Rees, the capital of the Ashut Kingdom, where Senji and his companions were summoned, is the most prosperous city in the kingdom. The streets remain bright at night, thanks to the magic stones used in the streetlights, and the central avenue is bustling even in the late hours.
Senji headed straight toward the Adventurer's Guild. He had memorized the map during the study session at the grand library earlier in the day, so he had no trouble finding his way.
On his way, he bumped into a few drunkards who appeared to be adventurers, but with polite apologies, he avoided any unnecessary trouble and arrived at his destination safely.
Opening the door to the guild, Senji stepped inside. He had heard from Laika that the guild's tavern would be lively at night, and sure enough, it was. From hulking figures who had shed their armor to fierce women still carrying their weapons, all kinds of people were sharing drinks and stories.
Senji made his way past them to the reception desk and approached a nearby staff member.
"I'd like to register as an adventurer. Can I do that here?"
The staff member grimaced openly at Senji's request and sighed heavily.
"Ugh... Yeah, you can, but can't it wait until tomorrow? I really don't want to add more work at this hour."
"You're blunt. But I'd appreciate it if you could do it now. Please."
With that, Senji pulled out a small cloth pouch from his pocket and slipped some coins to the woman behind the counter.
"Well, at least you have some manners. Fine, the registration fee is 3,000 sils."
"Got it."
Senji handed over the fee, separate from the bribe he had just offered. One sil was roughly equivalent to one yen, information he had picked up during his study earlier.
Of course, Senji, fresh out of the royal palace, had no money of his own. What he had now was the wallet he had "borrowed" from one of the drunkards he had bumped into on his way to the guild. With his disguise skill and hero status, picking pockets was child's play, especially from inebriated victims.
"Alright, registration fee confirmed. Now we'll measure your stats. Please prick your finger and let a drop of blood fall here."
The woman handed him a card-like object and a small knife. It was clear she expected him to prick his finger.
"Ugh, I hate pain."
"Then maybe being an adventurer isn't for you."
"Fair point. Just kidding… Here, this work?"
"Yes… Oh, these stats are impressive."
"Told you, undefeated in my hometown."
"Well, just don't get cocky. Adventurers like that tend to die quickly. But honestly, you probably don't have to worry much about that nowadays."
"What do you mean?"
As she continued the registration process, the staff member elaborated.
"Recently, knights have been raiding dungeons, wiping out most of the monsters. The number of creatures left is scarce, so injuries and fatalities among adventurers have decreased, but our earnings have plummeted. It's honestly exhausting."
"Why are the knights involved?"
"Who knows? Most of them are nobles and look down on adventurers and commoners. They don't share anything with us. I personally can't stand the Second Knight Order. I've seen their captain once, and everything about him just rubs me the wrong way."
Apparently, the captain of the Second Knight Order had a bad reputation even among the common folk. Senji couldn't help but agree with her.
"Sounds troublesome."
"Oh, it is. And the worst part? They're using back channels to sell the magic stones from the monsters they've slaughtered, making a nice little fortune for themselves. It's disgusting! Oh, by the way, what's your name?"
"Suddenly switching topics, huh?"
"It's for the registration~."
Her quick change of demeanor almost went unnoticed, but Senji caught it.
(No way I'm using my real name here…)
"Mary Sue."
"...Mary, is it?"
"Is that a problem?"
"No, it's just… it sounds a bit feminine."
"I hear that a lot. Is it an issue?"
Mary Sue was a name famously associated with overpowered fan-fiction characters. Senji found it fitting for his current situation.
"Not at all. Alright, the registration is complete. Here's your adventurer's certificate. Show this to the guards at the dungeon entrance to gain access. Don't lose it."
"Understood."
"By the way, based on your stats, you could qualify as a gold-ranked adventurer, but since you have no experience, you'll start as a bronze rank. If you prove yourself, you'll rank up in no time, so good luck."
"Got it. Thanks."
"Feel free to drop by and vent whenever you want."
"I'll keep that in mind."
With a casual wave, Senji left the guild.
(In all those light novels and anime, this is usually the part where a group of adventurers tries to pick a fight, but… looks like all the drunks are too wasted to care. Maybe the capital's security isn't as bad as I thought. Still, it'd be fun to stir up some chaos.)
He glanced at the wallet he had picked up earlier.
Around 200,000 sils. Not bad for a night's work. One of the victims must've just gotten paid. Poor guy.
"Guess it's time to buy a weapon."
Whether any shops were still open this late was another matter, but Senji was never one to care much about logistics.
After barging into a weapons shop just before closing and purchasing a 200,000-sil sword, Senji made his way to the dungeon. Only an hour had passed since he'd snuck out of the palace.
The dungeon was located on the outskirts of the capital, a good hour's walk from the city. However, being a hero—even a disguised one—Senji's speed was unmatched. With his abilities and stealth, he reached the dungeon in just ten minutes.
The dungeon's exterior resembled ancient Greek ruins, built from stone, yet something about the material felt off. If it existed on Earth, it would have undoubtedly been a protected cultural treasure.
At the entrance, he presented his adventurer's certificate to the gatekeeper.
"Heading in now, huh?"
"Any problem with that?"
"No, it's always dark inside anyway, so day or night makes no difference. You're bronze-ranked, so you're allowed up to the tenth floor. Be careful."
"Sure thing."
With a wave, Senji descended into the dungeon.
The air inside was cool and quiet, the kind of silence that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. It wasn't far off from the descriptions in the library, but one thing was different—there was a faint smell of blood.
"Must've been some weaklings that got killed."
Senji dismissed his unease, unsheathing his sword as he began his exploration of the dungeon.
He had several reasons for venturing into the dungeon, but the most pressing was to assess his own strength. On paper, his stats—thanks to his hero summoning—were already those of a powerful warrior in this world. But even with those stats, he couldn't see a future where he could defeat Rinyu, their mysterious and overwhelming foe.
Even the top-ranked adventurers—those of platinum rank—were mere playthings to her.
Senji needed to test his abilities, but the palace training grounds couldn't provide a realistic challenge.
"A real battlefield, even if it's dangerous, is the only place I'll know for sure… And if I want to reach the end of this, I need to get stronger."
"First monster spotted~."
The creature that appeared before him was a kobold, a bipedal wolf-like beast with black fur and glowing blue eyes. It carried sharp claws in its dangling arms, ready for a fight.
Five seconds. That's all it took.
The first to move was, of course, Senji.
Holding back his full strength, Senji approached the kobold with measured speed, visualizing the average stats of a kobold in his mind. He swung his sword, ensuring the kobold would have time to react. Just as expected, the kobold dodged.
"Alright, let's try this again."
Repeating the same maneuver, Senji left an opening this time, inviting the kobold's attack. The beast took the bait, slashing at him with its claws. That was exactly what Senji had anticipated.
Without stopping the momentum of his previous swing, Senji spun around, using the force to counter the kobold's attack.
Claws met steel, and the kobold's claws shattered.
"...I see."
With the test complete, Senji quickly ended the fight, slashing the kobold in two with a casual swing.
The creature fell, and moments later, its corpse was swallowed by the dungeon, leaving only a small green magic stone behind.
"The monsters on this floor are pathetic… Just as I thought."
Disappointed by how easy the battle was, Senji continued further into the dungeon, hoping to find something more worthy of his time.
(Does this dungeon even have anything stronger? Or are they all just weaklings?)
Despite the boost from his hero stats, the enemies he encountered so far wouldn't have even been a challenge in his previous life. It was laughable to think adventurers risked their lives fighting these creatures.
(Then again, didn't the receptionist mention something about the knights clearing out the stronger monsters? Maybe that's why these ones are so weak.)
Senji cut down another goblin that charged at him. The goblin's body stumbled forward a few steps before collapsing and being swallowed by the dungeon floor.
(Whatever. No point in thinking about it too much. If I don't find anything tougher soon, I'll just head back.)
As he cleaned the blood off his sword, Senji heard a faint whimpering sound from around the next corner, followed by a weak cry for help. Curiosity piqued, he peeked around to find a boy, probably about fifteen or sixteen, cowering as he was surrounded by kobolds and goblins.
"Ugh... sniff... Why me?!"
The boy's face was painted with sheer despair. Senji, observing from the shadows, couldn't help but think:
(First civilian encounter, secured~.)
A classic trope. He wasn't inclined to care about some random boy's life, but for now, Senji figured the kid could be useful. Information about adventurers and the guild was valuable, after all.
With that thought, he stepped out into the open, sword in hand.
"Hey, stay put. This will be over in a second."
"Huh?"
Without waiting for a response, Senji charged at the monsters. A goblin wielding a sword tried to intercept him, but Senji stopped just outside its range, causing the goblin to miss. In the same instant, Senji cleaved through the group of monsters with a single powerful slash, dispatching them effortlessly.
(Man, mowing down enemies with borrowed power feels so good! No wonder these OP protagonists love it.)
As Senji reveled in his easy victory, the boy shakily stood up and bowed his head.
"T-Thank you so much for saving me!"
"Hmph. It was nothing."
"No, really! You were amazing! You just—whoosh, cut them all down like it was nothing!"
"Yeah, well, for someone like me, that's easy."
"Wow! I admire you so much! Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Il Candle!"
"Mary Sue."
"Mary-san! Nice to meet you!"
"Yeah, sure."
(Why's this kid sucking up to me so much? Oh well.)
At that moment, Senji didn't think much of Il. To him, the boy was just another clueless kid. He had only helped him to gain some information about adventurers.
But soon enough, Senji would come to deeply regret that decision...