The next early morning-

After a light meal, four aspiring adventurers walked through the streets, their destination clear: the dungeon entrance.

As they walked, they passed by strategically placed supply shops, catering to the needs of adventurers preparing to enter the dungeon depths.

"Weapons! Swords, Spears, Axes, Maces, Staves, Knives, Bows, and Arrows."

"Armor! Don't forget armor! We have plate, chainmail, leather, and cotton."

"Adventuerers! Don't forget healing and stamina potions! They might save your lives!"

"Bags! You need bags to carry supplies and loot! A convenient potion satchel might save your life!"

"A timely scroll is another lifeline!"

"Maps! Get the latest maps here! All first 20 floors."

"Adventurers, come sell unwanted loot here!"

"Need some quick money? Come pawn some of your items here."

Here, many established shops hawked their goods and services, mostly targeting adventurers of rank D and lower, who were the bulk. For those of rank D, normal items started being insufficient, and for those of C rank and above, they were useless, requiring better gear. But by then, such strong adventurers were already pros with exceptionally high pay, and had better, less-crowded shops to go to.

However, the four young adventurers only gave the shops a few glances before proceeding. While they might have wanted to buy some things, they couldn't afford them. Besides, they already had their starting gear, which was intentionally not too good to prevent others from targeting them, and also served as training gear.

Finally, the four youngsters reached the dungeon entrance, looking like the entrance to a mausoleum. It was guarded by two armored guards wielding helbards, checking those who entered the dungeon. Their purpose was to both keep watch for any stray monsters and also to prevent fools and criminals from entering.

The four youngsters didn't queue up immediately, but looked around before finding their charge, a pretty young woman around 18 or 19, wearing leather armor and holding a round shield and a sword at her waist, a backpack on her back. On her modest chest was a bronze badge, indicating that she was an E-rank, full-fledged adventurer, able to delve into the first 20 dungeon floors.

By kingdom law, children under 14 couldn't receive a G-rank badge, which enables them to enter the dungeon independently. Even for the Gifted, it was no exception. After all, the kingdom didn't want to send kids to their deaths... At least, not meaninglessly.

That was why they needed to rely on a guild-hired instructor/babysitter. Normal apprentices had an F-rank accompany them, but since they were Gifted with F-rank combat prowess, they were assigned an E-rank instead.

Just as the four youngsters noticed the female adventurer, so did she notice them, noticing their appearance, attire, and gear.

"A blood-red-haired fire sorceress with a low-end magic staff, check. A mini Kristin in chainmail, tower shield, and mace, check. A white-haired boy in leather armor and wielding a short sword and daggers, check. A brown-haired warrior who looks 16 with a youthful face, wearing reinforced leather and holding a short sword, a buckler, and a bow and arrows, check. All good-looking 12-year-olds... double-check. Okay, that's certainly them."

The young woman smiled and approached them.

"Hi! You must be Lilly, Abigail, Darnell, and Maximo, right? I am Olivia Carr, your instructor and team leader for the next two years."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Olivia." Maximo greeted.

"Hello, Miss Olivia." The others nodded.

"Did you guys prepare sufficient supplies for the day?" Olivia asked.

"Yes." The four nodded.

"Good, I will take your word for it. Let's hurry and start the day. Remember to stick close and follow my orders, or I will report you to the guild." Olivia sternly warned before walking to the dungeon.

Maximo and the others followed her, and after a brief check and a vouch, they were let inside. They then started descending the stairs, their path lit by blue-colored torchlight.

As they went down the stairs, Olivia spoke.

"As you guys must already know, the Gaburg dungeon is cemetery-themed, and the first 5 floors have H-rank monsters, including brittle skeletons, giant rats, giant bats, and spiderlings, nothing you can't handle individually. The dangerous part is the unexpected variables, coordination, environment, ambushes, traps, supply management, and fatigue, which is why you will be grinding the first ten floors while learning how to overcome these hurdles.

Once I think you are ready, we will tackle the 5th-floor boss and proceed to the 6th floor, where traps begin to appear. I already know the four of you are Gifted, comparable to F-rank in combat prowess. But inexperience is the biggest killer of geniuses, and a dead genius is just a corpse. I have already seen many youths, including Gifted, who prematurely died for underestimating the dungeon, so it is best to progress steadily." She said with a solemn voice.

"Hm. Hm. Progressing steadily is the best way." Maximo repeatedly nodded in agreement.

Abigail remained silent and steady as the tower shield she held, having received knightly training from early childhood. But the commoner-born Lilly and Darnell looked somewhat impatient and fiery, not taking her warning to heart. In fact, while Maximo had a developed body, he was only the second strongest, with Lilly having the highest power score, 1,423, and all of them were above 1,000, indicating that they had the raw power of an F-rank. Naturally, they didn't think much of H-rank and G-rank monsters. However, they still begrudgingly followed Olivia.

After a minute of going down the stairs, they reached the 1st floor. It was well-lit with blue torches, and the halls were wide and long, enough to accommodate eight adults standing shoulder to shoulder, branching to three directions.

"You have most likely learned this before, but dungeons are living, breathing things, the so-called lungs of the world that filter mana and endlessly produce monsters. By entering it, we essentially enter its stomach, and the monsters that it produces are as much of a lure as they are stomach acids and undigested foodstuff. They also gradually change their layout. For example, a wall appears here, a wall disappears there, and a trap is moved from one place to another. Never trust the old maps, and only buy them from trusted sources. Regardless, there is always a passage to the next floor. That is an inviolable rule, just like how a stomach cannot become obstructed.

Additionally, as we descend the floors, the monsters will become stronger and more numerous, and the floor itself will expand. Naturally, this means that we will face a greater threat, but at the same time, our profits will be equally higher. For today, we will focus on the 1st floor to get the hang of things, but I expect us to reach the 5th floor within a month, given that you are all Gifted with F-rank combat prowess. If you were not gifted, you would only start exploring the 6th floor when you turn 13, as I did." Olivia explained.

The four kids nodded as Olivia pointed to the right.

"For today, we will just go and wander around. Follow me, and try remembering where we walked before. Mental Mapping is a crucial skill for adventurers." 

She then took the front, and the four apprentices followed her.

As they walked, Lilly couldn't help but ask a question.

"Is it true that the dungeon itself is a different realm, and that the space here is expanded?"

"I am not sure myself, but facts prove that it is likely so. At the very least, the sewer systems of cities never conflicted with the dungeons." Olivia replied.

"I hear that, in other places, entire floors could be lush grasslands and artificial sky, right?" Darnell asked.

"I have never been to another dungeon, but I overheard such things from senior adventurers. Some floors can stretch for miles, and they are not limited to grassland. They could also have mountain ranges, deserts, and even volcanic and snow-covered floors. In contrast, our cemetary-themed dungeon is considered friendly to us humans... Although it is, admittedly, scary and disgusting, and the traps are annoying." Olivia pursed her lips, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes.

"Are the monsters really produced endlessly? There must be a limit, right?" Abigail inquired.

"They are produced endlessly, but they do have constrained limits. For example, only a specific number of monsters can exist on a specific floor at a time, and they are randomly spawned and take a few minutes to respawn. Secondly, you won't see strong monsters regularly spawning on the first five floors, but sometimes, there are Rare monsters and anomalies, which break this rule. Rare Monsters are those that are created stronger and smarter, but they also have guaranteed loot drops, and cannot travel between floors or grow stronger.

Meanwhile, Anomalies are just born different. They can travel between floors, hunt monsters for crystals, grow stronger and evolve, and have advanced intelligence, even capable of fleeing, and can even exit the dungeon once they are strong enough. If one is found, either kill it or report to the guild if you can't, since they are among the most dangerous existences you can encounter, especially for those of lower rank." Olivia solemnly said.

"Did you ever encounter one?" Maximo curiously asked.

"Heaven forbid. If I did, I would likely not be standing here right now!" Olivia said with a shiver.

"Then, did you at least meet Rare Monsters?" Maximo continued asking.

"I did encounter a few Rare Monsters, even a couple of treasure chests," Olivia nodded, and then, she paused. "Speaking of... our first customers of the day are here."

Looking to the distance, they saw a yellowed skeleton holding a thigh bone and two large rats emerging from a corridor.

"Okay, kids. Get in formation and show me what you got." Olivia ordered and stepped back.

The four children entered formation, with Maximo and Abigail taking the front, while Darnell and Lilly stayed in the back, weapons drawn.

"Scree! Scree!" The two giant rats screeched as they noticed the group, charging over with a hopping motion.

Meanwhile, the bone-holding, brittle skeleton wordlessly jogged behind them, its empty eye-sockets shining a faint blue.

Maximo, opting not to waste precious arrows, decisively stabbed one of the pouncing rats, impaling it, before kicking it away. Meanwhile, Abigail blocked the second rat with her large shield, and Darnell took the opportunity to jab it with his sword, poking a bloody hole, before Abigail finished it off with a mace swing, pulverizing it. As a finishing touch, a ball of flame wooshed over their heads before hitting the brittle skeleton in the face, shattering it, and it collapsed.

"Not bad... But Lilly, don't casually waste mana if possible. Much like stamina, mana can also regenerate, but it recovers much more slowly. Make sure to properly manage it while letting the warriors deal with the riff-raff, and use it sparingly." Olivia commented.

"Okay..." Lilly pouted slightly in displeasure but still nodded.

She also knew that her mana was limited. She could only shoot about 25 such fireballs before she needed to rest.

As they were talking, they noticed that the monsters they killed gradually dissolved. Skin, flesh, and bone melted, leaving three crystals and a... bone club.

"Ah, lucky you. A drop item on your first time. You got a... bone club." Olivia had an amused look, stifling a laugh.

"Is this thing even worth anything?" Maximo asked with a strange look, picking up the bone.

"Nope. It has no worth at all. It can barely serve as a makeshift weapon in a pinch... Or save on weapon maintenance costs. You might as well leave it, and the dungeon will re-absorb it eventually." Olivia shrugged.

"Fair enough..." Maximo sighed and picked one of the magic crystals.

 

 

"Well, better than nothing." Maximo inwardly sighed and stored it.

Generally, the crystal-to-money ratio was 1 copper coin for 2 MCP, so although it wasn't much, it was still money. At least, each of them needed to kill 50 in a day to earn as much as the lowliest farmhand, and that didn't even count their many expenditures.

Of course, once they reached the 6th floor, they could obtain G-rank crystals, enabling them to make a decent profit, each fetching 5-10 copper coins.

Once they gathered the crystals, the group continued their exploration.

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.

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And so, a month quickly flashed by, and the group progressed to the 5th floor, ready to tackle the boss...