New chapter of Ordinary Person is out (1/3 chapters)

 

 

Chapter 7

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

Thanks to the tough-looking SDF-san who spoke to me, I was able to relax a bit, and my tension eased. Little by little, I even found myself with enough composure to look around the dungeon and enjoy it.

After passing through a massive gate made of stacked megaliths and descending the stairs, I saw a field of silver grass spread out before me. Just a moment ago, I was in a neatly paved city street, and this was supposed to be underground. Yet now, stretching out in front of my eyes, there was a sky that seemed to go on forever, and a field of silver grass just slightly shorter than my height. There were even some trees growing here and there.

I took a deep breath and recalled the information I had researched.

The first floor of the Toyota Dungeon was a field-type dungeon approximately 20 kilometers by 20 kilometers in size. At the edges, a monochrome space spread out, and beyond that, it was impossible to proceed further.

Within this colored space, there were several hills, and somewhere among them should be the staircase leading to the next floor. The monsters that appeared on the first floor were said to be the classic Goblins and Rabbits. Also, sometimes treasure chests were found lying around. But the silver grass was more obstructive than I imagined. It made it hard to see and hard to walk. If I crouched even a little, I wouldn’t be able to see Goblins at all, let alone Rabbits or treasure chests.

I was painfully reminded that it wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought.

While I was wondering what to do, a buggy sped past me. It was probably an SDF buggy.

If I follow it, I might be able to reach the next floor. But that would defeat the purpose. Today, I have to defeat a Goblin and return. Otherwise, diving into the dungeon will have meant nothing.

I watched the vehicle drive away through the dungeon and shifted my focus.

Concerned about getting lost or being surrounded, I decided to walk along the dungeon’s outer edge. Seeing the gray-colored space nearby was more unsettling than I had expected.

When I touched it with my hand, it wasn’t hard, but it pushed back firmly, making it clear I couldn’t go any further. With that wall on my left, I kept walking, trampling down the obstructive silver grass as I went. The only sounds around me were the rustling of the grass underfoot and its swaying from the wind.

Just thinking that I’m inside a dungeon makes even walking around feel tense. If I mess up, I could die just like that… and I’m walking here alone…

“Whoa.” (Kouta)

Maybe the footing was bad, I stumbled a bit and let out a sound without thinking. As soon as I did, a surge of tension ran through me, worried that a monster might have heard me.

That scares me…

Despite being a complete amateur, I carefully looked around, checking to see if any monsters were nearby. There was no sign of anything resembling one.

“Good…” (Kouta)

I sat down with the grey space at my back and decided to take a break. When I checked my watch, not even ten minutes had passed since I entered the dungeon.

“Just a few minutes and I’m already like this… Am I going to be okay?” (Kouta)

Looking at my sweaty hands, I muttered to myself. My throat was parched. I took a drink from the plastic bottle I brought with me and let out a small sigh.

As I started to calm down, my eyes were drawn to the spot where I had stumbled. There was a dent or rather, a hole in the ground.

Looks like I tripped over that.

“What is this…?” (Kouta)

Curious, I stared at it, and a rabbit poked its head out from inside. It was a brown rabbit with a white patch around its mouth.

“Whoa!?” (Kouta)

Apparently, it was a rabbit’s burrow. When the rabbit saw me, it quickly turned around and fled back into the hole.

A perfect example of a “rabbit running like the wind”.

That little event made me smile without thinking. Having regained my composure, I reminded myself of today’s goal.

Today’s goal is just to take a peek into the dungeon. It isn’t supposed to be defeating a Goblin and going home. At some point, I must’ve gotten ahead of myself… Maybe because I bought a knife and got my hands on a weapon. I need to be careful. This kind of thinking leads straight to becoming a criminal.

Crimes like that had been rapidly increasing in recent years. People became “Explorers”, gained overwhelming power, and went out of control. It had become a real social issue overseas.

I have to stay careful too.

I already achieved my goal. I should head back for today.

The objective had been achieved, so I turned around to head back the way I came. And there it was. It was hiding in the silver grass, silently watching me with orange-tinged yellow eyes.

 

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(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)