Chapter: 171
The guild adventurers shot glances my way, but they didn’t dare approach me.
That was because the two people guarding my front and back were just too intimidating.
According to Grandpa, Karl was shooting killing intent at the adventurers, making them think twice about coming closer. They probably didn’t have the guts.
‘Does this killing intent really exist?’
[Of course! Those who surpass a certain level can dominate others with just their gaze.]
I half-listened to Grandpa bragging about how he had once ruled the battlefield with just his presence, and headed to the reception desk.
“Welcome! This is the Menestel Guild.”
The person there was a man with shoulders broad enough to fill the desk.
His rugged face, covered in several fragmented wounds, looked so fierce that anyone easily frightened would be left speechless in front of him.
But I was okay.
Having seen plenty of scary faces in the Allen Family, I was accustomed to it, but more than that, I had seen this receptionist’s face often enough.
He was a familiar face every time I entered Menestel Guild from the Soul Academy. My relief overshadowed my fear.
“What brings you here?”
‘Well…’
“I’m going to enter the sloppy Menestel dungeon. Give me the certificate, tubby.”
The receptionist awkwardly laughed at my bold words.
This guy’s actually nice within the game. Even if he looked fierce, he was a good dude unlike receptionists in other cities.
“Are all three of you entering together?”
‘Yeah.’
“Then can’t you tell just by looking at me?”
“Got it. You must be new here, so let me share a few things first.”
The information he provided was an introduction to Menestel Guild.
Taking commissions, selling loot, taxes incurred during dungeon exploration, and various precautions to be aware of while adventuring.
I had heard all these countless times, so I let his words slide by.
“Now, let’s proceed with the certificate issuance. Please tell me your names.”
“It’s Karl.”
“I’m Alsatine.”
‘I’m Lucy Allen.’
“Got it, Lucy Allen. Remember that, tubby. It’s not every day you see a noble face like yours among commoners.”
The receptionist, who had maintained a businesslike demeanor until I mentioned my name, seemed to slightly flicker when he heard it.
“Uh… are you the Lady Lucy Allen from the Soladin Kingdom?”
‘That’s correct.’
“What? You knew? Not bad for a sloppy tubby.”
The cracks on the receptionist’s face spread wide as I nodded in response.
Seeing someone who looked like he could take on an orc break out in cold sweat was quite refreshing.
I think the knights from the Allen Family reacted that way when I first possessed Lucy.
[Young lady. Your reputation seems to have spread even to the Magic Empire.]
‘I didn’t want to know that.’
I had suspected it before when Alsatine brought a report about rudeness to foreign nobles. And there it was.
Ugh, my damn reputation! I’m so tired of people fidgeting just because they hear the name Lucy Allen!
The receptionist, clearly having heard many stories about Lucy, quickly and accurately proceeded with the certificate issuance.
“You can pick up the certificate at the guild tomorrow morning.”
Thanks to that, I was able to receive the certificate much faster than expected.
As long as the result was good, I guess the process didn’t matter.
By the time we left the adventurers’ guild, the sun had set, and night had fallen.
I arrived at the front of a shabby inn, passing through a street filled with the noise of various raucous adventurers.
Karl looked troubled at the sight. Although he didn’t say much since it was my choice, it was clear he wanted to voice something.
He was probably thinking, “There’s no way I can let the young lady sleep here!” Since he was the type to worry about that kind of stuff.
Ignoring him, I stepped inside the inn.
The owner was a man with a disinterested expression.
Most innkeepers would greet their guests, but he was different. He simply offered a slight nod.
Even as I stood at the counter, he stared blankly without a word, looking like someone who had completely thrown out sociability.
But the moment I revealed the crow’s insignia from my pocket, his face changed.
Life returned to his ashen complexion.
“Oh, a guest from the Newman Family! My apologies.”
In cities that sprung up around large dungeons, countless things gathered.
People, items, and rumors.
So, the Newman Family, which works based on the underworld, has branches set up in almost every city with a major dungeon.
This was one of those places.
“Are all three staying? How long will you be here?”
‘Two weeks.’
“It’s a maximum of two weeks.”
“Got it. I’ll guide you to your rooms right away.”
With that, a woman came out from behind the counter.
She greeted us politely and asked us to follow her.
Where she took us was not the usual second floor with regular rooms.
It was a room full of dust and various items, seemingly used as a storage area, hiding a door leading to another location.
Contrary to the shabby outer building, this place was better decorated than an average noble’s mansion.
This would be our lodging while we tackled the Menestel dungeon.
I’m glad I got the crow’s insignia! This thing is super useful!
“There’s no one else staying currently, so feel free to use it. If you need anything, just let me know. I’ll prepare whatever I can.”
The lady, who worked for the Newman Family, asked me to call her Nick.
Of course, that request held no real meaning. Have you ever seen a mesugaki skill call someone by their name?
Nick’s name got grimly transformed by the mesugaki skill.
“…Grim, huh?”
‘Sorry! But I can’t help it! Please understand!’
“Okay. You look grim, so ‘Grim’ fits. You like it, right?”
“…Yes, of course.”
After that minor issue passed, everything was uneventful.
I had just asked Nick to look for a studious wizard, that’s all.
Well, it made sense, as I couldn’t do anything at the moment.
If this were a game, I’d be running around collecting side quests for maximum efficiency, but right now, I could do none of that.
Who would ask a cheeky brat who throws around sloppy trash talk every time they open their mouth for help?
I had gotten turned down in the academy, so it’d probably be the same here.
Since I didn’t have any essential quests to complete anyway, I decided to just rest today.
I’d skip the practice mode and just sleep soundly.
[Are you thinking of starting your training already?]
As I lay down to rest until tomorrow morning, Grandpa chimed in.
Grandpa, what are you talking about? I’m going into the dungeon tomorrow! I need to rest!
[What are you saying? At times like this, you should train even harder to maintain the feel of real combat!]
The nagging old man wouldn’t back down.
So, dragged by force and my own will, I ended up having to train all night in practice mode.
*
The theme of the Menestel dungeon is a volcano.
It’s like a dungeon built beneath a blazing volcano; that’s probably an easier way to picture it, right?
With that theme, the various monsters and gimmicks inside are all related to a volcano.
For example, if you enter without any preparations, you start to take burn damage after a while due to the extreme heat inside.
The monsters lurking in there are all related to fire too.
With traps involving lava, fire, and rocks everywhere.
In the game, these were merely gimmicks that increased the dungeon’s difficulty, but as reality, it felt different.
The inside of the Menestel dungeon was practically a sauna.
When I first entered, I was shocked by how hot my skin felt.
And yet, we were still at the entrance of the Menestel dungeon.
Considering that this 80-story dungeon gets hotter the further down you go, the deeper levels could definitely be called a hell of fire.
I had anticipated this kind of scenario.
Given the excruciating heat that would drain my stamina periodically, I knew it had to be dreadful.
The moment I stepped into the dungeon, I confirmed that my predictions were accurate and pulled out something I had prepared from the space pocket Alsatine gave me.
[Eternal Winter Gem]
[A gem found rarely in the snow-covered northern mountains. It retains the terrifying cold of the north.]
From what my emotion skill described, this gem exudes cold.
Originally meant for enchanting weapons or as materials for magic scrolls, this gem has another side effect.
It spreads its cold around, lowering the temperature!
“Lady Allen, if you use that now…”
This gem was often used when tackling the Menestel dungeon, so players jokingly called it the ‘Air Conditioner Gem’.
And now, even though reality became the game, it still worked effectively.
The moment I pulled out the gem crafted into a necklace and put it around my neck, cold air spewed forth from it.
Whoa! So refreshing… Wait, it feels a bit too cold?!
I felt like I might freeze to death if I kept this up and hurriedly took off the necklace.
What’s going on?! This is too much! I didn’t ask to be thrown into a freezer and perish!
I shot a glare at Alsatine, expressing my dissatisfaction over possibly having picked the wrong item, and he awkwardly smiled.
“I prepared what you requested, Lady Allen.”
‘But this is too effective!’
“Sloppy Information Merchant. Can’t you reflect the client’s demands properly? This is just overkill. How long do you plan to live as incompetent trash?”
“However, the Eternal Winter Gem is always like this…”
So, it seems this influence came from the game becoming reality.
While in the game, it merely eliminated dungeon penalties, now it’s manifesting as the horrific chill of the north?!
That’s ridiculous! At this rate, I can’t even use this necklace!
“I’ve heard that beyond the 20th floor of the Menestel dungeon, you can use it without penalty.”
‘And before that?’
“Hey! Sloppy, incompetent Information Merchant! What about before that?”
“This should be bearable, right? I’ve heard everyone walks around pretty casually until the 20th floor.”
Are you even serious right now?!
Telling me to endure this horrific heat?!
While wearing heavy armor nonetheless?!
“Young lady, do you think you can receive the clothes you wore today later? I’d love if they were given to me unwashed.”
‘Shut up. Please.’
“Sloppy fox. Shut it. I’m getting annoyed.”
At this point, there’s only one solution left.
Speedrun.
I’ll quickly fulfill today’s dungeon exploration quota and escape this horrific hell!
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