Adventurer—a profession that, at its peak, could aid heroes in slaying demon lords and forging new legends.
At its lowest? Just a way for petty thieves to scrape by, stealing chickens and scrounging meals.
For the price of a single silver coin, anyone could purchase an adventurer's license from the Adventurer's Guild. That meant anyone—nameless vagabonds, wanted criminals, innocent countryside youths, idle city loafers, and even…psycho.
A new day dawned. In front of the Sein Dungeon, a large crowd milled around the teleportation gate, waiting for the gates to open.
Life thrived here. Alongside the adventurers who ventured in to hunt monsters and collect materials, peddlers hawked supplies on the outskirts, while groups of miners—organized by noble houses—waited to excavate ores inside. In fact, a closer look revealed more regular workers than adventurers.
Among those ores was a rare red mineral called Bloodcrystal, a key material for one of the local lord's most important industries.
Every day, over a hundred miners under the lord's banner descended into the dungeon to harvest it. To the nobility, Bloodcrystal was more valuable than life itself—they would never abandon it, no matter the risk.
For such a dungeon, the daily traffic was staggering—sometimes exceeding a thousand people. Almost unthinkable.
"This is it, right? The legendary beginner's dungeon so easy even an idiot could clear it on the first try?"
In front of the teleportation gate, a lively young girl waved her slender arms. Her golden, wavy hair shimmered in the morning light. Even dressed in modest leather armor, her noble upbringing was impossible to hide.
In short: a runaway noble lady. Why she wanted to be an adventurer was anyone's guess—probably boredom.
"Please, don't run so fast, Lady Hainis!"
By all logic, a noble girl's attendant should be either a dashing man or a devastating beauty. Phyllis was decidedly the latter—180 centimeters tall, with long, elegant legs and sea-blue hair that gleamed like a polished gem. Unfortunately, her cold, refined face was now marred by helpless exasperation.
"We agreed—you'd head straight home after clearing this dungeon. Madam will be worried."
"Yeah, yeah, I know~" Hainis replied lazily. And the moment her attendant looked away—whoosh! She darted straight into the teleportation gate.
"Wait—my lady!"
Phyllis stomped her foot in frustration before hurrying in after her.
Teleportation magic always left her woozy. Whether through gates or spell circles, the sensation lingered for several seconds.
"…Ugh… why is it so dark?"
Shaking off the dizziness, Phyllis looked up—and froze.
Before her stretched a ruined village, desolate and shrouded in oppressive gloom. The few torches scattered about cast only faint, wavering light—barely enough to see the outlines of her surroundings.
Charred, twisted trees stood like skeletal claws, reaching toward her with malice.
A cold shiver traced her spine. According to the intel, Sein Dungeon's first level was supposed to be a sunlit ruin of ancient stonework… so why did it feel like a ghost town?
"We must've been scammed by that info broker… damn it."
Tightening her grip on her curved sword, she called out, "My lady? Where are you?"
The place was unsettling, but if this truly was "the easiest dungeon in history," then surely this atmosphere was just window dressing.
Steeling herself, she passed through the collapsed village gate. Most buildings lay in rubble, impossible to enter. At the end of the main path loomed a solitary church.
"Lady Hainis?"
Her calls went unanswered, doubt creeping in. They'd entered only moments apart—how could Hainis have vanished completely?
"Maybe she's in the church?" Phyllis strode to the door and shoved it hard. It didn't budge.
"Kyaaaah!"
A piercing scream tore through the darkness. Phyllis' body tensed, and she sprinted toward the sound.
"Lady Hainis! Where are you!? Answer me!"
No reply. A sudden cold wind swept through the ruins. Somewhere close, a rusted door creaked open… and collapsed with a metallic crash.
She dashed inside the decrepit house—empty.
Except… a lone, unremarkable wooden treasure chest sat in the center.
"No mistake—the lady was here." She pulled back her hood, revealing a pair of furry beast ears. Her nose twitched as she caught a faint scent—Hainis' scent—on the chest.
She flipped it open—
[You have triggered a teleportation trap!!!]
"H-Huh!?"
A thick cloud of choking fog erupted, forcing her into a coughing fit. By the time she opened her eyes, her surroundings had completely changed.
Before she could process it, something warm and soft collided into her arms.
"L-Lady Hainis!?" She sniffed—yes, it was definitely her.
Tears welled in Hainis' eyes. "That scared me half to death… W-Why was there a trap in the chest!?"
Phyllis exhaled slowly, rubbing the girl's head. "Next time, stay close to me."
"Okay…" Hainis mumbled, nodding.
Only then did Phyllis take in their surroundings.
They were in a ruined underground chamber. Beyond the entrance stretched jagged stone terrain veined with blood-red ore—even the ceiling glittered with crystals.
"Looks like… an underground mine."
Keeping Hainis' hand firmly in hers, Phyllis stepped outside—only to find a vast mining site. Tunnels branched off in every direction; she counted at least five.
"This could be bad… which one leads back?"
As she pondered, a few skeleton miners emerged, pickaxes in hand. With a flick of her blade, she unleashed a sharp wave of energy—shattering them instantly.
"Phyllis, you're amazing!" Hainis' eyes sparkled.
"Let's try this path," Phyllis decided, choosing the largest tunnel by instinct.
They'd barely entered when, behind them, one shattered skull sparked with cold blue light. Its jaw opened in a silent, mocking laugh.
"Phyllis, look! A light!"
Hainis pointed at a glowing white dot deeper inside.
Loot in Sein Dungeon wasn't always in chests—sometimes it appeared scattered on the ground, glowing by rarity: white for common, purple for rare, gold for legendary.
To adventurers, those glowing spots were as tempting as a beautiful stranger to a lonely man.
A lone goblin crouched near the light, digging at the earth. Its back was turned.
Hainis glanced at Phyllis, eyes saying, Can I?
Phyllis hesitated, then nodded.
In one swift motion, Hainis crept forward, drew her dagger, and slit the goblin's throat.
"It's a knife!" she beamed. It wasn't much, but it was her first loot—her first step as an adventurer.
Phyllis smiled… until movement in the shadows caught her eye.
"Get back! Now!"
"Huh—?"
Laughter echoed around them.
Three goblins burst from the darkness. Hainis killed two, but the third sank its teeth into her arm.
Phyllis dispatched it in a flash and uncorked a potion, pouring it over the wound. The gash sealed instantly—no scar, no pain.
"Ugh! Where were those little creeps hiding!?" Hainis kicked the corpses. The creatures had used the dim light and uneven terrain to mask their presence, even sacrificing one as bait.
Truthfully, even Phyllis had been fooled by the goblin with its back turned.
"Something's wrong with this dungeon."
The teleportation trap earlier, now this ambush… this wasn't the easy run everyone had promised. It was far more dangerous.
Either they'd been lied to—
Or the dungeon had changed.
"Let's go. We stay on high alert from here on."
Her whole attitude shifted. This was no longer a game.
As they moved forward, she noticed the tunnel walls were dotted with deep alcoves—each large enough to hide several people.
Clack!
Her boot pressed something on the floor. A deep rumble followed.
A trap.
"What was that—!?"
From the darkness, an iron boulder the size of a wagon barreled toward them. Hainis' hair stood on end.
"Run!"
Phyllis grabbed her and bolted back toward the entrance—surely they could make it in time—
Clack-clack!
A bone-chilling sound rose behind them.
Then Phyllis saw it.
Dozens of skeletal arms linked together at the tunnel mouth, forming an unbreakable wall.
At their head stood a skeleton with a deep slash across its ribs—
The very same one she had shattered minutes ago.
It had revived.
(*****)
If you'd like to read 20 chapters ahead, please consider joining my Patreon: patreon.com/ANeet. Your support means a lot. Thank you!