Chapter 2: Chapter 1 -The Fledgling Explorer- 1-1

Saitama Prefecture, Saitama City, Grand Palace Otherworld, 4th floor. 

The cool air caressed my cheeks, raising the tension.

I was in a dark cave. As I tried to deal with the upcoming threats, I felt immense gratitude towards the LED bulb illuminating my view.

As I confronted the threat, I held a sword in both hands. A white, beautiful, sharp blade. 

...Although, I'm unsure as to whether or not it's a sword.

I heard that there were various types of swords, but from the moment I was born, I had never wielded a sword. I also wasn't particularly interested in it.

As such, I didn't really understand the difference...

All I knew about swords was the martial art called 'iai,' the art of quickly drawing a sword from its scabbard to perform a vigorous slash. The other was the kendo practice I used to watch on my way home from school, in which the students would shout, "—Men! Do! Kote!"

...For a person with such a shallow knowledge about swords to wield a sword.

Moreover, the threat I was about to face was inhumane in nature.

It was an existence called a monster.

The size was about 1 meter, which was quite large. I'd like to think so since it was only about half my height.

Nevertheless, it didn't change the fact that a gigantic spider stood before me.

Due to the trauma, I was hit by a wave of hair-raising sensation.

The gigantic spider had an official name—Aranea.

The spider was quite nimble for its size. The next moment, it leaped to me, trying to bite me with its sharp fangs.

Well, even if I'm bitten...

I wondered if I was fortunate.

There was a reason for my optimism. The other day, I had just gotten bitten, but I was alive and well.

It still hurts, though...

Also, what if I get infected with some kind of disease? 

Regardless of my worry, everything should be alright since my wound had healed.

For that, I'd like to thank my resilience.

After the standoff, Aranea leaned forward. It was about to charge ahead. Sure enough, Aranea flew towards me in a straight line before getting parried by my sword.

Despite its considerable size, I should be able to bring it down. After holding on to its crumbling posture with all my might, I swung my sword downward to Aranea—

"—Seiiaaaaah!!"

My sword struck Aranea's abdomen and chest node, but the blow didn't pass through. As expected, the shell was tough. 

Is the shell of a spider supposed to be this hard?

Before, I ignored spiders because they were usually small.

However, even if the blade didn't pass through, it seemed to have dealt some damage as Aranea bounced against the ground. Thus, I swung my sword down repeatedly until Aranea ceased to move.

Upon confirming Aranea's death, I wiped my sword, oozing with green bodily fluids, with a towel.

As I looked at Aranea, which I had defeated, a wave of excitement began to rush into me. "Finally, I managed to defeat one!" 

Thus, I had successfully vanquished a monster.

Mission complete—!

Inwardly, I made such a cheesy fanfare.

But the mission didn't end with the defeat of the monster.

Aranea had a hard, crab-like shell that covered each section of its body. The shell could be used to make armor and weapons, which then could be sold.

By the way, when facing such monsters, guns were useless. The same applied to Gatling guns, laser weapons, knives, machetes, daggers, etc. Basically, both ancient and modern weapons were ineffective against them.

If such was the case, the human race should've ceased to exist long ago.

As I walked through the woods, I felt as if I had returned to the days when we were overrun by the beasts. I still remember the articles from those times.

That was how powerless mankind had become in the face of the monsters.

However, there was a single ray of hope, namely the otherworld. We could fight monsters with armor and weapons that we made by defeating the monsters that appeared in the otherworld.

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It was the turning point.

By using the weapons and armor made from things from the otherworld, we could easily defeat those monsters. Afterward, humankind was able to overcome the catharsis.

Since then, many weapons and armor have been made using materials from the otherworld.

The otherworld was strangely hierarchical. I didn't know if it expanded below or above. However, as seen on the ground, many patterns suggest that it continues below.

Later, various people found out in their explorations of the other world that their physical abilities improved with each passing level of the hierarchy.

To earn a living, I had to dismantle monsters.

I peeled the shell off the huge spider to sell it. The bushy hair, which sprouted from here and there, felt unpleasant. On its head, its four black eyes were gleaming.

I should take the eyes, too. But for the time being, I decided to focus on removing the shell from its abdomen.

When I did it for the first time, I immediately thought of giving up. At that time, I also got full-body goosebumps.

I never wanted to come to such a place anymore.

However, humans were strange. After doing such grotesque things for a long time, I got used to it.

I used the wakizashi to make cuts in each section. After I had peeled each of the shells off, I proceeded to let them dry. Afterward, I stored them in the backpack.

Because each material would sell between 100 to 200 yen, it'd be a good source of income if I were to defeat Aranea and dismantle it all at once.

Speaking of my earnings, four Aranea shells would cost at least 400 yen, while each leg shell would cost about 10 to 80 yen. Overall, I'd made a total of 480 yen.

The rest would depend on the quality of the material. 

For three Aranea, I should at least earn about 1400 yen...

"It's not a lot..."

I sighed. As it was, I could only dream of making it big.

The reality wasn't always sweet.

Why you ask?

It was kind of exhausting for me to remember the reason. It had something to do with the fact that Araneas would appear in the group.

In the otherworld, the monsters would usually run in packs. By minimum, a pack would consist of 3 to 4 monsters and 5 to 6 by maximum. Because of that, I couldn't beat them.

Considering how long it took for me to slay a monster, it was nearly impossible for me to defeat two monsters, let alone three.

As such, I'd gently withdraw when I saw a pack of monsters. When I encountered a lone monster, I was close to celebrating. I felt sorry for my pathetic self.

"It's almost 5:00 p.m." 

The amount of money I earned from exploring the otherworld all day long was 1400 yen. I didn't even want to think about my hourly wage.

The backpack containing the shell of Aranea was easy to carry around. As I carried the lightweight bag, I looked toward the ground.

It was kind of tiring to return to the ground after entering the hierarchical road.

It'd be much easier if there was a warp system or a save point. But of course, they didn't exist. Perhaps, only a blue, cat-shaped robot could bring them into existence.

However, recently, a mysterious phenomenon reportedly occurred. Apparently, it caused a person to be teleported to a fixed place. Such was the mystery of the otherworld. 

There was an incident where an explorer who had passed through 25 levels of the otherworld was enveloped in light and disappeared. The next time he appeared, he was in a room with a mysterious pattern on the ground. 

The incident was settled a short time later when the missing explorer returned. Later, he discovered he could teleport to the 25th level, which he had previously explored.

It was a great way to reduce the time to get there. Nevertheless, a person could only teleport to a room with the same pattern on the ground. People were still researching the logic behind that since they couldn't grasp it.

I guess it has nothing to do with me, a fledgling who could barely make it through the 4th level.

When going up and down the levels, there was a staircase made of what appeared to be pavement made of cobblestones.

Because of such a staircase, it was easy to recognize where each level was connected and when the level had changed.

Sometimes, the staircase would disappear. But you'd be struck by an incomprehensible sensation when you go down a level.

The sensation told me of when the hierarchy had changed. Once you had experienced the sensation, you'd never experience it again. It was a one-time thing that occurred when you visited a level for the first time.

As I went from the 4th level to the 1st level, I was greeted with the sight of otherworld explorers defeating monsters in the vast cave.

When I emerged from the first level to the ground, I saw iron bars and a large, heavy, iron door. There was a red lamp next to it. Next to the door, there was a glowing red touch panel. I held out my identification card with my photo over it.

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