Claire tried her best to hide her surprise during our walk, but she couldn't endure it for more than a few minutes.
She didn't have nearly as many questions as Licia, but her eyes darted around just as much. Whenever someone looked her way for more than a moment, she'd narrow her eyes back. Even mundane things like passing cars and people glued to their screens got that same look from her.
Eventually, we reached the crosswalk where Licia almost got herself run over.
Claire hesitated to take the first step, only for a car to speed by and force her to retreat.
I reached toward Claire, but before I could explain, Licia had already grabbed her hand, and together, the two safely reached the other side.
Seeing their smug smiles after making it across without my help made me chuckle. Especially once Licia stole my lecture, occasionally glancing my way to confirm her words.
Claire: "This is not like any human kingdom I've ever seen. Are you sure you guys are really human?"
Licia seemed happy she'd finally find someone who shared her opinion, silently nodding beside Claire.
As the minority between us, and with no idea what a "human kingdom" looked like in their world, there wasn't much I could argue.
Still, I did my best to prove Earth wasn't filled with a race pretending to be human, and between jokes and serious explanations, we reached the Dungeon Gate.
Claire: "It's almost funny. Of everything I saw today, this is the one thing I recognize."
She lifted her eyebrows for a second, but I didn't find much surprise or excitement in her voice.
Licia: "I know, right!?"
Almost the complete inverse, Licia's eyes were practically gleaming when staring at the otherworldly doors.
Licia: "Since they live so differently outside of the Dungeon, it's a bit unsettling, but... Even inside it, there are a few differences."
She lifted a finger, entering the explanation mode she seemed to enjoy so much.
Claire: "...Really?"
Suspicious of her words, Claire looked at me for confirmation.
Seeing my drooping shoulders, she looked back at Licia for the lesson.
Licia: "Yeah. Their Dungeon doesn't connect to other worlds."
This time, Claire's eyes widened by reflex.
She quickly regained her composure, though.
Claire: "That's... There are only monsters inside, then?"
Licia: "Hm, not quite. There are resources, too. But outside of that, yeah. Only monsters and adventurers from this world."
She looked incredibly confident, even though it hadn't been long since Licia had been summoned.
Not that I could point that out, of course...
Miwen: "I'm not sure how much being in the military translates to being an adventurer in your world, but... I need you to be careful, alright? You never know what's lurking in the next corner."
Licia and I had already cleaned this floor, and this was considered an "Easy Dungeon", so I didn't expect someone with her background to struggle too much.
However, overconfidence and failure often went hand in hand.
Claire: "Hmph..."
She looked away, making me think she was going to dismiss my advice, but...
Claire: "I suppose it can't be helped. With my current level, I might need your help. But this is only temporary, you hear me? Just you wait. Soon enough, I'll have you dropping your jaw."
Starting as almost whispers, the volume of her voice grew with her confidence.
By the end, she had her head raised high, staring the gate down.
Miwen: "...If you're not feeling confident, we can turn back-"
I knew she had already made her decision.
But seeing that defiant look on her face, I couldn't help but tease her a little.
Claire: "Fufufu. While I'll admit knights escorted me on lower floors so I could quickly gain levels, I'm not totally inexperienced with Dungeons. Especially the challenging ones."
She tossed her knife into the air, catching it by the handle as it spun back down, as if it proved her words.
Licia raised her brows at that, but I was more interested in something else.
Miwen: "Oh, so you guys also do Dungeon escorts?"
Earth had a similar system, but it was a little ineffective and unpopular.
High and top-tier adventurers already made enough from "safe" raids, so taking someone inexperienced with them was mostly a liability.
While some Gifts benefited a lot or even needed a "jumpstart" to work properly, the prices were too high, and without the real, in-ground experience, most of those who used escorts didn't make it too far as adventurers.
Claire: "Well, at least that's common ground."
Hearing how Dungeon Escorts worked on Earth brought a slight smile to her face.
Claire: "I guess it's too much to ask in any world. Risking your life to babysit someone... If it were cheap, it'd be dodgy."
I nodded my head, only to find Licia also nodding hers beside me.
As the only true veteran adventurer between us, she seemed to have some experience on the other side of the issue, and she clearly didn't enjoy it much either.
Licia: "I only did it once. And I promised, never again..."
She shook her head dejectedly.
Licia: "Well... I guess now's different."
I hadn't stopped to think about it that way, but she had a point. Reduced level or not, she was a huge boost to our party.
Calling it babysitting would be a stretch, though.
Miwen: "Alright. Let's see how we do."
Interested in how Claire fought, I allowed her and Licia to take the lead while I covered their backs.
Her Gift, [The Last Flame Knight of Abdure], gave her a few starting skills at birth, such as [Fire Magic], [Fire Sword Arts], [Swordsmanship], [Abdure's Blessing], [Increased Firepower], and [Mana Control].
Even though the knife didn't benefit from [Swordsmanship] and [Fire Swords Arts] as much as a sword, her own experience made up for it.
Her style was more refined than Licia's quick thinking and improvisation, always returning to a specific stance after each attack to connect the next, creating an explosive, almost beautiful flow.
She struggled a little with the knife's reach, but other than that... She wasn't that much behind Licia at all.
And yet, from what she'd told me, her Gift's true power came from its "growth curve".
With each level up, Claire would supposedly gain a corresponding number of "Sparks of Abdure," which she could spend to raise the level of any skill she already possessed.
Usually, the cost to raise a skill level with Sparks would be the same as levelling through level-up points, but fire-related skills cost fewer Sparks.
While she couldn't use these sparks to obtain new skills or strengthen her stats, it was a complete cheat. She was basically levelling up twice every time.
Licia's Gift also seemed to strengthen itself after certain level milestones, updating the power corrections and mana reductions applied to her [Ice Magic], so I guess we all had in common.
Though putting [Gacha Kingdom Building] on the same tier as their Gifts almost sounded like a joke. Theirs were clearly combat-oriented, while mine was the definition of disoriented.
Still, after a few minutes walking through the narrow, cave-like corridors of the Dungeon, Claire made a comment that drew my attention.
Claire: "Hm? That was fast."
She stood still for a second, her eyes darting through thin air.
Licia: "Did something happen?"
With sword in hand, Licia retreated a few steps her way, the two of us watching Claire's surroundings.
Claire: "Yeah... I got to level 2. Should we go deeper, or do you guys wanna fight this floor's boss?"
It was a good thing, so she shrugged it off just like that, but I wasn't so convinced.
Miwen: "Does your Gift also boost your experience gain?"
Claire: "That'd be ridiculous."
Right.
But something wasn't adding up.
We had faced fewer than a dozen slimes and around the same number of goblins.
When I was with Roy and Sam, I had to kill many, many more monsters to get my level-up.
Experience was shared according to contribution, so even though Licia was letting Claire kill most of the monsters, she shouldn't be getting the same amount as going solo.
Yet, the pace felt that quick.
Licia: "Hm... So maybe I wasn't imagining it..."
She brought a hand to her chin, staring into nowhere.
Miwen: "Do you know what's going on here?"
Licia: "I'm not sure... Let me watch it a little more."
Claire didn't seem too happy with being studied.
But being ignored was even worse.
Claire: "Heeey? That's all great, but this is hardly the place to ponder."
She waved her hand in front of Licia's eyes.
Smiling warmly, Licia readied her sword.
Then, Claire moved over next to me, trying the same strategy.
Claire: "Are you not gonna pay attention to me?"
She kept leaning into my view.
Miwen: "Someone's needy."
Claire: "Hmph. I'm not, though? I just want to fight the boss-"
She brought a hand to her mouth, but it was too late.
Her true intentions had already escaped.
Miwen: "I think it might be dangerous since you are still a level 2..."
Claire: "Don't mess with me, do you really think I'd lose?"
Miwen: "Well..."
Licia: "You don't need to worry, we can fight the floor boss."
Last time, I thought she was being careless, but actually, she was a few steps ahead of me.
And so, I decided to trust her judgment.
Miwen: "The floor boss it is then."
In my opinion, this was a little reckless, but both of them seemed sure of themselves, and I didn't want to hurt Claire's pride and the trust I had built with Licia.
If things turned for the worse, I had a few aces up my sleeve.
The path to the closest boss room wasn't so difficult, so we ended up not facing many challenges on our way.
Claire's abilities had also improved more than expected, no doubt thanks to the way her Gift works.
Miwen: "The boss will spawn 4 minions, with the boss being level three. I think either Licia or I should take him on, but how do you want to do it?"
Claire: "I don't think I'd lose, but it's true that either you or Licia would be a better fit for the boss himself."
Licia: "I think you should face the boss, Miwen."
Miwen: "Is that so?"
My chances against him weren't so bad, but it seemed like she had ulterior motives.
Licia: "Yes, last time, I helped you, but you're not gonna get real battle experience if someone always lends you a hand, right? You're better than you think. While a bit risky, I think it would be a rewarding challenge for you."
Claire: "You definitely lack experience, but that's to be expected since you've only just recently started facing off monsters, right?"
Right.
If they were human, I'd probably have an easier time fighting, since I can understand and predict them by reading their emotions.
But a monster has none of that. When threatened, they'll fight viciously.
Miwen: "Hm... I guess you're right, I do want to get better as an adventurer too, so it works out."
And so, our formation was decided.
The girls were going to each take two goblins while I dealt with the Goblin Lord.
Like before, once we entered the room, there was only darkness as far as our eyes could see.
Once the door behind us closed, the battle began.
We had already planned what to do, so each of us tackled their respective challenges.
In terms of status, I'm more capable than he is, but he has an advantage in reach due to his sword.
So, I went with my usual strategy. I kept some distance so that I had time to react and dodge his attacks, hoping he would get tired and an opportunity for a counter would appear for me.
As the goblin came slashing at me, I sidestepped him and maintained my distance.
Thankfully, his swings were very wide, so dodging wasn't as hard as it could've been. Still, his guard was up, and I couldn't find an opportunity to strike him back.
Due to my weapon having a shorter range, I had to close the distance between us to make it effective, but... it was hard to fight back my heart's instincts as it screamed out "Danger" due to the sword the monster carried with him.
Facing an armed opponent like this was clouding my judgment, making it hard for me to decisively finish him.
I knew I could win, but I also didn't want to get hurt.
It wasn't that I feared him, but my mind and body were in disagreement.
One wanted to win, while the other wanted to prevent me from getting hurt.
While I had thought of a winning strategy, my body was reluctant to act, and I found myself stopping short every time.
I suppose they were right. This lack of confidence was a result of not having enough experience. Once I overcome this, I should be able to fight better.
This was making me take a passive stance when I could seize the initiative, but it was ridiculous to think I could keep going like this in every battle.
Especially considering it took time to reach victory like this.
If Licia and Claire needed my help, and I wasn't able to force my own momentum on the opponent, then my careful approach would only lead to disaster.
I needed to be able to force my opponent into a mistake instead of waiting for one.
It's not that it was wrong to fight like this, but that it was stupid to lock myself into it. I needed to improve, and this Goblin Lord was the perfect opportunity.
Given enough time, he was bound to slip up, but instead of waiting for that, it would be much better if I could force him into one.
And so, I decided to create the situation I needed.
Once again, he tried to cut me down. Instead of meeting his blade, I made use of my superior speed to dodge.
However, I did not create distance; instead, I tried to disarm him.
He was able to avoid me, but I still grazed his arm.
He seemed a little astonished that I had injured him, and I took the opportunity of his shock to, this time, go for a wide swing, attempting to slash him from above.
It wasn't a good use for a dagger, but it was necessary for what I had planned.
Normally, one would only need to dodge and retaliate against such a strike, but I knew this beast wasn't thinking so clearly after being damaged and seeing that I was faster than him.
Its instinct was probably entering its most primitive state.
The same response I had to shrug off. The idea of not wanting to get hurt.
While this protects us, it can also be a detriment.
Thus, he decided to protect himself with his sword.
Since it was longer than my dagger, he had ample room to do that, but...
My strength was the status that I had improved the most.
Since my speed was greater than his, so was my strength, and as such, as our blades met, he was unable to fight me off.
The injury on his other arm also delayed a response, a weakness I did not have as I punched his stomach with my free hand.
This made him lose the strength in his arm. His sword fell to the ground, and he let out a shriek.
Thanks to this, I seized victory and finished him by stabbing his neck.
In the end, Licia was right. I was better than I thought, and by giving my opponent so many opportunities, I was actually hurting my chances.
The boss dropped his core and also the sword.
So now that we have another one, I could give it to Claire, as she's also probably better with it than me.
Not to mention, she has the lowest level among us, and I do actually like fighting with a dagger since it doesn't get in the way too much, and I can go for quick, fatal attacks.
It took Claire and Licia just a bit to finish their last opponents after I was done with the Goblin Lord.
Licia: "Good job. I managed to get a glimpse; it seems like you improved."
Miwen: "A little. I can at least fight more confidently now. I'd say I got another trick."
Claire: "That's what it is all about. Keep learning new tricks, and eventually, you'll be undefeatable!"
...Although my confidence didn't match hers at all.
Also, I doubt it's so easy, but seeing her enthusiasm, I did not have the courage or will to deny her words.
Claire: "Oh, speaking of which, I got another level up."
Miwen: "Huh?"
That was... too fast.
We had killed a few more monsters on our way to the boss room after she got to level two, but without killing the boss herself, there was no way she could've gotten enough experience for another level-up.
Claire: "Strange, isn't it? I also thought it was way too quick."
Licia: "That's for certain. For you to level up this fast, you'd need to have soloed every monster we faced today."
My calculations were around that too.
Claire: "That's about right. If I were alone, it would make sense, but... Oh, I got it!"
Licia: "Did you come to the same conclusion?"
Claire: "Well, there's only one Gift here that would allow for something like that, so..."
...She had already said hers didn't have such an effect.
Licia had told me everything about hers as well, and there was no such thing to be found there either.
The only one left was [Gacha Kingdom Building], but it never mentioned anything about boosting experience gain in any of its descriptions.
Claire: "Do you truly not get it?"
Miwen: "Well, I'm ashamed to say so..."
Claire: "It's not something to be ashamed of. It's harder for you to notice it after all. Both you and Licia have reached this floor's level cap, right? So you aren't getting experience even though you contribute to the kills."
While we weren't getting experience, it did not fly toward the next target. It simply gets wasted, so this couldn't have been the reason.
After all, an escort's job would be much easier if this were commonplace.
Licia: "That's just the reason it's harder for us to notice, though, it's not why she's getting more experience. Since our experience is not getting higher, we have no way to confirm how much each kill is giving us."
Claire: "Correct. If you weren't at the level cap and started paying real close attention, you'd see that even if you only contributed a little to the battle, you guys would get the full experience as if you had killed the monster alone."
Licia: "And that is because..."
Claire: "...You are killing it alone."
...
Oh...
So that's their conclusion.
It was certainly strange, but I guess it makes sense for the two of them to have thought of this first, as the idea of our lives being linked is always on their minds.
I guess since I was with Roy and Sam, the fact that Licia and I were sharing the experience with them made it harder to notice.
While I was killing the most troublesome opponents, I was getting a little ahead of them, at a pace that would only be explainable if I was killing more than those two.
Miwen: "It's because you were summoned by my skill, is that right?"
Licia: "I believe so. Since both of us only exist here thanks to your ability, it could be said that every kill we get is also because of your Gift. And so, when we kill a monster, it's actually your Gift that is killing them."
Claire: "And of course, since it's like this, we also get the same experience, as if we had also soloed the battle."
Basically, we share the experience.
Or rather, it could be said that it gets multiplied, as each of us is getting the full amount that a solo battle would give.
The dungeon is treating them as extensions of me, their contributions are mine, and vice versa. The experience I get, they get.
Miwen: "It's hard to prove, but... it makes sense. It would also explain a few things that happened after I summoned Licia."
Claire: "Eh? It's a great power!"
Licia: "It's a little depressing that the dungeon is not recognizing me as being my own being, but... I also think it's amazing."
Even though it's a good thing, that part does leave a sour taste...
Claire: "Nothing can be done there. Like Gifts, the dungeons are a blessing from the Gods. If his Gift treats us as being part of it, then it makes sense for the dungeons to do the same since they share the same origin. Don't let it get to you, though, you are as alive as it can get."
Licia: "I know..."
She ended up doing my job for me, but... she had a unique position that enabled her to sympathize better with Licia.
This was one of the reasons why I wanted to try the [Companions Banner] once more.
I thought that if Licia had someone else who shared her experience, it would make her a little more comfortable.
Thankfully, Claire is doing a lot in that sense.
Miwen: "I think we've done enough for today, so let's head home and have dinner, alright?"
Licia: "Sounds nice to me."
As for me, this was the way I had to lift her spirit.
Although I wanted to do more for her.
Again, our loot wasn't anything to be impressed by, but we did get $8, so it was better than nothing.
Most importantly, we were able to raise Claire's level to the cap.
She is a good girl, and it seems like we can trust her.
There's always a little danger, even more so since now she might be even stronger than Licia, but she would probably lose against the two of us combined, so we should be safe.
I'd rather see it in a positive light, though. She doesn't seem to mean us any harm, and so... we might've raised our strongest ally yet.