POV: Rian
"…Guess I'll just go pick up my first employee myself."
I leaned back lazily on the cashier's chair.Yeah, technically this chair wasn't supposed to be here. I stole it from the staff room.Abuse of power? Please. I'm just making use of available resources.
Before heading out, I prepared a little "welcome package":One SilverQueen bar, two packs of bread, a bottle of isotonic drink, and of course… my favorite cola.Yeah, that last one's just for me, to sip on the way.
A new employee deserves respect, after all. Gotta make them want to stick around.
I stepped out of the minimart and found Stranova… asleep.Again.Apparently, the Dragon of Destruction had a deep passion for napping.
Since I had no clue how to leave the dungeon, I forced myself to wake him from his beauty sleep.
"Yaaawn~ Huh? You wanna leave the dungeon~?"(That was his just-woke-up voice…)"Follow the trail into the forest. You'll see a gazebo surrounded by four white pillars. On one of the pillars, you'll find numbers from 99 down to 1. That's it. Now scram, I'm going back to sleep…"
Alright. So the gazebo = dungeon elevator.But… 99? Wait, aren't we in the Admin Room? That should be the top floor, right? So are we actually on floor 99…? Ugh. Rather than embarrass myself, better to ask again.
"Argh! How do I get back to the admin room?"
"Just yell: Stranova is beautiful! That's all. Good night!!"
Oi oi…No need to get mad like that.Wait. Beautiful? So this dragon's a girl!?…Well, that explains the shrill voice.
Whatever. Time to find my first employee.
I followed his directions. At the gazebo, I pressed a strange rune that I somehow understood meant "1."
WHOOSH—
My body was wrapped in teleport light, and then—
Floor 1, Dungeon RE : STORE
A cramped stone cave.Way different from the spacious, polished admin room earlier.
I walked slowly. Occasionally, I came across goblins or ogres.But instead of attacking, they all… cowered.
One goblin played dead.A massive ogre bowed like a high school kid summoned by the principal.
"Man… I was hoping for at least one Goblin Slayer moment, even a short one."
Oh well. I kept walking until finally—
THE EXIT.
…And honestly? Total ZONK.
"The dungeon exit? Just a ROCK CAVE? Seriously?! I get that lower floors are supposed to look like caves, but the outside too? This isn't humble simplicity, this is straight-up disappointing."
Legendary dragon guardian inside, but the front door looks like a storm drain? Who designed this place?
But that wasn't what made me stop.
A lone boy stood there.Armor in tatters.Sword nearly falling apart.Face… handsome. Anime-protagonist handsome. Definitely East Asian vibes.
In the distance, a prison-wagon-looking carriage rolled away.So this kid… was abandoned?
"Wow, this dungeon's really depressing. Lame exterior, and even the adventurers it spits out look like victims of government scams…"
I walked closer.As his face came into focus, I realized—East Asian features? Could he be… one of the high school kids who got summoned?
But if that's true, shouldn't he still be in uniform?I mean, in most shounen isekai, the MC never changes out of his school blazer until at least the first boss fight.Ugh, I'm rambling. Who is this kid anyway?
I waved casually with a smile.He returned the gesture politely.
I turned, ready to leave, still focused on finding the employee I came for.
"E-Excuse me…!"
I stopped, turned back.
"Are you… a veteran adventurer? Or… maybe… someone summoned from another world too?"
His eyes drifted toward the plastic minimart bag in my hand—stuffed with bread and cola. Not legendary items, but hey, enough to trigger homesickness.
I gave him a faint smile.
"Well, about that… come with me for a bit."
I headed back toward the dungeon entrance.He hesitated.
"Eh? Why are we going into the dungeon again…?"
His voice was soft. Wary.But polite.I could tell—this kid wasn't reckless.
"Relax. I'm not gonna hurt you. Besides…"
"To keep it simple—my house is in there. Wanna come?"
End of Chapter 7