“Alright, I managed to get in.”
The day after the results of the inspection were announced, I came to the mountain dungeon I had been frequenting since my days as a man, just as I had planned. Even though it had only been a day since my last visit, it somehow felt like ages. I wonder why.
That said, this place is as desolate as ever. Thanks to that, I was able to enter the dungeon without being spotted by anyone. Well, it also helped that Martial Arts-san was manning the reception today. He did ask, “Are you really going to be okay?” with a concerned look, but honestly, I feel more agile now than I did as a man, so I might even be safer than before.
The only issue was that the armor I usually used for diving into dungeons was, of course, way too loose. Luckily, I borrowed some rental gear, so that’s sorted. The rental fee is no big deal for just one or two trips, so I’ll be fine.
“Today’s goal is to gather some wild vegetables and meat… A treasure chest would be nice too.”
Dungeons contain treasure chests, and there are two ways to obtain them. One is as a drop from monsters. The stronger the monster, the higher the chances of a drop—like something straight out of a game. The other method is finding them lying around in the dungeon. But even though they’re “lying around,” they’re not easy to spot. Compared to monster drops, finding them this way requires a good bit of luck.
For me, if I happen to find one, that’s great. But since I already used up my lifetime’s worth of luck when I became an elf (?), there’s a chance I’ll never see another one.
“Alright, this should do.”
Humming a tune, I set up some traps—specifically, bear traps—to capture monsters. These traps are strangely convenient, as they only react to wild monsters. It’s an awfully handy item that I actually got from a treasure chest. Thanks to these, I’ve evolved from a simple herb-collecting adventurer into one who can also utilize traps. I set up four traps in total, each tagged with my name as the owner, and then moved on to herb collecting.
“I gotta say, this is pretty low-key… Not exactly the most exciting scene, huh?”
I sighed as I picked some herbs—or rather, my favorite perilla leaves. Setting traps and gathering herbs might make for a decent edited video, but as a live stream, it’d probably be a total snooze-fest. Editing? Yeah, that’s beyond me. Streaming is so much easier.
Of course, I’m still (technically) a guy. There was a time when I dreamed of pulling off cool, flashy moves. But alas, I just didn’t have the talent for it. I had some strength, sure, but my movements were clunky, making direct combat with monsters a tough sell. …Wait, could I pull it off now? No, no, that kind of thinking is a surefire way to get injured in a dungeon. Safety first! Alright, let’s keep searching!
About an hour later
“What the heck is this?”
I stared in disbelief at the pile of herbs and the meat from two horned rabbits and two wood stags I had caught and butchered.
I’d had a feeling something was off. While wandering, I’d suddenly gotten a hunch to check a certain direction and found a veritable herb goldmine. Of course, I didn’t overharvest, but I kept finding more clusters in different spots—a never-ending cycle. It honestly freaked me out a bit.
As for the traps, normally, you’re lucky if one catches something. Even though these traps are high-quality, there’s still a chance they’ll fail. But all four? What’s going on here?
“Well, I’ll just store these in the A-Card for now.”
I pulled out the A-Card from my pocket and brought it close to the pile of herbs. In an instant, the mountain of greenery vanished, stored neatly inside the card. Though it only works inside dungeons, this card is ridiculously convenient. If we could crack the technology and use it outside dungeons, the world’s logistics would revolutionize overnight. But no one’s figured that out yet.
The clock showed it was past 5 PM, and the sky was tinged with red. While you can explore dungeons at night, it’s darker and the monsters are more active, so I always make it a rule to leave before sundown.
“Alright, let’s make some brown stew with the horned rabbit meat tonight! That calls for wine… I think I’ve got some left?”
Just as I was heading home, eager to cook my meal, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.
“Huh?”
It was that gut feeling again, the same one I’d been getting all day. Without knowing exactly what I was reacting to, I started walking in the opposite direction from my planned route. Eventually, I found myself stopping at an unremarkable spot in the mountains.
“Is there something here?”
Feeling a mix of curiosity and fear, I reached out—and my hand touched something invisible. A curtain? Summoning my courage, I stepped through it.
What I saw was a grassy field with a serene lake and a massive tree, a scene completely at odds with the mountain dungeon.
“A hidden area?!”
The term popped into my mind as I took in the surreal sight. Hidden areas are rare, hard-to-find sections of dungeons. Some contain treasures, while others are deadly monster houses where you’re ambushed from all sides.
“This is unexpected… I didn’t think a simple mountain dungeon would have a hidden area. But it’s getting late…”
The sun was sinking lower as I debated whether to enter. A regular adventurer might’ve ventured in immediately, but I decided to leave it for another day. My mind was already set on that brown stew, and I couldn’t resist the craving.
To ensure I could find this spot again, I set a bear trap near the invisible curtain as a marker. That should do the trick.
“Alright, time to head back! That stew’s gonna be simmered to perfection!”
Humming happily, I made my way home, completely unaware of the figure watching me intently from atop the giant tree in the hidden area.
