Our actions remain the same, even after being warned.
At the reception desk handled by Amiricia, I diligently filled out the paperwork to become an adventurer.
Compared to Japan, the paper itself was crude, but that didn’t mean the content review needed to be sloppy. I checked to ensure there was nothing disadvantageous to me. This habit carried over even to this otherworld.
The contract details were quite simple, essentially boiling down to this: Injuries sustained within the dungeon are your own responsibility, and there’s no insurance for death. However, fail to complete a certain number of requests within a month, and your adventurer’s license will be revoked. There are exceptions, but they don’t apply to you now.
“Is that about right?”
“It’s a rough summary, but you’re not wrong. And that, despite its size, is a proper magic tool, so treat it with care.”
After summarizing and confirming the content, I fiddled with the Guild Card from the Adventurer’s Guild that I had just received. Amiricia shot me a stern look and cautioned me.
“Understood, understood.”
“If you break that, you’ll owe me one gold coin. Understand? Don’t break it! Given our current situation, if you actually break it, I won’t hesitate to collect!”
Appearance-wise, it was nothing more than a metal plate the size of a driver’s license, with no photograph or writing on it. But when I channeled magic into it, letters projected into the empty space. My face, taken with what looked like a fortune-teller’s crystal ball, appeared along with a simple profile, and it stated that the Adventurer’s Guild vouched for my identity.
“Honestly, it’s odd for a dungeon explorer directly under the Demon Lord, someone I’ve only heard of through rumors, to be so laid-back.”
“Getting overly tense just makes you tired and less efficient. Knowing how to relax appropriately is part of the job. I learned that at my previous workplace.”
Amiricia pointed out my lack of tension, but while I appeared nonchalant, I maintained a certain level of alertness. If I were ambushed right now, I wouldn’t be taken down in one hit unless a high-ranking instructor showed up.
“Are you really alright?”
“You scouted me because you thought I was alright, didn’t you? I went along with it because it was convenient for me too. That’s all.”
“I know, but couldn’t you phrase that a little more nicely?”
“If the receptionist who boldly said she’d use me hadn’t said that, I might have considered it.”
“Gah.”
Amiricia, unable to read my true state, simply saw me as a capable individual who had conquered the Adventurer’s Guild. A flicker of unease crossed her mind, and she sought confirmation. However, she didn’t know the dungeon’s details well enough to provide such reassurance, leading to a casual response. Amiricia, seemingly displeased with my reply, stared at me with dissatisfaction, demanding I sugarcoat my words. I retorted that I had been the one to receive unvarnished truths first, silencing her.
“So, does this mean I can enter the dungeon now?”
“Yes. However, you can only enter and exit through the entrance managed by the Adventurer’s Guild, so be careful. Also, I don’t need to tell you this, but the Guild cannot help you if you encounter trouble inside the dungeon.”
“I understand.”
“Also! Bring back anything you find from the monsters in the deeper levels! I’ll buy it all from you.”
“Alright, alright.”
Finally, all the preparations were complete. With a nod behind me to Amiricia’s request, I left the Adventurer’s Guild with Mait and Gray, whom I had registered with.
“Considering the distance, would that be about three nights and four days?”
“If we dive straight in, it would be.”
From the experience of the two veterans, the round trip would take less time than I thought. The malfunctioning defense systems naturally meant reduced danger for those entering. It was certainly convenient. Even so, it would still take time, which was unavoidable. Despite the system’s failure, it was still a dungeon. Challenging it required effort. For that purpose, Gray had prepared supplies at his shop. While the scale was vastly different, I had experience camping in a dungeon with Instructor Kio. I shouldn’t feel nervous.
“A human? How unusual. Do you have your Guild Card?”
“Ah, is this it?”
“Yes, no problem. Lately, some explorers have been acting suspiciously. Be careful not just of monsters, but of them too. If you feel danger, running is also part of our job.”
“Understood. Thank you for the warning.”
“May your adventure be a good one.”
The dungeon entrance was not visible from the Explorer’s Guild, located about a quarter of the way around the dome. When I showed my Guild Card, imbued with magic, to the Wolfman guard, I was easily allowed inside. This was a clear indication of how unusual the Adventurer’s Guild’s procedures were.
Incidentally, the Adventurer’s Guild has a familiar ranking system. There are seven ranks, from A to G. There is also an S-rank, which literally means “Special.” The S-rank title is awarded to adventurers who excel in a very specific area. For example, an adventurer might be incredibly strong against insects but weaker than an ordinary adventurer against other monsters. Or someone might be less skilled in combat but unmatched in herb gathering, possessing exceptional evasive abilities. These are titles given to those who have honed a particular skill, perhaps too much. Consequently, their handling becomes difficult, but that’s irrelevant for now.
The normal ranks, conversely, represent reliability. “This adventurer can be trusted; they should be able to complete this request,” serving as a benchmark for judging an adventurer’s capabilities from a third-party perspective. A is the most reliable, and G is the least. This evaluation is primarily based on request completion rates, but also includes reputation and personal conduct. Someone who is rough or irresponsible with money will naturally find it harder to rise in rank. If they possess enough skill to compensate, they might reach a certain level, but only up to that point. Even if they are competent, whether they can be entrusted with major tasks depends on their personality and abilities, a criterion common in modern society as well. It’s a natural system for the Adventurer’s Guild, which handles requests from merchant associations.
However, does being G-rank mean you can’t pursue high-ranking materials? The answer is no. If that were the case, I wouldn’t be able to descend to the lower levels, and there would be no point in becoming an adventurer. Rank is merely a guideline for accepting requests. When gathering materials, rank is irrelevant. As Amiricia said, the Adventurer’s Guild can only manage matters outside the dungeon. All actions within the dungeon are entirely at your own risk. Whether you steadily build a reputation by ensuring safety, or aim for a big prize to prove your strength and rise quickly—it’s all on you.
Now, after a lengthy explanation, what I want to say is this:
“Hah!”
Charging through the dungeon and brutally slaying enemies is also your own responsibility. Mait’s spirits scouted the surroundings, mapped the area, and designated our direction. Gray escorted Mait, while I felled enemies with their support. Less than an hour after entering, we were pushing towards the lower levels without getting lost, and nothing had blocked our path thus far.
“That seemed to be the guardian of the third floor. Shall we proceed to the next?”
“We’ll collect the materials too.”
“Please do. Speaking of which, Gray’s magic bag and Mait’s spirits are incredibly convenient.”
Being able to scatter small, firefly-like lights in all directions and search for passages to the lower levels was indeed very useful. Normally, there would be monsters that would attack those spirits, but in these shallow levels, there were none. Gray, with his strong merchant’s spirit, stored the materials from the monsters we defeated in the prepared magic bag. We had been storing spoils since entering the dungeon, but its capacity seemed far from reached. The smallest magic bag, which was as expensive as a new car, made me wonder if a castle could be bought with this much storage.
“It has its merits, but support has a lot of applications. This much is easy for me.”
“Oh?”
“Jiro, if you ever contract with a spirit, you should ask Suella to teach you. It will surely be useful.”
“I will.”
“The collection is finished.”
“Thank you. How much capacity is left in the bag?”
“There’s still plenty of room. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s well-managed.”
“Please do. Then, shall we go? We want to make decent progress today.”
“Yeah.”
“Understood.”
In the shallower levels, I could handle things with ease, so we set off running again. The enemies along the way were cut down with a single stroke, and our progress was smooth. Currently, the floor guardians that posed a problem would revive after a certain amount of time. However, due to the malfunctioning systems, their revival cycle was set to be long, and after being defeated once, the space would remain empty for a while. Consequently, encountering them was rare, allowing us to descend easily. Furthermore, thanks to Mait’s spirits, we had no worries about our path or ambushes, and we had avoided contact with other adventurers and explorers, which we already knew would be trouble. As for traps, most of them had already been disarmed by past adventurers and explorers, so as long as we didn’t carelessly touch overtly obvious treasure chests, it was safe. Therefore, to avoid such elements, we had to take slight detours.
“Whew, we’ve dived quite deep. Where are we now?”
“We’ve just entered the lower levels. There’s a good spot just ahead, so let’s rest there.”
“Indeed.”
However, even with such measures, fighting monsters on each floor to confirm our strength and proceeding safely, we were still able to maintain our planned pace. Currently, we had found a location hidden from view, where we could ensure safety by using the spirits’ vigilance and setting up a barrier. After a simple meal with ingredients and cooking utensils brought out from Gray’s bag, we would take turns napping. Once everyone had rested, we would descend again. and so on.
“A song?”
Since I had handled most of the combat, I was the first to rest. I should have fallen asleep, but I suddenly found myself standing in a dark space. I had been careful not to fall too deeply asleep in a dangerous place, but perhaps I was more tired than I thought. Was I dreaming? Otherwise, I wouldn’t be hearing something that felt like a song, rather than something heard by my ears. In the darkness, I continued to listen to something that was clearly a song, though I couldn’t discern the lyrics. As something luminous sparkled before me, I felt a gaze meet mine, and with that sensation, I woke up.
“!”
“Oh, just in time. I was about to wake you. Was there something?”
Gray reached out to shake me awake. Seeing that, the vividness of my experience made me question if it had truly been a dream. The lingering feeling was undeniable, and Gray, seeing my troubled expression, expressed concern.
“No, it’s nothing.”
I replied that it was nothing.
Today’s word:
Whether or not to report uncertain matters is a difficult decision.
This concludes today’s entry. If you found it interesting, please consider leaving a rating, review, or bookmark. I look forward to your continued support of this work.
