As expected, that evening, I receive an official invitation from the Ouroboros company to join them as an independent adventurer on their clear of the level 84 dungeon.
I quickly accept before getting back to my school assignment. I may be trying to bring down a human trafficking network, but it's no reason to let my grades drop. Now that I'm a high-level adventurer, I probably don't need to worry too much about my academic performance, but I still want to get my degree, just in case, so I can't go and fail my classes.
The next morning, I undo the spatial beads around my equipment. As expected, the armor reappears on my body, already adjusted. I attach the sword's scabbard to my belt, and prepare to leave.
"Woah, is that some new gear or were you hiding a really expensive suit of armor this entire time?"
Sitting at the table, Andrew is looking at me with his mouth open.
"I managed to get my hands on some rare monster materials recently, so I got this made. It's my first time wearing it."
"Can't believe you went from looking like a complete newbie to a high-level and experienced adventurer instantly. What level even are you?"
"80."
His surprised expression intensifies, but I jokingly stick my tongue out and leave before he has time to respond.
Wait, why did I even do that? It was a bit of a reflex, but it's definitely not something I took the habit of doing. A spur-of-the-moment thing, I guess? Well, whatever, I better stay focused, I'm heading into a dangerous dungeon today.
I know that higher-level dungeons tend to take longer to clear, so I might be at this all day. Fortunately, it's the weekend, so I don't have any classes to attend, and I finished the assignments due for next week already. I can fully focus on the task at hand.
I'm wearing proper gear this time around. I won't have to worry about my clothes getting destroyed again.
I eventually reach the rendezvous point. It's still a bit early, so there aren't many people around yet. However, one of the people immediately attracts my attention.
The amount of magic power in his body is staggering, probably the most I've ever seen in a person. He must be level 100, or very close to it. I'm not too surprised to see that he's also branded, the Architect's spell being clearly visible at the top of his back. If Ouroboros is an usual client, I expect at least some of their high-level members to be branded.
From his gear, I can tell that he's a Defender. Big shield strapped to his back, one-handed mace at his belt, and heavy plate armor fully encasing his body. He's holding his helmet under his arm, allowing me to see his dark hair and pale blue eyes. He looks rather young for a level 100 adventurer, only a few years older than me at most, but I guess that would be the result of the Architect's questionable training methods.
Still, if I manage to remove his brand, this guy will probably become a very strong ally in my fight against the madman. I should probably introduce myself now.
As I walk towards him, he spots me and waves before saying:
"Hey there! Are you the guest adventurer we've been told to expect?"
"I believe that's me, yes. Name's Matt, pleasure meeting you."
"I'm Jeremy, the pleasure is all mine."
He's quite a bit taller than me, but the difference between our hand sizes is made glaringly obvious as we shake them.
"So, how does this team usually function?"
"This is a new team that's just been created, so it's our first time all working together. Apparently, they're bringing in someone from a different country to serve as the leader. It's just a rumor, but it pissed off a lot of people who were hoping to be promoted. Hopefully it won't affect our performance too much."
"So you're not the leader, despite being level 100?"
"How do you know my level?"
Ah, right. Most others can't estimate a person's level by sensing how much magic is in their body. An adventurer's level isn't obvious just by looking at them, either. I guess I can just be honest? It's not like being able to sense the power of others is unheard of, and I was told to show off a bit.
"Ah, well, I can sense the magic in others, and I assumed you were level 100 based on that."
"I see, that's a pretty useful power to have. And I'm not a leader because I don't feel like I would do a good job if I was. It's not that rare for max-level adventurers to not want that kind of responsibility."
That makes sense. I very well might reach that level too in the near future, and I don't know if I could lead a team of adventurers. Simply being powerful doesn't mean you have the capacity to fill that role. I wonder what the Witches do in their world?
As I'm thinking about this, a serious-looking man wearing a uniform with the Ouroboros logo on it approaches and asks me:
"Are you the one the Architect told us about?"
He has a slight accent that hints at him potentially coming from elsewhere. A lot of the larger Free Companies are active in multiple countries, including Ouroboros, so it's common for people to move across borders at the request of their superiors.
"Yes, I am."
"Perfect. We're going to be entering the dungeon soon, I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do."
He signals to us to follow him, and we start walking towards the barrier.
I take the time to look at the man's power. He's stronger than me, but weaker than Jeremy, and he's not branded. I assume he's the leader of today's team. His outfit is enhanced by some spells but isn't otherwise armored, so he might be some kind of mage.
The whole team seems to consist of 10 people, all of whom are at least level 80. We position ourselves where the barrier will be pierced, and the leader says:
"This dungeon is in an urban environment. I know for a fact that this is going to be the first urban dungeon for the majority of you, so make sure to listen carefully. The city behind this barrier is crawling with monsters, some of which are smart enough to set up ambushes. Some buildings are tall, so you will be attacked from above. If you have ranged attacks, take cover and use them as much as possible. Otherwise, be careful to not fall in traps while trying to reach monsters who positioned themselves on higher floors. This is going to be different to what most of you are used to. Of course, the usual rules still apply: protect the healers, fall back if there's an alert or if we get overrun, and obey my commands. Any questions?"
Nobody raises their hand, so a healer walks to the barrier and opens it, allowing us to enter one-by-one. Jeremy pats my shoulder to encourage me as I enter my first urban dungeon.
