“What do you want to be when you grow up, Lua-chan?”
“I want to be an Adventurer!”
“Eh? That’s dangerous. Dad said there are lots of people who got killed by monsters.”
“But staying in the village all the time is boring!”
I stood up and threw a stone that had fallen at my feet into the river, aiming to skip it across the surface, but I failed. However, Kurinka-chan, who was next to me, either noticed or didn’t care, and continued talking. Her silky blonde hair danced in the wind.
“Is that so? Then maybe I’ll follow you, Lua-chan.”
“You just said it was dangerous!”
“If I’m with you, I think I’ll be fine!”
As the sunset glimmered on the water’s surface, our calm conversation before dinner was a daily routine. After this, we would each go home, eat dinner, and sleep in warm beds. That was how it was supposed to be.
The houses turned red.
The wooden walls cracked and crumbled.
Flames surged, threatening to scorch the sky.
People from the village were mercilessly pierced as they fought with hoes and sickles.
Monsters I had never seen before.
I screamed.
My father, my mother, Kurinka.
We were all just running in a panic.
A monstrous creature, grotesque and towering, blocked our path.
Just as the monster raised its arm to strike, it was severed and flew away.
“Run away, quickly!”
A traveling swordsman who had been passing through the village came to our aid. He urged me to flee in a strong tone, repeatedly telling me to escape.
“Don’t worry! I’ll save everyone!”
Looking back now, I think that was just a way to help me muster the courage to run. When I glanced back as I fled, I caught a fleeting glimpse of that scene.
A One-Winged Demon attacking the swordsman…
////
When I woke up, I could hear the gentle sound of a stream. Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I finally recognized that I had returned to reality. It seemed I had fallen asleep the moment I stepped out of the cave. Thanks to the items I had, returning from the 100th Underground Floor was a breeze, so it wasn’t that fatigue. After defeating the King of Destruction, I found an ordinary Ribbon in the treasure chest hidden deep within. It was amusing to think that such a terrifying creature was guarding something so trivial. It might have some effect, but for now, I had no idea what it could be.
“Today, I’m finally setting off from here.”
This dungeon, stretching down to the 100th Underground Floor, was surrounded by towering mountains, creating a mystical atmosphere that seemed to deter any visitors. I couldn’t help but wonder how a child like me had managed to reach such a place.
“First, let’s get out of here. That’s the plan.”
After a light warm-up, I dashed through the trees. I leaped over cliffs and ran without regard for the slopes. Compared to the path to the 100th Floor, this felt so easy; was the outside world really like this? Just then, something black leaped out from the bushes.
【Hell Bear appeared!】
So there were monsters in the outside world after all. But I wasn’t scared at all; this was probably a level I had already fought at the 10th Floor.
【Hell Bear raised its massive arm!】
I stopped it with one hand. I didn’t even need a weapon for this. I formed a fist with my left hand and struck the monstrous bear.
【Lua’s attack! 3022 damage dealt to Hell Bear!】
【Hell Bear HP 0/1430】
The bear fell to the ground with a thud. It really was a weak monster, wasn’t it?
【You have defeated Hell Bear!】
【Lua gained 2096 experience points!】
“Feeling good… maybe?”
I scratched my chin with my index finger, pondering. Where should I go next? I needed to find a place where people might live. First, I had to get over this mountain. Along the way, a few monsters attacked, but I ignored them and ran away. Some tried to chase me, but they couldn’t keep up with my speed.
“Am I getting stronger, or are the monsters around here just weak? I wonder which it is.”
I kept running for two hours. I crossed the mountain and emerged from the forest, finding myself at the edge of a vast plain and a town below. The pleasant breeze felt as if it were celebrating my arrival. I raced down the cliff toward the town I had spotted. What should I do first when I got there? I wanted to return to my village. It was a sight I didn’t want to remember, but I wanted to make a grave for my father and mother. And if luck was on my side, I hoped to find some clues about that One-Winged Demon.
The town was filled with brick houses, more developed than the village I had lived in. A landlady balanced fruits on her head, a man and woman walked by chatting happily, an uncle carried an enormous axe on his back, and an old man leaned on a staff. People, people, people everywhere. I hadn’t seen such a scene in a long time.
When it came down to it, I felt lost and unsure of what to do. I had never really talked to anyone before, so I didn’t know how to approach them. As I stood there, flustered, someone bumped into me from behind.
“Hey, standing there is in the way. Move to the side.”
“Uh, s-sorry!”
My first conversation in a long time felt so pathetic. But I couldn’t just stand still forever. I took a deep breath and decided to ask a passerby for directions to my village.
“Um, could you tell me which way Ikana Village is?”
“Huh?”
The man carrying lumber looked at me with a blank expression. He didn’t answer and continued walking, busy with his own tasks. I felt the eyes of those around me on me, as if they were judging me.
“Did I say something weird?”
The next person I asked simply shook their head, not knowing. The same answer came from the next person as well.
“What should I do?”
As I felt hopeless, I overheard a conversation nearby.
“For now, let’s head to the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“I wonder if there are any good quests. I’ve already cleared the dungeons around here.”
Adventurer, dungeon. I couldn’t help but perk up at those intriguing words and decided to follow the two.