Chapter 37

After finishing my morning walk, I met up with everyone in front of the dungeon.

"This is Kuro, right? It only looks like a black dog to me."

Hime relaxed her expression slightly as she looked at Kuro.

She seems to like animals, like pandas.

"It's fluffy. If it were in A〇Venture World, it would probably be a big hit."

There’s a petting corner for dogs there.

But if it were there, other animals might get stressed and die.

If Kuro were to kill a panda, it would immediately become an international issue, so I can’t let it become a resident there.

After finishing the registration (which is essentially a face pass for Hime), I changed into my clothes in the locker room.

Since it’s a training camp today, I changed into tracksuit pants.

Ayame and Milk were also in tracksuits, while Hime was still in her kunoichi outfit.

At the White Beach Dungeon, there are also new player training sessions and slime hunts, but we ignored them.

On the third floor, there are White Shells, which are white shell monsters.

They are about the size of a wok.

They barely move, but they have high defense, so beginners are recommended to ignore them.

Incidentally, the White Shells drop something called a Monster Pearl, which is a pearl that is quite valuable if it is a perfect sphere.

However, the drop rate is lower than that of slime wine, and it’s a hassle to crush them, so they are not popular among beginners.

They have weaknesses to ice, fire, and lightning, but there are few people who can use magic at low levels (for some reason, three out of four in our party can).

The experience points are on par with goblins, but I was thinking of ignoring them—when Kuro approached, picked up a White Shell, and crushed it in its mouth.

"Ruff!"

"Yeah, good boy, good boy."

I gave him the D-coin I brought and patted his head.

Kuro must have been excited because we couldn’t go to the dungeon yesterday.

Everyone was surprised by this.

"Kuro is that strong?"

"I was playing with Kuro in the car, putting my fingers in its mouth and letting it gently bite them."

Kuro is a good boy and knows the difference between what it can and cannot do, so it’s fine.

Since there were no issues, we all moved to the fifth floor.

On the fifth floor, there are Sahagins and Pink Shells.

Sahagins are fish-like monsters with fins that have evolved into limbs.

High-level Sahagins carry spears, but the Sahagins here only have wooden sticks.

Pink Shells are slightly more aggressive than White Shells and will bite if you get too close. They are quite large, so you won’t accidentally get close to them.

However, the Sahagins pick up and collect these Pink Shells and throw them at enemies.

The Sahagin we encountered was holding a Pink Shell and threw it at us.

"Ruff!"

Kuro caught it in mid-air.

The Pink Shell didn’t even have time to open its mouth.

Kuro’s teeth had left a crack in the shell.

It was like a game of catch with D-cans, which seemed fun.

Kuro then brought it to Milk and placed it on the ground.

The Pink Shell tried to open its mouth, but Kuro used its front paw to force it closed.

The Pink Shell couldn’t open its mouth anymore.

"Milk, use magic. Pink Shells are weak to fire, right?"

"Oh, right. Release: Fire Bullet."

Milk, who had been stunned, regained her composure and cast the spell.

The Pink Shell turned into a roasted shell and died, turning into a D-coin.

Incidentally, I defeated the Sahagin.

It dropped a D-coin and a bright red coral hair accessory.

"The bright red coral hair accessory increases defense by 1%. It’s supposed to be rare, but to get it on the first try, that’s typical of Taira."

1% increase.

In games, such percentage-based defensive gear might seem unreliable at first, but it can become a valuable item that you can use until the end.

"By the way, Hime, can you lend us magical equipment like that?"

"I have a collection of magical items from my dad, so I can bring them if you need them."

Milk said.

Given that Usuzou had stockpiled a lot of D-cans, it’s likely he had a lot of such items.

"Right now, you don’t need something like a growth ring or a magic recovery ring, do you? I’ve seen many people fail because they mistook the power of their equipment for their own. If you think you need it, I’ll lend it to you, but for now, try to rely on your own strength."

Hime said something that hit home.

In my case, it’s not the equipment but the skills that I mistake for my own power.

For Ayame, who relies on equipment, this must have been even more painful to hear.

"So, Hime, you don’t use any magical items or equipment?"

"Yes, I probably won’t start using them until the tenth floor."

"Got it. But since you fight on the front lines, you should at least have this. Coral is the birthstone for March, and it has the gemstone meaning of intelligence."

I said this and gave Hime the coral hair accessory, which seemed to surprise her.

"Why does Taira know about birthstones and gemstone meanings?"

"My brother is a gemstone salesperson, so I had to learn about gems..."

Thanks to that, I’ve accumulated a lot of trivia about gems.

It would be nice if this kind of knowledge could be used in school.

"Taira, what’s the birthstone for May, by the way?"

"Um, what about April?"

When asked, I couldn’t help but laugh.

"What’s so funny?"

"Well, the birthstone for April is not only diamond but also morganite, a light red gem. The birthstone for May is emerald and jade. The colors are the opposite of yours, that’s all."

Ayame, born in April, has green hair, and Milk, born in May, has peach-colored hair.

"Does that mean it doesn’t suit us?"

"I didn’t say that. Gems were born to meet cute girls, so they can’t possibly not suit you."

That’s what my brother told me as a sales pitch.

Wait, something’s off with their expressions.

That line, if said by a handsome brother, might be fine, but coming from an ordinary guy like me, it’s too cheesy, and they’re trying not to laugh?

"Taira, next year’s birthday present is going to be a challenge, isn’t it?"

Hime said this while putting on the coral hair accessory.

Milk and Kuro stayed on the fifth floor.

We continued to the seventh floor.

There are a lot of similar monsters, like advanced Sahagins and Blue Lizardmen.

I thought the dungeon had a limited repertoire, but then a flying fish appeared.

It’s called an Air Fish and shoots water guns.

This is quite troublesome, and it hurts when it hits.

Milk, with her defense, could potentially get seriously injured.

"I’ll take care of it."

"I’ll help too."

The two of them took down the Air Fish quite easily.

If they can handle this, the seventh floor shouldn’t be a problem.

I parted ways with them and headed to the eighth floor alone.

Recently, I’ve been adventuring with Kuro, so it’s been a while since I explored the dungeon solo.

There’s something I want on this floor.

It seems that’s why Hime chose this place for the training camp.

I need to put in some effort and work hard.

Low Fantasy has become the number one on the monthly ranking!

Thanks to everyone! Thank you!