It was already evening by the time we finished buying our supplies and arrived at the inn. We were checking in when the boss lady placed the key on the counter, then covered her mouth with her hand, giggling mischievously.
"This is your room key. Also, the walls are very thin, so please try not to make too much noise."
What is this woman even talking about!?
Because we look like a couple, she thinks we'll do that kind of thing, right? But we're not a couple, so we definitely won't.
"?"
Lina, who couldn't understand her, simply tilted her head. But there was no need to explain anything, so I didn't.
"I understand. Can we have dinner now?"
The landlady looked disappointed, as if her little scheme hadn't worked.
She had wanted to tease us and see us blush, only for her expectations to completely fail.
"The dining hall is that way," she pointed to our right. "Today's meal is pork cutlet rice."
"Thank you."
Lina—still wearing a puzzled expression—and I walked into the dining hall and chose a small table for two before placing our order.
While we were waiting, Lina asked about the landlady's strange remark earlier.
"Karen, what did she mean just now? Why did she warn us not to be too loud?"
This isn't something you can explain with words. So I brushed it off casually.
"You'll understand once you're older."
Hearing that, Lina puffed up her cheeks in frustration. So cute!
"I'm already grown up. I'm fifteen."
She insisted, but I still wouldn't tell her.
"Then grow a bit more."
My refusal made Lina's mood drop.
"…Is this something you're not allowed to tell me?"
I still didn't answer. Instead, I held out my pinky finger toward her.
"Once you turn sixteen on your birthday, I'll tell you. Pinky promise."
"…Okay."
Lina hooked her pinky with mine.
All I could do was silently pray she'd forget this promise—at least until after I achieve my goal.
After finishing dinner and taking our baths, we arrived at our room. I inserted the key, turned the knob, and pushed the door open—only to see a double bed.
For over three years, Lina and I hadn't slept in single beds even once. No matter the city, every inn somehow only had double rooms left for us.
Eventually, I gave up.
But I still refuse to let Lina hug me to sleep. That's one thing I won't compromise on. Not yet.
"Karen, towel."
"Yeah, here."
As always, I handed my towel to Lina so she could dry it, and she still liked to fall asleep hugging my towel.
At first, I hoped her enthusiasm would cool off someday, so she'd stop hugging my towel to sleep—it's embarrassing!
But at the same time… a part of me didn't want her to cool off too quickly.
It would feel like she was losing interest in me.
(Haah… what a complicated feeling.)
And so, we spent our first night in the capital.
The next morning, after waking up, I went to the bathroom and changed into a linen shirt and brown trousers. Then I returned to the room to put on my boots, my black chestplate with white stripes, greaves, and fingerless gauntlets. Finally, I strapped my black two-handed sword to my waist.
Lina wore a light-blue blouse and black shorts that left her fair thighs exposed. She pulled on black socks that reached just below her knees, slipped into her boots, then put on a white cloak embroidered with black floral patterns. In her hand was her beautifully crafted white staff.
Lastly, we put on our dungeon recorder, checked all our gear, and headed out.
After eating breakfast, we departed for the dungeon.
What stood before us was a massive cube-shaped stone structure. One side of the wall had an opening—that was the dungeon entrance. It was about three meters wide and three meters tall.
Many adventurers were gathered near the entrance, entering one after another.
We also saw several flashes of different colors appear at the entrance—adventurers emerging from within the dungeon. These must be the teleport circle between levels, known as "Circle Light." The colors generally matched the seven colors of the rainbow, supposedly linked to adventurer rank.
But all the adventurers who teleported out were carrying nothing.
They must've stored everything in their Storage Holes.
It seems that storage magic is becoming common knowledge.
We had lingered long enough. It was time to head in—plus, people were staring. I looked at Lina.
"Lina, let's go."
"Mm."
We stepped into the dungeon, descending a staircase. At the end was the number "1," marking Level 1.
Level 1 was a wide straight passage, torches lining both walls so it wasn't dark.
I drew my sword in preparation and led the way toward the next floor. A slime appeared, but we ignored it and walked past.
Slimes don't attack humans and pose no threat. Even children can defeat them.
We reached Level 2, where the path split into two.
Using "Detection", as described by Henry(Allen), I found the fastest route.
Each floor added another branching path. Although "Detection" made it easy to find the correct direction.
But the sheer size of the dungeon stretched far beyond what I could see, and the paths grew increasingly complicated—even dead ends showed up here and there. We had to try route after route before finding the right one, so it still took quite a bit of time.
Eventually, we arrived at Level 10. The monsters here were weak—much weaker than those outside. Goblins, one-horn wolves, orcs, and such.
Level 10 had a Minotaur. We defeated it easily and took its magic core.
We usually fought using magic. If we can attack from a distance, we won't fight up close. That's my style.
We climbed down toward Level 11. At the end of the stairs, I lifted my head—and saw the sky. It felt like stepping outdoors.
Even though I had heard about it before, seeing it made it no less amazing.
Level 11 was a meadow—lush green grass, plenty of moisture in the air, and a refreshing breeze. It wasn't hot at all.
A few sheep were grazing nearby, so I pointed them out to Lina.
"Lina, look. Sheep."
"Sheep…"
She said the word but didn't finish her thought. After a while, she suddenly spoke excitedly.
"…I really want to touch their wool!"
So it was the fluffy wool that caught her eye.
Honestly, I wanted to touch it too.
"Let's approach them slowly."
"Okay!"
I sheathed my sword and slowly stepped into the sheep's line of sight with Lina. I used "Detection" to monitor its reaction.
We reached the sheep without issue. It didn't react much.
Lina reached out to touch its wool—then immediately leaned onto the sheep, petting it happily.
The sheep barely reacted, just a bit startled. It didn't seem dangerous.
I plucked a few blades of grass, then used my plant magic, "Quality Boost" to improve them before feeding the sheep.
As it nibbled the grass out of my hand, I stroked its head, slowly brushing upward.
The silky wool clung to my fingers—it felt great.
And the sheep was adorable.
Then suddenly, I felt the hand I was petting with rise upward. I looked—and found Lina's face completely red.
"Ka… Karen… y-you're touching my hair…"
"Eh?—Ah! Sorry!"
My hand had ended up on Lina's head.
I quickly pulled it back and apologized.
"It's okay… I liked it…"
She buried her face into the sheep's wool.
Her snow-white hair blended into the sheep's wool so perfectly that I could no longer see where her head was.
(She really liked it…?)
I looked down at my gloved hand. I didn't think it would feel pleasant through gloves.
I touched my own head—nothing. Perfectly normal.
But Lina's reaction seemed genuine, so I decided not to dwell on it.
Now that we'd petted the sheep, it was time to move on. I called out to the still-reluctant Lina.
"Lina, let's go to the next level."
"Mm."
She lifted her head, cleaned the wool off her cloak, and we searched for the entrance to Level 12.
On the way, we saw a teleport circle.
It looked like a manhole cover with the word "Teleport" written on it. Very straightforward.
The circle was big, and the surrounding grass was short, so there was no danger of accidentally stepping on it.
Soon, we saw a structure identical to the entrance aboveground—surely the entrance to Level 12.