"By the way, what brings you here so suddenly today?"

"I recently went to the town of Rowan and bought a lot of fish, so I thought I’d share some with you. Thanks to my storage magic, they’re as fresh and delicious as when they were caught."

"Oh, how wonderful!"

"But the timing might be a bit off. We have to head out for a request soon."

"I see. Still, since I’m here, I’ll leave some cooked fish for you."

"Yay, nya!"

I wonder if beastmen with cat traits naturally like fish? Egarton is closer to the sea than the royal capital, so perhaps they do sell some seafood here.

"By the way, Masayoshi, do you have any plans? If you’re free, would you like to join us on this request?"

Ah, so I could tag along with Lilith and the others. It’s summer break, so I have plenty of time. Besides, a while back, I had asked Lilith if I could join them on an adventure, so this works out perfectly.

"No, I don’t have any particular plans. If it’s not a bother, I’d love to join you. By the way, what’s the request about?"

"Oh, great! The request is to conquer a dungeon near the town of Silvia!"

Having decided to accompany Lilith and the others on their request, I now find myself swaying inside a carriage.

The dungeon is said to be located near the town of Silvia. Compared to other dungeons in this world, it’s not particularly large, but apparently, monsters have recently started overflowing from it.

Large dungeons tend to attract adventurers and merchants, leading to a bustling economy around them. However, smaller dungeons don’t gather many people, and if left unchecked, the monsters inside won’t get defeated and will eventually spill out into the outside world.

To prevent that from happening, high-ranking adventurers receive requests to conquer such dungeons. Smaller dungeons don’t have as many floors, so they can typically be cleared in a matter of days.

"Well, considering the size of this dungeon, I expect we can clear it in two or three days."

"So it’s actually pretty easy to conquer? When I hear ‘dungeon,’ I imagine something with at least 100 floors that would take over ten days to clear."

"Dungeons of that scale are rare in this country. Most dungeons are small, like the one we’re heading to, with about 10 to 20 floors. Dungeons that spawn edible or useful monsters are valued, but those that don’t need to be cleared and shut down quickly."

"…How do dungeons even form in the first place?"

"Who knows? There are people who dedicate their lives to dungeon research, but there are still too many mysteries. What’s known is that dungeon entrances suddenly appear in forests or mountains and lure people inside.

It’s commonly believed that dungeons form more easily in places with high magic concentrations or near human settlements. Some say they absorb the life force of those who die inside to sustain themselves."

Even in this world, the mechanics behind dungeons remain largely unknown. Magic, mutated creatures, dungeons… This world functions very differently from Japan. If there’s one common factor, it seems to be the presence of magic.

That being said, it’s a little unsettling. If someone dies inside a dungeon, does that mean they get absorbed as nourishment?

"Regardless of how they work, defeating the boss on the lowest floor will stop the dungeon’s activity."

Hmm, so our goal this time is to reach the bottom floor and defeat the boss to stop the dungeon from functioning.

Clatter.

"Kya!"

"Whoa!"

"Oh! Are you alright, Rurune, Nonoha?"

"Y-Yes! Thank you, Master Masayoshi!"

"Y-Yeah! Thanks, Masayoshi!"

Whether it’s because the road is rough, the carriage lacks suspension, or both, the ride is extremely bumpy.

As a result, Rurune and Nonoha, who are sitting on either side of me, keep getting jostled into me. Thanks to inheriting power from the Grand Mage, I barely feel the shaking.

"…Not fair, nya."

"…Tch."

Nenea and Lilith are glaring at me with narrowed eyes. …I swear, I only feel slightly lucky to have two cute girls bumping into me!

"Tch!"

With my heightened hearing skill, I catch the driver clicking his tongue. He’s an official guild carriage driver, tasked with transporting us from Lilith’s party house to Silvia.

Yeah, I get it. If I were in his position, I wouldn’t want to be ferrying a guy surrounded by four cute beastwomen either. Honestly, if the roles were reversed, I’d probably be cursing myself to explode.

With a slight pang of guilt in my stomach, I continue my journey to Silvia, surrounded by Lilith and the others.

Dungeon conquest, huh? If high-ranking adventurers can clear it, that probably means the monsters in the Ruined Forest are even stronger than the dungeon boss. Still, there’s bound to be danger, so I’d better stay on my toes!