On another bright morning in the town of Iveleth, a place bustling with adventurers, Laos woke up as the sunlight smacked his face. He turned his head away, but he couldn't go back to sleep. So, he opened his eyes and stretched. That's when he spotted Maris sitting in front of him, counting coins. After rubbing his eyes, he muttered:
"What's up?"
"Oh, good morning. Let me see your wound." Maris said, putting the coins aside and staring at Laos' thigh, which still had a moist wound.
"Oh yeah, it hasn't healed completely."
"Heallisial," Maris whispered gently.
A glowing green aura covered Laos' wound, and smoothly, the wound closed up and hardened slightly. He touched the newly formed scab after the healing, then got out of bed and started moving his left leg. While he was doing these movements, Maris spoke:
"We have five nova and twenty-one bils."
"Laos..." Maris murmured.
"What is it?"
"You overworked yourself a lot yesterday. Killing ten goblins... I mean, you're pushing yourself too hard."
"Of course, I am. I'm the man of this family, and we desperately need money. Not only that, but I'll keep going until we pay off that damn debt," Laos replied.
"So, what should we do with the money now?"
"We'll spend the twenty-one on breakfast. After that, we'll lose ninety-nine bils for renting the room, leaving us with... Uhh... four nova and one bil."
"So, what quest will you take today?" Maris asked, watching Laos' serious expression.
"I don't know. I'll check at the guild," Laos answered.
After that, just like any other day, they went downstairs for breakfast, and after a while, they headed to the guild. It seemed Laos was starting to take things far more seriously than before. He could only see one goal in front of him: repaying his debt. His struggle against the goblins yesterday had finally made him understand what adventuring truly was—and the necessity of spilling blood, though he still hadn't realized how much it had affected him.
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Fuck, yesterday was a fucking day. I killed ten goblins. It's not as easy as it seems. It's not exactly like games. Those scenes make me a little pissed off. Fuck them. Goblins are the worst creatures in fantasy. Who the hell came up with these things?! Their movements are fast, and they even seem to think. They're smarter than slimes and those stupid mushroom monsters that just attack based on instinct.
After a while, I spotted Grell and his party, so I summoned the Astral Sword. Well, they were the ones who saved me yesterday and helped me kill ten goblins. I summoned the Astral Sword so they wouldn't see my black hair. I want them to think my white hair is my natural color. Why? Honestly, I don't want them to know I'm a spirit user. That would attract too much attention.
"Hey, Laos!" Penny called out. She was a demi-human thief. She reminded me of Bonnie, but her ears were white, and she was much shorter than her.
"Hey," I replied, shaking hands with each of the three one by one.
"So, we took a quest to collect Stinger horns. What do you think about coming with us? There are a lot of them, so we could use some extra hands," said Grell, the archer.
"Psst, Thalesa, what are Stingers?" I asked in my head.
"Wild rabbits, but they're aggressive and have sharp horns. They're also a bit big, which places them in Tier 2," Thalesa answered.
"Sounds like a good idea, but I really need money. I have to repay a debt to the Lotus Coin Bank. I need nineteen nova," I replied.
"This quest pays ten nova, so if we split the reward between the four of us—" Miro, the muscular one, started to say, but Penny interrupted: "What about Maris? She's part of his party too. We should split the reward among five people."
"No, no, I don't need a share. Just Laos," Maris said. Awesome!
"Two nova and fifty bils each, agreed," Grell said, extending his hand for a handshake.
"Yeah!" I added as I shook his hand as well.
After that, we walked out of Iveleth. My god, this is amazing! I feel a bit excited—I'm starting to look like a real adventurer now. I have a party, and we're heading out to complete our quest. This is so thrilling! Yes, this is the life I always wanted. This is absolutely awesome. My first quest with a party… is about to begin!
"By the way, where can we find stingers?" I asked.
"The southern dungeon, first floor," Penny replied.
"Which village are you from, Laos?" Grell asked.
"Well, I'm an adventurer from Pascal, and on my way here, I was attacked by a group of bandits."
"That's unfortunate," Penny muttered as she walked closer to Maris.
"So, is that sword sold in Pascal?"
"Yeah, it's a great sword. How much did it cost?"
"I don't know. Actually, I got it from my father."
"I see. Well, it's amazing. You were slicing through goblins with just one swing..."
"But that's not enough. Laos, you need armor. Those villager clothes won't help you as an adventurer," Miro added.
"I know. Just after I pay off my debt, I'll start focusing more on the adventurer lifestyle."
After that, we arrived at a place that was slightly crowded with adventurers. It was a rocky hill covered in moss, and right at its center was a dark entrance—the dungeon! Adventurers were coming in and out, some waiting by the entrance, others shouting for help. This is amazing, I'm not gonna lie. The southern dungeon, the first dungeon I've ever seen in my life. This is incredible!
"We're here. Penny, is everything ready?" Grell asked.
"Five healing potions—check. Spare daggers—check. A map of the first three floors—check. Cold water bottles—check," the rabbit-eared girl responded while rummaging through her bag.
"I heard there are dungeons where no one has reached the last floor yet. Is this one of them?" I asked.
"No, that would be the western dungeon," Grell answered.
After that, we left the crowded area and entered the dungeon, beginning our descent! As we moved further away from the entrance, it got a little dark, but we could still see thanks to the torch Miro was holding as he and Grell led the way. Behind me walked Maris, and beside her was Penny. Alright, Laos, forget all those fucking worries you've had before. You're with a full party now. It'd be embarrassing if you messed up!
"Hey, Maris, how many healing spells do you have?" Penny asked with a cheerful smile.
"Only three."
"Oh, you'll be really useful!"
"Thank you."
After that, as we were walking, Grell and Miro suddenly stopped. It looked like they had spotted a monster! They both gripped their weapons, and Penny and I did the same. Then Grell shouted: "Four stingers!"
Miro rushed toward them, trying to crush them with his axe, but damn, they were fast! They were rabbit-like creatures, about the size of a dog, with a small, gleaming horn on their foreheads. Miro quickly raised his shield, blocking their lunges. Meanwhile, Grell managed to take one down with an arrow. They're amazing! I watched the fight closely and noticed that one of them was behind Miro, preparing to strike.
"Water Slash!" I shouted.
I successfully took it down, leaving only two left. Miro stepped back and then kicked the stinger's corpse toward us, shouting: "Penny, get the horn!" What?! Why now?
I rushed toward them and launched another slash, but unfortunately, I missed. Damn, they're way too fast. Then Miro roared as he raised his axe high, bringing it down with full force on one of the stingers. It dodged at the last moment, but the sheer impact of his wild strike still managed to sever one of its legs.
The creature kept crawling forward, bleeding heavily, so Grell seized the opportunity and finished it off with another arrow. That left just one. I stepped forward slightly, but it didn't pay me any attention—it only wanted to attack Miro. My god, Miro really attracts monsters! The last stinger leaped toward him, and Miro swung his iron axe in an attempt to kill it—but he missed. Fuck!
"Water Slash!" I cut it down swiftly, but not before it managed to bite Miro the cross-eyed. Goddamn, my aim is too good!
"Yooh, thanks, Laos," the axe user said as he sat down.
"Laos, that was amazing! How do you cast those spells? Is Water Slash considered a midspell?! I've never heard of it before," Grell asked, amazed.
"Yeah." Well, he doesn't need to know that this was a Spirit ability.
"Maris, heal Miro," Penny said as she plucked the horns from the heads of the slain feral rabbits.
Maris closed the wound, and fortunately, it wasn't too deep. After that, we sat down and drank some cold water. Well, that wasn't a difficult fight. We should keep going, but they sat down to rest. My god, they're acting like they just took down a dragon. Oh, that reminds me!
"What are your ranks, guys?" I asked.
"Miro and I are Porcelain rank, and Penny is Wood," Grell answered.
Fuck, I don't have a ranking system for adventurers memorized. I need to know the order. Oh, right—Thalesa, do you know all ten adventurer ranks in order? Maybe she does.
"I've seen the adventuring world since I partnered with Gaziel in his adventures, and that was a long time ago. Of course, I wouldn't remember," she replied.
"Hey, does anyone know the adventurer ranks?" I asked.
"Hmm, first there's Leaf, then Wood, third is Porcelain, fourth is Bronze, fifth is Silver, sixth is Gold, seventh… remind me, what comes after Gold?" Penny asked.
"Ruby, then Emerald, and the highest rank is Platinum," Grell added.
"Platinum... Is there anyone in Iveleth who reached that rank?" I asked.
"Yeah, only one adventurer in Iveleth has made it to Platinum, and it's a woman, by the way," Miro answered.
"A woman?! That's amazing!" Maris suddenly exclaimed.
"Etomi Selva... a female demi-human, and her strength is terrifying," Penny added.
"Alright, let's keep moving. We still need six more horns," Grell said as he stood up.
We continued through the dark dungeon. The air was cold, even though it was annoyingly hot outside. What a feeling… This place is really nice—not the place itself, but the atmosphere. Adventurers returning to the dungeon entrance, my party pushing forward… This is amazing. I can't even describe how I feel right now. It's a mix of excitement, anxiety, and a bit of happiness. A dungeon crawl… One of my favorite types of games, and here I am experiencing it in real life. Thank you, goddess, for summoning me.
"Aaaaaaaagghhhhhh!!!"
Suddenly, as we moved forward, a scream echoed from a distance. We ran toward the source, following a large number of adventurers rushing in the same direction. Fuck, why did fear suddenly creep up my spine? I know this cliche… Maybe it's happening? A dungeon glitch? A monster from the lower floors appearing in the upper floors? That's terrifying. I really hope that's not the case!
After a while of running, we finally arrived at the scene. It was a large, circular room, and inside, a huge crowd of adventurers had gathered around something. Phew, it's not what I feared. But what's going on here? When I saw Grell and Miro pushing through the crowd to get a better look, I did the same, trying to see the reason for the commotion. But suddenly, some adventurers I shoved started cursing at me. Fuck, why didn't they curse at Grell or Miro instead?
Then, I saw it—a horrifying sight. Holy... Shit! I can't believe this!!! There was a corpse—a naked girl with her stomach cut open, her guts spilling out… A short distance away, a group of adventurers huddled together, hugging themselves and sobbing. They must be her party. Suddenly, my heart started pounding, sweat drenched my body, and nausea twisted my stomach. I quickly averted my gaze, feeling dizzy and sick.
"Ponier, what happened to her in this safe zone?!" Grell asked a fox-headed adventurer. He wasn't a demi-human but a full-fledged fox that could talk. His orange fur stood out, and he seemed to be an acquaintance of Grell.
"They were resting here with their party in the safe zone, but it looks like the Dark Eye killed her and fled to the lower floors," the talking fox replied.
The Dark Eye?! Is that a monster? So a dungeon break really did happen, or what? But why didn't it kill her entire party? One of the adventurers covered her body with a cloth. Fuck, this is terrifying. How did things end up like this?! So this is the real side of adventuring… The side every story-obsessed geek overlooks. The blood, the killing, the horrifying scenes…
"Damn you, Alis adventurers! You're bringing ruin to this town with your wickedness!" one adventurer suddenly shouted. Alis adventurers? What do we have to do with this?!
"Hey, don't generalize! It was just one person, not all of us!" the fox shouted back.
"Then why doesn't your guild dedicate itself to capturing him since he's one of you?!" another adventurer yelled. After that, some adventurers started chanting in unison, "Damn Alis! Down with Alis!"
"What the fuck is going on here?!"