After all, I had woken up early at the mayor's house and had been active all day, so I must have been tired.
When it gets dark at night, there's nothing to do in this world.
No game consoles, no TV, no PC, no internet, no manga, no books.
I should probably go to a bar to gather information.
First of all, I'm too lazy.
Don't mess with a bullied kid.
If I could communicate smoothly with others, I wouldn't be bullied.
Secondly, it's not a good idea to wander around dangerous places with thirty-three gold coins.
With five hundred gold coins, you can live in this inn for life.
Assuming that five hundred gold coins are worth one hundred million yen, thirty-three gold coins would be worth six million six hundred thousand yen. Two hundred million yen would be worth thirteen million two hundred thousand yen.
Even in safe Japan, there are few people who would go out drinking with such a large amount of money.
Thirdly, I don't know how much alcohol I can handle.
If I need to drink to gather information at a bar, I need to be able to drink.
If I get drunk before the other person, I won't be able to gather information, and my belongings will be in danger.
If I start babbling about Earth when I'm drunk, it could be disastrous.
How much alcohol can I handle?
Alcohol may not be the same as on Earth, and my body may have changed since coming to this world. After all, the Intelligence Card came out of the back of my hand.
Fourthly, what I need right now is information about making money.
Other information, such as general knowledge about this world, can be heard from Roxane later (I intend to get Roxane, of course).
Is there any information about making money in a bar?
If there is, it's probably a very dangerous deal or a sweet trap to deceive someone.
I would just be a good target, especially with thirty-three gold coins on me.
In the end, going to gather information might invite more danger.
It's much better to just sleep.
I hugged the scimitar and went to sleep.
I remember hearing about a swordsman who slept with a katana.
I don't know how safe it is.
When I woke up, I felt refreshed.
Still, it was pitch dark around me.
Even if I had slept from seven for eight hours, it would still be three in the morning.
There's no toilet in the room, so I went to the toilet and then went down to the lobby.
Torches were placed here and there in the stairs and corridors, not very bright but enough to see where I was going.
"Are you going to the dungeon?"
When I went down to the lobby, someone called out to me from behind.
"Uh... Yeah."
I was startled. My heart almost stopped.
When I turned around, a man from the Inn Level 28 was standing at the front desk.
"Be careful."
"Is it okay to go out at night?"
"Of course. Many people enter the dungeon at night. It's not as busy here, but it gets crowded during the day."
I see.
In the dungeon, there's no difference between day and night.
Many people enter the dungeon at night, and inns that cater to these people are open at night as well.
"You must be busy until midnight."
"We are Emalos. Emalos are special. We don't need much sleep. Or rather, it's not that we don't need much sleep, but we can sleep in halves."
"Half and half, right and left?"
I learned in biology.
I remember that dolphins sleep with one brain hemisphere at a time. If both hemispheres sleep at the same time, they drown.
"Do you understand?"
"Well, I guess I understand."
"It's the first time I've been able to explain this to a human."
The man at the inn was pleased.
There are probably few people in this world who know about the left and right brain.
Emalos might have evolved in the sea.
Or are they mermaids?
They had two legs, though.
"I see."
"Emalos dislike settling down. Therefore, most of us work as inns, which is our racial job, in guild-run inns. It's a job that suits us, as we can be transferred to different places."
"I see."
If they evolved in the sea, they might not be used to the habit of settling down.
I handed the key to the man at the inn.
The door was locked when I went to the toilet, and I had my backpack on.
If there's nothing to do, going to the dungeon isn't a bad idea.
"Do you need a torch?"
"I'm fine."
I put on a brave face and went outside.
...
No, no.
It's pitch dark.
I can't see a meter in front of me.
Almost complete darkness.
Is there no moon in this world, or is it just not out?
Looking up, I saw a sky full of stars.
The light from the stars is too weak to illuminate the ground.
For someone who grew up in Tokyo, this darkness is shocking.
Should I go back and borrow a torch?
However, even with a torch, it's scary to go to the dungeon in this darkness.
Ghosts might come out.
I don't believe in ghosts, but if there's another world, it's not strange for there to be ghosts.
What should I do?
I can't use Field Walk because I haven't obtained the Adventurer job.
However, I have a Warp spell in my bonus spells.
It's definitely a movement spell.
I couldn't use Meteor Crash due to lack of MP, but how about Warp?
Unlike Meteor Crash, which is an attack spell, Warp is a movement spell, so it probably consumes less MP. I've grown to Hero Level 3, and I've had a good sleep, so my MP should be fully recovered. I think I can use it.
I chanted "Character Reset," removed the discount, and equipped Durandal. I removed the job settings I'm not using and checked Warp in the bonus spells.
Facing the wall of the Bail Inn, I chanted "Warp" and visualized the small room with the entrance to the dungeon.
When I reached out, there was nothing where the wall should have been, and my hand went through.
It worked.
It's good that it worked, but I felt a heavy mood.
It wasn't the joy of success, but the sadness of having succeeded.
I ended up in a small room, and I couldn't help but wonder why I came here.
The small room had three paths extending from it, and it was the entrance to the dungeon.
The small room was dimly lit, even at night.
It would have been better if it were pitch dark.
I never want to use Warp again.
It probably consumes more MP than Overwhelming.
It's a bonus spell, after all.
It's tough.
The only way to get out of this state is to use Durandal's MP absorption.
Suppressing the feeling of not wanting to fight, I stepped onto the path.
I should have gone right to go to the second floor, but I went straight.
I don't want to go to the second floor. I don't even want to advance.
Finally, a Needlewood appeared in front of me.
Suppressing the urge to run away, I swung Durandal.
Before the fight, I thought I couldn't win, but it was, of course, one hit.
The smoke cleared, leaving a branch.
"Ah... tough."
I finally felt a sense of relief.
I took a deep breath.
It was tough. It was dangerous.
Consuming a large amount of MP is really tough.
I don't want to do it again if I can help it.
Kaga Michi, male, 17 years old
Explorer Level 4, Hero Level 3, Warrior Level 1
Equipment: Durandal, leather armor, sandal boots
I hunted one more and then appraised myself.
Even if I remove the job settings, the jobs I had set remain.
I set my third job as Warrior because I heard that I can get a bounty hunter job if I level it up.
After hunting two more, I tried the Warrior skill, Rush.
I didn't quite understand what happened, but it felt like Durandal went in a bit deeper.
It's probably an attack skill.
Since Durandal can defeat monsters in one hit, I couldn't really tell how useful it was.
In this dungeon, I encounter monsters at intervals of about ten minutes.
I don't know if it's like this in all dungeons in this world, in this dungeon, or in this part of this floor.
It's much faster than when I was hunting Slow Rabbits in the forest near the village.
It's fast, but it's not like monsters are coming one after another.
If I entered the dungeon around three in the morning, it would be about three hours until sunrise.
If I encounter a monster every ten minutes, I can hunt eighteen in 108 minutes. In reality, it would probably be a bit more.
So, after hunting until I got two leaves, I left the dungeon.
I didn't want to use Warp, so I used Dungeon Walk to go outside and walked back.
The sun was just rising, and the timing was perfect.
I went back to the inn, had breakfast, and went to my room.
After making two antidote pills from the four leaves I had left, I took a light nap.
The selling price at the Adventurer's Guild was 1,878 nals.
The selling price of one antidote pill is 25 nals. I didn't sell all of them, as I put some in the item box.
The guild's selling price is a quarter of the selling price, which is about right.
I don't know what the thirties woman at the Adventurer's Guild counter thought about me, who tried to buy antidote pills yesterday but came to sell them today.
Even if she thought it was strange, she didn't show it on her face or say anything.
I hope she doesn't remember who sold what.
After that, I entered the dungeon once in the morning and attacked again in the afternoon.
The morning's selling price was 487 nals. I didn't use Herb Generation because I didn't go back to the inn, so I only sold branches.
I hunted until I got three leaves and sold 25 branches. In the morning, I got two leaves from 23 branches, so there's quite a bit of variation.
25 branches Γ 15 nals per branch Γ 30% increase - rounding down, which is 487 nals.
If Calk, the merchant, is not mistaken.
In the morning and afternoon, I advanced the exploration on the right side from the entrance.
Dungeon Walk can go to similar small rooms, not just the room with the entrance.
I could go to the small room where the knight party was yesterday.
Even if it looks the same, I can't go to a room with a lot of monsters.
I can't tell the difference.
There is a small room that can be reached by Dungeon Walk to the right of the entrance to the dungeon, and I advanced from there in the afternoon.
I advanced while defeating Needlewoods.
After wandering for a while - during which I got two leaves - I came to another similar small room.
The wall slid down with a pleasant sound, revealing another small room.
There were two parties already in the room.
They seemed to be lined up.
I sat behind them.
I don't know why they are lined up or if they are lined up at all.
After a while, another party came in behind me.
A six-person party of explorers and warriors. Their levels were low.
"Line up properly behind us."
The six tried to go to the front, but the man at the front shouted at them, and they came back.
Really.
They should be able to see that they are lined up.
Read the air, air.
I put my own lack of understanding on the shelf.
I think I was not good at reading the air as a Japanese person, but I am good at reading the air in this other world.
The front door opened, and the party at the front went in.
They were waiting for this.
"Is this your first time in the dungeon?"
"Yes."
The explorer from the party behind me and the woman from the front party were talking.
"There's a room beyond here that leads to the wall to the second floor. Only one party can enter at a time. There's a boss inside. If you defeat it, you can go to the second floor."
"Yes, thank you."
I see. That's why they were lined up.
I listened to the kind woman's explanation.
I'll call her "Sis."
"If the party in front of you is wiped out, you can get the equipment they left behind. It's a matter of luck."
Sis looked at me and smiled.
I take back what I said.
She's not kind.
If I die inside, my equipment - Durandal - will go to the party behind me.
If Sis's party is wiped out, their equipment will go to me.
"I understand."
"The boss is much stronger than a Needlewood. If you're not confident, don't do it."
"No, I'm fine."
The explorer Level 5 from the party behind me puffed out his chest confidently.
For a Level 5.
Eventually, the front door opened again, and Sis's party went in.
Sis's party is at a higher level than the party behind me, so they probably won't be wiped out.
Or, am I okay?
Well, I have Durandal, Rush, and Overwhelming.
I should be fine.
I can't earn a gold coin a day on the first floor.
I have to go down.
The front door opened again after Sis's party passed through.
I readied Durandal and went in.
The door closed behind me.
The room was the usual small room, about four or five meters square.
Sis's party was not lying on the ground.
They seem to have passed through safely.
Smoke gathered at the back of the room, and a monster appeared.
Udwood Level 1
It was a monster that looked like a larger version of a Needlewood.
It was taller than me, with a green trunk. It was a plant monster with two branches for arms and legs.
While I was carefully observing the Udwood, a blue light appeared at its feet.
It was a magic circle.
Not good.
Judging from the blue light, it was probably active.
I've never seen it before, and I don't know what it will do, but it definitely feels dangerous.
It might cast a spell.
It could be a support or defensive spell, but it's better not to let it use it.
I shouldn't have been observing it.
I raised Durandal and rushed over.
I chanted "Rush" and struck the shoulder. Durandal stopped after penetrating a few millimeters or centimeters into the monster's right shoulder. It seems I can't defeat it in one hit even with Rush.
However, the magic circle disappeared.
Maybe it's thanks to Durandal's spell interruption skill.
Since monsters can't chant, they use magic circles instead. Since magic circles are a substitute for chanting, they can be interrupted by the spell interruption skill.
The Udwood's branches swung.
I couldn't block it because the sword was stuck in the monster's shoulder.
I managed to pull it out, but I was hit.
I gasped for breath from the impact.
The Udwood seems to have a higher attack power than the Needlewood or Slow Rabbit.
Even the Needlewood's attack wasn't light.
The branches swung again. I could hear the sound of the branches cutting through the air.
I calmly blocked it with Durandal.
I dodged the branch that swung from the right by pulling back.
The dodge created an opening. I saw it and struck with Durandal.
I dodged the branch that swung down from the left by stepping back.
It seems I can fight this monster if I observe its movements carefully.
The Udwood closed the distance.
I blocked the branch that swung from the right with my sword.
Then a branch swung from the left.
Damn.
The branch from the right was a feint.
I can't dodge this time.
I chanted "Overwhelming" and raised Durandal while stepping back.
The monster's branch moved slowly. I escaped from the trajectory just as the effect wore off.
I waited for the branch to pass, then stepped forward with my right foot and struck Durandal into the Udwood's head.
Durandal cut through more than half of the monster's head.
The Udwood fell to the ground.
I managed to defeat it.
Its body shook violently and then disappeared in smoke.
Wand - Staff
What was left was a branch.
Or rather, a stick. Much larger than a branch.
Since it's called a wand, it's probably a weapon.
There was nothing else.
There doesn't seem to be a treasure chest or anything in the boss room.
If there is, it would only be the items left behind by the previous party.
The door on the opposite side of the one I came in opened, probably because I defeated the boss.
I put the wand in my item box.
I confirmed there was nothing else and moved to the next room, where there should be a way down.