## Chapter 36 – Dungeon
The next day.
I arrived at the guild in the morning, and as expected, there was no sign of Copson. That son of a bitch. However, Meria was already there waiting for me, sitting in a chair, dozing lazily in the sunlight.
“Hey. I’m here.”
“…Oh. You’re here.”
“Looks like Copson didn’t get the message, he’s not here.”
“Can’t be helped. We’ll have to find someone else.”
“Let’s wait a bit, just in case.”
“Okay.”
With nothing else to do but wait for Copson, I ordered two beers. The Adventurer’s Guild often sold alcohol to unemployed people desperately seeking work, or to diligent adventurers returning from completing quests.
“Here, drink.”
The beer, served in small glasses, cost 1 copper each. Considering the size, it felt like a ripoff, but I wasn’t young enough to whine about the price of ramen at an internet cafe, so I handed a beer to Meria without hesitation.
“Wow, are you buying? Thanks!”
Meria’s face, which had been expressionless from being sleepy, instantly brightened. No one in this era dislikes alcohol. Not just in this era, but probably nowhere in the world does anyone dislike free booze.
“I’m making you wait. It’s only right to buy you a drink.”
“I’ll enjoy it.”
More than anything, since I’m making her wait on my account, I feel more comfortable doing something like this.
“You’re very considerate.”
“It’s just basic human decency.”
I toasted with Meria and took a swig of the beer. The taste of the beer didn’t seem much different from the beer on Earth. Since people’s tastes are all similar, it seems like they eventually converge on this flavor. After finishing it, I felt a little disappointed that it was only one glass.
“Buy me just one more.”
“Thanks!”
Anyway, I ended up drinking with her in the morning, unintentionally. When alcohol enters the picture, it naturally loosens the tongue. Meria asked me if I had any stories or information about dungeons.
“Well, it’s not like I’ve never been to a dungeon.”
What story should I tell… right, the story of when I went to the Kobold Dungeon would be good. That was when I was still a complete nobody, a piece of human garbage, an F-rank adventurer. Time-wise, it was probably over a year ago, but probably not quite two years ago…
“So, since you told me about the Necropolis yesterday, I’ll tell you about a dungeon I went to.”
The memory of almost dying back then was still vivid.
So vaguely, as if I could reach out and touch it if I stretched my hand out to recall the memory.
“Where should I start… I almost died when I went into a Kobold den when I was a rookie. Kobolds are rat-like monsters that dig tunnels underground and live like ants… you know that, right? A few years ago, a huge Kobold den was discovered near Krasheim. It was immediately designated as a dungeon, and many adventurers flocked there. Kobolds have a habit of collecting all the ‘obstacles’ that come out when they dig tunnels into one room. You could say it’s a room where they keep their trash, but what’s trash to them is a treasure trove to people. Well, there was a rumor that magic stones or mana stones were often found. Adventurers jumped into the dungeon with that as their goal.”
“So? Is that why you went there too?”
Meria asked with an interested expression.
“That’s right… but that wasn’t my goal. What would I know back then, with nothing to my name? A dungeon was created, it makes money, so people gather. That’s the feeling I had, and I formed a party with fellow F-rank adventurers I knew fairly well and headed to the dungeon. Our goal wasn’t grand. Just make enough for a few days’ wages, even if we only earn 10 coppers per person after going in, it’s a profit, it would be good even if we just picked up what others dropped. Honestly, I was scared, but since there were a few of us, I wasn’t that afraid. I was even excited.”
Who would have known that this would be the reason I became a loner with no friends? Kobolds were typical weak opponents that even an F-rank adventurer could defeat a few of, so we underestimated them.
“So then…”
“Yo.”
Just as I was about to speak again, a familiar voice came from behind me.
“Drinking in broad daylight? You barbarian. Haven’t seen you in a while, so you were in a place like this.”
“…It wasn’t a doppelganger after all.”
It was Copson, appearing with a strangely high level of energy, as expected. An E-rank adventurer with blonde hair tied back and a lot of freckles on his face. The last time I saw him was when we hunted a Cockatrice.
“What, so what happened?”
“Ah, I’ll tell you later.”
Copson looked at me with a puzzled expression when he saw that my drinking partner was a woman. I invited him to sit next to me.
“Sit down first. It’s been a long time. Looks like you’ve been doing well.”
“Somehow, the barbarian is always changing women. You wild horse. Truly, as befitting a barbarian, it is considered that there is no such thing as restraint.”
I lightly ignored Copson’s nonsense and got to the point.
“Stop talking nonsense… Hey, Copson. I’m forming a dungeon exploration party with this lady, how about it? Will you come with us?”
“I’ll join if you buy me a drink.”
“Goodbye. See you next time.”
Even if it’s nothing else, men should split the bill, you idiot. I waved my hand, trying to send Copson back to where he should be.
“You’re a heartless guy. Well, fine. In the first place, my purpose in coming to this city was the dungeon. I’ll go with you.”
“Okay, let’s register the party then.”
Now that Copson has joined, it would be good to find and recruit a suitable priest. A priest who can provide first aid is almost essential in a dungeon. And since it’s dark inside, the help of divine magic will be great.
“Meria. This friend is the guy named Copson I was talking about. His equipment is decent, right? He looks a bit rough, but he’s reliable, so there won’t be any problems.”
“Yeah, he looks like it. Mr. Copson? My name is Meria. Nice to meet you.”
“The barbarian was causing trouble. Nice to meet you too.”
“Don’t lower your voice, you bastard.”
Copson’s party affiliation was completed. Well then, since we have time today, let’s go find a priest to recruit into the party.
“What churches are around here?”
But even if I know Krasheim, which is my territory, this is Isvant. I have no idea where any church is located. I looked at Meria, who has lived here longer than I have, and asked.
“Um. As far as I know, there’s the Salvation Heaven Church, the Soul Requiem Cult, the Brass Saint Heaven Society, and the Heavenly Path Society? Maybe there are more, but I don’t know.”
According to Meria, the churches around here are [Salvation Heaven Church] [Soul Requiem Cult] [Brass Saint Heaven Society] [Heavenly Path Society].
Just hearing the names, all I could think was, “What the hell kind of cult is that stuck in what neighborhood?” But this world adopted a polytheistic worldview, so there were various gods and various beliefs, which was a natural phenomenon.
Each church also had different representative powers (because they worship different gods), so I don’t know well, but to get a proper explanation, you would need the help of locals or people of that religion. However, neither Copson nor Meria were natives of Isvant, so they didn’t seem to know much.
The priests of the Brass Saint Heaven Society, who also attended the sermon last time, can use healing… I wonder about the others.
“First of all, to go to the dungeon, a priest who can use healing is essential. Copson. Are there any of those guys among the churches mentioned?”
“I’ve worked with an apprentice priest from the Salvation Heaven Church, and he can use healing. But he was stingy, so he didn’t use it often.”
“Is that so?”
Then it would be good to find one of the two first.
As we were deciding on a course of action and discussing which church to go to first, the door of the Adventurer’s Guild opened.
ㅡClang, clang.
Is the equipment level good? The pleasant sound of iron equipment echoed, and I turned around to see who it was.
“Hmm?”
It was a short nun. She was wearing a blue nun’s habit and iron armor. The sound seemed to be coming from there. Looking at her, she was wearing a fancy cross necklace that seemed to emit light… was that the Light Saint Cross Society? I think that was their symbol.
That place where only violent and psycho-like guys gather. Suddenly, the nun’s hair color caught my eye. It was a brilliant red, as if rubies had been melted, and it was glossy.
Oh, wait a minute.
Suddenly, someone came to mind.
“Ah, aren’t you Ms. Katt?”
“Sister Elise?”
“Nice to see you. It’s been a while. How have you been?”
Elise greeted me with a expressionless face.
I greeted her back with a dumbfounded face. What is this? Is this a reunion of separated families? Her appearance, which I hadn’t seen in a long time, hadn’t changed much, but her equipment level seemed to have improved a lot.
Did she get promoted from a lower-ranking nun to a mid-ranking nun in the meantime?
“I used the Giant Spider carapace you gave me as a gift well.”
“Oh, is that so? Hehehe, that’s a relief.”
Come to think of it, I probably gave her something like that to exchange for candy when we parted. Meria and Copson asked if we knew each other. I quietly waved my hand, meaning I would explain later.
“But… what brings you to Isvant, Sister Elise?”
“Ah, the church has given me a mission. I’ve been dispatched to investigate it.”
This special forces nun seemed to have a lot of work to do.
“Haha, like that Kobold idol last time? Wow. It seems like you have a lot of work to do.”
“That’s right. In fact, there was circumstantial evidence that there was an ominous connection between that and the Kobold Sanctuary in the dungeon named Necropolis. I’ve been dispatched to investigate it.”
If it’s the Necropolis, isn’t that the dungeon we were going to go to?
I felt like I had hit the jackpot with this unexpected opportunity. If I could coax Elise well, I might be able to explore the dungeon with her. I had seen her superhuman abilities last time, so it was more than certain.
“It would be impossible to investigate alone, so I visited the Adventurer’s Guild to gather companions… Excuse me, Ms. Katt, are you currently doing anything else? If you don’t mind, how about using your experience from that time to investigate with me?”
Elise said that to me. I called her in a serious voice.
“Sister Elise.”
“Yes?”
“We were just about to form a party to explore the Necropolis. If you don’t mind, I would like to ask if you could come with us. It seems our thoughts are aligned.”
Elise and I exchanged glances.
“Please take care of me.”
“The pleasure is all mine. I can only explain this by saying that you and I have a great relationship.”
We looked at each other and shook hands.
