Approximately 15 minutes later, James was feeling refreshed. He'd washed himself, and he'd even gotten a new set of clothes, thanks to the unknown man, who'd bought them for him. After he'd finished his shower, he'd spent a little time talking to the man. The man's name was Michael, but he preferred Mike. He was extremely muscular, and had brown, spiky hair. He looked quite similar to your stereotypical muscleman, except for a few peculiar scars that traced his chest and right shoulder. He also had a British accent.
James thanked him for the clothes. Mike told him there was no need.
James was taken aback. 40 quid on someone you didn't even know! But, he then remembered that a single point within the dungeon system was worth $100. James wasn't quite sure yet, but this man in front of him had a strong air to him. He was probably on the 2nd, or maybe even 3rd tier floors. A single point to him wasn't worth much at all.
James took a good look around. On one end of the large room, there was a shop. Right next to it was a bar where James was sitting at. The spaces behind the counters were connected. Behind him were some tables. They looked like just restaurant tables at first glance, but then James saw a small stand on each of the tables. They all showed different messages.
"Español"
"Français"
"English"
It was quite easy to understand. The tables were split by languages. It appeared that dungeon explorers came from all over the world.
James suddenly realized what this meant. This was definitely real. He turned to Michael and asked a question.
"Hey, Mike. Where are you from? Are you from Earth?"
Michael laughed.
James nodded. Everything here seemed too real to be a dream.
"I'm pretty convinced for now, but I need to convince myself this isn't just a fever dream. If I go to bed and come here again, I think I'll accept it."
Money? That's right, dungeon points could be exchanged for cash.
"Oh right! I have to trade my magic stones in," James suddenly remembered.
He pulled the bag of stones. He reached in and pulled out the knife, and, for lack of a better space to put it, he laid it on the bar counter. He then called over the barkeeper and asked him where the shopkeeper was.
"That's me," the barkeeper grinned.
James then noticed the nametag he was wearing: JOHN. The announcer woman had mentioned him.
"Can I trade in my magic stones?"
"Yeah, of course. Just dump them here; I'll count them for you."
James blinked. Here? On the bar counter? But, he did as he was told, and poured the contents out of the bag, and then promptly threw the bag away.
James had only killed goblins. He had killed 6 tier 1's, 17 tier 2's, one of which was berserk, and finally, 1 tier 3. However, he had traded 5 of the tier 2 stones for potions.
Mike's eyes widened.
"I was. I had a bit of a rough time, though. I think it was harder than what most people get on their first dive, but I'm not sure."
"This is by far the largest haul I've ever seen someone carry in on their first attempt on floor 1. And by largest haul, I also mean hardest floor to clear," John interjected.
John was calm on the outside, but he was also shocked on the inside. He had worked as the shopkeeper here for a long time, and this was his first time seeing something ridiculous like this. But, he had to keep a calm demeanor – he was professional!
"How, though? I just killed everything I came across. You only get so many goblins on the 1st floor," said James.
James didn't have words. So he had killed monsters of a much higher level than he was supposed to? James thought about it. To be completely honest, killing those higher level monsters was a fluke. He had only really killed level 1 goblins, but he kept this to himself.
"Anyways, 5 tier 1, 11 normal tier 2, 1 berserk tier 2, and 1 tier 3. That's 230 dungeon points. Congratulations on your first clear."
John did his job as the shopkeeper of the dungeon. He waved his hand and the pile of stones disappeared. James pulled out his card. There was another category there. It showed that he had 230 points.
"Seems to be working properly."
James ignored his luck status, which was still showing characters that were not numbers.
"So, can I get another recovery potion?" James asked John.
"Which tier?"
"Erm…lowest should be good."
James' points decreased to 220 as John handed a vial over to James.
"I got banged up pretty badly when I was fighting some goblins. I drank a potion already, but my ribs still hurt."
James drank the potion. The taste of mango was rather refreshing. After he finished the potion, he asked Mike another question:
"Do you know what these vials are made of? They're indestructible."
"Couldn't they be used as an weapon or something?"
James nodded. It really was a pity. If he could find a way to use them, then the vials might become very useful.