Chapter 70
After the meeting with Rose, the Bahamut familia returned to their new home.
A small celebration was held to commemorate their new abode, and they retired to their rooms at a late hour.
The next day promised new adventures as they would be venturing into the 5th floor of the dungeon.
Draco stayed up a bit later than the others to handle some necessary paperwork.
He needed to do some bookkeeping and review their finances, establish rules for the familia, and solve a few minor problems, one of which was, what to do with their four horses.
Keeping the horses was a challenge, as there was no one to care for them while the familia was exploring the dungeon.
Their new home also lacked the proper facilities to cater to the horses' needs, so they were currently being housed in the stables of the Nekomata Inn.
Draco had negotiated a generous deal with the innkeeper for the use of the stables, but it was not a permanent solution.
The next morning, Draco rose early, as was his habit.
He began his day with some light stretches and meditation, preparing his mind and body for the day ahead.
After a refreshing bath and a change of clothes, he ventured out to purchase ingredients for their breakfast and lunch.
Draco soon returned to home and donned an apron, ready to begin his culinary endeavors.
Breakfast was a hearty affair, consisting of bread, sausages, egg omelets, steamed vegetables, and sliced fruit.
For lunch, Draco opted for something quick and easy to eat – improvised shawarmas made with the leftover grilled meat skewers from the previous day, accompanied by cheese, vegetables, and homemade mayonnaise, all neatly sealed in containers.
As Draco was immersed in his cooking, the scent wafted through the air, catching the attention of the still-sleeping Clair.
Sluggishly, she rose from her bed and made her way to the kitchen, where she was greeted by Draco's warm voice.
"Morning, Clair," Draco called out, causing her to be bit startled. She was unaccustomed to their new living arrangement.
"Ah, morning, Draco," Clair replied, her gaze fixed on Draco's apron-clad figure.
"Hmm, is there something on my face, or do you see something you like?" Draco teased, noticing the prolonged stare.
Clair's face flushed bright red, and she quickly retreated back to her room, diving face-first into her soft bed.
‘Aaaaaah, why did I run? Just what am I doing?’ she wondered, sitting up before she began rummaging through her wardrobe to find suitable attire for the day.
‘I shouldn't be doing this, but I just couldn't resist the urge’ Draco thought, amused by Clair's reaction.
"Don't forget to wash up and wake Bahamut up. I'll be going to wake the others," Draco called out from the kitchen.
Clair responded with a muffled "Got it" as she headed to the bathroom, while Draco put on his cloak and exited the house, making his way to the neighboring houses where Michalis, Nikolaos, Vasileios, Eleni, Dimitra and Vasiliki were staying.
Draco stood before the door of the first house, searching his pocket for the keys to the door before opening it.
"Time to wake up, you three!" he called out, his voice laced with a hint of amusement.
Inside the house, Michalis grumbled and rolled over, burying his face in his pillow.
"Five more minutes," he mumbled, still half-asleep.
Nikolaos, on the other hand, was a light sleeper and immediately stirred at the sound of Draco's voice.
He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and called out.
"We're up, we're up! Give us a moment to get ready." he mumbled.
Vasileios, the heaviest sleeper of the trio, snored peacefully in his room, oblivious to the commotion around him.
Draco chuckled and decided to take a more direct approach.
He swung each door open and strode into their rooms, clapping his hands loudly.
"Rise and shine, you sleepyheads!" he exclaimed, his voice booming through the house.
Michalis groaned and reluctantly sat up, glaring at Draco with bleary eyes.
"Alright, alright, we're up. No need to be so loud," he grumbled, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
“Huh, did you just say something?” Draco asked Michalis, his gaze and tone threatening to smite him.
“Ah, me. Did I just say something?” Michalis asked, his expression puzzled.
“Why are you answering my question with a question?” Draco countered.
“I must have been sleep talking” Michalis replied, not meeting his gaze.
“I thought so” Draco muttered before moving on to Nikolaos room.
Upon entering Nikolaos room, Draco found him sitting on his bed staring into blank space.
“Why are you just sitting in the bed, go wash up” Draco yelled.
Nikolaos startled scrambled to his feet, giving Draco a sheepish smile.
"Sorry about that, Draco nii. Sleeping in an actual house just felt so comfortable." he said.
Swish !!
Draco swung the door to Vasileios room open. Vasileios, startled by the sudden commotion, bolted upright, his eyes wide with confusion.
"Wha- what's going on?" he stammered, his voice still thick with sleep.
Draco couldn't help but let out a sigh at the sight before him.
‘They didn’t need waking up before. Am I spoiling them’ Draco wondered.
"Come on, you three. Breakfast is ready, and we've got a big day ahead of us. Chop-chop, let's get moving!" he said, ushering the trio to hurry up.
As the three boys stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom, Draco made his way to the next house, where Eleni, Dimitra, and Vasiliki were staying.
He repeated the process, this time with a slightly more gentle approach, mindful that they were budding girls.
By the time everyone had gathered in Bahamut's house, the aroma of Draco's cooking had permeated the air, enticing their senses and awakening their appetites.
The familia gathered around the table, eager to start their day with a hearty meal and discuss their plans for the upcoming journey to the 5th floor of the dungeon.
……………………………………………………………….
Soon, breakfast was finished and everyone began donning their armor, performing last-minute maintenance on their weapons, and packing their lunches into their dungeon bags.
"You all be careful and return in one piece," Bahamut said, standing at the door to bid them farewell.
"We will," Draco replied.
With that, they bid the goddess farewell and set out for the dungeon.
It didn't take the familia long to reach the 4th floor, as they had been there every day for the past week.
"Remember, from this floor on, monsters aren't our only enemies. People are too," Draco warned one last time as they approached the entrance to the 5th floor.
As they crossed the threshold, the changes in the dungeon's structure became apparent.
The walls took on a light green hue, the winding corridors widened, some areas that were dark and hard to see. Additionally they could visibly see monster spawning.
The entrance to the 5th floor wasn't the ideal place to hunt, so Draco quickly led his group to look for an area where there were no other adventurers.
Reviewing the information that Rose had provided them with, killer ants were red ant-like monsters with four legs and two arms.
Their bodies were covered in a hard carapace, making them difficult for most newbies to damage directly.
Their weak point was their joints, especially between the head and body, another weakness was their soft underbelly, but even that sometimes wasn't enough to take them down completely, as their bodies remained alive for a little while even without their heads.
Killer ants had a special skill – when in distress, they could emit pheromones that attracted their companions.
This was a terrifying ability against newbies, but it was also an opportunity for those prepared.
Draco saw this as a chance to easily gather monsters to farm excelia and magic stones, as the ants would be drawn to the distress of other ants, making them easier targets.
With their skills, equipment, and potions, the group had no fear of being overwhelmed.
War shadows were not currently a problem, as they rarely spawned on the 5th floor.
These were dangerous, dark humanoid monsters with long arms and three extremely sharp claws.
Their thin, long hands and claws added a bit of range to their attacks, and inexperienced newbies often misjudged the range when encountering them.
Their dark skin also made them difficult to spot in the dark areas on the 5th, 6th, and 7th floors, where these ambushers thrived.
After walking around for a bit, Draco finally found the ideal location he was looking for.
It was a decently wide area with good visibility of the surrounding, making it difficult for both monsters and other adventurers to ambush them.
There were also some killer ants resting further down the room, on the left side of the walls, near one of the room exits.
He then made some preparations to maximize the use of the long range fighters, Dimitra and Vasiliki.
"Dimitra, let's begin," Draco said as the group gathered in the middle of the room.
Closing his eyes, Draco scanned the surrounding area once more to ensure that no unforeseen events occurred.
Without wasting any time, Dimitra knocked her bow and aimed at the ants.
"Remember, aim for the joint between the head and body," Draco reminded her.
"We need to take them down quickly, leaving only one alive before the next group arrives" he added.
Dimitra took a deep breath, steadied her aim, and let the arrow fly.
The sharp projectile found its mark, piercing the vulnerable joint and felling the first ant.
The sound of the dying ant's chittering alerted its companions, and they began to stir, their antennae twitching as they detected the disturbance.
"Get ready!" Draco called out, transforming his hands and taking his defensive position.
The remaining ants, sensing their comrade's distress, began to emit a high-pitched shriek, releasing the pheromones that would attract more of their kind.
Suddenly, the sound of scuttling echoed through the chamber, and the first group of killer ants emerged from the shadows, their beady eyes fixed on the intruders.
"Here they come!" Draco shouted, his voice cutting through the deafening chittering.