Chapter 1: Going to the Dungeon Solo

“Please. Please help us…”

The man my mother brought home had contempt in his eyes behind his sunglasses.

“Don’t come near me, you brat. Poverty is contagious.”

The day after my mother died.

Taking the few valuables left in the house, that man left.

–I need money.

“Big brother. I’m hungry.”

–I need money.

“The hot water’s all gone~”

–I need money.

“Cough. Cough. Ugh…”

–I need money.

“…Don’t push yourself too hard, bro.”

–I need money.

“There’s no way I can afford to go to high school. I have to support the family a little.”

?

It has been 20 years since dungeons were opened to the public.

This country, which had stopped its wars, found itself in an even more precarious global position than before.

The age of majority was lowered to 15, and society became one where self-reliance, without depending on social welfare, was demanded.

That’s why I–

“I need money. Enough money to support my family and send them to school.”

I have five family members. Two younger brothers and three younger sisters.

Our household finances are tight.

To rent this dilapidated house costs 60,000 yen every month. But we’re three months behind on rent. No matter how much we cut back on utilities, it never goes below 20,000 yen. Buying everyday necessities costs us an average of about 20,000 yen each month. None of us have smartphones. Since almost everyone is in their growth spurt, food expenses are unbelievably high. Things like clothes and bedding are quite worn out, but we can’t afford to replace them.

We have no parents. No relatives either. Having just graduated from middle school, I don’t have the ability to support my family with a normal job.

“I’ll bet my life on it. Please recognize me as an adventurer.”

?

To enter a dungeon, one must pass an aptitude test, an interview, and then a month of training.

I-Itsuki Isshiki-successfully completed these and was officially permitted to challenge dungeons starting in May.
That being said.

The Isshiki household’s morning starts early.

Without using an alarm, I wake up at 5 AM. I walk quietly between my sleeping siblings, careful not to make a sound, and head to the kitchen.

I look through the notices from elementary and middle school left on the table, checking if everyone has done their homework properly.

That takes 30 minutes.

Since we don’t have money, rice doesn’t appear on our family’s dinner table. I buy discounted wheat flour, knead it to make udon noodles, and freeze them for stock. The side dishes are seasonal wild plants.
Around this time of year, we have horsetail, bracken fern, and fiddleheads that we gathered in April.

The wild plants are blanched and then frozen, so all I have to do is season them in a frying pan.

By the time I finish preparing six servings of udon, everyone starts to wake up one after another.

The first one to come to the kitchen is Nina, my eldest sister, who is in her third year of middle school.

“Good morning, Itsuki-nii.”
“Morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah. I’m full of energy today too.”

Nina has shorter hair for a girl. She’s kept it short ever since entering middle school, saying it’s a waste of water to wash long hair. I know she actually prefers it long, so seeing her like this always makes me feel down.

“The ironing isn’t done yet, right?”
“Ah. Not yet.”

“I’ll do it.”

Everyone takes out the clothes they’ll wear today, and Nina diligently irons them. Wrinkled clothes and dirt on our bodies are the first things that can lead to bullying. We’ve made it a rule among ourselves not to neglect that.

The siblings who have washed their faces come to the kitchen one after another. Since there are only four chairs at the table, Nina and I will eat later. I serve and line up four plates.

“Thank you for the food.”

While they eat, I change my clothes. Easy-to-move clothes are best for the dungeon, so I pull out my middle school track suit.

“I’ll finish the ironing, so Nina, you go eat.”
“Thanks.”

We hand off the remaining chores.

I get the kids ready for school once they finish breakfast.

The second son, Mitsuru, started middle school this spring and is able to prepare himself.
The second and third daughters are twins, Sena and Seika , are in third grade of elementary school. The third son, Mutsuki, is in kindergarten. These three need help.

“Come on, let’s put on the clothes that Nina-neechan picked out for you.”

“Mmm.”

By the time the three sleepyheads finished getting dressed, it was already time for them to head off to school together.
I took Sena and Seika outside and sent them off to school with the neighborhood kids.

Since Mitsuru and Nina are in the same middle school, they left home together.
I’ll take Mutsuki to kindergarten after I finish my breakfast.

Finally, the morning tasks are done.

“Alright, time to hit the dungeon!”

?

This time, I was the only one who got my license at 15 years old.
Maybe because I was the youngest, the other rookie adventurers were considerate of me. When I talked about my family situation, everyone tried to be sympathetic. Some even invited me to join their party, promising to give me extra rewards.

But I decided to go solo.
The reason is simple: household finances are tight.

Generally, a rookie adventurer party’s first month income is 200,000 yen. If split among four people, that’s only 50,000 yen left for each. It seems you gradually earn more, but that’s just not going to cut it.

Even if it means taking a risk, I’m going solo.

The dungeon entrance is heavily guarded, beyond a door that won’t open without flashing a license. After equipping myself at the designated locker, I headed there.

“Isshiki Itsuki-san, permission granted for entry.”

Guided by the mechanical voice, I stepped inside.

I stood before the dimensional rift. As I stepped into the swirling vortex, my vision instantly changed.

?

An intricate, dimly lit passage appears before my eyes.

??The Labyrinth of Beginnings

Upon entering the dungeon, you are teleported to a random location within the maze. The return gate is fixed in the central area. There are markers scattered throughout, so returning shouldn’t be a problem.

Time to start scouting. I heard today that hearts sell for a high price.

I lower my posture and run swiftly, crouching at the corner to check the end of the passage. If they’re not there, I’ll run to the next corner.

Dungeons contain hostile creatures known as monsters.

In the Labyrinth of Beginnings, the monsters you’ll encounter are the Goblins, demi-humanoids around 140 centimeters tall; Wisps, spirits that drift through the air; and Sacs, the corpse-eaters.

The one I want to actively target is the Goblin I mentioned first. I’ve fought them a few times during training. They’re the weakest creatures in the dungeon.

One-on-one, I can defeat them with ease.

However, Goblins rarely wander around alone like idiots.

They usually patrol in groups of three or more, getting along quite well. It seems it’s not uncommon for novice adventurers to be killed if they let their guard down.

“Well, I guess I have no choice but to do it.”

Goblin hearts sell for 400 yen each. If I can kill about 20 of them in a day, I’ll be able to earn more than I would from a part-time job.

After about 20 minutes of wandering around, I finally spotted my first enemy.

There were four of them in a group. They turned their backs on me and walked away.

“I found 1600 yen.”

Phew…

I drew my knife and closed the distance with stealth.

?

Meanwhile, at the dungeon entrance…

“Eh!? Isshiki-kun went in alone!?”

The Receptionist, who handles all support for the adventurers, let out a high-pitched scream.

The middle-aged male training instructor felt like his eardrums were about to be destroyed by that voice. He smoothed his sloppily grown beard and covered his other ear with his hand.

“That child is only 15 years old! You can’t let a child do something like that!”
“Calm down.”

“Let’s send out a rescue party immediately! We need to request help from the other adventurers-”
“He’ll be fine.”

The instructor grinned, tugging his beard straight down.

?

“Hey, can you kill a monster?”

I was taught that the ability to kill any living thing before you without hesitation is a necessary skill for an adventurer.

Don’t struggle. Don’t hesitate. Don’t show fear.
Just face the life before you.

I get directly behind the Goblins. The first one is on the far left. I restrain him from behind, covering his face, and thrust a knife into the gap in his collarbone.

“Guuuuuuhh!”

A scream that seemed to tear the air. The remaining three simultaneously went into a battle stance.

“Nigyaaaaaaa!”

I pull out the knife and throw the struggling Mobman in my arms at the remaining three. One catches him, and the other two lunge at me.

A Goblin is about the height of an elementary school student. They are stronger than they look, but even so, I won’t lose in a contest of strength.

I send the Goblin on the right flying with a kick. In that opening, the Goblin on the left tries to grab me, digging in its claws and biting.

“You’re the target.”

I grab the head of the Goblin clinging to me and slam it against the wall. Its hard skull doesn’t break, but it does cause a concussion. It goes limp as it loses consciousness. I stomp on its neck, crushing the bones.

Taking a life is necessary to survive.

I’ve known that since I was a child. I killed insects for food, and I killed the fish I caught. For me, taking a life wasn’t something out of the ordinary.

“Gagoaaaaaaah!”

The one I kicked away has completely lost its will to fight. So, in reality, there’s only one left. At this point, I can’t even imagine losing.

So, let’s give it a try.

Focus your attention on your fingertips and bring the image to life

“Magic-Fireball”

Whoosh

A round ball of fire appeared in the air with a sound.

It just appeared and stopped perfectly still. The Goblin stopped moving, looking at it awkwardly.

“…Uh, well. Yeah.”
“…How do I move this thing?”

Phew.

“Gotcha!”

I killed it because it was just standing there. I do feel a little bad about it though.