Wof, Age 13 (1)
This world is incomparably harsher than my previous one, and the value of a person’s life is low.
That holds true even for someone like me, a reincarnated person with memories of a past life.
Still, it’s convenient to understand things that normally wouldn’t make sense at my current age.
But my memories don’t contain anything that could revolutionize this world… nothing like that.
I don’t even know how to make mayonnaise.
Why doesn’t that stuff spoil, anyway?
“Right then, guess it’s time to go. Ouch.”
My bed is an old wooden frame filled with straw. It’s hard, and sometimes my back or joints ache.
I need to do something about this soon.
Also, I need to change the straw soon, or bugs will start breeding in it.
It would be nice if I could make some insecticide, but I don’t have that kind of knowledge either.
For now, I wash my face with water stored in a barrel and look at my reflection in a cracked mirror.
“…No matter how many times I look, I can’t get used to it.”
A wry smile crosses my face. Blue hair, silver eyes. Childish features.
Well, I am only 13, so I am childish.
I see it every morning, but it feels like looking at some distant boy; the sense that it’s me is faint.
Is it because I’m reincarnated?
Still, this face is mine.
I wipe my face with a cloth and eat my breakfast of bread beans.
They’re large beans, chewy like bread.
When roasted, they become soft and have a simple taste. Well, they fill my stomach.
I force them down with water and finish eating.
Next is my daily training routine. Once that’s done, I equip my knife and leave my dwelling.
It’s a clear day today. Not a cloud in the sky, brilliantly blue, and the sunlight is dazzling.
The white buildings of the city gleam, though faintly and dully.
The materials used for this city’s walls and buildings have monster-repelling properties.
That’s why the city still exists, despite having several dungeons nearby, including within the city itself.
The city’s name is Hydrangea. Apparently, it means ‘water vessel.’
It’s true that the city has abundant groundwater and never lacks for water.
The plaza in Hydrangea’s west district. Next to the bell tower.
A gaping cave mouth, like that of a huge monster, suddenly appears there.
This is the entrance to the dungeon.
First, I greet the gatekeeper.
“Good morning, Gauro-san.”
“Yo. Heading in again today?”
Gauro-san is a veteran gatekeeper with a scar on his face, making him look as scary as a bandit.
He used to be a Seeker but became a gatekeeper after receiving that facial injury.
“Yes. Here’s 300 Oro.”
“Alright. I know I nag you every time, but stick to the first two floors. If a monster shows up, run. Got it?”
“Understood. I’m heading in.”
“Don’t be late. Curfew’s at dusk. You can hear the bells, right?”
“Yes.”
His face is scary, but he’s a kind person who looks out for me like this.
Hydrangea has several bell towers.
Whether it’s precise or not, the time until the next bell rings is considered roughly one hour.
The bell rings twice at the next interval, three times the interval after that, increasing by one each time, and stops in the evening.
Then it rings just once at midnight. That marks the end of the day.
The evening bell rings twelve times. When that rings, it’s curfew.
There are two ways to enter the dungeon: become a Seeker or pay the entrance fee.
The entrance fee is 300 Oro. Oro is the continental currency unit.
Incidentally, the smallest denomination is a single miscellaneous copper coin worth 1 Oro.
It has a low copper content and is called ‘miscellaneous,’ a classification that also exists for silver and gold coins.
300 Oro requires 300 miscellaneous copper coins.
So, there are small copper coins. One is worth 50 Oro. With these, you only need six.
Seekers, by the way, can enter for free.
However, you can’t register as a Seeker until you’re an adult.
Adulthood around here is reached at age 14.
Since I’m 13, I can register as a Seeker next year.
But the registration fee is 42,000 Oro, which is quite expensive.
You can take out a loan, but Gauro-san says the interest is high, so he doesn’t recommend it.
Therefore, I have no choice but to work hard and earn it myself.
I pass through the entrance, its rocky surface resembling the belly of a giant monster.
Abruptly, it changes into an artificial stone passage.
It’s clearly man-made.
However, dungeons are phenomena beyond human understanding, so the truth remains unknown.
The mystery of the dungeons is certainly interesting, but I won’t make solving it my life’s path.
I proceed cautiously down the stone path, using my Relic [Danger Detection].
I pass the stairs leading down to the second floor.
Continuing straight ahead to the end of the passage and turning right, the area suddenly opens up.
Piled high there is a massive amount of trash.
It’s the refuse discharged from the dungeon.
This is my workplace.
The Dungeon’s Junkyard.