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I Have Tamed a Spider Monster - Chapter 272, Chapter 273, Chapter 274
🕑 Added 2024-12-06 09:08:41 +0000 UTCTo the Dungeon Town
Once all preparations were complete, we finally set off for the dungeon.
This time, the group was two maids short compared to when we baited out the assailants.
Since they were excess combat strength, I reassigned them to guard Amira.
With the Kiblinki Saltas around, most ambushes could be thwarted, and Talat alone was more than enough for combat.
We didn’t need that many people, so I left them behind.
Neither Plum nor the maids objected, so it seemed to be the right call.
After finalizing the team, we met up with Melanie at the Adventurers' Guild, borrowed an armored vehicle, and headed for the dungeon.
According to Melanie, there’s a town near the dungeon called “Dungeon Town.”
Having a town so close to a dungeon… isn’t that dangerous?
"It’s not particularly dangerous. Many adventurers heading to the dungeon stay there, so there’s plenty of combat strength. Anticipating this, merchants bring in food and equipment, ensuring an abundance of supplies. The Vardmoi dungeon is easy to access, and the surrounding monsters are regularly culled, making it a relatively safe dungeon to challenge."
"I see. Melanie, does the dungeon have any specialties?"
"Materials from monsters are the main ones here. Treasure chests are sparse, but the number of adventurers entering is high, so relying solely on items from chests won’t yield much profit. On the flip side, the large number of people makes it a relatively safe dungeon."
I didn’t quite understand why having more people made the dungeon safer, so I asked for an explanation.
In dungeons with fewer people, there’s a higher risk of getting surrounded by monsters.
Here, however, the large number of adventurers means monsters are dealt with more frequently, making it safer in that regard.
That said, the abundance of adventurers also reduces the amount of materials you can acquire from defeated monsters.
"In other words, this is a low-risk, low-reward dungeon. Usually, dungeons are high-risk, high-reward, but this one’s different."
"I see. By the way, has anyone ever successfully obtained a skill crystal here?"
"Just a few per year. However, all of them are bought by nobles, so they never make it to the market."
Hmm, I guess I’ll have to find one myself.
We’ve allocated two weeks for this venture—hopefully, we’ll find one in time.
After about a week’s travel from Vardmoi, we arrived at Dungeon Town, and it really was like a proper town.
The outer walls weren’t as tall as Vardmoi’s, but they were solid and surrounded the town securely.
Upon entering, I was struck by how many merchants there were, with rows of bustling stalls lining the streets.
According to Melanie, the road leading to the dungeon itself is even more crowded.
I’m starting to feel a little excited.
Since it was getting dark, we decided to stay overnight and begin exploring the dungeon tomorrow.
During this time, Melanie planned to gather information at the local Adventurers’ Guild, which I’m looking forward to.
I really hope we can get a skill crystal!
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Dungeon First Floor: Cave Level
The day after arriving at Dungeon Town, we finally ventured into the dungeon.
Melanie had visited the Adventurers’ Guild the previous day to show her face, check on the treasure chest situation monitored by the guild, and purchase a map of the first floor, the Cave Level.
I didn’t know dungeon maps were even sold.
“They are, but only for the first floor, as its layout doesn’t change. For the other floors, you’ll need to explore and map them yourself.”
“Got it. So, Melanie, what’s today’s goal?”
“Yes, Plum. Today’s goal is to clear the first floor and begin exploring the second. Since we have a map of the first floor and it’s crowded with adventurers, it’s not ideal for treasure chest hunting.”
Apparently, that’s the case.
The first floor is full of novice adventurers, making treasure chest hunting impractical.
To avoid wasting time, Melanie bought the map and planned to descend to the second floor via the shortest route.
I had no objections to that plan.
“Alright, let’s grab our gear and head to the dungeon. Even with the shortest route, crossing the first floor will take some time, so let’s get going.”
“Understood. Let’s prepare right away.”
Everyone returned to their rooms to grab their belongings.
Since we’d planned for just a one-night stay, we were traveling light, so everyone quickly gathered at the armored vehicle.
Once everyone was ready, the vehicle began moving toward the dungeon.
Looking out the window, I noticed even more stalls than when we arrived.
It’s clear the dungeon represents a golden opportunity for wealth.
Upon reaching the dungeon entrance, we left the armored vehicle at a local Adventurers’ Guild outpost for safekeeping—leaving it unattended wasn’t an option.
There was an entrance fee to enter the dungeon, but it was negligible, so I paid it myself.
With that, we were fully prepared to dive into the dungeon.
Inside, as expected, it was a dimly lit cave.
However, it wasn’t completely dark; some moss-like substance on the walls glowed faintly, illuminating the paths.
This was exactly the kind of mysterious environment I imagined a dungeon to have.
And just as anticipated, the first floor was crowded with adventurers.
In open spaces, you could see torches held by adventurers scattered everywhere.
So much for an atmospheric experience.
“Oh, looks like the party ahead of us is also aiming for the second floor.”
“Really?”
“They’re heading straight for the second floor without hesitation. The first floor is regularly cleared of monsters, so following them should make for a safer journey.”
“Isn’t that kind of poor etiquette?”
“In this dungeon’s first floor, it’s not a big deal. It’s common for parties to take the shortest route to the second floor. Besides, the monsters here aren’t tough enough to be an issue for anyone capable of reaching the second floor. If the group ahead slows down, we can overtake them and take the lead.”
I see, dungeons have their own unwritten rules.
Ultimately, the party ahead never faltered, and we reached the staircase to the second floor without incident.
While the journey was easy, we gained nothing along the way.
I’ll have to work harder starting from the second floor.
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Dungeon Second Floor: Exploration of the Grassland Level Begins
Descending the staircase from the first floor, we were suddenly greeted by a dazzlingly bright exit.
Cautiously moving toward it, I found myself stepping into a vast plain.
Grass and trees formed walls around the area, suggesting there were boundaries, but they were beyond sight.
Dungeons truly are incredible places.
“Lily, this is where the real dungeon begins—the Grassland Floor.”
“Grassland Floor? What kind of place is it?”
“Let’s move away from the stairs first. We don’t want to block the way for others.”
Good point.
We moved a bit further from the staircase to listen to Melanie’s explanation.
She looked quite pleased as she began speaking.
“This dungeon consists of five floors. The first floor, the Cave Floor, is essentially a warm-up. The dungeon starts functioning as a true challenge from this Grassland Floor onward.”
“Interesting. Does this floor have traps?”
“No, there are no reports of traps on this floor. You’ll start encountering those on the deeper floors.”
So we don’t need to worry about traps just yet—though staying cautious is always a good idea.
“More importantly, there have been reports of monsters on this floor dropping loot of not just magic stones but also Skill Crystals, albeit at an extremely low rate. If we’re lucky, we might complete our goal here.”
“Loot?”
A term I hadn’t heard before.
It’s common in games, but since arriving in this world, I’d never come across it.
What could it mean here?
“Loot are items you obtain by defeating monsters.”
“Well, I figured as much. But wouldn’t the monster leave behind a corpse?”
“In dungeons, when a monster is defeated, its body disappears, leaving behind only loot. This means the materials are of high quality, but the quantity is small...”
Melanie’s expression grew melancholic.
In any case, monsters can drop Skill Crystals when defeated.
That’s a goal worth striving for!
With newfound motivation, we began hunting monsters, but encounters were scarce.
It seemed this floor, though expansive, was still crowded with adventurers.
On the other hand, treasure chests were reportedly left largely untouched.
Since it’s widely believed that the shallow Grassland Floor only contains cheap treasures, most adventurers ignore them.
Perhaps targeting these could work to our advantage.
Treasure chests on this floor are often found in hollow tree trunks or mounds of dirt, so we diligently searched suspicious spots.
By evening, we had found only four chests—not exactly efficient.
They were all small, wooden chests about the size of jewelry boxes.
Still, I decided to open them and see what we’d found.
As I placed my hand on the first chest and began to lift the lid, a glow burst forth from within.
I didn’t fully understand what was happening, but Melanie was visibly excited.
“Incredible! A rare one on the very first chest!”
Wait, treasure chests work like that?
Inside was a single card.
It depicted a fierce-looking monster and had symbols indicating the meaning of "summon."
Does this mean I could summon and command this monster?
If so, it could be a great addition to our strength.
“Oh no, you can only summon the monster for about an hour. You can’t keep it permanently.”
So it’s only temporary.
Still, it could serve as a defensive tool, so I decided to give it to Amira.
The other chests didn’t produce any special reactions, and their contents were mundane—things like daggers and potions.
In other words, duds.
I need to think about whether we should continue exploring the Grassland Floor tomorrow or move on to the next level.
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