DMS Chapter 153

Flinx watched Mark and the others enter the Dungeon of Mara. He knew that his fellow Earthlings planned to delve into the nineteenth floor, and even with several groups entering at the same time, the floor could easily accommodate them.

Based on his understanding, the dungeon adjusted itself according to the number of groups entering its floors. Even so, there was still a good chance of encountering other adventurers because the floors of the Dungeon of Mara were not instanced. That was one of the reasons why, despite being only a gold-level dungeon, its danger rating was relatively high. Crimes could occur inside the dungeon, and proving them afterward would be extremely difficult.

At the very least, the nineteenth floor was deep enough that there would be fewer adventurers roaming it.

When it was finally Flinx and Peter's turn, they entered without paying an entrance fee. Peter immediately asked why the guild had not charged him.

Flinx explained that he usually paid after finishing his delve since he often ran the floor several times a day.

Once inside, Flinx briefed Peter on the plan. He explained that one of his wind elementals would carry him while a second wind elemental would ensure that no dungeon monster got close enough to threaten him.

Peter was flabbergasted when he heard what Flinx had planned.

After casting all his defensive buffs and his Fly spell, Flinx took to the air. Peter followed behind, carried by the wind elemental. Fortunately for Peter, his dignity remained intact. The elemental carried him in such a way that he appeared to be flying naturally, just like Flinx. It even made itself nearly transparent so that anyone observing Peter would assume he was flying under his own power.

The second wind elemental remained visible so that both Flinx and Peter could keep track of it while it eliminated any flying monsters that might approach.

Flinx noticed that Peter had begun enjoying himself. The man was essentially being carried comfortably through the dungeon while experience points accumulated. A broad smile spread across Peter's face.

Flinx was pleased to see it.

Ever since they had met, Peter had always worn a grim expression. More than likely, it stemmed from his determination to return home to his wife as soon as possible.

Pip scouted ahead, so Flinx had no concerns about being caught by surprise. Soon, his familiar reported the first group of monsters it had spotted.

The monsters were Giant Spiders, one of the most common creatures found inside dungeons.

As soon as Flinx entered their vicinity, with Peter following at a safe distance but still close enough to observe everything clearly, he began raining Fireballs upon the spiders. He continued casting until every slotted Fireball had been used.

Almost all of the Giant Spiders were destroyed. Only one survived, and it was barely alive.

Pip finished it off with a Magic Missile.

Peter stared in disbelief.

"Your familiar can cast spells?"

"Yeah," Flinx replied. "Didn't I mention it? When I used an eleventh-level spell slot to cast the Familiar spell, my familiar gained sentience. It can also cast any spells I've purchased from our System up to third level."

Flinx cast Crown of Stars so the mana stones dropped by the spiders would be easier to spot. He then ordered his second wind elemental to gather them. Once everything had been collected, he stored the stones inside his fourth inventory tab.

"So this is how you clear the supposedly difficult final floor of the dungeon," Peter commented. "You just rain spells on the monsters, and that's it."

Flinx simply nodded.

A moment later, Peter checked his System Panel and exclaimed when he saw how many experience points he had earned from the encounter.

Flinx rarely checked his own panel during a delve. He usually waited until the end of the day.

He then informed Peter that he intended to clear the floor as quickly as possible and advised him not to interrupt unless necessary. Flinx planned to run the floor at least five times that day.

Afterward, he accelerated his pace.

With Pip scouting ahead and Peter being carried by the wind elemental, Flinx moved through the dungeon efficiently. Whenever they encountered a group of monsters, he spent a few minutes eliminating them with a barrage of spells.

Eventually, they reached the end of the floor.

Flinx killed the fire dragon guarding the final chamber and immediately stored the item that emerged from the reward chest without even examining it.

Although Peter was clearly curious, he remembered Flinx's warning that they would be rushing through the floor.

Once the run was complete, they immediately reentered the fiftieth floor of the Dungeon of Mara.

They paused only when noon arrived so they could eat lunch. Afterward, they resumed clearing the floor.

Flinx thought that if their roles were reversed, he would be bored out of his mind doing absolutely nothing. Peter, however, seemed genuinely excited.

Most likely, the steady increase in experience points was keeping his spirits high.

Around seven in the evening, Flinx finally decided to stop for the day.

They had completed four full runs of the fiftieth floor.

Before leaving, Flinx reviewed his gains.

Looking at his System Panel, he saw that the four runs had earned him one experience point in his Wizard class and three experience points in his Cleric class.

That meant that if he continued clearing the fiftieth floor four times a day, his Cleric class would reach level five in twenty-eight days.

His Wizard class, meanwhile, would reach level twelve in seventy-seven days.

He would need to consult the group's resident number-cruncher to determine whether continuing to farm the Dungeon of Mara was worthwhile or if he should begin searching for a stronger dungeon.

As for mana stones, they earned a total of sixty low-level mana stones, forty medium-level mana stones, and twenty high-level mana stones after taxes.

Flinx offered half of the haul to Peter, but the man adamantly refused.

Peter insisted that the experience points he had gained were already more than enough and that taking additional rewards would be excessive.

They also obtained two magic items that day.

The first was a sword, while the second was a staff.

After casting Identify, Flinx discovered that the sword was a Fire Sword that added fire damage to attacks. The staff was a Fire Bolt Staff capable of storing seven casts of Fire Bolt each day.

He handed both items to Peter and instructed him to pass them to Mark for distribution. Anyone interested in claiming them would simply need to pay the guild tax on the items. Otherwise, they could sell the items for either gold or mana stones.

Peter was practically giddy about the amount of experience he had earned while being carried through the dungeon.

According to him, if Flinx continued carrying him through runs like this, he would level his Rogue class in roughly two months.

Flinx found that estimate astonishing.

It would take Peter two months just to reach level four.

According to Peter, they had previously calculated that it would take approximately five months to reach their next level if Mark's group continued farming the thirteenth floor of the Dungeon of Mara.

At the very least, Flinx expected their progression to improve now that they had moved on to the nineteenth floor.

Even so, the pace still seemed painfully slow to him.

He was thankful for the blessing he had received from using that gate by that Torbal Wizard. Without it, he would never have leveled up as quickly as he had, nor would he have been able to rescue some of his fellow Earthlings.