Chapter 7

After slowly trudging back to my house with several bags of food, I quickly put everything away before I decide it's time to check out the Dungeons and see about getting at least one level tonight. Making my way out to the backyard, I stop for a second to enjoy the serene sounds of the garden before taking a deep breath. "[Dungeon: Open]!"

Immediately, a glowing golden magic circle appears beneath my feet. As it rises, I notice my lower body vanishing until it reaches my eyes, the light blinding me as I'm swiftly teleported away.

- Dungeon -

Blinking away the spots in my vision, I notice that my surroundings had changed to become a small room. The walls and floors were made of stone, and there were old-fashioned torches hanging from the walls that gave the room a decent amount of light. Directly in front of me, was a set of thick wooden doors.

Placing my hand against the wood, I struggle to try and force the doors open, only for nothing to happen as they refuse to budge. Before I can try again, another textbox appears.

Please select the Dungeon Type:

Skeletons (Lvl. 1 - 20)

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?

?

?

So, I can only access Skeletons for now? That's fine, I can't imagine them being too difficult to kill at Level 1. But how am I supposed to fight them without any weapons or skills…'Gaia?'

I thought you'd never ask!

Item Received!

[Iron Sword] - (Common)

A simple sword for a simple purpose.

Suddenly, I feel a weight settle in the palm of my hand. Looking down, the sword is a standard iron blade with a plain cross-guard hilt. Testing the heaviness of it, I'm pleased to see it's light enough for me to swing around while also being heavy enough to deal some decent damage if it hits something.

It's not much, but at least it helps…right?

'Yes, Gaia, it helps a lot. Thank you!'

Yay! Go me!

Chuckling at her…its?...enthusiasm, I select Skeletons as the Dungeon Type. The moment I do, the heavy wooden doors creak open to reveal a forest of dead trees and a night sky. The shining crescent moon hanging overhead provides just enough light for me to see the dirt road leading through the middle of the forest.

Spooooky~!

Adjusting the grip on my sword, I carefully exit the room, hearing the doors slam shut behind me with a BANG!

That was scary!

…Looks like I'm not going anywhere until I make it through the Dungeon. That's fine, I need to start leveling up before the story kicks off, and I can't do that if I run away at the first sign of danger.

Quest Received:

[Dungeon Conqueror]

Objective: Clear the first Dungeon.

Reward: [?] [?]

'Here goes nothing.' Keeping an eye out for anything that might jump out at me, I walk down the dirt path for no more than a minute before I come across my first enemy. '[Observe].'

Skeleton - Level 1

It's a single skeleton, wielding a rusted sword and standing there lifelessly in the middle of the road. It seems to be waiting for me to approach, and I feel a small bit of adrenaline coursing through me as I raise my iron sword. If it's letting me make the first move, then I'll need to make it count.

Instead of charging at it like a fool, I take careful steps towards it. The moment I'm within a few feet, the skeleton finally comes to life as it raises the rusted sword in its hand and takes a swing.

Bringing my own sword up to block it, a CLANG rings out through the area, sending birds scattering from the forest and into the sky as a textbox disrupts my vision.

Skill Learned:

[Swordsmanship] (Passive) - Lvl. 1 (Novice)

The ability to fight with a sword. Higher levels improve fighting ability.

Taking a frantic step back, I quickly get rid of the textbox as the skeleton uses my distraction to take another swing. With not enough time to bring my sword up, I frantically throw my body to the side, diving out of the way and hitting the ground hard as the rusted sword barely misses me.

Sorry! That's my bad!

I'll keep the notifications hidden until after the fighting's over.

Ignoring Gaia's apology in favor of picking myself back up, I bring my iron sword in for a slash at the skeletons ribcage while it recovers from overextending its missed swing.

Striking it dead center, I feel my arms shake from the contact as the iron sword smashes through the ribcage. In seconds, the chest of the skeleton breaks apart before the entire thing falls to the ground in a pile of shattered bones.

[Skeleton] defeated.

Leveled Up - Skill:

[Swordsmanship] (Passive) - Lvl. 2 (Novice)

Panting as the adrenaline of the moment fades, I grin widely at successfully killing my first enemy. Even if it was just a Level 1, the feeling of being alive after having come close to death was exhilarating. Taking the time to see what I got for it, I'm elated to see some actual change to my status for once.

Sora Sakai - Level 1 [5%]

Human - Normal

Five percent for killing one skeleton... I'll take it. As long as no more textboxes interrupt me, it shouldn't be a problem killing some more skeletons if they're one at a time.

'And Gaia…'

…yeah?

'It's okay to make mistakes, everyone does. What matters is that we lived through it, and now you know what to do for next time. So don't be so hard on yourself okay? I'm still happy to have you with me.'

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