Chapter 88: Dungeon Debut

186th Day in the Other World

Ten days had passed since the hero’s party set out for the city. Since then, there had been no major incidents or bad reports, only smooth and uneventful days, despite the good news of the completion of the Barrier Necklace and Magic Iron Sword.

The only notable event was receiving a telepathic message from Merinard two days ago. It seemed that Dragon had visited directly and formally proposed moving to the village.

As expected, it was already decided that he would step down as the council chairman in the near future. Through the telepathic communication with Merinard, Dragon requested to be taken care of along with his family in the village.

There was no reason to refuse, so I agreed on the condition that he cut ties with the council and come after doing so. After all, he was a former top member of the council. He should have various information not only about the Beastman Territory but also about the Human Territory. It would be beneficial to have him as an ally. His personal combat abilities were also exceptional, so he would surely make great contributions to the village.

Oh, right. When Dragon made the request, the Fishman Tribe chief, who was also a council member, was present. A woman named Maria expressed her desire for the Fishman Tribe to move to Nanashi Village as well and stated that she would resign from the council herself.

She mentioned that the behavior of the other council members seemed suspicious, as if they were being manipulated by the chairman of the Japan Trade Company. She said, “Even if we stay in the Beastman Territory, we will be used as pawns. So please, hide us and protect us.”

Dragon asked her if it was so easy for her to abandon her homeland, but she replied, “The Beastman Territory is only a united nation. The most important thing is the survival of the tribes,” showing no hesitation or regret about leaving the country.

Another reason she mentioned was that both the Dragon Tribe and Fishman Tribe had significantly smaller populations. While other races had flourished on this continent for many years, the Fishman Tribe had drifted here from a distant southern island country.

She said that with only 30 members in the tribe, leaving the country would not have any impact on the overall structure. The same applied to the Dragon Tribe, which had only four members.

According to Merinard, the Fishmen were known for their gentle personalities, and Dragon strongly requested their acceptance into the village. In the end, I decided to accept their request, but made it clear that it would not overturn the condition of becoming villagers. I made sure to emphasize that point.

When they come to the village, there will be prior notification, so we will prepare for their arrival and patiently wait.

“Village Chief! I took care of that one over there!”

“Good job!”

While avoiding the attacks of the Orc Fighter approaching, I swiftly cut its Achilles tendon as we passed each other.

“Gwooo!”

Taking advantage of its momentary hesitation from the pain, I swept away its other leg, completely immobilizing it. The cutting power of the Magic Iron Sword was tremendous, and the sword was almost effortlessly absorbed into its body without much resistance.

“Gah…”

I beheaded the kneeling Orc with a single strike, and its corpse vanished into black mist. Looking around, Winter had already taken down his opponent and was collecting magic stones, while looking at me. Despite facing a General, it seemed like he was improving even further in his skills.

“We seem to be doing fine here. Your movements are getting better and better, and I feel confident leaving things to you.”

“Is that so? With your endorsement, I feel confident too.”

“But don’t let your guard down. You’re functioning perfectly fine as a vanguard. Right, Sakura?”

“Yeah, it’s not a problem even from the rear support perspective. Your positioning has improved as well.”

I was satisfied with passing their evaluations. We were currently fighting against the high-ranking Orc species on the 14th floor of the dungeon. It had been about three hours since we started diving, and we had already experienced nearly ten battles, gradually becoming accustomed to our coordination.

In the end, despite my initial hesitation, I decided to join the dungeon exploration party. Honestly, I had become completely hooked on the allure of dungeon conquest, which could be considered one of the highlights of an isekai fantasy.

“Well, thanks to everyone, I have the highest level. It feels like I’m relying on pure physical strength to get through.”

“That’s not true. I think your combat sense is quite good… I don’t really want to praise you, but I think your mental and emotional strength play a significant role.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Just hearing that makes it worthwhile for me to accompany you.”

“When the time comes, it’s pointless if you’re too scared to move. Today’s experience will surely come in handy.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Thanks to the “Collection” skill, which relied entirely on the help of others, my current level had reached 56. Even Dragon, the Dragonkin, was only level 50, so I considered it quite an achievement in terms of sheer strength.

“Oh, there’s a staircase over there!”

While we were conversing, Haruka seemed to have spotted the staircase leading to the lower floor.

“Since the Village Chief is here today, I think it would be better to consider going down tomorrow for safety reasons.”

“Haru-chan’s right. It’s scary to think of the risks if anything were to happen. Let’s call it a day here.”

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. We prefer to take our time and be thorough.”

“Yes, rushing won’t do us any good. Slow and steady is the best approach.”

Although we found the staircase leading to the lower floor, they didn’t consider accommodating me and descended without hesitation. Everyone loved adventure, but they were also cautious about maintaining a safety margin. I thought it was the right decision as an exploration team, and I felt reassured by their reliability.

“Well, let’s keep defeating monsters and make our way back to the 10th floor!”

“Sounds good!”

The coordination within the dungeon party was remarkable, and each individual’s strength had improved, so at this rate, we would likely reach the boss on the 15th floor in the near future.

After quickly having lunch inside the dungeon, we continued battling while making our way back to the teleportation portal on the 10th floor. Today, with me present, they had considered an early return, and we arrived at the village before evening, with enough time for a relaxing bath.

Since it was the Village Chief’s dungeon debut, the women graciously let me go ahead for the bath, so now I was leisurely relaxing with Touya and the other male members.

“Village Chief, how was your first dungeon experience?”

“Well, it felt like I was really on an adventure.”

“Really? You don’t seem as excited as you were in the beginning. Weren’t you eager to go at first?”

“It’s not like that. I felt excited and satisfied, knowing that I’m getting stronger.”

“Is that so? Well, as long as you’re okay.”

They could see through me, huh… Yes, Touya was right. That’s how it was. I enjoyed the dungeon and the adventures, but there was something lacking… a sense of fulfillment or accomplishment, perhaps. It didn’t match my expectations.

If I were to be honest, I found developing the village and gathering people to be more enjoyable than going on adventures. After all, I’ve been living in this world for over half a year now. I don’t think I’m still trapped in a game-like mindset… or am I?

No, that can’t be it. Since coming here, I’ve experienced countless life-and-death struggles and witnessed the life and death of others. In fact, I’ve even taken lives with my own hands. I never thought any of it was unreal.

Maybe, just maybe, I enjoy developing the territory and creating a safer and more advantageous environment more than having overwhelming power myself. At the same time, there’s a fact that it has become a domineering power structure, so I need to be careful with my words and actions.

Even if it’s impossible for me to completely restrain myself, I’ll try not to become conceited…

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter