Preliminary Exploration, Seeking Food and Drink

Dungeon, 2nd Floor.

Liber watched two Kobolds sprinting toward him, one after the other.

As the Kobolds' sharp claws lashed out at his face, Liber swung his broadsword, parrying the monster's assault; the sound of steel clashing against jagged talons rang out.

Seeing another Kobold closing in, Liber watched as ripples manifested in the air beside him, and a greatsword shot forth.

It slammed into the Kobold he was currently fighting, piercing through its body and carrying it backward, pinning it to the ground along with the second Kobold that had been mere inches away, before their bodies began to change.

First, they rapidly lost their color, then their entire forms crumbled into dust, vanishing without a trace.

Liber watched the two monsters disappear and the magic stones drop, then used his magic to store the greatsword and the scattered magic stones into his spatial storage.

Liber gazed toward the stairs leading to the 3rd floor of the Dungeon, hesitated for a moment, then turned and left.

For safety's sake, it's better not to go too deep while I'm just starting to explore the Dungeon. I should focus on thoroughly exploring the first and second floors first.

Liber thought cautiously, heading back along the route he had taken from the first floor.

At the very least, I need to familiarize myself with the return paths between floors to avoid panicking and losing my way if an emergency arises.

Liber calmed the emotions stirred up by the repeated combat.

He still had time before the various major events that plagued the story began to unfold.

He must not be controlled by a momentary impulse to rush into the depths; the monsters in the Dungeon were endless.

If he truly ventured too deep and encountered a crisis—like the protagonist in the original story encountering a Minotaur—it would be troublesome; losing his life would be a price too high to pay.

Liber suppressed his combative nature, comforting himself that his growth must be steady and safe.

He walked along the return path, occasionally firing his greatsword from his spatial storage; accompanied by the sound of air being torn asunder, he struck down the monsters that attacked him.

"The space created by my magic obeys my will and can be manipulated at will. This way of using Gate of Babylon is truly convenient."

Recovering his weapon along with the loot, Liber thought about the items inside his space.

"It's just that one weapon is a bit too few. If the magic stones weren't too fragile to be used as ammunition for spatial projection, I could have experienced the feeling of ten thousand swords firing at once."

Liber walked on with a hint of regret.

"I'll buy more weapons before coming to the Dungeon next time. The space is large enough, anyway."

"I could store them as spatial ammunition, but my current funds don't seem enough to buy many weapons. I'll start by buying some javelins or arrows to make do for now."

He stopped and looked at the stairs leading upward. "I'll just familiarize myself with the area around here for now. To buy weapons, I really need to earn some money."

With a cold smile, Liber set off to explore the surroundings.

Evening approached.

Liber followed the stream of adventurers out of the gates of Babel, squinting slightly as the setting sun proved rather dazzling.

The dim, heavy atmosphere and tense environment of the Dungeon stood in stark contrast to the open sky outside.

Seeing the adventurers and their companions around him carrying bags of all sizes, Liber, who carried no burden other than his slightly disheveled equipment, felt somewhat out of place.

Liber stretched his back and headed toward the Guild to exchange the magic stones dropped by the Dungeon monsters for money.

The magic stones dropped by monsters were the cores of the Dungeon's denizens, the crystallization of magical power.

People could convert magic stones into energy through technology for free use; for instance, the streetlights that lit up in Orario were "magic stone lamps" made with special technology.

"Magic stones" could be processed with human technology and utilized in various ways—such as ignition devices, freezers for storing food, and so on, making them a precious resource.

The labyrinth city, Orario, exported these magic stone products to other countries, reaping massive profits.

Inside the Guild, there was a window specifically for exchanging magic stones for money.

Liber approached the window, palm facing down, and dropped the magic stones from his spatial storage right in front of the clerk.

Seeing the surprised clerk behind the counter, Liber urged, "Please hurry and get these magic stones exchanged."

"R-right away."

Watching the clerk, who only reacted after being prompted, scramble to process the count and exchange, Liber felt a sense of emotion. The ability related to space was truly rare in Orario, and spatial storage was exceptionally useful.

He didn't have to worry about the portability or weight of monster drops; thinking about it, he could carry many times more loot than an average adventurer.

After completing the exchange, Liber stored the money in his space and left the Guild under the curious gazes of those around him.

Liber walked down the adventurer's street, observing the fifty-three stars shining in his mind.

He squinted, thinking that if meeting the key people from the original story could increase his star points, then there seemed to be a restaurant nearby that was an important location that appeared frequently.

Feeling his stomach growling, Liber recalled the sign mentioned in the story and began searching for the restaurant.

"This is the place." Liber stopped in front of an entrance, relying on the name from his memory.

Like the other shops, it was built of stacked stone; it was a two-story tavern, and among the nearby restaurants and taverns, it appeared to be the largest building.

The Hostess of Fertility. Liber looked up at the name on the sign hanging above.

He first peered through the entrance, and the first thing to catch his eye was a tall, burly woman communicating with customers from behind the bar.

Next, he noticed the various female employees bustling about the shop.

Liber roughly confirmed that this was the place he had in mind. He entered the tavern, walked up to the long, straight bar, and sat down with a serious expression.

He scanned the many young female employees busy in the kitchen behind the counter.

As he observed them, a strong arm suddenly slammed onto the bar, and he was drawn to a deep, booming voice.

"Kid, don't go ogling our staff like that. You sitting down without ordering anything?"

Liber looked at the muscular arm resting on the counter and followed the voice, finding a tall, sturdy woman looking down at him from behind the bar.

Mia Grand, a tall and sturdy Dwarf woman.

She was the proprietress of The Hostess of Fertility, a retired adventurer, the former captain of the Freya Familia, and a Level 6.

"My apologies. I'll have the spicy yakisoba, and, uh, a beer," Liber said, withdrawing his gaze.

"Kid, you don't look like you're of age yet, so don't go messing with alcohol. I'm the owner of this shop, Mia Grand. Pick either juice or milk."

Mia Grand looked down at Liber from her towering height. Liber didn't bother arguing with her. "Then please, change that to juice for me."

Proprietress Mia looked him over before calling the order back to the kitchen.

Liber watched as the burly Dwarf went back to her other tasks without continuing to stare at him after he placed his order.

He leaned against the bar and looked back to survey the tavern's atmosphere.

He saw customers getting a bit handsy with the staff, human waitresses skillfully handling them, and adventurers guzzling beer while laughing boisterously.

Many people were laughing and enjoying themselves to the fullest.

"Rather than coming here to eat and drink, it's more like a bunch of people coming here to gawk at beauties."

Liber muttered, feeling uncomfortable with the rowdy atmosphere.

"That's quite rude, you know. Our food and drinks are actually quite good," a graceful female voice rang out.

"Here, this is your juice." The waitress then placed the drink on the counter in front of Liber.

"As for the yakisoba, the kitchen is preparing it now. Please wait a moment, and I hope you'll forgive the delay," Liber said, looking at the waitress who was serving him.

She had a beautiful face, a form-fitting uniform that showed off her fine figure, and rare ash-gray hair and eyes.

She wore a smile, her words were lively, her movements were playful, and she exuded a natural, charming air.

Syr Flover, an employee of The Hostess of Fertility, held an unusual status in the shop and possessed the ability to see through people's emotions.

Before she had come to the bar, he had seen many adventurers enthusiastically chatting with her.

"Ah, it's fine, no need to rush," Liber replied to Syr.

"Thank you! I'll go attend to other customers now. Someone will bring your meal once it's ready, so please wait a little longer," Syr said with a smile.

Liber nodded. Once she received his response, Syr went off to busy herself with other customers, her figure soon lost in the bustle.

After waiting a short while, he saw a Cat Person girl bring a tray over to him.

"Meow, your spicy yakisoba is ready. Please enjoy," Liber said, looking at the Cat Person girl with black hair and twitching ears and tail.

"Meow, are you curious about our shop? My name is Chloe Lolo. Make sure to support our business often, ya know."

The Cat Person girl with the strange verbal tic spoke vivaciously.

"Mm, I'll come by more often when I have time," Liber responded casually.

"Then please enjoy your meal." The girl hurried away after serving him.

Liber took a sip of his juice and lowered his head to taste the yakisoba, lost in thought.

Chloe Lolo, Level 4, a former assassin whose success rate for assassination missions was nearly one hundred percent.

After filling his stomach, Liber left the tavern. Standing at the entrance, he looked back at the rowdy, jubilant crowd inside.

"These rowdy people probably have no idea that these waitresses and the proprietress are all far stronger than them."

Thinking this, he shook his head with a smile and turned to leave.

As Liber walked back toward his Familia, he felt three more stars manifest in his mind.

He felt a bit helpless, wondering when they would ever be of any use.

He continued toward his Familia, lost in his thoughts.