Treasure Chest Monster

Shane currently had two things to do.

The first: he had to go pay his inn bill.

The second: he had to go kill a dragon.

Given his tendency to procrastinate, he always preferred to leave the troublesome tasks for last.

Therefore, he decided to go kill the dragon first.

Just kidding.

How could he possibly kill a dragon?

Still, the room bill was such a hassle; was there no such thing as an "adventurer-friendly inn"? One with free drinks and cat-girl waitresses?

Sigh.

Pushing open the wooden door of his room, the clamor from downstairs drifted up to meet him.

Shane walked down the stairs.

The scent of honey-roasted meat intertwined with thick potato soup hit his nose, inexplicably whetting his appetite.

"Hey, adventurer kid, you finally came down."

The landlady leaned against the bar, raising a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, looking at Shane with liquid tenderness.

Her eyes were full of admiration.

She had never known before that such a handsome youth could exist in this world.

Look at that black, golden-velvet-like hair, those deep eyes, those sharp, well-defined features, and that ivory-smooth, fair skin.

Aside from being a bit thin, he was practically perfect.

But that didn't matter; her cooking was quite good, and he would surely bulk up soon enough.

"Want some hot milk and bread?"

"My thanks, Madam. You truly are the kindest lady I have ever met."

Shane took the tray and offered a polite smile.

Hearing this praise, the landlady laughed until she shook, her ample bosom swaying, drawing frequent side-glances from the surrounding patrons.

Feeling the jealous gazes behind his back, Shane downed the warm milk in one gulp, grabbed the bread, and walked out the inn's front door, quickening his pace as he reached the street.

It wasn't that he was afraid of trouble; it was mostly because the innkeeper was a two-meter-tall butcher, and he didn't really want to ruin their marriage.

The sun was just right as he walked along the path.

Caravans' cargo wagons creaked against the sandstone road, women carried baskets on their arms while picking out food from wooden racks, and the clanging of hammers echoed from the blacksmith's shop.

The atmosphere of life that washed over him was completely different from his previous world.

Shane strolled through it, eating the bread in his hand while heading toward the center of the town.

Soon, a bronze statue appeared before his eyes.

It was the Himmel party that had defeated the Demon King.

The proud hero Himmel holding his sword, the sturdy dwarf Ize wearing a steel helmet, the tall, smiling priest Heiter, and... the "out of the loop" twin-tailed elf girl, Frieren.

The area around the statue was filled with flowers, and several children were chasing each other, playing games of heroes and demons.

He stepped past the children and stood still before the statue.

From a corporate slave to an adventurer, he had adapted quickly. Perhaps men were never meant to be restrained; he had long grown tired of his stagnant work and life, and this feeling of wandering through another world was intoxicating.

Swords and magic, adventure and glory—what man wouldn't love that?

However, living in constant fear of being "cannon fodder" one day was truly bad for his health.

So, besides finding ways to become stronger, he decided to latch onto a powerful figure to secure some insurance.

There was no shame in it; after all, a man who eats soft rice has a healthier stomach.

It was a pity that, having only watched the anime, he didn't know the story details in depth. He only vaguely remembered that the original plot had a twenty-year gap after the hero's death. At this time, Frieren was probably traveling in some godforsaken corner, making her impossible to find.

"Let's see... in a year, Frieren will appear in the Holy Capital of Strahler to visit Heiter. By then..."

Shane calculated the journey.

Continuing north, crossing the Neck Mountains, entering the territory of the Central Nations, and then following the Golden Trade Route would lead him straight to the Holy Capital.

"So, first things first," his gaze drifted past the statue toward the fields outside the city gate, "let's earn some travel money."

Ghost Bunker.

This was a low-level dungeon to the north of the small town.

Seventy years ago, during the era of the crusade against the Demon King, it had already been successfully cleared by adventurers.

There were no monsters inside.

Except for novice adventurers going in to get a feel for the dungeon atmosphere, practically no one ever set foot there, though it was a decent place to scavenge for scraps.

Furthermore, the innkeeper mentioned that the Ghost Bunker is home to a type of "glowing mushroom," a prime ingredient for a cocktail that supposedly lets you see the Goddess, making it quite popular.

If he could harvest some, his lodging and travel expenses would both be covered.

Shane made up his mind and pulled the purse from his waist.

Clink.

Two copper coins landed in his palm.

It certainly wasn't enough to buy jerky, but it should be enough for a few loaves of black bread.

A few minutes later, Shane emerged from the bakery with a small backpack on his back.

Not only had he bought enough hard bread to last two days, but the kind-hearted, beautiful proprietress had also insisted on stuffing a small handful of dried currants into his hands.

Sigh.

This face of his is still too popular.

The entrance to the Ghost Bunker lay at the base of a hill; the wide, two-man-high cavern mouth was pitch black, appearing eerie and chilling even under the midday sun.

Shane took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The cave was very quiet.

There was only the occasional sound of crickets and the scent of damp earth.

Shane felt along the stone wall, walking carefully, and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he gradually made out the conditions within the cave.

It was a natural mine.

The stone walls were sporadically embedded with unknown ores, and there were pits and boulders left behind from manual excavation—likely from when a local merchant guild had sent people to survey the area, only to return empty-handed.

Continuing onward, the cave began to slope downward.

After walking for about half an hour, glowing ores began to appear sporadically on the walls on both sides; they were a pale, beautiful blue. Shane tried to pry one off, but it wouldn't budge at all.

"A pity. Noble ladies would surely love such beautiful stones."

Shortly after, he arrived at a place that could be called a "room."

The ground was littered with trash.

Broken arrows, rusted axes, and various other odds and ends.

Shane crouched down and identified them one by one.

Gray entry.

Gray entry.

White entry.

After some sorting and reforging, he obtained a new entry that was actually somewhat useful.

[Softened (Green/Excellent)]: Whatever it is, it can become a bit softer—though, of course, only a little.

Shane casually enchanted a piece of black bread with it.

He gave it a squeeze; hmm, it really was a bit softer.

"Ah—so scary—"

Suddenly.

A long, muffled scream echoed from the depths of the cave.

Caught off guard, Shane was startled.

He quickly drew the sword at his waist, held it up with both hands, and cautiously searched for the source of the sound.

Damn it!

Wasn't it said that this labyrinth no longer had any monsters?

Can the people at the Adventurer Guild be any less reliable!

"So scary—it's so dark—"

The long, drawn-out voice came again, sounding muffled as if separated by something, but he was certain it was a girl's voice.

For a moment, Shane wanted to turn and run.

But the courage of an adventurer, along with a strange, deep-seated excitement, kept him rooted to the spot.

For the past three years, he had been picking up scraps behind other adventurer parties, rarely encountering any real danger.

Now, he felt both a little afraid and a little excited.

"Whew, it's my first time; it's normal to be nervous."

"Relax, take it slow."

Shane encouraged himself, gripped his sword tightly, and followed the narrow cave deeper inside.

After a short distance, the cave opened up, and the scene that met his eyes left him stunned.

"A Mimic?!"