LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 2
When I Realized It, I Was Inside A Dungeon
The boy looked around nervously. But there was not a single familiar sight. Strange, why did this happen? Why am I here? With a puzzled expression as if hearing voices in his mind, Kugimiya Yuuri stood frozen in disbelief.
Where he was now resembled a dungeon made of stone, often seen in games and anime. Come to think of it, there was a dungeon RPG that a classmate in middle school was obsessed with. Without laughing at Yuuri’s girly boy nature, she would shout at those around her, “What’s wrong with liking what you like!” She was one of the few friends (a girl) who recommended the game to Yuuri, who also played it. Her reason was, “The character designs are cute, so I think even a guy like Kugimiya can enjoy it!”
By the way, the name of that game series was Assault☆Dungeon Academy.
That’s a side note.
“…Hmm, this isn’t the time to escape reality, huh?”
In his familiar school uniform, with a plain student bag devoid of decoration. Although it appeared plain, inside were his favorite mascot items and neatly designed cute things that boys could subtly use. Anyway, he had been transported here on his way home. Yuuri, an active high school boy (albeit a girly boy) familiar with subcultures like light novels and games, quickly understood that he was involved in a mysterious situation.
It was quick, but however.
“…Don’t dungeons have monsters? I can’t fight…”
Indeed, that was the case.
Yuuri could hear faint, incomprehensible cries from afar. Yuuri started walking since there was no point in staying in this place. Suddenly, as he glanced at the wall out of curiosity, a strange screen appeared before his eyes with a boing sound, making him blink involuntarily.
It resembled the status menu often seen in online games. Transparent as if it belonged there naturally, it appeared before Yuuri’s eyes. Although he tried reaching out to touch it, he couldn’t. Instead, his gaze seemed to interact like a click, revealing information.
―― Labyrinth Name: Outsider’s Husk
Rank: D+
Material: Stone
Environmental Condition: Good
Dungeon Master: Alive
…
And so on, various information appeared, but Yuuri skimmed through it. He didn’t understand what it meant or what it was for. However, he’s a girly boy who loves games and anime, so he judged that this information might be useful.
“…Normally, one would be confused after suddenly being sent to another world and awakening to unknown abilities, but I’m calm about it.”
He had a somewhat natural disposition and was off in many ways. Being a girly boy, he was laid-back and dealt calmly even with others’ hostility. This character trait, mocked by his friends as too relaxed, was proving useful now.
Among the scrolled information, there was an item of interest. Picking it up, it read:
―― Currently Exploring: Clan Scarlet Lynx
“Clan” probably referred to a team or party. Yuuri didn’t play much. But he had heard about it in online games. And what this information indicated was that there were humans currently in this dungeon. No, they might not be humans. He’s in another world. However, for now, he could meet someone. That meant he could gather information. Yuuri decided that was crucial.
He didn’t know where to find them but started walking anyway. A high school boy in a school uniform, carrying a student bag, walked casually. Yuuri, who was petite and slender, was often mistaken for a middle schooler because of the school uniform. It was odd; he had just turned 17 recently, but he shrugged it off since everyone around him said, “Nah, you look like a middle schooler.”. He didn’t sweat the small stuff.
He continued walking toward where the noise was coming from for a while. Peeking cautiously into a room from a corridor, Yuuri spotted a group of about five people. A young man with a shaved head was leading the group and giving instructions. Following his commands were what seemed like a swordsman, a martial artist-like girl, a bow-wielding woman providing support fire, and finally, a boy with many bags hanging from his waist, whose role was unclear. Were they the Scarlet Lynx clan? Yuuri wondered.
Thinking and deciding,
“I’ll speak to them once the battle is over.”
He bowed slightly and pressed against the wall to avoid detection by monsters. The group seemed quite strong and accustomed to combat. They would dispatch the monsters quickly, Yuuri thought as he observed them.
Suddenly transported to another world and finds himself in a dungeon. On top of that, discovered he had unknown abilities. Even in this state, Yuuri was calm. He considered himself rather lucky. After all, he had found humans who were seemingly normal in this strange place. If this were a different world, there might be races he couldn’t communicate with. He thought it was good to have found humans who seemed normal here.
Yuuri, who generally had an easygoing and optimistic personality, suddenly became curious and looked at his own hands. Since information appeared when he looked at the wall, he wondered if his status would appear if he looked at himself. And as expected, with a boing sound, a screen similar to before appeared.
―― Name: Kugimiya Yuuri
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Age: 17
Job: Seeker
Condition: Healthy
Level: 1
HP: 20
Strength: 10
Speed: 10
Skill: 10
Defense: 10
Luck: ∞
Skills: [God’s Eye] Level ∞
[Cooking] Level 50
[Tailoring] Level 50
[Alchemy] Level 50
[Blacksmithing] Level 50
Equipment: School Uniform (Blessing of the Gods ∞)
“…Hmm, something seems off.”
Even though Yuuri wasn’t one to nitpick, the stats seemed odd. He’s okay with his ability parameters being low since he was just an ordinary high school boy. He had predicted that he would be somewhat weak in this world. However, he wanted to poke fun at his job and skills. And his luck value was totally strange.
Firstly, his job. What does being a Seeker mean? Wouldn’t it have been fine for him to be a student? Or maybe there are no students in this world. Or perhaps he wasn’t recognized as a student because he didn’t belong to this world’s school organization. What does a Seeker do, and what abilities do they possess? It made no sense.
And his skills were equally confusing. Starting with [God’s Eye]. He didn’t know what kind of skill it was, and its level was ∞. Not a number but a symbol. What did ∞ mean? Yuuri wondered.
Thinking that, he stared at the [God’s Eye] skill section. He thought more detailed information might appear. And his hunch was correct, as expected from a modern kid familiar with subcultures.
―― [God’s Eye]
Highest level appraisal skill.
Possesses the ability to see through all truths and discern all phenomena. A skill bestowed by the gods, impossible to acquire later. Also, the possessor of this skill is referred to as a seeker, the highest rank in the appraisal job.
“…Hmm, definitely feels like a cheat.”
Yuuri muttered to himself. He didn’t know how effective the appraisal skill was. Its importance varied depending on the game. However, in exploration-type games, the presence or absence of an appraisal skill drastically changed the difficulty. And based on this description, he could understand that in this world, his appraisal skill was quite a high-ranking one.
Also, the mystery surrounding his job was solved thanks to his skills. It was clear Seeker was the type of job that he should not let important people know. In typical light novels, revealing one’s job might lead to troublesome situations with important people. He didn’t want that.
Yuuri only wanted a peaceful world where he could enjoy his girly boy hobbies. If possible, he wanted to interact with cute fairies, beautiful elves, or gentle beastmen typical of another world. Although he was a teenage boy, he had no improper intentions toward them. Rather than a harem, he wanted to be friends and go shopping, like how girls would. True to his girly boy nature.
“Yeah, if asked, I’ll say I’m an appraiser. Just a novice.”
He felt that if he got discovered by the wrong person, he might get dragged into unnecessary trouble. Yuuri’s future in this world would be determined by whether summoners or lost travelers were common here. He decided to introduce himself as an appraiser when contacting the Scarlet Lynx.
He regained his focus and looked at other skills. Skills like cooking, tailoring, etc., typical of a girly boy, caught his attention. Also, he was intrigued by the unexpectedly high skill levels. Despite his level being 1, why were his skill levels all 50? It was incomprehensible.
Was this what they called a cheat in another world reincarnation stories? However, Yuuri didn’t wish for such things. He didn’t want to become a hero in another world, create a harem with beautiful girls, or become strong enough to defeat a demon king. If anything, he just wanted to enjoy beautiful and cute things. That’s all.
For Yuuri, his seemingly cheat-like status was unnecessary.
Well, it might be the god’s kindness who threw him into this world. But if so, he wished they had adjusted it to be less conspicuous. After all, even if he was given a job that was on the brink of extinction with no one else around, it wouldn’t make him happy. Plus, he had no intention if people placing their expectations on him.
Yuuri thought it was crucial for him, a clearly suspicious individual, to approach them and see if they would accept him.