We were in sight of the dungeon city of Dolan.
"It's just as large as I've heard..."
"Indeed. Still though, it looks like it will be a while until we can enter."
When I followed Hati's line of sight, I could see a huge line of people snaking out from the gates.
'What do I do...'
Well, there was nothing to do. While suffering the slight uneasiness as I lined up, I heard a voice calling out to me.
"HAJIMEEE!!" There was a person calling out to me in a loud voice while running closer.
'Huh? Who...? The voice sounds like a man's, but I shouldn't know anyone in Dolan...'
"Hajime! I've been waiting sooooo long for you to come!!"
'W-Wait, who?! Actually, everyone's clearly got faces that say, "Who the hell's Hajime??" already, please stop shouting'. I had an oblivious face on, but inside I was sweating bullets.
"Hajime!!"
'I said pleeeaaasseee stop yelling my name!!!'
"Hahh, hahh, you're Hajime, right?! I knew right away after seeing your familiars! I've been waiting sooooo long for you to come!" The man stopped right in front of me, and excitedly started babbling while trying to catch his breath.
'Who the hell is this?'
He was a man in his prime with long, golden hair and frightfully good looks. Looking closely, I noticed that his ears were long.
'Is he an elf? I don't know any elves...'
"I was so excited I couldn't even sleep at night after hearing about you from Rodolfo! So then, is this the Proto-dragon dragon?!" 'Spotting Razsegath next to me, the mature elf got even more excited and he started moving all around Razsegath while staring at him like he was licking him all over, every nook and cranny.'
H-He's kinda looking at Razsegath all strange...
'This elf... he's beautiful since he's an elf, but he reeks of being a pervert...'
"Hajime!" The elf suddenly grabbed both of my shoulders firmly.
'Woah! What the hell?!'
"I've gotta tell you, I am so deeply moved right now!"
'A-Ahhh, really? Wait, by what? Actually, would you let me go? The stares of the other people hurt a lot.'
"To think that I'd ever be able to lay my eyes on a dragon, not to mention a particularly rare Proto-dragon dragon... Ahhh, I'm so glad I've lived this long. So glad... ugghu... uhhh..." The elf started tearing up.
'E-Ehhhh... why are you crying? Wait a minute, please don't cry. The stares will only become worse.'
*Sniff* "...Sorry I got carried away. I was just so happy."
'W-Well, as long as you've stopped crying... Wait, actually, who the hell are you again?'
"U-Uhmm... who are you?"
When I hesitantly brought up the subject, the elf made an expression that said, "Whoops."
"Sorry! I was so excited I forgot to introduce myself. I am the guildmaster for the Adventurer's guild here in the dungeon city of Dolan. My name is Elrand. Pleased to meet you."
'Wha?'
The elf turned out to be a guildmaster.
'What the hell is up with a guildmaster that cries at the sight of a dragon? Ah, that's right, this is the person Rodolfo warned me about. He's supposed to be an old friend of Rodolfo's, and he loses sight of things when it comes to dragons, he said.'
'It's... just like Rodolfo said...'
"Now, now, everyone follow me. Let's hurry to the guild."
"Huh? But, the line..."
"No no you don't need to do that. There's no way I could let you, Hajime, and your friends wait that long. I'll do something about it with my powers as a guildmaster." Saying so, Elrand pushed me forwards.
"No, but..." 'The eyes of the adventurers around me sure are... something...'
"It's fine, it's fine! There's a lot I want to ask you, so let's hurry up to the guild." I was pushed forward by a power far beyond what I would imagine judging from Elrand's looks.
Just like that, I was tossed into the dungeon city of Dolan like a toy. As soon as Elrand definitively stated, "I will take full responsibility, so let this person in," to the guards, I was let in without even a little fuss.
'Actually, Elrand, is it really alright to say that when we'd just met moments ago? It's not like I'm going to cause any trouble, though.
He just said that there was a mountain of questions he wanted to ask me, but it's all about dragons, right? Just how much does he like the things... Even if he asks me about that stuff, I know basically nothing, after all.'
The Adventurer's guild in Dolan was right in front of us after we passed through the gates.
Forced into the guild while I was still speechless, I was shown to the guildmaster's room on the second floor and pushed inside.
"Now, now, please take a seat." As expected of the room of a guildmaster of a dungeon city. I was shown to a set of chairs with ball and claw feet that looked more fancy than what was in the other guildmaster's rooms.
'It's not like I can just run away when I've come this far...'
Resigned, I sat in the chair.
Elrand, who sat across from me, readied paper and a pen, fully intent on asking me his questions. "Now then, there are several things I want to ask you, if I may?"
'It's not like he'll let me go if I say no.
*Sigh* ...I wanted to look around since this is the first time I've been in a place this big, though... It's looking like that won't happen for a while yet.'
"First off, where did you meet this Proto-dragon dragon?"
"Razsegath, you mean? I met Razsegath near the forest of Ishtam."
"R-Razsegath? Is that this Proto-dragon dragon's name?"
"Yes. When you bind a familiar contract, it seems like you have to give them a name."
'It's a bit late, but I really don't know a lot about familiar contracts. Just what I'd heard from Hati, "If the contracted monster thinks that it wants to become the familiar of the contractor, and the would-be master accepts it, then the contract is complete." Also, the fact that being contracted lets you communicate telepathically, and that you have to give them names. I'm not really sure about anything else. It's not like it was particularly important.'
"You said that you met Razsegath near the forest of Ishtam, but is there a Proto-dragon dragon lair nearby or something?"
"Who knows? I've only met Razsegath." 'I've got no idea about any Proto-dragon dragon lair.'
"Well then, what does the Proto-dragon dragon normally eat?"
"What, you ask? We all eat the same things..." 'Hati, Groot, and Razsegath all eat whatever I make, and I eat it too.'
"What?"
"No, you see... Hati, Groot, Razsegath, and I all eat the same thing." While cradling Groot in my arms and looking towards Hati, who was laying down next to me, I explained how we were all the same.
And Elrand's irises became points.
"Now that you mention it, you not only have a Proto-dragon dragon as a familiar, but also a Fenrir and a tree seedling. There's no way a Fenrir, a tree seedling, and a Proto-dragon dragon all eat the same things. Don't joke like that, please."
'Huh? I wasn't joking, though. Actually, was there anything joke-like in what I said at all?'
"Fenrirs are carnivores, and tree seedlings will eat pretty much anything, right? But Proto-dragon dragons mainly eat magic power and nectar from flowers, it's said. There's no way they all eat the same meal. Hahahaha!"
'Huh? Proto-dragon dragons mainly eat magic power and nectar from flowers? Razsegath was eating meat like it was normal, though. Wait a second... no, he was eating meat like it was his favorite thing. How did people come to think they eat those things?'
[I've never heard of anything like that, you know?] Razsegath told me through telepathy while shaking his head.
"Uhmm, where did you hear that? That Proto-dragon dragons mainly eat magic power and flower nectar?"
"It was from a certain book in the royal library of a deceased country. That country thoroughly researched dragons since they were a component in elixirs... Any literature on dragons was treated like an important secret, so I snuck in and read it."
'You can't just be confessing something like that so casually... What the hell was this guy doing?'
"I don't know why the book said that, but it was wrong. Right, Razsegath?"
[Yeah. We basically eat anything. Well, meat is our favorite, though.]
'So they're omnivores. Of course, since he's eaten pretty much everything I gave him so far.'
"According to Razsegath, Proto-dragon dragons pretty much eat anything. They like meat the most, though."
"Wait a second. What do you mean, according to Razsegath?"
"Huh? I mean what I said? I've been talking to Razsegath through telepathy and that's what he told me."
*BANG!!* Elrand thrust his hands onto the table and came forward.
"Hajime, you can talk to dragons?! Actually, what do you mean by telepathy?!"
'N-No... your face is too close. You're a beautiful elf, but I totally don't swing that way, please consider personal space.'
"Wait a second, please calm down, Elrand. Dragons can't talk, you know? I'm only able to talk to Razsegath since I've formed a familiar contract with him, and it's the same with Hati and Groot as well."
"Because of the familiar contract?! I've never heard of such a thing!! There's no way that could happen!"
"What? Isn't that common knowledge?"
"Of course not. I've lived a long time since I'm an elf, and this is the first time I've heard of it."
'Huh? What? Hati told me that people who've formed contracts with monsters can use telepathy with them, so I just thought that was how it was...'
"Hati, what does he mean?"
"Hmph, no idea. I was taught that those who form familiar contracts can use telepathy with each other, and you can in fact do it, no?"
'That's right. Just like Hati said, I can use telepathy with him, Groot, and Razsegath.'
"I'm not sure I get it, but since you've formed contracts with them, you've made them submit to your power, right?"
'What? Stop joking, please. There's no way in hell I would be able to make a Fenrir or a dragon submit.'
"There's no way I'd be able to do that, they're legendary creatures, you know? Actually, if there was a person who could make a Fenrir or a dragon submit, I'd like to see them."
"No way... neither the guildmaster at Karelina nor Rodolfo asked you how you got a Fenrir to become your familiar, but they did suggest that you used a special method to make them submit. The two of them didn't think that was the case from looking at you, but they said that you had a lot of secrets, so you were probably quite skilled. Rodolfo suggested that you mixed their food with some sort of poison..."
'Whaaaat, so that's how the two of them saw me? I-I'm not skilled at all, and I didn't use poison, either.'
"Hmm... from what I hear, your familiar contract and the kind of contract I know is very different."
According to Elrand, a normal contract forms a relationship like master and slave when someone forces a monster to submit, no matter the method. In human terms, it was no different from a slave contract, and familiars would then obey the master's commands. The master of the familiar would then become a tamer, and it's said that with both their own experience and experience from the monsters coming in, it was an easy job to level up.
However, becoming a tamer requires a certain level of power, enough to make a monster submit to your will. Since there aren't many people with that many levels, those who become tamers are exceedingly rare.
'Tamer, huh? My job is 'Spoon Hero' and 'Victim from Another World,' though. Not only that, but Hati and Groot have beaten a fair number of monsters, and I haven't seen a drop of that experience.'
"This is also the first time I've heard of something like this, and the only example is you, Hajime, so there's no way to even verify it... Hajime, your familiars are a Fenrir, a Proto-dragon, and from what I hear, a special tree seedling. They're all normally far too powerful for anyone to make a familiar, so that might have something to do with it."
'I knew that they weren't regular familiar contracts, but there isn't really a problem with that, and nothing's going to change, either.'
"Hajime, I get that your familiars are different from normal. This is the thing I want to ask most, but could I form the same kind of familiar contract? If at all possible, with a dragon?"
'You want to make a dragon a familiar? Wow, how much do you like them?'
"No, even if you ask me that I wouldn't know..."
[So, how about it?] I asked Hati using telepathy.
[It is probably impossible. In the first place I would never consider forming a contract with this one, there is no benefit in it for me.]
[Yeah. It doesn't look like this guy cooks at all. Even if he did, there's probably no one in the world with better food than you, anyway.]
'Razsegath, I'm happy you're complimenting me, but I'm not a chef.'
[Indeed. I agree with that. There are very few things that move one with a life as long as mine, but good food is one of them.]
'Huh? Food moves you?'
[Right? Good food is a treasure of the world.]
[Just eating good food makes you happy.]
'Even Groot... I knew this already, but you guys really did just get lured in by food... I'm happy you're all here, but...'
"Hahhh...Uhm, by the way, can you cook, Elrand?"
"Huh? Cook? I like to eat at restaurants, so I don't cook for myself, but... Wait, could cooking be one of the conditions for a familiar contract?!"
"No, I wouldn't say that it is, but all of my familiars are very particular about food..."
"I-If that's the case, I'll cook! If I learn to cook, I'll be able to contract with a dragon, right?!"
"No, it's not going to be that easy, I don't think..."
[You should stop mincing words and just feed him some of your food. That will teach him just how foolish he is being.]
[That's right. I'm hungry right now, too.]
[Groot is hungry, too.]
'Ahh, right, right. Fine, whatever.'
"Uhmm... Elrand, everyone's saying that they're hungry, so would you like to eat with us?"
"Yes, please. And let me steal some of the secrets of your flavor!"
'Elrand... you're raring to go, huh?'
"Ah, Elrand, do you like meat?"
'Elves have an image of being vegetarians and vegans.'
"Yes, I love meat."
'Ah, so this world's elves are okay with meat, I see.'
Then, the food I made was beef bowls that I had stored beforehand. I served them to Hati and the others on a dish with lots of meat on top, and a soft-boiled egg as a closer.
Looking at Razsegath eating the beef bowl, Elrand muttered to himself, "They really don't eat magic power and flower nectar..."
'It looks like Razsegath loves meat, after all.'
I served Elrand his portion in a wooden receptacle that resembled a bowl.
"Try eating it after breaking the egg on top."
"Sure, then..." Elrand did as I suggested, and broke the egg before taking a bite. After taking that first bite, Elrand's eyes opened wide, and he started stuffing his face.
'That means it's not bad, right? Thank goodness.'
I also started on my portion.
"More." [More.]
'More for Hati and Groot, got it.'
"Uhm, I would like some more, too..."
'Even Elrand?'
It seemed like Razsegath was full. Even so, his portion was about twice as big as mine.
Once we were done with the meal, Hati spoke to Elrand.
"You understand now too, no? Most likely no one would be willing to form a contract with you unless you can produce food as good as this one did right now."
"Khh... I've eaten a lot of things after living for so long, but what I just ate was by far the most delicious. It's impossible for me to make something as good..." Elrand hung his head, depressed.
'The best thing you've ever eaten? It's just a beef bowl... Ah, the seasonings.'
I had access to an Online Supermarket so I could use Japanese seasonings as much as I liked, but in this world, the only seasoning pretty much was salt. There was pepper, too, but that was expensive.
"Wait, right, I forgot. Are there any outstanding requests here?"
"Ahh, you're fine. This place isn't called a dungeon city for nothing. There's a lot of adventurers around."
'I see, so there's a lot of adventurers around for the dungeon, and there should be some high-ranking ones that have this place as their base, too.'
After that, I asked about an inn I could stay at with my familiars, and Elrand invited me to stay at his place, but I politely refused. There was no way I could deal with him 24/7.
He wasn't a bad guy, but he was way too much trouble.
I was recommended an inn with a very on-the-nose name, the "Labyrinth City Inn." After getting the location of the inn, as well as the location of the dungeon since it seemed like we'd be going in tomorrow, we left the guild.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
We had decided to stay at the inn Elrand recommended, the "Labyrinth City Inn," and were currently having a meal in the courtyard.
Once we were finished, I was going to have Hati and Razsegath sleep in the kennel, but Razsegath complained that he wanted his own bedding set after seeing me spread Hati's out, so I bought him one. I only needed to get one since Razsegath was so small, though.
I went with Groot to my room. After spreading out my futon on the bed, Groot immediately got in.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
In the morning, when we got up and had breakfast, I assessed each of my familiars. Today we start with the dungeon. I'm curious to see what the dungeon has in store for us. I started with Hati.
[Name] Hati
[Age] 1014
[Race] Fenrir
[Level] 910
[HP] 9877
[MP] 9523
[Attack] 9106
[Defense] 9807
[Agility] 9726
[Skills] Wind magic, Fire magic, Water magic, Earth magic, Ice magic, Lightning magic, Holy magic, Barrier magic, Rending Claws, Body Reinforcement, Physical attack resistance, Magic attack resistance, MP Efficiency, Appraisal, Battle Boost
"Hey, Hati, did your level go up?"
"So you noticed. The higher one's level goes, the harder it is to go higher, though. It did not even show a hint of going up these past several years, but I have gained four levels since I have contracted with you. Not only do I get to eat good food, but this happens as well. It certainly was not a mistake to make a contract with you." Hati, who had confirmed that he had gone up in level, was in high spirits.
'Still though, these stats are amazing. There's definitely nothing that can oppose him. Thank goodness I'm on his side. Next is Razsegath.'
[Name] Razsegath
[Age] 116
[Race] Proto-dragon Dragon
[Level] 126
[HP] 895
[MP] 3879
[Attack] 3652
[Defense] 865
[Agility] 4269
[Skills] Fire magic, Water magic, Wind magic, Earth magic, Ice magic, Lightning magic, Healing magic, Bombardment, Battle Boost
'Razsegath got new skill. He also has the same violent-sounding skill, Battle Boost. Looking at this again, Razsegath sure is strong. He doesn't look that way since he's so small, though.'
'Next is Groot. I get the feeling he's gotten a lot stronger for some reason...'
[Name] Groot
[Age] 2 months
[Race] Big Tree seedling
[Level] 16
[HP] 989
[MP] 980
[Attack] 964
[Defense] 973
[Agility] 985
[Skills] Acid Bullet, Cloning, Water magic,
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
The party of Hati, Groot, Razsegath, and I were currently on our way to the dungeon. From what I'd heard out of Elrand, we'd see where the entrance was ourselves if we followed the walls surrounding the town to our right from the gate where we entered the city.
'Uhhh, is that it?'
We ran into a place where a lot of people were gathered after following his directions for around 500 meters. I couldn't tell why, but there were a lot of stalls selling food and general goods lined up. Ahead of that, there was what looked like the entrance to a dungeon surrounded by stone walls. There was a pair of armored knights flanking the door.
"Looks like it's here."
"Indeed, there is no mistake."
At the entrance to the dungeon, there was a long line of adventurers waiting to get in. As I watched, adventurer after adventurer poured out of a building right by the entrance and lined up.
'Oh yeah, didn't Elrand say that there was a branch of the Adventurer's guild nearby, and that you can't enter unless you register yourself as an entrant first? I see so that must be the Adventurer's guild branch.'
"Apparently, we can't go inside the dungeon unless we register at the Adventurer's guild branch there. So let's stop by first."
After informing them, I took everyone into the branch. There were three lines, so I chose one and got in.
"Excuse me, I'd like to register for the dungeon."
"All right, dungeon registry, is it? Oh my, if it isn't the rumored tamer, Hajime," said the receptionist in front of me.
'Rumored tamer'? Huh? What the heck does that mean? Is that what they're saying about me?'
"Ahh, sorry. I heard from my friends at the main Adventurer's guild. Specifically, that you, sir Hajime, are an amazing tamer who has strong familiars under his command, and that you are a shining star of an adventurer whom we have high expectations for."
'H-Huh? Ehhh? Really? All that does is spell trouble for me though...'
"Nooo, in my case, I'm not the one that's strong, but my familiars." In reality, I couldn't hold a candle to any of my familiars.
"What are you saying? That's part of your strength. Changing the subject, you have very little baggage, don't you? Are you sure you're alright?"
'Hm? What does she mean?'
"Could it be the first time you've been in a dungeon, sir?"
'Well, I was forcefully taken into a newly formed dungeon, but it's true that this is my first time in a dungeon this big.'
When I nodded, the receptionist replied with, "Thought so," and started explaining things to me.
It seemed that entering the dungeon required a lot of preparation. I was told that if we were to enter the dungeon, the first thing I would have to do is estimate how long we would be down there. It depends on the adventurers, but most people enter for three days on the short side, and up to a month on the long side. If the goal was to retrieve some drop items out of this many-floored dungeon, one would have to explore for at least that long to see some return, after all.
And so, since of course we would be spending that long in the dungeon, appropriate preparations would be in order. Especially for food, the accepted practice was to bring a large amount, since one may never know exactly what will happen in there, and your planned return date may not necessarily be correct.
It was a story from long ago, but apparently there was a party that didn't prepare enough food and was annihilated because of it.
"All the stalls that are lined up around here sell food and stuff aimed at adventurers, you know? There are also at least somewhat accurate maps up to the 15th floor, so there shouldn't be anything that bad happening up until then, but if you go lower than that you should exercise the greatest caution. It's also safer to carry more food than you think you'll need."
'I see.'
When I asked about obtaining food in the dungeon, I was told that some monsters dropped meat, but that was up to luck. Apparently, rather than leave that up to luck, it would be better to properly prepare food.
'Well, of course that's the case.'
Also, it seemed that this dungeon had 30 floors in it, but the current leading party was only up to the 22nd floor. As for how they knew about the 30th floor, apparently there was a party in the past that got that far. When I asked further, I was told that, surprisingly, that party was the one the current guildmaster, Elrand, was in. Apparently, the last boss room had a behemoth waiting in it, and after some discussion, Elrand and his party decided on a brave retreat.
'It's a behemoth, of course you'd retreat. It's last-boss class even in games, you know? Actually, it really is this dungeon's last boss, haha.'
[Hohh, a behemoth, huh? How fun.] Hati's telepathy rang in my head.
'Don't you go reacting to the word 'behemoth,' Hati. It's not fun at all, geez.'
I went with the flow when my familiars were all raring to go, but I underestimated dungeons a little. I would never have thought that it was the sort of thing to stay multiple days in. My familiars would probably just defeat any enemy in the dungeon, but the matter of food was entirely different.
Our biggest enemy would be rations.
At the very least, I had my Online Supermarket so we wouldn't starve to death, but there was no way I could freely use it in front of other adventurers. With that in mind, it was necessary to properly prepare (especially in terms of food) for entering the dungeon.
"Excuse me, I think I really will refrain from the dungeon for today. From what you've said, we really aren't prepared for it."
"I see. If you really aren't prepared for it, that would be best. Well then, I will be returning your guild card."
When I accepted my guild card back from the receptionist, Hati and Razsegath contacted me through telepathy.
[W-What?!]
[Whaat, we're this close and we aren't going in?!]
[You two heard too, didn't you? If we don't prepare first, we're not gonna be able to eat anything decent.]
[What do you mean?]
[Hati, you know that I can get food from my world, right?]
[Indeed.]
[Hm? Oh, is that what that square box that always appears in front of you is? I totally thought it was your magic or something.]
[Oh right, I hadn't explained it to you yet, Razsegath. I was summoned from another world. So you see, it's called "Online Supermarket." Well, it's basically a skill that lets me get stuff like food from my world. The food I make uses a lot of spices and seasonings and stuff from my world, get it? That's why it's so good. So imagine: what would happen if I use that in front of other adventurers?]
[If they're especially greedy, they'd try to get otherworld stuff out of you even if they had to threaten you to do it. We wouldn't let that happen, though.]
'No... well, with Hati around even I don't think that would probably go through. But in a place like the dungeon, there's no absolutes, right? There's gotta be a lot of blind spots and the like, and who knows if they attack while Hati's fighting or something.'
[I mean, I know that Hati's not gonna let that happen. But what about if they attack me while Hati's fighting some monster? We don't even know how strong the adventurers in the dungeon are. So I really don't want to use my skill in the dungeon if I can. My stock of pre-prepared food is dwindling, too. If it runs out, then the only things I'll be able to make are meat grilled with salt, or meat and vegetables boiled with salt to make a soup, you know? Are you guys fine with that?]
After I said that, Hati and Razsegath fell deep into thought. Just as I thought, they really were attached to good food.
[That's why, just for a little while, I'm thinking three days, we put off going into the dungeon so I can make some preparations.]
[Is three days not too much time?]
[I think so too. One day is fine, right? 1 day?]
Hati and Razsegath both hesitated at the thought of waiting for three days.
[Uhhh, well, we don't know how long we'll be in there once we enter the dungeon. So, before that, I want to get in some sightseeing, as well as make a lot of food to keep for later. Three days is definitely necessary for all of that.]
Hati reacted to the mention of the behemoth in the 30th floor, so he was definitely planning to go all the way down. If that was the case, I had no idea when I would be able to see the light of day again so I wanted to get in a bit of sightseeing in the city beforehand.
[Mn? The food preparing aside, what do you mean by sightseeing?]
[Hati, you just reacted to the mention of a behemoth, right? You totally intend to go all the way down to the 30th floor and fight it, right?]
[Of course.]
[See? If you do that, I have no idea when I'll be able to come back out. Before that, I want to sightsee a little. I've finally come to a place this big and all.]
Even though I'd traveled all this way to this place, it would be way too boring to end it with just making meals and then going into some dungeon. Personally, I'd rather go and look around.
[Why not just bear with it for three days? If you do, you'll be able to eat good food even in the dungeon, you know?]
[Mnnrrrrr, even if you tell me that... Fine. Only three days, though.]
[Both master Hati and I are weak when you bring up food, huh? Oh well, 3 days it is.]
I somehow managed to persuade Hati and Razsegath. "Now that that's decided, today will be sightseeing!"
Onwards, to the city of Dolan!