The dungeon that had appeared in Delofin.
We stood in front of it alongside other adventurers.
If I had to summarize a dungeon from the game, it would go something like this:
Monsters appear.
You go in, defeat them.
Receive rewards.
Rinse and repeat endlessly.
From what I had gathered, this one wasn't much different. You go in, collect magic stones or other monster by-products, and sell them for money.
There's even a profession built around this—adventurers who make their living by slaying monsters. However, to sell the loot, you need to be a member of the Adventurer's Guild.
'I signed up ages ago.'
Naturally, I can't use magic or wield a sword. If I had to fight a goblin one-on-one, I could probably just about survive.
Still, I joined the guild for one reason: to enter dungeons. Unlike in the game, entering a dungeon in real life requires being a knight, a mage, an adventurer, or a priest. You need to qualify as one of those four.
And this was no longer the kind of game where I could just leave everything to my slaves' auto-combat settings.
'If I mess up, I could get seriously hurt or even die.'
Unlike before, when injuries would heal over time or with treatment, there's now a risk of permanent damage. In the worst case, I could die. No way was I sending my cute slaves into such a place alone.
I had to be involved too, using all available resources like information and items.
"The danger level of this dungeon is rated F to G. Everyone is free to enter," said a guild employee, using a magical tool to measure the dungeon's danger level.
As expected, since this was the first dungeon of the storyline, the difficulty was at its lowest.
With a low difficulty comes weaker monsters, which means less money to be made. As a result, some adventurers hoping for a big payday decided to bail, leaving only the rookies behind.
'Good.'
If I had to deal with competition, it would've been a headache. If someone snatched the reward I had my eye on, I'd have to buy it from them at a markup.
But I couldn't relax just yet. There were still other adventurers around.
"Miss Mirabel, let's head in."
"Yes."
We stepped through the dungeon entrance, and a momentary sensation of weightlessness swept over me.
When I regained my senses, we were no longer in the field overlooking the city but in a dark, pitch-black cave with no trace of light. The way behind us was blocked by a wall.
To escape, we would have to find a teleport stone somewhere in the dungeon or defeat the boss to access one.
I turned on the portable magic stone lantern I had bought earlier, casting some light.
"I can use magic for that," Mirabel offered.
"No, I'll handle it. You just focus on the fighting."
In terms of combat, I was completely out of the equation. Mirabel was the only one who could handle a fight. I needed to make sure she could focus entirely on the battle.
If I'm going to get a free ride, this is the least I can do.
"Let's get moving."
We began our journey through the dark cave.
The dungeon was a maze. Since it had just appeared, it was completely uncharted.
For the record, I had no idea what the layout was like either. This wasn't an RPG, and Taosle never bothered to give detailed descriptions of dungeon geography.
Exploration was a 2D turn-based side-scroller. My thousands of auto-combat runs were of no use here.
Fortunately, there was one thing going for me.
"Let's turn right."
Aside from the fact that everything was now real, the game did have one useful feature: the item shop.
It sold items not just for slave training but for all kinds of situations. Before entering the dungeon, I had purchased one such item.
[Dungeon Map]
This is a dungeon map.
A simple enough description. Once inside the dungeon, the parchment would automatically reveal the structure and layout.
It was only a 500-point item, but in a situation like this, it was incredibly valuable. Only I had access to the dungeon's layout now.
For the record, it wasn't something I could sell. Most shop items were one-time use.
"You're amazing, Master."
"Haha, thank you."
Mirabel shot me a rare look of admiration. That kind of gaze is always welcome. Let's see more of it.
With the power of the map guiding us, we continued without hitting any dead ends. At one point, Mirabel signaled me to stop.
"Wait. There's a monster ahead."
It was the first monster encounter since entering the dungeon.
A low growling noise echoed.
Green-skinned and short, it was a goblin—a classic monster, often one of the first to appear in fantasy worlds alongside slimes.
"Can you handle it?"
"Of course."
Mirabel confidently aimed The Celestial Oath. A dark blue magic arrow infused with her power shot forward, exploding the goblin's head.
Ugh.
Blood and chunks of flesh splattered everywhere in a grotesque display.
Fortunately, it was just disgusting and didn't make me throw up. I had to thank Karamir's soul for keeping me desensitized at moments like this.
We encountered a few more goblins after that, and each time, Mirabel disintegrated them with her magic.
We didn't manage to collect any magic stones, though.
Mirabel was still struggling with fine control, often shattering the stones along with the monsters.
But that wasn't a big deal. We weren't in desperate need of money, and goblin magic stones didn't sell for much anyway. Raising another slave and freeing them would be a better investment.
'Things are going smoothly.'
It's to be expected. Using an SSR-level character on the first stage? If it was difficult, that would be strange.
We came across a small chamber after a while, which looked like a resting area.
"Miss Mirabel, do you need a break?"
"No, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, Master. Let's keep going."
"No, I'm tired. Let's rest for a bit."
"..."
What? What's with that look? Do you think walking through a stuffy cave with this fragile body is easy?
In the end, we decided to take a break. I'm lucky I'm the master. If I were the slave, I might've gotten beaten with a staff.
There was a clean-looking stream running nearby, but we didn't need to drink from it. After all, we had a mage in our party.
Using water Mirabel had conjured, I quenched my thirst and washed my hands.
After a brief rest, I shared some information with Mirabel before we resumed.
"I'm predicting that this dungeon is likely a goblin nest. So far, we've only encountered goblins."
Mirabel nodded, indicating that she had figured as much.
But this next part, she probably wouldn't know. Just as I was about to continue my explanation, Mirabel interrupted.
"I can sense an evil presence deep within the cave. It feels like there's something that can use magic."
Oh?
She could sense that?
I was impressed. As she suspected, the dungeon boss was a goblin shaman. That was exactly what we were after—a skill book it dropped, albeit with a low chance.
"That's very useful information."
Mirabel smiled slightly, clearly pleased with the praise.
At that moment, another party entered the rest area from a different path.
"Don't freak out, will you? You almost got us all killed!"
"You're the one who freaked me out with all your shouting!"
Sharp voices echoed through the chamber.
The group consisted of two men and two women, all young rookie adventurers around Mirabel's age.
As they bickered loudly enough to make the chamber reverberate, their eyes finally landed on me.
"Huh, there's another party here? I thought we were the first ones."
"That's because you were dawdling!"
"Why do you keep picking fights with me? Is it that time of the month?"
"Excuse me?!"
Ugh, so loud.
This can't be good for Mirabel's emotional well-being. I have to make sure she only sees the best things.
"Haha, they seem to be getting along well. Miss Mirabel, let's leave before we disturb them."
"Yes, Master."
Just as we were about to continue on our way, a voice called out.
"Wait! Take me with you!"
The boy, carrying a wooden shield and short sword, came rushing toward us, blurting out nonsense.
Sensing danger, Mirabel pointed her staff at him, causing the boy to freeze in his tracks, maintaining a safe distance.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"I noticed you don't have a frontline fighter or scout. Let me join your party. I can take on the frontline role."
The boy stared at Mirabel while saying this, then quickly looked away before sneaking another glance, his cheeks turning red.
'This country bumpkin dares to set his sights on my daughter?'
I was about to speak, but the girl who seemed to be the party leader beat me to it.
"Hey! What are you talking about? If you leave, what are we supposed to do without a frontline fighter?"
"All you do is complain. This is your chance to realize how important I am."
Um, we don't want you in our party, buddy. He was really just drumming up his own performance.
Mirabel looked at me with a face that asked, 'Should I take him out, Master?' No need for that.
I gave the boy a hard shove, sending him stumbling forward.
"Huh?"
The boy flailed awkwardly, barely managing to keep his balance, only to fall flat on his face in front of the girl. He looked back at us with a betrayed expression, as if he had been wronged.
Right then, a wall of earth shot up between us, blocking his view. It was Mirabel's magic.
"You're dead!" the girl yelled.
"W-wait, hold on!"
The sound of scuffling and blows followed. It seemed the boy was receiving his punishment for trying to abandon his party in the middle of a life-or-death dungeon run. He had it coming.
"Let's go."
I had Mirabel cast a spell to block off all paths leading to the boss room, just in case we encountered anyone who might try to steal the skill book.
We ran into a few more groups of goblins along the way, but it wasn't even fair to call it a fight—Mirabel dismantled them effortlessly with her magic.
Finally, we arrived at the boss chamber.
Just as I had predicted, the boss was a goblin shaman.
There were a few regular goblins accompanying it.
And…
'Huh?'
Two hobgoblins were also present.