At first, Mirra had only felt grateful to Nim for saving her from the red slime.
Thanks to that incident, she had decided to travel with him.
Besides, Nim was strong and it would be safer for her.
Later on during the journey, Nim proved to be not only strong, but also a sincere person; even to the point of being a bit simple.
She could tell because she had met many people who had other motives when approaching her.
In the end, after the assassin incident, she had made a decision.
—First of all, my full name is Mirra Arnord —Mirra
Nim looked at Mirra contemplatively. Nim knew that the people who could have a last name were only two types: nobles or aristocrats.
Nim had already suspected that Mirra could be one of them, it wasn't hard to notice. Since Mirra used good-quality equipment, and also had that unknown storage item.
All those things shouldn't be cheap items, at least not for the current Nim.
—You must be surprised —Mirra expected Nim's surprise.
—Not really, your gear is very flashy
—What... but this is normal gear —Mirra looked at her gear.
Nim didn't want to continue with that topic, as they both had different points of view due to the environment they grew up in.
—So, are you a student from that Magic Academy?-
—Yes... —Mirra replied somewhat hesitantly.
—A few days ago, I saw several students entering along with their teachers.
At that moment, Nim had also noticed that the students wore clothing that looked like some kind of uniform. Mirra wasn't wearing that, and with that information, Nim made a guess.
Upon hearing that, Mirra was startled as if she had been caught.
—Did you... run away? —Nim was quickly interrupted by Mirra.
—Don't say that, don't make accusations based on assumptions.
Even though Mirra said that, she didn't sound very convincing.
—Then... —Nim continued.
—Alright, I didn't run away, I just came separately. Isn't it boring if you're constantly being protected by the adults? —Mirra was a very active girl, and that had made the teachers always keep a close eye on her.
Although the teachers sometimes scolded her, they weren't harsh, since her father was one of the most influential people in the country.
Nim nodded.
—Right, how can one be called an adventurer if they don't face risks —Mirra continued to voice all her complaints.
—Alright, by telling you all this it means I trust you, now it's your turn to talk about yourself —Mirra looked intently at Nim.
—About me? —Nim was caught off guard.
—Yes, about you, I want to know how you got that great strength. Maybe a great adventurer trained you from a young age or you're an elite from a powerful force on the continent —Upon mentioning the last part, Mirra got excited. Thanks to her father, she had broader knowledge of the continent.
Nim could barely keep up with the talkative Mirra.
In the end, Nim gave in and told her some things about himself.
About his village and how he trained with Mr. Smith.
—What, you're from outside the city! —Mirra was surprised to hear Nim's origin. Also, his strength was something he was born with.
She had never heard of someone being born with a special constitution, probably her father didn't know about that either.
To be honest, Mirra felt a bit disappointed.
Surprised by Nim's humble origins and disappointed that he wasn't from some great power.
Nim didn't seem to notice the change in Mirra's expression.
Since Nim didn't have much to say about himself, she began talking about the things she knew.
Like how the country Sinfrield couldn't be considered a great force on the continent; it was just a normal country like many others.
She also talked about her father, but when she mentioned his name Nim didn't show any surprise.
Mirra expected that, since Nim wasn't from the city and wouldn't know her father's status.
Mirra kept talking, and when she spoke about the dungeons scattered across different regions of the continent, Nim listened attentively.
Those dungeons varied depending on the region they were located in.
For example, the dungeons found in a desert zone would have monsters of the same attribute.
Or the dungeons in the northern part of the continent would have powerful Ice monsters.
Upon hearing this, Nim realized the continent was truly vast.
That made him almost unable to wait to visit each of those dungeons.
In the end, they talked a lot—or rather, Mirra talked a lot.
With their spirits high and now a bit closer, they resumed their journey.
—Ahh... I'm so thirsty after all that talking —Mirra pulled out a canteen and began to drink.
After taking a sip, she seemed to remember something.
—Oh right, I didn't explain about my storage belt —Mirra pointed to her waist.
This belt looked like a normal belt except for a strange red gem in the center.
—This belt, as the name suggests, is used to store things in a separate space. It's really convenient —Mirra happily touched her belt.
—Oh right, you can give me the backpack you're carrying, this belt has enough space —Mirra pointed at Nim's backpack.
Upon hearing that, Nim wasn't sure.
—There's no problem, your items won't be destroyed or anything. Also, adding more things won't make my belt heavier —Mirra believed Nim had never seen such an item, so she began to explain.
And it was true that Nim had never seen an item like that.
That belt seemed to be of better quality than those simple cubes he saw in the city's shops.
In the end, Nim agreed to give her his backpack, otherwise Mirra wouldn't stop talking until she convinced him.
—Let's go
Nim and Mirra approached the portal, and before entering, Mirra held Nim's arm. This was so the portal wouldn't separate them upon reaching the next floor.
....
Swoosh
Nim sliced a large bat in half with his sword.
Mirra, who was beside him, also cut down another bat.
—These monsters are getting a bit annoying —Mirra looked at the bat's corpse.
These monsters, although not strong, were very good at dodging.
It had taken her some effort to land her blows.
Lifting her gaze, she saw Nim cutting through the remaining bats with no difficulty.
Mirra was no longer surprised by Nim's strength. Rather, now that she knew someone more talented than her, it made her want to work harder to improve herself.
After finishing the battle, Nim and Mirra continued searching for the portal to the next floor.
—There should be a fork in the path this way —said Mirra, looking at the map.
Mirra and Nim had already been on the fourth floor for a while, this level was somewhat wider than the others. There were also some barrels and crates in corners, and when checked, they were empty.
That was a bit strange, but adventurers didn't think much of it.
Also, as usual, there were torches and some glowing stones on the walls that lit up the corridors.
—Alright, it's this way —Mirra kept talking while Nim followed her.
Along the way, Nim had realized that he had truly underestimated how hard it would be to find the portal to the next floor.
Because without a map, it would've taken him more than three days to reach the fifth floor.