"Can you please stop staring at me like that? I'm not used to being stared at... it makes me feel embarrassed," Kagari said with an anxious expression.
"I'm sorry... Kagari, right? You don't seem to be the right age to be an adventurer. How did you manage to enter the dungeon?" I asked, only to receive a kick to my toe. She suddenly became aggressive and puffed her cheeks like an angry squirrel.
"How rude... I may not look like it, but I'm not a kid. I'm already 18 years old."
For real? This girl is actually 18 years old? Her body and face don't look that old; she has a very childish appearance.
Another kick came my way as she hugged her body with a flustered face. "I'm still growing! Stop staring at my chest."
"I'm not staring at your chest. I just find it hard to believe that you're 18 years old. Well, I have heard about people who age slowly. I guess you're one of them..."
I turned my head away shyly before making eye contact again. "Umm... Thank you. Thank you for coming to my rescue earlier. You really helped me out."
"Well, I thought you had already forgotten about it. Just kidding... But how did you get that powerful curse anyway? That curse was a level 99 curse."
"A level 99 curse... But skill levels stop at level 10."
"That's different when it comes to monsters in the dungeon. Expected from adventurers in D-rank dungeons. You're still scratching the iceberg. You have yet to learn things about this world."
"The way you speak, it's like you know a lot of things."
"I just know more than the average person. I do a lot of research before diving. Dungeon diving means putting my life on the line, after all. I have to take many precautions to ensure I come back alive..." Kagari said with confidence.
I don't find her demeanor arrogant at all. The way she ran to me with a worried face, I could tell she couldn't be a bad person. But she made her point; dungeon diving truly means risking one's life. Researching the dungeon helps a lot, but there are things one cannot predict even with lots of preparation.
For example, what just happened to me is something that would never normally occur in dungeon diving. A Rank D dungeon with a passage leading to a monster with level 9000? That's beyond any normal occurrence.
I remember the red scarlet pupils of the "Red Demon Dragon," and it sends chills down my spine. I've never felt such terror in a dungeon before. If I were to describe what I felt during that time, it would be the feeling of "Death."
While resting in the camp, I explained things to Kagari and how I encountered the demon dragon. She couldn't believe it at first, but after a few minutes, she seemed to recall something.
"Oh? I guess it's true? The dungeons are connected to one another, and monsters strong enough can breach through the thick walls to travel to another dungeon. The Adventurer News had a headline about it. There's also a theory that monsters could breach the invisible wall at the dungeon mouth and potentially attack the city... Dungeons appeared 100 years ago, and the mystery keeps adding up..."
Monsters breaching into other dungeons... It's the same as what happened when I met that cherubic girl. The earth dragon was a type of monster that could dig through the earth like a mole. Could it be that the appearance of the earth dragon was not a phenomenon, but rather due to monsters breaching into other dungeons?
"Because of these occurring incidents, the Adventurer Association hired top guilds to take care of the problem. Adventurers with powerful skills that could be used to seal off the holes or strengthen the walls were in demand. Right now, there are areas labeled 'Off limits' even though they used to be safe to traverse. I think the chasm you stepped into is one of them."
I don't have any idea about Adventurer News. I don't read newspapers, after all. The only news I'm familiar with is the most popular one, which is common knowledge even for people who aren't interested in news.
"What about you, Kagari? What were you doing alone?"
Based on her looks, she seems to be a mage. The giant bag on her back and the staff she's carrying suggest she's a mage, but there are various types of mages, like archmages, support mages, healers, archpriests, witches, and more.
"I'm currently in the middle of dungeon diving. I came here with my party, but after we encountered an earth dragon, they all fled and left me alone."
"That's horrible."
"Luckily for me, I managed to escape the earth dragon because I'm small. I hid under the giant roots until the earth dragon left... I'm currently on my way back to the entrance when I encountered you."
"Again, thank you."
"Stop it. It's starting to feel embarrassing." Kagari took out her smartphone and opened the dungeon map app. "Right now, we still have a long way to the entrance. It's probably safe for the two of us to rest at the camp. I've been walking for quite some time now, and I want to sleep."
Kagari swayed.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine... just a little dizzy."
She used a skill on me. Using MP does exhaust the user. Plus, she made soup for me and looked after me while I was unconscious. She must have been walking for a while with that giant bag on her back.
"She must be one of the new adventurers who take advantage of other adventurers to carry their spoils for them."
"I think you should lay down and sleep. Right now, I'm the one looking out for you. Sleep as much as you can."
I said, and she replied with a simple "Thank you."
That same thank you she said almost made me cry. To hear such kind words from someone again.
I wiped my tear and took off my jacket. I covered her body and waited for her.
...
Hours later, she woke up full of energy. She stretched her bones and did a few jumping jacks.
"Full recharge! Now, I feel like I can do anything. Thank you for watching over me... Umm... What is your name again?"
"Rin... My name is Kageno Rin."
"Rin... That's a girly name for you. But I don't hate it. It's only one syllable, easy to say and remember. Anyways, can you hear me out..."
"What is it?"
"I would like to go to the hunting ground and gather more spoils. I want to fill my bag with spoils before leaving the dungeon."
Normal adventurers cannot re-enter the dungeon like I can for one week. I can still remember when I had the same worries as her. I can fully understand the unfortunate life she's having.
"Sure, I'll help you out. I'll do anything for my savior," I said. "Kagari... Umm... This is weird, but if you don't have a place to go home to, I can let you sleep in my home. It's optional."
Sob... sob... sob...
Big droplets of tears rolled from her eyes to her cheeks.
"Really? You're going to marry me?"
"I didn't say anything like that."
"But people who live together are married couples." She argued.
"Not in many cases... I had a little sister before, and she reminds me of you. The home I'm currently living in is small, but another person will fit in just fine... It's weird, but it's optional."
"I'll take it... It's better than living under the bridge. Now, I can finally sleep in a real house with a roof and walls."
She continued crying.
"Wait? When did the orphanage kick you out again?"
"It's not important... I'm in your care now. Rin... Or should I say darling?"
"Hey, don't call me that."
She's still making jokes even while crying. After that, we went straight to the hunting ground to fill her bag with magic stones and item drops.
I have an escape card with me, and we used it to teleport back to the dungeon's main entrance. Next, we went straight to the adventurer guild. I made a report about the jerks who left Kagari in the dungeon. At the same time, Kagari exchanged her spoils for real-world money.
After dinner, we went home.
Kagari's eyes were glimmering as she stepped inside my apartment.
My apartment is a one-room apartment. I have two futons previously used by my little sister. I think there are plenty of things Kagari can use, owned by my Luna. I'm sure Luna would be happy that someone could use her things.
"So, this will be my home now..." She started shedding tears again. "I can finally have an address for my identification card."
That's so sad.
Her behavior tells me she's been homeless for a long time. Those memories must be very sad; better not question her about her past. I'm not the kind of man to pry into those kinds of things, after all.
I respect people's personal issues, as everyone has issues, and I'm not one to judge.
"That's right, this is your home now."
"I have several part-time jobs, so you'll be alone here," I said.
I can't tell her that I can use dungeon transport. As much as possible, I want to keep this skill a secret. It's not that I don't trust Kagari, I just want to keep this skill a secret for now.
"I guess I'll look for part-time jobs too. Staying home all alone will be boring. But every Saturday, I'll go dungeon diving. Let's dungeon dive together, Rin."
"Well, about that..." I don't want to dungeon dive with her. If she's with me, she'll either drag me down or slow me down in my leveling process. She might also become suspicious of me.
On the other hand, her dungeon diving alone will expose her to unfortunate events. Other adventurers might take advantage of her.
I don't like the idea of others taking advantage of her.
"Now that you have a place to call home, why do you still want to dungeon dive? I won't ask for rent."
"About that... It's because I have a dream."
"Dream?"
"Yes, don't laugh, but my dream is to step on the moon. I want to step on the moon and look down at the people on Earth. The people on Earth who look down on me because I'm poor... I want to look down on them with a smug expression... Hahahaha... That's the only place where I can feel superior to anyone. So funny, right?"
I felt my eyes widen after hearing her.
That same dream...
It's like Luna came back to life.
"It's not funny at all... I think it's wonderful." I turned my gaze to the window and stared at the big, white, full moon outside.
Dreaming is wonderful. There is nothing to laugh about.
"The moon is so beautiful."