As usual, the girls and I chatted about all sorts of things while making our way home from today's Dungeon raid. Eventually, we shifted from relaxing, ordinary topics to discussing the raid itself.
Claire: "You were a bit unlike you today, Miwen. Is there a reason? It's a little unlike you..."
She waited until we had stopped at a crossroad, knowing we'd have to wait for the traffic light.
I had already told Claire and Licia about the [Events], and they were both more than willing to help me with them, despite my system telling me our chances were so grim.
Even though I appreciated them for it, I didn't want to put them at more risk than necessary. Since the last time I got a level-up didn't change the difficulty slider for the [Events], I was in a rush today.
Miwen: "Well... the events are coming, and I kinda wanted to get to level 7 before they happen. I thought it would be good to speed things up a bit..."
Unfortunately, even though I had gotten another level-up today, the sliders remained in the same spot.
That left me with only a few options to prepare for the [Events].
Claire: "I understand that, but be careful. Licia and I are one thing, and you're not bad yourself; however, Sam and Roy don't level up as fast. If you rush too much, they might get hurt. Or worse..."
I couldn't argue against that.
Even though we were a powerful group for our current floor, Licia and Claire were definitely our highlights, and if it became too much for the rest of us, we could drag them down enough for the entire team to collapse.
Miwen: "I judged that we were doing alright, so I thought we could handle some more challenging battles at a deeper point inside the dungeon..."
Even though we pushed ourselves today, I was still calculating the risks.
I already knew how much one injured member could affect the party's performance, so even though there were better rewards the deeper into the floor we went, I stopped when they weren't worth the risks anymore.
Claire: "Just be careful."
Briefly glancing at Licia, she avoided my eyes.
Claire: "Sudden encounters inside a dungeon can be quite random at times; you might encounter a strong monster without even going that deep."
Licia remained silent, agreeing with her.
Claire: "And you never know when a battle may draw the attention of other enemies... It's better to pick easier fights so that even if you end up ambushed, you can fight back..."
Her advice was pretty much the same as what I'd read from veterans online.
Even the way she talked was quite caring compared to the advice she'd give me when we first met.
I already knew she was thoughtful, but as we grew closer, her awareness of herself and others surprised me even more.
Being cared for like this was a nice, rewarding feeling.
I could only reciprocate it.
Miwen: "I'll keep it in mind. Thanks."
I tried to ignore the smug look on Claire's face, or the giggling Licia beside her, who had clearly given her the same lecture.
After a few other topics came and went, we finally arrived home. I began preparing dinner while Claire enjoyed slouching on the couch.
It was a pretty standard return home, but this time, I let Licia try handling the oven and even some of the other "big girl" tasks in the kitchen that she wanted so much.
Just in case, I kept close to her side. While cutting vegetables and getting her what she needed from the tall cabinets, I'd watch her satisfied smile grow wider.
Today's meal was basically all on her.
Claire and I took our seats at the table as the smell of spices filled the room, leaving us eager to taste her cooking for the first time.
Miwen: "It's... pretty good! Congrats!"
She deviated very little from the recipe I showed her before, and I had watched her closely, but still...
I was surprised by how well she'd done for her first time in a modern kitchen.
Claire: "It might be even better than yours."
Even though I wasn't that fond of my own cooking, there was no way I would let her provoke me like that.
Miwen: "No way? I won't accept defeat by a beginner like this."
I called out how she reacted to my cooking the first time she tasted it, but she teased me back with my own reaction to Licia's.
Licia: "You two... Can't you be more sincere?"
She was the most dishonest, hiding the embarrassment of being praised so much behind that responsible attitude.
Even though Claire and I could tell, we didn't feel like saying anything after seeing her warm smile.
Begrudgingly, I had to admit that her warmth wasn't something I could replicate, and it added a flavor all of her own to the dish.
Perhaps because I had convinced Licia to do something simple for her first time, dinner passed in the blink of an eye.
With free time, I gave her some tips before we all rested on the couch, watching movies on the TV.
Surprisingly, Licia and Claire struggled a little to maneuver through the menus at first.
But Claire enjoyed the TV so much that she ended up learning how to use the controller reasonably well.
Soon after our second movie, it was about time to go to bed.
While the girls were taking a bath, I started doing my daily gacha rolls.
With almost no mana left in my reserves, I didn't try the [Mana Banners].
However, thanks to my level-up, I had 6 daily tickets I could use.
Thanks to them, I got [Movement Speed Up] to level 4.
I was quite happy with this result since it was one of my best skills, and it directly affected my Dungeon raiding ability.
However, I also got a level in [Enhanced Drop Chance], which was also quite welcome.
[Faster Tree Climbing] ended up showing its ugly face two times as well, instantly dethroning the [Movement Speed Up] that had just passed it as my most leveled skill.
Before going to bed, I claimed the [Kingdom Points] I could.
Out of the 18 I had, I spent 10 to get Licia's [ice Magic] and 3 to get Claire's [Mana Control].
Even though there weren't any skills I was particularly interested in sharing with the girls, since [Enhanced Drop Chance] got a level up, I spent 4 points sharing it with them.
This left me with 1 point remaining, but since this should help with our income, it was an investment.
I headed to bed thinking about how I could change the predicted difficulty of the [Events].
The girls didn't like to see me so restless. They stared at me with annoyed faces until they were sure I had fallen asleep.
Even though sharing the bed with them only made me feel more restless, I had grown attached to them and, before long, my eyes closed.