Chapter-01 · EP-010

Episode 10: Class on First Dungeon Exploration

Wednesday arrived, and the morning classroom was buzzing with talk about yesterday's skill practice.

It was certainly a shock to see all those different skills. But not everyone could use skills, and the chance of acquiring a skill in the future was extremely low. What mattered was the balance when forming a party with skill-using companions, and the fact that those of us without skills needed to become strong enough with weapons to not lose to those who had them.

Also important was accepting that having people around who could use skills was just part of everyday life. If I got surprised every time a companion used a skill, dungeon exploration would never go smoothly.

Regular classes started from today, but my head was so full of dungeon thoughts that I didn't absorb much of the lessons. Probably everyone else felt the same.

Then, in the afternoon, the class about the dungeon began again.

"Tomorrow, we will finally conduct our first dungeon exploration. The exploration area for first-year first semester is the first floor of the dungeon. Let's all do our best to reach Level 2 by the time summer vacation starts."

During the first semester—April, May, June, July—we would continue exploring the first floor, with everyone aiming to reach Level 2. Even those who leveled up quickly would apparently only be allowed to explore the first floor along with the others during the first semester.

"Now, I'll explain the rules for exploration. First, the monster that appears on the first floor is the slime. As you all know, slimes are amorphous monsters, and touching a slime will gradually dissolve your skin. It's known that the slime's body is weakly acidic. Well, since it's the weakest monster, you can defeat it simply by hitting it with a wooden stick. When you strike a slime, the splattered pieces somehow become neutral, so you don't need to wear safety goggles or anything. Just try to avoid touching a living slime. If you do happen to touch one, make sure to bring a water bottle when exploring the first floor so you can immediately wash it off. Also, burns from slimes can be easily healed with Healing Magic. Hayasaka, Samejima, if someone nearby gets burned, please use your healing magic on them. You can also get treatment from the school nurse, Professor Jonouchi. Going to a hospital or clinic would cost a fair amount, but asking Professor Jonouchi is free. Make good use of the nurse's office while you're students."

Apparently, the school nurse, Professor Jonouchi, also possessed Healing Magic. Since Healing Magic can't be used outside the dungeon at Skill Level 1, that meant Professor Jonouchi's Healing Magic Skill was Level 2 or higher.

"Next, about gems. When you defeat a monster, it drops a jewel-like stone. That is a gem. Usually, the dropped gem is black and is also called a Magic Gem. Magic Gems contain magical power, and when given directionality through magical skills, they generate energy. For example, applying heat causes the gem itself to generate heat. Using this property, gems are used in magic power generation, so the academy buys them from us. Don't forget to collect them when you defeat a monster."

Monsters don't drop money like in role-playing games, but by collecting and selling these gems, you could earn income. A gem dropped by a slime on the first floor was only worth 100 yen, but as you progressed to higher floors and monsters became stronger, the gems held more magical power and could be sold for higher prices.

In other words, even though we were still students, we could earn income by exploring dungeons. The further you progressed, the better the income, far surpassing part-time jobs. I was looking forward to it. What should I buy if I earned a lot of money? Well, first I'd probably need to get better equipment for dungeon exploration.

"Next, about potions. Monsters sometimes drop gems of different colors. A blue gem, slightly smaller than a Magic Gem, is called a Heal Gem, commonly known as a potion. As the name suggests, putting a Heal Gem in your mouth heals physical wounds. Its effect is considered the same as Healing Magic. Also, a number appears on the Heal Gem, and the larger the number, the greater the healing effect. Even slimes, the monsters on the first floor, sometimes drop Rank 1 Heal Gems, so if one drops, be sure to pick it up."

Potions were also sold at the academy store, but if there was little chance of serious injury, there was probably no need to rush and buy one. Even if you got injured, you could have Hayasaka heal you or go to the nurse's office.

However, when exploration progressed and stronger monsters appeared, I'd want to have some potions ready.

A Rank 1 potion apparently cost around 10,000 yen, so if possible, I'd like to defeat slimes to get them instead of buying.

"Also, be careful because potions are less effective when used outside the dungeon. The same goes for Healing Magic. If you need to heal an injury, try to do so within the dungeon. Also, Hayasaka and Samejima, you only used your skills for the first time yesterday and probably aren't used to them yet, but there is a limit to how many times you can use magic. Using it increases your skill proficiency, but if you overuse it, you might run out of magical power when you really need it, so while exploring the dungeon, get a feel for how much you can use."

"Yes."

Hayasaka and Samejima answered enthusiastically.

I didn't have any skills, so this didn't directly apply to me, but we probably had something like MP from games. Since it wasn't displayed on the Skill Board, it was hard to know, but there were likely differences in maximum MP between individuals, and the MP consumption probably varied depending on how the magical skill was used.

I heard that in America, they tried to quantify it through research, but the margin of error was too large to produce accurate numbers.

That meant, for magic users, their own sense was the only reference.

By the way, the power and precision of magic also apparently varied greatly between individuals, and it seemed that the higher one's intelligence (INT), the greater the power and precision.

Would I ever get a chance to acquire a magical skill in the future? If I did, my magic would probably be weak (just a bit weaker than everyone else's) given my intelligence.

"Also, I'll explain about the Explorer Recorder."

Saying this, our homeroom teacher Majima took out a helmet.

Majima pointed to the camera attached to the front of the helmet.

"An Explorer Recorder—basically, a small video camera for dungeon exploration. Dungeon exploration carries risks, but for school lessons, safe exploration plans are designed so there's virtually no danger. However, trouble can still occur. More often than not, it's with other people rather than monsters. Disputes over ownership of acquired items, theft, payment for used items—there are many verbal agreements within the dungeon, and there are constant arguments about who said what. That's where video evidence comes in. It's not mandatory, but wearing a recorder is strongly recommended. Also, crime is common in dungeons outside the academy. If you're the victim of robbery, assault, theft, or the like, recordings from this recorder become essential for arresting the perpetrator. Various types of Explorer Recorders are sold, not just helmet-mounted ones but also ones that attach to a chest pocket, so please use a type that is not cumbersome."

Equipment was important. Not only for its performance but also for how it looked.

Frankly, the helmet-mounted type Majima showed us was uncool. I wanted to find and buy a less conspicuous type.