The Dungeon of Fire?

First of all, her voice was loud.

"Could you keep it down a bit? Anyway, what kind of rumors are going around about me?"

"Well... um... something about sensing enemies from afar, using crackling magic, surprisingly smart, and looks completely ordinary at first glance."

At first, that was fine. But the latter part was clearly an insult. I can't help but feel uneasy about this...

"Hey, Taro. You can detect monsters, right?"

"Not sure. It could just be someone who looks similar."

"I haven't seen any adventurers named Taro around here. Plus, Taro, you're short on money, aren't you? I hear dungeons can be pretty profitable... Why don't we explore one together?"

I really am short on funds.

From what I've heard about the dungeon system, the profits from exploring a dungeon should easily cover what we've lost. But there's also the risk to our lives...

"I understand. Let me join the dungeon expedition too. But I'm a complete novice. Are you sure that's okay?"

"Got it. We'll make sure to handle that part thoroughly on our end."

"Still, as things stand, our team's balance is off."

Kenny murmured quietly.

As Kenny pointed out, we had two backline members and only one frontliner—plus a tank. This was exactly the kind of situation where we needed someone to take the role of attacker.

Just as we were discussing this, Alex walked past us. Was Alex about to take on a quest? We stood there, stunned, staring at the bulletin board. Clara and I seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Alex-kun, let's play!"

"What? Since when have you two become so close?"

"Isn't that fine? Anyway, are you looking for a mission? If so, I happen to know just the place."

As I said that,

"A secluded forest with an uncharted cave, and deep inside, treasure piles up like rubble. Sir, care for a little adventure?"

Clara followed up.

After studying both of them carefully, Alex let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

"Perhaps it was something like Clara and Kenny attempting to clear the dungeon, but failing to succeed, which led to Taro being invited instead. However, that team composition was unbalanced as a group. So, that's why they invited me, wouldn't you say?"

"...""..."

We were speechless.

"Sure, I was just bored anyway. But you know... it wouldn't be much fun just joining, so if you ask nicely and bow your head, I suppose I could help out."

Crap... this guy's getting full of himself. He is a strong frontliner, true, but for some reason, I don't want to bow to him. I glance at Clara—she's grinding her teeth. Same feeling as me.

"Please, help me out."

"..."

When I turned around, Kenny had already bowed his head casually.

Alex seemed taken aback, offering no clear reply. And so, we set out to face the dungeon.

This dungeon featured a single wide passage, remarkably long and deep. From this main path, pathways for the sub-beasts branched out like limbs.

I'll take the center position and use scanning magic. Clara will follow behind me, Kenny in front, and Alex ahead of him—forming a long vertical formation as we advance.

This place is located three to four days' travel southwest from the empire by carriage.

We've arrived at a dense forest where plants are thriving despite winter. The temperature here is unusually high—almost strange.

No wonder they say there's a fire crystal deep within the dungeon.

Ordinary wild animals seem to be scarce here. Even the animal trails are unclear, just a messy tangle. In their place, however, there are large trees deeply scarred, and swords piercing into the ground at odd angles—clear signs of a fierce battle.

"This is going to be tough to navigate. If we have to clear every obstacle like this, it's anyone's guess how long it'll take to reach the dungeon."

Alek groaned, standing before the thicket.

"Yeah! And the worst part is, even after we clear them, they grow back the next day. I've never heard of something growing this much in winter—actually, the temperature here feels unusually high, don't you think?"

Clara spoke, her voice filled with curiosity. A magic bow was strapped to her back.

The magic bow incorporates a magic stone into its frame, and when activated, the stone imbues the bow with extraordinary flexibility. This allows the metal, which should normally remain rigid, to bend.

When the bow is drawn and the magic stone's effect is deactivated, the flexibility returns to normal, and the stored energy propels the arrow forward. The force generated by this arrow can easily pierce through thick metal plates, creating large holes.

I'd seen its power once before—impressively, the arrow had plunged deep into a massive boulder, splitting it apart.

Kenny was equipped with a large shield, just tall enough to conceal his towering height.

It was quite heavy—barely manageable for me to lift. Clearly well-worn.

"Talking won't get us anywhere. Let's go. The plan remains unchanged."

As Clara said this, everyone responded in turn.

I immediately activated my探测 magic. Though it was a bit expensive, I upgraded all the light magic stones to high-grade ones. As a result, the detection range increased slightly, expanding from 100 to 150 meters.

I also made a small improvement to the receiving-side magic lamp, enabling it to roughly estimate distance based on the brightness of the light. Now, the magic lamp softly glows.

"Response detected at exactly 130 meters ahead."

Each of them readies their weapon in response to my words. The enemy clearly recognizes our presence now. And so, the battle begins.

Having fought through countless battles, we've advanced all the way to the dungeon's entrance.

"Next! Thirty meters from the left!"

Kenny steps forward, raising his shield.

Alek ran forward, finishing off the sub-beast he had defeated in the previous battle, now heading toward the next monster. Clara seems to have locked onto her target—drawing her magic bow and releasing an arrow.

The arrow struck perfectly, hitting its mark and dispatching the creature in one shot.

But then she spotted two remaining moving shadows. It seemed there had been three enemies in total; the last two were moving with intricate, unpredictable motions.

I fired the crossbow at one target. I missed several times, but eventually hit one.

After the creature slowed down, I shot a hemp-string arrow at it, aiming to get close. Upon reaching proximity, I activated magic. The lightning surged through the hemp string, the arrow, and the space between, striking the arrow and delivering the shock to the creature. After a moment, one of them stopped moving.

"Damn it, there are too many obstacles— the lightning is being absorbed by other objects."

The last remaining enemy leapt out from the thicket. Kenny blocked the charge. The beast, thrown into the air by the impact, was split in two by Alex.

Though exhausted from battle, Kenny successfully repelled the enemy without danger.

This time, all the monsters were based on monkeys. While there were no particularly novel additions beyond wolves and boars, there were numerous types, often attacking in groups like this.

The terrain was unstable, and the dense woods limited visibility—fighting here was truly difficult.

According to Clara, there were another two or three types, including deer, in addition to these.

Other common wild animals also appear. It's understandable that some parties retreat before reaching the dungeon, given the difficulty level.

After dealing with the enemies, everyone gathered together.

Alek conducted a status check. As the party member with the highest adventurer rank and the most combat experience, he was naturally chosen as the leader.

"Everyone, are you all unharmed? According to the map, there's a cluster of tents made by adventurers nearby. It's not far—just a few minutes' walk. I was thinking we should push forward without stopping. What do you all think?"

"Agreed."

I answered immediately.

Since neither of the others objected, we pressed on without pause all the way to the dungeon entrance.

We encountered combat only once from that point, but it was easily cleared, and we arrived safely at the dungeon's entrance.

The dungeon appears as a large hole in the ground. Burnt and charred plants are scattered around, likely having been scorched by some intense heat. The plants probably covered the hole, which is why it wasn't discovered sooner.

Right now, we've only cleared and prepared the area around the hole to make entry easier. A cluster of tents has been set up around the opening, with several people gathered around a campfire.

Everyone was spending their time preparing for the next challenge—sharpening and maintaining their weapons near their tents.

It seemed the area around here was secure.

"Let's set up a temporary base nearby."

We pitched our tents and decided to rest for the night.

Starting tomorrow, we'll launch our assault on the dungeon.

Dungeons are what come to mind when you think of another world! This is our first dungeon ever.