Welcome to Grindel
Welcome to Grindel! In the past, the first pioneers who explored the dungeon thought to themselves—
"...Doesn't it take way too long to walk all the way down to the depths?"
"Seriously. If you're unlucky, it can take over a week just to get from the first floor to the tenth. Is this really how it's supposed to be...? Every time we prepare for an expedition, I feel like I'm losing my mind......"
...The path from the upper layers to the depths was simply too long and treacherous. Even if they could hunt Entities locally for food and sleep on the ground with a blanket while taking turns on watch, it was still far too distant...! No matter how fired up they got and charged out from the White Zone, by the time they reached the existing exploration points, they were too exhausted to do anything productive. Because of this problem, in the early days of the dungeon city, other professions actually received more attention than pioneers. Namely—
"Hey kids, don't bother with all that pioneer nonsense. Come gather mana stones with us in the White Zone! If you're lucky, you might even find mid-grade ones sometimes!"
Gatherers. Those who collected byproducts from the plants and animals that grew inside the dungeon. Miners, who extracted mana stones and minerals from the dungeon walls or specific caverns. And anglers, who would cast a line into any body of water they found. These three types of "collectors" were collectively known in the dungeon city of Bastion as gatherers—or, more bluntly—
"Shut it, you cowardly bastards. Just call them cowards."
Those who gave up stepping toward the unknown and chose to settle for what they already had. Because of this, gatherers never enjoyed a particularly good reputation.
"Real gatherers and miners should just shut up. Can't you see we're in the middle of something serious here?"
"What about me?"
"Anglers can get lost."
However, anglers were treated a little differently.
"Mmm, can't resist grilled fish, though."
Since the inland dungeon city needed fresh fish, anglers were a respected profession—far more so than the other two.
"These damn bastards... From now on, I'm confiscating all your holy water and herbs."
"Hehe, if it hurts, just beg the priest over there for healing~"
In those days, treatment from priests and healers was actually more popular than expensive potions.
"A few praises to the Goddess and you get healing magic for free. Why would anyone pay for herbs? I don't get it."
Unlike the present, where healers received proper compensation, back then there was a strong belief that accepting material offerings for the Goddess's miracles was wrong. Many devotees provided free healing to patients.
"Sister? What did you just say?"
"Huh?"
"Did you get hit in the head with a mace or something? Why can't you answer?"
Of course, they didn't heal just anyone. The Goddess's blessings only reached law-abiding citizens, talented individuals who could contribute to conquering the dungeon, and devout future followers.
"Anyway, what were we talking about again?"
"That was......"
The story returns to the beginning. The great early pioneers had one major concern: the difficulty and inconvenience of moving between dungeon layers. And what appeared to solve that problem—or at least seemed to—was—
"Hey there, handsome big brothers~ Looking for a 5-Tier Tamer party! We've got 4-Tier and 3.5-Tier winged mounts ready! They're super docile and won't bite~"
Tamers. A profession that received additional corrections when attempting to tame non-human lifeforms. It usually awakened in adventurers who liked animals or had experience raising livestock.
"Oh?"
"Huh? Winged... mounts? You can fly?"
"H-How do you do that?"
"Just tame a winged Entity~"
"That's possible?"
"Yup."
At first, many adventurers were skeptical of the Tamer class. What were Entities, exactly? Weren't they insane creatures born from the Betrayer's malice, driven to attack humans who resembled the Goddess? How could anyone tame such things? Even the best tamers couldn't be trusted with that.
"Mamba, hand."
"Kkyaek!"
"I believe you."
"Entities actually follow human commands!?"
"You. Be my comrade."
To medieval people who only knew horses, carriages, and slaves as mounts, winged mounts were as shocking as the Wright brothers' first flight. With a bit of luck, one could reach the depths in just three days—places that would normally take so long you'd get blisters and calluses. Unlike porters who were useless in combat, Tamer familiars could carry far more luggage and fight competently. With their appearance, the dungeon city seemed poised to enter a grand Tamer era...!
However, Tamers were extremely rare—perhaps one in ten thousand. And—
"Kkyaaaaak!!!"
"Oh no, Mamba! That's my jerky! Bad! Bad!!"
"Does that thing even understand the word 'full'?"
The more familiars a Tamer had, the more their food expenses skyrocketed. Tamer popularity quickly faded, and the pioneers' chronic problem resurfaced.
"Ugh... I just want to adventure without thinking......"
"Why don't I have wings? Why did Mother meet Father? Why does the sun rise in the east and set in the......"
"Ah, I have a good idea! I'll just hit my head really hard, pass out, and wake up tomorrow!"
"And then?"
"If this damn problem still isn't solved, I'll hit my head again!"
"Ooh. As expected, people from the Empire's streets are built different."
The pioneers once again racked their brains to solve the problem. But since they preferred swords over pens, all their brainstorming achieved was increasing the patient count. Nothing changed.
"Sigh."
Watching their increasingly haggard appearances, a clever adventurer from the imperial administration left the clan house and headed for the Adventurer's Guild. Ah, but first, he grabbed some bribes.
"O great Demon, the situation is as you see. Is there no solution?"
"Hmm. I shall consult with my contractor!"
"We'll be waiting...!"
"Just trust Regina Gura! Ah, and I'll be enjoying the canapés!"
"Yes, yes."
After a smart adventurer submitted a complaint to the newly established Adventurer's Guild and about a week had passed—
"Everyone, look at this!"
"Huh? What's that?"
"A statue?"
"Ooh, that sinister chest and benevolent smile—don't tell me this is the Goddess statue embracing the world, made to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the dungeon city's founding!?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
"A save point."
"Save......"
"...Point?"
"I have no idea what that means."
"Just feel it. Save points have appeared throughout the dungeon."
"You worked hard, Aurion!"
"Aurion, good work. I thought it would take about a year, but you finished surprisingly quickly."
"Oh please, when it's a request from our dear Gura and the adorable Lily, this much is nothing! Mwahahaha!"
"I feel sick......"
"Gura, I helped a lot too, you know?"
"Mamon worked hard as well!"
"Ahem... I wasn't particularly seeking praise, but I'm glad you acknowledged my efforts. If you have time, would you like to have some tea?"
"Ah, I already have plans, so that won't work. Regina Gura is going to try out a newly opened late-night restaurant with her contractor!"
"How could this be...!"
Thanks to the invisible efforts of the Goddess's workers and the demons—
***
Unlike other Green Zones that resembled jungles or rainforests, the twentieth floor of the Green Zone formed a unique terrain and ecosystem composed of massive lakes. It was a layer beloved by gatherers and anglers alike. Furthermore, as one of only two locations in the entire dungeon with a save point, it served as a midway base for adventurers. Strangely, despite being a Green Zone, the number of Entities was low. These combined factors naturally led to the formation of the very first dungeon village—
Grindel.
This advanced village, built with adventurers' safety and convenience in mind, was always bustling with adventurers taking short breaks and anglers enjoying their hobby. However, there was one unusual thing today.
"...Entities!"
"Damn it, wasn't Grindel supposed to be a safe zone!?"
"Stop whining like children and arm yourselves! There aren't just one or two Entities appearing right now!"
Not only adventurers, but Entities were also swarming in droves for some reason.
"Haa... Why are the ones that were quietly holed up in corners suddenly going crazy...? Is today some kind of Entity frenzy day?"
From atop a tall watchtower built of stone walls, Ronray—the village chief(?) of Grindel—let out a small sigh as he gazed at the black swarm of Entities rushing in like ants.
***
"Hey, Swordmaster."
"...Yes, Raven."
"Didn't you say there weren't many Entities on the twentieth floor?"
"I did......"
Then what the hell were these?
"Chrrrrrrk......!"
"Kkyaaaaak!!!"
"Kkiyoooooot!!!"
Were these Entity cosplayers or something? They looked disgustingly lifelike.