Living My Third Life In Danmachi

Chapter 15: Party Play

When I woke up in the morning, Riseria and Lili were already awake before me.

That's unusual, I thought, but then the two of them dropped a bombshell.

"I want to go to the dungeon too," said Riseria.

"Lili wants to go as well," added Lili.

"... Riseria, I can somewhat understand. But Lili? Why? You finally have a chance to retire as an adventurer—why would you want to go back?"

"You told me I could do what I wanted, remember? I wanted to try being an adventurer again. I'm confident in my skills as a supporter, so I think I can help."

"Ugh..."

I really wanted Lili to pursue something more fulfilling. Unlike someone like me, Lili is still pure. A child like her has no reason to aim for the life of an adventurer.

"Didn't you say you'd let me do what I wanted? Lili really wants to be a supporter," she insisted.

"...Fine. But if it gets dangerous, I'll pull you out of the dungeon immediately and make sure you never set foot in one again."

I'm used to fighting alone, focusing solely on crushing the enemies in front of me without worrying about threats from behind.

Even if I take them with me, there's no guarantee that I, someone unfamiliar with protecting others in battle, can keep them safe.

"I may be able to fight, but I'm still a mage. And right now, I don't even have any magic I can use, so I'll end up fighting in the middle ranks. I can't handle the front lines, so we'll need someone there."

"So that's me?"

"If you're the fool who broke records by hitting Level 2 in just two months, then yeah, I'll trust you."

"Lili also prefers supporting skilled adventurers. It's easier and more enjoyable."

She said it with a smile, but it sounded more like an excuse.

...Still, maybe I'll bring them along.

With that, I took the two of them to the dungeon. Outfitting the both of them and stocking up on necessary items meant my expenses were going to skyrocket.

"No need for rent anymore. Take the deposit too."

"Alright!"

With the funds increased, I could finally afford new equipment, even if the quality wasn't top-notch.

"Lucky that Lili's backpack was still around," I said.

"Well, I didn't throw it away because it felt wasteful. I was planning to sell it later," Lili replied.

"Using familiar gear cuts down on the time it takes to get used to it, so it's better this way."

Lili wore her usual brown robe with a hood, carrying a large backpack on her back.

Riseria, on the other hand, donned light armor and carried a steel spear. Her face was mostly hidden by a scarf-like muffler, covering everything below her eyes.

The combination of her weapon and demeanor practically screamed, "Here comes the lancer!"

"Why a spear?" I asked.

"It's easy to handle, and it gives a status boost when I use it. Since I can't use magic right now anyway, raising other stats is better for the long run."

"Later, I'll have to ask Susanoo about your skills."

This was the first real conversation I'd had with Riseria since that awkward incident when I lashed out at her. As a result, I still didn't know much about her skills or magic.

Lili mentioned she had learned a new skill as well, but we'd need some time to go over everyone's abilities in detail.

"For now, let's head down to the 7th floor and start hunting. The monsters on the 6th floor are fairly weak, so we can focus on getting used to party play before descending further."

"Teamwork is key in a party. On the 6th floor, the only real threat is the War Shadows, so we should be fine," Lili reassured.

Even a typical party at Level 1 would face a decent chance of dying against a War Shadow, but I, being Level 2, tipped the odds in our favor.

Though I had struggled a bit in the middle levels, I wasn't incapable of solo hunting. The only problem was dealing with those blasted elemental attacks. Hopefully, my next Development Ability would include some kind of elemental resistance.

Come to think of it, my current Development Ability, "Resilience," is still a mystery. I haven't figured out its exact effects yet.

I feel much stronger than before, but is that because I reached Level 2 or because of Resilience?

"Enemies ahead! Three Frog Shooters! Get ready for battle!" Riseria called out.

"Monsters! It's been ages since I fought one of those!" Lili exclaimed.

"I'll let you guys level up, so I'll just tank everything."

Huge toad-like monsters, Frog Shooters, were bouncing toward us. They were annoying creatures that attacked by shooting out their long tongues from surprising distances.

Shwoop! One tongue lashed toward me, while the others aimed at Riseria behind me.

I blocked the one coming for me, grabbed one targeting Riseria and redirected its trajectory, and swatted away another.

Rip!

"...Huh?"

With just a bit of strength, I tore the Frog Shooter's tongue clean off.

Maybe it's because I've been to the middle floors, but yeah, Level 2 is seriously strong. These things used to be a hassle, but now? Barely a nuisance.

Meanwhile, Riseria dodged the incoming attack, dashed forward, and drove her spear straight into a Frog Shooter's body. She then swung her spear wide, slashing another one in the process.

Her spear-handling wasn't expert-level, but she wasn't a beginner anymore either. At least in combat, she was better than Lili.

"It's been a while since I fought, so my body isn't moving as smoothly as I'd like. I'm not putting enough strength into my attacks."

"You'll get used to it bit by bit. Anyway... here we go."

Thud! I took down the remaining one with ease.

Massacring weak monsters like this made me feel like One Punch Man. Honestly, unless it's an orc or something stronger, most monsters go down in one hit.

Suddenly, a group of Frog Shooters and War Shadows appeared ahead—nearly ten of them.

With numbers like that, teaching the others while keeping them safe could get dangerous. Still, they needed the experience.

I activated my only magic spell, designed to exploit an enemy's weakness. Its power could vary depending on my control, but if I unleashed it at full strength, it could be fatal—even for something at my level. That wouldn't be helpful for dungeon training, though, so I toned it down to only cause paralysis.

"[Fear of Reaper]!"

A wave of energy rippled out from me, covering a radius of several meters.

The murderous intent I poured out carried the same overwhelming pressure that had crushed a thousand monsters back then.

The Frog Shooters and War Shadows froze in place, paralyzed by the sheer aura. A few outside the spell's range remained unaffected, but they were so startled that they fled immediately.

Now's the time!

Riseria swiftly moved, eliminating the immobilized monsters one by one. She worked efficiently, yet I felt like I had forgotten something.

Turning around, I saw Lili crouched down, extracting magic stones from the fallen monsters.

"Lili, come here for a second."

"Why? I'm busy retrieving magic stones. If we leave them, other monsters might consume them and turn into enhanced variants. That'd be a headache to deal with later," Lili said, focused on her task.

"No, no. You need to level up too."

I handed her the small dagger I usually used for harvesting magic stones.

"Take this. Go kill one of them."

"W-What?!"

"You need to raise your status too. You're not going to be a supporter forever, and it wouldn't hurt to learn how to fight a little."

"But it's scary! That's why I became a supporter in the first place!"

"It's fine, really. My magic has them paralyzed right now."

When I cast a spell with a level gap like this, weaker monsters are guaranteed to be paralyzed for at least five minutes. Individual cases may vary, but five minutes is a safe estimate.

Riseria was already tearing through the monsters like a whirlwind, so I pointed to one of the Frog Shooters lying nearby and lightly pushed Lili forward.

"Do you want to stay like this forever? If you hate how weak you feel, then it's time to start changing yourself."

"Ugh..."

Lili had chosen to be a supporter because she wasn't suited for fighting monsters.

The ability to fight well often boils down to one's ability to stake their life on the line, face crises head-on, and grow accustomed to killing.

Lili, who was timid and lacked courage, struggled when it came to battling monsters.

Killing a dead monster or attacking from a distance might be one thing, but engaging in close combat with fear pressing against your throat was another entirely.

"Grip the dagger tightly, Lili."

"…Huh?"

I wrapped my hands around hers, still holding the dagger, and...

Thunk!

I guided the blade straight into my stomach.

A familiar sensation I hadn't felt in a long time came rushing back.

"Eeeek?!" Lili let out a horrified squeal.

"Ah, man. That stings more than I thought… Guess it'll heal after applying some potion."

Even at Level 2, there are limits to durability stats. My body wasn't invincible yet, and with a well-sharpened dagger and my own strength behind it, piercing my stomach wasn't an impossibility.

"W-What are you doing?! The wound—! P-Potion! Where's the potion?!"

"I've got one in my bag. Don't worry about it. That's not the point here."

"What point?! What are you even talking about?"

"The point is courage."

She had stabbed someone.

It wasn't intentional, of course, but now Lili's hands would remember the vivid, real sensation of piercing someone alive.

Even if she stabbed the bellies of a hundred, a thousand dead monsters, it wouldn't carry the same weight. But stabbing a living person? That leaves an indelible impression.

The idea was to plant a mindset in her: "If I could stab a person, a monster should be nothing."

Essentially, it was shock therapy.

"Alright, now you can handle killing a monster, right?"

"That's insane! You're absolutely reckless! Do you charge into dungeons with this same insane logic every time?!"

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?"

"What if you had died?!"

Lili, visibly upset, still hesitated only for a moment before driving the dagger into the belly of the nearby Frog Shooter.

When she withdrew the blade, her expression was a mix of disbelief and awe, as though she couldn't quite process what she had just done.

"True courage isn't the absence of fear," I explained.

"It's knowing fear and moving forward anyway. If you don't understand fear, all you'll have is reckless arrogance. Knowing what scares you—and acting despite it—is what makes real bravery."

"Thanks, Zeppeli-sensei!"

I tried messing around with my skill to see if I could do something like Hamon, but it seems that's beyond my reach. Looks like the techniques I can use are strictly limited to physical, body-based skills.

...I wonder if something like Diable Jambe would be possible?

"Alright, break time is still a ways off, so let's keep hunting at a steady pace."

By the end of the session, we tallied up the monsters our party had defeated—around 100 in total.

Wow, that's insane.

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