Gate of the Abyss.
A city built around a gigantic hole known as the Abyssal Dungeon.
There isn’t much information about what exactly the Dungeons are or how they originated, but many use them to level up and earn their titles these days.
Looking up, I gaze at the enormous circular wall of black stone that completely surrounds the Dungeon. It has only one entrance, guarded by heavily armed guards.
Even though I knew what it was like from the novel, seeing it with my own eyes is astonishing.
— I'm finally here…
After yet another long journey, my body completely exhausted, I stand before my goal.
This time, I didn’t talk to anyone and just isolated myself completely, training my skills and magics in silence.
— These travels are torture…
I stretch my arms, trying to relieve some of the tension in my body.
— Alright… First find an inn, and then become an adventurer.
I need to become an adventurer, even if just a Common one, to explore the Dungeon.
— Now, where is the Adventurers’ Guild…
Looking around, I see many women of different races walking the streets. Actually, this place is much more crowded than I expected.
— …Let’s try getting some information safely.
I arrive in front of a food stand full of people eating skewers and look at the woman standing in front of the grill, who must be half my height.
— A dwarf? It’s kind of rare to find one of them. — I think briefly, before speaking. — Boss, how much is a skewer?
— A skewer is… Eh? A man?
As soon as she looked at me, she seemed startled for a moment, but quickly controlled her expression and handed me a skewer.
— Boy, what are you doing in this city? Don’t you know it’s dangerous to walk around here alone?
— …I came to get a title, but I don’t know the way to the guild. — I say, taking the skewer.
— Another one… — she mutters, before looking me straight in the eye. — Kid, you’d better forget about this and go home… Where’s your owner?
— …I’m alone.
The woman looks at me even more surprised, before putting her hand to her forehead and thinking for a moment.
— A runaway… Never mind, I just hope you don’t get into trouble.
After this brief conversation, I ask for directions to the guild and a relatively safe inn while eating the skewer.
Apparently, the guild has been quite busy these days with lots of young women, so the city is much safer than usual.
This information would be very helpful to me, if it weren’t for one small detail.
— Apparently, the students from the Noctis Royal Academy came to earn their titles and arrived yesterday. — says the woman as she fries a few more skewers.
— …Hã?
Before I can ask any further questions, I notice that some women are starting to line up behind me. Not wanting to hold up the line, I thank the woman and walk away, finishing my skewer as I go.
As I walk, I notice a few girls in uniforms among the people passing by on the street. I’ve never seen what the Noctis school uniform looks like, but judging by how well-made these uniforms are, I believe they’re from there.
The uniforms the girls are wearing are elegant, yet not flashy. A dark blue, almost black jacket covers an immaculate white shirt, while gold trim runs along the collar, cuffs, and edges of the fabric, giving the outfit a noble air. The combination resembles a starry night sky, perfectly matching the kingdom’s name.
There’s also a crest embroidered on the garment, which must be the symbol of Noctis.
— …Is this for real? Shouldn’t they have arrived a month ago!?
I finally realize that something serious has happened in this world’s timeline. As far as I recall, there were times when the protagonist arrived at exactly the right moment to solve problems, so a one-month delay will completely change the course of events as I know it.
— Haa… Calm down, I need to compose myself and think…
Now that time has passed, there’s no going back to find out why, so I just have to go with what I have right now.
— First… Has the protagonist already fallen into the Dungeon? — I think, looking around.
But seeing that everything seems normal and some girls from Noctis appear to be entering the Dungeon, he probably hasn’t fallen in yet.
— Alright, first let’s become an adventurer and see if I can find the protagonist. — I think to myself as I walk toward the guild. — I need to make sure everything’s okay with him.
Even if there have been major changes due to the passage of time, the hero still needs to fall to the bottom of the Dungeon, or he won’t have the strength to face the really serious challenges.
— Especially to defeat demons… Only at the bottom of the Dungeon will he find his divine sword.
As I remember the novel, I arrive in front of the adventurers’ guild. It’s completely packed with people, but the vast majority are Noctis’s students.
— There are so many eye-catching people that I can barely tell who the important characters in the story are. — I think to myself, especially as I look at their hair. — Sure, it’s common to see people with colorful hair in anime and manga, but seeing it in person… I wonder how many different colors there are in here.
While I’m distracted by watching the people, I also observe the interior of the guild.
The hall is much larger than I imagined. Right at the entrance, dozens of tables are occupied by adventurers and students talking loudly, discussing how their expedition went or strategizing for their next dungeon run.
I also see a large number of guards everywhere, probably because of the students.
Near the wall, huge bulletin boards display missions, escort requests, and calls for exploration parties.
And, looking further back, I see the main counter with a small line in front of each clerk. They seem to be working nonstop, jotting down information, collecting items that the adventurers have brought back, and handing out rewards for completed missions.
In addition, next to it is a hallway that seems to lead to a small market with vendors selling equipment or buying supplies.
— This indoor market is more expensive than the ones outside, but they’re reliable because they’re supervised by the guild, — I observe with interest.
After taking a good look around inside, I head to a less crowded counter with a sign that reads “REGISTER” and wait briefly in line until it’s my turn.
When the woman at the counter notices me, she lets out a weary sigh and says, without any emotion. She looks like a receptionist who’s tired of seeing people like me.
— Good morning. You’re here for the title, right? — she asks, already picking up a document and placing it on the table.
— Yes…
— Just sign here, and you’ll be a Common adventurer.
After that, she turns her attention to a group of female students and sighs again, as if she wanted to be one of them.
— She didn’t even consider that I might want to pursue a life as an adventurer…
Seeing this, I just remain silent and sign the paper outlining an adventurer’s code of conduct and the limit on how many floors I can descend in the dungeon.
There isn’t even a single question about my strength or magic, indicating just how easy the first ten floors are.
After I sign, the woman hands me a simple card that bears only the word “Common”.
— Congratulations, you’re now a new adventurer! I hope you achieve great things! — she says in a monotone voice that sounds much more like sarcasm.
— ...Thanks.
Leaving the guild with my card, I turn my gaze toward the inn. Since I’m short on money, I pay for just one night and finally head toward the Dungeon.
— I still haven’t found the protagonist… Well, let’s explore the Dungeon a bit, and tomorrow I’ll look for him.
Arriving at the entrance, I show my card to the guards, and after they glance at me briefly, they let me through.
Now I can finally see just how vast this Dungeon is.
I look down and see the gigantic abyss that seems to have no end. Down below, I begin to discern some bridges that cross the hole from time to time.
The abyss has a spiral stairway that descends to the tenth floor. Each level has a side entrance and is easily accessible, but only up to the tenth. Starting on the eleventh floor, you have to traverse the floors from the inside and face the bosses to move forward.
Another way would be to jump onto the bridges inside the abyss, but few madmen even attempt it. Each bridge connects to the next floor after defeating a boss.
And the boss only appears every ten floors.
In other words, the stairs extend to the tenth floor, but after defeating that level’s boss, you must cross a bridge leading to the eleventh floor.
After that, you must proceed through floors eleventh to twentieth, and after defeating the boss of the twentieth floor, you’ll have to cross the bridge again, this time to the twenty-first, and so on.
The way the dungeon works is a bit strange, but this also makes it possible to tell if a group has gone to a certain floor just by seeing if they’ve crossed the bridge.
— This place is really dangerous… — I murmur, not daring to get close to the edge.
Another important detail is that the Dungeon basically resets its layout every night, meaning it’s impossible to build anything inside or break the bridge, since it will return to its default state the next day.
That’s why there’s no railing around the stairs.
— Well, let’s head to the first floor…
I see a few girls coming down the stairs and glancing at me briefly in surprise, but I just ignore them and open the door to the first floor.
It’s just a simple wooden door that, with a gentle push, opens with a creak. On the other side is a stone corridor with torches mounted on the wall to provide light.
The air is a bit damp and cold, but nothing that really bothers me.
— So this is what the Dungeon is like… It feels strange.
I start walking slowly, cautiously observing my surroundings. Even though it’s the first level, I prefer to stay alert since I’m unfamiliar with the place.
— Is a knife enough? — I wonder, looking at the knife in my hand.
Since the whip I used for training belonged to Lívia, I ended up returning it before we parted ways in Fortunia.
So, all I have is a kitchen knife I brought with me as my personal weapon.
— If I remember correctly, even 10-year-old kids can get through the first floor without any trouble…
With that in mind, I come across the monster on the first floor: a small, greenish creature, about a meter tall, walking with the aid of a cane.
The wrinkles on his face and his white beard indicate just how old he must be.
— …An elderly goblin?
I feel like fighting him is a little wrong, but as soon as the goblin sees me, he starts to approach, trying to attack me with his cane.
His movements are slow and predictable, and he doesn’t seem to have much strength.
The moment he tries to strike me with the cane, I grab it, wrench it from his hand, and hit him on the head with it.
From the impact, he falls to the ground, blood trickling from the wound.
— …Is that it? — I ask myself, confused that it was so easy.
When I look at my panel, I see that my level has risen to 3.
— …Um … Let’s see if there’s a stone.
Cutting open his chest with my knife, I see a small magic stone, much smaller than the ones I found on the island.
— So this is a real magic stone… It’s kind of reddish and must be about three centimeters?
Looking closely at the magic stone, I begin to examine it while considering whether or not I should consume it.
— Given its size, consuming it would be quick… But what kind of magic can a goblin provide?
Looking at its appearance, I feel like I might actually end up with some curse of weakness or something like that.
— …Well, it probably won’t be anything too extreme, since it’s a weak monster… In fact, I might not even gain anything.
Seeing that possibility, I put the stone in my pocket and decide to keep going for a while longer.
[…]
I return to the inn only after defeating fifteen more goblins and selling their stones to secure enough money for dinner and the next day’s lunch.
— I need to make more money…
Since the value of the magic stones on the first floor is so low, I start to consider heading to the next floors, but I remember that I should first check on the protagonist’s condition.
He should show up at the guild early, since they’re supposed to report on how the dungeon exploration is going.
With that in mind, I glance briefly at my status panel.
— At least I’m already at Level 10, even though I don’t feel much of a difference…
In theory, I must have gotten stronger, but in practice, I don’t feel the change.
— Anyway… Time to try my luck! — I think, crushing one of the magic stones I’ve been saving.
After thinking carefully, and since this will be a magic and not a skill, even if the result is strange, I can simply choose not to use it. Since I don’t know if just one will be enough to acquire the spell, I’ve kept three stones with me.
— It’s so small that I should be able to swallow it whole now… Here we go!
I take the pieces of the stone and swallow them all at once, protecting my throat with my magic.
After a while, I feel discomfort in my stomach and throw up the stone along with my dinner.
— …I really am an idiot.
And so, I went to bed hungry.
[To be continued…]
[???]:
— His curiosity was so strong that he got carried away, coming up with a random reason to use the stone and throwing up everything he’d eaten for dinner… He has a serious problem with gambling.
[+++]:
— …So, when are you going to tell me what you’re seeing?
[???]:
— Midnight, I’ll tell you.
[+++]:
— There’s no night here…