Year 7443, Month 12, Day 30
New Year's Eve. Even if it's Orth, it's only obvious that the first day of the new year is a holiday and most businesses close up for the day. That's why today pretty much every store thrives considerably well. Even though I don't particularly have any business I'm looking into food stores as well. Talking about New Years dishes during the New Years holiday is extremely boring but it's probably a good idea to at least completely rest until I'm satisfied once in a year.
Regardless of whether it's a holiday or anything else I'm still continuing with my training so my body won't weaken that easily. If I get too bored then it might not be half bad to go to the dungeon and rage around as well. It's become where I have to bring either Zulu or Angela along but I'm sure that the New Years holiday is different after all.
It seems that recently Zulu is on good terms with a sister that works at a restaurant and the dark expression that Angela had when I first purchased her has completely disappeared. Ah, that's right, starting next year how about I raise their wages a bit as well. I take out a smoked octopus leg I bought at the delicacies shop from the inner pocket of my inverness and start chewing on it while thinking these things and wandering the town.
Oh~ Toris and Bel are window shopping at a store over there. They have their arms crossed and are completely on good terms. How enviable. Come to think of it on the day we saved Bel I was chewing on a smoked octopus leg as well. Even though all four of us has octopus legs in our mouths we were discussing it. I remembered something pointless.
"Master, are you out on a walk?"
Hn? What the, so it was Angela? She's holding bread and some kind of vegetables or ham. I'm sure this fellow is shopping for tomorrow as well. I just paid their wages for this month this morning after all and there's quite a few restaurants that are closed for business tomorrow as well. Since I said to get your own lunch, she's probably buying up enough food right now for tomorrow's lunch as well. It seems like quite a bit of food for one person though if you think of it as lunch for throughout the holiday then it's an amount that is just right.
"Ah, Angela huh? Buying lunch for tomorrow?"
"Yes, since most places are closed tomorrow.."
After all.
"That's true. Maybe I'll buy something as well~"
"I think that's a good idea. The places that are still open will be extremely busy."
Right.
"That's true..I'll make sure I buy something as well. See you later."
I said that and walked towards the food store nearby. I wonder what I'll buy...In the end, I decided on some dried Meineiji. Meineiji is a seasonal fish but I've seen fat ones being transported after being caught in the reef area west of Baldukk. It might be nice to go fishing next time but I don't have any reel after all. If you grill them with the portable stove magic tool and they're delicious.
It's no comparison to the taste of the dried mackerel I had in my past life though the dried fish of Orth aren't anything to make fun of either. It's common knowledge that fish become more delicious by drying them out. You grill the dried fish and then unravel it and put it in between bread with some mayonnaise and it goes together quite well. I don't know who thought of it but I was trembling in excitement after meeting this taste.
I got two dried meineiji dried and cut like in Japan in my past life and had them tied on a string by the neck. I hung that down while wandering around again. It seems there's some kind of uproar going on at the restaurant a bit ahead but it's nothing unusual.
Well if a member of my parts is involved in the fight then there's no choice than to arbitrate it so I'll peek in a bit but the only one who I can think of doing something like that is Ralpha when she gets drunk, so I'm not all that worried. Recently she's often drinking with Gwine, and Gwine is the type that gets quiet when she's drunk (I haven't seen her really drunk) so there's probably no problem.
See look, it's someone different. Ah, that guy.. isn't it a guy from {Bright Blade}? Really, those guys are all quite rough. Well anyone who is willing to pick a fight with the members there is pretty unusual as well. I bet it's just some countryside hick who just came to Baldukk. If you've even spent six months in this town you'd know they're the top of people you definitely shouldn't mess with it. As proof of that look, no one is even coming out to act as bookmaker for gambles.
A~a, that bro is going to be beaten half to death I'm sure. It's a Wolf-people man that seems to be in his late teens but his face is bright red as he says something. The Dog-people race man with a large wound on his face is scratching his chin while listening to that. Of course the Dog-people is the member of {Bright Blade}. If I remember correctly his name was...That's right Rongel. He's one of the center members of {Bright Blade}.
I met eyes with Rongel. I shrug my shoulder and pass by. Well make sure you let him off by not killing him. If you kill him it's troublesome right? By the time I finished passing by it seems they had reached a conclusion. One punch huh? I turned around once but there was nothing like an upset.
Even though I say that, around the time we recruited Bel, adventurers often picked fights with us at restaurants as well. Since even on Orth Bel's beauty stands out, she's the perfect bait for drunk adventurers. Bel herself as well but I don't even remember the number of times I've gotten into a fight either. Eventually when we started to be called {Slaughterers} there was almost no one would mess with us though. There's restaurants where Ralpha and Zulu were banned from as well.
What entered my sight is the scenery of Baldukk which is a bit more lively than usual. It seems I was able to safely make it through this year as well. Thinks are proceeding smoothly in exploring the dungeon as well, I guess the results of our training are finally showing, but it feels like everyone's skill with the sword has changed quite a bit. Starting next year I want to become the true top of Baldukk in both name and reality.
Hmph. Since tomorrow is New Year's day in order to not forgot my original resolve it might not be half bad to run through the 1st floor alone.
............
Year 7444, Month 1, Day 1
The second New Year's day I've met in Baldukk. Just like last year I go to the temple for my first shrine visit and donated 10,000 Z. Since you can't see the first sunrise of the year unless you go to the summit of the crater like hills, when it was still start I started my running and went to see it before going to my first shrine visit of the year. After visiting the shrine I went straight to the restaurant and had breakfast with everyone. I gave the five others than my slaves their wages and then returned to my inn.
I excitedly put my rubber protectors on and confirmed my equipment. My leather gloves got some oil on them last night from Ralpha's roast pork so I've left them to the inn to clean. I put the map into my bag, my portable stove and dried meineiji, and without forgetting some bread and a jar of mayonnaise I threw them in as well. I put some water from the well into my flask, now then, it's time to depart.
Of course, I'm not calling out to Zulu and Angela. I feel bad for them but this is a ceremony. In order to not forget my original resolve, I need to recognize my original nervous feelings when I first challenged the dungeon. Of course, it's true that the 1st floor is easier than a fart but it's been close to a year since I've gone in with no backup.
"Ya~ Greed-san, happy new year. Are you alone today?"
It's Church-san from the knight group in Baldukk. I guess he's guarding the tax collector at the entrance to the dungeon this early in the new year?
"Happy new year. Church-san. I thought to return to my original resolve for the first time in a while. So it's something like light exercise."
I exchange greetings and after paying the taxes I entered the dungeon and teleported to the 1st floor.
Now then, I wonder where this is? The number on the pedestal of the teleport crystal is..None! So an unexplored area huh? It's been quite a while. It's the 1st floor after all, I'm sure it's not particularly dangerous. In the first place, since we've filled in almost everything on the map of the 1st floor we already knew the general shape of all of the remaining unexplored areas. And as a matter of fact, if we wanted to investigate them we could at anytime. Because, the remaining unexplored areas on the 1st floor are thought to all be connected to the central teleport room in some sort of shape.
Putting it simply, if you just teleport to a place which connects to the teleport crystal, then once you get to the center room you start moving backwards from there and it's thought that you'll definitely be able to make it to them. It's just not an action that has much meaning. It's a waste of time after all.
However, this time I luckily (?) was able to teleport into an unexplored area. As a matter of fact there's only three blank places left on our map of the 1st floor. If I just walk for a bit I'll quickly be able to figure out which of those three places it is.
Baon!
I use wind magic to strip the traps naked. Everything seems fine. I briskly started walking ahead and in less than 10 minutes I was able to guess where this is. Ah, if it's here then I'll be able to make it to the center in two hours of walking. Alright, let's try doing a time attack for once.
I send the goblins scattering with my bayonet, cut the gnolls to pieces with {Ice Cone}. I pour more mana in to strengthen {Chain Lightning} as I roast Orks, and send {Fire Javelin Missiles} into a Gargantuan Spider to kill it all at once. I charged into a group of Hobgoblins with only four of them and beat them all down before stabbing them in the throat while hurrying ahead.
I've only gathered the magic stone from the Gargantuan Spider. I use {Flame Thrower} to burn some Green Slimes, I'm sure in about another 30 minutes I'll arrive at the teleport room.
Even if it's a time attack, it would be foolish to get injured from hurrying. I can't let my guard down. After all this is originally a ceremony to come back to my origins. I haven't brought along the clock magic tool but it's probably been about two hours? I took a rest in the teleport room while feeling satisfied. Going off the amount I feel like my stomach has emptied there should still be a while until lunch.
Now then, since I've gone all the way of coming this far. I guess I'll try peeking into the 2nd floor for a bit. After finishing my break I stand up and confirm my equipment. No problem.
"Mehebuka"
I chant the teleport incantation and moved to the 2nd floor.
...............
Now then, I wonder where this is? The number on the teleport crystal pedestal is..None! Another unexplored area huh? It's been quite a while. Since it's the 2nd floor, I doubt it's all that dangerous. In the first place we've filled in quite a bit of the 2nd floor map as well so we already know the general shape of the unexplored areas. And, I feel like I just this as well. I closely investigate the teleport crystal pedestal in the center of the hall but as a matter of fact I was quite pleased. There's nothing above being able to fill in the blanks on our map even just a bit more.
I use wind magic the same as usual to send the dirt flying. I steadily walk down the passage and I discovered an abnormality. It's a pitfall. However..this is...
【Besshuz.Floating Disk.Automending】
【Wind.Void】
【Condition: Good】
【Manufacture Date: -/-/-】
【Value: -】
Is this that area we visited once upon a time? In that case if I return to the teleport crystal this should be on the other side of it as well. I ran back to the teleport crystal and use wind magic once more before proceeding to take a look.
..It's here. But, I can't remember which though I should have buried one of the pitfalls with earth magic. Of course I didn't completely bury it, I just buried it in enough dirt so we could pass through the center of the pitfall but I remember burying it with earth magic.
It's over a year ago but it was the time we first stepped foot on the 2nd floor. I wouldn't forget it that easily. I knew that the dirt created with elemental magic doesn't remain the dungeon forever but even then it was that large of a quantity. If you were to create it in a normal passage then it wasn't an amount that would disappear in a year or so.
I feel the center of my head cool down. I desperately try to remember back to things at that time. If I remember correctly, we advanced ahead at the split back and got rid of a snake..after that we went to a split path and then turned back. I take out my map of the 2nd floor and check it once more. The blank areas on the 2nd floor make up roughly 10% of the whole, since the diameter of the dungeon is about 10 Km, the area of each floor in the dungeon is roughly 80 square Km. Even though it's about 10% that's still 8 square Km or so of unexplored areas.
What should I do? Somehow I feel that this area is different from normal areas on the 2nd floor. If it's the normal 2nd floor then right now I don't think it would be a problem for me at all. It's already been a while since I've reached the highest level of adventurers in Baldukk.
Honestly speaking, if it's now I even have the confidence to take on the commander of the first knight group from the front. I'm sure I'm not his opponent in terms of precise sword techniques but being supported by my high status and the training which I never miss out I think I can show quite the results of that. I won't fall behind any opponent carelessly.
However, you never know what will happen in the dungeon. In order not to forget my original resolve I came here today... Honestly speaking, my curiosity is taking over my head with quite a bit of force. This is probably a special area on the 2nd floor. I might never be able to teleport here again. Is this a chance? I'm sure it's a chance.
I still properly remember.
"It seems there's a pool of water where fairies live on the 2nd floor."
It's a story that only comes out in the adventure legends of the founder George Rombert the First. It's treated as a story for drunks that no one believes there's something like faeries but we think it's a possible story. Well other than that fairies only come out in the legends of Orth so I'm sure it's not very credible, but even then I think it wouldn't be strange for there to be fairies.
I wonder if I should keep moving ahead?
I inspect my equipment once more. In addition I'll Identify myself as well.
【Alan.Greed/5/3/7429】
【Male/14/2/7428 ・ Human ・ Viscount Greed Family Second Son】
【Status: Normal】
【Age: 15 Years Old】
【Level: 19】
【HP: 160(160) MP: 7105(7436)】
【Strength: 26】
【Speed: 34】
【Dexterity: 24】
【Endurance: 26】
【Unique Ability: Identify (MAX)】
【Unique Ability: Gift of Natural Talent (MAX)】
【Special Ability: Earth Magic (Lv. 8)】
【Special Ability: Water Magic (Lv. 8)】
【Special Ability: Fire Magic (Lv. 8)】
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