Chapter 6
Is the New Skill
Usable? Or Unusable?
「Heh, so you
learned that 『Solo Dungeon』. It's a
rare skill, though. I see, I see」
「What a
subtle reaction」
「Sorry, sorry」
Oh, I see, so it's a trash skill. That's fine, whatever, it's not like I
was expecting much anyway.
「Ah, could it
be. It's not like it's a skill you shouldn't learn, right?」
「I don't
think it's bad. You see, I was looking at some old documents and just learned
about it recently myself. When you use that skill, you apparently become solo
inside the Dungeon. Meaning it becomes a Dungeon where absolutely
no one else is around, besides the monsters.」
「No one else?
You mean I can run wild without any reservations? That's great.」
It's a relief if I don't have to worry about the eyes of others. I also
won't have to fight over monsters with anyone else.
「Well, you
can do as you please, but it means it's a skill where you can't explore
together with anyone, and you can't get help from anyone. It's a rare skill,
but since being solo means you ultimately can't dive deep, I guess you can't
really call it useful.」
「I see.」
If it doesn't force me to be solo, I just don't have to activate it if I
don't need it. That's how it is, right. Besides, as long as I use it in the
upper layers where there's little danger, I feel like it's surprisingly not
bad. For me, it actually feels like a jackpot. It also feels like a skill that
wouldn't cause problems even if its ability is found out, so let's just use it
casually.
For a loner like me, exploring the Dungeon solo is exactly what I
want. Since my status is super weak, there probably wouldn't be anyone who'd
form a party with me anyway. The effort to find such an eccentric person just
seems like a waste. If I can earn even a little bit in the shallow floors, I
don't mind sticking with that for a while. Because right now, the money to get
through today and tomorrow is what's most important!
「Come to
think of it, how many soul stones were you able to bring back? We can buy them
even if they're trash. It really will be for a pittance, but Onee-san
will personally throw in a first-timer bonus for you.」
W-What. You mean you'll add a little extra? I am truly indebted!
「I'm so
grateful~ I only collected a little bit, but here they are.」
I took the tiny, bead-sized magic stones out of my pocket and dropped
them one by one onto the counter. Then, Onee-san changed her sleepy eyes
into a serious gaze, and started looking at the magic stones one by one,
holding them up to the light.
「Eh, wait.
Aren't these all high quality? Furthermore, there are even colored ones. Aoi-chan,
where did you get these?」
「What do you
mean where, I got them by defeating pill bugs, obviously. That reaction...
could it be that these are the ones that sell for 10 yen? Yay!」
「No~ this is
a bit strange. You're really, truly not lying? Like, you threw away a massive
amount of other trash magic stones and only brought these back?」
Oh, oh, are you trying to find fault with it? It seems I was just
incredibly lucky, though.
「There's no
way I'd do something so wasteful, I don't have any money after all. I worked
hard, and that's what I finally managed to get. My level only went up by 1,
too.」
「……Right.
Then, Aoi-chan, was there anything weird about the Dungeon?」
「Even if you
ask me that. Today was my first time, after all.」
「Now that you
mention it, that's right. I'll just file a report for now... Ah, could this be Aoi-chan's
initial skill?」
「Umm, maybe?」
It would be great if that were the case, though. I wonder if the quality
of the magic stones dropped by monsters going up is the effect of the 『Ultra Hard
Mode』 skill.
Judging from the situation, that's probably the case, but I can't imagine
that's all there is to it.
「Isn't that
an amazing skill. Fufu, good for you. I'll tally it up for now.」
「Please do.」
After carefully confirming something by placing the miniscule magic
stones one by one on a weird stand, Onee-san placed coins on a tray and
offered them to me. Money!
「This is the
payment for the soul stones. The colored ones are 100 yen, and the rest are 10
yen each, making a total of 290 yen. Also, this is from me.」
「Ooh, is it
really okay? Yay, thanks!」
She brought out a bag stuffed with snacks and a plastic bottle of tea
next to the tray. In truth, I wanted to eat a proper meal instead of snacks,
but I'm still so happy I could cry. With this much, I think I'll be full! She
was a ridiculously nice person, this Onee-san. Feeling pleased, I shoved
the money into my pocket and grabbed the bag of snacks and the tea.
「Tachibana-san!」
Whoa, that startled me. A sweaty-smelling guy came running from the
direction of the Dungeon. It seems that guy called out to Onee-san.
Don't suddenly shout with such a loud voice, so annoying.
「What's the
matter, being in such a panic?」
「Please call
the medical officer, it's an emergency!」
The appearance of the guy who hurriedly ran up to the reception desk was
clad in rugged metal equipment, with darkish stains here and there. Looks like
blood.
「You're
kidding, what were you doing? You said today was your usual, stable hunting
ground, right?」
Even while saying that, Onee-san pressed the phone receiver to
her ear and started a conversation with the person likely on the other end. Her
tone completely changed from her friendly atmosphere from just a moment ago,
and was clearly tense. It's a pretty bad-looking atmosphere. Dungeons
really do seem dangerous. If I'm going to make a living here, I need to be
careful too. Be that as it may.
「Umm, well,
I'll be taking my leave then~」
I'll definitely just be in the way if I stay here. Snacks and tea in
hand, I decided to hastily beat a retreat.
I hope that sweaty-smelling guy's companions are safe. Well, it has
nothing to do with me, though. Or rather, before worrying about others, my
hands are full just dealing with myself.
Now then, I guess that park I saw on the way here will do. I'll eat my snacks there and just go to sleep on some random bench.
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