[One week later.]
In the damp, dark corridors of Orario's Dungeon, a small creature, resembling a dog that walked on two legs, prowled in search of prey.
The monster, known as a kobold, was essentially a more feral version of the goblins found on the firsts floors.
With extremely sharp senses, especially smell, its fangs and claws could easily tear through flesh. Its body, slightly sturdier and stronger than a goblin's, was still considered weak for experienced adventurers. But its savagery and unpredictable behavior often caught inexperienced adventurers off guard.
However, the true danger of kobolds lay in their ability to fight in groups, where their synergy could turn simple encounters into deadly ambushes.
The best advice for dealing with them was to fight head-on; trying to sneak past them almost always ended badly due to their keen sense of smell.
And that was exactly what a certain young elf intended to test.
— Growl — The kobold snarled upon spotting the adventurer standing before it, the sound reverberating through the corridor like a primal warning.
The figure before it was tall and slender, with short, messy blond hair. He wore light clothing with no armor and held only a simple knife—nothing that suggested great experience.
The kobold instinctively lunged.
Without hesitation, the monster charged, claws scraping against the floor as the distance between them closed rapidly.
The elf stood still, eyes locked on the creature. When the kobold was just a few meters away, it leapt into the air, jaws open wide, ready to sink into the adventurer's flesh.
— Now. — the elf muttered to himself.
With calculated precision, he stepped to the side, letting the monster pass him completely. In the same instant, he pivoted and struck with his knife.
The blade cut into the back of the kobold's neck, hitting the nape. The monster let out a muffled sound before collapsing to the ground, dissolving into a cloud of shimmering dust that quickly dispersed, leaving behind a small magic stone fragment.
— Yeah! First time I've managed to pull that off properly. — Luki celebrated, bending down to pick up the loot while examining the fragment.
Crack!
A cracking sound echoed above him. Luki immediately looked up to see another kobold drop from the ceiling, where a fissure had formed.
Without fully straightening, he twisted his torso back. His right arm, still holding the knife, slashed in a swift, precise motion.
The crescent strike hit the monster's throat before it even reached the ground, nearly severing its head.
Thud!
The kobold fell dead beside him, dissolving into dust like the first.
Luki hopped lightly to the side, avoiding the spot where the monster had landed. He crouched again to pick up the second magic stone fragment, now with a tired sigh.
— This cursed place doesn't give me a second of rest… But thanks for the investment. — he murmured with a faint smile, examining the two fragments before storing them away.
He stood up, adjusting the knife in his hand, and continued down the dark corridors, senses sharp for any new threat.
— This knife's working better than I expected… — he thought, feeling the sharpness of the blade in his grip.
'But I still feel uneasy getting this close to attack.'
It had been a week since the day Hestia and Luki had gone out to celebrate at the Hostess of Fertility, totaling seventeen days in another world. Since then, he hadn't slowed down in his Dungeon expeditions, keeping a routine of going every other day.
He was focused on getting stronger, and he knew the only way to do that was to face more monsters, in greater numbers.
On his third run, he killed 45 monsters. On the fourth, 57. But on the fifth run, he truly outdid himself: an impressive 70 monsters in just five hours. However, the strain of so much combat took its toll.
During his last expedition, his sword, the only one he had, finally broke. The metal couldn't withstand the constant battles and just fell of the handle, like a bad glued school works.
With no other choice, he was left with the only weapon remaining: the knife he had received from the guild when he first became an adventurer.
— That sword was all I had… — he thought, remembering when he had received it, hoping it would aid him on his journey.
Now, it was just a keepsake from the beginning, something he would store at home as a memento of his first fights.
And it wasn't just the sword that was gone. His armor, which had protected him in battle, had also been destroyed by goblins. As always, those monsters were eager to "return the favor" to adventurers daring to face them.
In Luki's case, the goblins destroyed his only protection, forcing him to accept an unwanted "gift": the loss of everything that kept him even minimally safe.
— They make sure to show me who's in charge down here… — he thought with a bitter sigh, feeling the weight of the loss and the fear of being unprotected.
He knew he had to press on—without armor, without a sword—but with a knife in his hands and a burning desire to become stronger.
— Warf!— Growl!— Whrrr!
Luki paused for a moment, the sharp cries of kobolds echoing in his ears. Ahead of him, three of them appeared, moving in a tight group. Their eyes gleamed with primal fury, claws scraping against the stone floor.
He stopped, sizing up the monsters. It wasn't his first time facing a kobold, but it was his first time against a group. This was bound to happen sooner or later.
With a sudden movement, the kobolds charged, rushing straight at him. Luki stood his ground, unflinching. When they were close enough, the monsters leapt at him, claws sharp as knives.
Luki didn't move. His training and calmness were at the core of his strategy. He crouched slightly, letting the kobolds leap over him, but not before, with impressive agility, slashing-up one of their necks cleanly with his knife.
The kobold's body collapsed lifelessly to the floor, and the other two, upon landing, barely had time to register the young adventurer's movement. Luki was already behind them, and with a single motion of his knife, he cut into another's nape, dropping it instantly.
— Warf! Warf! — The third kobold barked furiously and, with a savage leap, threw itself at Luki.
The strike was unexpected, but Luki, with his now superior strength and experience, was ready. He used his arms to keep the kobold's snapping jaws away from his face, the monster's sharp teeth clashing dangerously close to his eyes. His breathing was heavy, but his mind was cold and focused.
With a swift motion, he kicked the kobold hard, sending it flying back. The monster lunged again, not learning from its mistake. It leapt through the air like a starving predator, determined to bite into its prey.
Swish! The blade sliced the air, and Luki's knife once again found the kobold's weak spot—the nape.
Puff, puff, puff…
The three kobolds vanished, leaving behind their glimmering fragments and traces of power. The Dungeon, as always, remained indifferent.
— Whew, that was close. — Luki exhaled in relief, feeling the cold sweat on his forehead as he wiped his hand on his clothes.
He knew that with each fight his confidence grew, but he also knew he couldn't let his guard down. The Dungeon was full of dangers, and he was still far from unbeatable.
However, as if the Dungeon could hear his thoughts, just as he bent down to collect the spoils, it struck again.
Crack!
Before Luki could fully react, a goblin dropped from the ceiling, his sharp nails slicing through the air toward the monster.
— Argh! What the hell?! — Luki shouted, startled by the sudden attack, but instinctively already turning his knife to slash the goblin's neck mid-fall.
…
Some time later, Luki, exhausted after spending six straight hours fighting in the Dungeon for the first time, walked silently toward the guild's reception. His footsteps echoed heavily against the guild's stone walls.
Clink, clink, clink, clink… The loot fell into the metal tray, the metallic sound filling the otherwise quiet room. He had no energy left for words—he just wanted to finish this.
Eina, who had been waiting for him, greeted him with a warm smile but quickly noticed the quantity of fragments.
— You're improving every day. Last time it was 70, now you've brought 89 fragments, and some are even bigger than the others. —She said while jotting down notes to calculate his reward.
— Did you finally decide to go to the second floor? — Eina asked, curiosity in her expression.
— Yeah… proBlem? — Luki replied, a little distant, still recovering from the physical and mental strain.
— Not exactly. It's just that most adventurers head to deeper floors by their second day, sometimes even on the first. Honestly, I'm glad you're taking the safer route.
— Too slooW… — Luki muttered, dissatisfied, eyeing the fragments in the tray critically.
— That's where you're wrong. — Eina replied in a more serious tone. — Looked at another way, you're doing very well. Your efficiency is higher than most rookies I've ever seen.
— How… onlY 89… one wEEk… normal is mORE… — Luki couldn't understand. To him, 89 fragments still felt like too little compared to what he thought he could do.
— Yes, normal adventurers earn more than that in a week, but they also spend far more. — Eina explained calmly.
— They need to repair and replace equipment constantly, not to mention healing and stamina potions. But you, even after half a month, are still using your starting gear. Normally, it breaks within a day or two.
— So, your profit ends up being higher, since you don't have to worry about replacements.
Luki fell silent for a moment, processing her words. He looked at the fragments again, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the reality she had shown him.
— StiLL… little… unsatisfIED… — he murmured, frustration clear in his eyes.
Eina studied him for a moment before responding firmly.
— I know where your mind is going. Forget it, Luki. Don't let frustration or ambition get to your head. It's not worth taking unnecessary risks just for a few more fragments. — Eina said with surprising authority, her concern evident.
She had seen this happen countless times before, adventurers dissatisfied with their gains, diving deeper into the Dungeon, facing more monsters, and taking greater risks.
Until, in a single careless moment or unforeseen situation, they never came back.
In the time she had known him, Eina had grown attached to Luki. He wasn't just another adventurer to her, he had become someone she genuinely wanted to help. She didn't want to see him lost to his pursuit of strength at any cost.
— SorRy… I wiLL not… — Luki replied quietly, his head slightly lowered. He knew Eina was right, but the feeling of moving too slowly still gnawed at him.
Eina gave a small, relieved smile and continued calculating the fragments, knowing that despite his impatience, Luki was beginning to understand.
— Anyway, here's your reward: 4,500 valis. Have a good day.
— LAter. — Luki took his reward and left.