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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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In all things in the world, there’s no easy way to make money.
Nine out of ten people who say you can make money easily are scammers you shouldn’t even associate with, so if they approach you, shout, “No! I don’t like it! Don’t do it!” and run away. And if someone says they’ll introduce you to a job, be suspicious of them first.
And if you meet such a person, I heard it’s trendy these days to create a V-line on the chin, so let’s show them some kindness by creating a V-line on their head and make them a leader of the trend.
Originally, nothing warms the heart like the kindness of a neighbor-
“…What? A dungeon?”
“Yeah. A dungeon. If we make money by clearing a dungeon-”
“Do you think a dungeon is someone’s pet dog’s name? If it were that easy to clear, all the dungeons in the world would have been cleared and become troll nests.”
“A dungeon? No!”
Don’t make that dumbfounded expression.
I know everything you said is right.
I put my hand on Millia’s head, who seemed to darken at the word ‘dungeon’, and ruffled her hair vigorously.
It seemed to evoke some unpleasant memories.
…It was not wrong.
Although there are many dungeons in this world, the number of actually discovered dungeons is not that many.
I think there were roughly 200 in the game, but in reality, less than half of that have been discovered.
There were many dungeon entrances placed in strange locations for the sake of claiming it to be an open-world game.
…They forgot that it was their first time making an open-world game.
In the early days of release, weren’t there dungeons that could only be entered using bugs that couldn’t be reached through normal means, dungeons with empty reward boxes, and dungeons where the quest disappeared midway, making progress impossible?
It was a total mess.
It was a gem of a memory that I couldn’t forget even after 10 years.
I think I cursed it as a shitty game in the review section with about 2,000 characters back then.
…It couldn’t be that I was sent here because of that, right?
No way.
There couldn’t be such a sloppy guy… But their community manager was caught in a flame war with users.
“Johann?”
“…Ah. Why did you call me?”
I was lost in thought too much.
I looked at Renny, who had called me.
Renny looked at me with an expression that said it didn’t make sense and spoke.
“Let’s think realistically. Finding a dungeon is a problem, but clearing it is also a problem. You haven’t forgotten what you went through on the deserted island, right? Moreover, I’m busy taking care of Lady Karina’s work, and Millia can’t be taken since she’s not combat-ready. You’ll have to explore the dungeon alone, but can you do it? You can’t, right?”
“I can do it.”
“Specifically, how?”
“I have it all figured out.”
The dungeon Millia was in was unique, but most dungeons are just about dealing with obstacles or monsters and opening the treasure chest at the very bottom.
In other words, it’s really difficult to see a dungeon with a bizarre theme like the one Millia was in.
I think there would barely be more than two digits in this entire world.
So Renny’s concern was just an overreaction.
…The problem was that it was difficult to convince them without evidence.
“What’s your plan?”
“Find a dungeon. And clear the treasure chest as quickly as possible and come out.”
“The process is the problem, the process. How are you going to find a dungeon? You’re not saying you’ll clear famous dungeons-”
“Finding a dungeon isn’t a problem. I can utilize my abilities.”
Of course, it was a lie.
What can I find with my abilities?
I’m just roughly poking around based on my faint game knowledge.
If you dig, you’re bound to find a dungeon.
“What can you do with your abilities…”
Renny closed her mouth as if she understood what I meant and frowned.
Was she thinking about the possibility?
But whether she liked it or not, the only way to make a lot of money at once was to open the treasure chests in dungeons.
“…If you’re going, don’t die. It’s pointless to say this, but if something happens to you, Lady Karina will be sad… Me too.”
What did she say at the end?
I looked at Renny’s face as she murmured the end of her sentence.
Renny had turned her head to the side, avoiding my gaze.
I could see a faint blush on her cheeks visible through her brown hair.
What did she say to make her react like that?
I asked Millia if she knew what Renny had said, but Millia also tilted her head and said she didn’t know.
What is it? I’m curious.
But Renny didn’t seem to have any intention of telling me, as she immediately opened her mouth when I tried to bring it up.
“Anyway, if you’re going, make sure to equip yourself properly. You’re not going in that state, right?”
“…Is it not allowed?”
I was quite confident in my combat abilities.
At least, I was confident that I wouldn’t die in a mediocre dungeon.
“Do you think a dungeon is child’s play? If you’re going, you need to prepare thoroughly. Do you have any money left? If it’s not enough, I’ll chip in a bit, so make sure to prepare properly before going.”
“Thank you.”
“So come back with your limbs intact. Don’t come back with something cut off, saying you’re a hero.”
“Are you really going to the dungeon?! Don’t go!”
“It’s not a dangerous place, so don’t worry too much.”
I tried hard to comfort Millia, who was sobbing.
It seemed her reaction was a bit intense because she only had bad memories of dungeons.
It seemed like I would have a hard time comforting her for a while until I entered the dungeon.
“Millia. Don’t worry too much. When it comes to survival, I’m more confident than anyone else in this world. Think back to the journey we’ve had so far. Have I ever been injured?”
“…No?”
I turned my gaze away from Millia, who was nodding at my words with wide eyes, and looked at the door that had closed at some point.
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The preparations for entering the dungeon were simple.
It was only natural.
The dungeon I was going to wasn’t that difficult.
To return as safely as possible, I planned to visit the dungeons that were in charge of early-level leveling in Survival Academy, which came to my hazy memory.
I would test my combat power and obtain treasures.
The difficulty wasn’t that high either.
And there was something I wanted to try out.
“Johann, Johann, do you really have to go? I don’t need to attend the academy-”
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll be back soon-”
I detached Millia’s hand from my sleeve as she looked up at me with a worried face and turned around.
Strike while the iron is hot, as they say.
I planned to go and clear the dungeon right away.
It was best to clear it as quickly as possible.
This world was already trying to screw me over, so if I took my time preparing thoroughly and delayed, the dungeons might be discovered and cleared out.
In fact, I wasn’t sure if the dungeons would still be there even if I went now.
There was a thief girl, no, a heroine that I often encountered in dungeons.
“…But when did she appear?”
I remember if you don’t meet her at a certain point, you can’t see her face until the end.
Come on, my brain, try to recall more memories from 10 years ago.
You’re a head that studied quite a bit.
I tried hard to recall the memories, but in the end, I couldn’t remember when I would meet that heroine.
Maybe I’d remember if I heard the name, like Elena… But in the first place, I only remembered Elena because I always tried to get her weapon until a certain level.
If it weren’t for that, even if I heard her name, I might not have remembered it and just thought it sounded familiar and moved on.
“Hey, are you listening to me?”
“…Sorry. What did you say?”
“If it’s dangerous, run away immediately, whether it’s treasure or whatever. I think you’ll do well without me telling you… But don’t act too recklessly.”
“It’s okay. I’m a brave coward.”
“A brave coward? What’s that?”
At my answer, Renny chuckled and patted my shoulder.
“Have a safe trip.”
“Got it.”
“Come back safely!”
I waved at Millia, who was waving her arms and sending me off, and left the academy.
My first destination was to the east of Kalon Academy.
The dungeon was deep in the forest there.
If my memory served me right, if you went inside a twisted old tree somewhere in the forest, the entrance appeared, so no one had found it.
If you looked at it roughly, it was just a huge old tree.
“It should be the same as the game.”
I walked along the outer wall of the academy and estimated the rough location.
As my memory was hazy, it wasn’t an easy task to find the exact location.
I was searching using fragments of my partial memories as clues.
Having arrived roughly at the eastern street, I proceeded toward the outskirts of the city.
There were only tutorial-level low-level dungeons inside Kalon Academy for student practice, so I had to leave Kalon Academy to go to other dungeons.
With the identification document I received from Renny in my bosom, I arrived in front of the gate leading out of the city.
Perhaps because it was morning, the area in front of the gate was quiet.
I showed my identification document to the yawning guards and passed through the gate.
As I passed through the gate, the forest greeted me.
The environment was completely different, perhaps because it was in the opposite direction from where I came.
It made me realize once again how big the city I had escaped from was.
“…From here, it’s best to check while moving forward.”
Crafting.
A pillar made of earth was erected in front of my eyes.
It was nothing special, just for location checking.
In game terms, it was like placing a marker so I could gauge my location.
I continued to use my skill to erect pillars as I advanced.
Exploring the forest was more tedious than I thought.
I hadn’t encountered any monsters for almost 30 minutes.
I’m pretty sure goblins would pop out in the game, even if they were low-level.
Are the goblins afraid of me?
No way, those guys couldn’t be like that.
It’s just a coincidence.
As I walked aimlessly with that thought, I spotted a noticeably withered and twisted old tree.
“Is this it?”
I found it sooner than I thought.
I circled around the old tree and searched for a hole.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long to find a subtle-sized hole in the old tree.
“Hmm.”
I gripped the shovel I had on my back.
I couldn’t go in and out through a hole that even a child could barely enter, so I planned to dig into the tree and make it accessible.
“…Crafting.”
Before starting to dig the tree, I erected walls around it.
It would be a bit conspicuous, but it was to prepare for any unexpected attacks.
Having confirmed my safety, I immediately started digging.
Once, twice, three times…
Just before I barely reached double digits with the shovel, I discovered a hole in the bottom of the old tree.
It was most likely the entrance.
I dismantled the walls I had erected and gathered the pile of dirt to cover the entrance so it wouldn’t be noticeable.
It was a precaution in case someone else came in and interfered.
“…Shall I try going in now?”
One, two, three.
I jumped into the hole.
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