Chapter 9: A Full Lap Around the Dungeon
The magic stone harvested from the Golden Scarab had a solid weight to it.
“I wonder how many grasshopper magic stones this is worth… If I’m lucky, it might even fetch around ten thousand yen.”
My heart was kind of pounding.
I get how people feel when they bring scrolls and stuff to that TV show, ‘The Anything Appraisal Team.’
I have to be careful not to drop and break it.
I stored the magic stone in the item pouch on my hip.
Alright then.
“Let’s keep this up.”
The insects that were on the tree earlier, like the small stag beetle, seemed to have all fled during the grasshopper attack.
I decided to explore deeper into the forest once more.
I proceeded down the small path that wound between the trees.
☆★☆
After walking for a while, I heard a murmuring sound.
This is…
I veered off the small path and headed deeper into the forest.
And then.
“Whoa…!”
Beyond the trees, a beautiful stream was flowing.
Sunlight poured down, and the water spray glittered as it reflected the light.
The water was clearer than anything I’d ever seen, so transparent that the shapes of the round stones at the bottom were perfectly visible.
Only in the slightly deeper spots, reflecting the blue of the sky, did it take on a clear blue hue.
–So this is the “river” terrain Yamada-san from the Explorer Association mentioned during the dungeon risk assessment.
I tentatively dipped my fingertips into the water.
“Whoa, it’s cold!”
As I submerged my wrists, I felt my flushed body temperature gradually cooling down.
Perhaps because the sun was shining, the temperature around the river was slightly higher than in the forest.
It looked like it would feel great to get in the water.
“There’s no one around, so why not?”
I took off my shoes, socks, and long pants, leaving only my underwear on, and waded into the river.
“Woo-hoo!”
I shouted for no particular reason.
Why do people get ridiculously hyped up when they enter cold water in the summer?
It’s an eternal mystery.
Splashing around, I made my way downstream.
Man, this feels good.
When I was working in Tokyo, I never got to experience this kind of liberating feeling.
It might be a pointless activity, but it makes me feel alive.
“Phew…”
After playing around for a good while, I put my hands on my hips and let out a satisfied sigh.
Man, a Private Dungeon is the best.
I wouldn’t mind continuing to play around, but today’s goal is to explore the dungeon.
Guess I should wrap it up soon.
Splashing around again, I returned to the spot where I’d taken off my shoes.
I hadn’t brought a towel.
I sat down on a round stone by the riverbank and decided to relax until my feet dried.
“Ah, this feels great.”
With the difference between the water and air temperature, I could feel the blood tingling as it flowed to my toes.
It was just like getting out of a sauna.
I leaned back on my hands and looked up at the sky.
Beyond the gently swaying leaves, I could see distant cumulonimbus clouds.
No matter how long I watched, the shape of the clouds didn’t change.
It was as if time had stopped permanently.
“When I was working, I never took the time to look at the sky like this…”
Somehow, even getting fired from my job started to feel like a fond memory.
In fact, I even started to feel a sense of pity for the guys still working at a company like that.
“I don’t think I could work at a company like that anymore. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, though…”
When I looked down, there was a conveniently sized stone next to the one I was sitting on.
Without much thought, I flipped it over.
Underneath, there were about five pill bugs.
“Oh, nostalgic. I used to catch these all the time when I was little.”
I casually picked them up, transforming them into magic stones with small powan powan sounds and puffs of smoke.
The Monster Creature Encyclopedia appeared beside me and opened to a page automatically.
Encyclopedia No. 31/251
Name: Magic Pill Bug
Rarity: 0
Capture Skill: Defense +1 (First-Time Bonus)
Capture EXP: 1
Drop Item: Magic Stone (Minute)
(I decided to skip reading the descriptions if they were similar to bugs outside the dungeon.)
Encyclopedia No. 32/251
Name: Magic Woodlouse
Rarity: 0
Capture Skill: Speed +1 (First-Time Bonus)
Capture EXP: 1
Drop Item: Magic Stone (Minute)
“Alright, alright, might as well catch these guys too.”
Powan!
Encyclopedia No. 1/251
Name: Dungeon Ant
Rarity: 0
Capture Skill: None
Capture EXP: 1 (0.1 for those Level 3 or higher)
Drop Item: Magic Stone (Minute)
Encyclopedia No. 2/251
Name: Dungeon Winged Ant
Rarity: 0
Capture Skill: Attack +1 (First-Time Bonus)
Capture EXP: 1
Drop Item: Magic Stone (Minute)
“…Alright.”
The magic stones were all tiny, like grains of sand, but I managed to record their capture in the encyclopedia.
I wasn’t sure what this “First-Time Bonus” for capture skills was, but there was no doubt it was some kind of plus for me.
Well, my feet should be dry by now.
“–Let’s go.”
I put my shoes and other things back on and returned to the forest.
I know I’m simple-minded, but I already felt like an explorer.
I continued along the small path between the trees.
☆★☆
After walking for a bit, a red torii gate came into view.
“Whoa, I can’t believe a place like this exists.”
It wasn’t mentioned in the Explorer Association’s report.
Passing through the torii gate, I saw a small wooden shrine in the back, and even further behind it, there was a magnificent large tree, easily over a hundred years old.
“This is somehow reassuring…”
There probably weren’t any gods or Buddhas in the dungeon, but I felt like something was protecting me.
As I slowly approached the large tree, insects had gathered around the sap, as usual.
There weren’t any rare-looking insects, but there was a small stag beetle like the one I’d failed to catch earlier, and an insect that looked like a scarab beetle.
“Guess I’ll catch them for now…”
Bowan!
Encyclopedia No. 56/251
Name: Small Sword Stag Beetle
Rarity: 0
Capture Skill: ??? (Condition: Capture 3 types of stag beetles), Attack +2 (First-Time Bonus)
Capture EXP: 100
Drop Item: Magic Stone (Small)
Encyclopedia No. 67/251
Name: Indigo Scarab Beetle
Rarity: 0
Capture Skill: Defense +1 (First-Time Bonus)
Capture EXP: 70
Drop Item: Magic Stone (Small)
“…Alright.”
Beetles, as expected, seem to give more EXP than grasshoppers or dragonflies.
There are likely other rare types too; maybe I should focus on the forest from now on.
I passed through the torii gate again and returned to the forest path.
Being Rarity 0, the small stag beetles and scarab beetles from earlier were perched on trees here and there.
Of course, I caught every single one.
I had almost finished walking the forest path, and the rural scenery near the dungeon entrance was becoming visible again through the trees.
By chance, a cicada was perched low on a tree.
Miiiin, minminminmin…
It was definitely within reach.
“…Should I do it?”
I approached the cicada as silently as an assassin and quickly reached out my hand.
Bowan!
The cicada turned into a magic stone about the same size as the scarab beetle’s earlier.
“Yes!”
My skills hadn’t gotten rusty!
“Hm…?”
–Just then, a voice echoed in my head.
“Achievement — <
And then, just like the encyclopedia, a bug-catching net materialized out of thin air and settled into my right hand.
Perhaps because it’s made of magical essence, the net part was a translucent purple.
“Whoa…”
My excitement surged.
–And so, having acquired a new tool, I ended up exploring the dungeon until my stamina ran out.
I’m looking forward to cashing in at the Explorer Association.
==================
[Supplementary: Other spoils from today, etc.]
Encyclopedia No. 81/251
Name: Minmin Magic Cicada
Rarity: 0
Capture Skill: Sleep Skill Nullification
Capture EXP: 75
Drop Item: Magic Stone (Small)
Encyclopedia No. 82/251
Name: Abura Magic Cicada
Rarity: 0
Capture Skill: Speed +1 (First-Time Bonus)
Capture EXP: 70
Drop Item: Magic Stone (Small)
Special Skill: Monster Capture Net (Lv1)
Uses 1 MP per swing. The net may break depending on the magic beast’s strength. However, since the net is composed of magical essence, it can automatically repair itself.