Madness of the Blue Blood Labyrinth - Chapter 4
After registering with the Explorer Support Association, which assists with dungeon attacks and Explorer activities, and completing a week-long training session, it was finally time for my first exploration.
Just a while ago, I encountered and kicked to death a goblin, one of the most well-known creatures classified as “monsters.”
Goblins are widely recognized as the weakest of all monsters, mere foot soldiers. But, man, they’re actually stronger than your average adult. Probably comparable to a martial artist with a black belt.
I’d heard that every year, some beginner underestimates them and gets a nasty surprise, and now I get why.
When creatures die, they always leave behind a magic stone and sometimes drop items before they disappear back into the dungeon. Even a tiny magic stone, small enough to fit on the tip of your pinky, holds enough energy to power an all-electric house for half a day. This stone played a pivotal role in solving the pre-revolution issue of depleting fuel resources.
A goblin’s magic stone is worth around 10 yen, but mid-tier creatures can drop stones worth over 5,000 yen.
—
About an hour into my first dungeon attack, I punched my 25th goblin to death.
When it comes to taking lives, it’s not very efficient to use bare hands.
But when I really think about it—or rather, don’t need to think too hard—it’s only natural.
During training, they strongly recommended getting a full set of gear.
Unfortunately, after buying the Slot and paying for the surgery, I was broke.
I still had about two million yen left, but I didn’t need it anymore, so I gave it to the boy who sold me his Slot as a kind of extra reward.
His sister’s surgery was scheduled for next month, and I figured it’d be a good way to celebrate.
The money was more or less a windfall, so I have no regrets, but acting based on feelings is a bad habit of mine.
If I remember, I’ll try to fix that starting tomorrow.
…Anyway, I’m getting bored of hunting goblins.
Crushing humanoid creatures isn’t much different from when I used to beat up the local troublemakers to blow off steam.
At least with creatures, no one’s going to scold me if I turn them into mince, so I don’t have to hold back. That makes it easier, I guess.
Alright, let’s head deeper in.
During training, they said to stick with goblins on the first floor for a while to get used to things, but these guys are weak and boring. Fighting something on par with a martial arts master doesn’t even qualify as a challenge.
At the very least, let me fight something that’s worth testing my skills on.
—
My first dungeon, the “Kofu Labyrinth,” is only a ten-minute walk from my apartment, which I rented for university.
It has thirty floors, with a difficulty level ranked 7 out of 10. There are plenty of mid-tier Explorers active around the 20th floor, making it a decent hunting ground.
Up to the fifth floor, goblins are the main creatures, but the dungeon environment drastically changes from the sixth floor onward.
—
“Just like they said.”
From a typical labyrinth with countless square passageways, it abruptly transformed into a dense, overgrown forest.
Despite being underground, there was a sky. How strange.
—
“And now, they’ve come to greet me.”
Crashing through the bushes, five large wolves surrounded me—”Direwolves.”
If they attack in packs, even a decent Explorer could get devoured by them.