The riverside embankment was covered with early summer greenery, resembling a sprawling meadow. I cycled along the paved road on the embankment, heading towards our meeting point before the dungeon.
As I approached the meeting spot, I spotted Kazane-san eagerly waiting there, fidgeting with excitement. Upon noticing me, she blossomed into a bright smile, waving at me.
“Rokuyari-san, it’s been a while! You came as promised, so I didn’t flood you with calls,” she greeted with a delightful smile. Kazane-san looked lovely as always.
I stopped my bike just in front of her, concealing my nervous excitement and replied, “That’s good to hear… By the way, Kazane-san, aren’t you here a bit early? It’s still about 15 minutes before our agreed time.”
“Hehe. I was so looking forward to it that I came a bit early. Exploring the dungeon alone until yesterday felt lonely,” she said with a playful tone.
“I see. Shall we head to the dungeon then?”
“Yes!”
After parking our bikes, we headed towards the Dungeon Comprehensive Guide with Kazane-san’s cheerful steps leading the way. Despite my inclination to misunderstand things, like thinking this could be considered a date, I kept such thoughts to myself.
We retrieved our gear at the equipment storage counter and changed into our equipment in the changing room. At the Dungeon Comprehensive Guide counter, I received my official seeker license, having submitted my photo and other details the previous week.
Similar to a driver’s license, the seeker license can also serve as a form of identification. I securely tucked it into my wallet.
Next, I visited the armory shop and purchased a “Leather Helm” for 6,000 yen, donning it on my head. With this purchase, I had about 15,000 yen left in my dungeon budget, reserving the remaining amount for the 25,000 yen Longspear.
Fully equipped with a Shortspear, Wood Shield, Leather Armor, and Leather Helm, I sported a warrior-like appearance. It might seem a bit tacky, but I shrugged it off, not letting it bother me.
Once geared up, Kazane-san and I headed to the dungeon entrance together, using a magic circle to teleport inside. Landing on the first floor, we began walking towards the staircase leading to the second floor.
As we progressed through the dungeon, Kazane-san glanced at me and remarked, “Are you feeling a bit tired, Rokuyari-san?”
“Really? Is it that apparent?”
“Well, I don’t think it’s that bad, but I’ve been essentially working for thirteen consecutive days, including dungeon exploration on my days off. I’m starting to feel a bit tired,” I replied to Kazane-san’s observation.
“Wow, that’s tough… Thank you for your hard work… Um, am I pushing you too much, Rokuyari?” Kazane-san asked with concern.
“Not at all. I’m having a great time exploring the dungeon with you, and I enjoy doing it. Plus, I’ve submitted my resignation at work, so if I endure this last week, I’ll be a full-time seeker,” I assured her.
“Really? That means we can have daily party explorations together—”
Before Kazane could finish her sentence, she covered her mouth with her hand and fell silent. Blushing and looking embarrassed, she coughed slightly before continuing.
“Let’s try not to explore too late today. We usually end up going late into the night,” Kazane suggested.
“Right. I start at 8 AM, so let’s plan for an exploration that ends around 5 PM,” I agreed.
“Understood. Let’s go with that plan… Oh, Rokuyari-san, you have company,” Kazane sensed the presence of a monster.
From further inside the cave, a Kobold emerged.
“Just one won’t even serve as a warm-up. Here I go,” I said as I swiftly attacked the Kobold with my spear, turning it into a magic stone in an instant. Nonchalantly collecting the magic stone, we continued deeper into the cave as if nothing had happened.
Compared to the beginning, I felt that I had indeed become much stronger.
Our goal for today was to explore the fourth floor. It’s our first attempt, and we’ll see how far we can go with our current skills.
