(How did it come to this…)
Makino Milk stood alone on the third level of the dungeon, catching her breath, full of regrets.
Today, on May 5th, her eighteenth birthday, she ventured into the dungeon for the very first time.
Well, technically, the morning was reserved for dungeon orientation. It was a beginner’s session, where they taught her how to read her status.
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Makino Milk: Level 7
Exchange Value: 0D (Ranking: -)
Health: 30/30
Magic Power: 52/52
Attack: 18
Defense: 16
Dexterity: 18
Agility: 16
Luck: 5
Skill: Flame Stone Magic
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Starting at level 7 was quite the surprise.
She’d heard tales of awakened individuals who began with higher levels.
Her friend, Azuma Ayame, apparently started at level 15, so even beginning at level 7 wasn’t all that unusual.
(At this rate, I’ve already overtaken Taira.)
In the afternoon, her childhood friend—though not an awakened—would accompany her into the dungeon.
Even if he’s already leveling up, he should be level 2 at most.
And it’s most likely that he’s still level 1.
She felt a twinge of disappointment, she’d hoped they could level up together…..
The orientation continued.
Soon, the instructor—a seasoned explorer—dragged in a large sack.
Inside: slimes.
「Alright, everyone, let’s defeat these. We’ll aim for level 4 by noon.」
They distributed wooden staves and set the slimes loose.
Each defeated slime was replaced by another.
It felt like a never-ending noodle-eating contest.
Was this what a dungeon was supposed to be like?
Milk glanced at the other participants:
A woman around 18, the same age as her.
An elderly couple, seemingly new to dungeon exploration.
A man in a suit who doesn’t look like he’s in a dungeon.
They all relentlessly pounded the incoming slimes, one after another.
It was a strange world.
「Hey, there’s a yellow slime over there.」
The words came from a heavily made-up woman, perhaps around thirty years old.
When Milk looked in the direction she’s pointing out, she noticed a yellow slime crawling slowly toward them, separate from the ones already placed around.
Ordinarily, slimes were blue, but this one was distinctly yellow.
Before Milk could fully recall why that color seemed significant, the slime sprayed some kind of liquid at the nearby woman.
Instantly—her face began to dissolve.
She didn’t even have time to scream.
「Acid slime! Everyone, run!」
Shouted the instructor, and everyone scattered.
Milk and the others rushed toward the exit. However, just as the instructor reached the door, the acid slime appeared right in front of it, creating a yellow puddle around itself—a pool of corrosive acid.
The acid slime moved sluggishly.
If you run, you can escape from it.
Sure, their legs might suffer burns, but with shoes on, death wasn’t imminent.
The man in the suit seemed to think the same.
He sprinted, but within moments, his shoes melted away, and it looked like the soles of his feet did too.
He stumbled and, finally, the acid slime engulfed him.
He was consumed.
The subsequent scene was too gruesome to describe.
Escape was impossible.
The sole exit was blocked.
And now, the acid slime reappeared near the exit, dissolving anyone who tried to flee.
-0-
Some managed to escape outside.
The acid slime spat its corrosive substance, but it wasn’t fast.
Still, the toxin filled this floor.
If they stay on the first floor, they will be affected by the toxins.
So Milk,
「Everyone, retreat deeper!」
Against the flow of people heading for the exit, Milk ran in the opposite direction.
If they couldn’t defeat the acid slime, they’d buy time.
If they do so, help will surely come.
What she found was a staircase leading to the second level.
The staircase should have been accessible only to those above level 10.
Yet, Milk decided to take the risk and descend.
The black dungeon, supposedly crafted by Danpol, lacked safety margins.
If the appearance of the acid slime was indeed Danpol’s doing, then perhaps all restrictions were removed—no level-based barriers—to going deeper underground.
Her intuition proved correct.
She reached the second level.
「Everyone, evacuate to the second level—」
No one followed.
No one had the luxury to heed Milk’s words.
She hesitated—should she go back for help?
But she shook her head and descended to the second level.
On the Stone Stage Dungeon’s second level, she encountered haniwa figurines and walking mushrooms.
At level 7, she should be more than capable of defeating them.
There was no acidic stench like that of the acid slime.
She managed to get hope.
But hope swiftly turned to despair.
A wolf appeared—a monster that shouldn’t have been on that floor.
(Bite Wolf!? Why would a level 30 equivalent monster…)
The Bite Wolf was swift, its keen nose a deadly asset.
If it detected her at this distance, escape would be impossible.
Milk gripped the staff her father had entrusted to her and unleashed magic with desperate resolve.
「Release: Hot Stone Bullet!」
The stone projectile struck the Bite Wolf’s face, but it merely grazed its right eye. Perhaps it was dazed from a minor concussion.
Milk decided to flee while she still could.
Even within the dungeon, wind blew. If she ran downwind, maybe she’d escape.
Unfortunately, she stumbled upon the worst hiding spot: a staircase leading to the third underground level.
The only people she could ask for help there are the other explorers within this dungeon. They were told that a group of level 50+ explorers are supposed to be there.
It was likely that those who had escaped outside were already contacting the hotel and requesting rescue via communication crystals.
If that were the case, descending further underground might allow Milk to reunite with them sooner.
Although facing enemies on the third underground level would be challenging for her current abilities, it seemed preferable to staying on the second level with the Bite Wolf. With this resolve, she descended the staircase.
What awaited her was a lone kobold—a monster akin to a small dog compared to the earlier wolf.
However, close combat wasn’t an option for Milk in her current state.
「Release: Hot Stone Bullet!」
She cast her magic, but the kobold remained standing.
Then, remembering her father’s advice, she wielded the crossbow he’d insisted she carry.
The arrow struck true, felling the kobold.
(Thanks, Dad.)
Her father’s overprotective tendencies had led her to bring along a healing potion—something she’d deemed unnecessary. Now, it proved invaluable.
Using magic consecutively made her feel queasy.
Three times in a row is a challenge for the current her.
Venturing to the fourth floor seemed perilous in her current condition.
Seeking a moment of respite, she found a quiet alcove—a dead-end passage.
The Bite Wolf, she noticed, was still en route to the first level.
If it continued without pursuing her, she’d be safe.
But if it descended here…
Milk took a gamble, placing her bet on the side where the Bite Wolf wasn’t.
Her luck wasn’t particularly good; she’d recently drawn an unlucky fortune at the shrine.
(Speaking of luck, Taira always had good fortune.)
Odd to reminisce about her childhood friend at a time like this. Taira’s luck was so consistent that the candy shop owner accused him of cheating when he always won the best prizes.
(Taira probably doesn’t remember, but he stopped buying any candy that can be won via lottery.)
Milk calmed down a bit.
How much time has passed since she fled there.
Has an hour passed? Or was it merely five minutes?
Milk has always been confident with her sense of time but in the face of death, precise timekeeping became an impossible task even for her.
(If that Bite Wolf from earlier were still pursuing me, it would have caught up by now. It headed toward the first floor. It won’t come here.)
She aimed for a calm optimism, refusing to lose her sense of urgency.
She waited for rescue, replaying scenarios of survival in her mind.
(It’ll be okay. Someone will come to help. I’ll escape unharmed. Mom will hug me with tears streaming down her face. Then I’ll complain to Taira, who should be waiting outside, about everything. And Dad—worried—will rush over from Mount Fuji. We’ll all share a giant birthday cake for dinner, laughing about how it’ll make us gain weight.)
Her thoughts shifted to Ayame, her friend.
Recently, Ayame faced an unbeatable monster—an Evil Ogre—in the Expo Park Dungeon.
A boy her age had saved her at that time.
The Evil Ogre was stronger than the Bite Wolf.
Yet, she survived.
Milk clung to that reassurance.
(Ayame fell in love with that guy who saved her, right?)
As she pondered, a sound reached her—breathless, as if been running for a while.
It gradually came closer and closer to her.
Hope surged. Maybe rescue had arrived.
But she prepared for the worst—ready to cast magic if it turned out to be a monster.
She could handle level 3 monsters.
If it were the Bite Wolf again, she’d unleash consecutive spells and flee.
But reality surpassed her darkest imagination.
The approaching figure was something familiar: the same Bite Wolf she’d faced before, its scarred face evidence of their prior encounter.
Panic surged. She tried to cast magic instantly, but the situation defied even her worst expectations.
There were six Bite Wolves.
-0-
At that moment, she understood.
The reason the earlier Bite Wolf hadn’t pursued her to the first floor wasn’t to hunt others—it was to gather reinforcements specifically to ensure her demise.
Wolves were pack hunters, whether in the wild or as demon beasts.
She’d forgotten this fundamental truth.
Still, she cast her magic.
「Release: Hot Stone Bullet!」
The heated stone flew, but the Bite Wolf evaded it with a leap.
Next, she aimed her crossbow.
In midair, the arrow couldn’t be dodged.
Or so she thought.
Astonishingly, the Bite Wolf shattered the arrow with its teeth and lunged at her.
(It’s over.)
She braced for death.
But that moment stretched out—a kind of mental slow-motion.
Memories flashed before her eyes, like a fleeting montage.
『Ayame falling for someone at first sight. Hope it works out.』
『Yeah. And you, Milk? Aren’t you going into the dungeon with your childhood friend?』
This phone conversation with Ayame was too recent for a mental flashback.
Why was she recalling it now?
『He’s not like that. Just a childhood friend.』
『But maybe feelings will change when you explore the dungeon together.』
『Does he even need to save me from slimes? But if he appears like a prince—』
As she reached that point in her memories, time snapped back to its normal pace.
Death should have claimed her, yet there was no sign of it.
Because—
「…Phew, I made it in time.」
The voice came from a boy who shouldn’t be here.
It couldn’t be real.
Was she still dreaming?
Her racing heartbeat insisted otherwise.
「Sorry for the wait, Milk.」
He stood there, having just knocked away a Bite Wolf with his sword.
At that moment, Milk’s face flushed crimson.
「I’m relieved you’re safe. Now we can fulfill our promise—to explore the Stone Stage Dungeon together.」
He grinned, revealing his teeth.
『But if he appears like a prince and save me, I don’t think I could like anyone else but him.』
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