Life Magic Users Dungeon Dive - Chapter 1.3

The next day, the three students from the Department of Magic for Daily Life were out in the city, where people were coming and going, rather than at the academy from the morning.

　Of course, I have already notified Professor Carr that this will be an "on-site training."

　Soko's expression was still unclear as to what he was thinking beneath his mask, Kenny looked listless, and Leon looked anxious as they gazed up at the impressive stone building.

　Emroad AdventurerMutual aid associationguildIt is a branch.

　Roughly speaking, adventurers are people who hunt monsters.

　In addition to plains, there are also seas, deserts, jungles, and volcanic areas.

　They are people who travel to various places, whether they are places that have never been explored before or anywhere else, in other words, they are people who go on adventures, which is why they are called adventurers.

　Of course, some are simply motivated by the pursuit of romance, but most are after money.

　Due to the danger involved, monster materials cannot be obtained by ordinary humans.

　If we discover the ruins of an ancient kingdom and obtain its hidden treasure, we will gain enough wealth to last three generations.

　Even without that, there are many towns and villages that would like you to defeat dangerous monsters.

　Free people who are not bound by country or territory and who are willing to do this in exchange for money are in demand everywhere.

　However, each of them has no dreams or hopes; to put it simply, they are "day laborers specializing in rough work."

　That is why the firstMutual aid associationguildThe chief brought them together.

　He built a system for sharing information between adventurers, taking on requests, and paying rewards, creating an environment where adventurers could earn money efficiently anywhere.

　One guild would establish branches in the surrounding area, and the number would grow to ten, twenty, and eventually it would spread beyond the borders of the country and throughout the world.

　Adventurers are so-calledtrue・S・This・For those involved, it is undeniable that this is a job that involves risking one's life, but as mentioned above, it allows them to obtain materials that are normally not available.

　If you have the skill, the rewards will be worth the risk.

　It's also very quick.

"Um...are you really going to do this?"

"You've come this far, why are you saying this now?"

"Well, let's get the formalities done quickly."

"Well, let's wait."

　The two of them quickly moved forward, followed by Rion.

　Thirty minutes later, having successfully completed their adventurer registration at the guild, Rion and his friends were sitting at a table with another adventurer in the guild's bar.

　He was a muscular, blonde-haired young man in his mid-twenties.

　He wears an iron breastplate and carries a broadsword on his back.

　The warrior, who is a childhood friend of Professor Carr, is named Younger Bertrand.

　He usually teams up with his friends to explore dungeons, but it appears he's on vacation right now.

"You are students of Carr and the dungeonGuideguideThe three who requested it?"

"Yes, thank you very much."

　Across the table, Soko shook hands with Beltran on behalf of the group.

　When he let go of her hand, Bertrand shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"I know I should say it, but I recommend that amateurs start by gathering and using things. In the labyrinth, life and death are on the line all the time, you know?"

"I'm aware of that."

"Well, I don't think you understand. For example, do you guys even know what a kobold is?"

"Yes, it's one of the weakest class of monsters, right?"

"Even that is enough of a threat to the general public. Well, to put it in perspective, it would be like several children armed with rusty swords and axes trying to kill you with all their might. This would happen as long as you are in the dungeon, over and over again."

"Hii..."

　Leon flinches at Bertrand's threatening words.

　Meanwhile, Kenny, who had been spacing out and not sure whether he'd been listening or not, scratched his black hair and raised his hand.

"Sorry. Is that okay?"

"yeah?"

　Kenny pointed to the counter behind Bertrand.

"If they're going to abandon the request, it should be them, not us. We'll get our money back and hire someone else."

"Hey, Kenny?"

“Look, Leon. We didn’t come here to listen to some adult lecture. We got our guardians’ permission yesterday. Now, all we have to do is do what we have to do. Anything else is a waste of time. Simple, right?”

"That's true, but..."

“You two, this is not the time for internal quarrels. But you’re right. We’ve made our own preparations, and spending the day here listening to the opinions of adults is a bit different from what we had planned. If you won’t get up from your seat, then this is the end of it. I’m truly sorry, but I think we’ll have to explore on our own. Of course, we’ll protest here… That’s if we manage to return alive, that is.”

　Beltran panicked as Soko and Kenny tried to get up from their seats.

　From his perspective, despite having accepted the request, he is finding fault with the job and is hesitant to carry it out... and the client is accusing him of this.

　That must have been frantic... Rion, who is usually at the mercy of the two of them, felt a bit of sympathy for him.

"No, I'm going! I didn't say I wouldn't go!"

"...Seriously, why is it taking so long to do something so simple?"

"Kenny, you're too impatient..."

　There may be some bargaining involved, but Kenny's actions are generally honest.

　Although he hates to bother, he is also very impatient.

　Simply put, a dungeon is a "nest of monsters."

　The conditions for it to be created may be that a monster created it as a nest, or it may be a tomb where an ancient magician placed traps and monsters to protect his treasure, or a fortress destroyed in war where ghosts have taken up residence and distorted space-time...

　There are three dungeons around the royal capital of Emroad. The first is the "Long Snake Labyrinth", a dangerous A rank located at the foot of the mountain range three days' walk north. The second is the "Inverted Tower Labyrinth", a C rank ancient ruin about a day's walk southwest. Finally, the last dungeon is the lowest level E rank "Labyrinth of Trials", located closest to the eastern outskirts, about an hour's walk from the royal capital.

　The group visited the ``Labyrinth of Trials.''

　Unlike the image of a labyrinth that Rion had in his mind... a damp cave that would be difficult to walk through, this one was constructed of bricks and the ground was paved.

　The ceiling height was about four melts, and the width was roughly over seven melts. I see, I've heard that three people are the standard for the vanguard of an adventurer's party, but that's probably the limit without them getting in each other's way.

　Visibility wasn't as bad as I thought it would be... but it was still quite dark.

　Rion thought that this couldn’t be helped.

　It was said that this was an artificial dungeon for training purposes, built by the royal court magician at the request of the adventurer's guild.

　Of course, monsters will emerge from absorbing magical power from the earth, and there is a risk of death.

　However, in terms of risk, it is said to be just as "safe" as any other place.

"But how is it balanced if everyone is a magician?"

　Bertrand, who was leading the way, looked back at us.

　The three were still wearing their grass green robes, but Leon was carrying a bow, Soko was equipped with a staff, and Kenny was barehanded but had leather gauntlets on his hands.

　The reason why Rion used the bow was because his hometown was deep in the mountains and he often pretended to be a hunter.

"I think so too, but aren't there also parties in the guild that are all warriors?"

“Uh… well, the number of magicians and clergymen is limited. So, when we hear that a student from a magic school is registering, it usually gets really exciting. It’s not uncommon for people to fight over it.”

　Upon hearing Bertrand's words, Leon and Kenny looked at each other.

"That wasn't the case at all, was it?"

"In fact, it almost feels like they were laughing at me a little bit, don't you think?"

"Well, that's true... those grass green robes. It's not normal for a magician from the Life Sciences department to register as an adventurer. ...Hey, where did all the food and tools go? Everyone looks empty-handed."

"I have that. It's stored in subspace."

　As Soko spoke, the space around his hand distorted, and in the next moment a backpack appeared.

　Just as Leon had predicted, Bertrand's eyes widened in shock.

"...Space-time magic. That's rare."

"As expected, you know. I've properly stored all of the luggage you entrusted to me, so there's no need to worry. This is the special feature of my main daily life magic, 'Storage Magic'."

　And using this magic, Souko stored the cooking utensils and ingredients for the Fourth Dining Hall.

　That's not all.

　They also looked after the equipment of various departments at the academy. Of course, they did not use the equipment without permission.

　It's not just about storage. For example, bringing in heavy equipment was also easy with Soco.

　Of course, that was until yesterday.

　During the budget meeting, Soko had been angry at departments other than the combat department as well. He felt that they were just as guilty for turning a blind eye to injustice.

　That day, after Soko and Kenny had left the room together, she had apparently traveled around the academy and returned the various tools that she had been "looking after."

　It will undoubtedly come in handy in this dungeon for transporting collected monster materials.

　Meanwhile, Kenny was looking out over the well-maintained labyrinth.

　It's more like a wide corridor than a dungeon.

　There were fires lit at intervals so visibility was not bad.

　Not bad, but... not good either.

"It's a little dark."

"Well, it is a dungeon after all."

"'Be bright.'"

　Kenny muttered, holding up his hands.

　Instantly, the area around Rion and the others was filled with a moderate brightness.

"Lighting magic, huh? It's elementary level but useful."

"... Strictly speaking it's a little different, but it's a hassle so I guess it's alright."

　Bertrand is a warrior, so he probably doesn't know much about magic.

　But Leon knows.

　NormalThe magic of lightlightingA ball of light appears.

　That is, the light source.

　However, there is no light source in Kenny's magic.

　It may seem trivial, but it's actually very different... or rather, the magic Kenny uses is completely different from the magic used in normal everyday life.

　However, since Kenny doesn't say anything, Leon won't tell Bertrand either.

　Although he uses it boldly, Kenny's magic is actually a cheat that surpasses Soko's space-time magic. Only a few people at the academy know its true nature.

　Basically, they can handle most things, but Kenny also went around to each department yesterday and decided to refuse all cooperation that the Life Magic Department had been providing up until now.

　In reality, things like treating wounds and repairing tools in the combat department, preparing rituals for the summoning and sorcery departments, séances for the spirit and psychic departments, and shortening the time required for alchemy departments...it's not a problem if they aren't needed.

　It just takes time and effort.

　Right now, each department at the academy is probably in uproar as they've been forced to make major changes to their schedules.

　Of course, the same was true for the Department of Magical Living, which had its budget cut.

　While I was thinking about this, Bertrand continued talking with Kenny.

"Hey, Kenny. Are there any other spells you can use? Like fireballs or magic arrows?"

"I can use magic for cooking and cleaning, but I'm not interested in offensive magic so I haven't learned it. If there's a way to use fireballs in daily life, please teach me."

"That certainly isn't the case."

　An offensive fireball cannot boil a pot of water.

　If the heat is too high, most of the water inside will evaporate or, worse, the pot will explode.

　The art of daily life involves reducing the heat and adjusting it for home or industrial use.

　For example, in Soko's space-time magic, this would include developing bags or leather sacks that have more capacity than they appear to have.

　Now, Bertrand's gaze was directed towards Leon.

　Speaking of Leon's magic...

"Um, well, my magic is, well..."

"Why are you being so reserved? In terms of appearance and ease of understanding, Leon's is the best."

“Uh, um… well then, get out.Shadow PersonShadow"

　Rion poured magical power into the shadow that appeared beneath his feet.

　Then, a thin black shadow slowly rose up.

　The use of shadows and dolls as catalysts to control spiritual beings.

　That is Leon's magic.

　The thin shadow swayed back and forth, waiting for instructions.

"Oh, MissSummonerSummonerIs that so?"

"Ah, no, I'm more of a sorcerer."

"Well, the principles are different, but they are similar in the sense that they are like familiars."

"Hmm, I wonder."