I'm not sure if it was because I was looking forward to today as my debut as an adventurer, but the mana depletion was almost gone, and even though it's common to feel a little sluggish in the morning after experiencing it, I had not felt this side effect.
I stretched a little just to be sure, but yes, my body was as light as usual, I had no headache or even any semblance of tiredness.
In other words, it should be fine to enter a Dungeon.
As for my target... Luckily, there was a Dungeon near my house.
It was perfect for beginners, the first floors were inhabited by weak and low-level monsters such as goblins and slimes.
Even without magic or good skills, newbies can test themselves against the monsters there, gain experience and levels, and decide if this is a good path for them or not.
Since it wasn't far from home, I arrived quickly, after what felt like ten minutes of walking or so.
What took me more time was registering in a post before entering the Dungeon Gate.
It was a single-page document that doesn't collect much information. If it's the first time you are going to raid a Dungeon, they ask you to sign your name in a declaration of consent before giving you a tag with your name on it, just so that you can be identified if anything happens.
The explanation and the tag-making took a few minutes, but basically, it's a way for the government to exempt itself from any of its usual responsibilities.
It says that upon entering the dungeon, in case something happens, authority intervention and law enforcement are not guaranteed.
In other words, they might not even try to investigate or arrest someone if you die inside.
It's a little nerve-wracking, especially since there are a few examples of what might happen inside a dungeon written in the document, but the option to enter without agreeing to this didn't exist, so it was not a choice for me.
Oh, I suppose I should mention that the last line also had an agreement about sharing information and any findings.
This document is a little... Well, it has been in place for a long time, but it works well.
The Dungeons are the perfect place to commit a crime. It's incredibly hard to conduct any investigations, at least with the usual means the police might use.
With murderous monsters roaming around, investigating is hard enough, but pinpointing to a single culprit is an almost impossible task.
Because of this, a lot of crimes happened inside Dungeons in the past, and the government was hard pressed to find a solution.
In the end, they gave up. Mostly.
Dungeons operate by their own law now, and surprisingly, this works rather well.
The thing is... They are dangerous, yes.
Being an adventurer is dangerous.
And that's why... Most adventurers don't want to pile up more danger.
When a new face shows up and something strange happens, or when someone keeps mysteriously returning alone...
They always end up disappearing.
The government might try an investigation from time to time, especially in the most outrageous cases, but... Adventurers are the ones who uphold the law in the Dungeon, and the law is to not create problems.
And yes, facing jail time is preferable to the treatment adventurers might give someone they think they'd be better off without, and murdering someone while putting yourself at risk of dying to monsters is also not very appealing, so...
Surprisingly, after some time, crime rates inside Dungeons fell considerably.
Knowing that nowadays the amount of fuckery happening inside a Dungeon has diminished a lot, I felt like it would be a good idea to search for some partymates.
Newbie Dungeons like this always have people trying to meet like-minded adventurers, and there's even a small business where third parties check and introduce people to each other.
I'm not the most social out there, so I ended up paying for someone to introduce me.
However, before meeting the other people who did the same, I took a look at the settlement of the first floor.
The place had a few establishments, mostly meant for trade and rest, with some small stores selling equipment and people offering tips in exchange for cash.
There are also people offering to escort first-timers, but... It's not usually a good idea to rely on someone else.
It's definitely not profitable for the client either. It's mostly something people who don't want to be adventurers do to... Experience a Dungeon, I guess.
I think there were approximately 200 people in this settlement, and many of them were newbies recruiting for parties.
Had I known it was this easy, I wouldn't have paid for the service, but alas... I had already spent the money, so... Might as well make the most out of it.
Obviously, newbies rarely have any experience in fighting monsters, and we are bound to make a lot of mistakes that can end up in death. However, there's strength in numbers, and the risks are reduced when in a group.
There's a bigger margin of error.
But if you're going to trust someone else with your life, you'd hope they are as serious as you about the whole thing.
That's why I thought it wasn't a waste to spend money to meet people who had done the same. If they were willing to do this, they were probably a little more serious than the people just casually inviting anyone to group up.
Or at least that's how I excused my initial deficit.
As for my teammates-to-be....
I was introduced to a guy dressed all in black. He was as tall as me, around 180 cm, give or take.
He didn't seem overly strong, or agile, or anything noteworthy to be honest, but I couldn't complain much since it was the same for me.
The only thing I noticed was how distressed he seemed to be, but it was understandable since this was probably his first time too.
I felt like as long as he took care of himself, it would be fine, but then I noticed what might be the source of his discomfort, a reasonably tall blonde girl, at about 170 cm, standing by his side, making casual talk.
She was dressed lightly, and it was a little revealing, but at the same time, the shorts and top she wore were a good choice due to the ease of movement and comfort.
I also felt a little anxious when approaching them, but after we introduced ourselves, I felt a little relieved.
The boy was called Roy and the girl Sam. I didn't know anyone from my school, so I couldn't say whether or not they attended it, but I think I'd recognize Sam we had met before.
She seemed to be the extroverted type. Rather upbeat and energetic, the type of person that's hard not to take note of.
I was hoping another girl would join though... It could be a little awkward for a girl to be here with only other guys around.
Sadly, that never happened, so we ended up going to the next step... Talking about our skills and Gifts so that we could know what to expect from each other.
Roy: "So before we dive in, it's probably safer to know what everyone is capable of, right?"
Sam: "Totally!"
Miwen: "Agreed."
Roy: "Alright, I'll start then. My Gift is called [The Black Swordsman]. It gives me two skills, the first is [Darkness Magic] and the second is [Swordsmanship]. Both start at level 1... Also, it has the effect of facilitating the imbuing of blades with [Darkness Magic]. Swords are expensive though, so... I got a knife from my home. I'm pretty sure it counts as a bladed weapon... I think..."
Sam: "My turn! My Gift is [Martial Arts Specialist]. It allows me to learn martial arts at a faster rate! It also boosts my strength. I guess I got it because I practice some martial arts in a dojo."
Miwen: "My Gift is [Godspeed], it makes me quicker, but it seems not by much as of right now... I guess I got it because I like finishing things quickly."
Roy: "That's not always good."
Miwen: "Bro, not in that way."
Naturally, I instantly lied about my Gift.
It's normally a bad thing to do to the people who might end up relying on you, but...
[Gacha Kingdom Building] is incredibly complex, and it doesn't have any direct effects in combat.
Since both of theirs, while not extraordinary, seemed to be useful in combat, I decided to pass the [Movement Speed Up] skill as my Gift.
We are all newcomers, but I'd rather not hurt my standing amongst them right at the start.
There's always the risk that I won't be able to keep up due to the luck factor of [Gacha Kingdom Building], and while unlikely, it could make them reconsider forming a party with me while thinking in the long term.
Thankfully, for low-level people like us, a skill like [Movement Speed Up] might look as strong as Sam's Gift, and for all intents and purposes, when Dungeon diving, at least for now, this is everything I have that is noteworthy.
Well... I think the dagger I got from [Mana Banners] might also be relevant since it's slightly better than a kitchen knife, but... The difference is so small that it's almost the same.
Ironically, even though normally it is a girl being surrounded by guys with blades would raise a lot of red flags, Sam's Gift and her training probably mean she could wipe the floor with Roy and me.
That's what relieved the most, I think.
I wouldn't try anything stupid, obviously, but if the other guy did, I think she'd be able to handle it.
It was one less thing to distract me...
Roy: "Right! I forgot to say, but even though I'm capable of darkness magic, I don't know any spells, also I only have a single mana point, so using it even once would put me down for the day. So I suggest that we all act as physical attackers."
Miwen: "It's fine, let's just move as a unit and cover each other's blind spots, we should be safe against most things by doing so."
Sam: "Yeah, let's advance while covering each other, we are all glass cannons here."
And so, we set our "strategy".
We had almost zero skills or tricks we could rely on, so the obvious thing was to rely on the few advantages we had.
Roy and Sam's strength, my speed, and the weapons.
We'd simply attack, attack, and if it didn't die, we'd attack again.
As long as we could overwhelm the enemy with numbers and strength, it'd be fine.
It's not a tactic that will work forever, but for the first floor of an Easy Dungeon, it should be enough.
Roy took the center of our formation, with Sam on his left and me on his right as we took care of the flanks and the back while counting on him to look for the first contact.
Our first battle came when Roy noticed a monster.
It was a lone goblin, easy prey for a 3-on-1. Especially when we all had combat-related skills.
We had no way of confirming its level, which could've been bad, but... We knew it couldn't be above 3 since that's the level of the boss of the first floor.
Dungeons cap everyone's level to be the same as that of the current floor boss, so even if the goblin was at max level for this floor, at most, he'd been able to strengthen a single stat 2 times, or two different stats a single time each.
The monster could also have improved a skill, if it had one.
But still, the numerical advantage would be enough for us to win, even in the worst-case scenario.
Still, it would be best to avoid any unnecessary risks, so it would be good to approach it cautiously and simultaneously.
The monster had its back on us, so-
Roy jumped at him with his knife, surprising me.
He made a lot of noise, which startled the monster, making it turn its head slightly, which made Roy miss the neck.
At least he managed to cut his shoulder on the right side.
There was a moment of hesitation on Roy's part, but the goblin instinctively used his claws to grab his arm, penetrating Roy's skin and making him bleed a little.
Sam reacted quicker than I and punched the goblin's head, but I followed up by stabbing its neck during its confusion.
I can't say it was like cutting... or stabbing through butter, but the resistance was meager.
All it took was that one attack, and it was over.
This made me believe the monster wasn't at max level... Were it at the max level of this floor, he could have probably broken Roy's arm and reacted to Sam.
Even stabbing him might've not been as easy.
It was good news that he was alone, but...
This could've been bad.
Roy panicked, and before Sam and I could coordinate, he was already going after the monster.
I couldn't blame him completely though... Truth is everyone has a different reach and breaking point, so while Sam and I felt it was still safe to approach it a little more, Roy did not.
Lacking coordination was to be expected of our party, but I could've also reacted a little bit faster, as Sam did.
Had I made a decision faster, using my speed, I could've interfered before Sam, maybe even preventing Roy from getting injured.
I think that on my part it was a minor mistake but... Depending on the situation, there's no difference between minor and major. Any mistake can cost someone's life, so I decided to be more careful to try and match everyone and be a little more decisive too.
Sam: "Are you okay, Roy? Wanna call it off for today?"
Roy: "It stings a bit, but it's not even bleeding much, it's mostly superficial I guess, I can go on."
...He moved his arm around to show us he was fine, but I wasn't too convinced.
I didn't want to finish so early either, though, especially since I was completely fine...
Sam: "If you say so..."
Miwen: "Don't overdo it. If it gets worse, tell us."
Roy: "Alright. But let's keep going."
The claws of normal goblins on this floor aren't usually poisoned, but it can happen, even if it's more frequent on lower floors.
We usually can tell by the subspecies, but attributes, Gifts, and skills might hide such things...
Every encounter is unique, so it would be better to check this cut...
Still, Roy appeared to be fine, and arguing wouldn't be good.
We decided to continue through the Dungeon after our first battle, and thankfully, what followed was a little easier.
By the time we had dealt with 3 slimes and 2 goblins, I began to think about how much time had passed here.
The cave-like walls and the lack of sunlight prevent us from telling the time without checking our phones, and when we did, we noticed that an hour had already passed.
We had not strayed far from the settlement, so we didn't find many monsters or even strong ones, yet our rate of encounter was decent.
But a little after that, we walked far enough to face a harder challenge.
We came across two goblins. One of them had a club, which made it a little extra dangerous...
Miwen: "Sam, Roy, you take the one unarmed. I'll distract the one with the club."
Sam: "Are you sure? Wouldn't it be better for us to go 2-on-1 on the one with the club?"
Ideally, yes, but... Things were far from ideal.
Roy was hurt, and he could be a liability.
Against a tougher opponent, it would be better to make things as easy as possible, and that meant risking him out.
Letting him face a monster by himself was also not going to hurt.
And besides...
Miwen: "...The club seems heavy. Since I can rely on my speed, it should actually work to my advantage."
It's a little scary to face an armed opponent, but it's a good matchup.
I couldn't see the goblin being capable of making swift movements with that club, so as long as I was patient and precise, I should be able to win.
Roy: " Still... it would be better for me to help you."
Miwen: "Don't worry, I wouldn't suggest it if I wasn't sure I could do it."
Sam: "Fine, but try not to die, ok?"
Miwen: " Leave it to me."
With the plan decided, I charged at the goblin with the club.
Both of them came running at me at the same time, and then Roy and Sam jumped at the unarmed one.
With one of them occupied, all that was left was for me to deal with the one chasing me, and after I put enough distance between the two groups to make sure their battle wouldn't interfere with mine, I stopped and challenged the monster to a proper fight.
Approaching him wouldn't be good, so I waited for him to strike first.
He swung the club at full force from above, aiming at my head.
If that were to hit, I'd be knocked unconscious instantly, no doubt.
However, due to our height difference and the difficulty of raising the weapons, striking me anywhere above my chest was going to be difficult.
The goblin, surprisingly, seemed to notice this and focused his attacks on my legs, arms, and stomach.
No matter how much he tried, his swings didn't connect.
It was definitely frustrating, and after the fourth consecutive attack, he seemed tired.
Unfortunately, while I thought I could dodge everything with ease, a monster's ferocity is nothing to scoff at.
The goblin was pushing its body to its limit with every attack, and the pressure of not wanting to risk a single mistake took a toll on me.
I was fully immersed in the fight, my concentration the highest it had been the entire day.
This was the first time I faced a monster on a 1v1, and it made me more nervous than I anticipated.
Still, while not performing to the best of my ability due to the anxiety, I saw an opportunity to counterattack with a few slashes when he missed his fifth swing.
I didn't have enough reach to do any deep cuts since I was trying to avoid the club by maintaining a good distance, and the monster used the club to defend itself.
However, that didn't do much for it since it had essentially locked his position as my slashes were way less demanding and much faster than he could hope for moving his club.
I was cautious, but I came closer, and eventually, his exhaustion gave me the chance to get near enough to stab his skull from the side.
The goblin died instantly, its body was absorbed by the dungeon, and a Monster Core was left in its place.
It's not unusual for some monsters in the dungeon to be absorbed by it after dying, but today, this was the first one it happened to.
It also so happened to be the first one to drop a Monster Core.
These things contain mana, but on this floor, and with the number of people capable of challenging the Dungeon, it wouldn't go for much.
However, I was still going to visit an office later to sell it since I had no use for them nor a way to extract the mana.
In any case, I took a look at Sam and Roy, and the two were about to deal with the goblin they tackled together.
Sam was quite brave, using herself as bait and even managing to grab the goblin's arms to allow Roy an opportunity to kill it.
Unfortunately, its body was not absorbed by the Dungeon, and it didn't drop a Monster Core.
Sam: "Hey, you alright?"
Miwen: "Completely. Also, look at this."
There was no reason to hide it, so I showed off what I got.
Roy: "Cool, that's the first tradeable good we got today."
Miwen: "Yeah, there's also the club if you want to sell it."
Roy: "I don't think it's worth it... unless Sam wants it?"
Sam: "No way."
While certainly a drop, it was big and heavy. Unlike the Monster Core, which can be stored in a pocket, carrying it was a hindrance.
Miwen: "Should we continue then?"
Roy: "I think I can go on for longer."
Sam: "No problems here."
We were all feeling fine, so we continued raiding the Dungeon a little more.
Luckily, our 12th goblin kill resulted in another Monster Core.
Since Roy was the one to kill it, he also got to keep it.
The 16th goblin dropped another one, and this time, it was Sam's.
By this time, we were close to leveling up for the first time, and we were filled with anticipation, not wanting to stop.
However, as we went deeper into the floor, we found the door to a boss room.
Of course, we didn't enter it.
There was no need to risk something like this at our level, and we still had a lot to learn about handling ourselves.
We decided to keep going... You never know what might happen, and staying close to a boss room is the same as inviting trouble.
We ended the day with a count of 9 slime and 18 goblin kills, and upon checking our status, everyone's level had increased.
Roy: "What are you guys gonna do with the Status Points? For me, it's gotta be the Strength status!"
Sam: "I'll go with Speed I guess, it seems to be very helpful in a 1-on-1, and I don't need to increase my strength right now thanks to my Gift."
Miwen: "I'll also go with strength since my Gift boosts speed."
Roy was going to focus a little more, while Sam and I felt like it would be a good idea to balance ourselves. At least at this point in time.
I think it's good to have teammates focused on certain things and also some who can perform well in multiple tasks, but for me, it was hard to plan ahead due to not having [Available Skills].
The best I could do was work with what I already had and hope that it helped with the future.
We then left the gate and went to an office close to the Dungeon to trade what the drops we got.
The Cores Sam and I got were from a level 1 goblin, so they were only worth $1. Roy got $2 from his.
It was far from enough to make a living from, but that's the point.
For a time, the rewards were a little too high, and a lot of areas suffered trying to employ people.
While it helped make the world safer, it created an imbalance that had to be corrected.
Thankfully, more rare drops and Monster Cores can be found deeper in this Dungeon and in harder Dungeons.
There are also other ways to make money, so... It just takes a while to get the ball rolling.
It didn't bother me though...
This was something I wanted to do for so long, and this reward, however small, felt like proof that I had taken my first step forward.
It was rewarding in its own way, much more than monetarily.
Also, we decided to add each other's contacts so we could meet up again tomorrow and continue from where we left off.