I was adventuring through the Forest today—that was, the Great Forest Ruins, as I was sure you already knew by now. It was a sunny paradise full of nature, which was perfect for a daytime walk; though it was still in the dungeon, it wasn’t without its dangers. If one treated their journey through it like a walk through a park as they enjoyed the sunlight peeking through the leaves above, they could end up going down from a monster ambush out of nowhere. Of course, this wasn’t an issue if one’s level was high enough.
Surprisingly, I wasn’t alone today. I wasn’t a loner anymore. I mean, I could choose not to be a loner any time, but yeah. My companion today was Dillon Frost, the novice Diver I’d met at the Misty Hills on route one at depth level 8. It’d been about two weeks since we’d first met. We’d promised to go on a dive together back then, and today was the day.
Dillon had been going on dives on his own, and he seemed to have started to get the hang of things. He’d told me he’d learned the basics of diving from Instructor Seeker as I’d suggested, and he’d developed a sense of caution, which was required in this line of work. Though I suspected the traumatizing experience from before was part of it too.
One major change I noticed was his appearance. His equipment was far better than what he’d had during our first encounter. He’d had a sad-looking hatchet and a beat-up leather chest protector back then, but he now had gear that met the minimum requirement for a dive that focused on battling instead of gathering resources. He would’ve been denied by his receptionist if he hadn’t, but it was still worth mentioning.
“Okay, time for me to check your gear!” I said.
“D-Does it look okay?” he said nervously.
He looked like a middle schooler who’d come to take his high school entrance exam. I knew how it felt to take an exam for the first time, but I wasn’t gonna ask him any weird questions, so he had nothing to fear.
“Starting with your main weapon! Let’s see what you’ve got,” I said.
“I bought myself this short sword,” he said as he showed me his weapon. “I use my hatchet for resource gathering now.”
So far so good. His main weapon was a proper weapon. There was nothing wrong with hatchets that were made as weapons, but the one he’d been using was a farming tool and therefore not designed to withstand extreme abuse. You couldn’t just bring anything with a blade and expect it to hold up in combat.
“Okay, now let’s see your secondary weapon. You brought one, right?” I asked.
“Yes, I got an even shorter sword with a thick blade as you suggested.”
“Good, good.”
A secondary weapon was quite important. Not only did it serve as a backup, but it could also come in handy in situations where the main weapon would be too unwieldy. If one only had a long weapon, they’d be troubled in spaces without enough room to swing it around. A compact, durable weapon served as the perfect secondary weapon for such situations. A lot of people didn’t consider this, but the extra versatility was crucial in a dungeon where the environment changed every floor. Some people even carried various weapons depending on the monsters they were going to fight.
“And another important thing that tends to get overlooked: shoes! How’s the sizing?” I asked.
“They fit great, but...” he said, then looked at me apologetically.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s just... Are you sure it was okay to give me all that money?” he said.
“Oh, that? Don’t worry about it. Just pay me back later.”
“Thank you,” he said and bowed deeply.
He bowed with a great form, like how an office worker would do on TV. He looked like he was ready to take on the trials and tribulations of Japanese society. I wasn’t all that sure if he’d survive though.
Anyway, I’d lent Dillon some money so he could buy new shoes. The spinning and crafting technologies in this world weren’t developed like those of my own world, so made-to-order clothes and shoes were very expensive. I had to do a double take when I’d seen the prices. Still, shoes weren’t something you should skimp on; you had to walk a lot in the dungeon, and shoes that didn’t fit properly could lead to fatigue and injury. Losing one’s balance at the wrong time could lead to catastrophic results, so I’d insisted that he get some proper footwear. Even Instructor Seeker and Ashley often said a Diver should wear quality shoes. They said it so often that you’d think it was their catchphrase. Anyway, preparing such equipment was all a novice Diver had to do to drastically increase their success rate. There was no reason not to get them.
I had Dillon walk around just to make sure his shoes were fine. The size looked right, and the shoes didn’t dangle off his feet or flop around, so they were good to go.
“Okay, next: projectiles!” I said.
“I got a simple sling,” said Dillon.
“Good!”
Projectiles could be used as weapons or to draw a monster’s attention, and some people could even use them to cause serious damage. Advanced Divers like Miguel even considered throwing-knife skills a necessity.
“Needles or knives coated with paralyzing poison would’ve been ideal,” I said.
“That’s a bit too advanced for me to handle,” said Dillon.
“Yeah, I figured.”
Anyone who wasn’t used to handling such weapons could end up hurting themselves, so it made sense that he’d chosen a sling as a safer option. I couldn’t use needles or poisoned knives either—they’re too dangerous for me. That said, a sling wouldn’t do much good against a swarm of opponents in the dungeon.
“I have some useful items just for you!” I said.
“Wh-What items?”
“Ta-daaa! Behold! A filled water gun, a holster, and a pair of goggles!” I reached into my safari bag and pulled out a water gun, a holster for carrying it, and a pair of casual goggles for eye protection.
Dillon stared blankly at the strange objects. “Uh...”
“It’s a water gun,” I repeated.
“A water...gun?” he asked, unfamiliar with the word “gun.”
I’d seen toys in Freida that shot out water using air pressure, but they were obviously called something else.
“If you pull this trigger, it shoots out water. It’s not actually water inside though,” I explained.
“Oh, like the toy.”
“Yeah, but don’t underestimate it!”
“Is there something special inside?” he asked. He was quick to catch on.
“It’s filled with a fluid mixed with a bunch of irritants like chili powder and vinegar. Shoot it into your opponent’s eyes, and they’ll be in a world of hurt.”
“Huh,” said Dillon, his interest piqued.
The efficacy of the irritant-shooting device had already been battle-tested. It was even effective against the Orcs in the Mine. I’d used them as test subjects a while back, and they’d let out a soul-shattering scream while writhing in pain. It’d been super effective. What? “What about Hypno Eyes?” you ask? Those weaklings were nothing. What kind of creature had its weak point fully exposed? They needed to develop some eyelids before even thinking about facing me. Actually, that’d be pretty creepy.
Anyway, monsters didn’t even try to move out of the way when I used the water gun. They were just that dumb. They had no idea what kind of hell awaited them when they rubbed their eyes after handling chili peppers. I was sure countless people, like me, perished after making peperoncini and then inadvertently touching the area around their eyes. The pain was unbearable.