NOVEL NEXT Chapter 59
There’s no easy way to make money in this world.
If someone says they can make money easily, chances are they’re a scammer you shouldn’t even bother with! If they approach you saying they’ll introduce you to a job, just scream “No way! I don’t want it! Please don’t!” and run away!
And if you do meet one of those guys, I’ve heard it’s all the rage to get a V-line on your jaw these days. So let’s return the favor and give them a V-line on their head too, leading the trend with kindness. Nothing warms the heart quite like the kindness of neighbors.
“…What? A dungeon?”
“Yep. It’s a dungeon. If we raid a dungeon, we can make money—”
“Do you think ‘Dungeon’ is someone’s dog’s name? If it were that easy to raid dungeons, all the dungeons in the world would have been raided and turned into troll homes!”
“Dungeon? No way!”
Hey, don’t make that shocked face. I know what you’re saying is the truth. I placed my hand on Millia’s head, where the mention of “dungeon” darkened her expression, and ruffled her hair. It seemed like bad memories were surfacing.
…It’s not entirely wrong. There are many dungeons in this world, but the actual discovered ones are pretty sparse. I think there were about 200 in the game, but the number found in reality is probably less than half that. They definitely made a mess of things by placing dungeon entrances in odd spots as if they were some open-world game.
…And they conveniently forgot they were the first to make an open-world game.
In the early release, there were dungeons you could only enter using bugs that couldn’t be accessed through normal means, dungeons where the reward boxes were empty, and places where quests vanished altogether, blocking progress. It was such a trainwreck that even after ten years, I still remember those glorious days vividly.
I think I wrote a 2000-character review cursing it as a trash game back then.
…Could it be that I got reincarnated because of that?
No way. There’s no way someone would be that petty… But then again, the community manager did get into arguments with the users.
“Johann?”
“…Ah. Why did you call me?”
I had been lost in thought for too long. I turned to look at Renny, who was staring at me as if saying, “Does that even make sense?”
“Let’s think realistically. It’s one thing to find a dungeon, but clearing it is another issue. You haven’t forgotten what we went through on that deserted island, right? Plus, I have to handle things for Karina, and Millia is out of commission, so I can’t take her along. Are you sure you can explore a dungeon alone? You can’t do it, right?”
“I can do it.”
“What’s your specific plan?”
“I have it all figured out.”
The dungeon Millia was in was special; most dungeons just involve dealing with obstacles or monsters and then opening a treasure chest at the bottom to wrap things up.
In short, finding a dungeon with a bizarre theme like the one Millia was in is exceedingly rare. It probably doesn’t even exceed double digits across the whole world. So Renny’s worries were unfounded.
…The problem is, I lack evidence to convince them.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m looking for a dungeon. And I will break into the treasure chest as quickly as possible.”
“But the process is the issue! How are you going to find a dungeon? You’re not planning on raiding famous ones, are you?”
“Finding a dungeon is no problem. I can utilize my ability.”
Of course, that’s a lie. What can I find with my ability? I can only rely on vague game knowledge and take a wild guess. Dungeons should show up if you dig around.
“What can your ability do…”
Renny seemed to understand what I meant, stopped speaking, and frowned. Maybe she was contemplating the possibilities. But like it or not, the only way to make a quick pile of cash is by raiding the treasure chests of dungeons.
“…If you go, just don’t die. I know this sounds ridiculous, but if something happens to you, Karina will be upset… and so will I.”
What did she say at the end?
I looked at Renny’s face as she mumbled at the end. She averted her gaze, her brown hair covering her cheeks that were slightly flushed. What did she say to make her act like that? I asked Millia if she heard what Renny said, but Millia just shook her head in confusion.
What is it? It’s bugging me.
But Renny seemed unwilling to share, as she immediately opened her mouth when I tried to speak.
“Anyway, if you’re going, make sure you have all your equipment ready. You’re not going in like that, are you?”
“…Is that a no-go?”
I had some confidence in my strength. I was sure I wouldn’t die in a mediocre dungeon.
“Dungeons aren’t a kid’s game! If you’re going, you have to be prepared. Do you have any money left? If it’s not enough, I can help, but you need to prepare properly.”
“Thanks.”
“Just make sure you come back whole. You better not return missing anything important after claiming to be a hero.”
“Are you really going to the dungeon?! Don’t go!”
“It’s not a dangerous place, so don’t worry too much.”
I tried to comfort Millia, who was on the verge of tears. She seems to have too many bad memories associated with dungeons, leading to her intense reactions. I expected I would have to calm her down for a bit before entering the dungeon.
“Millia, don’t worry too much. I’m more confident about surviving than anyone in this world. Think of the journey we’ve had so far. Have I ever been hurt?”
“…No?”
With her eyes wide open, Millia seemed to agree with me, and I turned my gaze to the closed door.
——————-
The preparation to enter the dungeon was simple.
Of course. The dungeon I planned to visit wasn’t too hard. To ensure a safe return, I intended to go check out the dungeons that handled the early leveling phases of the Survival Academy. It would be a good test of my fighting strength and a chance to gain treasures.
The difficulty wasn’t that high either.
And I had something I wanted to experiment with.
“Johann, please don’t go! I don’t have to go to the Academy anymore—”
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll be back soon—”
I shook off Millia’s anxious hand as she looked up at me with worry and turned my body. They say to strike while the iron is hot; I was intent on raiding the dungeon right away.
If I could, I wanted to clear out quickly. I mean, this world seems to be conspiring against me, so I can’t afford to take too long preparing, or the dungeons might just get raided while I’m at it. In fact, I’m not sure if there will even be any dungeons left if I wait. I’m sure I would also come across the Thief—no, the heroine—often in the dungeons.
“…But when will she appear?”
If I miss her at a specific time, I remember it being a one-way ticket to never seeing her again. Come on, brain! Try to remember something from ten years ago. You studied a bit, didn’t you?
I thought hard about my memories, but I still couldn’t recall when I’d meet that heroine.
Hearing a name like Elena might trigger a memory, but… After all, Elena was a character I’d always pursue, using up an amount of effort before I reached a specific level to loot her.
“Hey, are you listening to me?”
“…Sorry. What did you say?”
“If things get dangerous, just run away immediately, treasure or not. I thought you’d know well enough without me saying it… But don’t get too reckless.”
“It’s okay. I’m a brave coward!”
“A brave coward? What does that even mean?”
At my answer, Renny chuckled and patted my shoulder.
“Take care.”
“I will.”
“Come back safe!”
I waved back to Millia, who was sending me off, as I stepped out of the Academy.
My first destination was the eastern part of Kalon Academy. There’s a dungeon inside the forest there.
If my memory serves me correctly, the entrance should be inside a gnarled old tree somewhere in the forest, which means no one had found it yet. To the untrained eye, it would just look like a large old tree.
“It should be just like in the game.”
As I walked along the outer wall of the Academy, trying to gauge the rough location, it wasn’t easy to find the exact spot since my memory was so hazy. I was just following fragments of memories as clues.
Once I reached the eastern side, I pushed forward toward the city’s outskirts. Inside Kalon Academy, there were only tutorial dungeons for student practice, so to reach another dungeon, I had to exit Kalon Academy. Clutching the identification card I received from Renny, I arrived at the gate leading outside the city.
Being morning, the gate was fairly empty. I showed my ID to the yawning guard and passed through the gate. Once I got through, the forest welcomed me. The environment felt completely different from the city I had just emerged from. I suddenly realized just how large the city I came from really was.
“…From here on, I should proceed with a check.”
Crafting.
In front of me stood a dirt pillar. It was nothing special, just a marker to check my location.
I continued to advance, setting up pillars using my skills.
Exploring the forest was more tedious than I expected. I hadn’t encountered a single monster for nearly 30 minutes. Even though they were low-level, goblins would usually pop out in the game. Are the goblins scared of me?
Nah, they couldn’t possibly be.
It was just a coincidence, right?
As I continued walking while thinking like that, I suddenly spotted a noticeably withered old tree.
“Is this it?”
I found it much quicker than expected.
I circled around the old tree, looking for a hole. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to find a slightly odd-sized opening in the tree.
“Hmm.”
I grabbed the shovel slung across my back. There was no way I could go in through a hole that could barely fit a child, so I planned to dig the tree out to make it accessible.
“…Crafting.”
Before starting to dig, I put up some walls nearby. They might stand out a bit, but it was a precaution against potential surprise attacks.
After confirming it was safe, I immediately began digging.
Once, twice, three times…
Just as the count was getting close to double digits, I finally uncovered a gaping hole in the tree’s interior.
This is likely the entrance. I dismantled the wall I’d set up and gathered the dirt piles to obscure the entrance from view. It was a precaution against anyone stumbling in to cause trouble.
“…Now, should I take a look inside?”
One, two, three.
I jumped into the hole.