Chapter 3

After having breakfast at the inn, I took Yuel, who seemed unsatisfied, to a tavern for another breakfast, and then headed for the dungeon.

Yuel really eats a lot.

Now I have a little over 500 zeni left.

If I don’t earn enough in the dungeon today, things will get pretty bad.

I won’t last a day.

It’s getting dangerous.

If I don’t make any money, I might have to sell Yuel.

After giving Yuel a bath, she looked completely different, beautiful.

Her dull gray hair, which reached her waist, had turned into the shiny silver hair characteristic of dark elves.

Perhaps because she had just eaten, her complexion had improved somewhat, and her lips were dyed a rosy red.

With her wounds healed and no longer looking dirty, Yuel could be called a beautiful girl.

Now, there would probably be demand for her as a pet, and if I resold her to a slave trader, I could get a million zeni.

Although she is a bit thin and still a child, I think she has more than enough market value.

—Should I sell her now?

A million zeni would allow me to live for about 1,250 days in an inn without a bath, with three meals a day.

Yuel is still a child and not my type, and I don’t have much attachment to her since I just bought her yesterday.

If I’m going to sell her, now is the time.

Moreover, with the money from selling Yuel, I could buy multiple male skill users and live off their earnings.

I glanced at Yuel, who was walking diagonally behind me.

She was smiling happily, her eyes meeting mine.

Smile.

Yuel, whose eyes met mine, beamed with joy.

I can’t do it.

How can I bring such a girl, who smiles so innocently, to despair?

It’s a smile like that of a child looking at their parent, so pure.

My conscience is harshly condemning me for even considering selling her just a moment ago.

This smile is unbearable.

A strong sense of guilt.

Just making eye contact makes me feel embarrassed.

Feeling tormented by guilt, we arrived at the center of the dungeon city, the entrance to the dungeon.

In this city, when people talk about the dungeon, they mean this one, which has no special name.

If we were to call it something, it would probably be the Melharts Dungeon.

This “dungeon” is exactly like a dungeon in a game.

The Melharts Dungeon has over a hundred floors, each of which is roamed by monsters.

The monsters get stronger and more diverse the deeper you go.

When you defeat a monster, it drops a magic stone and sometimes materials.

The monster’s body disappears immediately upon death, leaving behind a magic stone and occasionally materials.

It’s quite convenient, but there are various theories about why this is so, such as the dungeon being a trial given by a god or the dungeon being a living being that is convenient for attracting many prey, though the actual reason is unknown.

Incidentally, magic stones are said to have various uses, such as being materials for magic items or catalysts for magic.

There are also stories of rare drops and treasure chests that offer the chance to get rich quickly.

In short, what you need to know is that you can earn money by defeating monsters.

The deeper you go, the better the quality and quantity of magic stones and materials, and the more money you can earn.

You should search for treasure chests with all your might.

That’s it.

In front of the dungeon, which is actually a large box-shaped building, there were quite a few people even though it was early morning.

That building is the city’s adventurer guild, and the entrance to the dungeon is inside.

Inside, the reception area is lined with counters like a city hall, with various windows for new registrations, magic stone purchases, material purchases, and so on.

First, I went to the new registration counter and registered as an adventurer.

This involved writing my name on a registration form, receiving a brief warning, and borrowing a “certain bracelet.”

The warning was basically that you must sell magic stones to the adventurer guild, not fight with other adventurers, and be careful not to die.

The bracelet has three spells cast on it: an “item box spell,” a “spell to detect murder,” and a “spell that reacts to the magic in the dungeon and makes it impossible to remove.”

The item box spell allows you to store items, which is essential for adventurers who collect magic stones and materials while fighting.

The murder detection spell reacts when an adventurer commits murder inside the dungeon, and in the past, there were frequent incidents of ambushes, robberies, and murders inside the dungeon.

Wearing the bracelet is mandatory at the dungeon entrance, and it cannot be removed once inside the dungeon.

This bracelet is a symbol of adventurers, a convenient item box, and a collar that disciplines adventurers.

“Master, this is exciting!”

Yuel, wearing the bracelet, said with a beaming smile.

Her excitement and anticipation were palpable in her smile.

What is this feeling?

It seems familiar.

Ah, that’s it.

It’s like a child pulling their parent’s hand and saying, “Hurry up, hurry up!” in front of an amusement park.

But we’re going to a dungeon infested with vicious monsters.

It’s a place where you might die.

If Yuel is enjoying this, she must be very confident in her skills.

Or perhaps she thinks that her kind and gentle master wouldn’t take her to a dangerous place.

If that’s the case, I feel a lot of guilt.

I’m starting to feel like I can’t take it anymore mentally.

But I have to take her because my livelihood depends on it.

It seems she was very confident in her skills.

Yuel, leaning forward almost to the ground, sprinted into the dungeon with a knife in each hand.

Ahead were two goblins, the monsters of the third floor of the Melharts Dungeon.

Goblins are about the size of a human child, with strong muscles despite their small stature, making them dangerous even for adults when faced with multiple at once.

Yuel easily dodged the goblin’s club and, as she slipped past, slashed its arm.

The goblin dropped its club.

It seems she had cut the tendons on the inside of its arm.

She also doded the attack of the other goblin by twisting her upper body as she ran past.

Yuel circled behind the goblins and aimed for the neck of the uninjured one, the one on the right from my perspective.

While she couldn’t decapitate it with her short knife, she cleanly slit its artery from behind.

The goblin, spewing blood and losing the light in its eyes, collapsed.

Without a second glance, Yuel turned to the goblin she had slashed earlier and stabbed its eye with her knife.

Gross.

The goblin, its brain likely pierced by the knife, crumpled to the ground.

“Instant kill on the goblins...”

Yuel, twelve years old.

By the way, Yuel’s age is apparently twelve, as she looks.

I had considered the possibility that dark elves, despite looking like children, could be hundreds of years old, but it seems that even elves and dark elves, who are said to have long lifespans, grow like humans until around fifteen years old.

So, Yuel is twelve years old.

Impressive, strong.

Not like a child’s movements.

Her dodges and attacks are sharp and precise.

She instantly killed the Fangrabbit on the first floor and the Salt Puppet on the second floor, and even the goblins on the third floor were no match for her.

And she’s not even in top condition, which makes her even more impressive.

Impressive.

The goblin’s corpse turned into particles of light and dissolved into the air.

“Master! How was it?”

Yuel, who had picked up the goblin’s magic stone and dropped club, ran over, eager for praise.

Her elf ears twitched, and she looked up at me with expectant eyes, like a dog eager for a treat.

I had no choice but to pet her.

“Good job, Yuel. You’re amazing.”

As I stroked her silver hair, Yuel smiled happily.

It was soothing.

Yuel was indeed a great find.

To be honest, I only expected her to be able to hold her own against the weakest monsters on the first floor, the Fangrabbits.

She’s still a child.

Fangrabbits are rabbit-like monsters with sharp fangs that drop rabbit meat.

They are the weakest in the dungeon, about the size of a regular rabbit.

You almost never receive fatal injuries unless they bite your throat, but they are fast and hard to hit.

However, Yuel accurately stabbed the Fangrabbit under its chin as it pounced.

She killed every Fangrabbit with one hit and cleared the first floor without a scratch.

The Salt Puppets on the second floor are humanoid monsters made of salt, which drop salt blocks.

They move slowly and aren’t very strong, but they are tough because they lack vital points.

I thought it would take Yuel some time to defeat them, but as the Salt Puppet swung its arm, Yuel had already swung her knives five times.

She sliced the Salt Puppet like a dual-sword user in a hunting game, and the battle was over in about twenty seconds.

She cleared the second floor without a scratch.

And now, the third floor, the goblins.

Goblins are stronger and faster than Salt Puppets.

They sometimes carry weapons like clubs or knives.

Unlike the previous monsters, they can be deadly in a one-on-one fight.

However, Yuel defeated them both without a scratch.

The only problem is that I haven’t done anything.

Yuel doesn’t get hurt.

Not that I want her to get hurt, but I haven’t used any healing magic since entering the dungeon.

I have no value.

Not only in combat, but Yuel is also the one exploring and keeping watch.

Dark elves are somewhat sensitive to presence, though not as much as beastmen.

I just follow Yuel, watch her impressive battles, and pet her when she runs over for praise.

I’m basically a freeloader.

Well, as a master and slave, this relationship isn’t wrong, but it feels like I’m doing something really wrong when I look at it objectively.

I guess I have a role in case of emergencies, but I could just use a healing potion, and Yuel could explore alone.

All the income goes into my pocket.

From Yuel’s expression, she seems happy, so maybe this is fine