Author: Yume Neiji

Earning money to pay off our debts has come to be called “training” for me and Solana. It is now the morning of the third day since I started diving into the combat level of the dungeon.

I am getting more and more efficient. Solana also praises me for having a solid foundation.

I’m glad that she had acknowledged the efforts I had made, such as my daily short sword training and my study by making use of Father’s notes. But when it comes to core strength, I think the leg training I did at my part-time job as wake-up caller helped the most.….

“Gaa!”

Now, I can face a kobold.

Its eyes were bloodshot, and the hand holding the dagger are limp. The low growl is likely to make me shiver if I let your guard down. It made me mercilessly realize that it is impossible to talk or reconcile with monsters.

It was supposed to be an opponent that could be defeated by now, but my breathing was disturbed.

“Fuu……”

I took a deep breath.

I don’t know about other adventurers, but I always feel the horror of monsters. “I’m afraid they’ll come out of the dungeon someday”—that’s the dread I always thought of.

Sometimes, I also think about it.

Why did God leave the monsters behind? Just to seal them away? Couldn’t he had just defeated them all?

There are many theories in the myths, such as “for the sake of the materials” and “not forgetting the art of fighting”, but I don’t really think that it was the reason.

Is it because of the monsters that Lu got sick?

Even Father, in the fight against the monsters he—

『Rion』

Solana’s voice came from the gold coin. I turn my attention back to the kobold. It hasn’t made a move yet. It just held a dagger at waist height and looked at me with warning.

“Guu……”

I stared back at the opponent that growls at me.

“Come.”

The opponent jerked.

—But a split second before that, I was already in action. It was an ahead and instant move. I leapt and closed our distance, immediately breaking through the opponent’s attack range. I pierced its throat with the blue crystal short sword.

The kobold instantly crumbled into ashes and dropped magic stones.

“My win….”

How many kobolds had I faced today?

When I came here, my breath was white, but now I was hot with sweat.

It’s time to take a break.

“I’m going to take a break.”

『I was about to say that, too. 』

I walk back to the relatively safe staircase. I sit down on the ground and count the magic stones I’ve earned. Today’s haul was 1 warg, 4 kobolds, and a few slimes.

Ouch. I felt a stinging pain when I touched my cheek. I’m bleeding.

“Maybe I went too fast.……”

On the first day, I fought one monster and then I took a short break. Afterwards, I fought again and took another break, such cycle went over and over again till I was at my limit.

—But there was one thing I didn’t expect. The purchase price of the kobold magic stone was lower than I expected. It was just a little lower than usual, but something bothers me. There are other dungeons, so it is inevitable that the price of magic stones will drop. Still, I just had a bad hunch.

So, in order to pay off my debt quickly, I had to increase the efficiency of my training further. That was why I did not take as much short breaks now.

From today, instead of going back to the safe zone, I decided to go around the dungeon once and then return to the surface.

The ability, White Flame, enveloped my whole body. My tension eased and my fatigue faded away. It helped me conserve recovery potions and trained me in using magical power at the same time.

At that moment, a glint appeared at the edge of my field of vision. Solana jumped out of the gold coin.

“Are you hurt?”

The palm-sized Goddess sat on my shoulder.

I chuckled wryly as I put the lid on my water bottle.

“Just a little.”

White Flame healed my wounds quickly. Solana seemed relieved and her fairy-like form quickly returned to the gold coin.

『Muu! If I could just stay outside all the time, I would be able to protect you more. 』

“Haha……”

I’m grateful for her care.

Suddenly, I had an idea. For example, when a monster appears, I could unseal her and have her defeat the monster.

Solana seems to know what I’m thinking, she said,

『Of course that’s possible. Shall we do that?』

“Yeah….…”

Solana was excited, but I gave a half-hearted reply.

Well, I vaguely thought that it was not right. Even if it’s a borrowed strength, I want to make it real one day.

“First, I’ll become stronger.”

My breathing had steadied a lot, but I still wanted to rest. While resting, I ask Solana,

“Uhm, Solana-sa-, erm, what does it feel like…. being sealed?”

Oh, it was terrible. I was about to speak in formal tone again. There are times when I called Solana with “san” or some other honorifics, but every time I do, she gets annoyed and starts sulking.

『Well, how should I describe it….. Hmm, I guess it’s like climbing a high mountain. Do you know what it feels like when you climb a high mountain? Like how you feel the cold there and feel how the air is getting thinner.”

I’ve never really climbed a high mountain, but I’ve heard similar stories.

『It’s the same as that. The sealed space is getting colder and harder. I feel like I’m in a place I shouldn’t be. When I go out in my tiny form, I can postpone the restrictions a little, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are restrictions imposed on me. 』

“I see……”

『But I got to know it’s a very powerful seal…… So much that I didn’t think that even an awakened god will be affected by it. 』

Solana still has few memories to remember.

It seems that there are still many things that we don’t know about, especially on the seal that cover the world. Well, even the monsters of the time and the beings who led them remained hazy in detail.

――The Era of the Great Seal, the time when the gods fought monsters and sealed them away in dungeons.

That general plot is the roughly same.

『When I’m in the dungeon, I feel like I can remember something. 』

But Seal huh…..

My ability “Unseal” has the same letters. The only other skills I can think of that relate to seal are those used by priests who serve the chief god, Odis-sama, or the royals and people high above the clouds.

I tried asking the guild members about it casually, but the result was the same.

“……It’s better not to tell people too much about my abilities.”

I blurted out. Then I paused.

But then if I did that, it would make it even harder for me to reveal my skills to Lu or to my mother…

While I was conflicted, the staircase became noisy. It’s past morning, so the adventurers of the Eastern Dungeon must be coming down.

“It’s time to go.”

『Got it. 』

Not long after I had advanced further into the dungeon, the cold aura from the next monster caught my attention.

This time, it’s not alone.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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The morning after healing Lu.

I had stepped into a certain level of the East Dungeon.

—The third floor.

Unlike the first two floors, the “exploration level”, this place, called the “combat level”, is where the monsters become stronger in earnest.

I am by myself. In my hand is a blue crystal short sword. In addition to my usual armor, which was reinforced with leather from my everyday clothes, I wore a pouch to hold the magic stones I can collect today.

Unlike the upper levels, no one comes here for medicinal herbs collection. Perhaps because of this, it was terribly quiet in the area, and I could even hear my own breathing.

At the end of the stairs is a straight passage. There must be a number of branch routes, and the monsters at the end of each route are different depending on the time. Items and monsters are constantly changing in the dungeon after all. Monsters can even be stationed in areas that were thought to be safe. That’s why adventurers called the levels from here on as danger zone.

However, magic stones, materials, and ancient artifacts are available from this floor and below. If you want to make money, you can’t ignore the combat levels.

“Well, I know that but…….”

I could occasionally hear something stomping in the ground in the distance. When the tension reached its peak, something brushed my cheek.

“Uwaa!”

At the sound of my surprised scream, I hurriedly covered my mouth.

“What’s wrong?”

A golden glow spoke as it hovered next to my head.

“……Did I surprise you?”

It was Solana, shrunk to the size of the palm of my hand. She looks like an elaborate doll, but her expression changes from time to time. Gods can change their size. Her white dress flutters as she floats in the air. Her golden hair and bracelets sparkle, making her look like a fairy from a certain tale.

“I’m sorry for that. Apparently, with this tiny size, I can stay out for a longer time.”

Solana is small in stature but has keen eyes.

“In this floor, the seal is stronger than in the city. It is probably to seal the monsters properly.”

I nodded slightly, wary of my surroundings.

Solana continues.

“If I go out with a big body, I use a lot of force even with just a few movements. It will be inconvenient if I don’t last a few minutes you see.”

The more it affects the gods, the stronger the seal in the dungeon must be. The fact that there are monsters sealed here adds to the sense of reality.

Slowly but steadily, I began to feel anxious.

I should have the confidence. After all, I had defeated a kobold in the exploration level with a single blow, leveled up, and get new skills from Solana. When I was really short on money before, I was willing to take risks so I went running around this floor. Because of that, I know the geography here and I know how to choose my opponent to fight against. But when I think that there is a monster that is not comparable to a slime, I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Is it too early?”

Remembering Lu’s peaceful sleeping face yesterday, I shook my head to free my mind from pessimism.

“……To be free, I can’t avoid it.”

Just how long are you going to be nervous?

After asking myself, I took a deep breath, pulling my chin tightly. Breathing deeply in my stomach is a breathing technique that my father taught me.

“Let’s go, Solana.”

I’m careful not to miss any footprints or bloodstains. Eventually, I found a clear footprint on the ground. Long claws on four legs. The forelimbs and hind limbs are about the same width as my step, which is quite large for a beast.

“……It’s a warg.”

I swallowed. My legs were stuck as if they had been sewn together.

“Hey, let’s turn back for now.”

“Hn? Why?”

I whispered to Solana.

“It’s a strong monster.”

Also known as a beginner killer. It is a wolf-like monster that attacks with its fangs in quick movements. The tricky part is that it’s super-fast. It is said that an experienced party can easily predict it’s move ahead, but a beginner party can be disrupted and overrun in no time.

“It’s rare to see it in the Eastern Dungeon…… t-this is bad!”

The only saving grace would be its habit of not wanting to leave its “territory”. It’s easy to avoid a fight against it that way. If it’s in the path you’re moving forward to, just turn around on the spot.

“It’s better to be cautious.”

The tiny Solana crosses her arms. Her blonde hair and eyes sparkled.

“Just to be sure, let’s review your skills. The skill, golden flame, can constantly improve your abilities. Rion, that means you are stronger than you think.”

Now that I think about it, yesterday, I sprinted at full speed, but I didn’t even get out of breath. I thought it was just a little bit of Solana’s blessing.

“The Golden Flame doesn’t stop there, it consumes magical power to further enhance your physical abilities for a limited time.”

Consuming magical power to bring out further enhancement huh….

Solana raised her index finger.

“It’s a time-limited boost.”

I haven’t tried it yet. I was thinking of trying it out if I still had magical power to spare after I exit the combat level.

Just then, a howl echoes through the dungeon. Then the sound of claws kicking the ground followed.

“D-don’t tell me….”

I didn’t have to hesitate anymore.

“Grrrrr”

A growl came from the corner. Eventually, a dark wolf appeared. Bright red eyes and mouth opened wide to its prey. The warg roared, showing off its ragged fangs.

“I-it’s coming for me?”

I don’t think I’ve stepped into its territory yet!

Fear rises from my chest.

“Rion, you should give it a try.”

Solana’s words were as warm as the sun. Right! There is a God who believes in me. I have ally, someone is watching over me. This is many times more reassuring than I ever thought it would be.

I used my skill to do it.

The world becomes clearer. Everything was clearly visible. Even though it’s a dimly lit dungeon. I can sense the warg’s breathing, the movement of its paws, and the aim of its fangs.

“There is a time limit for physical enhancement. You have to do it as quickly as possible.”

I kicked the floor and rushed towards the warg. The warg leapt at me but I slid underneath it.

Slow.

Even the super-speed of the warg looked slow.

“Fu!”

I jumped towards the back of the enemy.

—But when I tried to jump at the warg, I misjudged my own speed. I jumped too far. The dungeon has a four-meter ceiling, and I jump up to the point where I almost hit my head.

“……W-what a jump!”

I thrust out the blue crystal short sword in my hand and sent it straight down. I used my entire weight to skewer the warg, who had lost sight of me.

“Guuuh”

Only a short groan remained.

The warg was reduced to ashes and magic stones and fangs rolled around. In a daze, I stroked my limbs enveloped in golden aura.

“There’s a time limit to it, and with your magical power, you can’t do it frequently. That is why it’s a trump card. But it’s pretty dependable, isn’t it?”

I wiped the sweat off my face.

“Yes!”

It’s a very powerful ability. It’s just a trump card huh.

But when I think about it, it makes sense. My power is borrowed from a God, and if I don’t become stronger, I probably won’t be able to become the real “strongest”.

I put the large magic stone of my first warg into my pouch.

I decided to spend the rest of the day fighting monsters on the third floor.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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In an aristocratic mansion facing the main street in the center of the Royal Capital.

In a city where taxes on houses vary depending on the width of the road it faces, a huge mansion with a garden and an iron gate was a dazzling example of luxury.

Gideon’s voice echoed in a room overlooking the beautiful garden.

“That Rion killed the kobold!?”

Slamming down his wine glass, Gideon glared at the informer.

Gideon is about 20 years old. He is a well-dressed young man, but his narrow eyes gave off a cold impression and his contorted lips highlighted his arrogance.

The leader of the Adventurer’s Guild standing at the door hugged the document he was still carrying. His face is completely pale.

“Y-yes, that is correct……”

“Is there anything else?”

“According to the slip, it seems that he also delivered a magic stone yesterday. It must be the one dropped by the kobold.”

“……That lowlife!? A magic stone? Since when did he know how to defeat a monster?”

One thing that came to his mind is the girl who helped Rion in the back alley.

He thought she was a high-ranking magician because of her sudden appearance, but according to his investigation, no adventurer had formed a party with Rion. Above all, there is no reason for such a powerful magician to enter the beginner dungeon with Rion. What he was certain is that it is not for the sake of money.

Remembering his still aching jaw, Gideon grimaced.

“Uhm….…”

Glared at by Gideon, the guild leader nearly dropped the documents in his hands.

“Hmph!”

“Hiii.”

There are many old noble families in the Royal Capital. Among them, Gideon’s Warburg Family is one of the four major nobles who rule the Royal Capital by dividing it into four equal parts like a pie.

The Adventurer’s Guild was a multi-nation institution, but in the Royal Capital it was only a pawn of the nobility.

“Bullshit!”

Fuming, Gideon threw the wine glass against the wall.

“That trash with useless skill is like the scum that the Lord God has forsaken! Now you’re saying such sudden change is happening!? ……It irks me!”

Rion’s father was an adventurer who was known to everyone in the Royal Capital. Possessing the aura of the sun, he had brought together the depressed adventurers in the Royal Capital and has defeated a boss monster before the knights.

And so, without realizing it, he had caught the eye of Gideon and the others in charge of the Royal Capital.

“I have to put his son into slavery……”

Gideon gets up from his seat and walks over to his desk.

An opened letter was still placed there, and it read:

『I am buying slaves with rare skill at a high price.…. 』

He traced the initials of a powerful noble, 『V』, with his finger.

Gideon suppressed his irritation as he thought of a way to ruin the life of the family of the commoner he hated.

“……Tell the guild and the stores to buy Rion’s materials at a bargain price.”

“Ah? B-but buying and selling materials is the lifeline of adventurers…..”

“That’s exactly why you’ll do so! It would be better if he could not sell his things…… No, rather than that, wouldn’t it be better if I actively let them buy inferior products? Kuku……”

He grinned evilly as he thought his plan was foolproof.

Adventurers make a living by finding items in dungeons and selling them. With a sick sister who eats up a lot of money just by being there, and with Rion having a difficulty finding work, he could only succumb to his terms, and eventually, he will not be able to repay his debts.

“Even though it was a useless skill, there is a noble who is very interested in its rarity. You’re already good as ‘sold’, Rion.”

Commoners who are unable to pay their debts are obliged to do forced labor under the noble.

In short, they are a de facto slave. It’s called “de facto” because the Royal Family does not approve of slavery.

――God do not permit slavery. Because if it is a profession approved by God, there should be a skill of slave or slave master. But there is no such skill. That’s the real reason. Whether it is to gain popularity with the people, a policy is a policy.

However, the nobility secretly enslaves commoners under the pretext of “forced labor because of debt”. Rather, the slave trade became the exclusive domain of the nobility, and the nobles became richer because of it. Working in debt also has the advantage of making it harder for slaves to escape. If they run away, the reimbursement will be extended to their families.

After failing to repay his debts, the son of that detestable adventurer volunteers to be a slave himself—just the thought of such thing satisfied Gideon’s self-esteem.

Kukuku, it would be fun to put on his slave collar in front of his crying family member.

But if he pays off his debts in full, it will be troublesome!

“Kuku, the buyer is an influential man…… It would be a good idea to make your name known to him.”

Since it is forbidden, there will be criticism if the sale becomes public. However, the nobles, who had become more powerful in recent years, would no longer listen to that. He recalled that there was a particularly nosy princess, but she was banished to the frontier temple as a warning to others.

“I’ll hunt them down, put them into slavery, and sell them.”

The family will be mentally weakened and their judgement will be impaired.

“I might as well sell his sister that will be left behind somewhere.”

Of course, Gideon doesn’t know about it.

—That Rion’s 『Alarm』skill now had “Unseal”. And that ancient items can also became a super-efficient way for him to make money.

“Kekeke!”

—What more, he doesn’t know that Rion’s ally is far from being “high-ranking magician”.

He is so full of himself yet doesn’t know anything….

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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