Chapter 17
"Absolutely, it's a promise!!"
"I know!! I'll come to see you tomorrow!!"
"Okay!"
Amina, a girl, was full of energy. Thanks to her passionate talk about singing, we ended up rushing home at the sound of the evening bell.
"I'm looking forward to the adventure with Amina!"
"Me too."
Even though Nel's voice came from behind as we ran, I could tell she was smiling.
Amina must be a very important friend to her.
We haven't even finalized the plans yet, and we haven't gotten permission from Jinx or Teresa. Is it okay to be this excited?
Going out in the first place was something those two allowed as a one-time experience, but they were hesitant about a second time.
There might be some trouble ahead.
I didn't want to dampen the mood, so I stayed quiet and just headed home.
"Hmm, I guess it's not a good idea to take care of someone else's child."
As soon as we got home, Nel, who wanted to keep her promise to Amina, sensed that Teresa would be against it and went to Jinx, who is a bit more lenient. But the answer wasn't favorable.
"Eh!? I'll hire proper escorts!!"
"Even so, having two kids versus three is a big difference. The number of escorts we have isn't enough. And if we hire two skilled people like Dent, it'll cost a lot. From what Nel said, she plans to pay for Amina's share of the escort fee, but unfortunately, as a parent and a merchant, I can't allow such an unequal arrangement."
"No way..."
Realistically, that makes sense. She has the money to pay for the escorts.
But that doesn't solve the problem. Jinx is expressing distrust about how the money is being handled.
"Listen, Nel. If Amina really means that much to you, you need to handle the money properly. If Amina or her family were to get hurt or sick and suddenly needed money, then by all means, give it without hesitation. But this is different. You're paying for a moment of fun, a one-time experience. That's not something you do in an equal friendship. It might be fine now, but in the future, this money issue could cause problems."
What Jinx is saying is perfectly reasonable. This time, I don't feel like supporting Nel either.
It doesn't seem necessary anyway.
"Do you understand?"
"Yeah."
Nel is smart. She got carried away by her excitement and made the proposal without thinking, but after Jinx's serious explanation, she understood and accepted it rationally.
Because Amina is important, and she wants to maintain an equal relationship.
"Good, good. It's great that you can understand this so well."
"Yeah."
Money transactions, even if done well, can create a hierarchy in relationships. In lending and borrowing, the lender often holds the upper hand. Jinx, perhaps having experienced failure in this regard, patted Nel's head and praised her, but he also understood that Nel wasn't happy about it.
"Alright! Enough of the serious talk! Teresa, let's eat."
"Finally done? If we waited any longer, dinner would've gotten cold. Libert, you should eat with us today. We got a bit of extra income, so there's a bit more meat than usual!"
Watching this exchange, I thought that the serious mood might be ruined by what I was about to bring up.
It's a bit awkward seeing the usually lively Nel so quiet during dinner.
"......"
"......"
Her ears drooping made it obvious she wasn't feeling well. It was clear she was thinking about how to explain this to Amina tomorrow.
Jinx, Teresa, and I exchanged glances, wondering what to do about her lack of energy.
"Um, I know it's not the best time to bring this up during dinner, but Jinx, can I ask you something?"
No choice. I had to break the ice.
"Ah, you mean what you mentioned this morning? If you're bringing it up, does that mean you succeeded in what you were talking about?"
"Yes, actually, I want to use a dungeon key I got the other day, but it would be bad to use it in the city, right?"
The topic was about the dungeon key. In the game, you could use it anywhere and then conquer the dungeon.
But that's in the game. In reality, there might be regulations.
"Oh? What kind of dungeon is it?"
"Mochi."
Even in the city, or near the city, there might be restrictions on its use.
"Ah, then it's fine to use it even in the city."
"Eh, really?"
"Yeah, the buying and selling of dungeon keys is allowed even for us merchants. We know the conditions for using them. For Mochi dungeons, there's no risk of causing a stampede, so it's fine to use them. For anything else, you'd need permission or have to report it to the knights or the adventurer's guild. For class 2 or higher dungeons, you can only create them in areas approved by the adventurer's guild and the knights, so be careful."
"Got it!"
But as expected of the weakest Mochi dungeon. It's so weak that it's even approved for use in the city. This is very convenient for me.
"That's great, Nel!"
"Huh?"
And this convenience also affects Nel. She wasn't paying attention to my conversation, lost in her thoughts.
Only when I called out to her did she finally look up.
"We can't go on an adventure, but with this, we can tackle a dungeon together! And it's a safe and secure Mochi dungeon!"
"Ah!"
That's right. The Mochi dungeon, as Jinx guaranteed, can be used anywhere and is easy to dive into.
The promise to go on an adventure with Amina can still be kept.
"The plan is different, but we can still go together."
"Yeah! Yeah! That's great!!"
Understanding this, Nel nodded with such enthusiasm that she almost jumped out of her chair. Her tail, stretching out from the chair, had been wagging non-stop.
Seeing Nel's spirits lifted, Jinx and Teresa also seemed relieved.
"But are you sure? You went through the trouble of getting that dungeon key. While we're happy, using a one-time opportunity for our daughter's promise..."
However, their expressions quickly turned apologetic.
Dungeon keys are essentially consumable items. Once used to open a dungeon, the key disappears. And once the boss at the deepest part of the dungeon is defeated, the dungeon itself vanishes.
For the weakest Mochi dungeon, the boss's strength is predictable, and it can be easily conquered. They're worried about whether it's okay to use this opportunity.
"It's fine, no problem at all."
"I see. But as a merchant and as Nel's father, I'll make sure to repay this favor."
Even though it's the weakest dungeon, a key that can create a dungeon has considerable market value. In the game, it was worth at least a thousand zeni, and up to three thousand zeni at most.
I don't know the price in this world.
But it seems to be considered a valuable item, and they seem to feel indebted to me.
They might think my "it's fine" comes from a sense of obligation because I'm indebted to them.
But I genuinely mean it.
"I'll accept your kindness. Thank you for the meal. I'll head to bed early since tomorrow will be busy."
"Alright, good night."
"Nel! You should go to bed early too. You're so excited you might oversleep."
"Okay! Libert, good night!"
"Good night."
But I'm still not entirely sure.
Today, there was an item called the "Duel Piece" that I didn't know about.
There are differences between my knowledge and this world.
This time, there might be such a possibility.
So to confirm, after enjoying dinner, I left the table a bit earlier than usual and returned to the stable.
"Alright."
It's dark outside, and the stable is dark too.
I thought about buying a lantern as I reached into my leather bag. Among the coins in my wallet, I felt a long, thin object.
I grabbed it and pulled it out of the bag, taking a deep breath.
"Now that I think about it, how do you use this?"
That's when I realized I didn't know how to use the dungeon key.
"...Is it the same as in the game?"
If some kind of incantation is required, I'd be in trouble. I've outgrown my chuunibyou phase, but I've matured enough to feel a sense of shame.
In my current state, it might be seen as endearing, but...
For now, I'll try the same method as in the game.
"Ugh."
I swallowed hard and gently pushed the key into the air in front of me.
*Click*
I felt something click into place, and using that sensation, I turned the key.
*Clack*
The sound of the key unlocking echoed, and immediately after...
"Whoa!?"
The stable lit up faintly.
"This is the dungeon entrance."
In the center of the stable, a vertically elongated oval-shaped hole appeared. In the game, it was displayed as a faint mist, but in reality, it was clearly visible, allowing me to see inside.
A cave illuminated by a mix of white and blue light.
The information matches what I know. But even as I tell myself it's okay, an instinctive aversion to entering this space arises.
"That's right, the key."
Seeing this surreal scene, I remembered that my goal was different.
Looking at my right hand holding the key...
"It's here, still intact."
The key remained in its original form, unbroken and undamaged. In the game, dungeon keys would shatter into particles upon generating a dungeon.
But thanks to the "Indestructible" skill granted by the "Weakling's Proof," the key remained intact.
"Alright, this should work."
Next, I need to check the contents.
I don't know if there's a respawn mechanic in this world. In the game, you could revive at a registered location by paying a certain penalty.
But that's in the game. In reality, dying and coming back to life is just a faint hope.
The bamboo spear on my back is my only weapon.
If it's like the game, I shouldn't lose. But if there are exceptions, it could be dangerous.
The internal struggle was quickly won by curiosity, and I cautiously took a step into the dungeon.
I slipped my body through the oval-shaped entrance.
I didn't feel anything unusual; it was just like taking a normal step, and I found myself inside the dungeon.
A cave about the size of a small sports field.
Inside, three Mochi.
They didn't notice me entering and were hopping around.
"There's a passage further in..."
The scenery is almost the same. The layout of the passages and the number of monsters are as I remember. I carefully put the key back into my leather bag and attacked the Mochi with my enhanced bamboo spear. The Mochi disappeared in one hit.
"Has the drop rate increased?"
Inside dungeons, the item drop rate from monsters is nearly three times higher than in the field. I defeated three and got one small magic stone.
At least I confirmed the minimum drop rate increase.
Their strength hasn't changed much either. So I moved forward.
"If it splits into two paths here..."
The width of the passages felt the same, and the length was probably similar. Along the way, there were two Mochi.
I defeated them and moved on, with no drops.
Further ahead, as I remembered, the path split into two.
"If I recall correctly, the left path leads to a dead end."
The correct path is to the right, but to confirm the entire map, I deliberately took the left path. The passage was blocked, indicating I couldn't go further.
My memory was correct. So I backtracked and took the right path this time.
"Now there are five. Yeah, no mistake."
The area was about the same size as the first chamber. The only difference was the increased number of Mochi.
"Found it!"
Additionally, there was a green herb growing by the wall in its usual spot.
"Got a medicinal herb."
This is an ingredient for Life Potions. It can be used for money-making or as a recovery item.
I stuffed it into my leather bag and quickly defeated the Mochi. The result was one small magic stone.
Hmm, my real-life luck seems to be lowering the drop rate compared to the table.
I tried not to dwell on the sad reality and moved forward.
"Found it, the safe zone."
This time, it's a slightly longer passage. Along the way, there were three Mochi, and the drop was one magic stone. Then, there was a small side room dug into the wall.
This room had no monsters, and there was a small spring-like spot. I peered inside.
"It looks clean, and it seems safe to drink."
In the game, drinking from this would fully restore your health. Cautiously, I scooped some water with my hand and took a sip.
"Yep, just regular water."
The taste was normal. I wondered if it was sanitary, and I didn't feel any surge of energy like you would after recovering.
I just felt a bit refreshed. Maybe it's a placebo effect.
"Should I take damage from a Mochi and test it?"
Probably, if I go back to the passages or the chamber, there are Mochi. But after this...
"No, after this is the boss fight. I shouldn't do anything unnecessary."
The boss room. The most important battle of all.
I need to stay focused.