Chapter 8

After finishing lunch, I returned to the dungeon entrance once again.

Kotachi is with me.

It seems she also intended to explore the dungeon.

In other words, there was no need to worry.

It was perfectly normal for me to team up with Kotachi and explore the dungeon this afternoon.

So, Kotachi and I decided to form a temporary party for a trial run.

However, considering that I was only level 3 with little experience, it might be dangerous to dive straight into the third floor. We decided to explore the second floor together as a warm-up.

At the equipment check-in counter, we retrieved our gear and put it on.

I only had a spear, but Kotachi had a leather armor and two short swords, which was a somewhat high-spec setup.

But I still had room to enhance my equipment.

I asked Kotachi and headed to the armory first.

"Hey, what's up, bro? You know Kotachi-chan?"

When we entered the armory with Kotachi, the bald middle-aged shopkeeper greeted us.

Before I could answer, Kotachi replied.

"No, this is our first meeting. We just ran into each other a little while ago, and I called out to her. Then, in the conversation, she asked if I could join her party, and we're going to try exploring the second floor together."

"Hmm. I heard you can use [Earth Heal]. You'd be a promising addition to a party."

"Right, right. I'll show you how useful I can be during today's exploration."

"Well, even just adding another member can make a difference. –So, what did you come to buy?"

"Oh, that's me. I think the Wood Shield costs 4,000 yen, so I'll buy it since I have the money."

So, I spent 4,000 yen out of my meager budget, which had increased to 4,880 yen, to buy the Wood Shield. My remaining balance is now 880 yen.

By the way, I decided to keep my living expenses, like ramen, separate from my dungeon budget.

I came prepared to invest 10,000 yen initially, but if I keep putting in more without limits, my regular life will be in trouble.

Anyway, now I have a spear in my right hand and a shield in my left.

Wearing no armor and just a weapon and a shield makes me look like a barbarian. Just my opinion, though.

With the shopping done, we left the armory.

This time, we headed to the dungeon.

Kotachi and I boarded the magic circle and teleported into the dungeon.

After entering the dungeon, I remembered something I hadn't done yet.

"Right, I haven't taken a skill yet. Can you wait a moment, Kotachi?"

"Sure, take your time."

I hadn't used the skill points I gained when I reached level 3.

I opened my status board and moved to the skill acquisition screen.

I looked at the list of available skills and pondered.

Several strong candidates came to mind in my head.

One was [Spear Attack Power Up (+2)], which I hadn't taken despite buying a spear.

From what the shopkeeper said about how explorers with this skill can excel in weapon combat, I inferred it must be a strong skill.

Another was [Rock Bullet], a ranged attack spell.

In most encounters, there's usually a bit of distance before close combat, so having a ranged attack would increase my attack options and give me a significant advantage. However, it consumes MP, which would reduce the number of times I can use [Earth Heal].

Another was [HP Up (Endurance × 4)].

Without any skills, my HP is "Endurance × 3," so this would increase my HP by more than 30%.

In other words, it's purely strong.

Another was [Presence Detection].

This skill allows you to detect the presence of monsters and other entities.

While the extent of its effect is unknown, it could help avoid ambushes or create opportunities to ambush others, making it a potentially strong skill.

Well, what should I do?

Maybe I should ask for the opinion of a more experienced dungeon explorer.

I consulted Kotachi about the skills I could acquire.

After hearing the four options I was considering, she thought for a moment and replied.

"First of all, which skill you take is your decision, and you should make it yourself. However, I can say for sure that I already have [Presence Detection], so if we're in a party together, the effect would overlap. If you're planning to team up with me, its priority would be lower."

"I see."

"But if you're planning to explore solo, it's definitely a good skill, so take that into consideration."

Yeah, that just made it more complicated.

Oh well.

There doesn't seem to be a perfect answer, so I'll just decide on a whim.

I decided to take [HP Up (Endurance × 4)] based on my intuition.

Since I'm going to explore unknown and dangerous areas with a high-level explorer, it's wise to have a larger safety margin.

This increased my HP from "27/27" to "36/36."

It's a nice touch that the current value increases to the maximum when the maximum value increases.

"Sorry for the wait. I'm done."

"Got it! Let's go then. The stairs to the second floor are this way."

Kotachi headed down the left path from the first large room.

I followed the experienced explorer who was leading the way.

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