Gerhart and Hope continued diving into the dungeon over the week, reaching the 9th floor by Friday, earning about 340 Silver Coins and 230 Energy Points + items. Like slimes, goblins also dropped items. However, they dropped junk items such as rusty swords and clubs(He didn't bother picking them up due to weighing too much) or an alchemical ingredient used in virility potions, their dried orbs. (Gerhart put them in a wooden jar he brought). Although he found it disgusting, they were worth a bit of coin. He also found a chest with a minor healing potion, but he sold it at the guild.

After absorbing enough stones, Gerhart also noticed a pattern. Ten 1st-floor stones gave 11 points. Ten 5th-floor stones gave 16 points. Ten 8th-floor stones gave 22 points. The energy gained from stones was 10% more than the previous floor. And this wasn't additive, but multiplicative.

Hope also calculated the amount of energy he gained from 200 30th-floor stones. It was close to 3,500. Gerhart had to thank the stars he could get that amount.

Either way, the 6th to 9th floors didn't differ in opponents. They were all still goblin minions, but their equipment somewhat improved. What did change, however, was the traps.

From the 6th to 9th floors, there were increasingly more traps around. There were darts, toxic fumes, spiked floors, pitfalls, skewering lances from the walls, a fucking flamethrower, etc. Anything that could make your average explorer hate the dungeon's guts.

Luckily, the dungeon made the traps obvious enough. Unless you were a drunk idiot, reckless fool, blind, or a desperate and tired explorer running from something, you could easily bypass these traps. There was also another gimmick to these traps. An explorer could use them to kill monsters or other explorers. Nothing was more effortless than kicking an unsuspecting explorer into a spiked trap before taking their belongings.

Yes, the dungeon is malevolent. It enjoys nothing more than making greedy explorers go at each other's throats. The dungeon cares not whence the blood flows, only that it flows. Some even conjecture that over half of the fatalities in the dungeon are not from monsters but from other explorers, with the rest attributed to recklessness. Most explorers were not immoral, but it was enough for a small portion to commit evil for quick and effortless profits. After all, the most lucrative creature in the dungeon was other explorers.

Thanks to Gerhart's experience as Deadmeat and Hope's instincts and intuition, bypassing these traps was a child's play. They even used them to kill a few. They also met a few explorers on their dives, but luckily, Gerhart didn't need to kill others again. Although he benefits from absorbing such greedy fools, it wasn't enjoyable.

However, Gerhart didn't only explore the dungeon. Hope also taught him reading and writing. During those days at the inn, Gerhart wasn't lazy and had Hope continue teaching him. By now, he could read and write simple sentences, which made him literate. It was still far from reaching the level of a scholar, but it was enough for day-to-day use.

Out of the energy Gerhart accumulated, he saved 100 while giving the other 187 points to Hope, making her grow much more powerful. And with that increased power, he planned on tackling the tenth-floor boss.

.

.

.

On Saturday.

After teleporting to the 6th floor, Gerhart and Hope killed their way to the 10th-floor boss room. Once there, they saw the doors were wide open, an open chest inside.

"Ah... The boss was cleared, hah?" Gerhart pursed his lips.

After a boss is defeated, the doors remain open before closing again when the boss is ready to respawn.

"Let's mark the 11th-floor obelisk, then," Hope said.

One didn't need to clear the boss to reach the following floor and activate the obelisk to allow a teleportation shortcut. Of course, one still needed to pass through the boss or use a teleportation stone to return.

"Okay, let's get this over with and return. We can then take the promotion examination." Gerhart said.

The two started walking through the boss's room, intent on reaching the other side. But when they were about to leave, the doors suddenly closed shut.

"Hah?! What's going on?!" Hope exclaimed.

"Ah... We entered right when the cooldown finished." Gerhart immediately realized and smiled. "We are lucky. We get to fight the boss."

"Nice!" Hope also smiled and looked toward the center of the room.

In the middle of the arena-like boss room, five figures emerged. Four were similar to the mid-boss, two being warriors and another two being archers, all properly equipped. As for the boss, it was a cloaked magician wielding a bone staff.

"A shaman, hah?" Gerhart muttered and turned to Hope. "Try evading the projectiles. I will attack the magician."

"Okay." Hope agreed.

With that, Gerhart dashed forward, shield in front. Hope ran from behind him.

"Guga!" One of the warriors charged forward to intercept Gerhart while the other remained behind to defend.

However, its fate was similar to the mid-boss.

Bam* Thud*

"Gugya?!" The poor warrior exclaimed in shock and rolled backward.

"Gagi!" The shaman immediately recognized Gerhart as the biggest threat and ordered the archers to focus on him.

Woosh* Woosh* Thud* Clank*

Two arrows drew an arc at Gerhart. One hit his shield, while another got deflected. However, Gerhart didn't care and kept charging forward. Meanwhile, Hope finished off the fallen warrior.

"Gagi, Bugi, GUGA!" The shaman roared, fire coalescing above his staff.

"A fireball!" Gerhart widened his eyes, not daring to take that on.

Although he would likely survive the hit, it would hurt. And it would also damage his precious equipment. If he had Aura, he could wrap himself in it to reduce or even repel the fireball, but he didn't. And he had no magician on the team. Because of that, there were only two possible courses of action. One, distract or kill the shaman before it launches it, or two—

"Fucking dodge!" Gerhart mentally screamed and did a combat roll to the right.

Fwoosh*

The fireball passed right where he was earlier, and he felt the heat.

"Luckily, I did combat rolls all my life as Deadmeat..." Gerhart mentally sighed in relief.

"Guga!" The remaining warrior charged at Gerhart, thinking it was an opportunity.

"Fuck off!" Gerhart swung his shield, almost comedically sending the other warrior flying before blocking another two arrows.

"I should get another party member..." Gerhart thought and dashed at the two archers and the shaman.

"Bagi, Gugi—" The shaman began chanting again.

"Die!" Gerhart shouted, throwing his Emerald Flame Sword at the shaman.

Woo* Woo* Woo* Thud*

"Gyao!"

The sword spun before the hilt amazingly hit the shaman on the forehead, making it collapse.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Everyone in the room, including Gerhart, the archers, the other warrior, and Hope, stared at the unconscious shaman.

"Well... this is embarrassing..." Gerhart thought.

"Nice throw?" Hope said with a weird expression.

"Please don't comment on it..." Gerhart mentally cried.

However, the pause was brief, and the surviving goblins resumed attacking. However, Gerhart didn't need his sword to kill the archers. He essentially closed the distance before bashing them to death.

Meanwhile, Hope finished off the other warrior.

When they finished, only the shaman was left.

"Hope, do you feel anything?" Gerhart asked. Of course, he was referring to another ambush.

"No. I don't feel anything." Hope shook her head.

"I see." Gerhart nodded, picking up his sword before executing the shaman.

The next moment, the corpses turned into 15 stones. The archers gave two stones, the warriors gave three, and the shaman gave 5. And that wasn't all. Two teleportation stones dropped from the warriors, and the boss also dropped an additional item. It was a bone staff.

"Oh! A staff! It should sell for a good amount of money, right?" Hope asked.

"It depends on the quality, but yes. We can expect a good 100 Silver Coins." Gerhart replied and took it.

He then opened the chest, revealing two books.

"Is that a skill book?! And two?!" Hope exclaimed.

"Nope," Gerhart replied, picking up the books. "It is a house magic instruction manual and a meditation instruction manual."

Sometimes, the dungeon provided instruction manuals. Some say it was the origin of skills, while others say the dungeon compiled it from deceased explorers. Skill Books provided instant gains, while instruction manuals required effort and dedication. However, no one doubted the authenticity of these books. They were legitimate.

"That is also good! Those books are expensive, so you can read them before selling them. You wanted to learn magic anyway, right?" Hope asked.

"I do," Gerhart replied, putting the books in his bag.

After putting away everything and absorbing some stones, the duo went to the 11th floor, activating the obelisk to register them, and then used the teleportation stones to leave the dungeon.

.

.

.

At the Checkpoint, a tired-looking man looked through the stones before looking up at Gerhart.

"So you defeated the 10th-floor boss, hah?" He asked while taking the staff.

"Yep," Gerhart replied.

"Okay, I registered that. You two are eligible for promotion." The man said before taking a hard look at Gerhart. "I still remember you from two and a half weeks ago... You sure changed. In more than one way." The clerk said.

In his eyes, Gerhart wasn't only physically different but also in how he carried himself.

"I suppose." Gerhart nodded, acknowledging that.

"I finished adding the money to your account. Also, the Guild Master requested you go to her office." The clerk said.

"Guild Master Skyler? What does she want?" Gerhart curiously asked.

"Dunno. Ask her herself." The clerk shook his head.

"Ah, okay. Thanks, Franklin." Gerhart replied and left the Checkpoint with Hope.

He and Hope then climbed the stairs before knocking on Skyler's office.

"Come in," Skyler said from the other side.

"Excuse me, then," Gerhart said and turned to Hope. "Stay here."

"Yes, master," Hope replied.

Entering the room, Gerhart noticed Guild Master Skyler and an unexpected guest sitting on a couch while drinking tea.

"What is Abiah doing here?!" Gerhart exclaimed in his mind.

"Hello, Gerhart. You sure grew like a sprout while I wasn't looking." Abiah commented. "You look steadier, too."

"Hello, Abiah. Hello, Guild Master Skyler." Gerhart lowered his head, showing his respect.

"If you call Abiah by his name, you can call me Skyler." Guild Master Skyler said, raising her artificial hand.

"Yes, Skyler..." Gerhart said. "Then, why did you summon me?"

"First, please sit. It would be a lot to take in." Skyler said, gesturing at the available seat in front of Abiah.

"That doesn't sound good..." Gerhart warily thought as he sat opposite Abiah.

"Erm... So, what is it?" Gerhart asked.

"First, how is your dungeon diving going?" Skyler asked, not answering the question.

"Good. I conquered the tenth-floor boss today." Gerhart replied.

"Not bad." Skyler nodded. "I also heard you bought a house and a slave. Are you treating your slave fine?" Skyler asked.

"Yes, almost like family." Gerhart earnestly replied.

"I see. To whom does your loyalty belong?" Skyler asked. "Is it to the gods? The crown? The nobles? The guilds? Your orphanage? Your friends? Or yourself?"

"I suppose all of them... Except the nobles. Fuck them." Gerhart said, not understanding why she questioned him.

"If an enemy country offered you money and influence in exchange for betraying your kingdom, what would you do?" Skyler asked.

"Without a doubt, I would reject them. I want to retain my freedom and good conscience. What is the point of money and influence if I can't live with myself?" Gerhart said without hesitation.

By now, if Gerhart didn't understand what was going on, he would be a fool. Skyler was questioning his loyalty. And she, as a living lie detector, could tell if he was lying. In front of her, he didn't dare lie, nor did he need to. Sure, there are bad apples in the guilds, but are there not everywhere? At least they protected him when he needed it.

"... Hah. You pass." Skyler sighed and said.

"I told you," Abiah grinned.

"So... What's going on?" Gerhart asked.

"Okay, listen up, lad." Abiah's expression turned serious. "You are in grave danger. Rumors travel quickly, and speculations about you being a late bloomer are rising. It is only a matter of time before enemy spies investigate you. Once they fail to recruit you, they will kill you. Or even skip the recruiting part and just kill you. Even more so since you are only half-awakened."

"Is it that dangerous?!" Gerhart exclaimed in shock.

"If you knew your enemy is forging a weapon to kill you, wouldn't you want to thwart its creation?" Abiah asked back.

"True." Gerhart nodded in acknowledgment.

"That is why we are sending you to an area where they won't find you," Abiah said.

"Wait, this is too sudden!" Gerhart exclaimed. "I barely bought myself a house and was getting used to my new life..."

"We hate to do this too, Gerhart, but sometimes, things are not in our control," Skyler said, showing her artificial hand. "See this? It is from an assassination attempt on my life while I was still young and weak."

"So what am I supposed to do? Just hide somewhere? Will it stop my adventuring career?" Gerhart asked with pursed lips.

"Stop it? It is the opposite, lad. We are sending you on a special training request." Abiah grinned.

"A what?" Gerhart's mouth gapped.