Despite a sluggish start in the morning due to the mana depletion, after an hour, I felt light enough to stretch my body.
The headache was gone, the tiredness disappeared, and even the fog stopped clouding my mind.
Being excited to debut as an adventurer surely helped, too, and thankfully, there was a perfect Dungeon near my house for my first experience.
Its first floor was inhabited only by low-level goblins and slimes. Weak monsters that made it a popular place to gain experience and levels, even without magic or powerful skills.
A fifteen-minute walk later, and I was already at the post, registering myself.
Funnily enough, this part felt like it took longer than the walk itself.
The standard is to sign a small document and be done with it, but I got a little unlucky with the officer there.
He made sure to tell me all about the worst-case scenarios that could, and have happened inside Dungeons.
Aside from his overly enthusiastic horror theatrics, he also explained about each point, like how the government wouldn't be required or expected to perform investigations inside a Dungeon.
This was a given, since the Dungeons, due to their endlessness and the presence of man-hunting monsters, were pretty much the perfect place to commit a crime like murder.
In the early days, the phrase 'Just blame a monster' was pretty famous.
Despite being hard-pressed, the government never found a true solution.
Instead, the problem worked itself out.
Most adventurers weren't interested in making the already dangerous Dungeons into an even more problematic workplace.
Nowadays, Dungeons operate under a vigilante-based system. A system so prominent that it gave rise to a class of adventurers known as "hunters."
Semi-retired, or just sadistic adventurers whose sole purpose in life is to make sure troublemakers disappear from the Dungeons, using the same lawlessness that they exploit.
Since most criminals would rather face jail time than an adventurer, this was surprisingly effective.
It was a little nerve-wracking to see all of this explained through my lecturer's hand-waving and finger-pointing, but thankfully, once this part was over, the rest of the explanation was more light-hearted.
And more importantly, quick.
Just stuff about my responsibilities, like sharing information and findings with the government regularly.
Once the document was signed, I received a tag with my name for identification and was free to go.
Feeling reassured about the amount of fuckery happening inside Dungeons nowadays, I decided to search for some partymates.
Luckily, beginner-friendly Dungeons like this often had wannabe adventurers looking to make a party, just like me.
This was so prolific that there was even a small business to matchmake these beginner parties.
I wasn't too outgoing, so I thought it'd be a good idea to hire someone, and went around looking for one on the first floor's settlement.
It was quite a first sight.
Despite being inside a damp, cave-like world, stores and merchants were everywhere the eye could see, selling equipment, offering escorts, and exchanging information for cash.
If not for newcomers like me, still lost and figuring things out with wonder, it'd look like a small town inside a warzone.
Out of the multiple options available, I chose the one that looked less suspicious.
The man I hired then introduced me to a tall guy wearing all black.
His build was similar to mine, neither strong nor agile.
The first thing that stood out about him was how anxious he looked, though I'd wager the blonde girl standing next to him was more reason than the Dungeon.
Like the boy, she was reasonably tall for a girl, easily reaching up to my chin, comfortably breaking past the 170 mark.
She also had a bad sense of personal space, freely waving her hands and touching him more than necessary.
He didn't know how to react to her energy, and with her light clothing, she overwhelmed the guy.
Even then, they seemed to be getting along well.
Their small talk caused occasional giggles, and they waited for a new member to join with an approachable atmosphere.
Since it was like this, I felt comfortable in introducing myself to Roy and Sam, the boy and the girl.
I joined in on their small talk, and we actually clicked well.
And so, after a dozen or so minutes of discussing, we reached an unavoidable topic.
Roy: "We should disclose our Gifts, right?"
Sam: "Totally!"
Miwen: "Sure."
It was a must for us to be able to coordinate and work well together...
Roy: "Alright, I'll start then..."
I liked that Roy was taking the lead.
It made it easier for Sam and me.
It also gave me time to prepare.
Roy: "My Gift is called [The Black Swordsman]. It gives me two skills: [Dark Magic] and [Swordsmanship]. Both start at level 1... I also gain a bonus when imbuing bladed weapons with [Dark Magic]. But since swords are expensive..."
He bought a kitchen knife instead.
Funnily enough, since Sam was unarmed and Roy only had an admittedly large knife, the dagger I got from yesterday's [Mana Gacha] made me the best equipped in our group.
Sam: "My turn! My Gift is [Martial Arts Specialist]. It allows me to learn martial arts at a faster rate! It also boosts my strength. I guess I got it from the martial arts I practice."
She was going with the theory that Gifts reflect a person's life, which wasn't proven, but was quite popular nonetheless.
I took a note from it.
Miwen: "My Gift is [Godspeed], it makes me quicker, but it seems not by much as of right now...Dunno why I got it. Maybe I like finishing things quickly."
Since the very beginning, the thought of telling the truth about [Gacha Kingdom Building] didn't so much as cross my mind.
I went as far as to draw their attention to something else by surfing on Sam's wave with that last unnecessary comment, which, unfortunately, worked better than expected.
Roy: "That's not always good."
Miwen: "Bro, not like that."
The two of them seemed like genuine people.
If I had a simple Gift, maybe I'd consider telling them the whole truth.
However, that wasn't the case for [Gacha Kingdom Building].
I still didn't fully understand its capabilities, and so far, most of its powers wouldn't have a direct effect in combat.
For everyone's sake, passing [Movement Speed Up] was the better option.
In the short term, it wouldn't really change anything.
And if in the future I fell behind due to bad luck, well...
That'd be just bad luck.
The window for me to use a good first skill as a Gift was narrow.
It only really existed in this moment, when even a single status point made all the difference.
So I used it the best way I could.
The only concern I still had was how our party looked.
Roy and I weren't the most friendly of guys.
In a setting as dangerous as the Dungeon, we concentrated and wore especially thick frowns on our faces.
With both carrying weapons while the girl stood unarmed, I wouldn't blame strangers for asking questions.
Even if said blonde was more likely to kick our butts, given her tournament experience.
Thankfully, something like this wasn't enough to raise eyebrows inside a Dungeon, and we saw quite a few similar formations in the first floor's settlement.
Roy: "Oh, yeah... I'm not sure how to say that, but even though I'm supposed to know [Dark Magic], I can't really cast any spells..."
I had already figured that might've been the case, but I appreciated the honesty nonetheless.
It was a shame, though.
Having someone capable of using magic, even if a single spell, would open up a lot of possibilities for us.
Miwen: "It's fine, let's just move as a unit and cover each other's blind spots... Most things here shouldn't have an answer for that."
Sam: "I guess we are all glass cannons, huh?"
Pretty much.
It wasn't all bad, though.
Not having magic, or a gimmicky Gift, or even a defensive one made our strategy the simplest possible: Pure aggression.
Roy was at the center of our formation, while Sam and I covered his flanks.
He'd handle the first contact, and we'd handle the follow-up.
Not having any complex abilities forced us to adopt simplicity, which, for a group of strangers, made coordination way easier.
This formation was tested for the first time when Roy spotted a monster at the turn of a tunnel.
The lack of natural light could easily hide enemies, so we approached carefully.
We couldn't tell the monster's level, but Dungeons limited the max level of skills and living beings to that of the floor's boss.
In this case, the max level was 3.
Even if the monster had reached max-level for this floor, unless it had a powerful Gift or skills, it wouldn't be able to withstand the three of us.
Using our numerical advantage, we could ensure a swift and safe victory by approaching it cautiously and simultaneously.
The goblin had its back turned to us, so-
Roy jumped at him with his knife.
Sam and I were a couple of steps behind, still preparing mentally.
Because of our delay and the noise Roy made, the monster was startled and turned towards us.
Roy missed the neck, but he cut the globin's shoulder on the right side.
Face-to-face with the monster, Roy hesitated for a second.
The goblin, driven by instinct, didn't.
Using its claws, the monster grabbed Roy's arm, penetrating his skin and causing blood to drip from the wound.
Sam reacted faster than I did, and without flinching, punched the goblin's skull.
The impact's sound reverberated, like she had punched a wall.
Confused, the monster staggered.
I closed the gap in reaction time with my speed, stabbing the goblin's neck.
It wasn't as easy as cutting or stabbing through butter, but there wasn't that much resistance either.
The strength I used was enough for the blade to pierce through the goblin's neck, appearing on its other side.
Through this brief exchange, I realized the monster wasn't at the floor's max level.
Otherwise, he would've torn Roy's arm and, most likely, reacted to Sam's attack.
My own attack might have failed, or not have been as effective.
Despite the relief that we had successfully killed our first monster as a party, I couldn't shake off the feeling that this could have been bad.
Roy panicked, and before Sam and I could coordinate, he was already going after the monster.
I didn't blame the less-than-ideal turn our first battle took on Roy, though.
Everyone had a different reach and breaking point, so while Sam and I felt it was still safe to approach, Roy did not.
It only went to show that, even with a simple formation, the lack of coordination was still present.
Besides, I also failed to react as quickly as Sam.
Had I decided faster, or let my instincts speak louder than my brain, with my speed, I could've interfered before Sam.
Potentially, I could've prevented Roy's injury.
It was a small mistake on my part, but I could only use that as an excuse if I didn't have the ambition to reach greater heights as an adventurer.
Next time, I might not have the luxury to distinguish between major and minor mistakes.
Pile them up, and small and big blend together into the same mess.
And any of them could cost a life.
Although for now, I focused on being more careful and decisive, so that I could match Roy and Sam better.
Sam: "Are you okay? Wanna call it off for today?"
Roy: "It stings a bit, but it's not bleeding much... I guess I can still go on."
He swung his fists, showing that he was fine to continue.
The wound looked superficial, but I wasn't fully convinced either.
Without question, it would've been better to turn around.
However, I agreed that we could push it a little further if we were more careful.
Sam: "If you say so..."
Miwen: "Don't overdo it. If it gets worse, tell us."
Roy: "Right... Don't worry..."
This floor's normal goblins rarely had poisoned claws, but I still worried about the possibility.
Even if they weren't a subspecies, Gifts, attributes, and skills could easily manifest troublesome effects like this.
Every encounter was unique and required attention.
As we continued our journey, I often took a second to glance at the cut in Roy's arm.
Thankfully, its condition didn't seem to worsen with time.
We encountered a few slimes and then a couple of goblins in separate battles.
The lack of sunlight made it hard to tell how much time had passed.
Checking our phones revealed that an hour had already passed since our first battle.
We had not strayed far from the settlement, so we found few monsters, and most of them weren't strong.
A little after the one-hour mark, we faced the toughest challenge yet.
Two goblins stood before us behind a rock formation.
It was the first time we'd face multiple opponents simultaneously, and one of the monsters carried a wooden club, making it that much more dangerous.
Miwen: "Sam, Roy, you take the one unarmed. I'll distract the one with the club."
Sam: "Are you sure? Wouldn't it be better for us to go 2-on-1 on the one with the club?"
Ideally, it would.
However, Roy was hurt.
It wouldn't be nice of me to say, but I thought he'd be a liability.
I wanted to avoid giving a tougher opponent any more advantages than they already had.
Miwen: "...The club seems heavy. It will only make me faster than he is, so... Things should actually work in my favor."
I tried to rationalize the best way I could, without saying anything hurtful.
And despite being an excuse, I truly believed this would be a good matchup for me.
I was patient and favored precision.
If the monster was unable to make swift movements thanks to the heavy club, I had a clear path to victory.
Roy: " Still... it would be better for me to help you."
It was a nice sentiment.
Unfortunately, in this case, being kind and supportive was counterproductive.
Miwen: "Don't worry, I wouldn't suggest this without being sure of it."
Sam: "Fine, but try not to die, ok?"
Great advice.
Miwen: " Leave it to me."
Once the plan was decided, I made the first charge.
Both goblins turned their attention to me.
Roy and Sam took the opportunity to jump at the unarmed one.
I kept myself close enough to the armed one, so that it wouldn't stop chasing me.
Once we were distant enough, I stopped and focused on a proper fight.
His arms weren't as long as mine, but the club made up the difference in reach.
Instead of approaching, I waited for his first strike.
He used all of his strength to swing the club from above.
The weight of his weapon, as predicted, made his blow slow.
All that hit my face was the wind caused by the swing.
Interestingly, the goblin seemed to notice that the weight of his weapon and the size difference between us made it difficult to aim for my head.
He focused his attacks on my limbs and on my stomach from then on.
Still, not a single strike connected.
I measured our distance well, making him miss by a few centimeters every time.
I could feel the frustration in its eyes.
Every subsequent attack became weaker and slower.
No matter how much he tried, his swings didn't connect.
The monster's ferocity increased, but his stamina lowered.
It was the first time I fought a monster by myself.
There was an undeniable pressure in my mind to keep myself safe.
A voice telling me to wait for the best opportunity.
Because of this, I missed every chance to finish the fight quickly.
At most, by his fifth attack, I finally gathered the courage to risk an attack myself.
While the monster regained its breath, I launched a barrage of quick slashes against it.
Every slash ended in a superficial cut. I hadn't approached the monster enough.
Still, it took a toll on its body.
Superficial or not, the injuries hurt.
I became more confident, and the monster more exhausted.
The next cut wasn't as superficial.
After his last swing, the window was big enough for me to stab its skull from the side.
The goblin stood until I removed the blade.
His body fell to the ground, and a second later, it was absorbed by the Dungeon.
In its place, a Monster Core appeared.
While not unusual, this was the first time a monster was abducted and dropped a core today.
These items contained mana, so supposedly, they were valuable.
At least, the ones from strong monsters were.
A low-level one from a goblin was probably worth pennies, if that.
Still, it was a nice little reward.
Having no way to extract its mana, I decided to visit an office later to trade it.
But before any of that, I rushed to take Sam and Roy's side.
The two were about to kill the goblin that they tackled together.
Sam used herself as bait and managed to grab the monster's arm.
Roy used the opportunity to kill it with his knife, stabbing its heart multiple times.
Unfortunately, the body wasn't absorbed by the Dungeon.
No Monster Core dropped from it either.
Sam: "Hey, you alright?"
Miwen: "Completely. Also, look at this."
Something like this wasn't worth hiding.
If anything, I thought our first loot would make the two more excited.
Just like it made me.
Roy: "Cool, that's today's first."
Miwen: "Yeah, there's also the club if you want to sell it."
I didn't grab the weapon since it was heavy and, like the core, almost worthless.
Also, it wouldn't fit inside my backpack.
Roy: "I don't think it's worth it... Unless Sam wants it?"
Sam: "No way."
We all agreed to leave it behind.
Miwen: "Should we continue then?"
Roy: "I think I can go on for longer."
Sam: "No problems here."
Our raid lasted a few more hours.
After a dozen or so goblins, we got another Monster Core.
This one was Roy's kill, so we agreed he should have it.
At the 16th goblin, Sam got one too.
By this point, we were close to leveling up for the first time.
The anticipation was high. We didn't want to stop.
However, we finally reached the Boss Room.
We didn't dare enter, of course.
It was too risky.
Even standing in front of it wasn't a wise idea.
It was a checkpoint for us, a warning to return, as we had already explored deep inside.
For a bunch of level 1's in their first raid, a kill count of nine slimes and eighteen goblins was great.
While making our way back to the settlement, we even raised our levels.
Sam: "I'll go with Speed, I guess, it seems to be very helpful in a fight... And I don't need to increase my strength right now, thanks to my Gift."
Miwen: "I'll go with strength since my Gift boosts speed."
Sam and I went for the balanced approach, while Roy focused on strength.
Not having any [Available Skills] made it hard for me to plan, so I tried to make sure I wasn't lacking in any obvious area, at least.
After reaching the safety of the settlement, we left through the Gate.
Then, we went to an office close by to trade the drops we got from the monsters.
As predicted, the Monster Cores that Sam and I got were from level one goblins, so they sold for $1 each.
Roy was a bit luckier; he got $2 from his.
It was far from enough to make a living, but that was the entire point.
There was a time when the rewards, even for such basic cores, were too high.
It caused an employment crisis in other areas.
While it made the world safer at the time, the imbalance eventually got corrected.
Still, there was nothing wrong with a humble beginning.
There were other ways to make money inside a Dungeon, too, so it didn't bother me.
If anything, I was happy that I had finally taken the first step towards a dream I had since I was small.
In its own way, this achievement was rewarding.
More than the monetary value.
Roy, Sam, and I traded contacts after we left the office, and we agreed to meet again the next day to continue from where we left off.
Then, I returned home to play with [Gacha Kingdom Building] again.