Chapter 4
First Time Entering a
Dungeon
The moment I stepped within a few meters of the stairs to the Dungeon,
I was enveloped in a mysterious sensation. My body, which had been in poor
condition from sleepiness and hunger, felt refreshed; the air felt completely
different; it was an indescribable sense of incongruity, as if I had come to
another world. However, even though it felt incongruous, there was no
discomfort; rather, it was exhilarating.
This is probably the release of the soul's power. An alternate space
where power is exerted exactly as described in the 『Memories of the Star Soul』—commonly
known as status, as the receptionist Onee-san also said—which is displayed on
the ID card after reading my Star Soul Crest. That is apparently what a Dungeon
is.
Feeling a sort of overflowing power, I finally headed down the stairs!
「――I finally
arrived, what a long staircase.」
Having started heading underground, it was such a long staircase that I
intuitively felt like I had descended a small mountain. The first floor of the Dungeon
was, exactly as I had heard, a cave-like space surrounded by stone walls, with
wide passages and high ceilings. It really gave off that Dungeon vibe.
Thanks to a mysterious light source, even though it was dim, it was far from
complete darkness. Although it was eerie, it didn't seem like it would hinder
my movements.
The first floor had passages spreading out in a grid pattern, and the
location of the stairs to the second floor was also easy to understand. Which
meant that even a beginner like me could explore without getting lost. It
didn't seem like I needed to rely on the map I received. That's a thankful
thing for beginners.
Anyway, I have to earn some money. Let's give it a go!
Since it seemed like it would get awkward if I bumped into someone, for
now, I proceeded in a different direction than the one heading to the second
floor. Then, I immediately spotted a monster.
「Uwa, huge.」
It was bigger than I thought. I wonder if the pill bug-type monster was
about the size of a cat. If it were a cat it would be cute, but a pill bug of
this size is quite gross. It's a little bit different from what I envisioned.
However, this guy didn't attack me. As expected of the first floor, it's aimed
at beginners.
「It'll give
EXP, so let's just beat it to death for now.」
I also want to see what a trash magic stone looks like. Besides, even
among the trash magic stones on the first floor, unlike the usual milky-white
magic stones, a transparent one apparently drops on rare occasions. I heard
that if it's one of those, it can be sold for 10 yen even if it's tiny like a
bead.
To me, with zero money on hand, 10 yen is huge! Who knows, this pill bug
might just transform into 10 yen.
Onee-san said I could defeat them by stepping on them, so it shouldn't
be a problem. The rest is just a matter of motivation. A huge pill bug, it's
gross though. I have no choice but to do it.
「Toaa!」
This kind of thing is all about momentum. I just have to run up and
forcefully step on it with my foot. If I defeat it, it should turn into light
and vanish, so I won't even get dirty. With my tattered sneakers, I unleashed a
critical strike!
「Eh, huh?」
Despite stomping on it with all my might, the pill bug wasn't crushed
and was wriggling around. Even so, it felt incredibly hard.
「That's
weird~」
Ei, ei, I repeatedly stomped on it in desperation, but it
completely didn't feel like I could defeat it. This is no good. There is
absolutely no way I can defeat it just by stepping on it. Did Onee-san lie? Am
I too weak? When I moved my foot away, the pill bug sluggishly crawled forward
as if I wasn't even there. I gradually started getting pissed off.
「You damn
insect...」
Mocking this great human. Just you wait!
I dashed up the long staircase and went outside for a moment. I
remembered there was a tool box left unattended near the entrance of the Dungeon.
Rummaging through it, I'll just borrow this hammer for a bit. I ran back to the
sluggishly crawling pill bug and brought it down with all my momentum while
jumping.
「Dooryaaaah!」
I smashed the small hammer I gripped tightly while maintaining my weird
tension. Although the flat side of the hammer I slammed into it felt quite
hard, it dug into the pill bug and dealt a decent amount of damage. Even so, it
wouldn't turn into light and disappear. The pill bug thrashed around,
scattering earthy-smelling bodily fluids. Its grossness spurred on my
irritation. Haa, it pisses me off.
「You damn
thing, diiiie!」
With the flat face of the hammer, no matter how much I hit it, perhaps I
lacked the momentum; I couldn't shatter its hard outer shell. What's with this
guy, it really is super hard. The claim that I could defeat this by stepping on
it with my shoes was definitely a lie. I flipped the handle of the hammer I was
gripping and decided to strike it with the pointed end instead of the flat
face.
「Doraa,
doraa, doraa, doryaaaaaaah!」
Maintaining my aggressively rising tension, I ignored the disgusting
sensation transmitting to my hands. The attack power of the pointed end seemed
to be reasonably high; the pill bug, now riddled with shallow holes, finally
turned into light and disappeared. It was a relief that the dirty,
blood-splatter-like bodily fluids disappeared as well.
Even so, I'm tired. If it's like this against a small-fry monster on the
first floor, I dread what lies ahead. Even though I've only defeated one.
「Tch, damn
insect. Making me take so much effort.」
Ptoo!
「Ooh? Ah,
there it is! A magic stone, money!」
Near the spot where I had just casually spat, there was a small but
conspicuous object. Yay, yay. I picked up the tiny, bead-sized stone.
「Hmm? It
looks like it's transparent, but I wonder if this is the 10-yen one. She said
they were rare, so surely that can't be it.」
Even if it was a trash magic stone worth a pittance for a whole pile,
just thinking that it would turn into even a little bit of money made me feel
good. If my level goes up, defeating them should become easier too, so let's
work harder.
If I recall correctly, Onee-san said I would level up if I defeated about fifteen of them. Defeating them is tough, but there's no danger if it's a pill bug that doesn't fight back. I have to quickly level up and earn money efficiently.
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