01. Becoming an Adventurer.
01. Becoming an Adventurer.
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After eating and going to a cafe to chat about this and that, everyone except me and Yuna-ssi returned to their own places.
"Just in case, I'm only staying to give you a rough idea of things, so don't get the wrong idea that I'm interested in you or anything."
"I won't."
Yuna-ssi led me and started walking near the dungeon.
"How much do you know about dungeons?"
She asks suddenly, like a teacher.
Since she asked like that, nothing comes to mind to answer.
"Hmm... That they're extremely dangerous but you get a lot out of them? High risk, high return, as they say."
"That's very basic."
Yuna-ssi nodded.
"I suppose. Ordinary people wouldn't know much. Only a part of the information about dungeons is open to the public."
"I'm a full-fledged adventurer, too."
"Pfft. It's only your first day, isn't it? You're still no different from a civilian."
She laughed, treating me like a greenhorn.
Tsk. I should be annoyed... but maybe because she's pretty, I don't feel that bad. Isn't this cheating?
"For an individual, it might just be a means to make money. And that's true, too. But dungeons are never just simple things like that. Their very existence is like a revolution."
Yuna-ssi pointed to a building on the main street. It was about 3 stories high, and the entire building was a butcher shop.
"Do you know what they do in that building?"
"It's a butcher shop... so aren't they selling meat?"
"Yes. But if you look closely, there are no display cases."
"...That's true."
"That's where they slaughter the 'meat' that comes out of this dungeon."
"...What?"
Wait. Meat from this dungeon... that can't be...
"Wild dogs, goblins, and other beast-type monsters. They slaughter the carcasses to produce high-quality meat at a very cheap price. Remember selling the wild dog hide earlier?"
"Yes."
"It was 50 cents per hide. How much do you think a wild dog carcass is bought for?"
"I don't know."
"It's $1.50. That means a chunk of meat almost the size of a person is less than $2. Even including labor costs, it's a fraction of the price of what's sold on the market."
Indeed.
That's certainly true.
Just a wild dog is half the size of a person, and in terms of weight, it must be at least 20kg. But for such a thing to be less than $2. Even if you slaughter it and 10kg remains, that's 20 cents per kg. That's 200 won in our currency....
"But even if wild dogs are one thing, isn't it a bit weird to eat goblin meat?"
"We might think so. Not just goblins, but wild dogs, and the stray cats or rats on the 3rd floor, etc. They're things that ordinary people would be quite reluctant to consume."
Not "quite," it sounds incredibly difficult... honestly, many people won't even eat dog, right?
"But would people suffering from famine feel the same?"
"Are you talking about places like Africa?"
"Yes. It's not being distributed on a massive scale yet, but the Dungeon Cooperation Organization buys up all the cheap meat from slaughtered monster carcasses and distributes it to poor countries. Since low-level places like the Hannam-dong Dungeon are everywhere, it's easy to source the carcasses."
"W-wait a minute. Earlier, Yuna-ssi, you only skinned them and sold the hides, right? Doesn't that mean we should be bringing the whole carcasses?"
"We're adventurers."
"???"
What is this. It's getting more and more confusing. What is she trying to say?
"We're individuals. There's no need to inefficiently bring back carcasses. If you just skin them, the price drops to a third, but the area and weight the byproducts take up are reduced to a fraction. Obviously, it's more profitable to just skin them."
"I... see. Then what about that...?"
"Adventurers who have received special requests, hired mercenaries, or armies armed with low-grade equipment bring them in. Anyway, that's not the point."
She stopped and looked at me.
"Even the most common F-class dungeon in the world has this much utility. What do you think dungeons beyond that are like?"
It feels like she's glowing.
It's night, but she shone. She really did.
"Take the D-class dungeon in Gangnam, for example. Undead appear in D-class. If you grind their bones into powder, it becomes 'Mana Powder' that contains 'mana'. If you add this to items in the right proportions, products with special effects are created. For example, furniture that raises Health stats."
"Gasp?"
"Like raising your Strength stat by 30, increasing stamina, or having special magical effects. Can you imagine how much those would sell for to rich people? No, can you estimate how much profit would be made if they started mass-producing and selling things like that?"
I had no idea. I didn't know things like that existed... because on TV, they only show adventurers exploring dungeons, getting gear like in a game, getting items, and selling byproducts to make a fortune.
"It's just that the performance isn't uniform or consistent, but 'items with effects' themselves can be mass-produced as much as you want. You just have to sprinkle the powder. So, you can roughly guess how much the world will change in the future, right? And that's not all. Besides these direct things, there are indirect ones... you can get 'stats' by coming into contact with the dungeon's demonic energy, right? Now, physical differences between men and women don't matter; if your stats are high, that's all that counts. A young child can beat several adults if their stats are high enough. Rich people grow up to be the strongest and best humans from a young age by covering themselves in countless items, but the poor can't even unlock their stats unless they become adventurers. That gap. The changes that creates...
Dungeons have only been out for 5 years now. The Dungeon Cooperation Organization was created 3 years ago. The world is going to change incomparably more in the future. If you can't read this, it's not just 'falling behind'—it's being left in the dust."
Now I get it.
Yuna-ssi is trying to broaden my perspective.
She's telling me it's not just about blindly going in, collecting items, and selling them like the games I've enjoyed until now... it's not that simple.
"Thinking you'll get rich by thoughtlessly selling byproducts or items—no matter how well you do, that's only second-rate."
+++
-Wake up~~ wake up, wake up, wake up~~~~!!
"...."
A terrible alarm rings.
"Ugh...."
It's 6 AM.
Since the time to meet the team is 7 AM, there's still plenty of time.
But the problem is that I'm incredibly sleepy....
Yuna-ssi, who stayed with me last night, went around everywhere and poured out an enormous amount of information. Thanks to that, by the time her explanation ended, it was already dawn....
As expected of a high-level adventurer, she seems to have stamina to spare.
"Have some consideration for a beginner... hngh...."
I stood up, stretching.
A small room without even a common bed.
It's a lodging built by the joint efforts of the Dungeon Cooperation Organization and the South Korean government department. Of course, it's not free; you have to pay about $300 every month.
"...Fuck. How many hides is $300?"
Should I get a part-time job?
I grumbled and went into the bathroom.
The bathroom was also very small, making me feel very well that I'm a poor novice adventurer.
"Whew... still, I became an adventurer."
Yeah. It's just the beginning, so what.
I can just earn the money. I can't read the flow of the times or whatever Yuna-ssi was talking about yet, but I can at least get items and sell them. I'll start with that....
"Let's open the Status Window first."
Status Window!
The Status Window, with its glorious name, can be opened from the moment you come into contact with the dungeon's demonic energy. According to Yuna-ssi, products containing the dungeon's demonic energy have already been released and are being traded at quite high prices....
Name : Yu-eun
Job : Novice
Alignment : Neutral~Evil
Level : 2
Health : 105/105
Mana : 52/52
Strength 11
Agility 9
Intelligence 4
Luck 15
Stat Points 1
Critical Chance 10%
Critical Damage +105%
It's very simple.
According to what I heard from Yuna-ssi, it opens up additionally whenever you gain a new stat or item. For example, if you gain 'Talent', it starts showing Talent from then on, or if you wear an item that increases attack speed by 4%, attack speed starts being displayed.
Because of that, my Status Window, having just become an adventurer, is simplicity itself.
"By the way, only 1 stat point... do they only give 1 per level up? That's too stingy!"
Who is this supposed to satisfy... I wonder if they give more when you change classes.
.
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"Yo~!"
Sora-nuna walks over from over there, waving her arm.
Nuna was wearing a baggy robe, which looked much better than the novice leather armor I was wearing.
On top of that, she even had a wooden staff that you'd only see in movies. It's like she's cosplaying.
"Hello."
"Did you sleep well yesterday? Ah, by any chance, you two...? Hehe."
She gives a lecherous smile and pushes her thumb between her index and middle finger...
What is she thinking? Nothing like that happened.
"Did you sleep well, Nuna?"
"I always sleep like a log."
She shrugs with a cool smile... Oh, oh... her chest... is beautiful. As expected of someone with a big heart. To think she'd show off her presence even inside the robe.
"More than that, your outfit is really simple. I guess it's because it's your first time."
"Haha... well, I guess so."
My equipment is the same as yesterday.
Novice leather armor, novice bow, novice quiver, and 35 arrows.
For reference, I bought those arrows... 10 cents each, so $3.50 in total. Since I earned $18 yesterday, this is quite expensive.
A few minutes later, the party members appeared one by one.
First, Cha-ah-ssi (I still don't know her surname) approached, shyly greeting us while wearing what looked like quite heavy iron armor and carrying a one-handed sword and shield on her back.
Next, Hana-ssi appeared wearing fairly high-quality leather armor and carrying dual swords.
Finally, Yuna-ssi appeared in a fantastic armor combination of a white blouse, black vest, and short miniskirt.
On top of that, she has a bundle of arrows strapped to her back.
"Oh my. I thought you would have left them behind since you're an unprepared Han-nam. You brought them?"
It seems she brought them to give to me.
I'm grateful, but how should I put it... it's a complicated feeling.
Yuna-ssi led us to the front of the dungeon and had us gather in a circle.
"I explained it yesterday, but I'll say it again. Han-nam-ssi is joining us today, but we'll do things as usual. And don't worry, I'll handle any misfired arrows. Instead, please focus more on your own roles."
Everyone nodded in response and gave a small "fighting!"
Yesterday, there was Yuna-ssi's Sword Barrier. Because it was just a taste.
But from today, there isn't. The real hunt is starting.
'From now on... it begins!'
"Ah, you all brought your packed lunches, right?"
"Of course."
"I brought mine."
"I, I did too."
"...Yes?"
Huh? Packed lunch?
The party's gaze focuses on me.
"...You didn't bring one?"
"Ah... no... is that... necessary? Haha...."
"...Then did you think we'd just do it for a few hours and come out like yesterday?"
"I'm sorry...."
"...Cancel what I said earlier. You really have no preparation."
Yuna-ssi grumbled, "This is why Han-nam..." and bought two packed lunches and water from a nearby convenience store.
Then she shoved them at me.
"Even if I didn't tell you, isn't it common sense?"
"Sorry."
"...If you don't bring one tomorrow, know that I'll just let you starve."
"Yup."
I quietly accepted the bag she gave me.