When I stepped out of the guild, Philia and the others were already waiting.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Morning, everyone."
"We just got here ourselves. Good morning, Erik-kun."
After Philia replied, Alan and Leticia-san exchanged greetings as well.
Next, we discussed where to have lunch.
In the end, we decided on the cafe run by Sara-san that we had been frequenting lately.
"Sara-san, would it be all right if we occupied a table for a little longer than usual?"
"Hmm, sure! It doesn't look like it'll be very busy today anyway. But that's rare for you. You usually head out right after eating, Erik-kun."
"The truth is, we're diving into the dungeon starting today. I was hoping we could discuss our plans for a bit after we finish eating."
"Ah, I see! That makes sense. Yep, feel free to use it as long as you like!"
With Sara-san's permission secured, we each placed our orders and sat down. Then, I pulled the documents Reina-san had prepared for me out of my bag.
"What are those?"
"Reina-san put together reference materials covering up to the twentieth floor."
"Wait, really?!"
"Yeah. When I told her we were heading into the dungeon, she assembled all of this in just a few hours this morning."
Upon hearing that, everyone leaned in and studied the documents with rapt attention.
The pages listed the types of monsters that appeared on each floor.
Up to the fifth floor, there were only two species: slimes and goblins.
From the sixth floor onward, skeletons were added to the list.
Up to the tenth floor, it seemed only those three types of monsters would appear.
"Skeletons. They may be low-tier monsters just like the others, but we've never fought one before."
"I haven't even seen one in person, though I've heard stories from my brother..."
"I have never laid eyes on one myself either."
Philia and the others voiced their thoughts on skeletons as they reviewed the information.
Skeletons were monsters made of bone.
Though their bare bones made them look fragile, they were formidable foes that had claimed the lives of countless adventurers.
Because their bodies consisted purely of bone, they were light and exceptionally agile.
Their weak point was the core in their head, but destroying it required crushing their thick skull first.
"Defeating them by destroying their core makes them similar to slimes, doesn't it?"
"While they share that trait with slimes, skeletons are far harder and faster. Also, unlike the monsters on the surface, it seems even these low-tier dungeon monsters have a high chance of carrying magic stones."
Magic stones.
They were a resource widely utilized throughout human society.
Higher-tier monsters formed magic stones within their bodies more readily, with their value determined by size and purity.
Because they served as the energy source to power magic tools and various devices, a magic stone held value no matter how small it might be.
"Magic stones! I've never seen one before, but even low-tier monsters carry them?"
"The concentration of magical power inside a dungeon is high, so the monsters born there tend to form magic stones more easily. Look, it's written right here that they occasionally carry them, right?"
I pointed to the relevant line on the parchment.
"If we can harvest magic stones, our earnings will shoot through the roof."
"Just as Alan says, our payout will definitely go up. However, we won't be acting with the sole goal of hunting for magic stones. Greed will get us killed, so I intend for us to proceed cautiously while keeping a close eye on everyone's condition."
"Fufu, so it will be no different from how we operate outside. That is very like you, Erik-kun."
When I laid out our party's approach, Leticia-san smiled warmly.
"I don't desperately need that much money right now anyway, so I'm completely fine following Erik's plan."
"Dungeons are dangerous places, after all. It's much better to exercise extra caution, so I'll follow Erik-kun's lead too."
With Alan and Philia voicing their agreement, it was settled that our party's policy would remain unchanged: we would proceed with absolute caution.
Once our meal and strategy meeting were finished, we thanked Sara-san and left the cafe.
"We aren't taking on any specific quests, but should we swing by the Adventurer's Guild just to say goodbye to Reina-san?"
"Good idea. I'd like to thank Reina-san and say goodbye too."
When Philia suggested this, Alan and Leticia-san appeared to be of the same mind.
We returned to the Adventurer's Guild and walked over to Reina-san's counter.
"Oh, my! I assumed you were heading straight for the dungeon, but did you stop by to say goodbye?"
"Yes. We also wanted to thank you for the reference materials. Thank you very much for putting them together. Thanks to your notes, we have a clear idea of what to expect."
As I expressed my gratitude, Philia and the others bowed and thanked her as well.
"Don't mention it; I only put it together because I wanted to help. Also, any monsters you defeat in the dungeon can be turned in under Permanent Requests, so be sure to bring their materials back, all right?"
"Is that so? I assumed Permanent Requests were only meant to cull dangerous monsters roaming outside the city..."
"That is certainly one reason, but the exact same principle applies to dungeons. If monsters inside the dungeon multiply unchecked and end up overflowing into the outside world, it would be a disaster, wouldn't it?"
"Ah, that makes complete sense."
I nodded, taking in Reina-san's explanation.
With our farewells to Reina-san complete, we left the Adventurer's Guild behind. Passing straight through the gates of the royal capital, we set off toward the dungeon.