Chapter 11
The Night My
Civilization Level Went Up
Piping hot beef bowl and pork miso soup, with a side salad.
Is it really okay to indulge in such luxury? No, thinking about it
objectively and calmly, this shouldn't be considered a luxury in modern Japan.
But for the current me, spending half of my entire fortune on it makes it a
luxury all the same. Feeling like a king, I fully enjoyed this luxurious time
to my heart's content.
It'll be fine. I feel like I heard the selling price of magic stones
obtainable on the Second Floor skyrockets. This can be called a sound
expenditure in anticipation of the future! First, I need to build up my
stamina. A Dungeon Hunter's body is their capital, after all.
Not feeling like doing another Dungeon attack on a full stomach,
I decided to enter a cool library to rest after my meal. I claimed a sofa seat
in the corner and skimmed through the pamphlets and booklets I received at the Dungeon
Administration.
In a solo Dungeon, I can't ask anyone for help. Even though I
thought there was no way I'd lose to the monsters on the Second Floor
since I leveled up extra, I still need to properly prepare.
「Ugh, the Second
Floor has rat monsters? I hate that.」
It seems to be a monster called a Giant Rat, about the same size
as the pill bugs on the First Floor. Unlike the docile pill bug-kun, the
rats apparently have the audacity to attack.
According to the booklet, the rats' attack power is low, and as long as
you wear full-body armor, even cheap ones, there is no need to worry about
getting injured. In particular, if you fortify the area around your legs, the
possibility of injury drops to a negligible level. As for the rats' defense,
it's actually much weaker than those pill bugs.
The problem is that they're surprisingly fast with their scurrying
movements. Unlike pill bug-kun, I have the impression they make a lot of
movements that are difficult to predict. I might have a hard time when fighting
them for the first time.
My armor is a bit unreliable, but since I have long boots for the
crucial leg area, I should be able to manage. As for my attacks, if their
defense is lower than a pill bug's, I don't think I'll have a problem defeating
them. As expected, it comes down to whether I can land my hammer or kicks on a
scurrying target. This is something I won't know until I try.
As far as looking at the map goes, the structure of the Second Floor
basically doesn't look much different from the First Floor. The only
difference is that the grid-like passages have patterns of dead ends here and
there depending on the location. And there is only one highly anticipated
hidden room. But I'm just grateful there's one at all~
Well, I guess that's about it. Now there's nothing left but actual
combat. Once I calmed down, I suddenly became intensely sleepy. There are a lot
of people around who have settled down to doze off, so I'll just go ahead and
sleep without holding back. If it's not allowed, I'll just get scolded.
「……Zzz」
…… ………… ………………
「Please wake
up~. It's closing time, hey.」
I woke up to a voice that lacked motivation, sounding like it was a pain
and they were only doing it out of obligation because they had no choice.
Reflected in my blurry vision was a middle-aged woman.
「Ah! So
gross, this brat. Don't go dripping your drool!」
I got yelled at out of nowhere. She's talking to me, right? I checked
the existence of the pouch on my waist with my hand, hastily stood up, and
retreated. There really are some short-tempered people in this world. How
unpleasant.
Walking through the city where the sun had completely set, I got an idea
and entered a convenience store. With high hopes for my future earnings, I
spent what little money I had left to buy a towel and a sweet bun. While making
sure no one was watching, I washed my face and wiped my body at a park. How
unpleasant, this homeless life. But thanks to the towel, my civilization level
went up. Haa, feels so good.
After cleaning myself up and eating the sweet bun as if savoring every
bite, it was about time to work. Let's earn some money. Otherwise I'll die like
a dog.
「Hello in
there~」
「Welcooome~」
It's the sleepy-looking Onee-san as usual. There's no one else
here, so I guess it can't be helped that she's getting sleepy. Being used to
this by now, I held out my ID card to the counter before being told.
「Onee-san, I'm actually already Level 4. And my skills
increased again, too.」
「Again?
That's amazing, but you shouldn't tell others too much, okay? Still, to think
you're already Level 4.」
「I massacred
a ton of pill bugs, you see. I worked hard. I'm going to challenge the Second
Floor from now on!」
「Come to
think of it, I heard you got a Dimensional Pouch? That white one?」
「Yeah,
exactly. That 『Solo Dungeon』 skill you
said was iffy is surprisingly good, you know. I got weapons and stuff too.」
「Is that so?
Show me.」
She must be extremely bored. I wonder if she's happy to have someone to
talk to. Well, whatever.
「I guess it
can't be helped~ Look, pretty nice, right?」
I showed her the hammer and the boots.
「Heh, they're
quite rugged. If you have those, they seem more than enough for the upper
layers, let alone the Second Floor. Did you get an Appraisal?」
「Appraisal?」
「We can
investigate their specific abilities. What will you do? We have to take records
so it'll take some time. Also, it costs money.」
That is out of the question.
「I don't have
money so it's impossible. I don't even have money for tomorrow's food, after
all.」
「Then you'll
just have to do your best.」
「Yeah. By the
way, how much do the magic stones obtainable on the Second Floor go for
again?」
「Let's see,
normal soul stones are 50 yen, high-quality ones are 300 yen, and colored ones
are 700 yen.」
It's completely different. It's completely different from the First
Floor.
「It means
that starting from the Second Floor, there is a corresponding amount of
danger. Besides, normally high-quality soul stones rarely ever drop.
Calculating with the expectation of getting 300 yen a piece would be a mistake,
okay?」
「Even so,
it's 50 yen, right? From my perspective, having desperately gathered 10-yen
ones until now, it's a massive income boost!」
「I'll say it
again, but unlike pill bugs, the Giant Rats will attack you, you know?
Really be careful, since even in the upper layers, going solo is dangerous.」
「I know, I
know. Well then, I'm off~」
「Do you
really understand? Reckless challenges are absolutely forbidden, got it? If you
think it's dangerous, turn back immediately, okay?」
Yes, yes, I know already.
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