take the one at the bottom. I'm new, after all.""So it's really just a Club

Club, huh? What, is this some kind of little brother to Refrea-chan?""Well, something like that. So,

what exactly is a Club Club?""It's a beginner kid swinging a bat made of a single layer.

You should learn to dance with a skeleton( using just a) single layer at first. In the labyrinth, those who don't know their place end up dead." I initially thought he was a troublesome troublemaker, but he turned out to be a helpful old guy giving genuinely good advice. I've seen plenty of

corpses of those who died because they failed to keep their place—right here on the second floor.

Someone who shouldn't have come down to the second floor yet. Someone who comes down alone. Someone who gets lost.

Perhaps that's why seniors keep a close eye on newcomers, so they don't end up like that.

You should train at the first floor, gather your party members, make proper preparations, then descend to the second floor—explore only near the stairs at first, and return before it gets too dangerous.

If you can't do that, you're not cut out to be an explorer.

"Thank you. After this, I plan to acquire a staff(club). My sister's just a supervisor, you know—she's just overly worried."

"Ah, honesty is a good thing. Well, try not to overburden your sister too much. If you change your mind, Refreia-chan, feel free to team up with us."

The man laughed heartily and walked away.

If he'd really been a troublesome ruffian, I could've just acted out a brawl, but he was just a good-hearted guy.

Well, thinking about it, people who cause trouble in a place like this probably don't show up often.

"Hikaru... what was that just now?"

Yet Refrea seemed slightly dissatisfied.

Well, I admit I didn't act very manly.

"Huh? It's true I'm a beginner, isn't it? Normally, I'd start by swinging a staff around. If it weren't for Refrea, that's exactly what I would've done."

"My brother, you say?"

"A little lie can be useful sometimes. I just wanted to get involved with that situation—I wasn't serious, so there was no point taking it seriously. Besides, he didn't seem like a bad person, did he?"

"I get that, but..."

Refrea deliberately crossed her arms, then was led straight to the counter.

Well, siblings probably just hold hands...

　

The explanation at the guild counter was purely bureaucratic.

Ignoring Refreia, who kept her arm tightly linked with mine, I listened carefully to the explanation.

I won't lose to the guild staff's subtle glances!

Explorers start at the 'Spiritus' rank, equivalent to the sixth tier numerically.

Their identification badge is 'Bronze'.

This Bronze badge has been repeatedly recovered from the corpses of explorers who died in the second layer. I never thought I'd end up holding one myself.

Incidentally, here are the ranks:

Rank 1: 'Salmander' grade. Identification badge made of ( Infernal Steel ) Salmander.

Rank 2: 'Ondine' grade. Magical Silver ( Mithril ) identification badge.

Rank 3: 'Gnome' grade. Gold ( ) identification badge.

Rank 4: 'Silvestre' grade. Silver ( ) identification badge.

Rank 5: 'Dryad' grade. Ebony ( ) identification badge.

Rank 6: 'Spiritus' grade. Bronze ( ) identification badge.

Extremely cool-looking.

Incidentally, the highest-ranked explorer in this town is said to be a Rank 2 'Ondine'.

I wasn't really interested in the guild, but I found myself feeling like I should put in a little effort—this has to be a sign of excellent management.

You can feel the clever tactics used to make adventurers fully commit to their quests.

Apparently, there's also a beginner training course.

It's designed so that experienced adventurers can guide newcomers in the basics of exploration, but Refirea casually declined, saying, "I'll handle it myself, no need for you."

Well, if Refirea's going to teach it, there's definitely no need to waste time.

And at the end of the explanation, I was sternly instructed: "Absolutely do not touch any gems others have found."

Seems like stealing treasures and summoning divine beasts is a seriously serious matter. Gotta be careful.

After that, I registered to enter the labyrinth and bought the necessary supplies within the guild.Torch, food, drink, potions, clean cloth, gauze, and so on.

Honestly, I didn't really need any of it, but since I was here, I bought them together. Potions can apparently heal minor wounds—roughly equivalent to a crystal potion, I suppose.

"Ah, if only Hikaru and I are needed for combat, what about scouts?"

"Scouts?"

When Refrea asked, I almost answered, "We don't need them," but then I reconsidered—after all, when forming a party, you can't just act on your own.

I don't even know what professional scouts are like.

"Can we hire one here?"

"No, it's at the facility next door."

Following Refrea's guidance, we entered an old building right next to the guild.

The entrance bore the words "Linkus Mutual Aid Society."

Inside were all cat-like humanoid

beings. They seemed to call such creatures "Lynxes," likely their race name

. "When hiring a Lynx scout, there are several rules. First, a deposit. This must be paid upfront. Scouts often meet their end due to the nature of their duties... So the deposit is essentially the price of the Lynx's life." If a hired scout died within

the dungeon, the deposit would of course be lost. In that sense, it was truly

the price of a life. "I see. You never know what might

happen inside a dungeon." "Indeed. Some parties even use scouts as bait to

escape." "Still, a Lynx would probably be better at escaping than most."

"Many kids end up hurting their legs."

Injuries, it seems, were still a real concern.

With the current two-tier system, such leg injuries shouldn't happen too often, but in this world, there are still those unscrupulous people—like the ones who abandoned Grapeflour back then.

By the way, the deposit is surprisingly cheap—just five silver coins.

That amount alone tells you exactly where the race of Links stands in this town.

"Can I select a scout Links?"

"Huh? I think you can... but I can't tell them apart. How come you can, Hikaru?"

"Of course I can. Their faces and fur are completely different."

I called out to Grapeflour, sprawled on the hole-ridden sofa.

"I'm picking you. Grapeflour. I want to hire you."

"Meow meow!? Who are you!? I may look like it, but I can dive down to the third layer, so I'm a bit higher than you!"

"Then, how about I give you a bonus? The potion from yesterday."

Smirking, he says, and Grapeflour straightens up, tail stiff as a rod.

"It's you from back then!! I never thought you'd actually show your face! You really saved me that time, thank you so much!"

"I wasn't planning to show my face, but things have changed. Will you be my scout?"

"If it's me you're looking for, absolutely, yes! I'll get ready right away!"

Grapeflour springs up the stairs to the second floor.

Since I'm hiring someone, it's better to know them a little, after all.