Chapter 15: Final Preparations Before Entering the Dungeon

Bried’s house.

It was only a street away from the Siloque residence, and while its exterior appeared unremarkable, the interior was elegantly decorated with a distinct flavor, showcasing the owner’s refined taste.

In a similarly tasteful kitchen, Siloque was deftly washing vegetables, cooking rice, and sterilizing utensils.

Whether it was pouring oil into the pot with practiced ease or the swift sound of chopping, the kitchen seemed to be his domain, completely under his control.

Bried sat obediently at the dining table, feeling a bit helpless, able only to watch Siloque’s cooking movements with admiration.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help; from the start, she’d offered to do anything Siloque needed, but he had only said one thing:

“Just sit there. Don’t touch anything.”

So she sat.

Her stomach rumbled, and as she wondered whether she should run a few more laps to ease her hunger, Siloque spoke.

“It’s ready.”

Apple risotto, glistening strips of bacon, and the fragrant blend of rice and apple—together, they created an irresistible aroma.

He really knows how to cook!

Bried even had the illusion that once she ate this meal, there’d be no turning back.

Maybe she’d become a picky eater forever…

“Don’t like apples?”

“How could that be? I love apples the most.”

Siloque had already started eating, snapping Bried back to her senses.

She scooped a spoonful and put it into her mouth—

Delicious!

No words were needed; Bried just wanted to shovel the deliciousness into her stomach.

“Siloque, I admit you can cook. It’s a hundred times better than a restaurant.”

Seeing Bried enjoy her meal, Siloque smiled with satisfaction.

As expected, Bried looked cutest when eating happily…

Compared to unlocking Bried’s embarrassing CG, Siloque preferred watching her eat.

This was something Beiren must never know…

“Why are you looking at me?”

“No reason. Watching you eat so happily gives me a sense of accomplishment.”

What he’d learned at culinary school in his past life hadn’t gone to waste.

If not for needing to slay minotaurs, he might’ve chosen to live as a chef in some random restaurant.

“By the way, you didn’t run into Cliff afterward, did you?”

Siloque didn’t eat much. He quickly finished and began cleaning up the kitchen.

“Why bring up that scumbag?”

Bried took a big bite, finished a bowl, and continued, “I can protect myself. You should be careful. Another bowl.”

Siloque was unfazed, taking her bowl and filling it again.

If he guessed right, she intended to empty the entire pot…

“As long as you didn’t run into him. If you do, run. I admit you’re strong one-on-one, but Cliff definitely won’t fight fair. You absolutely can’t win.”

Bried wanted to retort, but Siloque looked at her with such determination, his aura left no room for argument.

“…I understand.”

***

Training was hell.

“Huff… huff…”

“I taught you this—breathe through your nose, three long, one short. Breathing through your mouth burns your throat.”

At 9:20 AM, after breakfast, Siloque’s regime began.

Siloque ran alongside Bried.

They’d already run 10 kilometers. Bried wasn’t even winded, while Siloque was seeing stars.

Sweat soaked Siloque from head to toe, his black hair plastered to his skin.

His half-transparent, sweat-drenched shirt drew a few lingering stares from passersby.

Bried glared with killing intent, and the onlookers hurriedly looked away.

“If you can’t keep up… rest a bit before running again.”

Twenty more kilometers remained.

After that, more training.

“No…problem… keep going… we agreed… no mercy…”

So painful, Kurus…

His head was heavy, limbs screaming with fatigue, hands and feet nearly foreign, soreness crawling over his body.

Siloque gritted his teeth and endured.

The more an Explorer’s body is tempered, the tougher it becomes. If he quit now, what hope was there for the future?

In his mind flashed the tragic ends that awaited those lacking ability.

Blond with a sheer scarf, blond with a sheer scarf, blond with a sheer scarf…

Fueled by emotion, Siloque forced himself onward.

“Suit yourself.”

With those words, Bried overtook Siloque, maintaining a distance where she could turn and spot him at any moment.

11 kilometers.

15 kilometers.

20 kilometers.

Each time she looked back, Bried saw Siloque’s agony, but he kept up.

Bried’s waist pouch contained water and healing medicine, ready to assist Siloque at any time.

Exceeding expectations, Siloque didn’t complain or stop, sticking close behind Bried.

Bried muttered to herself, “Hmph, if you put your mind to it, you really can do it…”

From afar, Siloque, dazed, thought he saw Bried smiling. But he decided he was just hallucinating from exhaustion.

***

“I… oh gods… I can’t believe I survived.”

Back at the entranceway, Siloque collapsed like a pile of sludge, the brutal training nearly taking his life.

“Why did she get so ruthless all of a sudden? Though, I did ask for it myself.”

Bried had comforted him during the run, but the subsequent basic combat knowledge and training were so merciless he wondered if his childhood friend was actually trying to kill him.

Bried even invited him to her house for a shower, but to avoid any unnecessary ‘benefit’ events, he chose the safety of his own home.

He pulled up his stat screen. Siloque’s gaze fell on his altered stats—

[Name] Siloque

[Lv] 2

[Class] —Newcomer—

[Exploration Tier] —0—

HP Max: 8 → 10

MP Max: 9

STR: 3

END: 2 → 6

AGI: 4 → 8

DEX: 5

INT: 8

[Talent] —Heating—

[Skill]

The more you focus and repeatedly train a skill, the faster it improves, with a max cap of 1000. At lower levels, the speed of growth is faster, but it slows as you advance.

Most important is raising your Lv.

Each level up grants a base stat boost, with the effect strong enough to make you feel like “your whole body is taking flight.”

In truth, the difference between Lv1 and Lv2 is ridiculous—just the aftershock from Cliff’s punch at Lv2 nearly tore him apart.

…Looking at it, endurance and agility increased due to Bried’s devilish training, and the HP boost was from getting injured by Cliff’s punch and healing afterward.

Damn, getting beaten up really does make you stronger, but I still won’t thank that bastard Cliff.

Thinking of the daily morning practice with Bried, Siloque already felt some regret…

On the bright side, these stats should be enough to run away in the Dungeon.

“Brother! You’re back! Here’s a towel and a sports drink.”

Hill appeared at the perfect moment, delivering the goods.

“Thanks, Hill. You’re so thoughtful.”

“Hehe…”

Siloque rehydrated.

The towel was fluffy, dry, and smelled faintly of lavender—so comfortable.

Wait.

“Hill, did you prepare these in advance?”

They were exactly what he needed.

“I was helping mom with the laundry and saw you all sweaty.”

Hill smiled sweetly.

Hmm…all right, I’ll accept it.

“Brother, play games with Hill after dinner, okay? The new needs two players to co-op. With us, we’ll clear it in two days!”

“Sorry, Hill. I have things to do later. I’ll shower and head out. Let’s play another day.”

“…Why? You’d rather go on a date with Bried than play with Hill?”

Strange, why did his sister have a dark aura around her?

Must be my imagination. I’m too tired.

“What date? I’m not in that kind of relationship with her. I became an Explorer, but I’m still weaker than others—a bottom dweller. I need to hunt more in the Dungeon or I’ll never graduate.”

“…Hill understands. Hill doesn’t want to burden you.”

“What are you saying?”

Siloque rubbed Hill’s cheek with the back of his hand.

“Hill could never be a burden to me. I’m happy she wants to do things with me. When I get back from the Dungeon, I’ll play games with you tonight.”

“Okay! Hill will wait for you! Oh, and Hill wants to go to the Dungeon with brother too!”

Siloque headed straight for the shower, escaping his pouting sister.

***

Dungeon Library.

“Hill, that brat, the Dungeon isn’t a playground.”

In a secluded reading room, Siloque focused on information about Dungeon structures, monster attributes, and magic research.

He verified everything against the game settings in his mind.

“Frozen World. Hidden transfer zone in the fourth layer, a magic scroll obtained by completing NPC quests; Void Slash, obtainable via missions or as a rare drop from the third layer’s Collapse Eye…”

After reading for about three hours, it was already 1 p.m.

Siloque closed the book.

It matched his memories perfectly.

From monster layouts and behavior traits to special abilities, magic learning and casting methods, quest acquisition—publicly available info only covered up to the fourth layer.

There wasn’t a single word about the fifth layer, just like in the game.

Even though the fifth layer had been explored for three years.

If he remembered right, the higher-ups deliberately concealed it.

This was enough.

There was no hidden element he didn’t know.

He’d trust his past-life memories…

“Begin your journey of exploration and encounter a different world.”

Siloque muttered the game’s promotional slogan nostalgically.

If it weren’t for the promo image being full of mosaic-censored screenshots unfit for children, it would’ve been a nice memory.

It was time to head to the Dungeon.

For Siloque, this would be his first real battle against monsters.

The period right after becoming an Explorer carried the highest risk of death.

“I don’t want my family hosting a funeral on my first day in the Dungeon. Better to be careful.”

As Siloque stood to return the book, he accidentally bumped into someone.

But this time, he was sure—it was intentional.

Thankfully, he didn’t fall, and his books remained firmly in hand.

“Isn’t this the loser from Class F? Oh wait, the lowest of the entire school.”

Ah…

That detestable center-parted hair, that look of disdain—

Standing before him was Norius.