As they had become accustomed to, the assignment from Cresche—who effectively hadn't moved in the past months since the Wanderers began delving—was to clear out a small patch of forest that had been infected with mana toxicity. It was a simple enough chore, usually amounting to the work of maybe two days worth of just ripping the plants that have been fundamentally changed out of the ground and setting them to the side. Once they were all in one location, the Verdant Walkers took care of the destruction or disposal of the remnants. For now, they didn't care to waste any time, so they pushed themselves so that, less than 24 hours passed before they had cleared out the couple square kilometers of corrupted vegetation and received directions to the Steel tier branch entrance.
"Do you think we're ready for this?" Benedict asked as the party ran towards their destination.
"Yes," came Felix's answer. He didn't add anything else, and the Bard rolled his eyes and turned to Astrid in the hopes of getting a more in-depth explanation.
"You? You've gotta have something more than just a simple 'yes or no' answer."
"If you're nervous," Astrid said evenly, "then you can say it. I won't be upset at you for having a regular reaction to change and danger."
"Okayu, realistically," Benedict said with a sigh, "we should be fine. I wouldn't be blazing on in this direction if I wasn't confident that I would survive it. After all, the difference between where we are now and a level 55 monster isn't too big, especially when compared with the difference between us at level 10 and the level 21 drake we killed."
"Mhmm."
"But also, deliberately going and picking a fight with a monster that's higher tier than us is pretty stupid, right? After all, even with the information that we've gotten, we're not going into some simple, bottom tier situation. We're going to fight monsters that are higher than us in the hopes of getting better evolutions which requires that this be a challenge. Am I the only one who's at least a little bit concerned about that?"
"I'll be honest," Astrid answered after he went silent and waited for a response, "I think you're being a bit of an idiot. Of course we're all nervous about deliberately crossing the tier boundary. A regular Steel tier monster is going to be about as strong as the inferno wolves we were fighting on the fiftieth floor of the Trials. We did good since we were there, since we've gained a bunch of levels and crossed a watershed, and nobody's going to question the fact that we're stronger than we were half a year ago. That said, I think all of us have at least some measure of nerves regarding getting out of the training field and back into real, dangerous delving. So yeah, we're nervous, but we're not all running our mouths."
"I figured, just wanted to make sure," Benedict smiled as he spoke. "Now that I've heard that, no further questions."
Astrid blinked slowly before she then decided against continuing to talk to him. As always, Benedict jabbered when he was nervous, and he was excited, or basically whenever he was awake. Despite any frustrations Astrid experienced with that it was just the way that he was. In large part, she was sure that was why he ended up becoming a Bard, and she had to say that she was grateful for him having become one.
After tuning him out for a short while, he said something that made Astrid's steps stutter, and only because her Alacrity was so high did she manage to keep from stumbling.
"Once I get to high Mithril, or Adamantium at the latest, I don't know if I'm going to want to keep doing this."
After swallowing several times around her newly dry throat, Astrid decided against playing dumb and asking for a clarification. Instead, she asked, "Why do you say that?"
"Well, I like being with you guys, and I like the stories I've gained since, but the idea of being a protector of all of Humanity is pretty overwhelming. Honestly," he hesitated over the words, his jaw working before he continued, "if we didn't have swords pointed at our chests right now, I might have been willing to step away right after we evolved to Steel."
The party went silent for several steps after that, though Muti, unsurprisingly, scoffed. When nobody said anything for several more seconds, Benedict continued, "I mean, I don't like fighting that much. I joke and I laugh about it, but I really do hate getting covered in monster guts every day. I hate that it's guaranteed that my life will be in actual danger every day I go deeper into the Dungeon. If we keep on this path, we're going to go into the Dungeon proper, and that's going to be even more dangerous than this branch we're entering today. I like the stories of heroic delvers, that love is what got me here, but every day, I've seen the life of these heroes who deserve to have stories told about them, and I want it less."
"But you can't really step away now, can you?" Skandr spoke softly. "Although most people won't know, the people in power do know who you are, that you received a boon from the Wandering Trials, and that you're going to be more powerful per level than just about anybody else. They know how valuable you are, even if you don't want to be."
Benedict nodded. "This stuff is exciting, it's awesome, it's a dream come true, really. I'm lucky to have met you all, and to be where I am, but honestly, the more I understand where we stand and where our path leads, the more I want to get off this trail."
"You've got to be kidding me," was all Astrid could muster up to say. "This has gotta be a joke."
"No, it's not." Benedict replied, his tone firm. "In all honesty, I would guess that we will continue to delve together for several more years, but if I hit Adamantium? Getting there is gonna take a while, I'd guess probably 15 years at most to hit level 140, but at that point, I won't want to be fighting dragons and giants and liches and so on. I'll be happy to tell your story, to own a bar you come back and tell tales at, but I'm gonna be done. I don't think I'll ever come close to Arcanite, and I'm happy with that."
Astrid wanted to have something to say back, some witty or cutting retort, something that would comfort or convince him, but despite that desire, she couldn't bring herself to do anything but continue running. All the jokes and jabs they made at each other put aside, Benedict was a friend. A good one, one she trusted to save her life in the most dangerous circumstances, and if he wanted to step away from this life, what could she do?
"I'm sorry to just drop this on you out of nowhere," Benedict said, his eyes looking everywhere but into the faces of his fellow party members, "but I figured it would be worse to say this years from now, after I've had so long to know that that was my opinion and never gave you the opportunity to decide what to do with that."
"There is no shame in change," Felix said. "I can't say I'm the same person that I was when I made the decision to be a delver. The reality of what you say, though, is that if we come across a supporter around our tier who wants to join us and keep going for longer than you want before you are ready to go, you might be getting kicked out of the Wanderers party before you're ready for it."
Benedict shrugged as he nodded in acceptance. "I said what I did knowing that I'm opening myself up to getting kicked out. Who knows, maybe my opinion will change over the next months and or years, but now that I'm pretty sure that's what I want to do, I thought it would be better to say so."
"Thanks for saying that," Astrid said with a clipped tone. She couldn't help but see Borus's face, the Sorcerer who'd run away when she was younger. She thought she was more mature, better at dealing with changes to plans, but her indecipherable emotions right now were far from able to be so elegantly controlled.
"We'll probably have to talk about this, us four," Skandr said. "Honestly, we probably all need to be pretty upfront about what our expectations are for the much longer term like you have. For now, though, we're going to push into this Dungeon branch and see what we can do."
"Yeah, makes sense," Benedict said, putting on a less stressed face.
At that, Astrid couldn't disagree and she followed Muti's lead into a different section of the Sanctuary.
***
As the kilometers passed, so too did the environment that the Wanderers were used to. Instead of amid thick, verdant forests, this new Dungeon branch entrance stood on the edge of a rocky slope, light scrub brush growing all over, leaving the rocky mountainside largely devoid of the thick, green life that covered the rest of the nation that Astrid had seen. The Dungeon branch's door was visible from far off, a tall arch with a swirling, pearlescent patina covering the doorway. As they drew closer, Astrid could feel waves of mana pulsing so powerfully that it disturbed the fine hairs on her neck. When she converted some of her mana to be Acumen-aligned, Astrid could see that the doorway was constantly throbbing like a heartbeat, each one expelling mana. In fact, she knew she would suffer from mana toxicity if she spent too long inside there, even as a level 48 Iron tier.
On both sides of the doorway stood mostly nondescript bushes, though when Astrid looked closer, she could tell that they grew much more densely than any other small bush she had seen before. The branches that grew behind the small but dense foliage were thick, thicker than many branches on trees. Instead of a small sprout that Astrid could wrap her entire hand around, the center of each bush was thick, more of a trunk than anything else, and Astrid didn't need to ask why that was.
"Hello, Grove Wardens," she greeted the bushes. "We are the Wanderers, we've been given permission to come and clear some of this Dungeon branch. Is there anything we need to know before we enter?"
A root broke the ground as it slowly slithered out and touched her foot. As soon as it did, a somehow more feminine voice than most of the Verdant Walkers she had spoken with filled her mind.
We have heard of your coming. The first three floors are not particularly populous, do not kill more than 40 monsters on each floor, though on the fifth, you may kill 70 in a day.
Astrid bowed her head and replied, "Thank you. And what should I call you? I imagine that we will be seeing each other rather frequently for a while."
I am Grove Warden Krassk. If you wish to speak with me, I am always happy to listen to the thoughts of our neighbor races.
Astrid nodded her head in thanks, more accustomed to the turns of phrase and general mentalities of Verdant Walkers after how many months of contact she had with them so far. For their part, Krassk seemed to immediately understand Astrid wanted first to get into the Dungeon instead of talking, and they withdrew their roots. As they did so, Skandr whispered, "That's just one Grove, isn't it? The two shrubs are both part of it."
With that, Astrid looked down and followed the faint threads of mana that connected the two bushes. She couldn't be sure while looking at the negligible connection between the two, but absolutely trusted in Skandr's words.
"Sure, that's interesting," Benedict stepped forward, his cheery demeanor seeming forced, "but let's get in there, shall we? After all, we've got new monsters of a new tier to fight."
Astrid nodded once in acceptance and refocused on the path ahead. Different from the paths leading down in the Trials, the stairways in Dungeon branches were tight corkscrews that led downward, and there could be monsters on the stairs, unlike in the Trials. That was highly unlikely under the Walkers' watch, they'd learned here in the Sanctuary, but it wasn't impossible. Felix stepped into the lead with his axe held at the ready while Astrid stood directly behind him, hammer and shield equipped and ready to go.
After eight complete rotations, the omnipresent, sourceless light that filled the stairs leading down was gradually replaced by the flickering of light reflecting off of clear water. Stepping into the first floor of the Dungeon branch, bright light burned down from above, and the waters of a pure lake spread out before them. A serene, sandy shore spread before them in winding paths, but only served as a small isthmus that split and spread through the beautiful blue water. As Astrid's boots touched the sand, she could feel just how unstable the footing was and reminded herself of the dangers being presented here. Even in the widest stretches of sand between patches of lake water, the walking path was only ever five or six meters across.
Directly by the doorway that led back up to the surface, another Grove had stationed themselves, though their leaves were broader than any other that Astrid had seen. Each leaf was about a meter square, and the body of the Grove was hidden and covered by dozens of them. Evidently, the leaves were protective in some way, but the Verdant Walker who stood guard didn't say anything to the Wanderers as they made their way in. They creaked a sort of a greeting, but with that, the Wanderers were alone in a Steel tier Dungeon branch for the first time.
"Muti," Astrid asked, "can you feel how far away the pathway to the second floor is?"
"No. It is at least a dozen kilometers from here," she answered, pointing towards where that doorway must have been. "The mana there is much denser, but I cannot say exactly how far it will be."
"All right, we have our plan," Astrid said as she nodded her thanks to the Ambusher. "Any questions?"
Nobody said anything, even Benedict simply shaking his head in answer.
"Naiads will be our primary threat, but we can't forget about the antlions. Muti, can you feel any of them nearby?"
"No," she shook her head, the straps of her helmet clinking against the metal as she did so. "I cannot tell if it is because there are none nearby or because their ability to hide themselves is greater than my ability to detect them, though. There may be hidden pits nearby."
"Then we're continuing to move forward with that in mind as a constant threat. If you can, nobody steps anywhere that Felix and I have not already. Unlike most of the monsters we've fought against before, the naiads and antlions work together, so if one appears, expect at least one of the other type, and if we're wrong, it'll be a happy surprise."
Despite how frequently they had these same discussions, and the fact that they already had made these decisions, nobody said anything to try to hurry along Astrid's address. It was almost a calming ritual for them at this point, and before long, their last minute restatement of the plans was over. Without any further ado, Muti began leading the path forward. In just a few short minutes, the doorway leading to the surface seemed to be nothing more than a distant memory, the shimmering gateway fading until it blended into the sky blue horizons.
Muti stepped in the front, her attention strained to ensure that the party remained safe, and she only gave about three seconds worth of warning before the sea began to boil beside them.
"Naiad!" Muti called, though she didn't pay attention to the construct made of water that swelled nearby. Instead, she watched the nearby sands while Felix stepped forward. Astrid rolled her shoulders and stepped forward to deal with the monster, trusting her back to her Ambusher. Then, as soon as she caught the faintest glimpse of the naiad's body, she rushed forward to battle.