Chapter 6: The Beginning of My Life as an Explorer
“With this, the Explorer lecture concludes. Thank you for your hard work.”
In the classroom situated behind the counter, I had just finished a one-hour Explorer lecture.
Otama-chan did a splendid job as an instructor.
I even found myself clapping.
“Thanks. That was incredibly helpful.”
“Really? I’m so glad.”
“The textbook was probably a government-issued one, but your way of explaining things was great.”
“Hehe, it was nothing special…”
Otama-chan rubbed the back of her head, not looking entirely displeased.
How to carry weapons outside of dungeons, tools that weren’t mandatory but recommended to carry, how to deal with encountering monsters, and so on…
I was able to gain truly practical knowledge.
“It felt like a waste for me to have monopolized you.”
Perhaps because it was a weekday morning, there were no other customers taking the lecture.
“More people should get to hear you.”
“Ehehe… Thank you, thank you.”
Otama-chan responded to me with a rockstar-like gesture.
“Yamada-san, Omokawa-san is getting carried away!”
“K-Ko-chan! Don’t say that!”
“Haha…”
“…Geez. I got scolded quite a bit yesterday, you know.”
“You’re speaking quietly, so she probably can’t hear you.”
“Yamada-san has insanely high enemy detection abilities in dungeons, you know? It wouldn’t be strange if she heard you.”
“Don’t talk about her like she’s some kind of monster with super hearing.”
“Th-That’s not what I meant! Here, take this! I’ll give you a 20% off coupon, so why don’t you go check out the Explorer corner at Eeyon!? They sell recommended starter sets for beginners too!”
“…What a well-thought-out system.”
☆★☆
“Good work.”
When I left the classroom, Yamada-san from the Explorer Association greeted me.
“How was Omokawa-san’s explanation?”
I answered honestly.
“It was incredibly easy to understand, so please praise her for it.”
“Fufu, I understand. You’re very kind, NK-kun.”
“NK?”
“Wah! Wah! Yamada-san!”
Otama-san was flailing her hands and making a fuss. I had no idea what she was on about.
“Oh, my apologies, Natsume-san. Now then… please accept this.”
Yamada-san handed me a single card.
“This is…”
“It’s your Explorer Card, Natsume-san. It’s green, so please be aware that you can only enter Dungeon No. 5 with it.”
“Ooh…”
I received the card.
It had my photo on it, taken before the lecture.
“—This is the beginning of your life as an Explorer, Natsume-san.”
“I feel kind of happy. Oh, right. Could I ask you to purchase something from me, as a test?”
“The magic stones from yesterday? Of course, that’s fine.”
I took out the minuscule magic stone from my bag.
Yamada-san took it and placed it on a scale-like machine behind the counter.
A lonely clink sound echoed.
“Let’s see, the quality seems quite good. This one is 40 yen. After withholding tax, it will be 36 yen. Is that alright?”
“Yes, please.”
After I signed the document, Yamada-san brought over a receipt and some coins.
“Here you go. Ah, by the way, the Explorer Card also records monetary transactions. If you go to an Explorer shop after this, please make sure to present it. You’ll be able to automatically declare expenses for income tax purposes.”
“Understood, thank you very much.”
Just a few coins, a tiny amount of money.
But this was the first money I had earned without belonging to an organization.
I wasn’t good at navigating the world within an organization.
From now on, if possible, I want to be able to make a living for myself as an individual.
Maybe I’ll keep this money as a memento of my first step.
…Thinking such thoughts, I put the coins into my bag.
☆★☆
And so, I returned to the door of the Private Dungeon.
The time was 2 PM.
Since I’m unemployed, time doesn’t really matter, but as this is my first time, I plan to come out by 6 PM.
“One dragonfly is 40 yen… so 25 of them would be 1000 yen, huh…”
Today, I won’t go too deep. I’ll focus on catching dragonflies while exploring the area within sight of the exit.
“Alright then…”
I rechecked the setup of the beginner Explorer set I bought at Eeyon for 9,600 yen (12,000 yen before discount).
Helmet, check. Item pouch on my waist, check. Healing potions, antidotes, check…
“—No problems here.”
I hung the coat I was wearing on a nearby tree, then opened the iron door leading to the dungeon.
Clack, Creeeak…
The moment I stepped inside, the temperature changed drastically.
Miiiin, minminmin…
The chirping of cicadas welcomed me.
“…Nice.”
Thinking of it as our exclusive dungeon, I suddenly felt a sense of attachment.
“Now then…”
I didn’t just buy the Explorer set at Eeyon.
I also bought a bug-catching net at a 100-yen shop.
Maybe I’ll try catching some dragonflies with this right away.
Dragonflies were flitting about in the air, almost as if to say “catch us if you can.”
I brandished the bug-catching net,
“Hya!”
and swung it down.
My timing was perfect.
“Let’s see… Huh?”
However, there was nothing in the net.
“That’s strange…”
I tried again, but still, neither dragonflies nor magic stones were in the net.
“Hmm…”
Looking closely, it seemed the dragonflies vanished the moment they touched the 100-yen shop bug-catching net.
“…How odd.”
Indeed, I’d heard stories about how a longsword obtained inside a dungeon could be more powerful than an intricately crafted industrial product from the outside world.
Perhaps tools from outside the dungeon have some kind of debuff on them.
“…Can’t be helped. I guess I’ll do it the hard way.”
I walked along the rice paddy path, catching dragonflies.
My knack for it had returned, so I could now easily catch dragonflies even while walking.
When I got a magic stone, I put it into the item pouch on my waist.
“Oh…”
A grasshopper jumped out from the grass beside the rice paddy.
This one probably isn’t poisonous either. Probably.
I rushed to where the grasshopper landed and quickly reached out to catch it.
Bwoom!
The grasshopper turned into a pebble-sized magic stone in my hand.
At the same time, a book appeared in mid-air, its pages flipping open on their own.
Encyclopedia No. 20/251
Name: Dungeon Grasshopper
Rarity: 0
Capture Skill: Mass Assault (Unlocks after capturing 100 or more)
Capture EXP: 2
Drop Item: Magic Stone (Minuscule)
Description: A grasshopper inhabiting grassy areas within dungeons. Can only be captured with the 【Childlike Heart】 skill. Not dangerous individually, but can be utilized as an offensive measure when a certain number are gathered.
Capture Count: 1/100
“Hm…?”
This grasshopper… if I gather enough of them, I can use them as an attack skill?
I can’t use swords or magic, but maybe I’ll be able to fight in dungeons after all.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t get my hopes up yet, but I can’t help but feel hopeful.”
Will the day come when I can dive into other dungeons with Otama-chan?
“…Alright.”
I don’t want to give up on myself yet.
Changing my plan, I decided to try gathering grasshoppers.