Chapter 5

"Grant" "Magic"

"Huh?"

Somehow, both of us ended up being back-row fighters.

"What do we do, Haru?"

"It would be great if Onii could step up to the front, even if he has to force himself. But that's not possible, right?"

"I haven't seen the situation yet, but I think our damage output is probably lacking. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any point in having attack roles."

"Hmm, roles? Aren't they classes?"

"I think Haru's game just calls them classes. But it's easy to say, so let's go with classes."

"Alright. Getting back to the topic, I have a spear, so I'll go to the front."

"Great, thanks. Let's both take the front role and use magic as needed while fighting."

"Okay, got it."

With a sly smile, Haru looked ahead into the cave and saw a translucent, wobbly creature. It was a slime, which we had seen before.

"Haru, just checking, but do you know what magic you can use right now?"

"Hmm? Oh, 'Bomb.'"

I thought Haru might have the same skills I had, which I somehow understood in my head after choosing our classes, and it turned out to be correct.

"I have 'Speed.' So, I'll charge in and need your support."

"Got it."

Hearing Haru's response, I got ready with my hoe. I'm not stupid enough to charge in without any caution.

"Speed"

I felt a slight acceleration in my brain and body as I cast the skill on myself. However, I approached the slime slowly.

The slime shrank, so I stopped.

"Go!"

The moment the slime flew at me, I swung the hoe.

"!"

The slime was hit by the hoe and flew sideways, almost making me drop the hoe. It felt like hitting a rubbery substance, and it bounced off with force.

However, the slime that was hit and flew into the wall didn't bounce but hit the wall and squished with a squelching sound, then landed on the ground as if nothing had happened.

"Ugh"

As the slime landed, Haru brought down the spear. The spear was deflected, and the slime shook on the ground as if nothing had happened.

"Bomb"

A light shot out from Haru's hand like a bullet, flew straight at the slime, and upon impact, it erased about half of the slime. The impact was brief, but it dealt near-fatal damage to the slime. The nucleus that had been floating inside the slime was now exposed, and the slime's volume had been reduced by about half.

"Alright"

With the nucleus exposed and the slime now smaller, I no longer felt afraid and easily brought down the hoe to crush it. The slime, with its nucleus destroyed, dissipated into a black mist.

"Pretty strong, huh?"

"Yeah."

We were stunned by the unexpected difficulty of our first battle. Unbeknownst to us, dungeons have a system of stats, and the difference in values can be significant. Slimes are typically considered the weakest enemies in dungeons, and for someone with a sword class, a single strike would usually be enough to defeat them. It would take a bit more time for us to learn this. For the Self-Defense Forces, who were already progressing through the dungeon, this was common knowledge.

"Alright, let's keep doing this."

"Okay."

On the first day, we didn't go too deep, but we inefficiently killed slimes. After about four hours of hunting slimes, we had gotten used to it and were now taking turns. Initially, we swung the hoes recklessly, but we found that by thrusting the blade and pressing down, we could cut the slimes more easily.

Of course, we couldn't maintain our strength and morale for four hours, so we took turns on watch and rested. At one point, I felt a strange sensation in my body, and it moved more smoothly. Ah, this must be leveling up.

Now, we were in front of the stairs leading down to the second floor. The stairs probably led to the second level, but the enemies down there were likely not as weak as slimes.

"Should we go back?"

"Let's go back."

The first floor was small, and it took us only about ten minutes to return. We went back to the basement, removed the padlock, and climbed up. We didn't forget to lock the door after we went up. However, when we left the dungeon, I felt a sudden drop in strength, which was probably due to our stats being reduced to one-tenth outside the dungeon.

I left the weapon maintenance to Haru and started making dinner. We had planned to explore for about an hour, but we lost track of time, and it was already past 10 PM. The hoe, which was used for defense, was fine, but the hoe, which had hit the ground multiple times, was likely bent. I gave Haru a whetstone for knives, as our house was well-equipped with such items.

By the time the simple meal was ready, Haru had finished maintaining the weapons and returned. We discussed what we had noticed during the exploration while eating.

The dungeon information is managed by the government. Despite this, some information had already leaked by the time of the first incident. Information can't be contained, after all.

Comparing what we had heard with what we experienced, we had some questions. First, slimes are supposed to be one-hit kills, but I couldn't do it. Haru's magic could, though. Also, we didn't get any item drops. We had killed a significant number of slimes, but no items dropped. In games, items are supposed to remain on the ground after a monster is defeated. Additionally, we had no prior information about magic, but using 'Speed' and 'Bomb' made us feel a strange sensation in our bodies, and we couldn't use them after a certain point. It seemed that a concept like MP existed.

"There's no point in overthinking it. Let's go early tomorrow."

Haru seemed unconcerned and was quite cheerful. It seemed that the exploration was enjoyable. Indeed, worrying about it was pointless.

"Alright. We'll leave at 10 AM. I'll prepare some simple food."

"Okay."

Haru made a small fist pump. This was the daily routine of the Kizaki siblings, which remained unchanged even with the presence of the dungeon.

In the morning, I woke up at 6 as usual and checked the news. There was a timely topic.

"The Dungeon Association closed the application for the trial dungeon exploration in an unprecedented one day."

We had been busy yesterday and hadn't seen the news, but it seemed that the dungeon was being opened to the public. However, to avoid issues with security and legal frameworks, they were limiting entry to 100 people through a lottery. The deadline, which was initially unspecified, was suddenly closed within a day. The lottery results would be announced by tomorrow, and those selected would undergo a two-week training program starting three days later, followed by a one-month exploration period.

"Well, it doesn't concern us."

I muttered to myself and started making breakfast. Haru soon woke up, and after preparing, we began our second day of dungeon exploration.

"Let's explore the second floor today."

"I remember the path on the first floor, so let me take the lead until then."

"Hmm, sure. It'll be more efficient that way."

By yesterday, we had a good understanding of our strengths. I aimed for silent, precise strikes to take down enemies in one hit, while Haru used flashy magic and the spear for brute force. Our goal today was to explore the second floor, so Haru was conserving MP. I also fought without using 'Speed' to avoid running out in a crucial moment. However, after leveling up, my body felt much more agile, and slimes were no longer a challenge. The speed after using 'Speed' felt about the same as after leveling up.

We cautiously approached the entrance to the second floor, which we reached quickly.

"Let's observe the second floor and proceed without getting hurt."

"Okay, I'll use 'Bomb' too."

Haru did a few practice swings with the spear. According to Haru, it was easier to use magic through a medium, like the spear, rather than directly from the hand.

"Alright, let's go. 'Speed.'"

I repositioned my hoe and cast 'Speed' on both of us, then started the exploration of the second floor.

After walking for about ten seconds, we saw a green child. No, its face was too hideous to be human.

"It's a goblin, right?"

"I'll take the front. I need your support."

We quickly decided our roles, and I raised my hoe to strike the goblin's face. It narrowly dodged to the side, but I swung the hoe horizontally, entangling its arm and stopping its movement. At the same time, a light shot from Haru and exploded, taking down the goblin.

"Is it over? Haru, thanks, !"

I sensed something behind me and turned to see the goblin's sharp claws. I jumped back, protecting my face with my right hand, feeling a shallow cut. I quickly drew the machete from my waist with my left hand and brought it down.

"Kueh!"

The goblin's head was split, and it died with a pitiful sound, turning into a black mist.

"Onii, are you okay!"

Seeing Haru approach in a panic, I looked at my cut arm, which was bleeding slightly. I sighed in relief. The cut was minor and would heal with basic treatment. I was more concerned about infection, but we had no money, so I would deal with it if it got worse. I would still treat it carefully, though.

"Haru, get me water, bandages, and tape from my bag."

"Okay, got it. Here, here, and here."

"Thanks. The cut is shallow, so don't worry."

While talking, I quickly applied first aid. I washed the wound with water, wrapped it with a bandage, and secured it with tape.

"Onii, let's go back today."

Haru looked worried, but it wasn't a serious issue.

"It's just a little painful. I can still swing the weapon, so let's keep exploring."

I prioritized the excitement ahead over the minor pain. Seeing two more goblins coming from deeper in, I smiled and readied my hoe.

"I won't be careless this time. I'm fine."

I stepped forward and thrust the hoe at the goblin's chest. The blade wasn't sharp, so it was more of a push, but I then used the hoe to trip the goblin's leg.

"Alright!"

Haru, timing it well, tripped the goblin's leg, and I brought the hoe's blade to the goblin's neck and pulled it back.

"Gu, Gah!"

Even if the head didn't separate from the body, a deep cut to the neck was fatal. I waited for the goblin to turn into a black mist and carefully checked the surroundings before breathing a sigh of relief.

"We've got the hang of the fighting style. I'll take the front next time."

We continued to advance, with Haru taking the lead without using magic. Unlike the hoe, which was good for surprise attacks, the spear was better for close combat, allowing Haru to fight without moving as much as I did.

By the end of the second day, we had established our fighting styles, making battles much easier. By the fifth day, we had cleared the second floor. The ease of it was a bit concerning, but we were scheduled to move to the third floor the next day. Something different might happen, so we needed to stay focused.

Swinging the hoe, I looked natural and determined.