Five days after parting ways with Jayman and the others, I finally arrived at the Dungeon City.
Dungeon City Seigen — a town that had rapidly prospered since the discovery of the dungeon twenty years ago. Its population numbered roughly 160,000, about 50,000 of whom were guild-affiliated.
Because adventurers were always involved in a Dungeon City's development, top-class adventurers wielded significant influence and were even respected. Conversely, weak adventurers could be mocked by children — and Seigen was no exception.
The town was enclosed by walls, with one entrance on each of the four sides: east, west, south, and north. Guards stood watch at each gate around the clock.
I had come through the south gate. Nearly a hundred people were queued up around the entrance, waiting to complete the entry procedures.
If I waited in that line, it would take forever. But adventurers had a trick up their sleeve — namely:
"Excuse me, sir. Guard, here's my Adventurer's Guild card."
"Let me verify... C-Rank Adventitioner Tenma, is that correct? Right this way."
The people around me had initially grumbled about me cutting in line, but the moment the guard announced C-Rank, they fell silent. If anything, cheers went up.
The trick in Dungeon Cities was that adventurers ranked C or above received priority processing. This was probably unique to places like Dungeon Cities, where an adventurer's status carried real weight.
The procedure itself was simple enough — they just asked for a brief history and what kind of quests I had completed.
Once the verification was done, I was issued a time-limited citizenship. This was a measure to have adventurers pay in lieu of taxes, requiring 10,000 G every six months. Fail to pay, and you'd be expelled from the city — and in the worst cases, reduced to slavery.
The 10,000 G had to be paid upon entry, but those who couldn't afford it were made to take out a loan from the guild. The loan came with low interest, but defaulting on it would make enemies of every guild on the continent — so apparently no one had ever attempted it.
Incidentally, this system applied only to adventurers.
I paid the 10,000 G on the spot and received my certificate.
"Welcome to Dungeon City Seigen!"
With those words, I set foot in my very first Dungeon City.
The layout of Seigen resembled the Place de l'Étoile in Paris from my previous world.
The dungeon entrance sat at the center of the town, with roads radiating outward in every direction. Spanning roughly thirty kilometers at its widest, it was considerable in size for a city.
The north side of the city was home to the wealthy, while the south held more of the common folk. The west side had slums and a rougher reputation, and the east was populated by workshops and their associates. Even among the shops, the high-end establishments were concentrated on the north side.
Near the center, close to the dungeon, you'd find the knight order's headquarters, shops catering to adventurers, inns, restaurants, and the like all clustered together.
I decided to go check out the dungeon entrance first.
The entrance was surrounded by a tall wall, and there were no large buildings within roughly five hundred meters of it.
"Well, if the whole thing collapsed it'd be a real disaster."
I'd heard that collapses—small-scale dungeon cave-ins—had actually happened in a few rare cases.
But when a dungeon got as massive as this one, people often said the dungeon itself was like a single Monster.
The reason was that it absorbed all the Magic Power emanating from the Monsters and adventurers inside it, and the dungeon core used that energy to reinforce and regenerate the dungeon. Thanks to that mechanism, the larger a dungeon became, the sturdier it was built.
For ages, countless scholars had made it their life's research to decipher how it worked, but none had ever reached the truth of it.
"Maybe I'll ask the Gods about it sometime."
As I mulled over the idea of using a cheat shortcut, I approached the entrance.
Inside the surrounding wall, all it took was showing my guild card to get in easily.
The first thing you saw upon entering was a building arranged around what must have been the rocky mountain formation marking the entrance itself.
Around it, people were gathering—those recruiting for temporary parties, those trying to post commissions directly, those making money by casting healing magic for a fee... But what really caught my eye among them was the large number of children.
When I asked a fellow tradesman nearby about it, he said:
"Oh, first time in a dungeon, are you?... Those kids are slum children trying to get hired as porters. Nothing unusual around here."
I thanked him and handed over a single silver coin as payment for the information.
"Thanks a bunch!"
With that, the man headed for the exit. The children had seen me pay him and started moving my way, but I got inside the building before they could reach me.
Apparently, those children weren't allowed inside the building.
The interior of the building was fairly straightforward in its layout.
There were about five reception counters for entering the dungeon, a large bulletin board plastered with request forms and cautionary notices, and not much else beyond a rest area and a consultation window.
I headed to the consultation window to ask about how to use the dungeon here.
First, I was made to pay the registration fee of 1,000 G.
Next, I was made to sign a registration form stating things like: you enter the dungeon entirely at your own risk; parties of ten or more must declare themselves in advance; and you bear as much responsibility as possible for children you've hired outside. That sort of thing.
Then, I was pitched a certain special item.
"What is this?"
"This is a Warp Card that can be used in this dungeon."
In simple terms, it seemed to be an item with a save function. Apparently, scattered throughout the dungeon were spaces that connected one-way to the outside. In the old days, no matter how deep you ventured, if you accidentally stumbled into one of those spaces, you'd be sent outside and have to start all over from the beginning.
However, since this item was developed, it became possible to record the location of those spaces, and they were no longer one-way... It was almost like a Save Anywhere feature.
There was no pattern to the warp points inside the dungeon — some floors had multiple ones, while others had none at all. What's more, when you used a warp zone inside the dungeon, you always returned to the entrance warp zone. To reach another warp zone from inside the dungeon, you first had to go back to the entrance one and then use it again.
"But wouldn't that let people slack off and just skip straight to the lower floors?"
The answer to that question was: it wasn't impossible, but anyone who did so would be criticized by other adventurers and shunned by their companions. Furthermore, it was precisely those kinds of adventurers who insisted on pushing beyond their actual abilities, and there was no end to the ones who ended up losing their lives as a result.
The Warp Card cost 100,000 G — quite pricey, but at this point it wasn't a sum I had to worry about, so I bought one.
The Warp Card had an anti-theft magic placed on it so that only the person who registered it could use it.
Another usage note was that you could only warp to places you could remember.
After that, I looked over the bulletin board and headed for the guild.
The guild was located about 500 meters straight ahead from the wall's entrance, in a building more than twice the size of the one in Gunjou City.
I decided to go inside and gather some information, but—
"This ain't a place for brats! Get out of here, now!"
I got accosted right away. The guy seemed pretty drunk.
Since I had no intention of dealing with a drunk, I ignored him,
"You little brat, did you hear me?! Are you too deaf to listen to a C-Rank like me?!"
he started shouting, so—
"Oh, you're C-Rank? I'm sorry! Since you were drinking this late, I assumed you were a D-Rank with no work!"
I yelled that with a show of surprise. Laughter rippled through the room. On top of flexing his C-Rank, he was being made a fool of by a kid.
"You little—!"
The man moved to draw the hand axe at his waist, but—
"That's dangerous."
Faster than the man could even raise his hand, I pressed a knife to his throat.
"Please don't move. If my hand slips, things could get really messy... for you, that is."
The man didn't seem to grasp what had happened at first, but when he shifted slightly, the light touch of the blade against his throat made him understand the situation.
"If you get it, take your hand off that axe. Otherwise, this knife goes into your throat."
At my words, the man raised both hands.
"As long as we understand each other. Try not to drink so much."
With that, I headed over to the counter.
Most of the adventurers at the time seemed to have no idea what had just happened. A few, though, didn't show any surprise. Rather, they watched me with looks that said something like "that much is to be expected," and I found it unsettling.
"Excuse me. I'd like some information about the dungeon."
"Sure, dungeon information. The maps we can release go up to floor 10 — beyond that, we have recorded monster encounters and the like."
From floors 1 to 10, the monsters barely change. Goblins, Slimes, Skeletons, and the like are common, with the occasional Orc sighting.
From floors 11 onward, insect-type Monsters grow more numerous, and apparently more adventurers form parties to deal with them. Many insect-type Monsters are stubborn and tough, making them unsuitable for consumption, but their materials are popular for use in both weapons and armor.
Around floor 20, C-rank Monsters made up nearly every encounter, and the information the guild had only extended to there.
This wasn't about being stingy — it was simply that from around floor 20, Monster appearances lose all consistency, so rather than making firm claims, the guild preferred to instill a sense of caution, which paradoxically improved survival rates.
As for maps, due to complaints from adventurers and the fact that sharing too much led some people to act recklessly, they were limited to the relatively safe floor 10.
At the reception counter, I explained about Shiromaru and the others, and when I tried to obtain proof that they were my Familiars, I was told it wasn't necessary in this city.
Finally, I asked for recommended inns and restaurants nearby, then left the guild.
Sure enough — or rather, as expected — when I stepped outside, several men started tailing me. They seemed to be the C-rank adventurers I'd encountered earlier.
I led the men into a back alley and then—
"Hey, the kid's gone! Where did he run off to?!"
I vanished. More precisely, I simply used flight magic to ascend to the rooftops, but these men, who only thought of me as a somewhat strong kid, never even considered the possibility that I could be floating in midair.
While the men scoured the area below, I traveled along the rooftops to the inn the guild had recommended.
"Sorry, we've been fully booked for the past few days…"
Shot one… a miss. Well, that was to be expected. Next!
"My apologies, every single room was just taken."
Shot two… another miss. That was a close one… next, let's go!
"There won't be any openings for a while starting today."
Shot three… a miss again. This is getting dire… next one's the one!
"Oh my, what an adorable boy! My room has space, if you'd like!"
Shot four… dodged! No way I'm sharing a room with a cross-dresser! And why would you even recommend a place like this?! Next, next!
"Sorry, but this establishment is women only."
Fifth shot… a dud. ……Seriously, why do places like that keep showing up in the mix?! This is the last one… God, please… no, that's not going to help either……
"Sorry, but you'll have to try somewhere else."
Last one… it's over… Sigh, is there anywhere left at all……
Every inn I'd been told about was a bust…… Two of them had turned out to be bizarre establishments……
At this rate, maybe I'd just summon my carriage and sleep in some vacant lot…… It'd probably invite trouble I didn't need, but as I was mulling that over——
"Ow!"
A light impact on my back, a cute voice, and then a beat later came the sound of something clattering to the ground.
I hurriedly turned around to find a girl—maybe a little younger than me—and a pile of firewood lying in a heap.
"You okay?"
I reached out my hand.
"S-Sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going and crashed right into you!"
She looked half-terrified. I extended my hand again.
"……Are you mad?"
she asked, cautiously reaching her own hand toward me.
I made sure not to startle her and gently grasped her hand, pulling her to her feet.
"Something like this isn't worth getting angry over. Besides, I was spacing out myself and just standing there."
While saying that, I went about picking up the scattered firewood.
"I'm sorry! I'll help pick them up!"
But by then I'd practically gathered everything, so all that was left was to tie the bundle back up.
"Hau~… I'm so sorry…… I caused you trouble……"
The girl looked downcast, but after I handed her the tied bundle of firewood, she seemed to gradually get used to it.
"Alright, take care now," I said.
As I started walking in the opposite direction from her, I was almost immediately spotted.
"There he is! That brat!"
The tenacious men found me. Thinking what a pain this was, I turned around.
"Out of the way! Move it!"
"Eek!"
Just then, one of the men shoved the girl from earlier.
"You bastard, for what you did earlier... guh!"
Before the man who shoved her could say anything else, my left fist plunged into his gut.
"What do you think you're... gah!"
I followed up with a right uppercut to his companion standing next to him.
"What do you think you're doing? That's my line! You lay a hand on an unrelated girl and then have the nerve to say something ridiculous?!"
My shout drew criticism from the onlookers who had witnessed the whole scene.
The man had two other companions, but they faltered under the pressure from the crowd and tried to flee...
"You two, if you want to call yourselves proper adventurers, maybe you should take responsibility for this situation!"
They were thrown by a large, muscular man who appeared from behind them.
"Hey, that's Jin. A-Rank Jin Jin."
"Yeah, the rumored guy who'll hit S-Rank pretty soon."
Murmurs like that rose from the surrounding crowd.
Name: Jin Jido
Age: 32
Race: Human
Title: Honorary Viscount, First-Class Adventurer
HP: 25,000
MP: 10,000
Strength: A+
Defense: A+
Speed: B+
Magic Power: C+
Mental Strength: B-
Growth: B
Luck: B+
Just looking at the stats, he surpasses Dad. He's the very picture of a frontliner.
I left those guys to that man called Jin and rushed over to the girl who'd been knocked away.
"You're going to be okay. The injuries are... you scraped your knee. Stay still for a moment."
Saying that, I held my hand over the girl's knee and cast a healing spell. At first she was frightened, but as she watched the wound close up from the magic, she seemed to calm down.
"Thank you so much. I'm okay now."
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. They were targeting me, so it's like I dragged you into this... I'm really sorry."
At those words, the girl broke into a smile...
"Eek!"
She had been calming down, but the moment she saw Jin behind me, she started trembling with fear all over again.
"Hey, little lady, kid — what do we do with these two?"
Jin was walking along with two men — who had been trying to flee — dangling in the air, their heads clutched in his grip... This was the kind of thing that would frighten even an adult... no, it belonged in a nightmare.
The two dangling men appeared to be unconscious, their limbs hanging limp, swaying with every step Jin took.
I blocked the girl's line of sight with my palm and—
"They're in the way, so just dump them somewhere. She's already scared enough as it is."
"Sure, got it."
With that, Jin turned toward the alleyway and—
"Hup!"
He tossed the two of them aside. Then, dusting off his hands—
"So, what about these two?"
He said, pointing at the pair who were still groaning on the ground.
I walked over in silence and cast enough recovery magic to bring them back to consciousness—
"First, apologize."
I said in a low voice, addressing the man I had knocked flying earlier.
"I'm sorry... please forgive me..."
He said to me, but—
"Who said apologize to me? The one you need to apologize to is her."
I pointed at the girl and corrected him.
"I-I'm sorry..."
"More politely!"
"I-I'm sor—"
"Your heart isn't in it!"
"Hiiiiee! I am truly sorry! I will never do such a thing again! Please, forgive meeee!"
After making him say all of that,
"He's saying all that, but what do you want to do?"
he asked the girl. The girl was completely dumbfounded, so
"She says she won't forgive you."
he told the man, at which point
"Please forgive me! I'm begging you! I'm begging you! I'm begging you!"
the man was pressing his forehead against the ground like he was prostrating.
"It's— it's fine now! You healed my injuries, and nothing hurts anywhere!"
the girl blurted out in a panic, so
"That's great, you've been forgiven. You really shouldn't, though... raising your hand against an ordinary person... and a child at that, no less... Please be more careful from now on... That is, if there is a next time."
he added the last part in a low voice, audible only to the man.
"Oh, and don't forget to take your friends with you when you leave."
At those words, the man dragged his trembling companion who had been lying on the ground and disappeared toward the alley where the rest of his group was.
"Let me apologize too. Sorry about that, kid."
Jin must have thought he was smiling, but the girl's reaction upon seeing his face—
"Eek!"
She hid behind my back.
Seeing that reaction, Jin looked quite crestfallen.
"Bwahaha!"
"Pfft!"
At that moment, from within the crowd, two barely-suppressed laughs could be heard.
"What's so funny! Menace, Garat!"
Jin seemed to know exactly who was holding back their laughter. He called out their names toward the crowd.
"No, come on. That face — how do I put it... it's just..."
"He's got 'villain face' written all over him! Totally looks like he just spotted his next target, you know!"
"That's exactly right, that's exactly right," the woman chimed in, agreeing with the man beside her.
Name... Menace
Age... 28
Race... Human
Title... First-Class Adventurer
HP... 15000
MP... 14000
Strength... B
Defense... B-
Speed... A+
Magic Power... B+
Spirit... B-
Growth Potential... B-
Luck... C+
Name... Garat
Age... 30
Race... Beastkin (Wolf)
Title... First-Rank Adventurer
HP... 21,000
MP... 10,000
Strength... A-
Defense... B-
Speed... A-
Magic Power... C-
Spirit... A-
Growth Potential... B
Luck... B+
They all possessed power befitting first-rank adventurers. They were probably part of a party. I had seen them at the guild earlier... or rather, they were the ones who hadn't been surprised by my strength. But I was pretty sure...
"You were all at the guild earlier. But weren't there one more with you?"
At those words, the three of them cut off their conversation and their expressions turned serious.
"Oh, you noticed, did you... As expected of you."
"I knew you weren't an ordinary person."
"Well, obviously."
It seemed these three already knew about me. I didn't know where they had learned about me, but it would be wise to stay on guard.
Instead of venturing into the dungeon, I couldn't even find an inn, and on top of that, I was constantly getting accosted and had to fight off each and every encounter.
Toward the end, the girl ended up looking forgotten, but she was simply scared of Jin and quietly hiding behind Tenma.