Chapter 5

For now, let's start the interaction.

Yūri was pulled back from the sea of thoughts when a particularly loud scream of a monster's death came from behind. Ah, maybe the battle is over. While thinking such a carefree thought, Yūri peeked into the room from the corridor. Inside the stone room, the members of "Crimson Lynx" whom he had seen earlier were putting away their weapons and wiping their sweat lightly. It seemed that they had indeed finished safely.

Well then, let's greet them. Just as Yūri was about to take a step forward, he noticed "it" and couldn't help but scream from the bottom of his stomach.

"Everyone, move to the wall!"

At his scream, the members of "Crimson Lynx" moved to the wall as if they were sticking to it, surprised but with good reflexes. The next moment, the ceiling fell towards the center of the room with a crash. It wasn't really the ceiling, but a suspended ceiling, a typical trap. If they had stayed there, they would have been skewered without a doubt.

A loud thud shook the ground, followed by the sound of chains being wound up. If you looked closely, the suspended ceiling returned to its original position as if nothing had happened, reverting to a normal stone ceiling. ...Dungeon traps are basically brutal. If Yūri hadn't shouted, the members of "Crimson Lynx" would have been crushed under the suspended ceiling by now.

"...We're saved, but... Who are you, kid?"

"...Um, I'm lost. Nice to meet you."

The one who asked on behalf of the group was a young man with a shaved head. With a shaved head and an eye patch over his right eye, he looked incredibly tough and intimidating. However, upon closer inspection, his facial features and gaze were intellectual and calm. His irises seemed to change color to a rainbow hue depending on the light, a mysterious pair of eyes.

The young man with the shaved head was the only one looking at Yūri, who called himself "lost," with a suspicious eye. The other four approached Yūri, thanking him verbally. They patted his head and shook his hand vigorously, welcoming him wholeheartedly. ...Well, since they had narrowly escaped death, Yūri was their savior in their eyes.

Yūri had noticed the suspended ceiling trap thanks to his skill, "God's Eye." It was a brutal trap that activated when a monster was defeated. The part of the ceiling that would fall had flashed red, indicating danger, in sync with the monster's disappearance. Understanding the danger, Yūri had shouted for them to move to the wall, out of the trap's range.

He still didn't fully understand what kind of cheat his skill was, but it was definitely a cheat. Normally, it wouldn't be possible to understand a trap so perfectly with appraisal. Well, maybe it was possible, but the appraisers Yūri knew weren't that good. Yūri thought his skill was too much of a cheat.

"My name is Ali. I'm the leader of the clan 'Crimson Lynx.' Thanks for saving us. What's your name? What do you mean by 'lost'?"

"My name is Yūri. Actually, I found myself in a room deeper in here..."

"...Maybe you were blown away by a transfer trap."

"...Probably."

Actually, Yūri had been transferred from another world, but he kept that to himself. He wasn't sure how much he should tell them. In typical stories about being transferred to another world, the first people you meet are usually good people, but he thought it was better to be cautious. ...It wasn't for nothing that he had lived a lonely life at the bottom of the school hierarchy for a long time. He would at least be cautious.

Ali was staring at Yūri intently, perhaps trying to assess him. At that moment, Yūri felt a prickling sensation. It was similar to static electricity but slightly unpleasant. Frowning, he shook his head as if to shake it off.

At that moment, Ali's eyes widened in surprise, and he grabbed Yūri by the collar, moving him to a place where the others couldn't hear.

Wow, these people from another world are strong. Yūri, who was thinking such a carefree thought, tilted his head at Ali's serious expression. He had no idea what the young man with the shaved head was concerned about. ...Well, Yūri was indeed a mysterious lost person of unknown origin.

"...Who are you?"

"...Just a lost person?"

"...What's your job?"

"...An appraiser."

"Lie!"

Yūri groaned in pain as Ali smacked him on the head. He had been hit hard. It was a relief that it was an open-handed slap, but if it had been a closed fist, it would have been much worse. Glancing at his status, Yūri wanted to cry. After all, that one hit had reduced his HP by half. It was a terrible situation.

To be honest, his stats were at the bottom of the barrel. Well, it couldn't be helped since his level was 1. Also, his student uniform seemed to have a divine blessing, but its level was ∞, and it didn't seem to increase his defense much. After all, it had hurt normally.

Yūri looked at Ali with teary eyes. The young man with the shaved head looked a bit embarrassed at the sight of Yūri, who was looking up at him with teary eyes like a small animal. He apologized for hitting him but continued to press for answers.

"...Kid, can you see my status?"

"...Huh?"

Tilting his head, Yūri focused his attention on Ali. As expected, the status screen appeared. As usual, it appeared with a "boon" sound, which felt like an online game. Despite the carefree thought, he nodded when he saw it clearly.

...By the way, Yūri wanted to note that he was trying to be cautious, but his natural personality was carefree and optimistic.

The moment Yūri nodded, Ali looked up to the sky. If he had to describe it, it was an "Oh my God" atmosphere. In Japanese, it would probably be closest to "What a disaster." Yūri, who didn't understand the meaning, tilted his head, but Ali seemed even more deflated at the sight.

"...There's no way you're an appraiser if you can see my status. Appraisal skills can't see the status of someone higher than you."

Yūri felt like he had messed up. Despite trying to be cautious, he had stepped on a landmine himself. From Ali's comment, Yūri realized that Ali either had a rare appraisal skill or was at a high level. The fact that Yūri could easily see Ali's status revealed that he was an exceptional existence, and Yūri slumped in disappointment. He felt the sound of his peace and tranquility slipping away.

"...Anyway, we'll check the details later. We're leaving the dungeon together."

"...Huh?"

"You're lost, right? It feels wrong to leave a life-saving, battle-inexperienced person behind. ...And it seems troublesome to leave it unchecked."

"Okay, thank you very much."

Yūri responded with a playful salute, and Ali sighed deeply. Despite his intimidating appearance with a shaved head and an eye patch, he seemed to be a good-natured and sensitive person. Or rather, a person with common sense. Anyway, Yūri was relieved that he might be able to get some information. Honestly, if he had been treated like a monster and left behind, he wouldn't have known what to do. After all, he couldn't fight monsters, and he had no food, so he would either be killed by monsters or starve to death. He probably wouldn't fall into traps, though.

In the end, Yūri decided to leave the dungeon with Ali's companions. When asked why he was lost, he was told that there were traps that moved between dungeons, so it might be because of that. It wasn't that, but he vaguely agreed. When asked about his origin, he answered that he was from Japan, but when they looked puzzled, he said he was from a small country on the border. It wasn't wrong.

"Still, Yūri's appearance is unusual."

The one who spoke with a smile was the martial artist girl, Rerai.

A red-haired, short-haired girl with golden eyes. Her eyes sometimes narrowed like a cat's, and when Yūri tilted his head, she told him she was of beastkin descent. Her father was a cat beastkin. ...Yūri thought he could see it in her status, but he didn't want to invade her privacy, and Ali had told him not to look without permission. He wanted to ask why Ali could look at his status, but when he was told it was for verification, he couldn't argue.

...Apparently, it was rare for anyone to notice Ali's appraisal. In other words, Ali was at a high level. Recalling the skill he had seen just now, Yūri thought it was pretty strong. By the way, Ali's job was an Authenticator. From the name, Yūri guessed it had something to do with discerning authenticity.

"Is it unusual? In my hometown, students usually dress like this."

"Student? Is Yūri rich?"

"No. In my hometown, children are basically students. They study before they start working."

The one who asked in surprise was the swordsman, Brook.

A cool-looking handsome young man with green hair and black eyes. He had a Western samurai vibe, not a knight. His aura was somewhat samurai-like, but his appearance was Western. It was as if a knight's appearance and a samurai's inner self were mixed.

"Wow. I thought only the rich could go to school."

"Well, as the saying goes, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.'"

"...What's that?"

"It means that customs and meanings differ from place to place."

"Yūri is smart. No wonder, since you go to school!"

The one who praised him was the thief, Kouresh. His nickname was Koule.

He was the youngest of the group, and when asked, he was about the same age as Yūri. Because of this, Koule felt a sense of familiarity and was very interested in Yūri. With his orange eyes wide open, he asked various questions, and Yūri answered with a smile.

...Koule turned out to be quite sociable.

"Still, you were unlucky to be so far from your homeland."

"...Yeah... But I met kind people like you, so I guess I was lucky."

"Hehe. We were lucky too. Thanks to Yūri, we didn't die."

"I'm glad I could help."

The one who patted Yūri's head and smiled was the archer, Frau.

She had a dignified and regal presence, the kind of woman you'd call a "boss lady." She had her navy hair tied in a tight ponytail, and her brown eyes were sharp, though not fox-like. Just dignified. ...Yūri thought to himself that if she wore traditional Japanese clothing, she would definitely look like a boss lady in a yakuza movie, but he kept it to himself.

In this way, Yūri was quite well-received by the group and walked through the dungeon with them. When monsters appeared, "Crimson Lynx" took care of them. Yūri occasionally pointed out traps they hadn't noticed. It was like that.

Thus, Yūri managed to get companions in this new world.

Companions were secured.

It seems that the "Luck ∞" stat is working.

Looking forward to your comments and feedback.