23-The underground labyrinth of again is confirmed fi...






I'm surprised. I didn't expect this.

 It wasn't me or Paula that the village chief was admiring.
 It was Me, the big worm, who was crawling along behind us.

 It's understandable, though.
 In the morning, Mee helped me dig a well, and to my surprise, he said that he dug it so hard that it reached the water source easily.
 Even though digging is his vocation, he is more than ten man-powerful in terms of human power.

 He also applied his bodily fluids (pee) to the sides of the well to harden the soil.
 It was no wonder that the village chief's eyes lit up with anticipation.

 After all, this is a farming village.
 If they could dig up a lot of ground in a short period of time, it would be easy for them to come up with applications for their work in the fields.

 To make people less wary of demons.
 And let people know that demons are capable.
 Paula's servant was doing a great job of that.

 The well was still muddy and not ready to be used.
 This is where the blue slime comes in as the next help.
 By the end of the day, the water should be clean and clear.

 However, Suu-chan, the slime, was still working in the village, and Yoru seemed to be very lonely when we parted.
 He must have gotten attached to her because he had been riding on her back for a long time.

 I had no choice but to carry him on my shoulders instead, and now he is in a good mood.
 This time, however, Kuu became sulky.
 He was looking up at his sister with a miffed look on his face as he straddled the blue slime Ra-chan, his throat churning.

 Then, he jumped up and landed on my sister's shoulder.
 The two siblings, now riding on each other's shoulders, were completely excited.
 No, it's a little bit heavy for two animals, but it's very heavy.

"Good for you, Kuu!
Koo!
Well, you've become a good friend, Mr. Nino.
How about one of those heavy ones?

 When I suggested it, Hans-san tugged at his mustache as if he was troubled.
 I wondered if he was still resistant to demons, but Mia interrupted me from the side.

"Because they love you, don't they?
Is that so?
Well, you'll see.

 Then Mia reached out from the side, put her hand in Kuu's side, and pulled him down from the shoulder.
 The birdie then waved his feathered hand and started to make a sad sound.

"Coo coo coo!
"Ooooh, cute! You're such a spoiled brat, aren't you?

 Mia hugged him tightly and buried her face in his feathers, as if she was touched by his cute cries.
 Then a hand reached out from the side and snatched Kuu away.



"These children love you with all their hearts. Please give them your favor for many years to come.

 With a smile that seemed to say, "And me, too," Paula placed Kuu back on my shoulders.
 The birdie was immediately in a good mood and squealed with delight.

 Then I noticed the puzzled look of the village chief.

"Is something wrong?
No, ladies and gentlemen, we're about to go to a terrible place, and you seem to be ...... quite relaxed about it.
No way. I'm already shaking in my boots.

 I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.
 I did my best to support the weight of the two animals, and answered as proudly as I could.

Don't worry. We're right behind you. Well, we're here.

 The members of the search party this time were Paula, a sorceress, and Mia, a mage.
 In addition to the squires Yoru and Kuu, there was also a servant demon, the caterpillar Imotchi, and a fairy, Yo.
 First-time participants were the village chief Dirk and Hans, a peddler.
 And I, the alchemist, who supports all of them.

 This time, Mee-kun, the big worm, will be guarding the entrance to the dungeon, and Ra-chan, the slime, will be staying behind to help clean the river water.

I'll be ready when you get in, so please come in first.
"Hello!

 Mia entered the dungeon as if she was visiting someone else's house.
 Yoru and Kuu, two fairies astride a large caterpillar, followed cheerfully.

 The two men looked at each other and then stepped into the dungeon with determination.
 I was the last to go through the entrance, lending a hand to Paula.

 The inside of the dungeon looked much the same as yesterday.
 I nodded expectantly, and Yoru jumped up happily, then trotted to the first fork in the road.
 He flicked his big ears, pointed to his left, and looked back at us.

"You son of a b*tc*!

 I let out a deep breath from the bottom of my lungs at those words.
 I killed my footsteps and walked up behind Yoru, peeking around the corner.
 Sitting in the middle of the aisle was the now familiar blue basketball, Slime.

 There are many mysteries about this world's demon pools, but the underground labyrinths in particular have yet to be solved.
 It is said to be too mysterious to be solved.

 One of the most mysterious features of the labyrinth is its ability to restore itself.
 Not only wandering demons, but also plants and minerals can be restored to their original state over time.
 There is even a theory that the power of the dragon's corpse may have something to do with this phenomenon, as it is seen especially in underground labyrinths with strong magical elements.

 In other words, this is the exact specification of the game.
 In Dracula 2, you could challenge the Dragon's Palace once a day, but all monsters and treasure chests were restored when you tried again.
 However, there was also a system where monsters and treasure chests would not be resurrected if certain conditions were met.

 It seems that the same thing is happening in the real world over here, and it's making it impossible to reach the deeper levels of famous dungeons.


 Whatever the case may be, there's nothing we can do about it now.  
 We can do whatever we want to do to get materials and gain experience.
 However, considering my plans, I can't be too happy about it, so I have to make sure of that today.

Let's start with the usual medicine time.

 First, the status of the village chief: .......

---------- --Name: Dirk
Name: Dirk
Race: Demon race
Occupation: Healer (Level: 20)
Physical Strength: 40/40
Magic Power: 30/30
Physical attack power: 10
Physical Defense: 31
Magic Attack Power: 12
Magic Defense: 30
Speed: 16
Special Abilities: , , , .

Equipment: Weapon (dogbone spear), head (straw hat), body (villager's clothes), hands (none), feet (leather boots)
---------- --

 This is an astonishing level 20, but that is only possible for a healer.
 As in the game, it seems that in this world, if you perform healing techniques on others, you will receive experience even if you don't kill demons.

 However, if your opponent is of a lower level than you, the amount of experience you gain will be reduced to zero.
 And dungeons with strong demons are difficult to conquer, making it difficult for high-level players to grow.

 So, the only way to raise your level is to spend a lot of time and do a lot of healing at random.
 As a result, the situation is so severe that only a handful of elderly people can use the highest level of healing arts in this world.

 Probably the village chief had also raised his level to 20 by applying and to injured people for many years.
 However, the only warms up the wound to speed up the healing process, and the only checks the condition of the target's body.
 In the game, it was quite useful as a small recovery tool in the early stages of the game, and as a skill to detect the enemy's level and equipment, but this world is quite severe.

 Also, the that I learned at level 20 only disinfects wounds, not enough to close them instantly like in the game.
 If you can master the magic circle, you'll be able to use some useful healing techniques. .......
 I'll get to that a little later.  

 In the current situation, there is no problem with physical strength, magic power, and defense, and there is no need to strengthen the offensive power since you are not going to be in the forefront.
 Well, since this is more of an inspection, I'll let you go as you are.

 Next, Hans.

---------- --Name: Hans
Name: Hans
Race: Pan racial
Occupation: Swordsman (Level: 3)
Physical Strength: 5/5
Magic Power: 2/2
Physical Attack Power: 10


Physical defense: 16
Magic Attack Power: 2
Magic Defense: 2
Speed: 8
Special Abilities: , , , .

Equipment: Weapon (small cast-iron sword), head (bat-feather cap), body (great bat-feather cape), hands (leather shield), feet (leather boots)
---------- --A peddler.

 It seems to be normal to encounter bandits and stray demons when peddling, so he can use a sword and shield to his advantage.
 Surprisingly, he can even use magic to create a small wind.
 I guess it's a usual thing for unexpected characters to have qualities in combat as well.

 However, since he's a swordsman this time, I've asked him to take a potion to strengthen his attack and a potion to increase his strength in order to develop that area.
 Also, as a precaution, I asked them to wear bat armor.

 The bat's feather cap increased his physical defense by 2 and his speed by 1.
 The bat's feather cape increased his physical defense by 3 and his speed by 2.
 I wore normal clothes under the cape, but the higher values seemed to be reflected in the cape.

 Also, the dogbone spear had an attack power of 5, which was higher than the 3 of the cast-iron sword, so I asked him to replace the weapon as well.
 I also had to remove my leather shield, which lowered my defense by 5, but I don't think I'll be attacked very often, so I should be fine.

 The other members were strong enough, so I asked them to follow Hans without medicine on the first basement floor.

 However, I also gained a lot from the addition of the two new members.
 In the menu's companion list, I found a command that allowed me to change my initial profession.

 Hans was the only one who showed up, but he was able to choose a mage as well as a swordsman.
 Paula and Mia didn't have this option, probably because they hadn't met the aptitude requirements for the other professions.
 However, as my level rises, there's a possibility that I'll be able to change to a more advanced job, and I'm excited about that.

 Suppressing my dancing heart, I announced in a high-pitched voice.

It's time to start the fun of exploration. ...... Don't get too carried away, but be careful.