Chapter 20

Chapter 20: The Rookie Adventurer’s First Dive into the Dungeon～

On the bustling avenue packed with various races, Izay and Raul weaved through the crowd.

It was early morning, the time when most adventurers prepared to embark on their day’s adventure.

If one were to describe it, this was rush hour, with countless adventurers heading to the dungeon as if to their workplace, ready to clock in for the day.

Dwarves, goblins, orcs, parum, elves… some looked like regular townsfolk, while others were fully armed with dangerous equipment.

Support crew members, carrying large backpacks, were also quite conspicuous as they darted through the streets.

Izay once again found himself at the Guild Headquarters, the organization responsible for managing the dungeon.

The lobby of the guild hall was bustling with adventurers in the morning, with a guild clerk seated at almost every service window.

After a quick glance around, Izay spotted a familiar figure. He nodded to Raul before stepping up to a service window to queue.

Soon enough, Izay reached the front of the window.

“Next! How may I assist you?”

Eina Zul, holding a small notebook and recording rapidly, flashed a professional smile, her response almost reflexive.

“Could you please help me register as an adventurer, Miss Eina?”

Upon hearing this, Eina paused momentarily before meeting Izay’s gaze.

“Mr. Izay! You’ve successfully joined Loki Familia—congratulations～”

Reuniting with Izay, Eina observed his current state, clearly indicating he had successfully joined a Familial Group.

Perhaps due to her role in facilitating this, she felt a tinge of joy.

“It’s all thanks to your help, Miss Eina…”

“Well, I did get paid for it, so there’s that～”

Shouldn’t that be called doing one’s job?

They exchanged briefly before proceeding to handle the formalities for registering as an adventurer.

“By the way, Mr. Izay, would you like a dungeon guide consultant?”

During the process, Eina suddenly asked.

There are many examples of adventurers dying in the dungeon without prior reconnaissance.

Thus, the guild long ago established a rule to assign new adventurers a guide.

However, this varies depending on the situation.

For someone like Izay, backed by a powerful Familial Group, a guide isn’t necessary.

She merely asked out of routine.

Ultimately, whether or not to have a guide is the adventurer’s decision.

“A dungeon guide?” Izay paused at the sudden question, then smiled in response, “Nah, I’ll pass.”

“Hmm.”

Seeing this, Eina didn’t press further, nodding lightly as she continued processing Izay’s registration.

A few minutes later, Izay successfully registered as a rookie adventurer with the guild.

Polite farewells exchanged with Eina, he retrieved an adventurer’s manual and rejoined Raul, who had been waiting nearby.

“Sorry to keep you waiting～”

Raul shook his head, “It was just a moment, no big deal. Did you complete the adventurer registration?”

“Yeah, now I’m officially a newbie adventurer～”

“Newbie?”

“Means rookie—it’s a term from my hometown, don’t mind it.”

“Oh～”

After registering as an adventurer, Izay and Raul headed straight toward the entrance of the dungeon.

At the end of the long street, in the heart of the city, Skyscraper Facilities stretched toward the clear morning sky, with the dungeon lying beneath.

…

The scene shifts to the first floor of the dungeon.

The walls and ceiling dyed a light blue dominated the view. The natural labyrinth, devoid of sky, extended endlessly in all directions.

Forks, crossroads, gentle downhill paths formed the uneven roads at regular intervals within this underground space.

As they walked, Izay had already drawn his silver-gray spear from its holster, gripping it tightly in readiness.

Raul, meanwhile, remained calm beside him, both hands clutching the straps of his backpack, his sword still sheathed.

He explained various precautions to Izay, such as the types of monsters likely to appear on the upper levels, their weaknesses, and the routes between floors.

In the narrow maze-like vision, the ceiling emitted faint phosphorescent lights, illuminating the surroundings slightly.

The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, characteristic of places devoid of life.

Or rather, temporarily so.

“Crack——!”

Izay didn’t have to wait long. The wall ahead suddenly split open with a sound.

Dark red energy surged forth, manifesting into solid form, like a chick breaking through its shell, as monsters emerged from the walls of the labyrinth.

“Gaaar!”

“Gaaah!”

“Gruuugh!”

Three creatures with dark green skin, long pointed ears, short and ugly bodies, and red eyes celebrated their arrival with roars.

For reasons unknown, these newly born goblins already wielded wooden weapons.

These solid wooden clubs, nearly as large as their heads, could probably cripple a person with a single blow.

In the next moment, noticing the two humans nearby, the goblins’ crimson eyes gleamed with malice as they brandished their clubs and lunged ferociously at Izay and Raul.

Raul glanced over at Izay, unsure if he had any experience battling monsters, contemplating whether he should warn him.

But quickly, he dismissed the thought, as Izay showed not a hint of panic in facing the three charging monsters.

Instead, he was remarkably composed.

Thud, thud, thud—the chaotic footfalls approached rapidly.

Izay gripped his spear in his right hand, surged forward with a powerful step from his left foot, and met the charge of the three monsters head-on.

In an instant, he spun the spear in a flourish, the glint of its tip flashing as it reached the throat of the leading goblin.

—Assassinate!

In the blink of an eye, the silver-gray spear pierced the monster’s vital spot, giving it no chance to even whimper before it died instantly!

The other two goblins hesitated momentarily upon seeing their companion killed so cleanly.

That brief pause gave Izay the opportunity to swiftly retract his spear, moving as fast as a spring stretched to its limit snapping back.

Twisting his waist, he redirected the spear, using the butt to send one goblin flying, then spinning around—

Sweep!

The spear carved a perfect arc, effortlessly tearing through the body of another goblin.

A sound akin to ripping cloth echoed as the goblin was cleaved in two.

With twin bursts of black smoke, two small fragments glowing with bluish-purple light fell to the ground.

Izay didn’t immediately pick them up but moved forward to deliver the finishing blow to the goblin he had sent flying.

In less than half a minute, the three goblins transformed from appearing on the scene to becoming three piles of black ash on the ground.

Only then did Izay begin collecting the magic stone fragments they had dropped.