Absolute Cheat: I Clear Dungeons Alone

Chapter 8: Robbery

“Wh-why…?”

That was the first thing I asked.

Why was Guillermo standing right in front of me?

“I hear you’ve been going in and out of exchange counters all over the place lately.”

Guillermo grinned as he said this.

I knew that exchanging the 〈Sword of Departure〉—which was supposed to be a first-clear reward—over and over would look suspicious.

That’s why I had been careful to use a different exchange counter each time…

“Hey, why don’t you show me what you were planning to exchange with me, huh?”

Guillermo said this as he stepped closer.

I—I have to run!

I turned around to flee, but—

“Dom, you can’t escape.”

Behind me were several adventurers from Guillermo’s party. Before I realized it, his cronies had surrounded me.

“Hey, how did you even get the 〈Sword of Departure〉?”

At some point Guillermo had moved right in front of me, staring at the sword I was holding.

“I cleared the Fassil Dungeon and got it…”

“Did you hear that? Dom says he cleared a dungeon!”

Guillermo shouted this to his cronies as if telling a joke.

Immediately, they all burst into laughter.

“Gahaha! There’s no way Dom, who can’t even beat weak monsters, could clear a dungeon!”

“Dom’s so weak nobody wants him in their party! No way he cleared it solo!”

“You’re still level 1, aren’t you, Dom?”

“If you’re going to lie, at least come up with a better one!”

They all mocked me.

Then Guillermo slapped me on the shoulder and said:

“You probably just stole it from someone, didn’t you?”

“N-no, that’s not true…”

I tried to deny it, but my lips trembled and I couldn’t get the words out properly.

“Well, whatever. I’ll hold onto this sword for you.”

Guillermo forcibly snatched the 〈Sword of Departure〉 from me.

“G-give it back…!”

The moment I said that—

Smash! My face was punched.

“What, are you defying me?”

Guillermo said this, and his cronies all laughed together.

“Listen, Dom. You owe us. So next time you steal something, hand it over to me.”

Guillermo stared straight into my eyes as he said this.

I nodded silently.

“Good. That’s what I wanted to hear.”

Taking my nod as agreement, Guillermo smirked with satisfaction.

Then he left with his cronies.

The 〈Sword of Departure〉 I had worked so hard to obtain was gone.

“U-ugh…”

Left alone, I fought desperately to hold back tears.

I could never let my sister see me like this.

“I have to get stronger…”

Just earning money wasn’t enough.

I had to become stronger as an adventurer.

That was the vow I made.

“I should stop trying to get the 〈Sword of Departure〉 from the Fassil Dungeon.”

The next day, I made that decision.

No matter how many different exchange counters I used, if I kept exchanging the first-clear reward over and over, it would look suspicious.

If it were discovered that I was passing through walls with 〈Evasion〉, it would be a disaster. There was a high chance I’d be exploited by villains like Guillermo.

Judging from Guillermo’s words yesterday, he had already noticed that I was visiting exchange counters frequently. But he hadn’t realized that I was exchanging the 〈Sword of Departure〉 multiple times.

Thanks to that, all I lost was the sword itself. In a way, that was a small mercy.

“Still, aside from the Fassil Dungeon, there aren’t any dungeons I can safely clear…”

The Fassil Dungeon was designed for beginners. That’s why I was able to reach the boss’s room. Other dungeons wouldn’t be so forgiving.

“And besides, I really need to get strong enough to actually defeat monsters.”

Otherwise, I’d spend my life being robbed by Guillermo.

But I couldn’t think of a way to do that.

“There’s no point just sitting at home thinking… Maybe I should try going to the guild.”

The Adventurers’ Guild had plenty of useful information for adventurers.

If I gathered information, maybe I’d find a hint on how to grow stronger.

◆

The Adventurers’ Guild provided essential information for adventurers, such as dungeon details and monster habitats.

But I rarely went there.

The reason was that I was infamous in a bad way.

Trash stats, trash skill. I even had the nickname “Eternal Level 1.”

So whenever I went to places full of adventurers, I got nervous, imagining everyone staring at me with mocking eyes.

The guild also handled item exchanges, but for that reason, I avoided using it.

Still, worrying about it wouldn’t help. I steeled myself and looked over the information posted on the guild’s boards.

“If it’s herb or ore gathering, even someone like me who can’t defeat monsters might be able to do it.”

To do that, I’d need to take a carriage to the gathering site. Until recently, I couldn’t even afford carriage fare, but now I could manage.

But gathering wouldn’t raise my level.

It might be fine for earning money, but what I needed now was strength.

“This one.”

I muttered as I looked at a paper describing a dungeon. This dungeon might be the place where I could grow stronger.

After that, I prepared for the dungeon expedition.

First, I bought a map of the dungeon. For adventurers, buying a map before tackling a dungeon was basic common sense.

Next, I went to the armor shop.

Until now, I had only bought knives. But this time, I chose something completely different.

“How much is this?”

“Eighty thousand Yale, kid.”

The shopkeeper spoke bluntly.

He probably thought I was just a beginner fooling around.

But I had money saved from selling the 〈Sword of Departure〉.

Eighty thousand Yale was a painful expense, but this was something I needed. I couldn’t afford to hold back.

“If you don’t have the money, kid, get lost.”

“Mister, I’ll take this.”

“Huh?”

“I have enough money… Here.”

I handed him a pouch filled with eighty thousand Yale in coins.

“M-my apologies!”

Apparently, he hadn’t expected me to actually have the money. He hurriedly bowed his head.

“Here you go, the 〈Small Shield of the Rock Giant〉.”

The 〈Small Shield of the Rock Giant〉 was, as its name suggested, crafted from materials taken from the Rock Giant, a monster with tough skin.

Unlike swords, which required the “Sword Technique” skill to be effective, shields didn’t need special skills. As long as you blocked attacks with them, their effects worked.

The shield’s effect was: Defense +170.

“Yeah, it’s light. It shouldn’t get in the way of moving.”

I said this as I strapped it to my arm, testing the feel.

This relatively small shield was originally designed for adventurers who wielded one-handed swords, so it wouldn’t interfere with swinging a weapon.

But I wasn’t planning to use any other equipment besides the shield. With my low attack power, weapons were useless anyway.

Instead, I needed the shield to reliably block attacks, so I could trigger 〈Evasion〉 and pass through walls.

I chose a small shield specifically so it wouldn’t reduce my agility, my only strength. A large shield would slow me down, making it harder to avoid combat and advance through the dungeon.

After that, I went to the apothecary and bought as many MP recovery potions as I could.

Unlike the Fassil Dungeon, I expected to use 〈Evasion〉 frequently, and I might run out of MP. Better to be prepared.

“Alright, I’m ready.”

I said this as I tested the feel of the 〈Small Shield of the Rock Giant〉 strapped to my arm, then set out for the dungeon.