Testing My Luck in the New World

Volume 1 - Chapter 6

In video games, the Monk class I was most familiar with was usually a holy man that specialized in light and healing magics. Thinking about it now, I do remember there being some games with warrior monks that either used martial arts or maces. Maybe that's what hers referred to.

"I see... Then, what about armor?"

"Don't need that either. I don't plan on getting hit."

"What do you mean you don't plan on getting hit? Have you been in the dungeon before?"

She shrugged, then grimaced.

"Several times. I made it down to the third floor."

"Really? But you're not an Adventurer."

Yua cocked her head and raised a brow at me. The look she gave me was nothing more than unbridled confusion, the sort where she might actually be questioning my very sanity, but coming from a beauty like her, that little gesture felt like a dire insult towards my intelligence. And given how I got us into this mess, I couldn't say she was wrong.

"... You don't have to be an Adventurer to go into the dungeon. Anyone can. Whether or not they choose to take that risk is entirely up to them."

I did my best to suppress a sigh. That should have been obvious, but my only knowledge of the dungeons came from Alphonse, who only spoke of them in terms of Adventurers making gold by fighting in them. Somewhere in all of that, I must have just assumed only Adventurers were allowed in.

I suppose that with beast-kin being stronger than the average human, they might even make it a habit to venture into the dungeons for some easy money. Or, maybe, it was just easier to earn what they needed rather than buy the spoils of other Adventurers?

"Right... Er, Yua, could you tell me what kind of monsters we will meet on the first floor, then?"

Monsters was a vague term that could mean anything. I'd learned about a fair few fictional beasts in my time on Earth, but all that knowledge, meager as it may be due to my laziness, was based entirely on fiction. Even if the basis for this world was made using my knowledge, things here could easily be different. I'd been in a fight already, but if we were talking about real monsters, not wild animals then I at least wanted to know what we were up against.

"Sure, if I must." She shrugged, like the info was nothing to brag about. "The first floor contains only wolves and slimes. Nothing to worry about."

Wolves, eh? Maybe I should be happy about what happened in the forest then. Now at least I know I have a little experience before jumping into danger.

"Do you know how much the items they drop are worth?"

"Nope," she answered, again with a shrug. "Well, I suppose I can tell you that the wolves may drop either their fangs or pelt and the slimes drop either oil or slime. I don't know how much they are worth, though."

I mulled this over.

Wolves and slimes are fairly common as low-level enemies. I had already beaten two wolves at this point, but the ones in the dungeon were supposed to be tougher. Then again, they did only take one hit each, maybe these new ones won't be too much harder to beat.

Trying to keep my optimism alive and well, I clenched my fist, only to realize something was off.

"Wait, if you got to the third floor, then why do you not know what the items are worth? Were you just collecting them for your personal use?"