Starting the next day, I had three consecutive off days, having previously finished all the work I had pending. Once again, I was back inside the dungeon. Together with Akane, I performed one last check of all the equipment I had prepared.
“Cut-resistant vest. Long-sleeve shirt. Cut-resistant trousers. Goggles. Army gloves. Dustproof mask. Safety boots. Helmet. Flashlight, just in case. Shockproof wristwatch. Waterproof travel backpack. Two two-liter bottles of water. Eight servings of calorie bars. Oil lighter. Three thick towels. Disinfectant gel. Athletic tape. Gauze. Bandages. Toilet paper. Plastic bags. And lastly, notebook and pen.”
“Indeed, nothing that could serve as a weapon. I don’t think you’ll need that light-emitting item though.”
“It’s just in case. I actually also wanted to bring a gas mask, but apparently, I can’t do so without knowing exactly what gas it would be.”
“There’s no need to worry about that. The air inside of dungeons is generally non-poisonous. There are traps that use poison gas, but the gas will naturally dissipate if you simply wait a while.”
Having finished checking all my equipment one last time, I pulled my goggles down and put on my dustproof mask.
“Well then, let’s do this.”
I stood in front of the metallic doors and grabbed the doorknobs. To my surprise, the doors then opened all on their own.
✦ ✦ ✦
“The place is a lot brighter than I’d imagined. And the air is pretty fresh, too. Guess I don’t need to keep this mask on, then.”
After having stepped into the dungeon, Akane and I were slowly making our way forward, with her in the lead. Every step she took, her plump buttocks jiggled sensuously right before my eyes. What would happen if I asked her to wear heels...?
“I sense your lascivious gaze, Kazuhiko-sama. I take that to mean you’ve lost most of your nervousness regarding the dungeon?”
“Uhhhh, I was...yeah. To be honest, it feels a bit anticlimactic due to how closely it matches what my expectations had been.”
“In most cases, the monsters that appear on Floor 1 are weak enough for humans to defeat with their bare hands. That said, this is a Rank A dungeon. There is no telling what might occur.”
“Thanks for the reminder; I’ll keep my guard up. Ah, I need to map the place, too.”
Just when I was about to put pen to paper, Akane turned back and took both away from me.
“Please do not underestimate me, all right? I will not lose my way on a floor like this. More importantly, I feel monsters drawing close. Instead of looking at your paper, please pay more attention to your surroundings.”
When we proceeded a little more, Akane abruptly backed herself against the wall, prompting me to follow suit.
“When we turn this corner, we will have our first monster encounter. There are...two of them. They’re most likely goblins,” she whispered, before quietly inching forward along the wall. Right before the corner, she raised three fingers as a signal. Three...two...one! She jumped out, and I quickly followed.
“...Huh?”
The scene that leaped into my eyes was that of a glamorous beauty standing, with kunai in hand, over two small, dirty, grey-brown figures that had lost their heads. The monsters’ bodies crumbled and turned into smoke.
“This smoke is the Enhancement Element that I had mentioned. Because we are fighting together, both of our bodies are absorbing it. The more fighting we do, the more our muscles and bones will become strengthened, until our rank eventually rises. Also...”
Akane bent over to pick up something from the ground.
“This is the monster’s ‘drops,’ the term for the reward that can be obtained from killing monsters in this dungeon. It appears to be money after all.”
She flicked the item in her hand at me with a soft clink. I raised one eyebrow when I looked at what was in my hand: a shiny, new five hundred yen coin.
✦ ✦ ✦
“When I first heard ‘monster,’ I was worried what kind of frightening enemy it would be. But turns out, it’s just goblins who only know how to bite with their teeth. Seeing as how this was the twentieth one that you’ve finished, clearly they don’t even pose a challenge to you.”
As Akane calmly finished off another goblin, I bent to pick up the five hundred yen coin that fell to the ground.
“Kazuhiko-sama, you should probably also fight yourself. Just absorbing Enhancement Element alone does not make you strong. Without moving your body and fighting yourself, your rank will never go up.”
“Hmm, be that as it may, fighting isn’t really my strong suit. After all, I’ve always used my brain, not brawn, to earn my living.”
Akane shook her head in slight exasperation. With a quick swing, she finished off yet another five hundred yen co— I meant, another goblin.
“This makes the thirtieth coin... Hm?”
Hearing gibbering from behind me, I turned around, only to find a goblin standing right before my eyes.
“UWAHHH!”
It leaped at me, so I instinctively raised my left arm in an attempt to protect myself. Pain ran through the arm. I looked and saw the goblin trying to dig its sharp teeth in even deeper. I cried out for help in a loud voice. “Akane! Help!”
“There are goblins coming from my side as well. Please handle that one on your own, Kazuhiko-sama!” she replied, letting me know that she was also in the middle of a fight.
Throughout our exchange, my opponent had been gnawing on my arm the entire time. Its sharp, jagged teeth, pupilless black eyes, and unbearable stench threw me into such a state of fear that my knees gave out. About five seconds later, however, I came to a realization. Wait...this guy is really weak, isn’t it?
“Take this!”
When I planted a kick in its abdomen, the goblin got blown away. I was indeed feeling pain, but it was only to the degree of a dog bite. In the first place, I was wearing a long-sleeve, cut-resistant shirt, so it had only left bite marks, not even having broken skin.
“I see. Now that I think about this calmly, the goblin is also empty-handed, which means I’m basically facing a one-meter-tall child. That’s what? A five-year-old?”
Having suddenly grown bolder, I used all my strength to punch the face of the goblin that had once again approached me.
“This...actually feels quite good. It’s my first time hitting someone. Well, it’s a goblin, so maybe the word ‘someone’ doesn’t apply, but still.”
I followed up my punch with a kick. After letting out a squeal, the goblin was reduced to smoke.
“How was your first experience killing a monster?” asked Akane from beside me.
Caught by surprise, I whirled around and found no other goblin corpses nor wisps of smoke. So she had been lying just now as a way to get me to fight.
“Not as hard as I’d imagined. I think I can do this.”
“In most dungeons, Floor 1 is basically bait in order to attract more intruders. Normally, that means bugs or slimes that can be killed with a single stomp, but this dungeon is very much living up to its ranking by already throwing goblins at us. On a side note, you are stronger than I’d given you credit for, Kazuhiko-sama. That was quite the punch you gave the goblin just now.”
“Oh, that? Well...”
Akane tilted her head in puzzlement at my inarticulate answer. She placed her right hand over the fist that I was holding out, then nodded understandingly. My smile deepened as I said in a cheeky tone, “This is merely a work tool for protecting my fingers. And it seems like the dungeon agrees with me as well.”
“How crafty. I’d have expected no less from my Master.”
Underneath my army gloves, I was clutching steel knuckle dusters.