Let's Go to the Dungeon!
After picking out her clothes, Lizbet and I left the store, and by then it was getting close to lunchtime. We decided to grab a bite and then wander around town, so we headed to a place she knew.
I didn't think my eye for fashion was off—walking down the street, Lizbet was turning heads left and right. Guys passing by were blushing and sneaking glances back at her. No denying it, she was stunning. Dressed in that sexy new outfit, I could totally understand why they couldn't look away.
We arrived at a café-like spot with outdoor tables. The stares of surprise at my appearance were old news by now. I sat on the ground next to the table where Lizbet took a seat and watched her place the order.
The server even asked if I wanted anything—through Lizbet, of course—and I explained that in my current form, it was tough to eat cooked food, so could they just bring raw veggies on a tray or something? She said sure and headed inside. Soon, a sandwich-looking dish and a cup of tea appeared in front of Lizbet, while a platter of trimmed vegetables was set before me.
They were this accommodating? I was already liking this place.
As we ate, I asked Lizbet if that street with the store was some kind of noble district—it had seemed upscale enough. She explained it wasn't exactly that; it was just a high-end shopping street near the entrance to the noble quarter up north. She'd considered going to the really pricey shops deeper inside but chose that one to accommodate me.
Even though it was the noble quarter, was there no issue getting in? She added that the shop we'd visited was high-class because of the owner's famous designs—nobles dropped by occasionally—but the truly elite shops inside the quarter catered exclusively to nobles, with prices in a whole different league. You picked a design, placed a custom order, and waited at least a couple months. Women's fashion in this world was insanely expensive.
Well, Earth had its luxury brands with crazy price tags too. And since these were adventure outfits with some magical tech woven in, the cost made a bit more sense.
"So, where to in the afternoon? Radia's bigger than I thought—we should pick our spots carefully."
"I'll show you the must-know shops around the Guild Management Office and near where you live. You don't know many yet, right?"
We finished eating and headed toward the Guild Management Office, passing through an area with small apartment-like buildings where people lived. Lizbet stopped in front of a sleek-designed one.
"This is the lodging Als and I share. Great location, clean, high-quality furniture and amenities for the price—vacancies are super hard to snag. We barely got in. The rooms are a bit small for two, so Als took a second-floor unit and I got third."
Sounded like a popular studio apartment building. Als, that ball-less loser—boyfriend or not, why not live together? If I'd come to this world as a human, I'd have shacked up with my girlfriend regardless of size. Though yeah, cramming into a tiny room might make it hard to rest properly after quests.
"Most adventurers live around here unless they've bought a place. They call it the lodging district. Cheaper spots further down exist, but they're filthy rat holes full of bugs. Once you get your humanization skill, look for a room nearby."
She said that, then popped inside to drop off her shopping bags real quick. The lobby visible through the open door had a clean lounge vibe—nice from the entrance already.
Hmm. Once I get humanization, definitely scout rooms around here.
Lizbet was back in no time, and we resumed our tour. She led me around shops near the Guild Management Office and my warehouse, sharing all sorts of gems: street vendors hawking ingredients, gear shops clustered for adventurers, apothecaries dealing in potions and monster byproducts.
When she showed me my "home," her expression turned hilariously subtle. "You live in what looks like a monster pen for livestock...?"
Guess it did resemble one. Well, I was a monster. "Once I get humanization, I'll upgrade to something nice," I said, and we kept exploring until the sun started dipping low.
We hit the Guild Management Office to wait for Als—if he was late, we'd eat dinner at the cafeteria there. Inside, I learned they stayed open till around 9 p.m., after dinner rush. Radia's gates closed at 8, so they handled reports from the last guilds in before locking up.
Come to think of it, time and calendars here matched Earth. Planet size, rotation—probably similar?
Als showed up midway through this chatter, and we ordered dinner. He did a double-take at Lizbet's new look, face flushing in surprise, but complimented her—"You look great"—before turning serious.
That was it? Come on, man.
"You done with your business? What the hell is this about hiding info and only using heroes?" Lizbet asked him, voice edged with irritation.
Yeah, I was pretty curious too. Als's grave expression suggested it wasn't trivial.
"Remember that day I went to the lord's for the hero summons? I mentioned a veteran hero had died—a strong one over level 50, one of Radia's best."
"Over 50? That's badass. Average adventurers are 30-40, right? So his death caused the uproar?"
"No... It's tragic, but not just that. The problem was his corpse."
Als explained: In this world, unless a body was pulverized to dust or too decayed, they could analyze the lingering Esser to ID it. Guilds or the lord's castle had magic tools that pulled up info like an adventurer card—who it was, abilities up to death.
"But when his guild brought the body for official death confirmation... there was no 'hero' in his status."
"...Huh? That make any sense?" Lizbet shot back, stunned.
From what they said, hero status never vanished—even postmortem, the analysis showed it. But this vet hero? Nothing. He'd renewed his card countless times; the lord and director knew him well. His hero qualification was just gone.
"At first, they suspected fakery... but no motive. Hero power comes from infinite Esser, not kingdom perks. Unless you're a direct royal pick for strength and loyalty, benefits are minimal. And he wasn't weak enough to fake it."
"So... something at death stripped his hero status?"
Als nodded. "His guild said he led charges with fighting spirit aura blazing, clearing paths while they mopped up monsters and regrouped for bosses. Same tactic in this dungeon—after cleanup, they found him dead inside."
"Guildmates killing a hero? Unlikely. So something in the dungeon killed a level-50+ hero and erased his status?"
"Exactly."
The cafeteria server arrived with our orders mid-convo. We paused for drinks; Als munched a fried meat bite before continuing.
"And the dungeon itself is weird. Dungeons form where dense Esser clashes with Tesser, creating pocket spaces detached from reality. Clear monsters and boss, evacuate all life, and it vanishes naturally. No corpses from some monsters, so loot's minerals or plants—but left alone, Tesser and beasts leak out like the Cursed Mountains, so kingdoms commission guilds via quests."
Appreciated the detail—probably for my sake.
"This one was huge, high-Tesser—recent outbreaks like it. Most guilds joined emergency quests, cleared to the boss. Tesser's stabilized, but it won't collapse. Lord's and director's betting it's tied to the hero's death."
Other heroes and guilds scoured it post-clear—empty dungeon space, no traces.
"Hence the summons. Theory: a monster ambushed him solo. Others moved in groups, cautious. Priests helped search—no dice."
We half-ate, riveted as he went on, dead serious.
"Stronger heroes tested solo to bait it—nothing. Maybe conditions, or it targets the weak. South gate artifacts and structures from returning guilds? Compared to records—no matches. That's where our guild came up."
"Us? Still noobs—why?"
"Yeah. They want us to scout."
Lizbet's face hardened. High-level vets injured, one dead—this to newbie-only Light of Madel? Insane.
"Not cannon fodder. Multi-hero parties searched days, sleepless—no leads. Can't tie up elites indefinitely; livelihoods, other duties. Unknown duration's a burden."
"Still, why us...?"
"Ours is time-limited: three days. Including Sema. Mentioned you're with us—a Divine Beast—so they insist you join. No finds? Report to kingdom for full probe. Pay either way; success gets reward and achievements."
"...But..."
"Lizbet."
She eyed him worriedly; he leaned in. "I want to do it."
Serious gaze locked on her. "Solving this right could launch us past beginner. Monsters cleared—no big risks. Hero's death worries me, but that's why Sema's included."
He turned to me. "Told 'em about you—lord figures you could evac us in danger. As Divine Beast, expects you sense something about this freak dungeon beyond fighting. Quest: 10 gold for us three days, 5 for you separate. Tax-free, despite temp contract. Really hopes you'll join."
His pitch: come with. 5 gold tax-free? Jackpot conditions. Risky unknown, so fat reward. Plus tax exemption—mushroom quest gave 1 silver from 10, they skimmed 70% to 3 coppers. Thieving bastards. I'd blown nearly 2 gold on Lizbet's clothes today. No rent, cheap veggie meals—but expenses add up sans income. Humanized? Room, gear—hoard cash now.
Plus, resolving a lord/kingdom-noted anomaly? No glory chase, but success helps me. Post-humanization, beauties swarming: "You're that Divine Beast!"
"Sounds good to me. You two decide, I'll join."
"Thanks, Sema. Lizbet...?"
"Sigh... We should avoid danger, but Als is set. Fine. Sema, screw up and I'll rat you to the lord—no pay."
"Don't sweat it. Worst case, I haul you two out at full gallop."
We shoveled cooling food, quest-talk flowing. Nice—first dungeon tomorrow, three days of real anticipation.