Reincarnated in the game world ~ A gamer's beginning to [Dungeon job hunting recommendation]

Floor 1~10 in this <Cat-Dun> were filled with bipedal or walking on four cat-type cute yet strong monsters, with them appearing no more than one at a time.

The monsters that appear alone were more formidable and tough to handle compared to the monsters in groups---this had been an absolute point in the game. And even in reality, this remained unchanged, the eternal truth.

Bosses are prime examples. So, it's not that monsters appear solo because they were strong, they appear solo because they were powerful. Anyway, back to the topic.

In essence, the cat-type monsters in this dungeon were known for their strength, even among the intermediate-mid dungeons. In other dungeons, it's more common to encounter them in groups. This was the reason why I had chosen this dungeon.

By having members confront the strong monsters from the get-go, the battle after that would become easier.

The monsters in <Cat-Dun> had average HP but their high evasion rate to compensate for that fact made them a nuisance to handle. Hence the important part was to devise a plan to seal their dodge first. If that’s not enough, there was another seasoning to garnish---brute force would not take you nowhere. Int-mid was where the difficulty spike suddenly picks its speed.

So, it's best if they face the reality now then get overwhelmed later. And when it comes to that, what better way there was than to experience it firsthand?

Albeit, the journey was fraught with quite ups and downs. Like---Party members got done by the cat's cuteness in the way due to which we had to halt our advances. Ester couldn't bring herself to attack them with <Carriage>. Pamela failed to disarm a trap on a dead-end treasure chest and got caught in a cat trap (She had let out a really sharp scream).

There was also the case where Lulu equipped herself with <Cat's Fake Whisker>, <Cat Ears> and <Cat Tail>, which instantly made all the girls squeal, bringing a heartwarming scene (?) that caused the exploration to halt for a while. Then, there was also Hannah who was about to start the Sli-po Marathon, so I had to issue a ban.

In particular, the last incident was quite dangerous.

She only said 'I am going to set-up <Alchemy Set> in the <Thunder Javelin>' in high spirits and suddenly took out '10 <Alchemy Set>' along with the large quantity of 'Muddy Water'. Her actions were so smooth and natural that I only managed to stop her by paper breath margin. That was seriously dangerous.

"Halt! I forgot to mention it to you, Hannah, but sli-po marathons are banned in the dungeon."

"Huh? W-Why!?"

"Do you forget you will break the <(Guest) Bracelet> by attacking slimes?"

"N-No way!?"

That was how our conversation had played out, causing her to let out an agonizing shriek. But aside from these hiccups, our exploration progressed smoothly and soon, we had safely arrived at the 10th floor.

"It was quite challenging."

"I really want to complain, they look so cute yet their attacks are so strong."

"The problem was it was hard to land the attack."

Sierra sighed, Ester's shoulder slumped while Lana puffed out her cheeks. This was their reaction having fought all sorts of cats till the 10th floor.

Sierra was usually the top to wait for the opponent to show opening before making a move so she apparently wasn't that tired. Though the opponent this time boasts high agility, small and adept at continuous attacks, they still couldn't throw Sierra off balance as she continued to tackle them with <Shield Bash> calmly and knock them back, playing a vital role in her team.

However, small cat-type monsters proved difficult for both Ester and Lana. Ester had a hard time attacking them with her dual-handed spear. Lana also couldn't connect her long-range magic and had to switch to support and healer in the midway. This situation left Lana, who wanted to smash down her attacks, dissatisfied.

"This dungeon emphasizes how compatibility can make a significant difference. This is just the starting, and from here on, you will encounter a lot more dungeons like this. Some might be challenging, and others may limit your attack options. In such cases, you will need to find how you can help out the team."

"I understand that, but still...... Mmm~."

Lana seems to have understood the logic, but it still couldn't erase the feeling of wanting to hit things hard. I could understand where her frustration was coming from. The satisfying feeling when you struck the opponent with mighty spells was really addicting.

Well, for now, I would like her to work hard in support and healing.

Monsters here were more adept in evading long-range attack. And along with their agility, it also put two-handed front-liner weapons in disadvantage. They have a slightly lower accuracy rate. The recommended pattern to defeat them here was by using quick close-range attacks.

Evasion tanks especially were highly incompatible here. Even the defense-skill-based person like Rika experienced more damage than usual. So characters like Sierra with shield-type tanks had the better compatibility here.

Our expedition this time was half to teach the members about the know-how of Int-mid dungeons, that's why we are here with 10 members. But when it would be the time to re-challenge it, the obvious best options were Sierra, Lulu, Lana, Karua and I. Pamela and I can serve as substitutes for the party in most cases.

But difficult didn't mean impossible; it's the reality after all, not a game. Maybe individual skills might triumph over the disadvantage. On the side note, while we were battling, Hannah was busy gathering the materials around. The forest's edge between the woods and the road is a treasure trove of gathering points.

Hanna was ecstatic about it. According to the person herself, "Collecting materials while being watched by the kitty cats is so much fun!" Atlest, she was no longer having the expression as if she was watching the world ending, which was a relief.

As I contemplated these matters, we finally reached our destination, an open space. The trees seemed to be meticulously maintained, as if taken care of by a person, as they formed an oval-shaped space. At the end of the space was a black gate. It was the entrance to the 11th floor. Though, there was also the silhouette of a guardian-type boss to look after it.

'Hnn~, what's that? A cat?"

"It must be the boss monster, right? It's guarding the black gate."

"It's so big. —No wait, maybe it's just my perception which has gone haywire after confronting so many small-size opponents."

Lana, Ester and Sierra muttered their expression as their gazes landed on the silhouette. We were still far from the spot, but it was without a boss. Its stature was as Sierra said, too big.

Until now in this dungeon, we had only encountered monsters slightly larger than stray cats, so it probably contributed to that impression. That cat was around my size, so I guess I should be saying it was quite small compared to other bosses.

Its one eye shone with a fierce glint, while its left eye was sealed with cross-mark injury. It was also wearing what seemed to be the warrior clothes. Even in the game, I always thought that cat looked remarkably good in that attire. That's right, it resembles a samurai-cat.

"That is the field boss guarding the entrance to the 11th floor. It's name is <Meow warrior of the Samurai Cat>, or in short <Meowrrior>."

"Kuh, it looks so cool."

"Samurai Cat......"

Lana let out a groan while Rika's eyes sharpened hearing my explanation. As the tension run among the members, <Meowrrior> opened its mouth.

"Gnya."

"It is saying 'Well done to come so far-meow'."

"You don't need to translate, Karua."

I almost slipped hearing the meow suffix at the end of a warrior like tone.

I was getting more and more suspicious that Karua definitely knows their language. I hastily intervened to stop her from translating. That was so close. I mean, the deep tone of <Meowrrior> was almost turned into cute and fluffy by Karua. It had almost ruined the mysterious atmosphere.

For now, we stopped in our tracks. Moving forward would initiate combat. I raised my hand to signal the team members to stop.

"Alright. As we have decided. Team A will take the helm there, while Team B will stay behind."

"We remember. Do your best, Zephyr!"

"Sure thing. Make sure to properly watch our battle."

I raised my hand in response to Lana's encouragement.

We had a short meeting on how were we going to take down the boss of 10th floor; a single team or everyone together. In the end, we settled with a single team.

Of course, fighting the boss together would make the boss fight easier, but considering lower floors, facing it with a single team would be more advantageous. We did a lottery to decide on the said team, and Team A was chosen to face the boss. Consequently, Team B would remain behind and not participate in the battle.

"Let me remind you one more time. Once Team A starts the battle, Team B will not participate. If there's even a bit of support from the backup team, F-boss will fully recover its HP, not only will we lose the advantage, but the boss's stats will also receive a boost. Please stay out of the boss area and observe only."

"We know. We have already learned that intentionally sabotaging and causing F-boss to recover results in rule violation and we will be penalized for it!"

"Okay, as long as you remember, everything will be fine. Well then, here we go."

"Good luck!"

"Do your best, Zephyr-kun!"

With Lana and Hanna's cheers behind us, Team A commenced their field boss battle.