Kazuki’s Perspective

Oh man, I feel like my body was put into a blender. To say I feel terrible is a complete understatement. That dream that I had did not have a pleasant ending. Oh well, I guess It’s over now. I was really looking forward to building a dungeon, though. I slowly open my eyes, but what I see is not my apartment, as I was expecting. Instead, I find myself in a small room made of mostly wood. The bed is relatively stiff and made of straw.

I slowly raise myself up into a seated posture when I notice a small girl laying her head on the foot of my bed. Elli? Did you shrink? I guess it must not have been a dream then, that actually happened. My heart feels a little floaty. I’m glad that it wasn’t a dream. It’s not as though I hated my old life, but there are things here that I could never do back home. Wait… Then that means that I-I killed four people, mercilessly as if they were just characters in a video game. A wave of disgust flows over me. I did something terrible. I feel like it would be wrong for me to justify it, regardless of the reason why I killed people. I’ll just let this feeling linger in the back of my head.

I don’t think I want to fight like that ever again. This feeling within me right now, I don’t want to feel it again. I mean, I guess if I make a dungeon, I’ll have to watch people die because of me. I don’t think dungeons are evil or anything, but they’re certainly not friendly places, and death goes hand in hand with them.

Well, I suppose I can focus more on building a town around the dungeon. As for the dungeon, I should make it start super easy and have it gradually get harder without any cheap tricks. The last thing I’d want is to create a dungeon that is unfair to the adventurers who come to it. Perhaps it would be a good idea to make a genuinely unfair section and use it to protect the core. After all, if the core is destroyed, everything ends. I’ll just have to make sure the adventurers are appropriately warned.

Well, I can leave my dungeon planning for later. For now, I should focus on getting out of bed. I should also wake this sleeping mini-Elli. I gently pat her on the head.

“Good Morning”

She slowly rustles awake and replies to me, still half asleep...

“Aaahh, Oh, good morning.”

Seeing her face properly, she isn’t Elli. She’s much younger. Instead, her ears are slightly larger. Perhaps she isn’t a half-elf and is instead a full elf? She seems a little cautious about me, but she still smiles and talks to me.

“Are you feeling better?”

“A little, I’m still quite sore. More so, where am I right now?”

“Oh… Elli brought you here to her house. I’m her little sister Mari. I’ve been taking care of you while Elli has been adventuring. She’s not home right now, but she’ll be home later.”

“I see. What should we do while we wait. Do you have any games you like to play?”

“You can’t play any games; you have to continue resting, you can’t be running around!”

She sternly scolds me; despite her small size, she seems to be very mature. I’m assuming because her mother is sick, she’s had to grow up fast.

“Of course, I wouldn’t want to do any active games. But I mean like a board game that I can do from the bed.”

“What is a board game?”

Mari tilts her head to the side in confusion. Right, I suppose they don’t have widespread board games in this world. Well, I have no way to obtain one right now. I guess I’ll have to find something else to do, maybe I should use this time to learn to write. I let Mari know.

“Never mind, I’ll show you one day. We probably can’t make one right now. Will you help me get up out of bed? I feel like I should try to move around a little bit.”

“Alright, but no overdoing it, okay, Oniichan?”

“Oniichan?”

“Well, you’re really good friends with Oneechan, right? You did get injured protecting her. So, I will call you Oniichan!”

“I mean, I suppose I don’t mind.”

She carefully gives me her shoulder as I crawl out of bed and attempt to stand. I’m just barely able to stand. My legs are shaking. I think it would be best to avoid using [Overdrive] from now on. I mean, I guess the usage was appropriate since I really didn’t have another choice, but I’ll definitely think twice now that I know the state that it leaves me in. Speaking of the state that I’m in…

“Hey Mari, how long have I been asleep?”

“You’ve been sleeping for two days here and one at the church. Oneechan has been working really, really, hard since you got hurt. I’ve never seen her work so hard. You really inspired her.”

“Huh, I guess there was some merit in what I did then. I was worried that I might have done something bad. I really hurt people. Bad people for sure, but still people. I’m glad I was at least able to protect and inspire Elli.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about what you did to those bandits. Elli tries her best to grin and bear it, but people are mean to her all the time. You’re her first human friend, so please continue to protect her.”

Once again, I’m surprised by Mari’s maturity. Perhaps it’s just a cultural difference. However, I’ll be disappearing in less than a week, it pains me, but I’ll have to leave Elli behind. I can’t drag her into this path. She has her life, and I have mine. Maybe she can come live in the city that I make once I get it up and running. Yeah, I’ll give her and her family a lovely house there.

Making a quick stop at the bathroom, I get a good look at myself in the mirror for the first time since coming here. I appear to be covered in bandages, but there doesn’t seem to be any wounds or scars. I brush my hand against my brown hair. I’ve always had a more feminine appearance. Most guys would cut their hair and fight it; personally, I don’t mind it.

Together with Mari, we finally make it to the kitchen. She slowly helps lower me onto a chair and then proceeds to make some food for us. Together we eat a nice salad, it tastes quite refreshing. Afterward, at my request, Mari brings me some papers with writing on them and a slate. I spend the rest of my day learning how to read while Mari completes many chores around me. We talk quite a bit about random things. It seems she’s been quite lonely, so she’s happy to have company. This quiet life isn’t bad at all.After finishing up in the bathroom I rejoin Elli’s sister.

Finally, after the day has passed and night has fallen, we hear a knock on the door. Slowly a certain adorable half-elf walks into the room, her hair glistening. She looks like she worked hard today with dirt on her skin and several small scrapes. There’s a certain satisfaction I feel from looking at her. You can tell that she put in her best effort.

Elli turns to face me, and tears begin to well up within her eyes. She firmly walks towards me. I don’t know what to expect. She then takes me into a tight embrace, and I can feel some tears on my neck. She begins talking to me in a ragged voice.

“I’m so glad that you’re okay. You really had me worried, don’t do something like that again, okay?”

“I-I um, I won’t.”

She pulls away from me, and with tears in her eyes, gives me the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on her face.

“Thank you for saving me.”

“Alright, now kiss him!”

Mari sneaks into the conversation and teases Elli causing her to turn red with embarrassment. Poor Elli, getting teased by her little sister. Not that it isn’t entertaining to see Elli get so flustered. Elli quickly chases Mari off to her own room.

“Haha, sorry about that. I hope Mari didn’t cause any trouble while I was gone.”

“Not at all. Rather I had a good time talking with her throughout the day.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better, but I’m okay.”

Elli and I sit at the kitchen table talking about everything that happened while I was in a veritable coma. I learn about the reward we gained from the guild and how we are now upper silver ranked adventurers.

“Wow, I can’t believe you chose to heal me over your own mother. I don’t know what to say other than, thank you.”

“I wouldn’t be able to be happy if I didn’t help you. It was a difficult choice, but it would have been wrong of me not to help you. Well, we’re silver rank now, so it won’t be impossible to gain that much money again. I already gained over half the silver needed to save her while you’ve been resting.”

“I suppose, that was our plan from the beginning. Well, we only have a few days before I have to go.”

“Do you really have to go? Can’t you just stay with me?”

“It’s going to be sad to say goodbye, and it’s not as though you’ll never see me again, but I have things I have to do too.”

“You just came to this world. What could you possibly have to do?”

“When I came into this world, God gave me a mission to accomplish, and I intend to complete it.”

“I see… In that case, will you take me with you?”

“I can’t. It wouldn’t sit right with me to drag you into this. It’s dangerous, and once you choose this option, you’ll never be able to turn back.”

“Still… No, I understand. I won’t press this any further. I’ll continue to think about it, just, please consider it.”

“Alright, I’ll at least consider letting you come along.”

I mean, I’m still not going to let you come with. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to you because of that. I’ll be taking a position as a danger to humanity, and that’s not something I can wish upon you.

Following our conversation, we head to bed. Elli goes off to sleep with Mari while I sleep in her room. The bed is rough to sleep in, but I eventually disappear into the land of deep sleep.

The next day I wake up to find that Elli has gone off adventuring again while sleeping. I understand, as I am, there isn’t a lot I can do. I’m able to walk normally today, but I definitely cannot move around a lot. However, I manage to talk Mari into going shopping with me. Today, I have a goal of playing a board game with Mari, so my mission is to obtain a wooden board and some stuff to play a makeshift game of checkers.

The other thing I wanted to investigate was obtaining new spells. Back during the fight, I leveled up and gained the [Fireball] spell. I wonder if there are any other ways to obtain spells. So, I also make it a point to stop at the guild. It turns out there are three ways to obtain skills and spells. Method one is merely leveling up your class. The second method is to find or purchase skill candy, which is a strange food found in dungeons that, upon consuming, will give you a skill. The final method involves meeting certain conditions. Unfortunately, the conditions for most skills are unknown, so they are typically obtained randomly. It is also possible to buy information on conditions on the black market from info brokers. Information on skills fetches a high price.

It’s unfortunate that I probably won’t be getting any new skills for a little while. Oh, perhaps I leveled up when I defeated that last bandit. I should really have checked my status first [Display Status]

[Name: Kazuki Hirano Lv. 5] [Race: Human] [Class: Support Caster Lv. 3]

[Stats]

HP: 544/1078

MP: 642/642

Strength: 62

Dexterity: 81

Magic: 121

Physical Defense: 77

Magical Defense: 42

[Skills]

[Fireball Lv.1]

[Triage]

[Unique Skills]

[Overdrive Lv.1] (SEALED)

[Universal Translation Lv.1]

It seems I gained the skill [Triage], and more importantly, it seems to be a skill that allows me to do some basic first aid on people. It is only capable of stopping bleeding and some other very simple things. Still, nevertheless, it is a skill that makes me feel quite happy. Now I’ll be able to actually fill the role of support caster.

The other thing I notice in my status is that [Overdrive] is now marked as sealed. I’m sure it has something to do with using it the other day, but the conditions of the seal aren’t clear. I have no idea what the seal is caused by, or how to make it go away. For now, I won’t be able to rely on that skill.

After completing our shopping day, Mari and I decided to head back to the house, and we spend the rest of the day playing the makeshift checkers game that I made. Mari, having never played it before, naturally didn’t win even one game. However, she did get quite addicted to playing the board game. Elli returns home, and I play a game with her as well, she lost. Before I know it, another day passes by.

This morning when I wake up, I feel like I’ll actually be able to go adventuring. Elli and I wave goodbye to Mari and head to the guild first thing in the morning. To be honest, I’m scared. Before I fought the bandits, I was feeling quite excited about adventuring. Still, now I realize that this is a life-threatening endeavor, and even if you live, you never know how badly you’re going to end up being hurt. It’s bizarre though, I’m aware that I have the fear, but once again, it feels dull and distant. I blame god.

“Elli, I’m going to take to the back and support you today. I am a support class, after all.”

“Alright, promise not to push yourself too hard.”

We get to the guild and check the board; on it, we find an exciting and rare quest to explore the dungeon called the [Rat Cave]. I can’t help but really want to take this one. It’ll be good to experience what a dungeon is like before I make one.

“How about this one?”

“A dungeon? I’ve never been to one before, but they’re considered pretty dangerous.”

“I’m really curious. I mean, this one is called the [Rat Cave] after all. How hard can it be?”

“I suppose you’re right about that; it might be a good experience after all. But, let’s not get in over our heads. It’s okay for us to run if things get out of hand. Okay?”

Yeah, I sense some hostility in her voice. She’s definitely worried I’m going to go too far like I did with the bandits. We should have run from the bandits instead of taking down every one of them. I guess that’s my fault, sorry, I won’t fight like that anymore.

We register that quest and a few more related to the [Rat Cave] and then head out of town to the south. The [Rat Cave] is about 10 kilometers south-west of Beckton. It takes a couple of hours, but hiking with Elli is anything but boring. Even though we’ve only known each other for a few days, it feels like we’ve been friends for life. I almost do want her to come to build the dungeon with me, I wouldn’t get lonely then, but I know deep down that I can’t involve her in it.

We finally reach the entrance of the [Rat Cave], and I suddenly feel a little worried about entering the dungeon. Despite it looking like an ordinary cave, there’s a different feeling to it. It feels as though the cave itself is alive and staring deep into my soul. I mean, I know it’s alive. There is definitely a dungeon master who built this place. Surprisingly, Elli talks before I even mention anything.

“This place feels quite ominous. It’s definitely a dungeon. It makes me feel a little uneasy.”

“I know, it feels like it is looking at us like prey.”

“That’s because we are prey to it. Dungeons are like giant monsters that eat people. They absorb the mana of people who wander in and use that mana to grow.”

“Do you think dungeons are evil?”

“Evil? No, I don’t think so, they definitely are hostile to humans, but that doesn’t make them evil. To elves, dungeons are just a part of nature. You can’t fault a predator for consuming its prey.”

“I see, that makes sense, actually.”

“Anyways, shall we go in?”

“Yeah, I’m ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Alright, let’s go then. Our goal here is to document the number of monsters we encounter and the number of floors within the dungeon. If we can create a decent map of the dungeon, the guild will even give us up to an extra 50 silver.”

“Really?! That’s a lot of silver to just draw a map.”

“Well, it takes a considerable amount of time and skill. I’m not sure we’ll get the whole 50 silver.”

I’m a little shocked by how Elli is taking the lead. She was so timid when I first met her. How did Elli change so much in just a few days? She’s a lot more confident now. I’m sure deep down she always had this, but she’s actually acting on it now.

We slowly step into the [Rat cave], and a group of five rats immediately attacks us.