245,000 yen. The reward from his first dive into the dungeon didn't just pad Yuuto's wallet—it eased a weight he had been carrying inside his chest. For the first time in months, he could breathe without counting every coin.
He began with the simple things. Meals of convenience-store boxes and cheap cup noodles gave way to real food. Yuuto started cooking with fresh ingredients from the supermarket, putting together balanced dishes that actually fueled his body. Proper meals brought back his strength, and strength was something he would need if he wanted to survive deeper inside any dungeon.
His next upgrades were small, but chosen with care. He wasn't shopping for a fancy sword or a shining suit of armor. What he needed were tools to stay alive—gear that made exploration safer and more efficient.
He bought sturdy, waterproof boots with solid grip. He added thin reinforced gloves that protected his hands without dulling his touch. And he picked up a high-powered LED headlamp that lit a wide area ahead.
Each item was humble on its own, but Yuuto knew these were the things that kept a solo explorer breathing. A single slip in a damp cave could be the end of someone like him.
Then he spent most of what was left on one more thing: potions—small vials that restored HP or MP. The red ones healed the body; the blue ones refilled mana. They were pricey, the kind of consumables new explorers avoided because they hated watching money vanish after a single use.
Yuuto didn't hesitate. His fighting style lived or died by his MP. His skills—Sort, a detection skill; Keep, a condition upkeep skill; and Break, a dismantle skill—each drained his mana. If he ran dry in the middle of a fight, he was done for. He still remembered how close the battle with that first slime had been.
As he packed the potions into his backpack, he steadied himself. It would be a mistake to let early success blind him. He wouldn't allow excitement to make him careless.
After a few days of rest and preparation, Yuuto returned to Goblin Cave. It was his second dive. This time, he walked toward the entrance with the quiet focus of a craftsman heading to work.
The receptionist at the gate blinked in surprise when Yuuto showed his card. An E-rank explorer returning from a solo run without a single injury was unusual. Still, the man said nothing and waved him through.
The cool, damp air inside felt familiar now. Instead of fear, a strange calm settled over Yuuto.
"Sort," he whispered.
Information washed over his vision, marking the layout, traps, and the presence of monsters. Just like last time.
They were here.
Beyond the first chamber, around a corner, two slimes waited. Yuuto moved with soft steps until he reached the wall, then peeked around. The slimes hadn't noticed him.
A pre-emptive strike. Good.
He drew a small stone from his pack—the same kind he had picked up along the river. He threw it hard down the opposite direction of the slimes.
The clatter of stone bouncing off the cave walls echoed through the corridor. The two slimes reacted at once, quivering as they slid toward the noise.
Perfect.
With their backs exposed, Yuuto rushed forward. His iron dagger pierced the first core with a single clean thrust. The slime burst without a sound. The second one tried to turn, but his return stroke shattered its core before it could react.
It was over in seconds. The same creatures that had nearly killed him before were now nothing more than two quick takedowns.
So this was the power of good intel.
Sort marked enemy positions, the noise bait lured them, and a strike from behind finished the job. With low strength like his, a clean ambush beat a head-on fight every time.
He used Break to extract the materials. What had taken him a long nervous attempt before now took only moments. Two perfect slime cores dropped into his pouch.
Efficient. Very efficient.
The pattern worked: detect, lure, ambush, harvest. Safe, fast, and cheap on MP. Yuuto repeated it again and again, sweeping through the slime zone with quiet confidence.
With Sort and Keep working together, he built a mental map of the dungeon—where monsters spawned, where traps lay hidden. Every new piece of knowledge made his runs smoother.
Soon, he had cleared most of the slime territory.
Maybe it was time to go deeper.
Past this point, slimes were no longer the main threat. The dungeon was called Goblin Cave for a reason.
Yuuto hesitated. Could he handle goblins? Would the same tactics work?
He exhaled slowly. He wouldn't know unless he tried. He had potions as insurance.
He took the stairs down to the lower level. The air changed at once—thicker, heavy with the scent of beasts and old blood. The walls here were different too, marked by crude scratches. Territory markings.
So they were intelligent.
Cheap tricks might not work here. He would have to be careful.
Yuuto moved like a shadow, breath held back. Sort showed three signatures in the next chamber—larger than slimes.
Goblins.
He hid behind a rock and looked into the room. Three small, green creatures sat around a fire, talking in sharp voices. They carried rusted clubs and daggers, and though each was no bigger than a child, they had muscle and awareness that slimes never did.
This was bad. Three at once was too risky. They worked as a group; even a surprise attack would leave two free to counter.
He thought fast, his mind shifting into the same mode he used in his old job. Problem, resources, best answer.
Then he saw it—a point on the ceiling above them, faintly highlighted by Sort.
Fragile stone. Chance of falling rocks: medium.
A small smile touched his lips.
Once again, a so-called weak skill showed him the path forward.