A-Rank Dungeon 【Black Wing Hall】 Strategy

――The day after I had Rin swallow the Magic Inscription Stones.

――One of the dungeon clusters near the commercial city Ardion.

――On the first underground layer of the A-rank Dungeon 【Black Wing Hall】.

After checking out of the inn, we immediately dove into the dungeon to start leveling Rin.

Taking a Level-1 Rin into an A-rank dungeon made me uneasy, but I judged that the quickest way to raise her level was to clear a higher-ranked dungeon.

――I walked at the front, Windine as the rear Shadow, and Rin was sandwiched between us as we advanced down the corridor in a single-file formation.

“Rin, aren’t you scared?”

“No! I’m totally fine because Master will protect me!”

Contrary to my worries, the maid-clad slave answered cheerfully.

‘That just means she trusts Sid that much.’

When I first descended into a dungeon as the pack mule for a Hero party, I was seriously freaked out.

I was more afraid of Garen’s violence coming from behind than the monsters coming from the front…

I checked Rin’s status again.

I confirmed that the Magic Inscription Stones she swallowed last night had fully taken effect in her skill slot.

The effect of the 【MP Capacity Break (Limit Up)】 potion, which permanently raises MP maximum, was also in effect.

“Pyeee――――!!”

――A monster’s cry came from straight ahead.

‘They showed up right away.’

“――Windine, barrier magic.”

“――――♪”

What swooped in with a high-pitched, whistle-like cry was a green raptor-type monster—the Garuda.

The Garuda glided through the dungeon corridor and lunged with its sharp talons.

But the barrier magic Windine had summoned at the last moment blocked the Garuda’s attack.

――Kiiin!

The talons collided with the translucent barrier.

The Garuda beat its wings and put some distance between us.

“Rin—cast Fire Enchant.”

“R-right, understood!”

I summoned nothing but Dullahan’s sword out of the shadows.

Rin touched the flat of the shadow sword’s blade and activated the enchantment magic.

――Flame!

“Wah! The magic activated…! From my hand…!”

The sword became wrapped in mana-charged flames.

Rin recoiled in surprise at the flames’ appearance, but she showed obvious awe at her first magic.

With that, Rin was considered to have joined this fight.

If the sword Rin enchanted killed the Garuda, Rin would also gain experience.

“Windine—reset the barrier around Rin.”

“――――♪”

Windine, with the upper body of a human woman and the lower body of a fish, floated and formed a hemispherical barrier that shrouded Rin 360 degrees.

“Pyeee――――!!”

No sooner had the barrier in front of me disappeared than the Garuda launched another gliding attack.

“Here we go!”

――Slash!

The shadow blade cloaked in flames tore the Garuda in two.

“Pya――――!?!?”

A window notified me that Rin’s level had risen.

So it notifies me not only about myself but also about the level-ups of those it recognizes as party members.

“For now, let’s make the Garuda into a Shadow.”

With the skill I’d repeated hundreds of times—Shadow Necromance—I extracted the Garuda’s shadow.

“Pya―――!”

What emerged from the Garuda’s corpse was a Shadow with black wings and only its eyes flickering red.

The Garuda Shadow circled above my head and then perched on my shoulder.

It was my first time obtaining a bird-type monster, so I thought it might be useful for something, but its Overall Combat Power was only 400.

About the same as a Goblin Warrior.

I guess even the upper layers of an A-rank dungeon are about this level.

Next, I checked Rin’s stats.

“You okay, Rin?”

“Yes! I feel like I’ve gotten so much stronger! With this I might be able to fight alongside Master! Leave your back to me! ♪”

“You only leveled up three levels, you know.”

Maybe it’s my imagination, but Rin’s been high-energy since this morning.

Is the mana built into the Magic Inscription Stones settling into her body and energizing her…?

I worried Rin might be burdened by being driven from her home and having to travel, but she’s more curious than I expected and seems to be enjoying this journey, including her first dungeon exploration.

“(We stopped to fish and roast the catch at the river, and I let her make a flower crown in a flower field—she’s been enjoying herself somehow…)”

‘(The cause is that you stuck by Rin nursing her, and Rin noticed and was happy about it… but I’ll keep quiet about that.)’

Ekarraat seemed to want to say something from within the shadows, but it didn’t seem particularly important, so I ignored it and resumed the dungeon exploration.