Chapter 8

After returning from the game center, we, as usual, ate dinner and prepared the bath. However, there seemed to be a change in our mood. Haru also decided to join my daily running routine.

Indeed, there were concerns about Haru's physical condition in the dungeon. Perhaps because she uses a weapon that involves striking, her strength in the dungeon has changed. If we consider this as a status, Haru's strength has already surpassed mine, but she seems unable to maintain it.

In my case, I have been practicing Aikido since childhood and have been running recently, which has strengthened my core, allowing me to move without wasting energy. However, Haru lacks this, which I had mentioned to her before.

Recalling this, I thought it might have influenced the decision to start running. Over the past two days, we took a break after defeating the boss, and I took on some day jobs. Today, we are embarking on our first dungeon exploration since then. So, while making lunch and breakfast, I was thinking about these things. For breakfast, I made a luxurious fried egg, and for lunch, salted rice balls.

Haru woke up and ate breakfast with me. Even though she was still half-asleep, she was happy to see eggs, which are surprisingly expensive.

We always enter the dungeon 1.5 hours after breakfast. This timing is to avoid rushing and to prevent getting lazy if we wait too long. We usually finish household chores like laundry and check our weapons. Before we know it, 90 minutes have passed.

Starting today, we decided to do some warm-up exercises before entering the dungeon. I had forgotten to do this before, but it's better late than never. The specific exercises involve moving all the items from the basement to the first floor and then doing some light sparring to break a sweat.

We check each other's physical condition through the sparring. If either of us feels unwell or if the sparring partner deems the dungeon exploration too dangerous, we don't enter the dungeon that day.

So, now we are in the basement, facing each other for the warm-up. Haru's punches come at me, but I easily dodge them. After a few minutes of alternating attacks and defenses, we put on our equipment.

I have never taken a direct hit from Haru's attacks outside the dungeon, and even though I held back, I still managed to land some hits. Once we are ready, we enter the dungeon.

"Alright, we're all set. Haru, are you ready? Did you forget anything?"

"Of course, I'm ready. Today, we'll rush through the first three floors and do some light combat on the fourth floor before checking the boss on the fifth floor."

"Yeah, it's a bit unsettling to skip two days and jump into a new floor. The boss might be there too."

"Then, let's go."

With Haru's signal, we enter the dungeon. I stay back, as both of us can handle the front line. We move quickly, eliminating enemies. Haru usually takes them out with one hit from her mace, and if there are multiple enemies, I finish them off with my shovel from behind. We didn't receive any attacks, and we even killed the monsters before they could prepare to attack. It felt more like a drill than actual training.

I hadn't noticed it before, but our levels must have increased. Our bodies feel lighter, and we almost overkill the monsters. Unlike in games, overkilling here would result in blood splatter, so we aim for the vital points and finish them off.

Haru's weapon is a mace, so there's less blood splatter. However, I had intended to use the entire morning for a warm-up, but it felt pointless. This level of training seems too easy.

"Bro, should we go to the fifth floor? Fighting here seems pointless."

"Sure, I'm getting bored too. If we keep fighting like this, we might get overconfident."

"Then, let's check the door."

Haru turned around and blew away a goblin in front of her, heading towards the stairs leading to the fifth floor. Although I can't memorize the map by heart, I have a good idea of its layout since I made it myself. There are some discrepancies, but with Haru's help, we have a fairly accurate map. Without GPS or a compass, creating an accurate map of the dungeon would be a massive task.

We need someone to check directions and distances, and we also need to fend off monsters. The dungeon is quite large, and if we hadn't increased our stamina through level-ups, it would be tough.

We quickly killed the monsters and ran to the stairs, reaching the room just before the boss on the fifth floor. Looking around, I noticed a strange geometric pattern in the corner of the room.

"Is that a magic circle?"

"Yeah, in the dungeon, if you see this pattern, it's probably a magic circle."

I've seen magic circles before, but only two types: one when Haru uses her bomb and another when I use my speed. When I saw them, I thought,

"Sure enough, this magic circle has the same shape."

"Probably, the magic circle itself doesn't have a deep meaning. What's the purpose of a magic circle?"

"Maybe it's a medium to convert magic power into phenomena?"

"Yeah, that's a possibility. If the magic circle has a meaning, it could be something supernatural that a human can't do. It might be something a god did just for show, so we can't really speculate."

"Right, there's no precedent to verify it. But let's stop avoiding reality and step on that magic circle."

"Guess we have to. I don't feel good about it, but we could just skip it and fight the boss again."

"Okay, let's go, bro."

Haru pushed me from behind, and I stepped onto the magic circle. As expected, I was the first to step on it. The magic circle glowed, and I gently pushed Haru away. The next moment, my vision changed. Or did it?

After the magic circle glowed, I felt a slight floating sensation, but the room looked the same. The only difference was that the door to the boss room was missing. There was also a descending staircase.

"Oh, the staircase is now going down."

In the previous room, the staircase led up, but here it leads down. This must be the back of the boss room. I hadn't confirmed it before, but I think the magic circle becomes usable after defeating the boss.

"Hey, bro, what's wrong? Isn't this the same room as before?"

I took a step back after being pushed from behind and saw Haru standing there with the magic circle under her feet.

I see. I was on the magic circle earlier, so when the next person teleported, I was pushed out. Thinking about it, it was quite dangerous. If we had teleported onto the same spot, we would have been in trouble. We would probably both die instantly unless we were extremely lucky.

"Nothing much has changed. Let's explore."

"Got it. I'll go first from here. It's easier to handle ambushes this way."

"Sure, I know."

The dungeon is still a cave, but it feels slightly darker and the path is wider. I wonder if it's a coincidence or if the battles will be more intense from here. I hope it's the former.

"Bro, three enemies are coming from around that corner. They seem to have noticed us."

"Sure enough, the enemies' detection abilities change in this floor. These are beast-type monsters, so be careful."

Focusing on detection, I noticed the light, four-legged presence of carnivorous beasts. I readied my shovel.

Three wolf monsters suddenly appeared from the corner, and I struck one with a surprise attack. They didn't even take a defensive stance, and their bodies didn't seem particularly tough.

"Haru, they're weaker than expected! Charge! Fall back! 'Speed'!"

The wolf's legs and claws suddenly glowed, and its speed and attack power increased. I blocked the claws with my shovel, but the impact was stronger than expected, and I had to let go and step back.

"It's not magic since the magic circle didn't appear."

"Probably a skill, then?"

I retreated to Haru's side and drew my scythe. My shovel had been kicked away by the wolf and landed behind it. This was likely intentional, as the wolf seemed quite intelligent. However, that made it more interesting.

The excitement of moderate fear in an otherwise mundane routine. The thrill, not despair, but exhilaration. That's why I want to test myself. I can't afford to get seriously injured for Haru's sake. It's a good constraint.

"Haru, can I borrow your scythe? And can you provide magical support?"

"Sure. Be careful."

After a brief exchange, I held the scythe in both hands. Let's do this.

"Speed."

I clearly said the word and stood in front of the wolves. The glow from their legs and claws had disappeared, but from the previous encounter, it seemed to activate faster than magic, probably because it doesn't require a chant.

I didn't let my guard down. I assumed they were always using their skills. I had to take the initiative.

I lowered my stance and suddenly lunged forward, kicking the lead wolf. It seemed to be on guard, and its legs and claws glowed again. Ignoring this, I swung the scythe, and the wolf was easily sliced and killed.

"Good, their defense hasn't improved."

I dodged the next wolf's attack, and a bomb from behind blew it away.

"One more left."

Hearing Haru's voice from behind, I charged at the wolf I had kicked earlier. Its claws glowed, so I didn't try to block the attack. Using a technique I learned from Aikido and anime, I struck it from the side, deflecting its heavy attack. With the attack deflected, the wolf's weak body was left exposed. I brought down my other scythe, cleanly severing its head.

The wolf turned into a black mist and disappeared, leaving behind a white orb.

And so, our adventure continued.