Despite a sluggish start in the morning due to the mana depletion, after an hour, I felt light enough to stretch my body.
The headache was gone, the tiredness disappeared, and even the fog stopped clouding my mind.
Being excited to debut as an adventurer surely helped, too, and thankfully, there was a perfect Dungeon near my house for my first experience.
Its first floor was inhabited only by low-level goblins and slimes. Weak monsters that made it a popular place to gain experience and levels, even without magic or powerful skills.
A fifteen-minute walk later, and I was already at the post, registering myself.
Funnily enough, this part felt like it took longer than the walk itself.
The standard is to sign a small document and be done with it, but I got a little unlucky with the officer there.
He made sure to tell me all about the worst-case scenarios that could, and have happened inside Dungeons.
Aside from his overly enthusiastic horror theatrics, he also explained about each point, like how the government wouldn't be required or expected to perform investigations inside a Dungeon.
This was a given, since the Dungeons, due to their endlessness and the presence of man-hunting monsters, were pretty much the perfect place to commit a crime like murder.
In the early days, the phrase 'Just blame a monster' was pretty famous.
Despite being hard-pressed, the government never found a true solution.
Instead, the problem worked itself out.
Most adventurers weren't interested in making the already dangerous Dungeons into an even more problematic workplace.
Nowadays, Dungeons operate under a vigilante-based system. A system so prominent that it gave rise to a class of adventurers known as "hunters."
Semi-retired, or just sadistic adventurers whose sole purpose in life is to make sure troublemakers disappear from the Dungeons, using the same lawlessness that they exploit.
Since most criminals would rather face jail time than an adventurer, this was surprisingly effective.
It was a little nerve-wracking to see all of this explained through my lecturer's hand-waving and finger-pointing, but thankfully, once this part was over, the rest of the explanation was more light-hearted.
And more importantly, quick.
Just stuff about my responsibilities, like sharing information and findings with the government regularly.
Once the document was signed, I received a tag with my name for identification and was free to go.
Feeling reassured about the amount of fuckery happening inside Dungeons nowadays, I decided to search for some partymates.
Luckily, beginner-friendly Dungeons like this often had wannabe adventurers looking to make a party, just like me.
This was so prolific that there was even a small business to matchmake these beginner parties.
I wasn't too outgoing, so I thought it'd be a good idea to hire someone, and went around looking for one on the first floor's settlement.
It was quite a first sight.
Despite being inside a damp, cave-like world, stores and merchants were everywhere the eye could see, selling equipment, offering escorts, and exchanging information for cash.
If not for newcomers like me, still lost and figuring things out with wonder, it'd look like a small town inside a warzone.
Out of the multiple options available, I chose the one that looked less suspicious.
The man I hired then introduced me to a tall guy wearing all black.
His build was similar to mine, neither strong nor agile.
The first thing that stood out about him was how anxious he looked, though I'd wager the blonde girl standing next to him was more reason than the Dungeon.
Like the boy, she was reasonably tall for a girl, easily reaching up to my chin, comfortably breaking past the 170 mark.
She also had a bad sense of personal space, freely waving her hands and touching him more than necessary.
He didn't know how to react to her energy, and with her light clothing, she overwhelmed the guy.
Even then, they seemed to be getting along well.
Their small talk caused occasional giggles, and they waited for a new member to join with an approachable atmosphere.
Since it was like this, I felt comfortable in introducing myself to Roy and Sam, the boy and the girl.
I joined in on their small talk, and we actually clicked well.
And so, after a dozen or so minutes of discussing, we reached an unavoidable topic.
Roy: "We should disclose our Gifts, right?"
Sam: "Totally!"
Miwen: "Sure."
It was a must for us to be able to coordinate and work well together...
Roy: "Alright, I'll start then..."
I liked that Roy was taking the lead.
It made it easier for Sam and me.
It also gave me time to prepare.
Roy: "My Gift is called [The Black Swordsman]. It gives me two skills: [Dark Magic] and [Swordsmanship]. Both start at level 1... I also gain a bonus when imbuing bladed weapons with [Dark Magic]. But since swords are expensive..."
He bought a kitchen knife instead.
Funnily enough, since Sam was unarmed and Roy only had an admittedly large knife, the dagger I got from yesterday's [Mana Gacha] made me the best equipped in our group.
Sam: "My turn! My Gift is [Martial Arts Specialist]. It allows me to learn martial arts at a faster rate! It also boosts my strength. I guess I got it from the martial arts I practice."
She was going with the theory that Gifts reflect a person's life, which wasn't proven, but was quite popular nonetheless.
I took a note from it.
Miwen: "My Gift is [Godspeed], it makes me quicker, but it seems not by much as of right now...Dunno why I got it. Maybe I like finishing things quickly."
Since the very beginning, the thought of telling the truth about [Gacha Kingdom Building] didn't so much as cross my mind.
I went as far as to draw their attention to something else by surfing on Sam's wave with that last unnecessary comment, which, unfortunately, worked better than expected.
Roy: "That's not always good."
Miwen: "Bro, not like that."
The two of them seemed like genuine people.
If I had a simple Gift, maybe I'd consider telling them the whole truth.
However, that wasn't the case for [Gacha Kingdom Building].
I still didn't fully understand its capabilities, and so far, most of its powers wouldn't have a direct effect in combat.
For everyone's sake, passing [Movement Speed Up] was the better option.
In the short term, it wouldn't really change anything.
And if in the future I fell behind due to bad luck, well...
That'd be just bad luck.
The window for me to use a good first skill as a Gift was narrow.
It only really existed in this moment, when even a single status point made all the difference.
So I used it the best way I could.
The only concern I still had was how our party looked.
Roy and I weren't the most friendly of guys.
In a setting as dangerous as the Dungeon, we concentrated and wore especially thick frowns on our faces.
With both carrying weapons while the girl stood unarmed, I wouldn't blame strangers for asking questions.
Even if said blonde was more likely to kick our butts, given her tournament experience.
Thankfully, something like this wasn't enough to raise eyebrows inside a Dungeon, and we saw quite a few similar formations in the first floor's settlement.
Roy: "Oh, yeah... I'm not sure how to say that, but even though I'm supposed to know [Dark Magic], I can't really cast any spells..."
I had already figured that might've been the case, but I appreciated the honesty nonetheless.
It was a shame, though.
Having someone capable of using magic, even if a single spell, would open up a lot of possibilities for us.
Miwen: "It's fine, let's just move as a unit and cover each other's blind spots... Most things here shouldn't have an answer for that."
Sam: "I guess we are all glass cannons, huh?"
Pretty much.
It wasn't all bad, though.
Not having magic, or a gimmicky Gift, or even a defensive one made our strategy the simplest possible: Pure aggression.
Roy was at the center of our formation, while Sam and I covered his flanks.
He'd handle the first contact, and we'd handle the follow-up.
Not having any complex abilities forced us to adopt simplicity, which, for a group of strangers, made coordination way easier.
This formation was tested for the first time when Roy spotted a monster at the turn of a tunnel.
The lack of natural light could easily hide enemies, so we approached carefully.
We couldn't tell the monster's level, but Dungeons limited the max level of skills and living beings to that of the floor's boss.
In this case, the max level was 3.
Even if the monster had reached max-level for this floor, unless it had a powerful Gift or skills, it wouldn't be able to withstand the three of us.
Using our numerical advantage, we could ensure a swift and safe victory by approaching it cautiously and simultaneously.
The goblin had its back turned to us, so-
Roy jumped at him with his knife.
Sam and I were a couple of steps behind, still preparing mentally.
Because of our delay and the noise Roy made, the monster was startled and turned towards us.
Roy missed the neck, but he cut the globin's shoulder on the right side.
Face-to-face with the monster, Roy hesitated for a second.
The goblin, driven by instinct, didn't.
Using its claws, the monster grabbed Roy's arm, penetrating his skin and causing blood to drip from the wound.
Sam reacted faster than I did, and without flinching, punched the goblin's skull.
The impact's sound reverberated, like she had punched a wall.
Confused, the monster staggered.
I closed the gap in reaction time with my speed, stabbing the goblin's neck.
It wasn't as easy as cutting or stabbing through butter, but there wasn't that much resistance either.
The strength I used was enough for the blade to pierce through the goblin's neck, appearing on its other side.
Through this brief exchange, I realized the monster wasn't at the floor's max level.
Otherwise, he would've torn Roy's arm and, most likely, reacted to Sam's attack.
My own attack might have failed, or not have been as effective.
Despite the relief that we had successfully killed our first monster as a party, I couldn't shake off the feeling that this could have been bad.
Roy panicked, and before Sam and I could coordinate, he was already going after the monster.
I didn't blame the less-than-ideal turn our first battle took on Roy, though.
Everyone had a different reach and breaking point, so while Sam and I felt it was still safe to approach, Roy did not.
It only went to show that, even with a simple formation, the lack of coordination was still present.
Besides, I also failed to react as quickly as Sam.
Had I decided faster, or let my instincts speak louder than my brain, with my speed, I could've interfered before Sam.
Potentially, I could've prevented Roy's injury.
It was a small mistake on my part, but I could only use that as an excuse if I didn't have the ambition to reach greater heights as an adventurer.
Next time, I might not have the luxury to distinguish between major and minor mistakes.
Pile them up, and small and big blend together into the same mess.
And any of them could cost a life.
Although for now, I focused on being more careful and decisive, so that I could match Roy and Sam better.
Sam: "Are you okay? Wanna call it off for today?"
Roy: "It stings a bit, but it's not bleeding much... I guess I can still go on."
He swung his fists, showing that he was fine to continue.
The wound looked superficial, but I wasn't fully convinced either.
Without question, it would've been better to turn around.
However, I agreed that we could push it a little further if we were more careful.
Sam: "If you say so..."
Miwen: "Don't overdo it. If it gets worse, tell us."
Roy: "Right... Don't worry..."
The claws of normal goblins on this floor aren't usually poisoned, but it can happen, even if it's more frequent on lower floors.
We usually can tell by the subspecies, but attributes, Gifts, and skills might hide such things...
Every encounter is unique, so it would be better to check this cut...
Still, Roy appeared to be fine, and arguing wouldn't be good.
We decided to continue through the Dungeon after our first battle, and thankfully, what followed was a little easier.
By the time we had dealt with 3 slimes and 2 goblins, I began to think about how much time had passed here.
The cave-like walls and the lack of sunlight prevent us from telling the time without checking our phones, and when we did, we noticed that an hour had already passed.
We had not strayed far from the settlement, so we didn't find many monsters or even strong ones, yet our rate of encounter was decent.
But a little after that, we walked far enough to face a harder challenge.
We came across two goblins. One of them had a club, which made it a little extra dangerous...
Miwen: "Sam, Roy, you take the one unarmed. I'll distract the one with the club."
Sam: "Are you sure? Wouldn't it be better for us to go 2-on-1 on the one with the club?"
Ideally, yes, but... Things were far from ideal.
Roy was hurt, and he could be a liability.
Against a tougher opponent, it would be better to make things as easy as possible, and that meant risking him out.
Letting him face a monster by himself was also not going to hurt.
And besides...
Miwen: "...The club seems heavy. Since I can rely on my speed, it should actually work to my advantage."
It's a little scary to face an armed opponent, but it's a good matchup.
I couldn't see the goblin being capable of making swift movements with that club, so as long as I was patient and precise, I should be able to win.
Roy: " Still... it would be better for me to help you."
Miwen: "Don't worry, I wouldn't suggest it if I wasn't sure I could do it."
Sam: "Fine, but try not to die, ok?"
Miwen: " Leave it to me."
With the plan decided, I charged at the goblin with the club.
Both of them came running at me at the same time, and then Roy and Sam jumped at the unarmed one.
With one of them occupied, all that was left was for me to deal with the one chasing me, and after I put enough distance between the two groups to make sure their battle wouldn't interfere with mine, I stopped and challenged the monster to a proper fight.
Approaching him wouldn't be good, so I waited for him to strike first.
He swung the club at full force from above, aiming at my head.
If that were to hit, I'd be knocked unconscious instantly, no doubt.
However, due to our height difference and the difficulty of raising the weapons, striking me anywhere above my chest was going to be difficult.
The goblin, surprisingly, seemed to notice this and focused his attacks on my legs, arms, and stomach.
No matter how much he tried, his swings didn't connect.
It was definitely frustrating, and after the fourth consecutive attack, he seemed tired.
Unfortunately, while I thought I could dodge everything with ease, a monster's ferocity is nothing to scoff at.
The goblin was pushing its body to its limit with every attack, and the pressure of not wanting to risk a single mistake took a toll on me.
I was fully immersed in the fight, my concentration the highest it had been the entire day.
This was the first time I faced a monster on a 1v1, and it made me more nervous than I anticipated.
Still, while not performing to the best of my ability due to the anxiety, I saw an opportunity to counterattack with a few slashes when he missed his fifth swing.
I didn't have enough reach to do any deep cuts since I was trying to avoid the club by maintaining a good distance, and the monster used the club to defend itself.
However, that didn't do much for it since it had essentially locked his position as my slashes were way less demanding and much faster than he could hope for moving his club.
I was cautious, but I came closer, and eventually, his exhaustion gave me the chance to get near enough to stab his skull from the side.
The goblin died instantly, its body was absorbed by the dungeon, and a Monster Core was left in its place.
It's not unusual for some monsters in the dungeon to be absorbed by it after dying, but today, this was the first one it happened to.
It also so happened to be the first one to drop a Monster Core.
These things contain mana, but on this floor, and with the number of people capable of challenging the Dungeon, it wouldn't go for much.
However, I was still going to visit an office later to sell it since I had no use for it, nor a way to extract the mana.
In any case, I took a look at Sam and Roy, and the two were about to deal with the goblin they tackled together.
Sam was quite brave, using herself as bait and even managing to grab the goblin's arms to allow Roy an opportunity to kill it.
Unfortunately, its body was not absorbed by the Dungeon, and it didn't drop a Monster Core.
Sam: "Hey, you alright?"
Miwen: "Completely. Also, look at this."
There was no reason to hide it, so I showed off what I got.
Roy: "Cool, that's the first tradeable good we got today."
Miwen: "Yeah, there's also the club if you want to sell it."
Roy: "I don't think it's worth it... Unless Sam wants it?"
Sam: "No way."
While certainly a drop, it was big and heavy. Unlike the Monster Core, which can be stored in a pocket, carrying it was a hindrance.
Miwen: "Should we continue then?"
Roy: "I think I can go on for longer."
Sam: "No problems here."
We were all feeling fine, so we continued raiding the Dungeon a little more.
Luckily, our 12th goblin kill resulted in another Monster Core.
Since Roy was the one to kill it, he also got to keep it.
The 16th goblin dropped another one, and this time, it was Sam's.
By this time, we were close to leveling up for the first time, and we were filled with anticipation, not wanting to stop.
However, as we went deeper into the floor, we found the door to a Boss Room.
Of course, we didn't enter it.
There was no need to risk something like this at our level, and we still had a lot to learn about handling ourselves.
We decided to keep going... You never know what might happen, and staying close to a boss room is the same as inviting trouble.
We ended the day with a count of 9 slime and 18 goblin kills, and upon checking our status, everyone's level had increased.
Roy: "What are you guys gonna do with the Status Points? For me, it's gotta be the Strength status!"
Sam: "I'll go with Speed I guess, it seems to be very helpful in a 1-on-1, and I don't need to increase my strength right now thanks to my Gift."
Miwen: "I'll also go with strength since my Gift boosts speed."
Roy was going to focus a little more, while Sam and I felt like it would be a good idea to balance ourselves. At least at this point in time.
I think it's good to have teammates focused on certain things and also some who can perform well in multiple tasks, but for me, it was hard to plan ahead due to not having [Available Skills].
The best I could do was work with what I already had and hope that it would help with the future.
We then left the gate and went to an office close to the Dungeon to trade the drops we got.
The Cores Sam and I got were from a level 1 goblin, so they were only worth $1. Roy got $2 from his.
It was far from enough to make a living from, but that's the point.
For a time, the rewards were a little too high, and a lot of areas suffered trying to employ people.
While it helped make the world safer, it created an imbalance that had to be corrected.
Thankfully, more rare drops and Monster Cores can be found deeper in this Dungeon and in harder Dungeons.
There are also other ways to make money, so... It just takes a while to get the ball rolling.
It didn't bother me though...
This was something I wanted to do for so long, and this reward, however small, felt like proof that I had taken my first step forward.
It was rewarding in its own way, much more than monetarily.
Also, we decided to add each other's contacts so we could meet up again tomorrow and continue from where we left off.