"……Good."

The sun had set, and I stepped out of the inn.

Checking the status board, I had a decent number of points and crystals. I could use them to make battles against monsters smoother, but I didn't really feel like spending them.

Of course, I wanted to avoid standing out.

But more importantly, the successful experience of having leftover points that ultimately allowed me to escape that forest was significant.

Knowing that I could potentially get through emergencies by saving points—

that's exactly why I couldn't bring myself to use them carelessly.

Unless there was a truly special reason.

Moving from alley to alley, I made my way to the central area of the town where the dungeon entrance was located.

At the dungeon's entrance, as always, a bonfire burned, and four guards idled around, looking bored.

And there, standing out from the usual scene, was a single figure—

(Wait, was that... Refreia from yesterday...? What's going on?)

—it was the female warrior who wielded light-based spirit magic, the one I'd met yesterday.

Ignoring the young soldiers nervously glancing her way, she stood firmly in front, guarding the entrance to the labyrinth.

(Could it be... she's waiting for me?)

—the thought crossed my mind for a split second, then I felt embarrassed at my own overthinking.

There must be a reason for her being here.

(Should I go and ask her if she’s keeping the secret properly?)

But then I worried it might come across as meddling.

Maybe she’s already forgotten about me. If so, that’d actually be better.

In the end, I ignored her completely and slipped silently into the labyrinth, cloaked in darkness.

The labyrinth was just as usual.

In the darkness, there was even a sense of comfort.

Ignoring the novice adventurers battling in the first layer, "Twilight Underworld Street," I hurried toward the stairs leading to the second layer.

Skeletons didn't suit my abilities or weapons very well.

Well, actually, I haven't fought them yet, so I can't be sure, but I just can't help feeling that bashing them with a staff would be the best solution. I only have a cheap short sword.

So, I arrived at the second layer, the "Hungerbeast Dungeon."

"Darkness Fog"

Blending into the darkness, I searched alone for a single monster.

As I searched, I drew my short sword and swung it experimentally.

(It's heavy... and I'm terrible at this.)

That was my honest impression after handling it myself.

Of course, it goes without saying—I've never used a sword before.

　

The short sword I have is, from the start, just a cheap, mass-produced weapon.

It's a blade about 40 centimeters long, with a rough, uneven surface, its edge sharpened by force rather than craftsmanship—thin and fragile, likely to chip or break if handled even slightly too hard.

It's barely more than a self-defense tool. Yet, in this world where the iron itself costs a fair amount, it's by no means cheap.

Come to think of it, even on Earth, a sword like this probably wouldn't cost just a few hundred or a few thousand yen.

You couldn't buy it for such a small amount.

It's only natural.

Swish! Swish!

I swing the short sword aimlessly. It probably weighs around one kilogram.

My strength and speed are lacking.

I felt that the only way to defeat a mantis was to land a single, decisive blow—just like before.

As a warrior, my strength is utterly insufficient.

(It's really tiring...)

Just swinging this short sword continuously for a few minutes left me out of breath.

What would happen if I were wielding a longsword instead?

How on earth does Refrea manage to swing around a greatsword that looks like it's ten times heavier than this short sword?

(Well, whatever. I'll go for the weakest monster.)

The weakest monsters on the second floor are goblins.

Small creatures, barely reaching a hundred centimeters in height, that move around in groups.

As monsters, they're quite bizarre even among living beings, wandering around aimlessly without any particular purpose.

They'll attack upon seeing humans, though it's unclear why they behave this way.

Probably some strange anomaly of the labyrinth.

(There they are. Two of them...)

After walking for a while, we spotted two goblins together.

Goblins usually gather in groups of up to ten or more, so lone ( ... ) are creatures suitable for hunting.

Even if using Darkness Fog, monsters will notice my presence if I get too close.

I've never dared get so near out of fear, but in any case, spirit magic isn't all-powerful.

Especially with only two, if one is defeated, the other will surely detect me.

The real question is how I'll fight when that happens.

I've observed various party tactics, but none use shadow spirit magic.

I'll have to figure it out and practice it myself.

(Practice... or is it an experiment?)Thanks to the effects of dark vision and night vision, even within the darkness of the Dark Fog, I can see almost as clearly as during daytime.

Otherwise, since the Dark Fog is my own technique, I wouldn't end up unable to see myself—a complete reversal of purpose.

I amplified the darkness to maximum output.

The fourth-tier Dark Fog can envelop an area of up to ten meters in radius in complete darkness.

Suddenly, the goblins wrapped in darkness begin shrieking in panic.

I moved silently, holding my breath, circling behind them.

Holding my breath, I delivered a single blow to their exposed necks.

The descending blade carved through the goblin’s neck from behind, as if sucked into the darkness, and without so much as a struggle, the monster transformed into a small, transparent spirit stone with a soft clink.

(Next――)

The other goblin still couldn't comprehend the situation, merely screeching endlessly.

It neither swung its weapon nor tried to flee.

I quietly and calmly moved behind it, then slashed downward with my short sword at its neck vertebrae.

It was over in an instant—disappointingly effortless.

Just with Dark Fog, I sealed it completely.

There was no need to use any other technique.

(O... again, this sensation.)

The same feeling I'd experienced when defeating the mantis—the sensation of spiritual energy seeping into my body and merging with it. Though far weaker than before, what exactly was this?

Maybe I'll ask the old man from the Dark Market someday.

After that, I continued hunting for suitable monsters, fighting while testing my abilities.

　

A group of around five goblins can be defeated with just "Summon Knight Bug."

Summon Knight Bug is an ability that summons about ten dark, insect-like creatures to attack a monster. Although the skill is currently low in proficiency, with proper training, I expect it to become the most directly offensive spell among those I possess.

Shadow Bind, at its current level of mastery, can only immobilize an oak for about ten seconds, and since the limbs can still move somewhat, it's somewhat unreliable.

Still, considering it did have some effectiveness against mantises, its usefulness largely depends on how it's used.

It only affects one target at a time, so when facing multiple enemies, it must be used repeatedly.

As proficiency increases, it should become much more effective... that's about the expectation.

When I activate the Shadow Runner, both the oaks and goblins charge forward, eager to pursue and attack.

Depending on whether I’m visible or not, they either become distracted or launch attacks if close enough. Without higher skill, this is merely a trick to create the tiniest of openings. …Still, in the heat of

extreme combat, even such a tiny gap could mean everything. Using Shade Shift reduces the chance of

being hit by half, but since I’m not engaging in direct, warrior-style combat, I haven’t found much use for it yet. Above all—Darkness Fog is too powerful. A terrifying

manifestation of darkness. As if it were both the foundation and ultimate

technique, within its pitch-black

shroud, even goblins and oaks are rendered nearly powerless.

They seem to have decent night vision, able to move freely even in this dark labyrinth, but inside the Darkness Fog, it's pitch black—no light at all.

In such darkness, the monsters instantly panic and become utterly helpless.

I can quietly approach from behind and take their lives.

It's simple and powerful—so effective that no other techniques are needed.

At least, against goblins and orcs, the Darkness Fog alone was enough to completely contain them.

But against stronger foes... ogres, mantises, and the like—I'm not confident.

Even if they're just swinging blindly, unaware of my presence in the shadows, a single hit could be fatal.

It's best not to overestimate or become complacent.

I chose to fight only goblins and orcs, simply because I figured even if they managed to counterattack, they wouldn't have enough power to deal a fatal blow in one hit.

Well, it's my first day fighting monsters. There's no rush—plenty of time.

It's fine to progress steadily, a little at a time.

In the end, I spent the day hunting only weak monsters.

I collected twenty clear crystals and four colored ones.