Fastest Level Up! - Chapter 67

The day after capturing Marou Dungeon.

I was having breakfast together with Hana when suddenly she asked me something.

“Oh right, Onii-chan. Are you free this weekend?”

For me, who was basically a solo when challenging the dungeon, something like a schedule could be decided as I wished. Therefore, I nodded.

“Aa, I should be able to free my schedule if you want..”

“Good, with this I’m relieved. Please wear comfortable clothes at that time okay!”

“? Aa, understood.”

I wonder if I will end up accompanying her to go shopping and be treated as a baggage carrier again? Well, I do think it’s good to spend a day like that sometime. That’s what I thought but– a few days later I was in a dungeon.

“Why the heck?!”

“Whoa! Don’t scream next to me, Onii-chan! I was really surprised.”

In response to my reaction, Hana retorted beside me.

No, no, no, me having that kind of reaction was something that cannot be helped.

Because right now, Hana and I were in an E rank dungeon [Sumifuku Dungeon] which, similar to Shion Dungeon, was a low difficulty dungeon designed for beginners. Incidentally, this dungeon was also one of the many dungeons I have set foot in for the sake of conquering it.

“Hana, why are we in a dungeon?”

“Aree? Have I not explained it?”

“You haven’t.”

“I see, I see, I’m sorry! Actually–”

With that as a preface, Hana began to tell me why she brought me here.

After hearing Hana’s story, I finally understood the whole story. However, in order to understand her, there was a necessity to know about the circumstances regarding the world’s dungeon in advance.

Presently, excluding those with special circumstances, only those who have reached 18 years of age could enter the dungeon in the world. Because besides being always close to the risk of dying, someone also needs to kill the monsters with their own hands in the dungeon.

Thus, before one has reached the age of having sufficient judgement ability to read the situation, they were prohibited to enter the dungeon.

In Japan, those who were 18 years old and wanted to work as an adventurer needed to earn the qualification to be an adventurer by individually taking a short training conducted by the adventurer association. Only after doing so are they then allowed to enter the dungeon.

However, what Hana said this time was different from the custom.

“To sum it up, besides individually taking the short training, the adventurer association was also recruiting adventurers directly to the school starting from this year?”

“Un, that’s how it is. They also came to my school and offered the students who already have had their 18th birthday and aim to be an adventurer to apply.”

It was true that Hana was currently in her third year of high school. Furthermore, since she was born in April and already has her birthday, she was already qualified to be an adventurer. That’s likely why she applied for this recruitment.

“Even so, I was actually a little surprised that they started recruiting via school.”

“It was different at your time, right, Onii-chan?”

“Aa, I had to individually apply. That’s why I only just got the qualification after graduation despite being born early.”

There was a reason why I was surprised. In the past, there was a time when a national project’s bill that forced everyone over the age of 18 to enter the dungeon to acquire status was about to be passed.

The reason was because top-class adventurers could be a force comparable to weapons, hence, they wanted to make as many citizens as possible become adventurers.

However, disparity will be created as only approximately 50% of the people that could acquire the status. Thus, the bill was never passed with the reason that it was inhumane to force people to kill living things–in other words, monsters.

Since then, those that become an adventurer have to done it by their own volition. Well, there are rumors about some countries still forcing their people to do it, though.

Knowing such a circumstance was what made me surprised when I heard they started recruiting via school. Because different from now, I have put some effort in for the sake of becoming an adventurer after all.

And here, I remember my initial question.

“I understand until then but why did you invite me? And also I don’t understand why we went to the dungeon all of a sudden.”

“Etto, those who participated in the via school recruitment have already taken a simple training and got a provisional qualification. So, today we would be guided by someone from the adventurer association to actually go to the dungeon. But those who are still uneasy entering the dungeon for the first time were allowed to bring an adventurer that they know.”

“… I see.”

So that’s why she invited me here.

“But if that’s the case, it would be troublesome if you didn’t tell me about it in advance, you know? What would you do if I just captured a dungeon within a week and can’t enter the dungeon because of the intermission?”

“Intermission….?”

Hana displayed an expression that looked like someone who just heard something for the first time.

Did she really take the training?

“Well, let’s put that kind of matter aside! The people who participated this time have already gathered over there, let’s go, Onii-chan!”

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

Hana held my hand and pulled me while moving toward the gathering spot.

And I could only sigh a little and followed her.