The rule requiring Level 1's to be in a party first before entering the dungeon was set in place to reduce fatalities among beginners. After all, even the first floor of the dungeon is still dangerous, especially to those not used to the environment or who are alone.
But now, with Aster and Cassy officially in a party, they finally earned the right to enter the dungeon! What they needed to do next was already set in stone. Right, go to a Weapon's Shop and get gear!
"Are you really sure you'd buy me a weapon too?" Cassy asked while looking at Aster, scanning the price tags with a frown. "I know weapons are expensive, after all!"
Just as she claimed, all weapons were expensive.
Even a basic sword or dagger, which visibly lacked maintenance with the rust visible along their edges, cost a shocking 10,000 Tels! That amount was equivalent to a 20-day stay in an inn, or about 50 square meals.
"Don't mind it. We're party members, so we can simply earn back what we spent."
Aster smiled as he grabbed the cheapest ones on the shelves: a rusty dagger and a rusty sword.
"These two, please." He asked the dwarf shopkeeper, passing his Adventurer's Card to him.
The dwarf man quietly took the card, reading the name up front, the only item visible to others when it's set to private mode. "Mr. Aster, eh? First time goin' ta the dungeon? Then t'would help if ya took this pack too. Ya'll need something to put loot in."
"A backpack...?" Aster tilted his head, wondering, before nodding his head. "Alright, we'll get one too."
"Haha! What a quick decision, lad. Tryin' ta impress lil miss o'er there?"
"Please. It's a necessity, right?" Aster chuckled lightly. "We came here to get what we would be needing, after all. No need to hesitate."
"Hah! True."
The dwarf shopkeeper then tapped Aster's Adventurer's Card over a scanner, and with just that, payment was over. The Adventurer's card also works as something like a debit card. Aster had a total of 50,000 Tels in his account, provided by the government for him, so his expenses were still within budget.
"But 30k just for basic and trashy items... It felt more like daylight robbery." Aster mused as they got out of the shop.
Other than the dagger and sword, they took a backpack, a "Slime Liquid Extractor," and a full pack of "Slime Liquid Packer."
As the Dungeon was technically the property of the City, there's a guardhouse nearby to watch over the entrance, and even someone stood before it and collected "entrance fee" from adventurers who wanted to get in.
"Next!"
After a short wait, it was finally Aster and Cassy's turn. However, Aster wasn't standing up front, but Cassy instead.
"Newbies? Only two of you?" The gatekeeper asked after seeing them. "Then that's 4,000 Tels in total."
"Here!"
The scanner in the gatekeeper's hand quickly read the adventurer's card that Cassy had in her hand.
Seeing the green light the scanner showed, the uncle smiled as he urged them. "Confirmed. You two may enter."
"Thanks~!" Cassy replied while taking back the card—Aster's card.
It was still Aster who paid for their entrance, of course! But why didn't he pass it on to the gatekeeper himself? Well, it's because the gatekeeper had bright red skin and two long horns on his head. His black sclera highlighted his yellow pupils as he smiled, showing his yellowing teeth.
The gatekeeper "uncle" was, based on what Aster knew, an Oni!
Although he knew that the uncle wouldn't hurt him, he still couldn't help but not want to get close. Aster was still far from reaching an understanding of the current world's various races.
Aster hid his head and face as he passed by, taking note that the uncle was smiling cheerfully as he watched the two enter the portal. "It's been a while since newbies came. I hope those two can survive for long." He whispered to himself before shaking his head and turning forward. "Next!"
On the other hand, the pair entered the portal, and as soon as they reached the other side, were surprised.
'This... is inside a dungeon?'
Aster looked around, but no matter how he saw it, he was in a random cave near some plains. It was far from the chaotic image he was expecting after hearing the word "dungeon."
However, when he turned to look at the bright sky, he realized that this was, at least, not the reality he knew.
'There's no sun, but it looks like it's midday!'