24. A Dangerous Explosive

Based on her performance in the forest, Halfa seemed to have a high aptitude for adventuring. With that settled, we resumed our exploration of the dungeon.

The first and second floors posed no real problems. We already had experience navigating them as a party of four, after all.

Our coordination with Halfa included seemed fine as well. However, when it came to fighting in narrow hallways, attacking with a bow proved a bit tricky. The space inevitably became crowded, and it seemed that high-level techniques—like threading an arrow right between allies—were still a bit beyond her.

That said, even when she couldn't use her bow, Halfa had her Singing Magic. For instance, Song of Life was a mysterious melody that temporarily boosted the recovery rate of anyone who heard it. It increased the effectiveness of healing spells like First Aid, and more importantly, minor bruises would naturally mend on their own thanks to the enhanced self-healing. It was truly impressive.

The fact that Singing Magic affected everyone within range was both a blessing and a curse. Since Song of Life targeted all humanoids, if we were fighting outlaws or bandits, they would benefit from the effect as well. It didn't affect monsters, though, so it wasn't that much of a drawback in a dungeon.

"Halfa seems to be doing just fine."

"Yeah, I'm okay!"

We were currently taking a short break on the stairs leading down to the third floor. Halfa answered Rei’s check-in with a bright, energetic voice. She clearly still had plenty of gas in the tank.

"I see. In that case, we'll proceed to the third floor as planned."

We finally moved on. The floors up until now had been the introductory phase, so to speak. According to many veteran adventurers, the third floor was where the real challenge began. The biggest change was, without a doubt, the traps. They weren't just in treasure chests anymore; they were built into the environment itself.

The dungeon in Cygnil was a fixed dungeon that didn't experience shifting, and maps of the lower floors were common. Because of that, the locations of most traps were well-documented, but I’d still heard plenty of stories about rookie adventurers letting their guard down and paying the price.

"I'll take point from here. Everyone, stay behind me."

Finding traps was my job. I scanned the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling with practiced caution.

I'd heard there was a skill called Trap Detection, but I hadn't acquired it yet because the guild didn't offer a lecture for it. Apparently, learning Trap Disarming naturally sharpened your ability to sense danger to some degree, and I’d been told that was usually sufficient.

Since I had the map I’d purchased, I didn't need to be overly paranoid, but I intended to take it seriously as a form of training.

After walking for a while, a small room appeared to the right of the passage. According to the map, it was a dead end with nothing in it, but I could hear a faint sound coming from inside. It was likely monsters.

Peeking in quietly, I spotted two massive crustaceans. They were Giant Crabs. Protected by sturdy shells, they were highly resistant to piercing and slashing attacks. They were a bad match for me, Mil, and Halfa. However, if we turned them into grilled crab with Sally’s magic, defeating them shouldn't be too hard. It was a shame they’d just vanish once defeated, though.

"What's the call?"

"With only two of them, they're manageable. Let's give it a shot."

Everyone nodded at Rei’s decision.

If we were going to explore this floor, these were enemies we couldn't avoid. I was grateful for the chance to gain experience in a favorable situation. We needed the kills for income, anyway.

Oh, right. Since my dagger won't do much against those shells, I might as well try that. I pulled out the Gambler's Staff I’d received from the old man at the black market.

There was a risk of it failing or misfiring, but... it would probably be fine! I just had to believe in my Luck stat.

I swapped my knife for the staff and waited for the signal. The moment Rei charged, we all poured into the room together.

The procedure was the same as always. Rei drew the attention of the Giant Crabs to keep the rest of us safe. As expected, the monsters focused entirely on him, leaving us free to act.

Or so I thought.

It turned out there were other monsters lurking in the room besides the crabs.

"Whoa, what the—!?"

"Bats!"

Labyrinth Bats swooped down from the ceiling toward Sally just as she was beginning to cast. These were slightly larger versions of Vampire Bats. For reasons no one really understood, they were drawn to the use of magic and would swarm anyone attempting it. Because of that, mages absolutely loathed them.

There were five of them in total. They attacked sporadically, preventing Sally from concentrating on her spell. Mil tried to swat them down with precisely timed strikes, but she wasn't having much luck.

With Sally’s magic effectively sealed by the interference, we couldn't land a decisive blow on the Giant Crabs. Rei was hitting them with Shield Bash whenever he saw an opening, but it wasn't doing much damage.

Still, the Giant Crabs were slow, and Rei was parrying them with ease. The battle had reached a stalemate, but Rei wasn't in any immediate danger. I figured it would be best to clear out the bats first.

I pointed the staff at a Labyrinth Bat and willed it to fire. A bolt of light erupted from the jewel at the staff’s tip, instantly piercing the creature. The power was impressive. A second later, one of Halfa’s arrows took down another.

Projectiles were clearly the way to go; Halfa and I each dropped another bat. For the final one, Mil showed her grit by splitting it in half with a perfectly aimed vertical strike. With the air clear, only the Giant Crabs remained.

"Flame Whip!"

Sally’s magic finally lashed out at one of the crabs. The fire surged, entangling the monster and incinerating it in a single blow. As expected, magic was the hard counter here. As long as we could manage the bats, the Giant Crabs were no match for us.

Only one left.

I could have left the last one to Sally, but I wanted to see what else the staff could do. Since it was more powerful than I’d expected, it seemed like a handy item to have for enemies like these.

I leveled the staff at the remaining Giant Crab and took aim. But just as I was about to fire, a wave of dizziness hit me.

Wait... is this magic power exhaustion?

Does this thing actually drain my own mana to fire!?

I nearly toppled over, barely catching myself. In the process, the staff slipped from my hand. It traced an arc through the air, clattering against the wall behind the Giant Crab.

Then came the explosion.

"Why did it explode!?" I yelled.

Was that a misfire? If so, this thing was way too dangerous! It wasn't a "handy item"—it was a liability!

The Giant Crab caught in the blast vanished without a trace. Fortunately, Rei had been far enough away to avoid injury.

The looks I got from Rei, Mil, and Sally were painful. I knew I was in for it, and I couldn't even defend myself.

Just as I was shrinking back in anticipation of a lecture, Halfa let out a cry of surprise.

"Huh? The wall crumbled... I think there's a hidden passage back here!"