First, Level Up (3): Priorities of a Tin Knight
My leveling speed had slowed to a crawl now that I had graduated from the Lucky Cow Room. I had been running around for quite a while, yet I had only leveled up twice. Was this for real...?
If only I hadn't given that woman the Two Hearts. With the safety net of an extra life, I could have cleared so many more areas much faster.
Experiencing this painfully sluggish leveling speed firsthand, a strange sense of regret and lingering disappointment began to creep in.
But whatever... there was no point in crying over spilled milk. I could always farm items again later. And at the end of the day, level is just a number that goes up as long as you put in the time.
"Ugh..."
I was busy sorting through the loot I had farmed in the dungeon, lost in my thoughts, when it happened.
"W-where... am I...?"
A faint, weak groan escaped the lips of the woman who had shown no signs of waking up until now.
"..."
Yet, I didn't even turn my head. No, I couldn't turn my head. I was currently doing something far more important.
"Eek...! W-who are you?! And where on earth is this?!"
"We are inside a dungeon. I happened to pass by, spotted some bandits, and eliminated them all on the spot."
I explained the situation as quickly as possible to prevent any unnecessary drama, then went back to organizing the items scattered in front of me.
The woman stared at me blankly for a moment, her eyes a mix of bewilderment and terror. She then looked back and forth between her clothes and her surroundings, instinctively curling inward.
"Eliminated them all...? What do you mean by..."
"I cleared out all the bandits."
"No, I understand that, but... how did you face all those bandits alone...?"
Her voice trembled as her words trailed off. With terror-filled eyes, she slowly scanned my worn, creaking armor.
"And besides, I was surely..."
"You were dead, but I happened to have a resurrection item on hand, so I used it on you."
"...Pardon?"
I replied matter-of-factly. It would be a waste of time to explain the details of the Two Hearts, and boasting about my generosity didn't fit the situation anyway.
"I didn't save you with any ulterior motives, so you don't need to worry."
"T-that makes no sense. Why would you use such a precious item on someone like me...?"
"An item is just an item. I can always farm another one."
If there was one thing I had realized while grinding this dungeon, it was that at my current level, I could easily handle any monster that spawned here. Even the named monsters were barely over level 20.
"So, you don't need to stress over it."
I spoke calmly as I slowly stood up.
"Well, I'll be on my way. You're probably still feeling weak, so you should rest here a bit longer before heading out."
"W-wait! You're leaving? Where on earth are you going right now...?"
"Back into the dungeon to farm."
I answered the moment she finished speaking. My absolute lack of hesitation left her looking utterly dumbfounded. But only for a moment.
"...Then, may I ask just one more thing before you go?"
Taking a deep, calming breath, she slowly adjusted her posture. Her movements carried an innate elegance. It was hard to believe she was the same woman who had just been murdered by bandits. A strange composure and resolve flickered in her eyes.
"...Go ahead."
I carefully turned my creaking body to face her again. As I did, her gaze grew noticeably more serious and intense.
"I understand the situation well enough. And I do not doubt that you wiped out all those bandits."
"..."
"After all, no one would casually rifle through bandits' corpses like that unless they were the one who killed them."
I flinched slightly at her words. My original plan had been to just knock them out. But because I had grown stronger than I realized, I had accidentally ended their lives. I honestly hadn't expected them to die in a single hit.
"I am simply curious why someone as strong as you is alone in a barren dungeon like this, gathering meager spoils."
She asked calmly, taking a quiet breath.
"With your skills, it would be far more logical to challenge high-level dungeons that guarantee much better loot."
As her quiet voice drifted through the air, an awkward, heavy silence settled over us.
Her dignified, elegant demeanor was impossible to associate with a slave. And her deep, cool eyes seemed to pierce right through my thoughts. What was this strange sense of dissonance...?
Every time she spoke, an indescribable, alien feeling washed over me.
"Ah, please do not misunderstand. I am not trying to interrogate you."
"..."
"I was merely curious."
Her question triggered a flurry of thoughts in my mind. However, I kept my expression blank. Whatever her identity was, it had absolutely nothing to do with me.
"This dungeon is by no means a place for a powerhouse like you to—"
"It's a dungeon, so I cleared it. There is no deeper reason."
I had been possessed into this world out of nowhere, and I had started clearing dungeons out of nowhere. There was no grand purpose or epic narrative.
If my level had been high from the start, maybe things would be different, but as a mere Level 4, the only thing I could do in this place was fight for my life, slaughtering monsters to level up. Since that was my only option, I had grinded relentlessly.
"Besides, I like farming. I can see myself getting stronger in real-time."
"Farming...? What on earth do you think a dungeon is—"
"This dungeon is a goldmine packed with all kinds of rare items. I don't understand why you keep calling it barren."
I cut her off with a dry, indifferent reply. For the first time, the composure in her eyes wavered.
"I assume that's also why those bandits dragged you all the way out here."
"N-no, you're wrong...!"
"Pardon?"
"They didn't bring me here for something like that!"
Her cool demeanor vanished instantly. Her face paled as she gripped her shabby skirt so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"They planned to quietly dispose of me here..."
"...?"
"A carriage rolling off a cliff on the way to the monastery, leaving me missing forever. That was likely the scenario they wrote."
The woman began to spin a deeply serious tale.
"My mere existence must be terribly inconvenient for them. I suppose exiling me to a monastery wasn't enough to satisfy them..."
It was a heavy, dramatic story that weighed down the very air around us. Unfortunately, I didn't understand a single word of it.
Why would bandits enter a dangerous dungeon just to dispose of one woman? Where did a monastery suddenly come from, and what was this "scenario" she was talking about...? No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Did this game even have a story like this?
"In short, you stand to gain nothing by helping me."
"..."
"I am penniless. I have no title, no wealth... I am nothing but a useless girl with nothing to my name."
I had no idea what was going on, but one thing was absolutely certain: whatever her circumstances were, they had zero impact on my dungeon farming schedule. If anything, wasting my time chatting with her like this was a massive net loss.
"I am sorry... You went to such lengths to save me, yet I have nothing to offer in return..."
"It's fine. As I said, I didn't do it expecting a reward."
I replied flatly, then turned my back on her and walked deeper into the dungeon without a second thought. I could feel her bewildered gaze burning into my back, heavier than before.
"W-what?! How can you just walk away after hearing all that?!"
Her panicked voice echoed behind me.
"...Is there something else you need?"
I asked bluntly, annoyed by her persistence. She bit her lip, hesitating, before finally steeling herself and speaking in a trembling, strained voice.
"I must ask, just in case... do you truly have no idea who I am?"
"Yes. I don't know you."
Once again, I answered without a shred of hesitation. How on earth was I supposed to know someone I had met for the first time today? What kind of reaction was she even expecting from me? I had no clue.
"H-how... How could you not know me, a lady of the ducal house...?"
"...?"
Just as I was about to ponder her words, she muttered weakly.
"Adelaide von Loengrin... That is my name. Does that still mean nothing to you?"
A lady of a ducal house, out of nowhere. I guess this game's lore was more convoluted than I thought.
"Though, I suppose I have been exiled from my family, and only my name remains now..."
"I see."
I had no idea what circumstances had brought a duke's daughter to this place. But as someone who skipped the story in every single game I played, whatever Adelaide babbled next went completely in one ear and out the other.
"Right. Well, it was nice meeting you, Lady Adelaide. Have a safe trip back."
"...What?"
Duke's daughter or not, I had my own problems to worry about. Why should I care about her? I still had a mountain of items to farm in this dungeon, and my level was nowhere near where it needed to be. I couldn't afford to waste another second.
"I'm not done farming yet."