Tag: Dungeon

> Oh, did your level go up?

> What happened to your stats?

> It probably didn’t go up that much, right?

Comments popped up immediately.

Apparently, status screens couldn’t normally be shown to other people. So I had to explain it myself.

“My level went up by one. Most of my stats increased a little… except for Mana. That one dropped from ten to zero.”

Honestly, I wanted to ask the viewers instead.

Was it even possible for a stat to just disappear?

In every game I’d ever played, something like that had never happened.

Is the dungeon system really that strange?

The chat reacted instantly:

> What the hell? Never heard of that.

> Mana just disappearing makes no sense.

> You sure you read it right? Check again.

So it wasn’t just me. Even the viewers thought something was off.

“Ah, but… maybe it’s a replacement or something? A new stat called ‘Burial Power’ appeared and it increased by forty-four.”

The chat exploded.

> Burial Power?? What the heck is that!? LOL

> Your status screen is bugged or something.

> +44 at level 1? That’s insane.

Yeah… I thought so too.

But no matter how many times I checked, it definitely said Burial Power. And my Mana was completely gone.

“And as for the new skill…”

More comments rolled in:

> What skill did you get?

> You must’ve learned Heal, right?”

> No, I have a feeling something strange is going on again.

Bingo.

“Well, the skill is called [Cremation]. Anyone ever heard of it?”

The chat reacted instantly.

> Burial? And cremation?

> No idea lol.

> Read the description!

Right… the description screen. That should be here.

Let’s see…

【Cremation】: Incinerates the target with a special flame and sends them to heaven.

Oh, it’s a rather dangerous skill.

Burn them to ashes and send them to heaven sounded ridiculously powerful, but….

My mana is zero. Then, could I even produce any firepower?

No, perhaps that Burial Power stat had something to do with it. I hope that is the case.

Wait. Something is coming.

The chat exploded again.

> Aah!

> Oi, oi. Dude, that’s bad.

> My condolences. RIP.

After the slime fight, I hadn’t really moved. The place I was standing now was the center of a wide chamber on the first floor of the beginner dungeon—a space that looked like an old arena.

About ten meters ahead, near the tunnel leading deeper inside…

It appeared.

“GUOOOOOO!!”

A thunderous roar shook the ground beneath my feet.

It was about two meters tall. Its build was like a massive professional wrestler—maybe even bigger. Even from here, the bulging muscles radiated pure menace. Even if that thing were human, I’d have no chance against it.

Seriously… this is really bad.

The chat scrolled rapidly:

> Why the hell is there an orc here?

> Those guys usually show up around the 5th floor.

> You’ve got the worst luck, old man.”

> Just run!

> They’re slow! Sprint back to the entrance!

Haha… How pathetic. My legs wouldn’t move. My HP is only 2.

I somehow managed to beat that slime through sheer momentum, but this time…

There was no way out. I am probably going to die.

More comments poured in:

> What are you doing?! RUN!

> Ah! You’re seriously going to die! Move!

> Try using that Cremation skill from earlier!

> Calm down. Concentrate.

These people are surprisingly kind.

Maybe they didn’t actually want to see a beginner die right away. Maybe I’d misjudged them. They were good people after all.

….Right. It was too early to give up.

“Thanks, everyone… I’ll try.”

“GUOOOOOO!!”

The orc stomped toward me, each step slamming into the ground as it raised a massive club. Just like the viewers said—its movements were slow.

I couldn’t let its glaring eyes and huge tusks intimidate me.

Focus!

Cremation. It’s probably some kind of fire-attribute attack skill.

Fire. Imagine fire.

I pictured a blazing inferno over 2,000 degrees. I imagined the monster burning to ashes. Reality probably wouldn’t match the image in my mind—but right now, I have no choice but to go for it!

This has to be how the skill works.

Come on, former corporate slave me!

You finally became an explorer!

You can’t die here!

“Haaaaaaaaaa!”

The orc is already within striking distance. It raised its club, ready to crush my skull.

But—

For a single instant…

I was faster.

I thrust my staff forward, pouring the fiery image from my mind toward the orc and shouting the skill name with everything I had.

“CREMATION!”

“Guooo… ong.”

“…Huh?”

I imagined flames swirling around the orc as it burned alive. Even if it didn’t work perfectly, I thought maybe the fire might scare it long enough for me to escape.

But what actually happened was completely different from what any of us imagined.

The chat exploded.

> Eh?

> Eeeeeeh!?

> H-hey, did it catch fire? Instant burn?!

> Melted? Not even a flesh left.

> I didn’t see any flames at all!

> The orc turned into a skeleton. lOl

The viewers were right.

The enormous, vicious orc that had been charging toward me left nothing behind but its bones. It disappeared from this world in a single instant.

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

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Boing.

“Huh?”

I smashed the slime square in the middle with my staff. I definitely felt the impact.

The slime flew backward but it didn’t look like it had taken any real damage.

Comments flashed across the screen:

> Was that a crit?

> Still didn’t kill it though.

> Check its remaining HP with Clairvoyance.

The comments kept catching my eye. Since I am streaming, I couldn’t just ignore them. But if I paid too much attention, I’d get myself killed.

Guess I’d just have to get used to it.

“The slime’s remaining HP is four. Wait. Only one damage!?”

That hit felt perfect, too. Doing just one damage with that kind of swing was rough.

More comments rolled in:

> Blunt attacks don’t work well on slimes.

> Aim for its belly.

> Something’s stuck to your right foot.

Juuuu-

“H-hot! Uwawaa—!”

Apparently, a piece of slime had splashed onto my right foot when I struck it. A searing pain shot through my body. Instinctively, I tried to brush the sticky goo away with my hand.

“Uwaa! Now it’s on my hand! H-hot!!”

Now my left hand was burning too.

The chat exploded:

> LOL

> Use the staff, the staff! LOL

> Death flag detected

Were these viewers cheering for me or making fun of me? More importantly—what happened to my HP?

I opened my status screen to check. Somehow I had taken four damage.

My HP was down to 6.

Was I seriously going to die here?

> Maybe you should run.

> Can’t you use a healing skill?

> Got any potions?

Right…. I didn’t have a healing skill. And because I was so eager to try the dungeon, I forgot to buy potions.

I’d planned to just peek inside and leave if things looked dangerous.

Maybe I should listen to the viewers and retreat. Soloing with these stats really was reckless.

No, wait.….

My Agility was 1, wasn’t it?

Could I even run away?

If it circled around me, I’d be done for. Looks like I had no choice but to finish this.

“So, I just have to aim for its belly, right?”

I lowered my stance slightly and held the staff in front of me with both hands. If the belly is really its weak point, maybe I could do enough damage. That’s probably a better chance than trying to run.

….But where exactly was a slime’s belly?

More comments appeared:

> The side touching the ground.

> Hit that and blunt damage works better.

> No, the weak point is the eye.

Eye? It doesn’t even have eyes!

Screw it! I’m aiming for the belly.

“Kishaaa!”

Ooops—here it comes!

This time, it’s crawling along the ground straight toward me.

I can’t see its belly!!

“Uooooooh!”

Don’t underestimate a former corporate slave!

THUD!

> He kicked it LOL

> Uwaa….

> You’re not supposed to touch it. He’s dead.

No, I am still alive!

Part of the slime splattered onto the leg I’d kicked with, sending another burst of pain through me.

I definitely took damage.

But—

“Uoooryaaaaaa!”

The slime lifted slightly off the ground from the kick.

I didn’t miss that moment. Planting my right foot firmly, like a golf swing, I swung my staff upward with all my strength——delivering a crushing blow straight into the slime’s underside.

“Fssshhhh”

With a pathetic sound like a deflating fart, the slime dissolved into blue smoke and seeped into the ground.

Did… did I win?

Barely conscious from the pain, I activated 【Clairvoyance】 again to check.

――――――――――― Species: Slime HP: 0/5 MP: 1/1 ―――――――――――

Looks like I actually finished it off.

“Pheeeew…. that was close.”

I barely made it.

Checking my own status, my HP was down to 2.

If that last hit hadn’t killed it, I’m dead.

The chat reacted:

> Nice job.

> Hey, not bad.

> Oh, too bad.

Too bad!? What do you mean too bad!? Does this person really want to see me die?

But I really thought I was going to die.

Then suddenly, a message appeared in midair.

《 Daishi leveled up. 》

Huh?

My level went up?

Oh, that’s right. The guild had explained this too. Just like in games, defeating a monster gains experience and you level up. Stats increase. And sometimes you may learn a new skill.

So this was what it looked like.

My first level-up.

I opened the status screen with a flick of my finger.

I am starting to get used to this interface.

《 HP +3 MP +5 》

Yeah, okay. Makes sense.

Next,

《 Strength +1 Endurance +1 Agility +1 Intelligence +1 Mana −10 Burial Power +44 》

Something about that felt extremely wrong.

W-well, let’s see the rest.

《 Daishi learned a new skill. 》

A new skill!?

Yes! Finally!

It had to be Heal, right?

There was still one more screen. Somehow I felt like this next one would show the full updated status.

Here we go.

――――――――――― Name: Daishi Ajiri Class: Cleric Level: 2 (+1) HP: 2 / 13 (+3) MP: 15 / 20 (+5) Strength: 3 (+1) Endurance: 3 (+1) Agility: 2 (+1) Intelligence:  6 (+1) Mana: 0 (−10) Burial Power: 44 (+44) Skill: 【 Cremation (LV1) 】New 【 Clairvoyance (LV1) 】 ―――――――――――

Uh….

First of all, where the hell did my Mana go?

Second—

What the hell is Burial Power?

And the new skill I learned….

【Cremation】

That is definitely not a healing spell!

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

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Determined that at least learning a healing skill was a must, I decided to fend for myself until I got it. Eventually, I found myself alone at the entrance of a certain dungeon.

“I almost stumbled into this place drunk once…”

I muttered to myself, remembering a faint memory from years ago.

This was the West Tokyo Fourth Beginner Dungeon.

Back when I was still a corporate drone, I’d drunk too much, blacked out, and somehow ended up sleeping right in front of this dungeon. Ridiculous as it was, that incident had made the dungeon feel oddly familiar, sparking my interest in becoming an explorer.

Five years had passed since then… long, yet short in its own way.

Honestly, I was nervous going alone, but at this point, there was no turning back.

“Whoa…”

I took a cautious step inside, and immediately, the air felt different from outside.

Dampness clung to my skin. Torches lined the stone walls at even intervals, casting a warm, flickering glow. It felt… exactly like being in a dungeon. My excitement spiked a little.

Slowly, I advanced deeper into the passageway, alert and careful.

“A beginner-friendly dungeon. This should be safe enough I guess.”

I had tried waiting for a party for a while, but none would accept me. Impatient to experience the dungeon firsthand, I had returned to this beginner-friendly one, recalling my old memory.

The guild had provided my initial explorer gear: a wooden staff and a black robe for my cleric class.

They’d even asked if I wanted to stream my exploration. I said yes, and they lent me an automated camera for broadcasting. Dungeon streams were popular, and the guild recommended them. Considering my modest savings from my office days, I had no reason not to.

“Ah… has it already started?”

Checking the camera screen, the word “REC” is already displayed in the upper right corner. I’m live now.

Comments scrolled:

> It started, newbie~

> Looks like a healer… but a solo?

> This should be interesting.

A small screen image projected into the air by the camera.  Several comments were already scrolling across it. In the upper right corner, there was a display showing 3 concurrent viewers.

Perhaps I have talent for this?

> I wonder when he’ll get into an accident lol

> Right?

> I want him to go out in style.

…Sigh. Probably just trolls who liked watching newbie mishaps.

Still, strangers watching my first live dungeon attempt was kinda encouraging. Entertain them, and maybe they’d subscribe. A faint hope flared up in me.

> Here it comes, newbie.

> Slime huh

> Lose to this thing, and you’re legendary.

Distracted by the comments, I hadn’t noticed how far I’d walked. I was already in the middle of a hall-like chamber.

About five meters ahead… there it was.

My first real-life slime.

Soft, gooey, and… disgustingly gross. Not the cute creature from some video game. I’d thought it’d be adorable.

“So this is a monster huh. How do I even fight it?”

I had some experience with RPGs, so I wasn’t entirely clueless. Real-world dungeon or not, the feel should be similar.

Might as well start.

I focused my skill 【Clairvoyance】 on the slime to check its stats.

Better know your enemy.

I concentrated, and—

――――――――――― Species: Slime HP: 5/5 MP: 1/1 ―――――――――――

Pretty simple. Not enough to see weaknesses, but at least HP gave me a target to aim for.

> Did his eyes glow just now?

> What did you do?

“Oh, I have this skill from the start. It’s called Clairvoyance. I just tried it out.”

> Clairvoyance? Never heard of it.

> What does it do?

“Well, it shows the stats of monsters. This slime has 5 HP.”

> That’s just like appraisal skill.

> Clairvoyance?

> No way.

> You just looked it up beforehand and knew that info, right?

> Only high-level classes can use appraisal skills, so lying is not okay.

Well, even if you guys say that…

I saw what I saw.

“Kishaaa!”

So that’s the sound slimes make huh.

“Kishaaa!”

Whoa! It’s lunging at me! What should I do?!

Argh! I don’t have any offensive skills!

No combat skills… I had no choice but to use brute force!

“Seiiiiii!!”

With a shout, I swung my staff like a baseball bat, landing a powerful blow right in the middle of the approaching slime!

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

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“Cleric? Nah, we’re good.”

“Come back after you learn some healing skills.”

“Level 1? Sorry, we don’t do nursing here.”

“Old man? Not happening.”

Having finally graduated from corporate slavery and become a dungeon explorer, I, Daishi Ajiri—thirty-seven years old—was suddenly facing my first crisis.

“J-just why won’t anyone let me join their party?”

I couldn’t help but mutter it aloud.

I had come to the Tokyo Second Branch of the Explorer’s Guild the day after quitting my job. I passed all the aptitude tests required to become an explorer and completed my initial registration.

With a result confirming my suitability as an explorer, I had quickly finished all the paperwork.

There was just one problem.

The initial assessment had assigned me the role of Cleric. In other words, a healer.

Unlike jobs in the normal world, dungeon explorer “classes” offered no freedom of choice.

When registering at the guild, a special device automatically assigned stats, class, and skills according to each person’s innate aptitude. Healing classes were apparently rare, since few were suited for them—but they were completely unsuited for solo exploration.

Basically, you had to move with a party to survive.

“Don’t want to die? Then form a party.”

The guildmaster’s warning had been fair.

Of course it had.

I had thought to test the dungeon solo with a non-healer class, but dying immediately wasn’t an option. So, following the guildmaster’s suggestion, I had sent friend requests indiscriminately to any party recruiting on the guild terminal.

——And still, nothing.

“This is depressing…..”

I muttered again, letting out a heavy sigh.

I wasn’t asking to join some high-ranking S-rank party. Just a bunch of beginners like me will really do.

On the F-rank recruitment board, I had already sent ten requests—and nine had been rejected. One reply was still pending, but at this rate, I didn’t hold out much hope.

“What am I supposed to do….?”

I flexed my fingers in midair and brought up my initial stats to review them. The guildmaster had explained that this action let me see my abilities and skills.

――――――――――― Name: Daishi Ajiri Class: Cleric Level: 1 HP: 10/10 MP: 15/15 Strength: 2 Endurance: 2 Agility: 1 Intelligence: 5 Mana: 10 Skill: 【 Clairvoyance (Lv.1) 】 ―――――――――――

These stats, I was told, were rough estimates calculated from decades of data since dungeons appeared in the modern world, analyzed by AI. Not perfectly accurate, but if HP hit zero, you’ll be dead.

Skills were similarly generated, though I didn’t fully understand how.

This was my starting point as a dungeon explorer.

“Stat-wise, I guess this is really….. but the skill…”

The guildmaster had said that cleric’s usually started with a [Heal] skill, yet I didn’t have it.

Instead, I have [Clairvoyance].

“This is useful, right?”

I gingerly touched the floating status display and checked the skill description.

【 Clairvoyance 】: Allows viewing of a target’s stats and abilities.

As I understood, leveling this skill would expand its range and functionality. For magical skills, higher mana typically meant more damage. Most skill effects could be researched online—but no guide I found even hinted at [Clairvoyance].

I guessed it was similar to an appraisal skill. Even the guildmaster had never seen it before. It was rare to start with a skill like this. However, it was useless in actual combat.

Being a healer, my combat abilities were abysmal. I couldn’t even be sure if I could harm an enemy.

Without a party, it was meaningless.

“Oh… the last reply came in.”

I could receive messages outside the guild terminal, but I wanted to handle this before venturing into a dungeon.

The message read:

“Die.”

….Seriously. Some days, the world offered no mercy.

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

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