Entering the Dungeon, Brief Battle

The Dungeon is a monster labyrinth, possessing an environment and atmosphere vastly different from the outside world.

Within this underground maze, infinite monsters can be birthed; long ago, it was known by many names, such as a den of calamity.

Various grotesque monsters surged out from the labyrinth, reaching the surface of this continent, wandering everywhere and wantonly causing all manner of disasters.

Their figures were found everywhere: in forests, snow-capped mountains, deserts, and the sky.

Whether they were humans, beastmen, or Pallums, or even Dwarves and Elves, all suffered the torment and misery caused by these monsters ravaging the land.

Amidst the suffering caused by the many monsters, in order to achieve peace and strive for survival, they cooperated and learned from one another, beginning to work together to launch a resistance against the monsters.

After a long and arduous struggle and fierce fighting, many heroic and great figures emerged from these battles and confrontations.

These great existences were called heroes by the world.

Under the leadership and resistance of these heroes, the people drove the monsters that were ravaging the surface back into the Dungeon where they were born, and generation after generation, a portion of the people remained here to guard and monitor it; this is the origin of the labyrinth city.

This strange underground labyrinth possesses a vast area and different layered spaces.

Many adventurers explore and advance within the Dungeon, and no one knows exactly how many floors the Dungeon has.

Following the footsteps of adventurers, people only know that every floor in the Dungeon has a different environment, with various monsters, different climates, and complex terrain.

As adventurers explore deeper into the Dungeon, the strength and number of the monsters become increasingly terrifying and numerous.

Venturing even deeper, even level-one adventurers from Orario would not dare to linger for even a moment.

Even at the first floor, the Dungeon's starting point closest to the Guild, ordinary humans who have not undergone a certain amount of exercise and training will encounter various monsters and often lose their lives.

As for adventurers who have received a Blessing, when they venture into the Dungeon, they are often restricted by their personal stamina and the sheer number of monsters, making it impossible to explore alone.

In most cases, they explore in teams with other members of their Familia, or become teammates with like-minded people from other Familias.

In the crowded Guild, apart from those handling business, many are groups registering to adventure together.

Under these circumstances, Liber arrived alone at the lobby on the first floor of the towering Babel.

He walked into the gate constructed by the Guild leading to the Dungeon all by himself.

Following the stairs to the Dungeon maintained by the Guild staff, he gradually descended into the first floor of the underground.

Liber carried no pack, wore full leather equipment, and arrived at the Dungeon holding a standard-issue Broadsword.

He surveyed the rocky tunnels surrounding him, where various caves stretched in all directions, with no end in sight. In this lonely atmosphere, one could faintly hear hissing or clashing sounds.

Even when adventurers occasionally appeared nearby, their figures quickly entered branching underground tunnels and gradually disappeared from sight.

Liber watched the surrounding figures gradually head toward various passages, observed for a while, then chose a direction at random and gradually walked into the depths of the passage.

As he walked, he held the standard-issue Broadsword in his hand, calmly observing the various conditions inside the tunnel.

Although there were different traces emitting light in the cave tunnels, this light was somewhat dim, and visibility was still quite low.

He walked cautiously in this manner.

In this sufficiently empty environment, his footsteps were clearly audible, with the sound and echoes overlapping.

As the sound of his footsteps traveled further and further away, some rustling movements gradually began to sound.

Liber looked toward the source of the noise, and in the dim space ahead in the tunnel, multiple figures were vaguely moving.

Seeing the shifting figures, Liber took the overly large and heavy Greatsword he had purchased at the equipment store out of his personal storage and cast [Levitation] magic.

He let the Greatsword hover beside his left arm, while his right hand also held the Broadsword upon which he had cast [Levitation], to facilitate dealing with the impending danger.

Liber prepared himself slightly, steadied his mind, and continued to step toward the depths of the tunnel.

As he gradually drew closer, Liber saw several short figures gathered together in the depths of the tunnel.

Those figures wore thin rags, their bodies were thin and small, and their skin appeared very rough, with a grayish-green complexion. Two ear-flaps similar to those of an Elf hung unusually wide on both sides of their heads.

He estimated that there were about seven or eight similar figures gathered together.

They were all bowing their heads, gnawing on something, and as his footsteps gradually drew near, it seemed to disturb them.

Suddenly, they all looked up, revealing scarlet eyes. These were the monsters often criticized and loathed both in the Dungeon and the outside world—Goblins.

Seeing Liber appear, they dropped the Magic Stone they were gnawing on and ran toward Liber at high speed on all fours.

The individual strength of this type of monster is not particularly outstanding, and they are even weaker than an ordinary adult human female.

But they are small in stature, agile in movement, and often act in groups.

Two or three together can relatively easily kill an ordinary adult human.

Five or six acting together are not to be underestimated by novice adventurers.

As for a group of Goblins with even higher numbers, even for an average-ability Level 1 adventurer, encountering them alone is quite troublesome.

Looking at the short monsters rushing toward him.

Liber let out a breath of stuffiness from his heart, easing the somewhat nervous mood he felt upon encountering monsters, and suppressing his overly racing heart.

"Is this feeling what it means to adventure?"

As the monsters gradually drew near, a smile instead tugged at the corners of Liber's mouth.

Perhaps it was because he had suppressed himself for too long, but now that he had finally encountered monsters within the Dungeon, Liber's emotions suddenly seemed somewhat agitated.

He began to walk toward the monsters, his strides growing longer and his speed increasing until he was sprinting forward.

The two sides moved toward each other; a group of Goblin continued to approach him, with the three fastest in the lead forming an arrowhead formation as they lunged at him.

Liber's sprinting footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and the Broadsword in his right hand was suddenly hurled forward.

The Broadsword pierced directly through the head of the leading Goblin, and then, with a wave of his left hand, the Greatsword hovering to his left followed the motion of his arm, slashing horizontally to the right.

Heavy in mass and broad in shape, the Greatsword struck the two following Goblin; accompanied by the sound of the impact, the two Goblin were sent flying, crashing into the surrounding tunnel walls.

Their bodies slumped to the ground like piles of mud before vanishing.

At the same time, the Goblin pierced through the head by the Broadsword also fell to the ground, twitched once, and disappeared.

The four Goblin advancing behind them showed no fear or hesitation despite the casualties of their companions, continuing to charge toward Liber.

Their originally dense formation gradually scattered, with them clinging to the left, right, top, and bottom of the tunnel walls as they continued to pounce toward Liber.

Liber extended his right arm and opened his palm; the Broadsword on the ground rose via Levitation, flying directly to his side where it hovered, the hilt suspended within Liber's palm.

He then spread his arms wide, commanding the two hovering weapons.

The Broadsword shot out, carving an arc as it slashed directly into the Goblin pouncing from the right tunnel wall.

Meanwhile, the Greatsword, which had fallen to the ground, followed the swing of his left arm, flying across the floor to strike the Goblin advancing on the ground, and in one fluid motion from bottom to top, it also struck the figure pouncing from the left wall.

With the two weapons having eliminated the monsters on the left, right, and front.

The Goblin above the cave pounced downward, diving straight at him.

Liber watched the descending Goblin; at such close range, he could almost smell the foul stench emanating from its mouth.

An excited smile appeared on his face as his figure suddenly shifted backward in a parallel motion, causing the Goblin's pounce to miss and land on the ground.

He then kicked the Goblin away, recalled the Broadsword, and the weapon hovered and flipped, piercing directly through the creature's torso from behind.

The monster twitched in mid-air before its figure vanished.

Following the brief yet intense battle, the surrounding environment grew quiet once more.

Liber's face was filled with an irrepressible smile.

He thought of his constant training and struggle, and how, after arriving in this world, he had suppressed his longing for all sorts of magical things.

He had assumed that even after years of training and basic swordsmanship, he would be restrained and somewhat nervous when encountering Dungeon monsters.

Yet, he hadn't expected that while his body was filled with a sense of fervor during the battle, his mind remained remarkably calm.

Every action taken by the monsters during the fight was captured by his eyes, and his own movements were devoid of the slightest panic.

Liber stood in place, and with a thought, he recalled both weapons to his side.

He looked at the few Magic Stone dropped by the monsters; ripples gradually spread around the Magic Stone before they vanished from the ground, having been stored directly into the Magic Space by Liber.

"These monsters are not enough for me."

Liber's emotions surged as he whispered to himself.

The hovering Greatsword gradually vanished, and the Broadsword fell into Liber's hand.

He then carried the Broadsword and walked toward the depths of the tunnel, heading into the dim darkness ahead.