Because of the recent collapse of the Black Forest dungeon, I have no choice but to enter another dungeon. The Serdin dungeon has a required level of 100, which isn't an issue for me, and I've done a lot of research about it. However, I still feel unwell, probably due to my last dungeon dive. Even though I've come prepared for this dungeon, one can never be certain about the challenges that may unfold in this dark and treacherous place.
No one truly knows what the future holds.
I have to give my best to earn dungeon spoils and experience points. I've been off for three days, and achieving my goal of reaching millions within three months of dungeon diving will be impossible if I don't take action.
Kagari's smile when she said, "My dream is to step on the moon," keeps appearing in my mind. My face warms up for a moment, and I feel a sense of shame for acting bashful. But what can I do? Kagari is really cute and caring, so it's not impossible for me to have an interest in her.
Speaking of interests, there's another woman who caught my attention—the girl who saved me from the earth dragon. At that time, she seemed to be in a hurry, so I didn't ask for her name. However, if she's indeed part of the Knights of Judah elite team, finding her name would be relatively easy. There are only a few elites, and the names of members from top guilds are often posted online along with their achievements.
Why am I thinking like a womanizer? Since when did I become interested in women? I pondered as I descended to the first floor of the dungeon. I still haven't encountered any monsters; the greedy guilds have likely cleared out this floor. Novice adventurers might think twice before descending further, as the deeper you go, the more challenging it becomes to ascend. This is common knowledge among dungeon divers.
As I think about it, Luna was the only one I liked, and even after her death, I still hold her in my heart. Perhaps the feelings I have for Kagari are an extension of my feelings for Luna—they are so alike, after all. The only difference between Luna and Kagari is their demeanor: Kagari is lively, while Luna is frail.
Descending to the second floor of the dungeon, I felt a slight electric shock coursing through my body, triggering my detection skill. I enhanced my senses with the body reinforcement skill and followed with the boost skill to enhance my strength. Behind me, a man with a pig-like head appeared. They were armored and wielded clubs made of bone.
"Appraisal."
Warrior Orc Level 120.
There were about twenty of them, likely waiting to ambush passing adventurers. They aimed to block the path leading back to the first floor.
"These pigs know what they're doing. I used to not respect monsters and considered them animals with slightly higher intellect. But now, my opinion has changed."
We were nearly at the same level, meaning I wasn't a hero who could slice through these orcs like butter. I'm not arrogant enough to think that I can do anything.
My detection skill was triggered once more. This time, Foot Orcs appeared in front of me. Unlike the armored orcs, these resembled pigs with humanoid bodies.
"Appraisal."
Foot Orc Level 80.
They were attempting a pincer attack, making pig-like noises as they charged forward. The orcs rushed at me, some sliding on the slippery stone floor. Both Warrior Orcs and Foot Orcs were converging on my position, attempting to trap me.
No way, I won't allow that.
"Teleport!"
I teleported to the top of the slope and quickly retrieved explosive seeds from my pouch. These seeds were quite expensive, but their effectiveness was worth the cost.
With all my strength, I threw three explosive seeds down, and upon contact with the orcs, they produced a dangerously destructive sound that reverberated through the dungeon. The smoke cleared, revealing the Foot Orcs burned to a crisp. The armor of the Warrior Orcs was destroyed, while others were still engulfed in flames.
"I can't waste all my explosive seeds on these pigs. I think this magic is enough to finish off these orcs..."
I raised my palm and cast, "Firebolt!"
A blast of flames descended upon the orcs, costing me 5% of my MP. I still saw some Warrior Orcs struggling, resisting, and looking vengeful as they desperately moved toward me.
I crouched down and activated another skill.
"Ice Make!"
The stone floor transformed into ice, causing the lead Warrior Orc to slip and fall. This triggered a domino effect, with the others also losing their footing and tumbling. While they were immobilized, I pointed my palm at them and bombarded them with Firebolts.
After consecutively casting Firebolt, my MP was reduced to 30%, and I felt exhausted from the fight and the continuous use of magic.
I should refrain from using magic as much as possible, as I'm not fully proficient in it. People with low compatibility for magic tend to exhaust themselves more quickly when casting magic-based skills. I should proceed with caution and bravely engage them in close combat.
"The boss room is located 24 floors down... The boss is level 700. There's no way I can take it down on my own... I could target a sub-boss and call it a day..."
My initial plan when I acquired the Dungeon Transport skill was to repeatedly explore the Black Forest dungeon and gain the bonus 5 levels each time I completed it. However, due to its collapse, that plan is no longer feasible.
I find myself both fortunate and unfortunate.
However, I can't wallow in depression and blame a tragedy that no one desired. The news reports that many rookies in the city can't dive into dungeons because other cities aren't allowing them to enter.
I'm lucky that I reached a level above 100 before the Black Forest dungeon collapsed.
After a brief ten-minute break, I resume grinding and looting.
…
I'm currently traversing the seventh floor of the Serdin dungeon.
Several hours of continuous battles had already transpired, and I began to feel a sense of boredom creeping in due to the repetitive cycle of fighting and resting. The higher my level grew, the more difficult it became to accumulate experience points. Now at level 185, I was gaining new skills, but I was about to run out of MP potions, and my bag was getting progressively heavier. The idea of descending to the eighth floor seemed unlikely.
Once I dealt with the monsters here, I planned to ascend using an escape card and head home.
In front of me stood two Horned Slugs, both at level 140. These slugs were slow-moving and easy prey. According to the adventurer's data book, they were known for yielding substantial experience points. Their attacks consisted of flinging mud and launching giant balls of water. Their sluggish movements made it easy to predict their targets. However, the downside was their immense HP bars. It would take about ten minutes to defeat just one slug. But in the end, I believed it would be worth it.
Or so I thought.
As I was about to deliver the final blow to one of the slugs, a group of adventurers suddenly descended upon us. A spearman thrust their spears into the slug's head, arrows flew, magic spells were cast, and swords slashed through the air.
"What the hell? Those are my kills," I retorted, frustrated by the intrusion.
"Huh?" The man with the sword who struck the final blow to my prey looked down at me. "What are you talking about? This monster doesn't have your name on it."
Upon closer inspection, I remembered this man.
He was Gerald, one of the adventurers who had taken advantage of me a long time ago, using me as bait as they made their escape. They were partly responsible for driving me to become a dedicated solo adventurer.
"Oh? Long time no see… Rin. I didn't expect to meet you here. Where are your party mates?" Gerald asked with a hint of condescension.
"I don't have any party mates," I replied curtly.
"What are you saying? You're just a low-level nobody. There's no way you could enter a dungeon meant for level 100 and above."
This jerk had an insufferable face. His name was Gerald, and he had a habit of looking down on those he deemed beneath him. Like me and Amy, he had attended the same middle school. Coming from a wealthy family, he was blessed with the formidable skill known as Lightning Blade—a power that allowed him to infuse his weapon with lightning energy, significantly enhancing his attack power. His skill was as destructive as it was flashy, and he had a habit of viewing himself as some kind of hero.
Gerald suffered from protagonist syndrome.
"Forget it..." I turned around, ready to leave, and retrieved my escape card from my back pocket.
I didn't want to be involved with him anymore. It was disappointing that I wouldn't gain the experience points, but it was better to distance myself from people like him and exit without further words.
"Hey, stop acting like that... If you're strong, then I'll let you rejoin my team."
I gave him a cold shoulder and reached for my backpack, which I had left on the side of the clearing.
"You dare refuse my offer... Ahahaha. How arrogant, Rin," he taunted, his laughter grating.
Gerald was a spoiled brat who believed he could obtain anything he desired in life. Someday, he'd hit a wall that would make him realize what a piece of garbage he truly was.
A bolt of lightning scorched my escape card before I could activate it.
"I was talking to you. Extras like you should pay attention to superstars like myself."
He was trying to provoke me. He couldn't just let me leave.
"What the hell do you want?" I asked, glaring at him.
"What's with that glare? Are you trying to pick a fight? With all of us surrounding you, I could easily kill you right here... Well, I've noticed your backpack looks quite plump. This dungeon area is one of our usual hunting grounds, and we've been wondering why we haven't been getting enough spoils despite traversing the dungeon for hours. Ah, I see! It's because of you... Hand over that bag before you leave."
This guy was the worst.
I couldn't just hand over my hard-earned loot like a loser.
"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of giving you anything. After all, this area doesn't have your name written on it," I retorted.
In an instant, his sword crackled with lightning. He launched into a wide slash, leaping toward me. I raised my sword to parry his attack and pushed him away.
I held onto my sword as if it weighed nothing and created distance between us. A look of shock crossed his face as he stared at me.
"What was that? You can't be that strong. You're just a weak extra these past few weeks."
"I have no reason to answer your questions... Earth Wall!"
I cast a spell, summoning a rock wall between us. I quickly retrieved my spare escape card and activated it.
The rock wall crumbled under the force of his lightning. Gerald attempted to stop me, but it was too late. My body was already enveloped in magic, teleporting me back to the dungeon entrance.
The expression of shock on his face was priceless.
After dedicating my entire day to dungeon diving, I managed to return safely. I thumped my chest in relief.
The moon hung high in the sky, casting its gentle glow.
Kagari must have been extremely worried.
I glanced at my phone to check the time.
"What the hell, it's already 11:00 PM?!" My eyes widened in surprise.
I had dived into the dungeon around 10:00 AM, and now it was already 11:00 PM. Time had slipped through my fingers.
Busy with grinding, I had lost all sense of time. Before returning home, I needed to sell the magic stones to the guild. I wondered if there was an open restaurant. Kagari must have been upset, spending the whole day alone. I hadn't specified a return time, and we didn't have each other's phone numbers—no means of communication existed between us.
I managed to sell the magic stones and earned a substantial amount of money. I headed straight to a restaurant and ordered steak for both Kagari and myself.
Upon arriving home, I knocked before entering. There I found poor Kagari, asleep at the kitchen table, waiting for me. It seemed she had prepared dinner: fish, vegetables, and rice.
She slowly opened her eyes, got up, and rubbed them before focusing on me.
"You took so long. I was worried. But now that I see you, my heart is at ease. Welcome home, Rin."
"I'm home, Kagari," I replied.
She hadn't eaten dinner yet, waiting patiently for my return. That night, we enjoyed steak and watched a movie together.