Chapter 243: The Limit of Stamina
Two weeks had already passed since we arrived in the dungeon city.
We were tackling the dungeon with a new party, and so far we hadn’t run into any major difficulties. Everything had been progressing smoothly.
Among us, the party that had advanced the furthest was Sheila’s group.
They had already reached the 40th floor and seemed to be riding a strong wave of momentum.
That said, our party was also making steady progress, with our current highest floor being the 32nd.
Thanks to Ashros’ overwhelming power and Lime’s versatile, ever-changing attacks, we were able to sweep away monsters with ease.
Joel and Portia were also performing excellently, and the fact that the four of them formed such a perfect party was a huge advantage.
As for me, I was doing a solid job reading the maps, and aside from slowing down our movement speed a little, I felt I was contributing reasonably well.
“Oh! We’ve reached the 33rd floor! This is the deepest we’ve gone with this party!”
“It’s a great help to have people who adjust to each other. My lady was truly reckless, so I’m surprised at how easy it is to fight now.”
“Could it be because you were with Lime last year too, Ashros? Your coordination feels perfect.”
“I think Lime is the one matching my pace. Last year, I was mostly supporting my lady, so this actually feels like the first time we’re truly fighting together.”
The power-focused Ashros and the flexible Lime.
I had thought their perfect teamwork came from being in the same party last year, but it seemed that with Yato no longer around, they were finally able to move freely.
Apparently Yato was incredibly strong as well, but in her humanoid form she couldn’t fully unleash her power, meaning their dungeon runs were heavily restrained.
It might sound a bit harsh, but perhaps Ashros and Lime now felt liberated.
“Joel is very reliable as well. His support is spot-on, and he fights while protecting me. For someone so young to be able to fight with such composure is quite rare.”
“That’s because Donnie trained me! Still, I’m happy to be praised! I’ll protect Portia with everything I’ve got, so please let me know right away if anything happens!”
“Thank you.”
Overall, the atmosphere was really good.
Despite being as deep as the 33rd floor, there was a surprising sense of ease, and the party balance felt excellent.
The problem was that my stamina was right at its limit.
I thought I had built up endurance through farm work, but dungeon crawling stamina was an entirely different matter.
I was tempted to use NP to raise my stamina alone… but I couldn’t justify spending such precious NP for that reason.
At the very least, I should let them know before I became a burden.
“Sorry, I have some bad news… My stamina is about to reach its limit. I hate to say this just as things are getting good, but I’d appreciate it if we could consider turning back.”
“Understood. Then let’s clear the next floor and head back from there.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize! You’re carrying our luggage and guiding us through the dungeon, after all! That’s a huge burden. And considering you’re not even a combat role, the fact that you’ve made it this far is amazing!”
“Joel is right. There’s absolutely no reason to apologize… To be honest, it was hard to bring up, but my stamina was nearing its limit too, so I’m glad Sato said it first.”
Along with their comforting words, Lime snuggled up beside me, pressing her body gently against mine.
I was truly grateful to be with such kind people.
“Just not being selfish is already a blessing. My lady complains immediately, and I can’t count how many times I had to carry her on my back during dungeon runs…”
Ashros seemed to be recalling last year as he held his head slightly.
No matter how exhausted I got, I couldn’t imagine asking to be carried inside a dungeon… Yato really was something else.
“So things like that happened last year too?”
“Well, my lady’s selfishness didn’t stop there. Anyway… the concept of dungeon exploration is to have fun, so don’t worry about us and let’s head back.”
“Thank you. I’ll gradually build up my stamina and get used to it, so I look forward to working with you.”
After that exchange, we cleared the 34th floor and then decided to turn back.
I couldn’t use NP to raise my stats, but maybe using it to improve my equipment wouldn’t be a bad idea.
The biggest cause of my stamina drain was definitely my shoes.
If I switched to proper footwear, things should improve at least a little.
Thinking that, we proceeded carefully toward the dungeon exit, putting safety first.