If there's one principle I haven't broken since coming to this world, it's training myself.
"...Why do I feel like I'm waking up earlier and earlier?"
Actually, it was strange how I woke up so early in the morning and had extra time, but I never wasted it.
"I should stretch my body before Miach and Naza wake up."
"Since I just bought armor, I should wear it and move around."
So, wearing the armor I bought yesterday, I headed to a secluded back alley to stretch.
"Didn't one of the workers say that when you receive your Blessing, you become a superhuman beyond comparison with ordinary people? I need to see for myself how much that is."
After receiving my Blessing, I hadn't really used my strength or moved my body much, so I hadn't felt the difference.
"Wow... It really is insane."
At least until a moment ago.
"Now I understand why they call it superhuman."
Even if it's lightweight, wearing metal should feel heavy, but the weight I felt now was no different from my usual clothes.
"Then... should I try my routine while wearing armor today?" . . . "...You came out even earlier than usual today?"
In the quiet back alley, empty in the early morning, a rhythmic sound like running could be heard.
'Whoosh!'
Like the sound of insects at night, it blended with the surroundings without discord, but the occasional sound of metal scraping kept breaking the mood.
"Did you buy new armor?"
'Tap!'
Moving swiftly at a constant rhythm, interspersed with kicks, it looked like a dance.
"...Why?"
I first discovered this child a week ago, and I wasn't interested at first.
"...Why is such a light coming from that child?"
The color reflected in the mirror now was like pitch-black darkness, the color of those completely corrupted or ruined.
"But this child is different... It's as if someone tampered with their soul..."
Children with such colors usually die soon or end their own lives, but I felt none of that from this child.
"...Interesting."
Not greed or desire, but simple interest—a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time.
"What a shame... This child and that other one are both in other Familias... Should I just take them?" . . . "I feel like someone's staring at me strangely... Must be my imagination."
Since it was almost time for people to wake up, I hurried back home. While making breakfast, I took off my gear and checked the ingredients.
"One potato, a wilted carrot, and a few onions... I'm really going crazy."
As someone interested in international cuisine who practiced hard and even tried for professional certifications, seeing such meager ingredients hurt every time. Of course, I didn't pass those exams back then.
"Since the carrot is useless in this state, let's say we discard it, leaving potatoes and onions..."
After thinking for a while, I decided to make a simple potato pancake—a rosti.
"...Since we only have potatoes, let's just make that."
First, I thinly sliced the washed potatoes and soaked them in water.
"Meanwhile, thinly slice the onions too."
After the starch came out of the potatoes, I removed them and waited for the starch to settle.
"It takes about 10 minutes for the starch to settle... I should wake up the two soon."
I headed to the god's room first.
'Knock knock!'
"Good morning, Miach."
"Hmm... You woke up early again today."
"I feel like I'm waking up earlier and earlier."
"Hmm... If something feels off, tell me later, and I'll examine you properly."
Miach always woke up without issue, but Naza was a bit different.
'Knock knock!'
"Senior? May I come in?"
'...'
It was often like this, with no response at all, which was frustrating.
"It's a bit awkward for a man to enter a woman's room without permission..."
In this no-answer situation, there was only one thing I could do.
"...Sister, wake up."
'Crash?! Thud!!'
"Say that again."
Every time I use this method, I wonder why this woman is so eager to be called 'sister.'
"...Breakfast is almost ready, so please change quickly and come to the table...!!"
Based on past experience, if I stayed, I'd be caught, so I hurriedly said my piece and tried to run, but—
"Where do you think..."
"...Damn it."
I was caught in just three steps. . . . "...Satisfied."
"..."
This time, there was no escape, so I had to call Naza 'sister' to be released.
'Next time, I'll send Miach instead.'
Finally back in the dining area, I checked that the starch had settled, slowly poured out the water, and left only the starch.
"Hmm... Another dish I've never seen before."
"Since we only had potatoes left, I tried making a dish with potatoes as the main ingredient."
Now, all that was left was to mix the thinly sliced potatoes and onions, coat them with starch, and fry them in oil.
"It's weird that we have no ingredients but plenty of oil..."
After heating the pan, I spread the starch-coated potatoes thinly and fried them, serving two for each of them.
"Here, be careful, it's hot. Well then, I'm off!"
I hurriedly put on my armor, wrapped a rosti in paper, and ran towards the Dungeon.
"...Just eat before you go."
"Haha. Isn't the first trip to the Dungeon something to look forward to?" . . . Maybe because it was my first Dungeon in this life, I was more excited than worried.
"Um..."
So, even before arriving at the entrance, I caused an accident. I bumped right into someone.
"It's been a while... though it's only been a day."
It looked like I was tackling someone I owed money to.
"I'm sorry, please spare my life."
"...I'm a healer, not the goddess of death."
Sadly, she didn't seem to appreciate jokes.
"Anyway, I'm sorry."
Quickly getting up, I apologized repeatedly and reached out my hand to Amid, who had fallen.
"It's fine."
Fortunately, Amid took my hand and got up.
"Seeing you like that, you must be heading to the Dungeon."
"Ah, yes, this is my first time. I was in a hurry and didn't look around well."
"I see..."
'Grrrowl~'
I quickly turned my head, pretending not to hear, but Amid's usually expressionless face clearly showed embarrassment.
"...Would you like to have this?"
In the awkward silence, I suddenly remembered the food I brought and handed it to her.
"It's... it's fine...?!"
'Grrrowl~'
It only backfired.
"..."
"..."
"...Sorry."
"...Ah, no. Thank you for your kindness..."
After giving Amid the still-warm rosti, I thought if I stayed any longer, the mood would just get weirder, so I quickly left.
"Uh... See you next time."
"...Yes."
Fortunately, I arrived at the entrance without further incident and checked my gear.
"No loose parts in the armor... adjust the belt slightly tighter..."
After finishing the check, I finally set foot in the Dungeon.
"To think there's such a labyrinth underground..."
My first impression upon entering was just a moment of surprise. After walking for a while, I finally encountered monsters.
"Of all things, my first opponent is you?"
It was Kobolds—the creatures that had killed me before.
"Three of them from the start..."
Whether it's because I died and came back to life or it's just my nature, the feeling I had wasn't fear, but excitement.
"This should be fun."
A smile formed on my lips as the sound of my metal boots against the floor echoed.
'Tap! Tap!'
"""Grrr!!"""
I waited until the enemies approached.
"Back then, I was caught off guard, but..."
"""Gyaaah!!!"""
"Not now, right?"
Just before being hit, I quickly stepped back and kicked the side of the leader's head.
'Crack!!'
The feeling of the skull breaking traveled up my leg as its neck twisted unnaturally.
"Kekh?!!"
Seeming flustered by its comrade's fall, the second one hesitated. I kicked its knee to break its stance, then struck its solar plexus with a straight punch, vividly feeling something shatter.
"Gyaah?!!"
The one aiming at me from behind was suddenly caught by the head. When I applied force, its head shattered like an egg. Blood sprayed everywhere before it eventually rolled on the ground.
"...Huh?"
Only after the fight ended did I come to my senses.
"...I don't have something like a berserk mode, do I?"
Before the fight, I thought I should test how much stronger I became and how effective my martial arts would be, but when the fight started, I lost half my sanity.
"Clearly, the more I attacked, the more my mind went blank, which means..."
To organize my thoughts, I extracted magic stones from the corpses.
"I hope I wouldn't attack people, not just monsters, right?"
Pulling out the magic stones, the corpses turned to ash and disappeared. Seeing that, I sat by the roadside for a moment and made a decision.
"...I might not be able to go deeper into the Dungeon after all."