Rest and Recovery, Pausing the Dungeon Raid

Cain smiled faintly and looked seriously at Teacher Roxy, whose face was as red as a ripe peach.

"My job now is to get everyone out safely. If I back down, the others in the party could be put in danger. And Zoldat is the captain, right? If something happens to him, Mr. Bruce and the others won't be able to carry on either."

"Though I'm a novice adventurer, as an adventurer, I'm already prepared for this. Please understand, Teacher Roxy."

Roxy froze slightly and looked at the worried people behind her. Brook, Mia, Rina, and Fira all had obvious unease in their eyes.

Roxy fell silent. She knew she should not say anything that would shake the party's confidence now.

But...

What about you, my foolish disciple...

The strong should bear greater responsibility? What kind of logic was that?

Roxy pursed her lips, her expression dimming as she let out a slow sigh.

If something happens to you, then what am I supposed to do... you big idiot of a disciple.

But Roxy did not say those words aloud. She had once been in the same position herself—becoming the core of an adventuring party, shouldering everyone's expectations, and leading her team out of a dungeon alone.

In some ways, Roxy felt very proud.

So...

Roxy sighed, her gaze turning firm as she looked seriously at Cain. There was nothing she could do; she had ended up with such a foolish disciple.

A foolish disciple who made her proud.

"I understand. I'm counting on you, Cain! I'll support you from behind, so please entrust your back to me."

Roxy gripped her staff tightly, her eyes resolute.

Seeing Roxy's serious expression, everyone let out a breath of relief, gratitude in their eyes. Zoldat scratched his cheek and gave the two of them a helpless smile.

"Honestly, I owe you two a huge favor..."

The group regrouped once more and gathered around the campfire to discuss their strategy.

"Based on the intensity of an S-rank Dungeon, there should be another five to ten floors below. There's a high chance we'll encounter multiple monsters like the Flamebone Dragon Guards from the twentieth floor..."

"In other words, the deeper we go, the greater the number of those monsters. And the boss of this S-rank Dungeon will definitely be stronger than the guardians of an ordinary S-rank Dungeon."

Zoldat held nothing back, sharing all of his deductions with Cain and the others.

Everyone sucked in a breath.

Only Cain pondered for a moment before looking at Zoldat.

"So, Captain, are you suggesting we retreat?"

"No, of course not. Since you're here, we need to make proper use of our Sword God."

"You've really got some nerve saying that."

Cain smiled faintly. Zoldat extended his fist, and the two lightly bumped fists.

The tense atmosphere in the party eased considerably.

"I'll buy you all drinks when we get back. Now, let's go! Let's conquer this S-rank Dungeon!!"

Roxy tightened her grip on her staff and nodded slightly. With a serious expression, she followed behind Cain. Right now, all she wanted was to cooperate with her disciple and conquer this extremely difficult S-rank Dungeon with everyone.

After regrouping, they cautiously descended into the twenty-first floor of the dungeon.

The twenty-first floor was still shrouded in darkness. Soon, several Skeleton Warriors rushed out of the caves with bone-grinding sounds that made their teeth ache.

"Formless spirits of water, heed my command. Gather into a rushing current, weave a prison, and seal the target within still water! Water Prison!"

Huge spheres of water instantly appeared around the Skeleton Warriors, trapping them inside. But the monsters quickly swung their longswords and split the Water Prisons in half.

Roxy narrowed her eyes. Against such powerful monsters, ordinary magic could no longer pose much of a threat.

But the time she had bought was already enough.

Cain closed in and swung the Blade of Light, instantly cutting all four monsters in half at the waist!

Although the monsters below the twentieth floor were far stronger and more numerous, the party was still able to advance steadily.

But by the twenty-third floor, Roxy was clearly beginning to struggle.

"Cain, I'm a little tired..." Roxy's steps had become unsteady.

"What's wrong?" Cain went over and held Roxy by the shoulders, steadying her.

"She must have used too much mana!" Raffy, Rina, and Mia pursed their lips. Watching Roxy lean weakly against Cain's chest, their faces were full of worry and guilt.

"Roxy cast all of the Advanced-class attack spells earlier. Our... our magic is basically useless against those high-level monsters..."

Cain frowned slightly. Roxy's face was somewhat pale, her petite body fully leaning against him as she breathed out warm breaths in small gasps. She looked utterly exhausted.

He pressed his palm to Roxy's forehead. It was somewhat hot, and Teacher Roxy's blue eyes were unfocused.

She probably had a fever.

Cain placed his hand, glowing faintly green, on Roxy's forehead and slowly cast an intermediate healing spell.

That foolish teacher only knows how to force herself...

Cain pursed his lips, his expression full of helplessness and self-reproach. He turned to Zoldat, his gaze becoming firm.

"I suggest we temporarily stop the raid. Teacher Roxy is sick and needs rest."

Of course, Cain was not discussing it with Zoldat and the others. Teacher Roxy's safety was the most important thing to him. If not for Roxy, he would never have come dungeon delving.

Cain carefully picked up Roxy's limp body and headed toward the stairs behind them. Fira followed behind, pursing her lips as she softly apologized.

Roxy struggled to open her eyes. Her blue eyes stared blankly at the boy carrying her, while her cheeks were slightly flushed.

"Sorry... Cain... I..."

Roxy knew this was her first dungeon adventure with Cain, so no matter what, she wanted to clear it in one go. She had kept forcing herself onward, but it seemed she had still pushed herself too hard...

"It's all right, Teacher. Please get some proper rest. I'll be right here beside you."

Cain lowered his head and pursed his lips, then gave Roxy, who was leaning against his chest, a reassuring smile. He hurried anxiously toward the upper-floor dungeon exit.

Teacher Roxy's body was small and light, so carrying her was not difficult. Seeing Roxy begin to snore softly in his arms, Cain gave a helpless smile. He felt guilty; he should have noticed sooner that something was wrong with Roxy. Letting his teacher become this exhausted was a disciple's failure.

Zoldat nodded helplessly and sheathed his sword. He watched Cain leave, then looked at the self-reproachful Mia and Rina before lightly patting both of them on the shoulders.

"All right. I won't allow any of you to have problems. We'll withdraw and rest up first. Once Roxy recovers, we'll continue the raid. We've already made it this far, so there's no need to rush."

Cain was undeniably the key to whether the party could conquer this S-rank Dungeon, while Roxy was the party's main magical damage dealer. As captain, Zoldat absolutely could not overlook their condition.

"Oh, we're finally resting? My arms are sore as hell. Perfect, we can go out for a drink."

Bruce smiled at that, punching Zoldat lightly in the chest with a trace of gratitude in his eyes.

"That Cain really is incredible. I owe him one this time, Zoldat."

"Hey, the rookie in the back has gone home."

Zoldat spread his hands and smiled as he watched Cain carry Roxy away.

"A person that capable won't stay in our little party for long. That's the one thing I'm certain of."

"Yeah, that's true."

"What happened to me...?"

"Ugh! My head feels so dizzy."

Roxy groggily opened her eyes, sat up, and rubbed them. She was lying in a soft bed, and the blanket covering her slid down.

"Huh? My clothes..." Roxy stared blankly at the white dress she was wearing, her cheeks flushing slightly. Wasn't she raiding the dungeon? Why was she here?! And what was with these clothes!?

"Teacher, you're awake."

Roxy looked at Cain, who was sitting on a stool beside the bed with his blade in his arms. He rubbed his eyes and smiled at her, making her face turn even redder as she clenched the white bedsheet around herself.

"C-Cain... why are you by my bedside...?"

Seeing Roxy's face grow increasingly red with embarrassment, Cain's mouth twitched. He hurriedly waved his hands. His foolish teacher was not misunderstanding this, was she...?

Over the past few days, Cain had noticed that Roxy always blushed for no apparent reason over little things.

Maybe Teacher was just sensitive and easily embarrassed. Thinking that, Cain coughed twice and put on a serious expression.

"Don't misunderstand, Teacher Roxy. I'm only responsible for protecting your safety. Raffy, Mia, and Rina helped you change your clothes."

"I-Is that so..." Roxy then remembered that Cain seemed to have carried her back when she lost consciousness. Her face, which had calmed down somewhat, suddenly grew hot again for no reason.

That foolish disciple. He could have carried me on his back... though being held in his arms was comfortable too...