Chapter 2

The entrance to the nearest dungeon from my house is on the embankment of a river at the border with the neighboring prefecture. I cycled for about twenty minutes to get there.

Near the entrance to the dungeon, there are several special facilities. I entered one of them, a small building with a sign that read "Dungeon Comprehensive Information."

"Welcome. This is the information center for explorers."

The receptionist at the counter gave a business smile. I showed her the pattern that had appeared on the back of my right hand.

"I became an explorer this morning. I want to enter the dungeon, but what about the procedures?"

"In that case, you'll need to register as an explorer first. Please fill out your address, name, phone number, and so on here."

I received the form, filled it out, and then went through a few tests and a brief orientation. It took about twenty minutes, and I was given a temporary license. Apparently, if I bring a photo later, I can get a proper license.

"If you don't have any weapons or armor yet, I recommend you buy the minimum equipment at the armory."

"I'll stop by after this. Thank you."

I thanked the staff and left the information center. Next, I went to the "Dungeon Armory" nearby.

The armory was filled with weapons and armor, each with a price tag.

I went to the area marked "Beginner's Corner" and started looking at the items. By the way, I only have 10,000 yen in my wallet right now.

The cheapest weapon on display is a "Dagger" for 5,000 yen. It's a large knife about the size of a kitchen knife, with a tag that says "Category: Dagger," "Equipment Slot: One Hand," and "Attack Power: 5."

The next cheapest is a "Short Spear" for 8,000 yen. It's a spear about my height, with a tag that says "Category: Spear," "Equipment Slot: One Hand," and "Attack Power: 6."

The next is a "Hand Axe" for 11,000 yen. It's a small axe, with a tag that says "Category: Axe," "Equipment Slot: One Hand," and "Attack Power: 7." However, it's too expensive for me to buy.

There were other weapons like "Short Sword," "Broad Sword," "Rapier," and "Battle Axe," but they all cost more than 10,000 yen.

I also looked at the armor.

The cheapest is a "Wooden Shield" for 4,000 yen. It's a wooden shield about 50 cm in diameter with a metal frame, with a tag that says "Equipment Slot: One Hand" and "Defense Power: 2."

The next cheapest is a "Leather Helm" for 6,000 yen. It's a leather helmet, with a tag that says "Equipment Slot: Head" and "Defense Power: 2."

The cheapest armor is a "Leather Armor" for 12,000 yen. It's a leather armor that protects the torso, with a tag that says "Equipment Slot: Torso" and "Defense Power: 5."

"Welcome, young man. Is this your first dungeon exploration today?"

As I was looking at the weapons and armor in the beginner's corner, a tough-looking bald man approached me. He seems to be a staff member of the armory. Despite his intimidating appearance, he gave me a friendly smile.

"Yes, I became an explorer this morning and thought I'd try exploring the dungeon. – What do these 'Attack Power' and 'Defense Power' mean?"

"Ah, those are the values that appear when you use the [Item Appraisal] skill. We don't know much about the details of the values yet, but they can be useful when you're buying items."

"Are 'Category' and 'Equipment Slot' also shown when you use that skill?"

"Right. If you have weapon-related skills, it's good to check the 'Category.' – By the way, have you already used your initial skill points?"

"No, I haven't."

"In that case, it's a good idea to check the list of skills you can learn before buying a weapon."

So, I called up my status and navigated to the "Skill Acquisition" page. I know how to do this intuitively.

▼ Skills You Can Learn (All cost 1 skill point)

● Weapons

• Spear Attack Power Up (+2)

● Magic

• Rock Bullet

• Protection

• Earth Heal

● General

• Strength Up (+1)

• Endurance Up (+1)

• Agility Up (+1)

• Magic Power Up (+1)

• HP Up (Endurance × 4)

• MP Up (Magic Power × 4)

• Mapping

• Stealth

• Awareness

"The only weapon-related skill on the list of skills I can learn is [Spear Attack Power Up (+2)]."

"Hmm, so your specialty weapon is the 'spear.' If you have even one type of weapon-related skill, you have the potential to excel in weapon combat. Each time you learn a skill, the next level is unlocked, like (+4), (+6), and so on. The upper limit varies from person to person, with some reaching (+10) and others reaching (+20)."

"Is it possible to have no weapon-related skills at all?"

"Yes, some people don't have any weapon-related skills or magic. In that case, exploring the deeper levels of the dungeon becomes quite challenging. In that sense, you're lucky."

According to the orientation, the list of skills you can learn is unique to each explorer.

In my case, I can learn [Spear Attack Power Up (+2)], but it could also be [Dagger], [Axe], [Sword], or no weapon-related skills at all.

Additionally, there is an element of "unlocking" new skills in the skill list.

Certain skills can unlock new skills, and there is also the possibility of unlocking new skills when you reach a certain level.

In any case,

I decided to buy the "Short Spear" for 8,000 yen. My 10,000 yen was quickly reduced to 2,000 yen.

"Actually, I'd like to have a 'HP Potion' as insurance, but I only have 2,000 yen left."

"I see that you can learn the healing magic [Earth Heal] from the list of skills you can learn. That's quite lucky. I think it's a good idea to learn healing magic first."

So, I immediately operated my status and learned the [Earth Heal] magic. The [Earth Heal] magic was displayed in the "Skills" section of my status.

"Thank you very much. I'm going to head to the dungeon now."

"Right, be careful. The monsters in the first floor, [Kobolds], aren't very strong, but don't let your guard down. Especially when you encounter more than one, it can be troublesome."

I bowed to the staff at the armory and left the store, heading toward the entrance to the dungeon.

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