Morning.
Ren woke up once to the sound of a rooster crowing from somewhere, and after falling back asleep, he learned the time from the sounds of preparation coming from the kitchen. In a life without clocks, where even a smartphone was non-functional, he was initially bewildered, but he had gotten used to it, and it wasn't bad.
"Nn…"
He was quite accustomed to the high-pitched voice that escaped his lips.
He released the blanket he was clutching and sat up. As his wings and tail grew, his sleepwear became increasingly casual. Since his body felt healthier and there was no sign of him catching a cold, he figured it was fine.
He sat on the edge of the bed and stretched lightly.
The breast pain was less noticeable since he switched his underwear. While the fast growth rate was inconvenient,
"I've gotten cute, haven't I?" he muttered, looking at his reflection in the full-length mirror in the room.
Ignoring a few features, he was a beautiful girl with dark purple hair. His height was lower than when he was a boy, but his hip size had increased. His noticeably swelling chest and smooth, pale skin, unnaturally white for a Japanese person, were definitely not male. If a girl like this had been in his class when he was a high school boy, he would have definitely fallen for her. Thinking about it, it made sense that other girls might be jealous.
After confirming that he hadn't suddenly reverted to his original self by some miracle, he changed clothes. Since clothes that pull over the head are troublesome because of his wings, he often wore front-opening types. For bottoms, he wore trousers instead of a skirt. Not having his skin exposed made dungeon conquest easier.
"Water."
He filled a metal bowl with the water spell, washed his hands and face, and poured the water out the window. A quick comb through his hair, which had grown quite long, and his morning routine was complete.
"Fuuri, is there anything I can help with?"
"Oh, morning, Ren. Hmm, if you'd woken up a little earlier, I would have asked you to start the fire."
"My bad. I keep hitting the snooze button."
"Ren-san has to use magic all the time, so it's okay. Once I get the fire started, I'll ask the spirits for help."
"Yeah. It's really helpful having Iris-chan here."
Breakfast preparation had become much easier since Iris, the Archer and apprentice Spirit Mage, joined them. Since she often cooked the game she hunted right there, she was used to starting fires. If he didn't have the privilege of producing fire and water from nothing, he might have started to wonder, Am I even needed?
"I should learn to cook, too."
"Huh, what brought that on?"
Fuuri looked surprised and thought for a moment. "Hmm, but…"
"Ingredients aren't free, you know."
"Rude. I can make simple food, probably."
"It's hard to control the heat here, though. Are you sure you can manage?"
Since they didn't have a stovetop, he couldn't change the heat level with a switch. Iris could ask the spirits to control the intensity, but otherwise, they had to manage by adjusting the amount of firewood.
"You're actually a really good cook, aren't you?"
"Eh, just noticing now?"
It was becoming a problem that Fuuri's teasing remarks no longer sounded like insults.
"Right. Sorry to ask for something when I'm relying on you so much, but could you cut my hair?"
Mariabel usually slept late, so they often ate breakfast as a trio. When he posed the question to the two girls over a simple meal, they both looked surprised.
"What? You're going to cut it? That's a waste."
"That's right. If you're going to cut it, let's wait until it's long enough to make a wig."
Is there a demand for hair this beautiful? He was impressed, but continued,
"No, isn't it getting in the way?"
"Ren. Cuteness is achieved through patience and sacrifice."
He could kind of understand, thinking about girls' school uniform skirt lengths, but,
"When our lives are on the line, can we prioritize 'cuteness'?"
"How about tying it up? Let's make it the same as mine."
Iris suggested this excitedly. Her ponytail was indeed neat and looked easy to manage. Maybe he should try it.
"We should try different hairstyles! I think pigtails would suit the current Ren."
"You say that, but your hair is short."
"It would be the worst if my hair got caught in a trap."
Thinking about it, in games, the long-haired characters often seemed to be back-line classes. Sometimes there was a straight-haired woman knight, but still.
"…Okay, I'll go with a ponytail for now."
"Then I'll do it for you later. If Ren does it, it'll probably look like a samurai topknot."
"Don't be ridiculous."
He tried it himself, indignant, but it really did look like a samurai topknot, so Fuuri ended up doing it for him. Iris watched them, smiling.
"This is nice, somehow."
"Didn't you ever do this with your sisters, Iris-chan?"
"Yes. But Ren-san's hair is different from ours."
"Your blonde hair is beautiful, too."
"In Japan, blonde hair was a recessive gene, but here, it's firmly inherited even by Half-Elves."
It was questionable whether they were even bound by the laws of genetics. Aside from humans like Fuuri, it wouldn't be surprising if elemental power or something similar was at play for those whose race had changed, like Ren. He briefly wondered if his child would be a Half-Succubus before pushing the thought away.
"Alright, let's get ready and head out."
"Yeah."
"Yes!"
They greeted Mariabel—meaning they left quietly so as not to wake her. They had told her their plans last night, so there was no problem. Their destination was the Sage's house, which they had visited several times now.
"I've certainly memorized the way by now."
"We want to visit the man who gives us money frequently."
"That sounds so shady when you put it like that."
The Sage didn't delve into the dungeon much anymore, so he was usually home unless he had business outside. When they knocked, the reply "Come in" came immediately.
"Good morning. …Ah, Sage. You were asleep until just now, weren't you?"
"It can't be helped. I was working late into the night yesterday."
"I guess indoor people are nocturnal even without the internet."
"It's quieter at night, so it's easier to read books."
After entering, they immediately opened the windows for ventilation. Iris cleaned up the scattered books on the floor, and Ren changed the Sage's clothes in the meantime. Fuuri tidied the table and prepared a light meal. They had gotten used to this after visiting several times and no longer held back. They couldn't stand it if they didn't clean up a little. The Sage, though seeming annoyed, accepted it, saying, "Well, it is convenient."
"Here, Sage-san. If you're hungry, have some of this."
"We brought the report for the third floor, so please accept it."
"I also have an update for my level-up report, so please exchange it for money."
"You all are really becoming merciless. Young people who visit me this frequently are rare."
Like Fuuri said, if it meant money, they would be foolish not to come.
"…Hmm. It seems the inscriptions directed at the children tell the story of the world's creation."
"Did you learn anything new?"
"No. I can't say much from the third floor alone. The dungeon has at least fifty floors."
"What's the highest recorded floor now?"
"Fifty-three. …Honestly, everyone was despairing when they found out about the fifty-first floor."
"I can imagine…"
It's only human nature to think that when they reached a milestone number, "This might be the end." The expectation was high, especially at fifty. If it didn't end there, the next possibility was likely the hundredth floor.
"Fifty floors in thirty years means another thirty years to reach one hundred…?"
"Naturally, the difficulty of the dungeon increases with each descent. At the current pace, we might or might not even reach seventy-five in the next thirty years."
"That really is despair."
The early transfer student, who had half-given up on returning, let out a small laugh.
"That's precisely why new movements are starting. Iris's descent into the dungeon is one of them, isn't it?"
"…If it takes another thirty years, my father won't be able to return to Japan."
"The oldest teacher has already lived out their life here."
Iris's Elf mother still had a long time ahead. Iris herself, being a Half-Elf, might still look youthful after thirty years, but humans were different.
Thinking this far, Ren realized, "I see." That was one of the reasons the conquest had stalled.
"What happens to your stats when you get old…?"
"Naturally, they gradually start to decline after their peak. It's within the range that can be compensated for by continuous leveling up, but it's a huge handicap for continuous deep exploration."
That's why the pioneers built the town, organized the living environment, accumulated knowledge, and circulated equipment to support the new transfer students. Because they wanted them to descend deeper and faster than they could.
"I have high hopes for you as well. That you might become a guidepost for unraveling the truth by means other than reaching the end."
"…Sage."
"So, please continue the conquest."
"You just ruined a good moment."
The Sage cleared his throat as if to gloss over it.
"For now, I want you to aim for the tenth floor. Reaching that point can be considered escaping the beginner phase."
"The tenth floor, huh. …That's going to be tough."
"I agree. …By the way, how far have you two gone before?"
"The eighth floor."
They had a falling out with Takuma's group while clearing that floor. So, even with their current levels, the tenth floor seemed achievable. The problem was that they were a party of five back then. Even with increased levels since then, conquering it as a trio would be difficult.
"…Should we ask Maria-san to come with us if things get dire?"
"…Yeah. Although I'd prefer to avoid relying on her."
Their new goal was set: Conquer the Tenth Floor. Since they were only on the fourth floor, it was quite a long journey. Assuming one exploration wasn't enough to clear a floor, and including rest days, it would take about one floor per week.
To clear up to the tenth floor,
"It'll take almost two months."
Calculating it as they walked home made him feel discouraged.
"That's bad. Even at this pace, it would take over three years to clear the fiftieth floor. No wonder it took thirty years."
"Well, we're still young, so we'll be fine even if it takes ten years, but I can see why the people who have been here longer are desperate…"
It was understandable why Iris was so motivated "for her parents." Even though they were only around forty now, they might not live long enough to see Iris complete the dungeon.
The earnest girl smiled at Ren and Fuuri.
"Let's not overdo it. My parents told me they are 'prepared to bury their bones in this world.'"
"…Iris-chan."
"That just means we have to try even harder."
Rest was important to avoid losing their lives, but they couldn't afford to leave it to others.
"The fourth-floor boss is the Spear Goblin, right?"
This time, it was a spear wielder. While there wasn't a huge difference in ability from the existing enemies, the increase in weapon types with varying reach made it surprisingly difficult. In that sense, it was compatible with Ren's strategy of "clearing them from a distance," but—
"The number of Goblins just keeps increasing…"
"Um, how many floors are Goblins, exactly?"
"Ten floors."
The Goblin Overload problem. The journey through the beginner area had traumatized so many people that some veterans would occasionally go down just to clear out Goblins for catharsis. Well, the Goblins probably thought, "Too many humans."
"We need to level up, too."
"Yeah. Ren and Iris-chan's MP is the biggest concern."
"The arrow consumption will also be intense…"
Magic could be a great fighting force, as they proved in the battle with Takuma. However, MP consumption remained a problem. Ren was better off because he could replenish it with Energy Drain, but if he had to take time for replenishment every time, they wouldn't advance quickly.
"MP replenishment, huh. I actually have a new skill that seems relevant. Should I try acquiring it?"
"Then I should aim for one-hit kills so I can be on the front line more."
"Isn't that an Assassin rather than a Thief? Well, I'd be very grateful."
"I'm also practicing to throw multiple elemental spells!"
Ren and his friends began planning for further combat strength improvements.
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