Before Starting The Exploration

“When you say ‘Dungeon,’ do you mean a subterranean labyrinth, Sir?”

“Yeah, exactly that.”

Even in this world where the game has become reality, dungeons naturally exist. However, they aren’t viewed as stages for adventure; most people recognize them simply as dangerous “mana pools.” At my answer, Mia’s face turned pale in an instant.

“But that’s terrible! We have to hurry and tell everyone!”

“It’s okay, calm down. They’re dangerous, sure, but as long as you don’t go inside, there’s no problem.”

“Eh, really!?”

“In our Empire as well, subterranean labyrinths are used as training grounds for the Magic Corps and the Imperial Guard.”

Labyrinths filled with high concentrations of mana are places where vicious monsters roam, but they also produce rare plants and ores. For that reason, mercenaries and knights confident in their skills form parties to challenge them, aiming for a quick fortune.

“Oh, I see. Then I guess it’s safe.”

Watching Mia breathe a theatrically large sigh of relief, I felt a deep sense of emotion at the fact that the dungeon actually existed.

The Palace of the Dragon Jade.

In Dra-Chro 2, this is a hidden dungeon. The conditions to make it appear are for the protagonist’s Transmutationist level to be 45 or higher and to have heard the story about the river from Old Man Eugen. Level-wise, one shouldn’t normally be able to enter until the end of the game, but thanks to my ten years of accumulation, I satisfied the conditions.

Perhaps because “completionist” elements were shoved in to keep players entertained after the credits, the dungeon has a staggering 100 floors. The deeper you go, the stronger the enemies, but if you do it right, you can obtain powerful magic, items, and familiar monsters. It was a dungeon that required “marathon” grinding before the final boss. I had dived into it countless times, hunting for unique monster drops and treasure chests that only appear under specific conditions. I have fond memories of the punishing difficulty from the 70th floor onward, which forced me to restart over and over.

Well, now isn’t the time to bask in reminiscence. It’s going to take time, so I should hurry.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Moving out!”

“Koo!”

“Wait, Sensei? The village is that way.”

As we started walking toward the horizontal hole, Mia tilted her head in confusion.

“I thought I’d just confirm what’s inside.”

“No, no, no! You just said it was dangerous to go in!”

“Well, the monsters on the first floor aren’t that strong, so it should be fine.”

I’m not entirely reckless. I’m acting because I have a definite chance of success.

Peering into the cave, it was shrouded in pitch-black darkness; I couldn’t see a thing inside. I tried holding up the White-Glow Stone lantern, but the darkness remained, so that’s likely just how the entrance is designed. Because it looked so eerie, Mia, who had followed us timidly, tugged hard on my sleeve.

“Hey, are you serious? Let’s stop, Sensei. It looks really bad. Pau-sama, say something!”

“This is my first time at a subterranean labyrinth, so my heart is racing with excitement.”

“I don’t need that kind of heart-racing experience! Jeez, you too, little ones!”

“To the front!”

“Koo koo.”

“Whoa, they’re so motivated!”

To Mia, who was sincerely worried, I suppressed a grin and asked her for a favor.

“Can you head back and let the Chief and the others know? Also, tell them that if we haven’t returned after half a day, no one should approach this hole.”

“Eh? Wait, what?”

“Alright, let’s head in.”

The moment we stepped through the entrance holding up the lantern, I was struck by a strange sensation, as if the space around me had warped. Simultaneously, a hard sensation traveled up from my feet.

“Oh, wow!”

What spread out before my eyes was the sight of square stones stacked in an orderly fashion. The walls on both sides, the ceiling, and even the floor were covered entirely. The stone passage stretched straight into the distance, but there were glowing stones embedded in the ceiling here and there, so visibility wasn’t an issue.

It was, without a doubt, a magnificent dungeon. In the game, it was a top-down stage, but naturally, that wouldn’t translate literally to reality.

“I suppose it’s pointless to ask who built this.”

“It is surprisingly chilly.”

“W-w-waaait! What’s happening? Aren’t we supposed to be inside a hole!?”

“Eh?”

Startled by the unexpected voice, I turned around to find Mia standing there, still clutching my sleeve. She looked absolutely terrified, but she was desperately scanning the passage, trying to grasp the situation.

“Why did you follow us?”

“Because… because I couldn’t just leave you!”

When someone says that with such serious eyes while their legs are shaking, it’s hard to tell them they’re a hindrance. If I forced her out, she’d probably just come back in anyway; in that case, it was better to keep her right behind me.

“Fine. It’s dangerous here, so don’t do anything unnecessary. And don’t leave our side. Got it?”

“I—I don’t get it!”

“Yes, you do!”

“I mean, I don’t know what counts as ‘unnecessary’!”

“Sir, Mia, please calm down. Here, take a deep breath.”

At Paula’s words, I took a slow, deep breath to settle my nerves. It seemed that because it was my first real dungeon, I was more tense than I realized.

“Sorry. Er… if you stay behind us, you’ll be safe. Just remember that.”

“…………Okay.”

She nodded obediently, so I finally relaxed my shoulders. Then, taking another deep breath, I opened the Allies tab in the command menu in the upper right to prepare.

There was no need to look at myself at the top. In the second slot, Paula’s name was listed clearly.

Come to think of it, jobs in Dra-Chro 2 basically all ended in “-ist” or “-master.” So “Monster Tamer” is technically “Familiar Master,” but since it’s a mouthful, I’ll just use Monster Tamer when speaking. That’s what most of the world calls it anyway.

And seem to be passive abilities, while is something she can use of her own will. Now that I think about it, the reason Paula feels so incredibly bewitching is probably due to that …

As for the stats, they look meager at first glance. However, in Dra-Chro 2, the stat limit—including HP and MP—is three digits. Furthermore, for human-type units, anything other than high levels is basically two digits, so Paula’s stats are actually quite good.

Based on what I’ve investigated regarding the meaning of the numbers: first, HP isn’t “stamina” in the literal sense. No matter how tired I got, the number never changed. However, when I tried cutting my arm fairly deep with a knife, I confirmed the number decreased by 1. It’s still a guess, but it’s likely a quantification of how many times one can withstand an attack. If HP reaches 0, you sustain a fatal wound and die.

Conversely, MP is exactly what it sounds like: the amount of mana you can use in a day. Exhausting your MP doesn’t change your physical condition, but it won’t recover without a long rest. Since I have a specialty for automatic mana recovery, I can use mine quite freely.

The items below are mostly literal. However, comparing Paula and the monster-kids, even if the Attack or Speed values are more than double, it doesn’t mean there’s a literal double-fold difference in performance. This is likely relative. If an opponent has 5 Speed and you have 10, it doesn’t mean you move twice as fast, but rather that the probability of taking the initiative is nearly doubled. Similarly, if Attack outweighs Defense, the probability of inflicting a wound increases. If the difference is large, you can inflict certain and significant damage. Since these are just guidelines, I shouldn’t over-rely on them.

Also, though not listed in the game, there were significant hidden parameters like “Resistances.” Those might be important in this realized world too, so I’ll keep them in the back of my mind.

In Paula’s case, due to her Mazin racial bonus, her high Mana and Magic Attack are prominent. This is because a Familiar Master is a type of mage. Naturally, her specialties are treated as magic, so having those two high is a major advantage. On the flip side, her Physical Defense is notably low.

Well, that’s where I come in. I pulled out a Defense Enhancement Potion I’d made earlier for recipe registration. It’s Low-grade, but it provides a flat +20 to Physical Defense, making it a reliable drug in the early stages. However, because it slightly hardens the body’s surface, Physical Attack and Speed drop by 2.

“It might be harder to move than usual, but please bear with it.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

I collected the empty vial immediately. It was made of thin, durable processed glass for portability, but it was so expensive that I couldn’t bring many with me.

Next, I checked the third slot: the beast-child.

Apparently, her name is Yoru. When I asked Paula why, she said it was because I shouted “Don’t come near!” (Yoru-na!) when she was born. I remember shouting that in a panic, but is that really okay for a name…?

The race is garbled and unreadable. She’s a mysterious creature that speaks and looks nothing like a typical monster, so it seems even her data is non-standard. As for the stats, besides HP being a tiny bit higher, they are perfectly balanced. The specialty is something I don’t recognize. Is it even a specialty? The numbers in parentheses are the effect of Paula’s .

I’ll assume she’s a melee type for now and buff up her Attack, Defense, and HP.

“Hey, Yoru!”

“Coming!”

The beast-child, who had been darting around the passage, ran over at full speed. I picked her up and had her drink the potions one by one. The effect of a Low-grade Attack Potion is +10 to Physical Attack and Speed, and -3 to Physical Defense. Combined with the Defense potion, her stats became: ATK 11, DEF 20, Speed 11. I also gave her an HP Potion; it’s Low-grade, but it adds 20 HP, so she should be sturdy enough to handle minor injuries.

Next, the fourth slot: the bird-child.

This one is Kuu. Apparently, because I shouted “Don’t eat!” (Kuu-na!). Since he chirps “Kuu-kuu” a lot, I guess it fits. Like Yoru, he’s Level 1 and his race is unknown. Paula says Yoru is a girl and Kuu is a boy. Compared to his older sister Yoru, his HP and MP values are swapped, but otherwise, there’s no change.

Hmm, maybe a mid-range or back-row position? Since I don’t know his fighting style yet, I’ll buff his Attack, Defense, and HP too.

“Hey, Kuu!”

“Koo!”

The bird-child, fluttering in a low-altitude flight, responded immediately and approached. When I handed him the vials, he held them skillfully with both hands and gulped them down. Thanks to the potions, his stats matched his sister’s. His HP is 22, almost the same as mine.

“Alright, that’s all the preparations… wait… what?”

Just as I was about to close the menu, I noticed a change. There was a fifth slot in the Ally list.

“When did you become an ally, Mia?”

“Huh? We’re buddies now, right? Right?”

“Buddies!”

“Koo!”

“You’re making yourselves right at home, aren’t you?”

I hurried to check Mia’s status.

“This is amazing…”

Come to think of it, she used mana to light the lantern. So it makes sense for her job to be Mage. But having affinity for three elements and even possessing ‘Magic Consumption Reduction’ which I have is incredibly surprising.

“It says you have Fire Bullet. Can you use normal magic?”

“Me? Oh, you mean the thing I use to light the stove? It’s pretty handy.”

As she spoke, Mia snapped her fingers, and a tiny flame appeared at the tip of her fingernail. I see—for daily life, it would be quite useful.

Generally, Ordinaries—who have little mana and no divine protection—are said to be ill-suited for being mages. Mastering magic requires repeating the act of manipulating and releasing mana from within. This requires a lot of mana. Furthermore, even if you put in the effort to learn it, if your Magic Attack isn’t high, it’s only useful as a substitute for flint, as we see here. It’s true that if she can only produce a tiny flame, she’s useless as a combat mage.

…………However, that’s only the case if left “as is.”

“True. Well, while we’re at it, wouldn’t you like to try firing off some flashy magic at least once?”

“Eh? No way. I only have enough mana for three shots of this.”

“Leave that to me.”

I quickly transmuted and pulled out two vials. The first was a Mana Augmentation Potion. It’s Low-grade, but it increases MP by 20 for one hour. The second was a Magic Attack Potion. It increases Magic ATK by a flat 20, but because it makes the body go limp, Physical ATK and DEF drop by 2. As long as she doesn’t go to the front, it shouldn’t be a problem.

“Ugh, this tastes gross. Don’t you have anything tastier?”

“Forget about the taste. Also, take this.”

Finally, I handed her an HP Potion. In her current state, even a single hit from a monster would be fatal.

“Alright, finally everything is ready. The potions last for an hour, so let’s work hard and investigate!”

“Yes, I will do my best.”

“Moving out!”

“Koo!”

“I don’t really get it, but let’s do this!”

And so, we finally set out. After all, preparation is everything.