Chapter 2

2022/03/26

There was a setting regarding the dungeon core that I thought had been disclosed, but it turned out it hadn't been. This was a mistake in the documentation, and I have now added and corrected it. I apologize for the inconvenience.

The final exam this time, of course, is to clear the dungeon.

At the deepest part of the dungeon, there is a gem called the dungeon core, and obtaining it is recognized as clearing, or conquering, the dungeon.

Moreover, if you place this core on the ground, it has the property of regenerating the dungeon, allowing it to be reused. It seems that explorers who obtain the core first entrust it to the guild, then retrieve it and use it for things like theme parks, vacation homes, or secret bases.

Even low-risk cores are auctioned off among explorers, fetching high prices.

What a dreamy story, really.

“Piki!”

“! A monster appeared!”

With a strange cry, something appeared—a jelly-like mass about the size of a human, trembling slightly as if excited.

A monster appeared. These creatures are a constant presence in dungeons and are the eternal enemies of explorers, in a sense, the main attraction.

These things, which the dungeon itself generates, never go extinct no matter how many are defeated. The only way to eliminate the monsters from the cave is to clear the dungeon.

Incidentally, among the explorers who have cleared the dungeon and obtained the core, there are not a few who deliberately leave the monsters behind.

They use them for combat training or display them like in a zoo, finding various uses for them.

Well, if I were to obtain the core, I would probably eliminate the monsters first. It's better to have no risks, of course.

“Piki, piki!”

“Alright… let’s do this!”

There’s no point in dwelling on it. I readied the iron sword provided by the guild.

It’s incredibly heavy… but the moment I decided to fight, it felt unbelievably light. My body felt as light as a feather, light enough to do a moonwalk on the spot.

Despite this, my strength surged, and I realized that the skill "Walking Through a Wilderness Where Not Even the Wind Blows" was activated, boosting my mental clarity. I calmly slashed at the slime.

“Nun!”

“Piki-ki!?”

I have an average build and physical abilities, but with a tenfold increase, I have considerable strength.

It seemed that crushing the slime with brute force was no problem, and the basic technique of slicing and pulling the blade, which I learned in training, turned into a casual one-stroke cut.

Still, something feels off.

I have a sense that I won’t be able to handle the sword no matter how skilled I become.

However, with a supervisor present, it might be a bit too challenging to complain about the weapon provided by the guild.

I put aside the discomfort and remained vigilant, watching to see if the sliced slime would do anything.

“Piki…”

The divided slime did not regenerate like an amoeba. It disintegrated into particles and eventually disappeared without a trace.

Perhaps because it is of dungeon origin, it returns to the dungeon. I’ve heard that people who run out of strength during exploration are left as they are, so it seems that even if you die, you won’t be absorbed by the dungeon.

“Alright. Let’s move on.”

Since I’ve defeated the monster, there’s no point in staying here. I headed towards the second of the three rooms.

I feel a certain level of confidence or expectation in battle. The common story of hesitating when it comes to actual combat didn’t apply to me.

The next problem will be when a humanoid monster appears.

Whether or not I can kill a creature that looks almost human. This seems to be a decisive line for explorers, and many who falter here change their path to become office-based explorers.

I do admire office-based explorers, but unfortunately, my skills are too combat-oriented and self-contained.

It’s as if they’re saying I have to dive into the dungeon no matter what. Well, let’s give it a try.

“Gegyogegyogego!”

“Here it comes!”

“Gegya!”

As soon as I entered the second room, a green humanoid creature attacked.

It might be cute in a way, but it’s an ugly monster. It’s a goblin, a monster that can be found in some form in any dungeon, like Mr. Dungeon.

Still, it came so suddenly. I skipped the preparation and moved my body, dodging the attack and smashing its head.

Again, it’s brute force. My body doesn’t seem to move as logically as it should… I’m certainly not used to it, but the action of swinging the sword still feels off.

What’s going on? I’ll have to think about it when I get back.

In any case, the goblin, with its head split open, let out a final scream and disintegrated into particles, disappearing into the dungeon mist.

“Alright, let’s move on.”

“…”

There’s no presence in the room, so it’s probably safe to proceed.

I could feel the supervisor staring at me intensely from behind as I headed towards the deepest part of this beginner’s dungeon.

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