The Dungeon was a maze of monsters, with an environment and atmosphere entirely different from the outside world.
Countless monsters could be born in this underground labyrinth. Long ago, it had been known by many names, like a demonic lair that brought calamity.
The various strange monsters that poured out of the maze emerged onto the surface of the continent, roaming wherever they pleased and wreaking all manner of havoc.
They could be found everywhere—in forests, snowy mountains, deserts, and even the sky.
Humans, beastfolk, and halflings, even dwarves and elves, all suffered under the torment and misery inflicted by the monsters rampaging across the land.
Amid the suffering caused by the many monsters, they began to cooperate and learn from one another, joining forces to fight back in pursuit of peace and survival.
They endured a long and arduous struggle, fighting with all their might.
Many brave and remarkable figures emerged from these battles and conflicts.
These great beings were known to the world as...
Led by the heroes, the people drove the monsters rampaging across the surface back underground, where they had been born. Generation after generation, they sent people to guard and watch over them. This was how Labyrinth City came to be.
This strange underground labyrinth had an immense area and many different levels.
Many adventurers explored the Dungeon, but no one knew just how many floors it had.
As adventurers ventured farther in, people learned that every floor in the Dungeon had a different environment, with all kinds of monsters, varying climates, and complex terrain.
As adventurers explored deeper into the Dungeon, the monsters grew more powerful and numerous, becoming increasingly terrifying.
Venture even farther in, and not even Orario's first-class adventurers would dare linger.
Even the first floor, the Dungeon's starting point closest to the Guild, was dangerous.
Ordinary people who had not undergone proper training and conditioning would be attacked by all kinds of monsters if they entered. More often than not, they would meet their end.
As for adventurers who had received Falna, their stamina and the sheer number of monsters often kept them from exploring alone.
Most of the time, they explored in groups with other members of their Familia, or teamed up with people from other Familias who shared their interests.
The crowded Guild was full of people handling various matters, but many were groups registering together to go adventuring.
In this situation, Liber arrived alone in the first-floor hall of the towering Babel.
By himself, he walked through the gate the Guild had built to provide access to the Dungeon.
Following the stairs constructed by Guild staff to reach the Dungeon, he descended gradually to the underground first floor.
Liber had brought no pack. Dressed in a full set of leather armor and carrying a standard-issue broadsword, he arrived in the Dungeon.
He surveyed the rocky tunnels around him. Countless caverns branched off in every direction, their ends out of sight. In the lonely atmosphere, he could faintly hear screeches and clashing sounds.
Now and then, other adventurers appeared nearby, but they quickly disappeared into branching underground tunnels.
As Liber watched the figures around him head toward various passageways, he observed them for a while, then casually chose a direction and started walking deeper into the tunnel.
As he walked, he kept his standard-issue broadsword in hand, calmly observing his surroundings.
Though different markings in the cavern tunnels gave off light, it was dim, and visibility remained poor.
He proceeded cautiously.
In the spacious surroundings, his footsteps rang out clearly, their echoes overlapping.
As the sound of his footsteps carried farther and farther, faint rustling noises gradually began to rise.
Following the sounds, Liber looked ahead. In the dim space farther down the tunnel, he could make out several figures moving about.
Watching their faint movements, Liber took the oversized, heavy greatsword he had bought at the equipment shop from his personal storage and cast [Levitation].
He made the greatsword hover beside his left arm. In his right hand, he held his broadsword, which he had also put under [Levitation], ready to face the danger ahead.
After making his preparations and steadying himself, Liber continued deeper into the tunnel.
As he drew closer, he saw several short figures gathered together in the depths of the passage.
They wore scraps of cloth, and their small bodies were covered in rough, gray-green skin. Their ears resembled an elf's, but were unusually large, sticking out on either side of their heads.
He estimated there were seven or eight of them gathered together.
They were all bent over, gnawing on something. As his footsteps drew closer, he seemed to startle them.
Suddenly, they all raised their heads, revealing blood-red eyes. These were the monsters known as Goblins, despised and reviled both in the Dungeon and in the outside world.
When they saw Liber, they dropped the Magic Stones they had been gnawing on and charged toward him on all fours.
Individually, these monsters were nothing special in terms of strength. They were even weaker than an average adult human woman.
But they were small and agile, and they often moved in groups.
Two or three working together could easily kill an ordinary adult.
For rookie adventurers, even a group of five or six was a threat not to be underestimated.
As for larger groups of Goblins, even a moderately capable LV1 adventurer would find them troublesome when alone.
Watching the short monsters rush toward him, Liber quietly exhaled, easing the tension he felt at encountering monsters and suppressing his pounding heart.
"So this is what it feels like to go on an adventure?"
As the monsters drew closer, the corners of Liber's mouth lifted into a faint smile.
Perhaps he had kept himself in check for too long. Now that he had finally encountered monsters in the Dungeon, Liber felt a sudden surge of excitement.
He began walking toward the monsters, lengthening his stride and quickening his pace until he was running.
The two sides charged toward each other. A group of Goblins continued closing in, and the three fastest ones at the front formed a wedge and leaped at him.
Liber suddenly stopped running and hurled the broadsword in his right hand.
The broadsword pierced the head of the Goblin closest to him at the front. Then he swung his left hand, sending the greatsword hovering beside him sweeping horizontally to the right.
The heavy, broad-bladed greatsword struck the two Goblins that followed. With a resounding clash, they were sent flying into the tunnel walls.
Their bodies crumpled to the ground like lumps of mud, then disappeared.
The Goblin whose head had been pierced by the broadsword also fell to the ground, twitched, and vanished.
The four Goblins behind them showed no fear or hesitation at their companions' deaths. They continued charging toward Liber.
The group, originally packed tightly together, spread out, clinging to the tunnel walls on the left and right, above and below, as they continued their assault.
Liber stretched out his right arm and opened his hand. The broadsword rose from the ground and flew back to his side, where Liber held it loosely, its hilt hovering in his palm.
Then he spread his arms again, directing the two hovering weapons with crossed arms.
The broadsword shot forward, traced an arc, and slashed into a Goblin leaping from the tunnel wall on the right.
Meanwhile, the greatsword on the ground swept forward with a swing of his left arm, striking a Goblin advancing along the floor, then rising from below to hit the figure leaping at him from the left wall as well.
With the two weapons dispatching the monsters on the left, right, and ahead, the Goblin above him leaped down, lunging straight at him.
Liber watched it dive toward him from close range. He could almost smell the stench coming from its mouth.
A thrilled smile spread across his face. His body suddenly slid backward, causing the Goblin's lunge to miss and sending it crashing to the ground.
Then he kicked the Goblin away and called back the broadsword. It hovered, spun around, and stabbed the Goblin through the torso from behind.
The monster twitched in midair, then disappeared.
After the brief, intense battle, the surroundings fell silent once more.
Liber's face was full of barely restrained delight.
Thinking of all the training and hard work he had put in, and how he had kept his yearning for all things fantastical in check after coming to this world, he had expected that even after years of training and basic swordsmanship practice, he would still be awkward and nervous when he first encountered monsters in the Dungeon.
But he had not expected his body to be filled with exhilaration during the fight while his mind remained perfectly calm.
He had taken in the monsters' every move, and his own movements had not faltered in the slightest.
Liber stood where he was and recalled both weapons to his side with a thought.
He watched the few Magic Stones the monsters had dropped. Ripples gradually spread around them before they disappeared into the ground. Liber had stored the Magic Stones directly in his [Magic Space].
"These monsters aren't enough for me."
With his emotions stirring, Liber murmured softly to himself.
The hovering greatsword gradually disappeared, and the broadsword dropped into Liber's hand.
Then he carried the broadsword deeper into the tunnel, heading into the dim darkness ahead.
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