An Adventurer Mom, Who Awakened [Housewife] Skill Through a Login Bonus, Is Making the Most of Her Adventurer Life With the Weekly Flyers She Gets! - Chapter 9

When Kachua finished her porter duties and returned the gear at the reception desk, she asked the receptionist, “Um, could you set me up with a party?”

“Of course, no problem.”

Party matching is a system where solo or duo adventurers are temporarily grouped together by the guild to form a party.

Kachua wanted to get a bit stronger. She decided to aim for a promotion to E-rank.

You never know what could happen inside a dungeon. That’s why adventurers are encouraged to form temporary parties using the matching system. Since the guild ensures the team is well-balanced with adventurers of similar levels, it’s a popular choice.

To move up from F-rank to E-rank, adventurers must meet certain conditions. There are various ways to achieve this, but the safest and most recommended method is to spend 50 hours inside a dungeon with a party formed through matching.

“Alright, your match is complete. Does this party work for you?”

The receptionist handed her a sheet listing the members’ names and classes. Kachua had no idea if the match was good or bad, but she nodded anyway.

“Then the party is set. Your team name is ‘Adventurers’ Guild F-Rank Gamma Team.’ We will set the date and meeting location for your first dungeon exploration. Please come to the Guild tomorrow morning.”

***

The next morning, Kachua, equipped with a ladle and a pot lid, headed to the designated location. Three others were already waiting.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Kachua greeted them as she approached.

All except one looked disappointed.

“Oh great, an old lady,” the girl muttered under her breath. 

She looked to be around seventeen or eighteen, standing next to a boy about the same age. They both gave Kachua a polite but uninterested nod, much like when someone unwelcome shows up at a group date. The third person was a man, wrapped head to toe in bandages. His features and age were entirely hidden, though he was short and skinny for a man. It was hard to tell if he, too, was disappointed in Kachua since his face was obscured.

An awkward atmosphere hung over the group, but then suddenly—

“Sorry I’m late!” A large woman came running toward them with heavy footsteps.

Two more teens, a boy and a girl, joined them, and they all began greeting each other.

“I’m Lucy, a mage,” the first girl introduced herself.

“I’m Saza, a swordsman,” the boy beside her added.

“I’m Rick, and this is Laura. She’s a healer, and I’m a thief,” said one of the latecomers. The girl beside him silently bowed.

They all appeared to be in their mid-teens. It’s common to start adventuring at that age, so someone like Kachua, who was older, was a rarity.

A healer is a mage who specializes in recovery magic. While they can use other spells, their mana is limited, and it’s dangerous if they can’t heal the group in case of injury. Thus, healers typically focus solely on recovery, only using a few support spells.

“N-nice to meet you, I’m Kachua. I’m a porter,” Kachua introduced herself next.

The large woman, who appeared even bigger due to the cloak she was wearing, followed. She looked to be a bit older than Kachua. “I’m Ann, a spearwoman,” she said, holding an old spear in her hand.

Finally, the bandaged man introduced himself, “…I’m Org. I don’t want to say what my class is,” he said in a muffled, surprisingly young-sounding voice.

***

After the introductions, the impromptu party entered the dungeon.

They split into front and rear lines. Saza the swordsman, Rick the thief (for some reason), and Ann the spearwoman took the front, while Kachua, Lucy, and Laura stayed in the middle, with Org bringing up the rear.

As they entered the dungeon, Lucy muttered under her breath, loud enough for only Kachua to hear, “This team sucks. A porter’s useless.”

In a dungeon, experience points are shared equally among the team, so the more members, the smaller each person’s share. The same goes for loot and money, though shares are determined by contribution, so fewer members mean more for each person.

In the dungeon, Saza shone in battle.

“Wow, Saza, you’re amazing!” Lucy praised him. 

Saza grinned with pride. “Yeah, this is nothing,” he boasted.

Lucy gave a sarcastic glance at the rest of the group. “He’s been doing all the fighting by himself,” she pointed out.

Kachua privately wondered, Is that really true?

Saza was indeed working hard, but Ann had been subtly steering enemies toward Saza, making his job easier. Kachua had seen higher-ranking adventurers in action. Without realizing it, her eyes had become sharper at noticing these things.

Regardless, thanks to Saza’s efforts, the party made swift progress, reaching the third floor after starting on the first. For a beginner party, this was quite fast.

Kachua felt she wasn’t contributing much, but in truth, she was pulling her weight.

“This way’s straight ahead.”

“Turn right at that corner.”

“Next, left.”

“This spot’s famous for gathering items. Let’s stop by.”

“Watch out, there’s a trap over there!”

Kachua skillfully guided the group.

As a porter, she’d been equipped with her usual porter gear, including a large backpack that allowed them to gather and carry dropped items efficiently.

Experienced adventurers often owned their own magic bags, but beginner parties typically didn’t. So having a porter to carry loot was crucial to maximizing their haul and income for the day.

Though it may seem unremarkable, having a porter significantly stabilized the party’s earnings.

***

Just before they reached the fourth floor, Kachua glanced at her watch. They had been in the dungeon for five hours.

“Let’s head back for today,” she suggested.

Lucy pouted. “What? We’re just getting started. Isn’t there a staircase up ahead?”

“Yeah, let’s keep going,” Saza chimed in.

Saza, engrossed in battle, hadn’t noticed how many times he was getting hit. Ann was finishing off enemies that got past him, and Org had been expertly protecting the rear, keeping Kachua and the others safe. Laura, the healer, was growing paler as she healed Saza’s injuries. She’d likely overused her mana, a common issue for apprentice healers.

“I’m hungry. Let’s call it a day,” Ann said in a laid-back voice, encouraging the group to retreat.

Laura nodded weakly, and Org agreed with Kachua. “I think we should stop too.”

Though Rick seemed eager to keep going, he was concerned about Laura’s condition, so he agreed as well. “…Yeah, it’s probably best.”

With the majority in favor, they decided to retreat. Using a teleportation scroll, they returned to the first floor.

Teleportation scrolls are expensive when purchased from a shop, but the Adventurers’ Guild provides them as a perk for parties formed through matching.

Saza and Lucy reluctantly agreed to stop but were clearly not satisfied. “We were so close to the fourth floor,” they grumbled.

“Sorry, could you give me five minutes?” Kachua asked before they left the dungeon. She wanted to pray at the usual goddess statue.

I’ll be quick, she thought, heading toward the statue when Ann followed her.

“What’re you doing?” Ann asked.

“There’s a goddess statue ahead. I like to pray before I leave,” Kachua explained.

“That’s nice. I’ll join you,” Ann said, and the two prayed together.

Glancing to her side, Kachua noticed Org had also joined them in prayer.

***

Once out of the dungeon, the adventurers first divided the loot and money based on contribution.

Saza, who defeated the most enemies, received a bonus, followed by Ann and then Laura.

Kachua’s share was the smallest, but it was still seven times her usual daily earnings, a significant sum. For an F-rank party’s first time reaching the third floor, it was quite an achievement, as most would retreat before reaching even the second floor.

They had also gathered a lot of items, drawing attention as they cashed them in at the tool shop.

“Not bad for your first try,” said one onlooker.

“Want to join our party?”

Saza, in particular, was approached by another party and even given their contact details. He seemed pleased with the attention.

Just before they disbanded, Lucy spoke up. “How about we meet at the same time tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? I don’t think I can…” Kachua, twenty-seven years old, wasn’t young enough to tackle dungeons every day.

Ann, likely even older, also agreed. “When you’re older, you can’t go every day. How about the day after tomorrow?”

But Lucy was adamant. “The day after tomorrow? That’s way too late! It’s embarrassing to still be F-rank. I want to reach E-rank as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, we’re aiming to conquer Loa Dungeon. We can’t waste time here,” Saza added.

Rick seemed to agree. “We’re fine with that.”

Laura nodded in support. “If Rick says so.”

“Then it’s settled! Same time tomorrow,” Lucy forcefully concluded.

“Wait, are you really going without us? If it’s just the four of you, then I’ll…” Kachua hurriedly tried to interject, but Lucy cut her off coldly.

“It’s fine. If an old lady like you comes along, our shares will get smaller. Tomorrow’s just for us.”

“Let’s plan it out!” Saza urged Rick and the others as they headed off.

“…Will they be alright?”

“They’ll be fine. It’s just the lower floors; no one’s going to die,” Ann replied casually, then turned to Org, who, though young, had stayed behind. “Aren’t you going?”

“No.”

“Then we’ll meet at the same time the day after tomorrow.”

Ann’s comment brought the meeting to an end.