The entrance of the dungeon was only big enough for a monster to pass at a time, so few humans could also pass through it at the same time. Although they could advance in a line and deal with the enemies while taking turns, Sauros didn't want his crewmen to participate in the battle against the guardian of the dungeon.
That wasn't a good idea… they would need all the help they could get, but Aion could understand Sauros' perspective. They didn't know the power of what they were going to face, and truth be told, the specialty of the crew members was monster hunting, but maritime battles.
"I guess that is fine, and it is better than having to worry about protecting too many people," Aion said.
"At least try to consider the other's feelings when you think about saying such a thing… they want to help, but Sauros said that they should stay behind and do their job, which wasn't to hunt monsters."
"I am not criticizing them, following the same logic, and I don't try to do their jobs as sailors," Aion explained. "I would only get in the way. People can be good and bad at numerous things, and if they wished to become good at hunting monsters, they wouldn't get the right experience in a boat."
"I think I am starting to understand you better… you say those harsh things already knowing what to say when someone complains about that," Seris said.
"You got that right," Aion said while smiling.
"... Let me check your armor for a moment," Seris said after a long sigh.
"What for? I kind of like this design, so I am not going to lend you again without a good reason," Aion said.
"I am just going to attack some runes on it to make it lighter and a bit more resistant for a short while," Seris explained. "We said that you shouldn't put out that kind of stunt again, but who knows if you will follow our words."
"I thought that runes could last forever. Are you being cheap or something?" Aion asked.
"Permanent runes are weaker, but they last forever, while the temporary ones are stronger, but they don't last," Seris said. "Besides, you can put other runes on the same items once the previous effect disappears. Do you want a permanent rune on your favorite armor?"
"No, the temporary ones will do… Can I watch you do that?" Aion asked.
"No," Seris replied and then left after Aion took out the armor.
As expected, they wanted to keep that technique hidden from Aion. He thought that they trusted him a fair bit since they were relying on him a lot, but that was only his misconception speaking.
"It has been so long since I had a real friend that it seems I am getting rusty with my social interaction," Aion thought. "We have some similarities, we belong to a rare group of people, and we have the respect or fear from most people… but I guess I was wrong. We are only here to make use of each other."
"Don't feel too bad about that," Sauros said. "She is only worried that you might make a mistake and hurt yourself if you try to copy her."
"Whatever you say, boss," Aion said and then went to the front of the ship to make his weapons absorb some materials.
While Aion was sulking in the corner, the group got ready, and eventually, Seris returned with Aion's armor. When he equipped it, he felt like it was even lighter than a regular t-shirt, and he didn't feel unprotected, either. Still, when he looked at his parameters, he noticed that his endurance and speed increased by thirty points.
"I will make good use of it," Aion said.
"I would rather believe that you wouldn't use the runes, don't trust them too much. We don't want to return to your home with a corpse," Seris said. "Listen, the dungeon guardians are usually a lot more powerful than regular monsters. Even the most ordinary ones need several parties of warriors to defeat them, and we are trying to pull it off with three… we need to be more careful than ever."
"I have read about them… but I never met one of them since I don't have time to check dungeons," Aion said.
"If you use your sword and shield and leave the attack to us, I Believe we will have a better chance of success," Sauros added. "If you use Inner Force, your defensive power will also increase."
"When did you learn anything about that technique?" Aion asked.
"Well, while not as much as ours, the Kresnik family has been around for a few centuries, and we know a thing or two about them," Sauros said. "Still, it is annoying that their fighting style changes so much, and they only pass down a single technique."
Annoying… it seemed that his people truly wanted to know almost everything about all kinds of things, including people and their fighting style, probably in case they have to deal with them. Throughout history, those with power were the ones who mostly tried to mess with time magic, after all.
Regardless, those three approached the dungeon after jumping into the ocean, and then they dove… the area was getting quite red with blood since Aion wasn't nearby to absorb the bodies, and they were increasing in number as well. Even now, the spawning rate hasn't decreased a bit.
Once they entered the underwater dungeon, they noticed that the interior of the place was a lot darker than expected, so seeing monsters coming was impossible… now they finally could put to good use those helmets and their light…
Although Aion was in the front, when the enemies appeared, Sauros and Seris were the ones who attacked them. Occasionally, a monster would be faster than the others, and Aion would block their charge with his shield. The same thing would happen when they found the path ahead, turning to the side.
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