Chapter 4
MIRA USED HER PERMIT to pass through the barrier and descended the long, gently sloping tunnel. At the end of it, an enormous city stretched as far as the eye could see. This first level of the underground city used every possible inch of the cave available. It wasn’t dark, but it wasn’t exactly bright either. Even amid the decay, a faint light continued to illuminate the city.
Rock pillars towered here and there. Large rock formations had been carved out and made habitable. Among the boulders were large stone buildings that could be mistaken for castles, connected by various passages and bridges. The ceiling wasn’t too high, and most of the larger buildings went all the way up to it. This meant that many passages and bridges stretched through the air midway up the first level, making it difficult to see very far ahead. Corridors ran through buildings whose residents were long dead, and main streets lined the floor. And all of it had become a living space for monsters. This spectacle spread before Mira for tens of kilometers.
This place really is incredible. It truly has the atmosphere of a dungeon. Mira surveyed the sight before her once more. Faced with the overwhelming scale, her adventurous spirit flared up. The Ancient Underground City was the final evolution of the tried-and-true dungeon formula. It was intricate enough to be a game on its own.
It was with both leisure and irreverence that Mira stepped inside. She crossed a massive bridge, easily trounced the monsters in her way, and stopped in front of a road with several forks. One path led to a large, fortress-like building. A stairway led to another bridge up above. A third bridge led to a collapsed dead end, and the final passage led to the bottom of the first level. These sorts of branching paths were common in the Ancient Underground City. Combined with its size, it was very easy to get lost. Mira knew this place like the back of her hand, though.
“As I recall, the first solution is forward, then right,” she muttered as she stepped onto the broken bridge. Then she used Air Step to walk in midair in order to reach the other side.
Besides the division of difficulty between floors, the Ancient Underground City was home to a wide range of monsters, making it a popular hunting ground, even in game times. Mira had trained herself here in the past, so she had a good recollection of the local geography. She knew all the shortcuts.
After crossing the bridge, Mira entered a nearby tower, handily dispatched the monsters inside, and put her hand on the crystal ball at the top. A small symbol appeared on her palm.
“Well, there’s the first one done.”
By collecting all five of these symbols, one gained the ability to open the door at the back of the Great Shrine, which contained the staircase to the second floor.
Mira left the tower and made her way to the next crystal ball. She proceeded through corridors, up stairs, through buildings, and occasionally jumped between paths, defeating the occasional monster along the way. She took the optimal route and gathered all five symbols in under an hour.
Riding Pegasus might have been more efficient, but Mira hadn’t done so for a reason: There were rules against it, perhaps an anti-cheat measure from long ago. Anyone who stayed in the air over a set time would lose access to the Great Shrine for a full day. Danblf had once attempted to use Air Step to take direct paths to each symbol. It came as a real shock when the second floor was still locked and a day’s effort wasted. Danblf later learned that it was specifically based on the total time one’s feet were not touching the ground. That was written in a book called Guide to the Great Temple, which was in one of the crystal ball towers.
After that painful experience, Mira had stubbornly calculated the total time that she’d be allowed to stay in the air and devised the optimal route to use Air Step for as long as possible without exceeding the limit. Despite the size of the city, the keys to the next floor were centrally located, making it easier for the route to remain fresh in Mira’s mind.
***
“Hrmm. Are they waiting for someone, I wonder?”
Near the decrepit Great Temple, not far from the center of a stone-paved site, sat a group of men and women. They were all casually dressed and didn’t look to be an adventurer group. Mira stared curiously until they noticed her and waved. This was getting confusing. Mira decided to wave back before turning toward the Great Temple and looking down at the five characters on her palm.
There were now those in the Ancient Underground City who would open the door for a modest price. Others, like Mira, had found optimal routes and had ways of swiftly collecting the symbols. High-ranked groups of adventurers had little need for the upper floors. Their time in the dungeon was limited, too, given the problem of packing enough food. They couldn’t afford to waste time in a place like this. That was where the door openers came in, and business seemed to be booming.
“Goodness, how nostalgic.”
To Mira, it felt as though her last visit was only a year ago. She chuckled to herself about how she’d caused so much trouble for her friends back then as she put her hand on the door. One of the symbols on her palm glowed, and the door began to open. Right after she stepped inside, it closed once more.
Mira beelined for the building up ahead, the Grand Cathedral. Broken stained glass and eroded statues littered the floor, indicative of the place’s long history. Mira evaded the debris and stood before the door in the back of the cathedral. She held her hand to it, causing another symbol to glow and the door to open. Beyond lay a long corridor with a white stone floor. There were no monsters, only white lights.
She proceeded onward and placed her hand on three more doors. Once the fifth door was open, all of the symbols on her hand glowed before fading away. Before her was a barrier device. Mira dispelled the barrier with her guild-issued permit and entered a large hall with stone walls. Within was a single group of monsters that normally spawned on the second level. In the game, they had been meant to send a message: “If you struggle against these, then turn back.” Naturally, they were hardly worth Mira’s time. One of her dark knights alone handled them with ease.
Thus, she arrived at the second level without issue.
***
The second level of the Ancient Underground City looked similar to the first, though it was only about half its size. This dungeon grew in difficulty as one descended, but it shrunk in size accordingly. Due to the first level’s unbelievable size, though, even the bottom level was as big as a large country’s capital. There was nothing small about this dungeon.
The flight limitation was removed from the second level onward. Instead, only fighting was forbidden near the Great Temple. If one violated this rule, they would be unable to open the door for a full day.
“Now, Pegasus, it’s up to you.” Mira summoned Pegasus the instant she was free to fly. The horse neighed as she straddled its back and lifted off, ready to obtain the symbols that would unlock the third level.
Thanks to Pegasus’s awe-inspiring mobility, Mira could move much more efficiently than on the first level. However—perhaps by design—one needed to follow a specific route to collect the second level’s symbols. The towers were also spread out over the entire floor. One had to begin in the north and trace the shape of a star in order to obtain the symbols. Pegasus made relatively short work of it. Mira and Pegasus weaved between the mess of crumbling bridges and towers, going far faster than one would with no means of flight.
Mira obtained a symbol at the fourth tower, hopped back onto Pegasus, and muttered to herself, “Just one more. Ugh, what a tedious setup…”
About six hours had passed since her arrival on the second level. She’d had a quick meal and a break, but almost all of that time was spent in flight. Because they were flying, they stood out more, attracting attention from flying monsters, like birds. These enemies did not add much time—Pegasus eagerly shot them all down with lightning. The real problem was the second level’s construction.
“A bit more southwesterly, please,” Mira ordered. Pegasus neighed in response, flying true to Mira’s course. “Thank you.”
They couldn’t go too fast, however, because the towers and passages were even more complicated than those of the first floor. Pegasus would have no trouble weaving through them at maximum speed, but that would risk throwing Mira off. That very thing had happened a mere ten minutes into the floor. As such, Pegasus prioritized safety now. And since that also meant more time with Mira, Pegasus was more than happy.
***
“It seems we’ll be ending our day with the completion of the second level.”
Mira checked the time. It was almost seven in the evening. By the time she grabbed the last symbol and reached the Great Temple, it would probably be close to nine. Doing the same on foot took an entire week, though, so Mira wasn’t going to complain.
“Hrmm, so this is the last one. I’m getting hungry…”
Eventually, Mira arrived at the final tower. She dealt with the monsters that had been lying in wait and climbed to the top of the tower to receive her fifth symbol. There, she looked over the dim city from above, awed by its size.
Once upon a time, countless people lived here. It’s an unthinkable place for a dungeon. Frankly, it’s unthinkable even for a city.
What sort of people had dwelled here? How had they lived? Why had they built a city underground rather than on the surface? Even Mira’s lore-loving friend had never found the answers to these questions. As she gazed at the scenery from atop Pegasus, Mira wondered where the mysteries of this city might be sleeping. Then, she found herself sympathizing with her friend, who’d so excitedly prattled on about this world’s history.
***
Just past nine, Mira arrived at the Great Temple as planned. Several door openers were scattered about, just as they had been on the first level. They seemed to glare at her, either because she’d descended with Pegasus or because they thought she might be a business rival. Of course, Mira had no idea about all this. She wasn’t even aware of the existence of this door-opening business.
Why’re they glaring at me?
Totally clueless, she opened the door to the Great Temple, where she’d be staying for the night, and fled their gazes.
Being under a roof was so much more calming. It seemed others had the same idea as Mira, as several groups of adventurers were there, relaxing in their own ways. They were probably only reacting to the door opening, but everyone turned to Mira at once, causing her to shrink back. To escape prying eyes once more, she hustled into one of the cathedral’s side passages.
Though it was old, the temple was sturdy. Moreover, it was big; it had plenty of rooms that could be used for rest. However, the decaying doors meant that one couldn’t lock would-be criminals out. Mira illuminated the dark hallway with Ethereal Arts, checking out each of her potential bedrooms. She’d accidentally ended up interrupting a couple of girls whispering sweet nothings to each other, but in the end, she found an acceptable room and settled down.
She put down her special sleeping bag instead of a mat, and lay on top of it, turning on the insect-repellant feature that had come with it. This sent all of the insects in the room scurrying away. Truly, Dinoire Trading’s products were beautifully effective.
Yuri, huh? Ah, how I love yuri… Mira smirked madly. She then lit up her Ethereal Arts in the middle of the room and grinned even more deviously.
***
Mira rested for a while, owing to the chafing caused by riding Pegasus for so long. She took the opportunity to excitedly take a bunch of tools out of her Item Box.
“It’s time to have some fun!”
She produced her cooking set—which she’d be using for the first time—and various ingredients. Even as an experienced adventurer, Mira had a hint of admiration for such an adventurous thing as cooking in a dungeon. She was excited; no doubt this was the most adventure-like thing she’d done to date.
Tonight’s dish would be Mira’s special beef vegetable soup. She used her cooking set…though not quite skillfully. Despite the awkwardness, she managed to cut the veggies without injuring herself. There were carrots, cabbage, onions, mushrooms—and the star of the show, beef. Their shapes weren’t uniform, which meant that they would cook at different rates, but Mira cared not; she considered this part of the true adventurer’s experience as she tossed them all into the pot. Then, she poured in water generated by Ethereal Arts and placed the pot on a miniature stove. By turning a knob on the stove, the heat activated. After that, she just needed to taste test and add seasonings until everything was fully cooked.
“Mmm, that smells good.”
Mira added seasonings to the boiling pot at random, excited by the changing scent. She then scooped up a bit with a spoon and checked the flavor. “Needs salt,” she muttered, pretending to be a master chef, and laughed.
She continued stirring the pot frequently and taking occasional taste tests. Eventually, Mira’s first dish in this world was complete. She scooped up the beef vegetable soup with a wooden ladle, blew on it to cool it down, and ate. After chewing and swallowing, she smiled in satisfaction. “Mm! My cooking instinct isn’t so bad after all!”
The veggies had softened, and the meat had turned tender. They were only seasoned with salt, but because she’d used mineral-rich, natural salt, it brought out a more complex flavor than expected. Mira paused to add pepper and butter, making it richer. For it being her first time, it was an enjoyable meal. That said, it was middling beef vegetable soup at best. But the situation was the most potent seasoning of all, making it a very memorable dinner.
***
After her meal, Mira cleaned up her cooking set and took out a bag. This was another item for adventurers that she’d bought from Dinoire Trading: a simple, technomancy-powered laundry bag that only required water to use.
She quickly shucked out of her outer clothes, tore off her underwear, and threw it all into her laundry bag. Then, she poured water in with Ethereal Arts and flipped the switch. She’d already installed the magic cell that would power it. Splashing noises came from inside the laundry bag. Somehow—though it was anyone’s guess how—the laundry bag washed everything perfectly, no matter how or where one put their laundry in.
After putting on a change of underwear, she summoned a holy knight to guard the door and lay on her sleeping bag while listening to the calming sounds of water. Then, she began reading the Encyclopedia of Skills she’d received from Luminaria. There were many spells that looked like she’d be able to learn immediately, so she began practicing right away. Mira found herself relaxing much more than one might expect was possible in a dungeon.
Even though the Ethereal Arts spell that generated water also exhausted mana, similar to other mid-level spells, Mira used it as if it were nothing. This was only because she had trained her magic, obtained various blessings, and learned certain techniques that boosted her maximum mana capacity and recovery speed to outpace her consumption. This made Mira’s camp very different from those of other adventurers. Had she done this in their presence in the cathedral, other groups would have begged her to join them.
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