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　After a few days of careful hunting on the sixth floor, I decided to return to the town of Aluppo since my Goddess’ Blessings had reached 27 times and I had run out of magic potions.

　As usual, I left the Fifth Floor Village, passed through the fourth floor, and camped at the Third Floor Encampment before heading to the ground the next day.

　I still feel that this travel time is too long and wasteful, but it can’t be helped because the magic potion has a use-by date, and in the current situation it is more efficient to hunt while continuing to consume the magic potion.

　If this were a normal dungeon instead of an undead dungeon, I would not be able to use my [Turn Undead] tactic, so everything would be different.

　While I was thinking about this, I arrived at the first floor. As I was heading toward the entrance, thinking about the arrangements after leaving the dungeon, I suddenly thought of something.

“…I wonder, is it safe to sell B-rank magic stones?” (Rook)

　I was thinking about the fact that I was going to sell B-rank magic stones, which meant that I was conquering a B-rank area, and in my case, I was conquering it solo. What’s more, I just got to C-rank just recently.

“Hmm…” (Rook)

　Is the pace of selling magic stones too abnormal…?

　When I talked with Mr. Damod just a few days ago, he was surprised to know I am entering the C-rank area, but if I’m already in the B-rank area, it seems a little… Not just a little, but more than a little… crazy. And I don’t think I have the power equivalent to a B-ranker now that I’m actually just winning with [Turn Undead], so it would be even more suspicious if they know I’m soloing in a B-rank area and it draws attention to me and they look into me.

　If I don’t acquire the ability to enter the B-rank area at least once, people might think I’m weird.

　In that light, I wonder if lower-grade potions would also be a hard sell…

　The Duke of Almeil’s retinue bought the lower-grade potions in the Fifth Floor Village, but I have never sold them because I felt it would be better not to do anything that would benefit the Duke of Almeil, who is also Pauly’s father and might be in conflict with Duke Schumer.

　Well, I’m not in need of money at the moment, so for the time being, I’ll leave the B-rank magic stone in the back of my magic bag for the time being.

　It will not too late to exchange them for cash if I need the money, right?

　I am steadily getting stronger now. My level is rising steadily, and my dungeon exploration is going so well that I even have to think about hiding my too-fast pace of exploration. Pauly is ahead of me in dungeon exploration right now, but at this pace, I’m sure I can turn the tables on him. From what I’ve heard, this dungeon hasn’t been cleared in decades, and I’m sure it won’t be that easy for them to clear it either.

　Thinking of this, I clenched my fists and raised them in front of me.

　I finally reached the point where I could see the goal of clearing the dungeon. That’s what it feels like.

　Thinking back, the adventure in this world that I dreamed of in the southern village. Ancient ruins, dungeon clearing, and artifacts. At the time, I thought it was still a long way off, but now I can see one of them just around the corner.

　It’s still a little early to say, but I’m still happy.

“Well, I’ll just keep taking it one step at a time!” (Rook)

　If I do that, I should be able to clear the dungeon someday. If I keep working hard in this dungeon, someday.

　So, I left the dungeon, got a room at the inn instead of stopping at the guild today, put Shion on the bed, and lay down next to him.

“Now, let’s get some things straight about what we’re going to do.” (Rook)

　First of all, I can still manage to raise my level by using [Turn Undead] tactics.

　If I steadily raise my level, I should eventually be able to fight even B-rank monsters.

　No problem so far.

“The problem lies ahead, I guess.” (Rook)

　I was able to enter the sixth floor of the dungeon, but in order to advance to the seventh floor, I needed to figure out a way to camp safely in a place where high-ranked monsters roamed. Of course, that is essential not only for the seventh floor but also for advancing to the eighth and ninth floors beyond that.

　Another thing is information about the eighth and ninth floors. If possible, I would like to gather that information.

　However…

“How do I collect this kind of information…” (Rook)

“Kyu…” (Shion)

　Of course, until now, if I wanted information, I would buy the adventurers some liquor and listen to their stories, and I could pay a reasonable price to listen to the information in Fifth Floor Village. But I think it was information with a relatively low degree of confidentiality because there were people who knew about that kind of information.

　The information that I paid Mr. Hibos a price for was information that was known to a certain number of people, and he probably told me because it was at the level of “I don’t want to spread it around if possible, but I’m willing to tell you if you pay me for it” or “I would rather tell you if someone else tells you but I still got paid for it”. But I think it is difficult to gather information on the eighth and ninth floors, where only a few top adventurers really have information.

“…I wish I have an informant.” (Rook)

　Where are the informants in the first place?　That’s the first thing I don’t know.

　I think they might be in a bar or something.

　I’m sure there are some local adventurers who might know of one, but I’m a little afraid that if I contact one of those working behind, they might take a strange interest in me and I might end up on the receiving end of their investigations.

　Well, I’ll think about the information later, but for now, let’s talk about the campsite. Without this, I can’t even advance to the back of the sixth floor.

　How to make a safe camp. The most obvious way is to have a group of people with you. However, this is a hurdle that is too high for me right now. It is because the magic of [Turn Undead], which I cannot tell anyone, is supporting my attack on this dungeon.

　Then, what should I do?

“I don’t have anything at all… I do have a clue.” (Rook)

　I get out of bed and take out a lantern from my magic bag. Mainly the kind with a candle inside. I bought it in Elem.

　I confirmed that the candle is set inside and activated magic.

“Sacred Flame, bringer of silence, [Holy Fire].” (Rook)

　A small white flame that appeared at my fingertip was moved close to the wick of the candle, and the candle was burned white, illuminating the area with a milky white light like a fluorescent lamp.

　When a candle or other combustible object is ignited by Holy Fire, it lights a white fire with the effect of [Holy Fire]. The duration is about one hour. I know this much because I have researched it before.

　[Holy Fire] seems to be a kind of torch, and monsters tend to dislike it, especially undead monsters. In other words, if I can find a way to make the [Holy Fire] last longer, there is a good chance that I can camp safely in the dungeon. This is especially true here in the dungeons with lots of undead, so the effect should be great.

“The question is how do I sustain this…” (Rook)

　So, I went to sleep that day with a lot of thoughts in my head.

　The next day, I went shopping in the morning.

　Unlike the usual shopping trip, however, this time I also had the purpose of getting the items I needed for the Holy Fire experiment.

　While doing the usual shopping, we went to several tool stores to purchase several types of candles and oil to fuel the lanterns.

　The experimentation will take some time, so we plan to take our time and experiment slowly at night while we conquer the dungeon.

　Then I picked up the rest of the fishhooks at the blacksmith, ordered some magic potions from my usual alchemist, prayed at the church, and strolled around town.

“Alright! I’m going to be busy from now on!” (Rook)