Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 2

by Fujino Omori

  A little voice makes me realize what I was doing, and I let go and fly back to my chair like a frog jumping away from a fire.

  She holds the ears I’d been fondling tightly against her head, looking up at me with a little bit of anger before an evil smile spreads across her lips.

  “To think a man would play with Lilly’s precious things like that…Lilly’s going to make you take responsibility for this.”

  …I can’t make a sound.

  Blinking a few times, I feel like my face is on fire. My voice suddenly comes back, and I apologize over and over again on the spot.

  “…If you don’t mind me asking, why do you hide your race like that…?”

  “Lilly’s fur is dirty and matted—don’t want people to see it…”

  I ask her after finishing my series of apologies, whereupon Lilliluka pulls her hood back up, hiding her face in shame.

  Personally, I think her fur looks very nice and kind of cute…But then again, I’m a guy, and there’s no way I can wrap my head around what girls think about their own hair or fur.

  It would be one thing if she were a prum, who are widely known to be the smallest race—but Lilliluka is still the smallest animal child I’ve ever seen. She can’t be more than ten years old.

  “So what will you do, mister? Will you hire Lilly?”

  “…All right, I’ll bring you along. For right now, just for today, I’ll hire you as my supporter.”

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you!!”

  After what I did to her ears, how can I refuse? If I left right now, I’d be the scum who did that to a little girl, then ran off.

  …And on top of that, if I’m being honest, I want a supporter more than anything right now. I want to get as strong as I can, and I can’t do that unless I can focus completely on combat. Lilliluka’s proposition is a godsend.

  “Well, um, isn’t there an advance payment or something I have to give you before we go?”

  “Sometimes that’s true, yes. But today is a trial, so we can just divvy up the money after we get back from the Dungeon. If you’d give Lilly thirty percent, Lilly will jump with joy!”

  “That’s all? Fine with me. I’d just like to be more professional…”

  From there we put our heads together to work out the details for a while, the same carefree smile plastered on Lilliluka’s face.

  Each section of the Dungeon was its own world, with unique layouts and characteristics.

  The walls on levels one through four were a pale blue, and monsters that appeared there were usually just goblins and kobolds. There weren’t many types of them, either.

  The monsters closer to the fourth level were a little stronger and smarter than those higher up, but it could still be said that this area was the easiest for newbie adventurers to conquer. If they went in alone and avoided being surrounded—or better yet, formed a party—then there was very little risk in prowling these floors.

  Everything changed on the fifth level.

  The walls turned a slimy green and the layout got more complicated, but that wasn’t all. More unpleasant monsters, like the seventh level’s killer ant, appeared in larger numbers.

  Plus, the birthing interval of monsters was much shorter on the seventh than the fourth. The moment an adventurer ventured into a dead end, they could be swarmed from all sides by monsters pouring out of the dungeon walls.

  Many adventurers who grew overconfident on the upper levels met their doom here. Even if they didn’t let their guard down, newbies got their first glimpse of the true threats inside the dungeon on lower levels five to seven. It was their first major obstacle to overcome.

  They couldn’t just go lower when they got bored on the upper levels. Adventurers needed to build a strong foundation before going deeper. Not just a strong “status,” they needed experience, good equipment, fast reflexes, and general adventurer knowledge—among other things—to survive.

  Newbie adventurers needed to spend time learning and growing on the upper floors first.

  This was even truer for solo adventurers.

  However.

  “Hya!!”

  “Gyshaaaa!!!”

  In Bell’s case, things were a little different.

  His growth speed broke all the rules to such a point that he couldn’t be compared to other newbie adventurers.

  A killer ant’s thin abdomen was caught by a long sweep of Bell’s knife and split in two.

  Prowling the seventh level, Bell charged into an incessantly advancing horde of monsters alone on a floor where a party was all but necessary.

  “Jigigigigigigi!!”

  “Not today!”

  “Byugii!!”

  Bell nimbly dodged a purple moth that came from above, the Hestia Knife connecting with its wing as the boy spun backward.

  The now one-winged giant moth lost its balance and was slain as Bell plunged his dagger straight into its body.

  “You two, stay put!!”

  Bell kicked off the ground in the direction of two killer ants.

  The monstrous ants flared open their mouth pincers to intimidate him, but Bell only sped up his assault.

  He charged forward as if to take on both of the killer ants at once, but lunged for the one on the right at the last second.

  The ants were a moment too late to react.

  “—Giya?!”

  Bell’s leading blade plunged into the ant’s upper body like a skewer.

  Its hard outer shell crumbled under the power of the Hestia Knife; the flesh beneath was torn to shreds in an instant. The creature didn’t even have time to writhe in pain or let out a dying shriek. The lights in its eyes cut out, and the killer ant fell silent.

  Bell immediately turned to face the other ant—but his knife wouldn’t budge.

  “Huh?!”

  The knife was jammed in a piece of the dead creature’s thick shell-like skin. Bell couldn’t move.

  At the same time, enraged by the death of its brother, the remaining killer ant turned to face the boy and brought down its sharp claws on a collision course with Bell’s face.

  Bell jerked his left arm up to protect himself in the nick of time.

  “Giii!!!”

  “A…AAHHHHHH!!”

  Shing! The killer ant’s knifelike claws slid harmlessly off Bell’s emerald-green protector.

  A trail of sparks popped up in the claw’s wake. Even with the creature’s strength, it couldn’t make a dent in this piece of armor.

  Bell launched a counterattack.

  Ignoring the jolts of pain in his left arm, he tossed the blade lightly into the air and let go of the Hestia Knife at the same time. His now free right hand caught the dagger in midair.

  Slash.

  The dagger’s edge found a weak spot between the well-armored abdomen and thorax of the killer ant. Purple liquid spilled out from the wound.

  Even though Bell’s dagger was one of the weakest weapons available to adventurers, it was strong enough to inflict a mortal wound on a killer ant.

  “—Gii!”

  “Next!”

  Bell delivered the final blow to the dying monster before yanking the Hestia Knife from its previously slain comrade. He then charged forward into another incoming group of monsters without stopping to catch his breath.

  “Mr. Bell is so strong!!!”

  While Bell tore into his next group of foes, Lilly was busy gathering all of the slain bodies into one spot.

  She was very efficient. Even with a big smile on her face, she was very aware of her surroundings as she dragged the bodies into a line but never let them touch. Wearing specially made brown supporter’s gloves, she grabbed onto the arms and legs of the lifeless beasts and hauled them across the dungeon floor with no problem.

  “Sha!!!”

  “Kyuu?!”

  Thanks to Lilly’s work, Bell didn’t have to worry about footing and slew a needle rabbit with his dagger.

  Bell was a humble person. Even though he possessed the streng
th to slay a monster in the same class as a killer ant, he wasn’t letting it go to his head. He was following his adviser Eina’s instructions to the letter: Slay the killer ants quickly so that they can’t call for reinforcements. Do whatever it takes to avoid taking on a group by yourself.

  Bell had the entire battle within this wide room firmly within his grasp.

  “—Gushyuuu…!! ShyaaaaaAAAAA!!!!”

  “Yikes!! Mr. Bell! One’s about to be born!”

  One of the dungeon walls had split open; a killer ant’s ominous cries were coming from within.

  Bell responded swiftly to a situation he had encountered countless times before.

  He delivered a finishing blow to the remaining monsters before rushing up to the giant ant attempting to emerge from the crack in the wall.

  After sprinting ten meters across the room, Bell leaped skyward and drove his left boot into the beast.

  “One, two…!!!”

  “Guweiii?!”

  Echoes exploded on the kick’s impact.

  Crack! The ant’s neck shattered. Its lifeless body hung from the side of the wall.

  “Ohh, Mr. Bell, what should we do? That killer ant is stuck up there?”

  “Hmm, what can we do?”

  A bead of sweat ran down Bell’s face as he tried to figure out how to get the ant’s body, which looked like it was too big for a small hole, out of the wall. It was well out of Lilly’s reach, but when she looked up and saw the confused look in Bell’s eyes, she couldn’t help but giggle.

  “Mr. Bell’s very strong, but weird. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

  “…Don’t laugh!”

  Realizing how dismal he looked, Bell cracked a small smile, too.

  With the floor almost conquered and the room fully cleared, the two of them set to work on retrieving magic stones.

  But now it was Lilly’s time to shine. All Bell could really do was keep an eye out for any monsters that might try to sneak up on them.

  “Whoa…You’re really good at this…”

  “It’s because this is all Lilly can do to help. Mr. Bell, you slew all of these monsters, so you are the one who is really good.”

  Her experienced hands used a knife to cleanly and efficiently remove only the magic stone from the monster in front of her.

  Her tiny hands moved with speed and precision, opening a small hole in the monster’s chest before its body turned to ash.

  Bell watched her work while thinking about his own woeful way of doing the same task, but decided to comment on something else.

  “…Can I ask you a favor? Could you stop calling me ‘Mr. Bell’?”

  “Sorry, but that won’t do. It goes against the contract, and it shows who is higher ranking in this party. Supporters cannot be condescending to adventurers.”

  “But, Lilliluka…”

  “Mr. Bell, please call Lilly Lilly. Other names are okay too, but not by full name.”

  “Why are you so concerned about names?”

  The third killer ant turned to ash as Lilly looked up at Bell. Her eyes hidden completely by her hood, Lilly forced a smile and said, “Are you listening, Mr. Bell?” before continuing.

  “The word ‘Supporter’ sounds pretty, but underneath it all, Lilly and other supporters just carry the bags. Compared to the brave adventurers fighting monsters on the front lines, we’re just cowards who watch from a safe distance and reap the rewards of battles that we didn’t fight in. We’re no better than parasites.”

  Given that just by going into the Dungeon, supporters were exposed to the same level of danger as adventurers, Lilly’s speech wasn’t necessarily true. Still, she continued without any hesitation.

  “It is arrogant for Lilly and other supporters to think that they are equal to adventurers. The brave adventurers won’t allow it. If Lilly tries, then the honorable adventurers get angry and won’t give Lilly her share.”

  “Th-that’s horrible…!”

  “Lilly knew Mr. Bell was a good person as soon as we met. But there has to be a line. If word got out that Lilly wasn’t treating Mr. Bell as a superior, Lilly won’t get any contracts to go into the Dungeon with adventurers other than Mr. Bell from now on. Lilly would have to work for free.”

  “……”

  Bell had his own morals, and they weren’t about to change. However, he couldn’t speak for other adventurers.

  Something that seemed wrong to him might very well be common sense to someone else.

  “It might be hard for Mr. Bell, but can you accept Lilly’s request? Think of it as helping Lilly.”

  “…Sure thing, Lilly.”

  “Thank you very much!”

  Bell gave in. If it meant helping Lilly, he had no choice but to ignore his own trivial opinions.

  He decided that he would talk to her like a friend around his age rather than a business partner.

  “On an unrelated note…Is Mr. Bell really a newbie adventurer? Lilly can’t believe Mr. Bell slew all of those monsters alone…”

  Lilly stopped working on the monster in front of her and counted the dead bodies with her tiny fingers.

  If she counted the monsters already turned to ash, Bell slew four killer ants, three purple moths, and five needle rabbits, for a total of twelve monsters.

  Leaving out the human-sized killer ants, the remaining monsters were all classified as “small,” so it wasn’t that difficult for adventurers to take on all of them.

  But the icing on the cake was that Bell slew them all alone. Lilly couldn’t look at him the same way after seeing what he could do.

  “Yes, I won. But they almost had me more than a few times…”

  “Mr. Bell is fighting by himself, so of course that’s going to happen. Most distinguished adventurers like you come into the Dungeon in a party of three or more, you know? They don’t want to fight solo down here.”

  “That’s because they don’t want to, right? Doesn’t mean they couldn’t do it. There are tons of Level One adventurers who are stronger than me, too.”

  “That…may be true.”

  “You’ve accompanied many parties into the Dungeon, right Lilly? So you’ve seen adventurers who are much stronger than me.”

  “…Yes. Lilly has seen adventurers stronger than Mr. Bell…”

  “So, I’ve still got a long way to go.”

  Lilly looked up at a grimacing Bell with frustrated confusion. He had completely missed her point.

  There were, in fact, solo adventurers who prowled the Dungeon on their own. However, Lilly wanted to know if Bell had really only started the job less than a month ago.

  Common knowledge said that Level One adventurers could conquer lower levels one to twelve.

  To put it in terms of which levels were appropriate for which statuses, adventurers with a status of I or H could work in levels one through four, G and F in five through seven, E through C in eight to ten, and B through S in levels eleven and twelve.

  However, this was merely the received wisdom. Level Two category monsters would appear beginning with level thirteen and below, so it was generally accepted that Level One adventurers had no hope of clearing any of those floors.

  If one were asked to state the average level of an adventurer in Orario, the answer would have to be “One.” More than half of all adventurers worked on the top twelve floors.

  Half of the remaining adventurers were at level two, with the remainder a mix of those who had become even more powerful.

  The line between Level One and Level Two separated the lower-class adventurers from the upper class, and there was a significant difference. This was because they entered the “Third Tier” class of adventurers from Level Two. Since Level One was average, going beyond that point required a good amount of talent and skill.

  Since adventurers’ statuses were considered personal information, they were well protected. Figuring out an average status was very difficult. However, most adventurers who hadn’t yet leveled up to Two spent the bulk of their time on levels seve
n to ten of the Dungeon.

  To put it another way, the average adventurer’s status grades were somewhere between G and C. That was the line that beginners had to cross to become experts.

  Bell was already standing shoulder to shoulder with these “advanced beginners” after only a few weeks of working as an adventurer. It was understandable that Lilly would have some trouble believing what she had witnessed that day.

  “Also, Mr. Bell has a good weapon to go along with his strong status.”

  The tone of Lilly’s voice made a sudden but subtle change.

  Bell didn’t notice, and shyly laughed at her words.

  “Yeah, you’ve got that right. I’ve been relying on this knife a bit too much. At this rate, I won’t get much stronger, will I?”

  “No, no, it’s a weapon’s dream to be wielded by a worthy master. The point is, Mr. Bell’s strength is wielding that weapon without wasting movement. Today is proof of your strength.”

  “Do…do you really think so?”

  Bell had his back to Lilly, keeping a sharp lookout for monsters. His hand reached around and stroked the knife.

  Black from end to end, it was a very rare knife indeed.

  Bell’s fingers ran along the Ἥφαιστος insignia on the sheath of the weapon.

  Lilly’s eyes went wide and flashed a fiery blaze.

  “Lilly doesn’t know much about weapons, but Lilly knows that knife is special. How in the world did you get it? Lilly doesn’t mean to be rude, but Mr. Bell is still a newbie, and newbies don’t have much money…”

  “The goddess…the goddess of my Familia gave it to me. Apparently she went through a lot asking one of her goddess friends for it. I think she tried a bit too hard.”

  “What a…nice goddess you have.”

  “Yes. She’s very important to me.”

  Bell didn’t notice the hidden twinge of jealousy or the shaking in Lilly’s voice.

  Lilly finished off the last needle rabbit a bit more roughly than necessary before standing up and sneaking up behind Bell’s back.

  “Mr. Bell?”

  “Oh, you finished?”

  Lilly flashed another big grin as Bell turned to face her.

  “Since we’re here, we might as well get the magic stone from the killer ant in the wall.”