"Hey Lili, have you ever had a dream…?"

"W-Where is this coming from, Mr. Erland…?"

Beside the crackling fire rested two young figures, one laying listlessly on the ground, staring at the cave ceiling, while the other demurely sat upon a mossy jagged rock, already used to the discomfort it settled on her behind.

"It's fine, It's fine. Just answer the question~" The boy turned over on his side to face the girl, propping up his cheek with his left hand.

In this Dungeon where hundreds of adventurers lost their lives every day, these two chatted about inconsequential things.

"Dreams, huh…" The young Pallum muttered, a complex expression marring her cute face. She looked in the corner of her eyes at the boy who had removed his blindfold the moment they started resting.

His steely gray orbs stared back at her as if he had to capability to see her. Though within those eyes was none of the disdain or disgust she was used to seeing from regular adventurers, instead what they held was genuine and pure curiosity.

"...." Sighing, she looked back down at her leather glove-garnished hands and her monster blood-ridden boots.

The warmth of a family.

The right to pursue happiness.

An end to her days of torment.

These were all things bereft of her at a young age. Things she has already given up hope for long, long ago.

"No… Lili wants for nothing… Lili is fine just the way she is…" She said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

That's right, so long as she kept collecting money to leave her Familia, she'd reach her dream on her own one day. She just had to keep waiting, keep hiding, and keep stealing.

That was what she deemed the only way for Liliruca Arde of Orario to live in such a harsh world.

"...." Erland stared at her aura with a pensive expression. Watching it shift from emotion to emotion before returning to peace.

Sometimes he saw the shade of rage, other times the shade of grief, and occasionally the shade of desperation until finally, she showed the shade of despair.

As an orphan in this world, he could only be grateful that he was surrounded by people who cared about him growing up. Because even Lili, who had parents when she was young, suffered a lonely burden all her life.

Thinking back on those he left behind in this world and the last, a melancholic expression took over Erland's face.

"So… Mr. Erland… do you have a dream…?" The young Pallum said hesitatingly.

"Maa… Of course I have a dream! I wouldn't be risking my life down here in this dark and damp hole if I didn't!" Saying that Erland got on his feet, shoving one of his boot-clad feet into the firepit to snuff out the flames.

"...." Lili watched on from the side with anticipation, hoping to hear his next words.

"I wasn't always like this, y'know…?" He waved his hand in front of his gray eyes.

"You mean, you weren't always blind, Mr. Erland?"

"Yeah…" Said the boy with the face of someone who seemed as though they were choosing their next words carefully. "There was a time when I saw just about as well as anyone else. The never-ending blue skies, the pure white clouds that looked as soft as pillows, fields of fresh green grass that went as far as the eye could see."

He picked up his pouch and tied it back around his waist.

"The beauty of a setting sun, the sky as it became dyed a warm red. The scene of Autumn leaves falling in the Fall. Snow as it coated the world in its embrace during the Winter. Beautiful rainbows that came after storms…"

Erland turned his head back to look at Lili.

"And I remember the bad things too." He said with a smile on his face.

"The bad things…?"

"Natural disasters that tore apart communities. Trash thrown about by mortals to mar this world's beauty. Blood-wrenching battles between groups of people who probably could've been friends under different circumstances…"

"So being able to see has its own fair share of troubles too, huh…" Muttered Lili.

"Of course!" Erland said resolutely. "Everything has its own share of troubles. Everything is greener on both sides of the fence. And if you keep dredging in it, focusing only on the bad than the good, then no shit you're gonna see the world at its absolute worst."

"...."

"But those bad things… I'd give anything to see them again if it means being able to see the ones I love with my own two eyes again."

"Mr. Erland…?"

"To see them laugh, to see them cry, to see them smile, to see them sad, hell, I'd be fine if all they did was look angrily at me all the time. But as things are… I'll probably end up dying without ever knowing what the ones I love ever looked like…"

"...."

"No matter how much time passes, I know it's impossible to completely remember everything about a person. I don't even remember half the voices of the deceased of those I loved in the past…"

"...."

"But when I think about those I love now, that someday I'll forget their voices and neither know their faces… To be completely left with nothing to remember them by… It feels like my heart is gonna break…"

"...." Lili stood seated stunned, unable to even think about what she should say in response.

"Haaaah… I sure did take a lot of things for granted back then…" Saying that Erland stretched his arms into the air and arched his back, sighing again at the satisfying crack. "Anyways, break time is over. It's time to get back to work! Sorry for dumping that out all on you, Lili. But thanks for listening, I feel a little lighter now, y'know?"

"A-Uh. Ah, sure,! Lili will be right behind you, just give her a moment to finish packing everything back up."

"Sure thing! Take all the time you need~!"

"...." Seeing Erland's back fade away in the distance Lili paused her movements to look back at her hands, holding them up to her chest as she exhaled to relieve a breath she didn't know she was holding in.

"'Everything is greener on both sides of the fence,' huh…" She muttered softly beneath her breath.

______________________________________________________________________________

One of the biggest dangers to Erland's life was not the walls of the Dungeon that seemed to spew bloodthirsty monsters at regular intervals, but the convoluted layout of the floors themselves.

Because, well, for obvious reasons using the Guild curated maps of each floor was not a viable option for him.

So, that's why when he 'ran into' Lili out on the surface he was extremely happy. What better guide to have for navigating through the Dungeon floors than someone who's practically lived in the Dungeon since early childhood?

Sure, there was about an 80% chance she'd take off and leave him behind the moment an opportunity presented itself but for the most part, Erland was confident he'd at least be able to use her escape as a way back to the surface using his Observation Haki.

It'd be a shame going back to the Blue Pharmacy early, but at least he wouldn't have to sit around deep underground waiting for the next adventurers to pass by just to find a way to the surface.

Though he wouldn't lie that when his little Pallum companion started showing signs of relaxing around him he couldn't help but feel relieved.

So, to put his money where his mouth was, he gave the girl the ultimate test, an opportunity to run just by leaving her alone to clean up camp.

And suffice it to say he was more than a little happy when she showed up right behind him a few minutes later.

"We're not going in any deeper today, Mr. Erland?" Her maroon eyes peeked out from beneath her ragged hood with curiosity.

"Mhm, I made a promise that I wouldn't go any deeper than the early higher floors today. Besides, it's become quite troublesome for you to carry all that stuff with you without a bag, huh?"

Erland looked toward his funnily walking companion with a look of concern.

"Mr. Erland can rest assured, Lili is fine! In fact, Lili can carry way more than this!" The 110cm tall girl proudly declared.

And knowing her background as a Supporter, Erland was also confident in the same.

"Alright then, we'll just stay on this floor until you can't carry anything anymore ~!" That's why he decided to make such a remark with an evil grin on his face.

"...." Seeing this Lili gulped nervously, her hands already trying to put a stop to the flow of Monster Crystals that threatened to pour out of her coat. Not to mention the numerous Globin Fangs and Kobold Nails jabbing her sides.

"L-Lili will do her best then…" She demurely replied with a mock expression of confidence.

For most adventurers, Item Drops like Goblin Fangs and Kobold Nails were rare because of the condition each corresponding monster needed to have. And that was the particular manifestation of their Monster Crystals forming in a different part of the body than usual.

In a sense, it was a mutation of a monster upon birth that made them slightly stronger in the corresponding part where their Monster Crystals had formed.

For example, a Kobold's whose Monster Crystal formed in their hands or arms typically had tougher nails because of that irregularity.

So, to make up for every Kobold or Goblin that didn't drop anything upon death, the solution was simple.

And that was to keep killing until you found another one.

"Mr. Erland, two Kobolds spotted ahead," Lili shouted out, arming her Little Barista with new arrows and aiming it forward, ready to interject with a shot should any of the monsters somehow attack Erland from a blind spot and catch him off guard.

But at that point Erland was already ready, having sensed the monsters a dozen seconds beforehand the cane that had been supporting him transformed into an instrument of slaughter in just an instant.

Erland held his ground, focusing his Haki on the two entities as they inched closer, a scenario he had found himself in multiple times already in just this single day.

The two-humanoid dog-headed creatures charged mindlessly at their latest prey without a second thought, their mouths practically slobbering at the prospect of fresh flesh.

Were they just that hungry? Starving for nutrients after having been birthed and abandoned by the walls that surround them?

No— For monsters born of the Dungeon, things like sleeping and eating were not a necessity. Their instincts to kill were just something decided upon birth. If anything, it wouldn't be incorrect to say they killed for the game of it more than anything.

Either way, Erland held no remorse for the beasts, seeing as how they wanted to kill him just for existing it would only be fair to return that sentiment back at them.

He wasn't proud of it, but he sure as hell wasn't going to say he didn't feel some sort of primordial pleasure upon conquering dangerous foes.

Thinking of such things, he took one step forward.

"!"

Sensing the mangey claw of a beast swiping down toward his head he lifted his sword to meet it in kind.

*𝘾𝙇𝘼𝙉𝙂*

Sparks filled the air from the ensuing collision, their clanging resounding throughout the vast floor.

"Lili!" He called out hurriedly.

"Yes, Mr. Erland!" Without needing further clarification Lili aimed her bow gun at the lunging Kobold that intended to take advantage of the stalemate and fired off one of her primed arrows.

*𝙒𝙃𝙊𝙊𝙎𝙃*

It flew through the air without meeting any resistance, one of the benefits of being in a cave without any strong airflows.

The arrow soared over piles of rocks and debris, between stalactites and stalagmites, until finally piercing its target in its eye.

"GyiiiAA!" The bipedal creature yelped out in pain, crumbling to the floor as it held up its paws to the bleeding gaping hole in its face.

Taking advantage of the distraction caused by the monster's howl, Erland lifted his leg and kicked the chest of the Kobold he was engaged with. Using the moment it flew away from him to dash over to the already downed and wounded one—

*𝙎𝙏𝘼𝘽*

Before promptly penetrating both its flesh and skull with the end of his sword.

*𝙎𝙃𝙄𝙉𝙂*

But rather than bask in the glory of having added another kill to his record, Erland swung his sword in the air swiftly as if to flick off the specks of blood drenching its body. Then immediately reassuming defensive maneuvers again as the Kobold he had kicked away was already back on its feet and charging right at him.

However, instead of using its claws to attack, the creature inclined to use its ravenous jaws, showing off its mangey yellow and razor-sharp teeth as it gaped open its mouth in a way no dog or human should be capable of.

In these kinds of situations, Erland found it safer to actually have the opposing monster bite down ahead of meeting it to not risk it having its open mouth anywhere near him. So he did what most treasured blade users would probably crucify him for, and stabbed his reinforced sheath deep into the canine's throat.

"!" It let out a struggled yelp, choking on the tool it foolishly thought would've been snapped by its jaws. And as tears began to fill its eyes out of asphyxiation, it failed to notice the thin blade narrowing down on its skull.

*𝙎𝙌𝙐𝙄𝙎𝙃*

"Phew…" Sighed Erland, taking his shirt and rubbing away the sweat on his face with it. "Did we get any new Nails from that, Lili?"

"Uh… Please give me a moment to check, Mr. Erland!" Saying that the young Pallum ran up to the two bodies before promptly jabbing her knife into them to begin searching for their cores.

"Unfortunately nothing this time…" She said with a glum expression, watching their corpses lightly explode into a black mist, yet leaving behind no extra drops to be collected.

"I see… Haaaah… What does that make it this time?" Erland said, watching her figure collect the crystals.

"Actually Lili finds it simple to just let the Guild do the counting for her, at least they have a machine that counts the crystals individually. That way you could just connect the number of crystals you have with the number of monsters you killed."

"Mm, makes sense I guess… Not that I wanna count them one by one using my hands… I can't imagine the grief I'd feel if I forgot what number I was on mid-count…" At that thought, Erland exaggeratedly hugged his own body.

"Lili has done that quite a few times herself already…"

"Sorry for your loss…"

______________________________________________________________________________

"Lili… I think it's time for us to go back…" The blindfolded boy said, a hesitant expression on his face as he looked on over at his companion.

"W-Whatever makes you think I cannot go any longer, Mr. Erland! I already told you, Lili has carried way more than this before…!" Said the Pallum girl, slightly tapering her words by the end of it as her confidence grew smaller with just a few steps forward.

"Yeah… I think your words would be a little more convincing if you weren't walking like you didn't have knees." Erland said, trying his best to hide the smile creeping up on his face, all but failing the moment the cause of his amusement turned to look his way.

"If only I had brought my backpack today…" Lili muttered aloud.

"Well, you could always bring it next time~!" Said Erland excitedly, because secretly he was quite fond of the cartoonishly big backpack that looked as though it came straight out of a Looney Toons skit.

"Next time…?" The young Pallum said, staring up at Erland's face with her big eyes with a troubled expression clearly written on her face.

"Next time!" Though to that Erland's only response was to reaffirm his words, nonchalantly saying them as if there didn't even exist a universe where they didn't travel together in the Dungeon again.

"...." Lili mused at his words, her eyes slightly vacant as she walked alongside him to the entrance of the 4th Floor.

"If I had to give a rating for my first impression of the Dungeon, I'd give it a solid 6/10." Erland suddenly uttered.

"Huh?" Remarked the brooding Pallum.

"The Kobolds were an interesting opponent, but the Goblins… Eh, not so much." He said, leveraging one hand in front of him side to side as if to say 'so-so.'

"Many adventures die on their first day in the Dungeon, you know!" Lili suddenly clamored.

"Mmm… That I could understand… Sure they don't have the unity and intelligence of the monsters out there who have survived extinction by working together, but the fact that a horde of monsters could suddenly start pouring from the walls is a little frightening…"

Erland caressed the wall leading to the stairs upward from the 4th Floor.

Looking at this clueless guy who seemed to get cocky over one successful expenditure, Lili felt it was only right to make sure he didn't end up getting himself killed in some stupid way.

"Don't tell me you're thinking of going to the deeper floors next time…?" She said with an incredulous look on her face.

"Yep!" Said the boy, shamelessly. "Though I'll have to check in beforehand with my Familia. They told me we needed some basic drops like Kobold Nails and Goblin Fangs but they didn't really say how much I should get… If what we have now is fine, then I guess I'll go diving deeper next time~!"

'Gaaaah… It's one thing after another… what a horrible day…' Lili thought ruefully, brushing one of her arms against her forehead.

"Fine… Lili will join you next time… So just wait for me before charging in, okay?" She said sternly, already forgetting the fact that only a few hours ago she was living in fear of the guy in front of her snapping her neck.

"Sure, sure~! Weekdays are fine with me but I'll probably take tomorrow off to talk with my Familia and check in with my advisor!"

The boy and girl made plans together for their next delve into the Dungeon, blissfully unaware of the rumor the two started that had already begun to spring amongst those on the surface.

---------- 「Author's Corner 」----------

So usually I put down what thoughts or conclusions I had about the current chapter or the future of this novel, this time though I guess I gotta talk a bit about my personal life just in case one day I stop posting.

Here I was, minding my own business when, bam! My father bursts into the room threatening to kick me and my brother out of the house if we don't get jobs by tomorrow. Obviously, it's a pretty unreasonable expectation when considering the time it takes for interviews and all that but my father is an unreasonable person by default. And supper greedy too.

Either way, I applied for a couple online today but who knows when they'll get back to me.

So yeah, one day I might disappear. If I do I hope it ain't permanent, and that one day I'll be able to come back to writing for you guys when things calm down.

HEY! This ain't goodbye yet, I'll find that out tomorrow... Though there may be a brawl... If anything I'm just hoping he's pulling it out of his ass like always... But, then again my brother REALLY pissed him off today so... Yeah, wish me luck lads!