CH 16

I woke up in the morning and got out of bed.

I had done something terrible yesterday.

Soon after, I went downstairs to have breakfast. There were many people in the tavern, and when they saw my face, they all said, “Hey! The Great Wizard!”

Apparently, the room at the end of the second floor seems to be right above the bar, and some adventurers heard my “narration” and so the adventurers who came and greeted me immediately teased me. I was pretty much the dining entertainment.

This world has very few things related to entertainment. Alcohol and gossip are probably the best sources of entertainment.

It was too late when I noticed, and everyone in the bar was talking about me…

And thus, the Great Wizard Rook was born.

Well, it was ridiculous, but it was not all bad. I think.

I was able to learn various stories from the adventurers, especially about the dungeon. I think I could not talk to them without that happening, and this was a good result of that embarrassment.

I found out that adventurers are really nice people.

I went downstairs, washed my face in the well behind the inn, and went outside.

I decided to head to the dungeon today. I have a good idea of where it is. Apparently, you can find it by exiting from the south gate and walking along the road for a bit.

On the way, I bought a few pieces of what looked like fruit at a store and put them in my backpack, leaving one on hand. One for breakfast and one for lunch.

Lightly rubbing the fruit with my robe. I took a bite.

Now, let me review the things I heard about the dungeon while walking.

…… No, before that, what is this fruit? It looks almost pear-like but tastes like a banana. It is slightly sweet, but it is not bland. However, if the sweetness was a little bit lighter, it might have become a banana-flavored potato…

Enough about that. Time to focus on the dungeon.

What is a dungeon? It seems that no one really knows about that. Some dungeons have been around for a long time, while others have been created recently. For some reason, a dungeon is born, and monsters start appearing. Dungeon monsters disappear when defeated, leaving money, items, and magic stones. There I could receive by clearing the bottom layer.

Was that all?

The dungeon in the southern village, the Beginner’s Dungeon, and is one of the most difficult dungeons of its level of difficulty. The drops are not great, but it is a good place for beginners to practice, so it has said to be popular especially among beginners.

Going through the gate and walking down the road made in the forest.

The forests around here are well maintained, with moderately thinned trees keeping them out of the way, the branches and leaves at the bottom of the trees cut off, and the undergrowth cut short so that you can see far away.

It seems that there is less concern about being suddenly attacked by monsters here.

As I was walking and ruminating, I saw the entrance of the dungeon.

I was wondering what it would look like… and suddenly voila. A block of rock protruding from the ground, and there was a hole on it, and a staircase that leads deeper down. It looked exactly like that.

To sum it up, it looked strange.

Suddenly there is a rock of several meters in a place without any trees like a clearing in the forest, and there is a hole in it. Similar to the cave icons on some RPG world map on 2D era games. It is pretty much shouting, “This is a dungeon!”

Am I the only one who looks at this and feels uncomfortable? People in this world seem to accept this as something normal.

I walked to the entrance of the dungeon, seeing an adventurer walking in front of me, and after a while, I went inside.

The inside is like a cave just bare rocks. There are no manmade structures. No, I guess the stairs are manmade. Anyway, other than that, it looks like a normal cave.

Well, I do not know if it is normal or strange because I have never entered a cave.

Slowly going down the stairs step-by-step.

The inside of the cave is dim, the floor is about 4 m (13 ft.) wide, and the ceiling is 3 m (10 ft.) high. It does not feel damp and the air does not smell stagnant.

When I walked for a few meters, I arrived at a crossroad.

“Hmm… where should I go?”

At this point, I concluded that I might have underestimated the dungeon.

This is an underground labyrinth; so of course, there must be a fork in the road. There is no such game-like mechanic. Where it is convenient and a straight path would never get me lost. If I could not find my way, I would be wandering in vain. Moreover, if gets bad, I might not be able to get out. I had not even thought of that.

Maybe, in this beginner’s dungeon, it would not be a big deal if I got lost. Nevertheless, I did not feel like taking that chance.

I decided not to push myself this time. I just left the dungeon, and go back to the village.