Chapter 5
Chapter 5: The Undead are so terrible!
Class.
This "Divine Miracle" bestowed by the Goddess appeared at the end of the Fifth Era and accompanied humanity through the Dark Age that followed — it was the power by which humanity resisted the chaos of darkness, and the cornerstone upon which civilization was rebuilt. All people, regardless of status or standing, could obtain a Class from the Job Center, though the opportunity came only once. Changing it required the use of a mythical-grade item called the "Class Reset Card." Upon obtaining a Class, one would also receive the Skills and Talents that matched it — though a fortunate few could gain additional Skills, up to a maximum of two.
As the holder of the rare Class "Hero," Fred's strength was beyond question — while Lilu's Holy Maiden turning into something else entirely was nothing but the Goddess's prank.
At this moment, the three-person party was fighting inside a dungeon known as the "Dripping Cavern." Barbarian Tribe female warrior Aernis held the front line. She was the holder of the Class "Berserker" — an advanced Class branching from the warrior line. The Berserker prioritized offense while disregarding defense, and in dire circumstances could even burn away one's own vitality to activate Berserk Mode. It was one of the finest warrior-type Classes available.
"Healing Arts!"
Seizing the moment, Lilu cast Healing Arts on Aernis. The sacred radiance, like the embrace of the Goddess herself, gently enveloped her body, and every wound upon her healed in an instant. Feeling her stamina rapidly restored, Aernis gave Lilu a big thumbs up.
"Lilu, big sis loves you to death! You're incredible! Worthy of a Holy Maiden!"
Basking in the praise, Lilu broke into a bashful smile. She swung her Tin Staff and smashed the skull of a Goblin crawling toward her, letting out a tiny shriek.
"Lilu," Fred turned around, "let me—"
And then he saw Lilu with a shame expression on her face, frantically bashing a Goblin's head in. Setting aside the Goblin being bashed to death, the motion itself was rather adorable.
"Lilu, take a break and have some water."
"Okay."
Lilu took the water flask Fred handed her and drank a sip. Her body, which had grown weary from the drain of Holy Power, instantly felt considerably lighter. The Holy Power used by Holy-type Clerics was different from the Magic Power commonly used by mages — it could only recover naturally and could not be replenished with Magic Potions. As a result, most Holy-type Clerics trained their bodies to be as hard as steel, donning plate armor and wielding war hammers, and there was no shortage of violent clergy who would send opponents straight to meet the Goddess at the drop of a hat.
That said, a unique trait of the Holy Maiden Class was that her Holy Power recovered exceptionally fast — though at the same time she lacked any meaningful means of combat. All in all she was a pure Healer with next to no offensive power. Many parties preferred a Holy-type Cleric over a Holy Maiden, but a high-ranked Holy Maiden unleashing her ultimate move "Mass Resurrection" to instantly revive a whole group of fallen allies was nothing short of terrifying.
"Thank you." Lilu returned the flask to Fred. "Thank you, Hero."
Then she watched Fred tip it straight to his lips and take several gulps. Was this…… an indirect kiss? Lilu's face flushed red in an instant. She turned away in a fluster, her cheeks rosy and round like a perfectly ripened apple.
"Fred, Lilu," Aernis pointed ahead, "we've reached the entrance to the Fifth Floor. From here on things get more dangerous — everyone break out your lighting equipment!"
"Right, just a moment."
A moment later, Lilu saw that both Fred and Aernis had tied two candles to their foreheads, looking absolutely ridiculous.
"Let me handle it," she raised her Tin Staff, "Mercury Lamps."
Three silver-white orbs of light floated up above the heads of all three, instantly illuminating everything within a ten-meter radius. Aernis's eyes lit up at once. She reached out a hand to touch one of the orbs, but her thick palm passed straight through it without being burned.
That was the Goddess's Holy Light — radiant yet cold.
"Let's move," Fred had his sword at the ready, "we're heading down to the Fifth Floor."
The current commission had been issued by the Adventurers' Guild, with the objective of locating the missing Grey Hawk Party — a team of four E-rank adventurers who were plainly a party of pure beginners. The last time they had been seen was at the entrance to the Fifth Floor of the Dripping Cavern. A beginner party like theirs should have been operating on the upper four floors, but the Grey Hawk Party had apparently decided they were ready for the Fifth — and the result had turned into a search-and-rescue mission.
"Let's hope they're still alive."
"Yes…… may the Goddess watch over them."
Hearing Fred say "may the Goddess watch over them," Lilu couldn't help but scoff inwardly. The Goddess didn't watch over anyone — all she did was mess around.
Ding dong! A notification chime rang out. The Status Screen opened automatically in front of Lilu, and in the Talents column she saw an UP indicator appear after "Universal Charmer" — and then it changed to "Beloved by All." Lilu was stunned. She had only grumbled about the Goddess for a moment, so why did it level up? This made no sense whatsoever!
Though Beloved by All did seem more fitting for a girl's disposition. So the Goddess occasionally threw her a bone after all!
Goddess: Hehehehe.
Lilu: shocked!
The three of them descended quickly to the Fifth Floor. The scenery before them shifted from limestone cavern to a brick-and-stone burial passage. A thick reek of decay hung in the air of the dim corridor, and a cold wind moaned as it swept through, sending a chill down the spine.
"Stay cautious," Fred said. "The main enemies on this floor are Undead. Lilu, feel free to use your Purification Arts without holding back."
"Got it! Ewww!"
A slick, wet hand grabbed her by the ankle, and Lilu let out a shriek. She looked down to see a zombie with only its upper half remaining, staring up at her with clouded eyes, rotting flesh clinging to the corners of its mouth. Before Fred or Aernis could act, Lilu hurled a Purification Arts at it, and the zombie ascended to the afterlife on the spot.
"Incantation-free casting?" Fred was stunned. "Lilu, how did you manage to…… huh?"
Lilu pattered past him and threw her arms around Aernis's knotted, muscular thigh, her pitiful little face streaked with two wide rivers of tears, looking so miserable it tugged at the heartstrings. Fred's half-raised hand dropped back down in resignation, and a hollow feeling settled over his heart as though a piece of it had been scooped out.
"Don't cry, don't cry — Lilu did wonderfully," Aernis patted Lilu's head with an indulgent smile, "from now on just hide behind big sis, and watch big sis wipe out all these Undead!"
Clatter, clatter!
Speak of the devil and he shall appear — the sound of grinding bones echoed from ahead, and skeleton warriors clad in rusted iron armor came marching forward, banging their shields in provocation. It was Lilu's first time seeing skeletons walking around on their own. Before her brain could crash entirely, she hurled a Purification Arts at them with lightning speed. Within a blaze of pure white Holy Light, the skeletons crumbled to dust in an instant, and the souls that had been trapped within rose to the afterlife with expressions of bliss on their faces.
"Huu huu huu……" Lilu trembled with fright. Just a few days ago she had been living on Earth, where there were no zombies or skeletons — yet now here she was, diving into dungeons to make a living and fighting these terrifying monsters.
Wuu wuu wuu, she wanted to go home, she wanted to go back to Earth.
But Lilu pulled herself together before long. She glanced at the level displayed on the back of her Class Card — it was already at Level 5. Being carried through leveling up by others like this wasn't bad at all. As a veteran MMORPG enthusiast, she knew full well that opportunities like this didn't come often. Lilu, Lilu — you can do this! She cheered herself on in her heart, and tightened her grip on the Tin Staff with a steeled resolve.
She absolutely would not bow her head to fate!