part1 · 065-ep65

Episode 65: The Birth of Adventurers

Killing monsters caused special abilities to manifest in humans, too. It did not take long for that fact to spread across the world.

At first it was only a small fraction of people. But as more and more entered the dungeons, the number who gained abilities grew little by little.

"Another ability user confirmed."

"What was the ability this time?"

"Sounds like his physical abilities went up."

"This one's supposed to be able to produce fire now."

The abilities that manifested differed from person to person.

Some gained heightened physical abilities. Some became able to sense magic. Some acquired unusual senses.

A few even appeared with powers that let them command flame and water.

The world was beginning, little by little, to accept those powers.

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At the same time, the problems kept growing as well. Dungeons were dangerous.

The monsters were strong, and the danger mounted the deeper one went. Even so, the dungeons had value.

Magic stones. Unknown minerals. Rare plants. Materials harvested from monsters.

None of them had existed in the world before.

Researchers set about studying their properties. Companies turned their eyes to their worth as resources.

And—

more and more people challenged the dungeons.

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But not everyone could conquer them.

"More wounded coming out!"

"Sounds like a team pulled out on the second floor."

"Even with skills, you can't just push through, huh."

Conquering a dungeon came with danger. And when the inexperienced overreached, some even lost their lives.

The governments were pressed to act. The military alone could not manage every dungeon.

They needed to organize civilian ability users and have them clear the dungeons safely. And so the nations began building systems to register and manage those who challenged the dungeons.

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Then, in one country, a name was born.

Those who entered the dungeons. Fought the monsters. Gathered unknown resources. And aimed for the depths.

They—

adventurers.

That was what people came to call them.

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Adventurers were assigned ranks according to their abilities, achievements, and conquering experience. They started at the lowest rank and rose to higher ones as they built their records.

Those who felled powerful monsters. Those who reached deeper floors. Those who conquered dangerous dungeons.

The more of these things one had done, the higher one's rating.

Before long, similar systems were put in place country by country. Not much time had passed since the dungeons had appeared.

Even so, humanity was adapting to the new world, little by little.

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A new profession had been born: the adventurer.

Those who conquer dungeons. Those who fight monsters. And those who carve open an unknown world.

People did not yet know. What lay in the dungeon's depths. How far down it continued.

And—

just how greatly this world was about to change.

And so began a new age of humanity and the dungeon.