Reincarnated With A Glitched System: Why Is My MP Not Running Out?

Chapter 1953: Getting Ready

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We had breakfast with my family and friends. Everyone was already seated at the table, so we hurried to join them. My mother’s breakfast was something I had missed for years, and finally having her here filled me with genuine happiness and relief. She was also an exceptional leader; she swiftly resolved several issues and inspired everyone to unite against the spreading curse infection. Moreover, she delivered a far better motivational speech to Ruby than I ever could, lifting her spirits with just a few well-chosen words.

I suppose she truly is the heart of the Hero Party, even though many claim my father leads it. Usually the Hero of Fire is assigned leadership—unless a Hero of Light is present—but my mother, the Saintess, feels like the real guiding force. Her vast life experience, intelligence, strength, wisdom, and deep knowledge of countless subjects make her stand out.

In short, my mother is incredible.

And her pancakes were the best! So fluffy, with perfectly balanced whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and everything else just right. My father always tried his hardest to make them, but they sometimes came out slightly burned or less sweet than hers. I always ate his cooking without complaint and never criticized his effort, yet my mother’s cooking existed on another level entirely.

”Alright, looks like everyone’s here,” my father said. ”Faylen, I believe we should quickly assign teams so we can address the problem right away. I suggest we split into small groups—send the kids to the lower-level dungeons while we handle the higher ones.”

”I agree,” Shade nodded. ”That way we cover everything efficiently, and the younger ones won’t face excessive danger.”

”Kids?! Dad, we’re all adults here!” Aquarina protested.

”Yeah, we’re not kids anymore...” I added, nodding. ”I mean, I suppose Celica and my brother aren’t quite adults like the rest of us yet, but they’re getting there, right?”

”I consider myself an adult...” Celica said.

”M-Me too!” Zephyrus nodded, caught off guard.

”Ah, well, yeah!” I agreed.

”Hmm, I think they’re just being considerate, Aquarina, Sylphy,” Mist said. ”You shouldn’t get mad about it—they’re worried about us. They always have been. And it makes sense. Didn’t you hear yesterday? The curse-infected monsters can jump up to three whole tiers above their normal rank. That means even weaklings we’d normally crush—like Tier 4s—become Tier 7s! And since low-tier monsters are far more numerous, picture a swarm of thousands of Tier 7s... yeah, exactly. It’s not easy.”

”I could probably handle them easily...” Aquarina muttered.

”Me too, but I agree with Mist,” I said. ”Think about it, Aquarina... High-tier dungeons normally contain Tier 8 monsters...”

”Huh?!” Aquarina gasped. ”No way the curse just makes them... Tier 11?! Is that even a tier? I thought Tier 10 was the limit...”

”There is no true upper limit to how strong a monster—or even a person—can become,” my mother explained. ”Tiers are merely a measurement to give most people a goal. Even Tier 10 monsters are extraordinarily rare. That’s why this mission is so dangerous. Only the power of an Evil God, which transcends tiers entirely, could grant ordinary monsters such overwhelming strength.”

”Hm,” Shade nodded. ”This is precisely why you should start with the lower-ranked dungeons; they will still be challenging because of the curse.”

”And if you clear them in time, you can prove yourselves and join your parents!” Nepheline added, crossing her massive, burly arms. ”How about that?! Do you kids like challenges? There you go. I’ll even add a time limit. Clear all the dungeons we assign you within a week. If you succeed, we’ll let you join us—and we’ll give you rewards.”

”Hey, that doesn’t sound bad,” my father said. ”But one week? Isn’t that too short? There are a total of... nine lower-level dungeons. Can they clear more than one a day?”

”Two weeks is reasonable,” my mother decided. ”The high-level dungeons are enormous and will take us considerable time... But we must finish everything within one or two months—no longer—or the curse will worsen and people will start dying. I’m delaying its spread as much as I can, but even my magic has limits.”

I glanced at my friends. We huddled together in a quick group hug, hiding our faces and lowering our voices.

”So what do you guys think? Good idea, right?” I asked.

”I like it,” Zephyrus agreed.

”It’s fine, I guess...” Aquarina sighed. ”I just wish they’d stop calling us kids already.”

”Well, we should prove it to them and finish within the time limit,” Mist said. ”Also, they mentioned rewards! Isn’t that nice?”

”The Spirits say they’ve got this!” Lara declared. ”They want to purify the cursed areas to help everyone.”

”Well, she said it. I suppose if we have the Spirits’ help, it’s fine,” Celeste agreed.

”Yeah!” Celica nodded.

”I haven’t fought monsters in a while. I might be a little rusty,” Ruby said quietly. ”I hope I’m not a burden for everyone.”

”Don’t worry about that,” I reassured her. ”Anyway, I guess we all agree, right?”

As everyone nodded, I quickly informed my parents we accepted.

The nine dungeons assigned to us were well-known newbie and intermediate ones.

We had already visited half of them before.

The Goo Farm Dungeon.

The Blind Fish Dungeon.

The Swamp Shrimp Dungeon.

The Dark Savanna Dungeon.

The Glacial Caves Dungeon.

The Burning Forest Dungeon.

The Poison Swamp Dungeon.

The Stone Cathedral Dungeon.

And the Insect Nest Dungeon.

We knew the first five quite well and understood their contents. I used to visit the Swamp Shrimp Dungeon specifically to fish those big, juicy swamp shrimp monsters—the bosses could reach Tier 4.

They were giant shrimps that steamed or boiled beautifully and tasted heavenly once purified of toxins and cooked properly. A little butter on top turned them into an exquisite meal all on their own.

Hmm, now I wanted Giant Swamp Shrimp again.

I wondered if they’d still be edible if mutated by the curse. Probably not—I shouldn’t risk it.

But if we could purify the dead bodies... perhaps then.

Anyway.

”We’ll go,” I confirmed.

”Alright, it’s decided then,” my mother said with a pleased smile. She placed a map of the mountains marked with all the dungeons. ”While you handle these nine within two weeks, we will tackle the remaining five.”

The five remaining dungeons—considered mid-high to high danger—were ones we had never visited before:

The Giant Beast Dungeon.

The Underwater Abyss Dungeon.

The Volcanic Hellscape Dungeon.

The Aberrant Jungle Dungeon.

And the Underground Tower Dungeon.

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