9 Entering the Dungeon for the First Time!
Chapter 9 - Entering the Dungeon for the First Time!
"I wonder if I should ask someone for directions..."
Upon exiting, Torajirou Shiro realized he did not know the location of the Adventurer's Guild but felt too embarrassed to just turn back after leaving so confidently.
While walking, he noticed an elf with green hair, dressed in a maid outfit, moving things in the distance, making him ponder the unique blend of modern and retro styles.
Is this a feature of another world?
Noticing Torajirou Shiro's gaze, the elf turned to face him.
"Do you need some help? Why are you staring at me like that?"
Realizing his rudeness, Torajirou Shiro quickly explained his situation.
"I'm a new adventurer who just joined a familia, but I don't know where the guild is. I saw you and thought about asking..."
The elf nodded, "Hold on for a moment."
After she moved her goods into a tavern named Hostess of Fertility, she came out and said, "Follow me."
"Eh?" Shiro was puzzled.
"I'll take you to the Adventurer's Guild," The elf girl neatly replied.
…
Northwest street,
Near the central square, there is a huge building where the headquarters of the Adventurer's Guild is located.
Inside, countless adventurers were exchanging information, some pondering tasks suitable for them at the guild's notice board, others converting their day's harvest into money, but most were exchanging intelligence.
In the dungeon, information is vital, such as knowing when monsters in the dungeon are rioting.
Without this knowledge, venturing into the dungeon is like entrusting one's life to the 'unknown'.
"Thank you, Ryuu-san, I'll definitely visit the tavern where you work next time," Torajirou Shiro learned the green-haired elf's name, Ryuu Lion, on the way here.
Ryuu just nodded and left after bringing him here, seemingly not too fond of this place.
Seeing Torajirou Shiro's novice adventurer look, nearby adventurers gave him kind smiles or looked down on him, imagining his handsome face terror-stricken by monsters.
Torajirou Shiro nodded back to those who were kind and ignored the malicious ones, heading straight for the counter.
"Hello, I'm here to register as a new adventurer."
The half-elf woman with glasses, brown hair, and green eyes at the reception was named Eina Tulle.
"Please fill out this form."
Torajirou Shiro looked at the form, which required details like name, age, birthplace, current adventurer level, and the familia he joined.
After filling it out, Eina curiously looked at Torajirou Shiro's form.
"Torajirou Shiro, that's a nice name. Eh? Are you from Loki Familia!"
She exclaimed, suddenly raising her voice by several decibels, causing a momentary silence around, which was quickly filled with the whispers of other adventurers.
"Loki Familia, huh? They haven't taken in new members for a long time."
"Yeah, the last one was that elf, right?"
"It looks like they've got another newbie with good potential."
Similar comments kept reaching Torajirou Shiro's ears.
"Yes."
Torajirou Shiro was not surprised by the reactions; Loki had already mentioned that her familia was considered one of the top in Orario, not just anyone could join.
He knew joining the Loki Familia would inevitably attract attention from others.
"By the way, Torajirou-kun, is this your first time entering the dungeon?"
"The seniors of our familia haven't returned, so Loki asked me to explore the dungeon on my own."
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Torajirou Shiro felt that the elf girl's demeanor became much more imposing after he spoke, even giving him a sense of psychological pressure.
"How could she! She's supposed to be your goddess! Doesn't she realize that careless talk makes new adventurers reckless, putting them in danger? Please remember, the Dungeon is a dangerous place!"
Eina began lecturing Torajirou Shiro, who felt overwhelmed by her worries.
"Torajirou-kun! Remember, the one thing an adventurer must not do is be reckless!"
Pressured by the half-elf receptionist's gaze, Torajirou Shiro quickly nodded in agreement.
After a few minutes of intense counseling, Eina finally let him go.
After leaving the Adventurer's Guild, Torajirou Shiro headed to the armor shop Eina had recommended.
Loki had given him a few ten thousand valis bills as starting capital.
Torajirou Shiro spent a few thousand on basic potions and about ten thousand on a set of leather armor that wouldn't hinder his agility, plus a map from the guild.
After purchasing his equipment, Torajirou Shiro couldn't wait to visit the Tower of Babel, where the entrance to the dungeon was located.
The history of the dungeon was almost unknown to anyone other than maybe the gods.
It was originally a huge hole from which monsters emerged, threatening people on the surface.
Before the descent of the gods, humans built the predecessor of the Tower of Babel to welcome the gods and suppress the monsters emerging from the dungeon.
However, the descent of the gods, like falling stars, destroyed the original structure, leaving the gods laughing at the disheartened mortals.
To compensate, the gods built the current Tower of Babel above the hole, acting as a lid to suppress the monsters coming out of the dungeon.
In Orario, the tall Tower of Babel is visible to all residents.
The first floor of the tower has over a dozen entrances. Upstairs are shops and the gods' residence, while downstairs leads to the dungeon entrance.
The wide and endless road connects the caves on the ground, with a height of about 10 meters.
A slow spiral staircase that extends from the broad cylinder to the first floor of the dungeon.
Following other adventurers, Torajirou Shiro descended the silver spiral staircase.
Not long into his observation of the dungeon scenery, a monster emerged from the wall.
Holding a wooden stick in his hand, it undoubtedly looked like a goblin that often appears in most RPGs.
"Grrrr!!!"
The goblin roared and charged at Torajirou Shiro, wildly swinging its stick.
Torajirou Shiro easily dodged the goblin's attack, summoning his sword and stabbing the goblin in the head.
With a "plop," the goblin fell down.
Torajirou Shiro leaned down and used his knife to dig out a purple stone from the goblin's corpse.
This was a "Magic Stone."
Adventurers relied on magic stones as their main source of income. They could exchange these at the Guild counter for valis, which the Guild then used to create everyday items like magic lamps.
Weighing the magic stone in his hand, Torajirou Shiro placed it inside his card, then took out the map bought from the guild and continued deeper, following the guild's advice that level 1 adventurers could explore up to the 12th floor, known as the "upper floors."
The first to fourth floors cater to adventurers with ability values I to H rank, fifth to seventh for G to F rank, eighth to tenth for E to C rank, and the remaining eleventh to twelfth for B to S rank.
The last two levels vary widely because not everyone can reach S rank in their basic abilities, and those who do are considered elite.
For Torajirou Shiro, facing level 2 monsters was manageable, but monsters don't come one by one for a fair fight.
Venturing recklessly beyond the 13th floor and getting surrounded by level 2 monsters would be dangerous, so he planned to return before reaching the 12th floor.
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