Nateaser: Reborn As My Love Interest

Nati - Ch. 81

I received my first quest.

Clear the dungeon and obtain its core crystal. As exciting as it sounded, it didn't seem something a level-one wizard could do. I couldn't even call myself a wizard, and I doubted if I could even qualify as a level one in the first place because there weren't levels or stats or anything in this world, to begin with.

"Are you sure you want to come with us, Nati?" Omerta asked, but I was adamant. I may or may not have blackmailed them a little.

"I definitely will, or I'm not lending you my crystal," I claimed, sitting at the large table in the mess hall. We spent less and less time here since the embassy finished, but it was as good a place as any to make our plans. "I know it's a dangerous mission, but you guys would run in head first and risk your lives for some kind of treasure. You will be much more careful if I'm there too, right? And that's a great opportunity for me."

"Well, yeah, but..." Gitaut scratched his head. He seemed the strongest magician here but was the least confident about the plans. "You are not ready for that, Nati."

I knew that already, which was the whole point. I started running more, but I was practically useless in a fight. In this world, that meant death. I had to do something about it.

Alexandra was gone for weeks and didn't return even after the battle. We could only rely on ourselves. With the threat of another attack always in the cards, I had to train myself and my body, not just in magic. The shell I got from the Goddess was in excellent shape. It only started to deteriorate since I took over, and I was ashamed. I needed to challenge myself.

"Gorgon and Avalon agreed to train any volunteers that wanted to fight," Ember noted, a new member of our little council. Once she realized what kind of artifact I had and that the shaman could give everyone a copy, given we provide a medium for them, she doubled down on her demand. Now, it was a given that we had to conquer that dungeon.

"Yes, we have to train you first." Omerta agreed. She seemed excited about this adventure, which was a great sign. Losing her brother took a toll on the witch, and she spent most of her days drinking earlier, but this gave her life a purpose again. "And I guess we will also have to ask permission from Charlotte."

"Ugh, I'm a bit worried about that," I noted, leaning over the table.

"I can provide you with the gear you might need." Gomel, the dwarven smith pitched in. But he also felt the need to add a warning. "I offered the same to Sir Dioneras, Fang, and Bastion, but they said a dungeon left alone for a decade is too dangerous to explore without a magic caster, and that poor goblin already paid with one of his eyes, just fighting the monsters outside of it."

"Well, Dio isn't a fighter to begin with." Omerta shrugged. The Elder curbed her ambitions, but I heard how she wanted to wrestle the leadership from his boss. "I'd love to see him with his new eyepatch though. I might have underestimated the old goblin. And if they said it would be dangerous without someone with magic, we have that covered. It should be easy for the three of us, right?"

"I think what they meant was that it was dangerous anyway but suicidal without a balanced party." The dwarf rephrased it. "I would not go in there without some serious protection against magic, considering how a simple fear aura made an entire army run."

"You are right. Your Nightmares did save our bacon out there, and there will be much worse than them in the dungeons." Ember shared her opinion. "None of us ever seen one before, and if someone like Fang said it's risky, we should probably take the safest approach."

"You were the last person I expected advice like that, but I also agree." Omerta nodded and proposed a long-term plan. "I suppose we can't just rush in there now. So many things are happening, and we must stay vigilant and keep everyone safe. All of us could benefit from some training, some people more than others, Nati. But it's fine, we have time. This dwarven gentleman will prepare some gear for us, and we should consider recruiting a few fighters."