Chapter 38: Excuses for Slacking Off at Work
Izay entered the bustling crowd in the Adventurers’ Guild hall. Instead of immediately seeking out the Guild’s support team to inquire about Middle Layer intel, he made his way to the bulletin board.
[“Request to find adventurers missing in the Middle Layer, specific floor is… detailed number of people is… appearance as follows…”]
The most prominent and noticeable notice at the top was about the search for missing adventurers.
But everyone present knew full well that if you’re “missing” in a Dungeon, the chances of coming back are almost zero.
The reason for posting such a search request was probably just for closure, a way for companions to deceive themselves into hope.
Passing by this eye-catching missing person announcement, there were numerous other Adventurers’ Quests listed.
These quests came from various large Familial Groups / Factions, ranging from acquiring dropped items to designated collection of rare objects on certain floors, along with investigations into abnormal occurrences within the Dungeon.
Covering all sorts of aspects, they had everything one could imagine.
At the very bottom of the bulletin board, there were some cryptic notices without much context.
They weren’t official quests, didn’t specify who posted them, and had no rewards attached—just idle musings or post-meal chit-chat pinned here.
[“In the ‘Lower Layers’ area of the Dungeon, there occasionally appears a beautiful singing voice, possibly an unconfirmed species of rare anthropomorphic monster.”]
[“An unexplored area has been found in the ‘Middle Layers,’ route details below, anyone interested can explore further.”]
[“In the ‘Upper Layers,’ there have been signs of an anomaly, specifically star-like beams of light shining down and strong tremors. Please take note, fellow adventurers.”]
Hm?
There seems to be something strange mixed in there…
Izay scratched his nose awkwardly, shifting his gaze away from the notice about anomalies in the Upper Layers.
Could it be related to him somehow?
He had been testing out new magic up there recently, treating it like fireworks…
Things like “Starfall” and “Celestial Movement of All Things”…
Cough, cough, cough…
But the song from the “Lower Layers”?
Izay had a pretty good guess about that.
It must be the bard bird among the heretics.
Currently, those heretics are well-hidden in the Lower Layers under the protection of the Guild’s main deity Uranus and the sage Fels.
Most adventurers would just laugh off these cryptic notices.
After scanning the entire bulletin board from left to right, filtering out irrelevant information, Izay noticed a quest that caught his attention.
[“In the ‘Middle Layers,’ specifically on Floor Fifteen, a rare winged dragon has been spotted, suspected to be an Enhanced Species. Seeking upper-level adventurers for its extermination.”]
The Middle Layers refer to Floors Thirteen through Twenty-Four.
“Enhanced Species” is one type of anomaly that occurs in the Dungeon.
Occasionally, unique monsters are born within the Dungeon, each possessing a special innate ability.
—The ability to consume Magic Stones to grow stronger.
Yes, the very Magic Stones collected by adventurers and used as life cores by other monsters.
Because of this special ability, these unique monsters not only attack adventurers but also hunt their own kind.
They are called—”Enhanced Species.”
The races of these special monsters vary, but the sole criterion for identifying them is whether they possess the ability to consume Magic Stones and grow stronger.
Without exception,
In the same floor range, they possess unparalleled strength.
And the longer they survive, the more terrifying their power becomes.
“So it’s an Enhanced Species? This is quite fortunate…”
Izay had just been pondering his level-up options, and now one had conveniently appeared.
As they say, when you’re sleepy, someone hands you a pillow.
This quest was initiated by the Guild Headquarters, ensuring the reliability of the information, and was posted just yesterday.
This suggests that the suspected Enhanced Species winged dragon must have been born recently, its strength not yet fully developed. Otherwise, the adventurers who witnessed it would likely have been eliminated on the spot, let alone deliver the message.
After carefully reviewing the incomplete details of the extermination quest, Izay had a clear target for his next move.
“Waaah—Eina~ Today’s work is so tiring! Why do these adventurers always come asking questions nonstop? It’s so annoying to deal with them~”
“Hey, we’re working now, don’t chat with me.”
Eina, sitting on a chair at the window, gave a slight reminder to the human girl Missia who was whispering to her.
While Eina couldn’t deny there was some truth to what Missia said.
Many adventurers loitering around the Guild hall were merely looking for excuses to flirt with the pretty female staff during the day.
But such talk should be reserved for private moments.
Discussing it so openly while working?
That’s practically asking for trouble.
What will you do if someone hears you? Are you not afraid they’ll use it against you?
Do you even understand the concept of “misfortune from loose lips?”
“Ah… Eina, if you keep being so serious, you’ll never find a boyfriend…”
Missia sighed dramatically, putting on an act of concern.
In response, Eina adjusted her glasses, a gentle smile playing on her lips, her gaze soft like a mother looking at her son.
“So this is your excuse for slacking off at work? Be careful, or you might get your salary docked~”
“…”
Just one sentence rendered Missia completely speechless.
Watching Missia return to work with a sullen face, Eina redirected her focus.
Still, she couldn’t help but sigh softly in her heart, consoling herself.
It’s fine, she’s only seventeen, still young, plenty of time to find a boyfriend later~
Preferably someone younger than her, someone she can care for daily, and hopefully handsome too…
In the end, doesn’t every girl have fantasies about her other half?
Even if she doesn’t show it outwardly, it doesn’t mean Eina hasn’t had such thoughts.
She’s still a young maiden after all.
“Eh?! Eina, I saw a really handsome older brother—”
“Huh?”
At the drawn-out sound from her friend, Eina instinctively looked up.
Seeing Missia’s excited expression, her curiosity piqued, she followed her gaze.
A young blonde adventurer was wandering around the Guild hall, probably looking for the staff member responsible for handling his requests.
But why did that person seem so familiar?
It felt like she’d seen him somewhere before…
