Tag: Dungeon

“That was Satsuki-chan’s voice!”

The scream had come from deeper in the dungeon—the direction she had gone.

Before I knew it, I had already turned on my heel. I sprinted full speed in the opposite direction of the exit, charging straight into the depths of the dungeon.

> That’s dangerous, Mister!

> You shouldn’t go!

> If Satsuki’s screaming, something is seriously wrong!

> What the hell is going on in this dungeon?!

Like hell I could just ignore it!

There’s no way I could pretend I didn’t hear the scream of a beautiful girl who had just healed some random middle-aged guy like me. Something serious—something really bad—had to be happening deeper inside.

I have to hurry!

Bursting out of the domed chamber, I ran through the passage beyond it. My footsteps rang sharply against the stone floor as I sprinted forward, gasping for breath.

After several dozen meters, another exit came into view ahead—light spilling through the opening.

Satsuki-chan had to be somewhere past there.

Either way, there was only one option.

I had to go.

“Uooooooooh!!”

“Shaaaa!!”

“Whoa—! That was close!”

The moment I burst out of the corridor, I instantly recognized the space beyond. It was identical to the plaza where I had fought the slime and the orc earlier.

And at that exact moment—

I was attacked.

A skeletal monster suddenly slashed at me. My body lurched instinctively, my knees buckling as I stumbled forward, and by sheer luck the blade missed its mark.

But the relief lasted only a moment.

“Shaaa!!”

The skeletal monster was already moving in for a follow-up attack. Its sword rose high overhead, perfectly poised to split me in two.

“Shit! I can’t get up….!”

My knees were shaking so badly I couldn’t stand. I pushed my body too hard running all the way here with barely any stamina left. Now it simply refused to obey me.

Crap. This is bad. I’m done for.

“Haaah!!”

“—Bffu!”

The skeleton suddenly split vertically in two from the unexpected strike from behind it. Its two halves slid apart and collapsed to both sides. Standing there, having felled the monster in a single blow, was Satsuki-chan.

“Are you alright, Mister?”

“Th-thanks….”

“Seriously! Why did you come here?!”

“Well…. I heard you scream. Before I knew it, I was already running this way.”

“Ah… Sorry. That was probably my fault, wasn’t it?”

“N-no, not at all….”

“I just got a little startled. I never expected to run into a monster house in a place like this.”

A monster house?

> For real?

> So that’s why it’s crawling with monsters.

> No way…. this is insane.

> A monster house this early in the dungeon? That’s just cruel.

Even after saving me, Satsuki-chan hadn’t let her guard down.

She faced the monsters head-on. She’s standing between the monsters and my kneeling, wobbly self. Thankfully, the wall behind me meant I didn’t have to worry about a sneak attack from behind.

Still, true to the name, the room I had stumbled into was absolutely swarming with monsters—everywhere I looked, there were countless hostile forms.

“If I were alone, this wouldn’t be much of a problem…”

Satsuki-chan muttered. I heard it and I shakily rose to my feet.

Yeah, I get it. I can handle myself.

Could you not treat me like some kind of useless obstacle, please?

“You don’t have to worry about me. Just do whatever you need to do.”

“Just focus on protecting yourself. You already managed to take down an orc, so handling yourself should be fine, right?”

“P-Probably….”

“I’ll try to finish this as quickly as I can. If it looks like you’re about to die, just call out, okay?”

With that, Satsuki-chan honed her focus on the swarming mass of monsters—skeletons, slimes, goblins—easily numbering fifty or more.

At first glance, none of them looked particularly strong. Well, that is from the perspective of an S-rank adventurer of course. If I hadn’t shown up here, she probably would have cleared them all in no time and moved on to the next area.

> Try not to get surrounded.

>  Just burn them all with [Cremation].

> Or maybe use [Requiem]?

> Oh, that might work on the skeletons.

> Yes, yes.

Thinking it’s someone else’s problem….

I’m still not used to combat, you know. This isn’t like a game stream. 

Still… I can’t deny I’m curious about that [Requiem] skill.

Skeletons are, by all normal logic, undead-type creatures. If I combined it with [Cremation], I might actually be able to handle protecting myself.

I’m starting to feel a bit confident.

Alright! Let’s give this a shot!

“Okay, let’s go!”

With that shout, Satsuki-chan lunged at the enemies ahead. A sweeping strike wreathed in flames instantly obliterated three monsters in a single blow.

That’s [Fire Blade], huh? So cool!

Oops, this is not the time to get distracted. I have to activate my own skill.

“.….”

But how the hell am I supposed to imagine [Requiem]?

Chanting a sutra? Saying a prayer?

Nope. I have no idea at all.

Fine! It’s called purification, right? Then light—light it is!

I visualize the light. Picturing a gentle radiance pouring down from the heavens.

“Shaaaa!!”

Whoa! Here it comes! A skeleton!

Please let the light shine down! Banish this evil spirit!!!

Paaaahhhh!

“Eh?”

“Shwoah….”

With a sound like a trickle of water, the skeleton was bathed in soft light, dissipating into mist as it drifted upward toward the sky.

And not just that—

Shwoah…

Shwoah…

Shoo, shwoah…

The gentle glow of [Requiem] filled the dim monster house, and every single one of the twenty or so skeletons vanished in an instant, carried away into the light.

“No way….”

Satsuki-chan, already having struck down a few monsters with her own attacks, stared up at the ceiling, utterly speechless. The sudden burst of brightness and the complete disappearance of the skeletons left her frozen, unable to believe what she was witnessing.

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

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“Wait a second.”

Amane-san activated her Appraisal skill and began checking my status.

“Your class is Cleric and… Eh? You’re a cleric!? And, your level is five…”

Just like how I used Clairvoyance, she worked through my status with her skill, reading out each line from top to bottom as she deciphered it.

Then, halfway through, she paused.

“Your magic power is… no, wait. Where’s your magic power? …What is Burial Power?”

It seemed that the stat called Burial Power was just as unusual as I thought. Come to think of it, the viewers had sounded confused about it earlier too.

> Yeah, that’s exactly where you’d get stuck lol

> What the heck is that stat?

> Even an S-rank hasn’t seen it before?

> It sounds kind of weird too

> Yeah… that’s gotta be a bug

“Did you defeat the orc with this [Cremation] skill…?”

Amane-san compared the orc’s scattered bones with the information in my status window, trying to piece together what had happened.

Considering the remains were nothing but charred fragments, that was probably the most reasonable conclusion.

Still, it made me think all over again.

Just what kind of standard were my stats based on, anyway?

One thing was certain—my abilities didn’t seem to follow the same rules as those of normal adventurers. The viewers kept joking that it was probably just some kind of bug, but… was it really something that simple?

Well, there wasn’t much point in overthinking it.

I think things will just happen as they’re meant to.

“This [Return] skill… could it be some kind of teleportation ability…? But more importantly—why don’t you have any healing skills…? You’re supposed to be a cleric after all…”

“…So it really is strange, huh?”

“It is strange.”

Hearing it said so bluntly made it sound like I was the strange one.

Didn’t feel great, honestly.

I’m just a perfectly ordinary middle-aged guy.

“Maybe you’re actually—no, that can’t be right. Your class definitely says Cleric… I even wondered for a moment if it might be a Unique Class, but…”

A Unique Class?

What’s that supposed to be?

> Oh, the ultra-rare class people say only five exist in the entire world.

> Does that even really exist? Never seen one.

> I’ve only ever heard rumors about it.

> I know about Hero and Demon Knight though

> Yeah, those two are SSS-rank classes

Heh~. So people like that actually exist in this world huh. I had no idea.

Still, I am a clearly a cleric.

Apparently this class is a bit uncommon among dungeon explorers, but it is still just a perfectly ordinary background job—basically a pretty normal NPC class.

“Does anyone know this stat? Burial Power?”

Amane-san turned toward the camera, directing the question to the countless viewers who were watching her stream.

With that many people tuned in, surely at least one of them should recognize it.

“…Yeah, it’s definitely a bug.”

Apparently not. Looks like no one had ever seen or even heard of it before.

“Oh, right! I can’t just stand around wasting time here!”

Amane-san suddenly snapped back to her senses, reacting to the flood of comments racing through the chat.

Now that I thought about it, she had seemed to be in a hurry earlier.

“Mister, that stat of yours is pretty strange. You should go consult the Guild Headquarters about it at least once!”

“Eh? Y-yeah… you’re probably right.”

“See you! Ah—if I don’t hurry, other explorers will get here!”

She gave my shoulder a quick pat, then dashed off at incredible speed, racing straight for the exit of the room where the orc had appeared.

> Maybe an emergency quest popped up.

> Probably one of those first-come, first-served ones.

> It’s pretty rare to see it in a beginner dungeon.

> The competition’s probably brutal. It’s just right that she hurry.

> I wonder what kind of quest it is.

> It’s an investigation quest. Apparently, something strange is happening in this dungeon right now.

> Oh, did you come over from Satsuki-chan’s channel?

> Yeah, I got curious about this Mister lol

> Maybe the orc on the first floor was because of that anomaly.

> Either way, Mister, you should probably leave the dungeon for now.

The viewers were getting pretty fired up all on their own.

Before I knew it, the number of simultaneous viewers had climbed to thirty-four.

Hmm…. So there are emergency quests like that, huh.

Dungeon exploration really feels like it’s borrowed the best parts from all kinds of games. Maybe it’s designed that way on purpose—making it easier for people to get used to it.

“Well… I guess I’ll stick to the plan and leave the dungeon for now.”

Even if my level had gone up and my HP had been restored, I am still, without a doubt, a beginner. Beating that orc earlier had been a complete fluke. If someone asked me to do the same thing again, I honestly couldn’t say whether I could pull it off.

To be honest, I was incredibly curious about Amane-san. But if I followed her, I’d probably just slow her down. Charging without a plan into a dungeon where something strange is already happening  is just asking for trouble.

“Since I’m at it… maybe I should try that [Return] skill I learned earlier.”

From the description, it sounded like an escape-type ability.

It said that it will let me return to a designated location.

Hmm, I guess I’ll try imagining my house the same way I did when I activated my other skill. Hopefully that works.

《 No destination point has been set. Activation cancelled. 》

A warning chime sounded, and a glowing text appeared in midair.

So this skill needs some kind of setup first, huh?

Maybe it requires marking a location beforehand or something. Looks like I can’t just teleport somewhere by imagining it.

“Figures it wouldn’t be that convenient. Oh well… guess I’ll just walk back…”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

Just as I turned towards the entrance to head back, a piercing scream came from deep within the dungeon.

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

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“I’m so sorry! I never imagined there’d be someone lying around in a place like this…”

Apparently, that’s how the girl who had nearly crashed into me interpreted the situation.

She lightly pressed her palms together and apologized with a wink.

Well, I hadn’t exactly been lying around, but still.

I twisted my body at the last second, so we didn’t collide. But if we had crashed head-on at that speed, I’d definitely be dead right now.

Why was she in such a hurry anyway?

The chat suddenly exploded with excitement.

> Huh? Isn’t that Amane Satsuki?

> Oh, you’re right! It’s Satsuki-chan!

> Why is she in a beginner dungeon?

> She was moving crazy fast.

> Maybe she’s streaming an RTA run?

> Surprise appearance of an S-rank explorer.

> Bro got discovered by a famous streamer.

…Huh?

It seemed the viewers were still watching.

From the flood of comments, I was able to piece together the identity of the girl who had just charged in.

So her name was Amane Satsuki. And she is an S-rank explorer.

Seriously? That’s incredible. She looked so young. Dungeon explorers really did live in a world of dreams.

“Oh! Mister, you’re hurt! That’s because of me… right? Actually—maybe not. But let me see.”

The girl grabbed my left arm and carefully examined the burn-like wound on it.

Then she softly spoke a single word.

“Heal.”

The recovery skill I had been desperately wishing for—she used it as easily as breathing. A gentle light wrapped around my arm, and in moments the pain vanished. The injuries on my hand and leg disappeared as well, as if they had never existed.

Is Amane-san a healer-type explorer too?

The chat immediately erupted again.

> Switch places with me, Mister!

> So jealous, this is unacceptable.

> Man, high-rank classes really are different.

> Satsuki-chan is so cute.

Yeah… this girl is definitely popular. I could practically feel the aura of it coming off her.

She really is cute—far cuter than most idols seen on TV. Her face had a youthful softness to it, but the light in her eyes carried a sharp, dignified strength. It left a striking impression. And she is a S-rank explorer on top of that. No wonder she is such a popular streamer.

“T-thank you. You really saved me.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. When someone’s in trouble, we should help each other out.”

Her smile was critical hit. And polite, too. This girl is absolutely lethal to middle-aged men. I doubted there was a single person who could dislike her.

“…Eh? It’s fine, isn’t it? Think of it as fate bringing us together.”

She must have been responding to complaints from her own chat. After all, she was streaming live too.

Judging from the way her eyes flicked briefly toward the air in front of her, the comments on her side were probably flying by at an incredible speed.

> Looks like you’ve just made an enemy out of Amane-chan’s viewers.

> Jealous fans are popping up everywhere.

> Her fans are practically fanatical, you know.

> She’s got over half a million followers.

Half a million… that’s basically god-tier.

For a rookie old-timer like me, there’s no way I could ever be in her orbit. Just crossing paths with her? That alone was pure luck. Might as well try my luck a little further.

I probably won’t get another chance to see her, so maybe I’ll use a little Clairvoyance to check her stats as a keepsake.

I’ve always wondered… what exactly makes an S-rank adventurer so extraordinary?

Now was as good a time as any to find out.

Ah, and don’t go calling this “peeping” or anything.

――――――――――― Name: Satsuki Amane Class: Magic Swordsman Level: 52 HP: 453/453 MP: 349/351 Strength: 388 Stamina: 272 Agility: 304 Intelligence: 321 Magic: 356 Skills: 【Healing (LV3)】, 【Fire Blade (LV4)】, 【Ice Blade (LV3)】, 【Detection (LV3)】,【Appraisal (LV2)】…… Titles: 【S-Rank Adventurer】,【Generalist】…… ―――――――――――

Huh. Maybe it’s because my skill has leveled up, but there’s actually a lot of detail here.

The amount of info is leagues beyond what I could see back with the slime.

Not everything, but I can even see her skills and titles.

Magic Swordsman, huh…

A viewer mentioned earlier that it’s an advanced class. I wonder how someone qualifies for an advanced class.

Do I have to hit level twenty and then petition some clerics in the temple?

…No, this isn’t some video game. Well, it doesn’t concern me for now. That’s a long way off.

I can’t tell exact numbers, but judging by the lack of weak spots, she’s clearly a well-balanced type.

And her skills… she’s got versatility in spades.

Honestly, I’m a little jealous.

“Alright then, Mister. I’m in a hurry, so I’ll be off now.”

She straightened from her crouch—where she’d been tending to my healing—and stepped deeper into the dungeon.

And that’s when she noticed the anomaly in front of her for the first time.

“…What is this?”

The shattered remains of an orc sprawled across the floor finally entered her line of sight.

“Bones? Mister, what is—”

“Oh, that? That’s just the remains of an orc I burned.”

“Eh? Wait, no… Mister, orcs don’t just end up in places like this!”

“Really? But a viewer said it’s called that.”

“But… judging from your gear, you’re definitely a beginner, right? Even if it were an orc, there’s no way you could have taken it down alone!”

Impossible or not, it’s the truth. Then again, I’m not desperate for her to believe me. That’s fine. Really.

> Why don’t you show her the footage?

> There’s a switch next to the camera itself.

> It’s okay. You can still broadcast live while showing it.

> Let Satsuki see you in action.

Alright…

Oh, I see. This must be the switch.

It was in an obvious spot, so I clicked it, streaming the footage of my orc battle.

Heh. It displays in midair huh. Technology these days are really impressive.

“I… I don’t get it….”

When Amane-san saw the video of my pathetic performance, she was so shocked she was speechless.

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

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I probably shouldn’t have been able to defeat something like that. But somehow, the 【Cremation】 skill I fired off in desperation had protected my life.

Seriously… that was close.

《 Daishi leveled up. 》

《 HP +10　MP +15 》

《 Strength +3　Endurance +2　Agility +2　Intelligence +4　Burial Power +88 》

《 [Cremation] Lv +1　[Clairvoyance] Lv +1 》

《 Daishi learned a new skill. 》

I collapsed to the ground in front of the orc’s charred, crumbling bones. Just like when I defeated the slime, the level-up window floated in the air before my eyes.

“Haha… I did it.”

To be honest, it didn’t feel like I had actually defeated the orc. I had simply dealt with the problem in front of me in a blind panic.

Suddenly, I was reminded of my first days at the company I’d already quit. Back then, it had felt exactly like this. I’d thrown myself into work I didn’t understand at all, desperately trying to keep up, even standing up to unreasonable orders.

In its own way, that had been a life-or-death struggle too. I had spent every day grinding away pieces of my soul for that company after all. Thinking of it as a life-or-death struggle wasn’t really an exaggeration.

Anyway… thank goodness I survived.

“…Maybe I can finally use a healing spell now.”

My current HP is probably still 2.

When I leveled up earlier, my current HP hadn’t changed, and I hadn’t taken any new damage since then. So it should still be the same.

In some RPGs, leveling up restores your HP to full—but apparently the dungeon system wasn’t that convenient. Either way, I needed to do something about this near-death state as soon as possible.

The adrenaline had made me forget for a while, but now the pain in my hands and legs from the slime attack is starting to return.

There had been some really strange stat increases again during the level-up. But for now, I decided to check my full status and see how everything had changed.

Name: Daishi Ajiri Class: Cleric Level: 5 (+3) HP: 2 / 33 (+10) MP: 13 / 35 (+15) Strength: 6 (+3) Endurance: 5 (+2) Agility: 4 (+2) Intelligence: 10 (+4) Burial Power: 132 (+88) Skills: 【Requiem (LV1)】New 【Return (LV1)】New 【Cremation (LV2)】 【Clairvoyance (LV2)】

Once again, I had not been blessed with a healing skill.

“…”

The chat quickly reacted.

> Hey Mister, you still alive?

> Dude looks completely spaced out lol.

> Another monster’s gonna show up.

> You leveled up, right?

> Tell us your stats!

“Ah… yeah.”

Still staring at my status screen, I explained everything to the viewers without hiding anything. At some point, the number of viewers had climbed to seven.

My level had jumped up by three. My MP limit had increased by 15, but my current MP had actually dropped by two.

Based on this, the MP cost of 【Cremation】 must be 2, huh.

But more than that…

What really caught my attention was the increase in Burial Power.

It had skyrocketed to a ridiculous degree.

Did that stat directly affect my skills?

With magic, higher Mana usually meant stronger spells.

But…

Even so…

I had just learned two more bizarre skills that I’d never heard of before.

The chat immediately erupted.

> 【Requiem】 and 【Return】??

> That’s a legit priest skillset lol.

> Something’s seriously weird here.

> This whole status has to be bugged.

> So you still didn’t learn any healing?

> Read the skill descriptions!

“Alright, alright. Let’s see… first one…”

【Requiem】: Sends the target to heaven with a purifying light. 【Return】: Guided by heaven, return to a designated location.

Yeah… neither of those looked like healing skills.

Still, both descriptions sounded like they might be useful someday.

Especially [Return]. That one seemed extremely practical.

Well… assuming I was interpreting it correctly.

As for [Cremation] and [Clairvoyance], which had leveled up, there didn’t seem to be any additional description.

Looks like the only way to see how they’d improved was to actually use them.

The chat kept scrolling.

> Never heard of a cleric without healing.

> The damage of that [Cremation] skill was insane.

> The orc literally evaporated.

> Even if it’s weak to fire, that’s ridiculous.

> That was S-rank level damage.

> No way you’re actually a cleric lol.

Uhm… but I really am a cleric. Still, I had a powerful magic-like skill, so maybe I should just think positively about it.

“Well… my HP is in a pretty bad state, so I’m thinking of leaving the dungeon for now.”

I informed the viewers that I’d be heading out. There was no way I could continue exploring without healing first.

Before I knew it, the viewer count had climbed to twelve.

> Got it. Good job today.

> That was fun! Looking forward to the next stream.

> Just subscribed.

> Can’t wait to see the new skills.

> Bring healing potions next time.

> It’s only a beginner dungeon—you’ll be fine.

Everyone felt… surprisingly supportive.

I am glad that I’d decided to stream. I had no idea what would happen from here, but since people were actually watching, I wanted to keep doing my best with dungeon exploration.

“Thanks, everyone! I’ll end the stream for now—”

“Move asiiiiide!!!”

Huh?!

Screaming at the top of its lungs and moving at an incredible speed, something is charging towards me from the dungeon entrance.

W-wait! That’s so sudden!

What the heck?!

This is bad!

“Uwaaa—!!!”

I let out a startled cry.

And as I sat there, all I could do is shift my body slightly to the side in response to whatever was coming towards me.

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

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> 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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