『Long Thrust』 landed clean, and with a flashy explosion of effects unique to boss monsters, the <Knight Goblin> vanished.
I held my stance, reflecting on the fight.
This one had gone really well. I could proudly say—this was true party teamwork.
"That was smooth! Nice work, everyo—"
But my voice trailed off.
Because everyone’s eyes were fixed on what had appeared where the effects faded.
A >Gold Chest>.
"<Gold Chest>!"
Hanna was the first to react. Figures.
"Wait, Hanna. Don’t jump at it—stay. Stay!"
"Z-Zephyrus-kun, I’m not a dog, you know…"
She’s hopeless when it comes to <Gold Chests>. Even though I let her open the last one, she still dashed toward this one, so I had to intercept her.
Hanna shot me a sulky look at being treated like a dog, but I ignored it.
Still, a <Gold Chest> really is a rare drop—you don’t get to see one often.
Lana, Ester, and Sierra also couldn’t keep their eyes off it, each showing their own reactions.
"So this is a <Gold Chest>… my first time seeing one! I wonder what treasure’s inside."
"Sir Zephyrus mentioned last time he opened a <Gold Chest> here and obtained <Lucky Cat-sama>. This will be exciting, won’t it, Lady Lana?"
"That was a rare boss drop, so I doubt it’ll be anything that crazy this time… but still, treasure is always thrilling."
We packed all the regular loot into my <Item Bag (Capacity: Large)> first. Wouldn’t want the surroundings to be messy for the big <Gold Chest> opening—that would kill the mood.
"Alright then, who’s opening it?"
"Me, me!"
"Hanna, you opened the last one! Sit this one out."
The instant I asked, Hanna shot her hand up. Of course, no way.
"I opened one last time too, so let’s let the three who haven’t had the chance yet take turns."
"Okaaay…"
Yep. That obedient side of hers is one of Hanna’s charms.
This time there was just one <Gold Chest>. Normally, it’s one—rare bosses drop two.
On very rare occasions, <Lucky Cat-sama>’s 『Luck』 kicks in and doubles it.
The time we got four <Gold Chests> from a rare boss, the hype went absolutely through the roof. That’s something I hope the others get to experience someday.
We’ll all spin around in circles from excitement when that happens!
But this time, once again, there was only one.
I worried a bit that we might end up arguing over who got to open it, but my fears were unfounded.
These ladies are all nobles and royals. They calmly agreed to rotate turns, and this time it was Lana’s first go.
Smiling, she stepped up to the chest and placed her hand on the lid… only for her hand to stop dead.
"T-this is… wow, my heart’s racing. I think I could get addicted to this feeling…"
I overheard her mutter that, and I knew exactly what she meant.
Even after 8,000 hours of gameplay, I still get butterflies at this moment. This feeling never fades. Honestly, this thrill is the whole reason I keep raiding dungeons.
Lana pressed a hand to her chest, took a deep breath, and with resolve opened the treasure chest.
Everyone’s eyes immediately focused on what was inside as Lana slowly reached in and pulled it out.
It was a key, small enough to fit in her hand.
"The <Door Key>—YESSS!!"
My excitement blew past MAX and burst out of my mouth!
I couldn’t help but pump my fist in the air.
"Wah! Y-you scared me! Don’t just shout out of nowhere!"
"How could I not shout!? Lana, you should be shouting too! Come on, raise your hands and yell ‘We did it!’ three times!"
"N-no way I’m doing that! Wait—don’t grab my hand! This is embarrassing!"
"Banzai! Banzai!"
The treasure inside Lana’s <Golden Chest> was officially called the <Universal Hidden Door Key (Iron)>—nicknamed the <Iron Door Key>.
Just as the name implies, it could unlock hidden, locked doors when discovered. And it was a permanent, indestructible-use key.
In <DanKatsu>, this was a very important item.
Because the game had a time-limit system, certain essential items were only obtainable through drops—if you didn’t get them, you were stuck. That’s why the developers reluctantly made boss farming possible.
For some reason, even items that would normally be guaranteed story progression items in an RPG were boss-drop only. If you got unlucky, advancing became ridiculously hard.
The prime example was the <Advanced Job Change Ticket>. Without it, you were literally stuck.
Hidden door keys were also treated as rare boss drops.
That said, failing to get one didn’t block progress—you could still craft single-use disposable keys. But crafting needed lots of materials, and monsters dropped over a dozen different things, so farming the right ones was brutal.
It was basically as much trouble as farming rare boss drops themselves, so players desperately hunted bosses anyway.
To get one here in the Beginner-level dungeon—even if it’s just the iron tier—was incredibly lucky!
Behind those hidden doors are treasures. TREASURE! Big haul incoming!
This single key had the value of dozens of rare items—that’s why I was so hyped.
Way to go, Lana! You’re the best!
"Waaah!"
"Alright, that’s enough. Zephyrus, calm down."
"Oops?"
Before I knew it, I had one hand on Lana’s waist and we were spinning around in a little dance. Sierra cut in between us and pulled her away. I half-joked, "Oh, is it Sierra’s turn to dance?" and reached toward her waist—only to have her block me with her shield. Eehh!?
"No. You're wrong. Why would you even think that? Look, Princess Lana’s already dizzy."
Sure enough, Ester was holding up Lana, who was blushing bright red, breathing heavily, and spinning her eyes.
Oops. Guess I went a little overboard. Sorry, Lana.
But if Sierra’s a no-go too…
"Then who am I supposed to dance with?"
"Just stop dancing altogether."
Sierra gave me a tired glare, though behind her, Hanna was peeking out, looking like she wanted to dance. But Sierra blocked me again.
So I settled down and gave a passionate lecture on the <Iron Door Key>’s usefulness while Lana recovered. Sierra nodded thoughtfully, impressed. Good, she understood.
"You sure you don’t want to dance, Sierra? Spinning around feels great when you’re hyped on a rare drop."
"No."
Shame. Nothing beats dancing when your excitement’s at peak rare-drop levels.
"Um, I could—"
"Later."
"O-okay…"
"Actually, it doesn’t really work later. The hype’s what makes it fun…"
Anyway, with the <Iron Door Key> secured and luck on our side, I stopped the others from heading to the teleport circle and suggested we keep farming bosses for a while.
I was still on cloud nine about the drop… until a few days later, when I realized: "Wait. In real life, you can just break down a locked door, right?!" That revelation hit me like a truck.
For the first time, I learned some items that were priceless in-game had way less value in reality.
…Still, I was going to use the key, since we had it!
"I'll tell you exactly how I feel right now. You really are crazy."
"Harsh!"
That was Sierra’s flat verdict, after I re-summoned the boss for our second run and explained the concept of farming.
"I’ve never even heard of such a thing as boss farming. As expected of you, Sir Zephyrus, so knowledgeable."
"See? Ester gets it."
"I’m not saying it’s bad. It is an impressive discovery. I’ve never heard of boss farming either. What about you, Princess Lana?"
"It’s new to me too! I’ve never seen anything like it, even in the royal archives—though, maybe I just forgot…"
"Then what’s the problem? From an efficiency standpoint, grinding bosses is the best method."
"That’s not the point. We just defeated a boss, cleared the dungeon, opened a <Golden Chest>, and even got a trophy item. And now you want to farm the boss again? That ruins the mood entirely!"
"Wow, detailed critique."
Well, she wasn’t wrong.
The fight with the <Knight Goblin> just now really was great.
Everyone’s coordination clicked perfectly—this is what a proper party battle should feel like. It was amazing, and honestly, a lot of fun.
The drops were jackpot-level, too.
If this were me back when I’d just started gaming, I probably would’ve been soaking in the excitement and afterglow of the moment… actually, no, probably not. More likely, I’d be saying, "Let’s try that tactic again!" and running the fight like ten more times.
"Alright then, once we enjoy the afterglow back at the safe zone, let’s hit the boss again."
"What do you mean, alright then? …Seriously. But I’ll agree anyway. It is a pain to come all the way back here, after all…"
"I’ve already decided to follow Sir Zephyrus wherever he goes."
"I’m all for it! I wanted to try out more spells anyway!"
"Of course, I’ll do it too."
So yeah, despite the complaints, it’s unanimous.
Lana was especially eager, since right now the only time she can really use buffs and heals is during boss fights.
Well, if everyone’s having fun, that’s the best outcome.
And so, round two began.
The first run had gone well, but the second was even smoother—our coordination deepened noticeably.
The battle against the <Knight Goblin> wasn’t even really about "strategy" anymore; it had turned into pure teamwork training.
We finished it cleanly in about ten minutes. The chest was a <Wooden Chest>. Too bad.
I was used to <Wooden Chests> by now, but apparently, for the princess-party group, this was their first time getting one, and they looked absolutely deflated. Honestly, they’d just been too lucky before—normally even <Silver Chests> don’t drop that often!
We’ll have to make an offering to <Lucky Cat-sama> when we get back.
And of course, if there was a second run, naturally there’d be a third.
That’s the joy of farming. In the end, we went all-out until the sun was almost setting, using up the <MP Potions> Hanna had brewed, and just kept grinding.
The total count? A whopping twenty runs!
Even though it was their first time farming a boss, the new members stuck it out like champs.
Thanks to that, my level shot up to 【Hero Lv. 26】, and Hanna’s to 【Alchemist Lv. 29】.
Hanna’s a mid-rank job, so she levels faster. Since the cap level for Beginner mid-tier dungeons is level 35, she might max out in the next dungeon.
It seems that the <Princess Jobs> group has all reached Lv. 20 too. That’s five levels gained in just one day.
That’s the power of boss farming. Or more precisely, the power of farming Beginner mid-tier bosses! The exp really is something else.
Back when I was in Beginner low-tier, it took me forty to fifty boss kills just to reach level 20. But here in Beginner mid-tier, it only took twenty runs. Incredible.
Yeah, it was the right call to bring them here at the minimum Lv. 15 requirement.
Efficient as hell.
Now that their jobs are Lv. 20, the next tier of their <Skills> and <Magic> trees should’ve unlocked.
That should really open up their combat options.
"Since the sun’s about to set and this is a good stopping point, let’s call it for today."
"Agreed! I’m completely wiped out!"
"You’re sounding way too energetic to be ‘wiped out.’"
I mean, Lana hardly even moved during the fights compared to us, who were running around constantly.
The proof’s in her voice—still brimming with energy.
If I suggested, "Let’s hit one more boss!", she’d probably answer with a big "Oh yeah!"
(…Okay, probably not.)
"Tomorrow we’ll meet at the guild. You three should have unlocked your second-tier trees, right? You’ll want to discuss your options."
"That’s true. Will you help us decide again?"
"Me as well, please. I’d be grateful."
"You’ll teach me too, of course, right?"
"Everyone except Lana got it."
"Why not me!? Teach me too!"
"Hey Zephyrus-kun, my 『Material Return』 skill hit Lv. 10. Can you tell me what I should take next?"
"Sure thing. But Hanna, your next skill should—"
"Hold it! Me too. I-I want you to… you know… t-teach me, please?"
Lana, flustered, finally dropped the act and asked honestly—hands clasped nervously in front of her chest, looking up at me with anxious puppy eyes.
Classic tsundere. It got me a little bit, not gonna lie.
That tsundere side is exactly Lana’s charm point, though—so I’ll always recommend she lean into the "tsun." Then follow it up with a mega "dere."
Anyway, I promised to teach Lana too, and we wrapped up for the day.
After that, I took the <Item Bag (Capacity: Large)> we’d filled and went to see Marie-senpai.
She sorted out what we needed from what we’d sell, and blinked in surprise.
"Mister, you really are weird, huh?"
"Marie-senpai… you too?"
First, Sierra calls me weird, now Marie. Unbelievable.
"Well, if someone keeps bringing in boss loot in this kind of volume, of course, people are gonna doubt your sanity. Anyway, I’ll hold onto it. Oh yeah, the appraisal for the <Emperor Goblin> came back. Here’s the report!"
"Nice. …Yep, this price looks good."
"Alright, then hand me your student handbook. I’ll deposit it."
"Okay. And don’t worry, I’ll be bringing in plenty more."
Last time, the loot from the <Wild Grass Plains Dungeon> sold for 3.8 million Miru.
It was lower than what I earned back in the Beginner low-tier dungeon, but that can’t be helped. The demand for materials shifts, and that messes with their value—basically, inflation.
Besides, we didn’t farm the boss on repeat this time, so this much is already more than I expected. Honestly, it was a pleasant surprise.
That’s probably because hardly any second-years are diving into Beginner Mid-tier dungeons yet, so the supply of these materials has been pretty thin. That explains the high price. Which means… next time it’ll probably drop a bit.
Also, most of this payout came from the rare boss, the <Emperor Goblin>.
That guy’s on par with a Beginner Upper-tier boss, but it doesn’t actually spawn there. A rare boss wouldn’t be rare if it just popped up everywhere, right?
The <Emperor Goblin> only appears occasionally in Beginner Mid-tier dungeons, and since it’s technically a tier above, whether you can even take it down is iffy.
That’s why its materials rarely make it to the market. This time, it seems they even went through an auction, and the winning bid came to 1.7 million Miru for just one.
That’s the same as 1.7 million yen, so yeah, a huge profit.
And since I soloed this <Emperor Goblin>, that entire 1.7 million Miru payout went straight into my pocket. Hanna even said, "That one’s yours, Zephyrus-kun," so no objections there.
As for the rest of the loot, I split it with Hanna, and my share came to another 2.75 million Miru.
All in all, my current cash on hand totals 5.59 million Miru.
Of course, once we hit Intermediate-level dungeons, that kind of money will vanish in a puff of smoke. Just buying gear that actually works in Intermediate would be enough to drain the entire fortune. I’ll definitely need to keep farming.
"Now then, about that thing—it’s done!"
"Oh, seriously!? Let me see!"
"Okay, come this way."
Once the selling and sorting were finished, Marie-senpai, looking all fidgety with excitement, said those words.
So the thing she’d been working on was finally complete. Of course, I had to see it right away.
She led me into the back room and brought out an item, neatly stored inside a paper case.
"Go on, open it."
"Alright then… here goes—ohhh!!"
When I opened it, inside was a flag, its design based around blue, yellow, and white.
It was our guild’s flag, emblazoned with the emblem of <Eden>.
"A guild flag! Oh wow, and the quality’s insane—no wonder, this is the work of a pro designer…"
Back in my <DanKatsu> gaming days, I made countless guild emblems myself, so I could immediately tell—this was on a completely different level. Of course, since it was crafted by someone in the production job who specialized in this stuff, the quality was high, the design was bold, and, most importantly, it stood out.
And that "standing out" part is hard. You don’t want to look flashy in a bad way—you want the kind of presence that feels cool. That balance is tough to nail.
This flag had it all: perfect balance, strong impact, and most of all, it gave anyone who saw it a powerful, cool impression.
And then there was the crest itself. Without a doubt, it was meant to represent us.
In <DanKatsu>, it’s said that the famous story of the ancient Hero who saved the world alongside a dragon established the <Sword and Dragon Crests> as the symbol of a Hero.
And right there, front and center, was exactly that: a beautifully drawn sword entwined with a dragon, making it instantly clear that this was a guild led by a 【Hero】.
Around it were the distinctive traits of our members—Tiara, Shield, Flask, Cat, and Spear—all woven into the design, firmly declaring this was the emblem of Guild <Eden>.
Honestly, it’s frustrating that my vocabulary isn’t enough to capture it all! Oh, and of course, <Lucky Cat-sama> was included too.
It was magnificent.
"This is insane! It looks so damn cool!"
"Hell yeah, it does!"
"And you’ve earned the right to brag about it!"
But… there’s just one thing I don’t get.
"Wait, why is this already a finished product? Weren’t we supposed to first decide on some design drafts?"
Normally, you’d look at sheets of paper or data with multiple design candidates, then pick one, maybe tweak it based on the client’s feedback.
But the thing sitting in front of me was already a single, completed flag. Huh? Why is it finished already?
"Ahahaha, well, you see… We all worked on it together with the guild members, but the senior who usually kept things organized—the upperclassman—had already graduated. So with nobody to stop us, it just turned into an ‘oh, let’s add this and that’ situation, and before we knew it, we were done."
…And what if I had asked for revisions?
Come to think of it, when she made the <Early Queen Black> gear, she also went overboard and cranked the defense up to 20.
So yeah, she’s definitely got that obsessive, craftsman-like tendency. Maybe even a production-job "illness."
Not gonna lie, that makes me a little uneasy.
Maybe my concern showed on my face, because Marie-senpai started panicking.
"S-So! Mister, you like it, right? You do like it, don’t you?"
"Well, with something this good… Honestly, it’s way better than I could’ve ever expected. No complaints at all."
"Oh, thank goodness… If you’d told me to remake it, that would’ve been a total disaster…"
…You know I heard that last part, right?
"Well then, let’s go with this design. You can take this guild flag home with you."
"I don’t mind, but we should still hear what the other guild members think."
"That’ll be fine. If you say it’s good, the others will agree."
…Will they, though?
For some reason, even though this is our Guild <Emblem>, the final decision-making authority landed on me.
"I’ll also keep equipment engraving and tailoring open anytime, so just drop your gear off when you’re free. It won’t take more than a day. If you leave it after coming back from the dungeon in the evening, you can pick it up the next morning."
"That’s a huge help."
After all, unlike in games, stuff in real life doesn’t just poof into existence instantly. I didn’t know how long it would take, but if it’s that quick, then it’s a pleasant surprise.
Since we dive into dungeons daily, having gear ready by the next morning is super convenient.
I told her I’d drop off some equipment the day before our next rest day.
By then, Marie-senpai should be at the guild anyway.
With everything settled, I shook her hand firmly, then stored the guild flag—case and all—into my <Item Bag (Capacity: Large)> before heading out.
"Oh, wait—I almost forgot. Mister, can you hand this over to your princess guildmates? It’s a little late."
"Hm? Oh, the Beginner low-tier appraisal sheet. Got it, I’ll take care of it."
What she handed me right before I left was the appraisal report for all the materials the <Princess Job> group had gathered in the Beginner low-tier dungeon.
They’d managed to clear three dungeons, but since the supply of Beginner low-tier materials had been on the rise lately, inflation was calming down, so the prices were taking a while to finalize.
I accepted the memo and finally turned to head out—when suddenly, something slammed into my stomach.
"Augh!"
"Ah—sorry! Are you okay?"
It was a petite girl who’d bumped into me.
I was in armor, so I didn’t feel a thing, but she went down hard on her backside, her skirt flipping up in a pretty bad way. To put it bluntly, her panties were completely visible.
I quickly reached out and helped her up, though my eyes couldn’t help but get stuck on a certain part of her.
"Ugh… what a terrible accident…"
"Y-Yeah… my bad. It’s my fault for turning around without looking properly."
She was rubbing her sore butt, but what really caught my attention were the twitching cat ears on her head.
The girl I’d bumped into was from the Beastfolk race category, a "Catfolk".
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