Achievement Unlocked: Dungeoneer and the Fall

About three weeks had passed since we came to this world. Beru told me he could feel a crack forming in the dimensional walls, telling me Dad was close to breaking into this dimension. I'm guessing this god guy is trying to fight his entry, as Dad's control over gates and rifts aren't really something to joke about.

Today is finally the day that the group will be heading into the dungeon. We don't plan to go in too far, as Meld thinks floor 25 would be around the limit of the class. During this time, I've gained significant control over my Monarch abilities and trained shadow magic, which enhanced my archery, stealth, and swords. I also got better at using short swords and created my own unique style with Beru's help. As a result, meld could do absolutely nothing against me during my last spar. I also worked with Hajime to make a pair of shortswords that would connect with a shadow magic chain at the bevel. I also worked with Beru to design a weapon that would be my main weapon in the future.

The design is pretty much a great sword that transforms into an arm-mounted rail cannon that shoots bolts of darkness. (A/N: When I reveal the weapon, I'll have a picture ready then.) Beru is scarily smart. The fact that he knows how to make rail tech is scary. The US government back home was only in the testing stages, and the amount of power made only one actually work on each NUCLEAR-powered vessel, let alone one that can fit on my hand.

Anyways, the class is standing in front of the Labyrinth, geared up. I'm kind of annoyed that some of our non-combatants came. Specifically Nagumo. If he leveled up his skills, he has the most potential and could even create weapons on par with my Dad's swords. He could even become a combat-type if he learned some way to use his skills on offense. I was wearing an outfit designed like one I saw my Mom wearing in a picture back home. Before leaving for this dimension, she said it was her armor from her days as a Hunter in their Home Dimension. However, the primary difference was that instead of red, I used a dark purplish-blue that was similar to the colors of the Shadow Monarch's aura. I also changed the gauntlets a little and made them out of the wings of some of the angels. They were tougher than some of the metals I had access to. I ask Nagumo to synthesize them and had them made with claw-like features. I had Beru train me in hand-to-hand with claw attacks to use them effectively. Then, I merged that with my fighting style.

Currently, the style has CQC, short sword, dual short sword, greatsword, archery, chain weaponry like interconnected swords, and claw weaponry.

"All right, everybody." I heard Meld say, forcing me out of my thoughts. "Here's the plan. We'll be diving in to get all of you leveled a bit. We won't be coming back up until our combatants are level 25, at least. As Summoned Heroes, you have an EXP buff, so we should hit that by Floor 25. Here's the formation. In the vanguard will be Andrea, Amanogawa, Sakagami, Hiyama, and myself. Mid-guard will have all of the magic casters and Endou, and our healers will be situated at the front and back. Shirasaki shall be one of the forward healers. Finally, Yaegashi and a few other close combatants will take the rear. Remember, attacks can come from in front of and behind us at any point in time so stay vigilant. There have also been reports of traps and magic teleportation circles, so keep an eye out for those as well. Any objections?" Nobody spoke, and Beru even told me through our link that it was a good formation. At worse, I can fill it in with the angels that have slowly expanded. I used to have about 25, and now I have almost 40. Beru went nuts, but they keep spying on the group. I even got 4 demons that tried to assassinate Kouki and Kaori.

"Good, now let's get going!" And thus, the Hero's Party fought. (A/N: If anybody gets the reference quote, I will like your comment. Not even sure I got it right... tehe) The heroes entered the labyrinth and were met immediately with a staircase that leads them into the underground caves. For twenty floors, they fought, mainly Kouki since he was one of the more powerful. I stayed off to the side, at the ready just in case. Hiyama showed off on occasion, acting like he was a badass for killing a weakling.

Every monster we killed, I tried to raise. Most didn't work, and Beru actually determined why. They apparently don't have a soul shade to utilize. They are all copies of a soul, completely incomplete. There isn't enough of a soul to rise. After about 7 floors of attempts, I gave up and focused on my own shadow legion and constantly putting any excess magic into it to make them stronger. Most of them had reached level 23 at least. Meld thought that we should turn around once we hit 25, whether everybody hit the target or not.

While searching Floor 20, we got attacked by a horde, not exactly fun, but I let a few weaker ones through to the middle so that some of them could also level. Most appreciated the thought and utilized it. One person, however, was disgruntled as I was only letting the really weak ones through. This person was Nagumo, who, at some point, developed a fucking hero complex. "Nagumo, stop trying to move forward. You aren't a combat class. You may have a sword, but that's only to let you fight a little. Your skills aren't combat-oriented!" I scolded him like that for ten minutes while Kaori tried to hold me back. I know she liked the guy, but I was a little exhausted from seeing him being suicidal like this.

"If I leveled up a little, maybe I could gain some combat experience instead of feeding on dregs!" He yelled back, apparently done listening to me scold him for the 4th time. "Sigh~ Fine, I'm done babysitting you, Nagumo. If you want to sit around at the front and try to fight, go ahead. Kouki!" I yelled, getting his attention. "Babysit this dumbass, will you? I'm done doing it."

"You know, you shouldn't curse, Andrea."

"You know I'm American, right Kouki?" I ask with a lifted eyebrow. He coughs a bit in response but walks back over anyways to babysit the suicider. I mean, really. Why does he seem to have a death wish? He has no talent in sword-fighting and barely any in CQC. He should've learned how to use a bow if he wants to, but apparently, he was something beyond an Otaku. It developed him a Hero complex, thinking he was the main character with some super OP underappreciated class.

It might have been true if he was smart enough to learn it; instead of focusing on learning combat, he simply cannot learn. After walking for a while, the thing I expected to happen happens. The dipshit got smacked back and disarmed. Just before he was about to get disemboweled, Kouki sent an attack over that slashed through the monster and a portion of the wall. We were all shocked that it revealed a freaking crystal.

Hiyama began to do his thing, being egocentric about everything and walking towards the crystal. My guess was because Kaori was admiring it. "That's a Glanz crystal. Commonly used in jewelry, especially engagement rings," Meld said. I noticed Hiyama picked up his pace and couldn't help but sigh. 'That was a completely hopeless battle. I know, I tried to get her off the useless kid, but she literally became an Otaku for him. It actually shocked me when I found that out.

Suddenly, Glory and Beru jumped out and started to rush toward the crystal as Hiyama was about to touch it. "NOOOOO!!!" They screamed. But, the opposite happened as Hiyama literally slipped onto the crystal, revealing a blinding light.

When the light died down, we stood on a stone bridge above a deep and seemingly endless ravine. "Is everyone okay?" Kouki asked the group. We all nodded, and Meld did a headcount. While this occurred, Beru suddenly jolted and looked at the other side of the bridge. I followed his gaze and saw a runic circle appear, releasing a dark mist that began to spawn skeleton warriors.

(A/N: I'm not writing this scene, it's simply too exhausting. Simply put, the only change was that Beru joined the fight, and, Hiyama being him, he lobbed the magic at the Hero complex Nagumo and collapsed the bridge. Andrea couldn't release an angel, as she no longer having a shadow, and the two fell into the abyss. And, as always, nobody knows who cast the spell except Andrea and Nagumo. Nagumo happened to see the smirk on Hiyama's face, and Andrea just wasn't an absolute moron)