Yoru slowly opened his eyes and moved his body. Since the building was underground, there was no scent of the morning or the sound of birds chirping, and no sunlight either—so the only way to tell the time was by instinct.
"It's only five?"
Raising his head, he looked at the clock hanging above the door. Seems like he hadn't slept for very long. Still, he didn't feel tired. At this rate, heading straight for the dungeon wouldn't be a problem.
On the ceiling, some unknown device glowed dimly like phosphorescence—likely some kind of magical artifact—so even underground, the room wasn't swallowed by total darkness. It gave just enough light to see one's surroundings.
When he tried to get up, something felt off. Yoru finally noticed the soft, round weight pressing against him under the bedsheet. It was so light he almost didn't notice, which is why he hadn't realized it earlier.
It was already the second time they'd slept together like this, but last time the girl's sleeping posture wasn't this bad. Amused, Yoru lifted the blanket to see the girl with her head buried in his chest, sound asleep.
Her posture was textbook for someone lacking a sense of security. Seeing her like that made Yoru feel a little ache in his heart. It wouldn't be hard to get up without waking her, but somehow… he didn't want to let go of this warm and comforting pillow just yet. It truly was a divine-grade hug pillow.
He stayed like that for a while, enjoying the warmth, then slowly began to move, trying to slip away without waking her. As their tightly pressed bodies gradually parted, Hestia let out a soft "Mmm…" in her sleep and snuggled closer like a baby seeking warmth.
"You really like to cling, huh…"
Gently brushing his forehead against her cheek, Yoru finally slipped out of bed and quietly left the room.
"...Geez. Didn't I tell you to stop treating me like a kid, Yoru, you idiot."
Hestia whispered with a sigh that melted into the slightly chilly morning air. Curling up, she buried herself back into the warmth of the blanket.
It was as if she could still smell Yoru's scent. Feeling at ease, she closed her eyes once more. "Make sure… you come back safe…"
Yoru walked alone through the main street, which carried a different atmosphere from usual. It was quiet and uncrowded, and the stone-built shops on either side still had their shutters drawn.
The eastern sky was already bright. Even this early, there were signs of life—hobbits preparing to open shop, and dwarves chatting in small groups, likely preparing for their dungeon dives.
Compared to them, Yoru didn't look like an adventurer at all. He didn't wear any armor—essential for adventurers—and he was holding something that looked like a grocery basket.
It was the same basket from yesterday, belonging to Syr. Yoru had planned to return it on the way.
Passing by the pub from last night, he spotted Syr moving tables and chairs in preparation for opening. She paused for a moment when she saw him.
"Adventurer-sama, heading to the dungeon this early?"
Taking the empty basket from him, Syr asked with mild surprise.
"Yeah. I've got to earn enough money quickly… so I can repay your kindness."
For the first time talking to someone other than Hestia, Yoru said that in a teasing tone.
"Oh my… compared to last night, you seem a lot more relaxed now. But if you're going to joke, at least try smiling a little. Otherwise, it just sounds like you're telling a bad pun."
Though she said that, Syr couldn't help but laugh at his expression.
"Hmm… am I not smiling?"
Yoru touched his face, his serious demeanor amusing Syr even more.
"Wait here a sec."
Carrying the empty basket inside, Syr soon returned—with the basket once again filled with neatly packed snacks.
"You probably haven't had breakfast yet, right?"
"Eh…?"
"Don't be shy—we're friends, aren't we?"
"Friends…?"
Yoru murmured, but the corners of his mouth lifted into a faint smile. Seeing that, Syr lit up like she'd discovered treasure.
"Oh, so you can smile! You look great when you do. Be sure to smile more from now on, okay?"
"Just call me Yoru."
"Eh? Eh?! Then I guess I was the only one being too formal. Good luck out there today, Yoru-kun."
With a soft laugh and a wave of encouragement, Syr turned back inside to continue her work.
Because it was still very early, the dungeon entrance was deserted—even the first floor looked completely empty.
This should be my chance… I should be able to find a monster, right?
But Yoru was destined to be disappointed. Even with the first floor mostly free of adventurers, after wandering around for quite a while, he still didn't encounter a single monster.
As more adventurers started appearing, Yoru began to grow a little restless.
What's going on? Why haven't I run into any monsters?
This massive labyrinth had always been shrouded in mystery.
The only one of its kind in the world, the Dungeon was said to have existed in the Lower World even before the gods descended.
There were rumors that the deepest levels led to Hell or the Demon Realm. It was clear the gods knew something, but they weren't telling.
"A Dungeon is just a Dungeon. Don't go expecting anything else from it." —That's what the gods liked to say, as if hiding something with a layer of mystery.
From his conversation with Eina, Yoru had also learned something quite unbelievable: the Dungeon was alive.
Not that the walls would start moving or attack people, or that the floors would randomly shift. The terrain of each level stayed consistent. As proof, adventurers could map the floors and sell those maps to the Guild. But the deeper the level, the more incomprehensibly vast it became—so much so that many levels had never been fully charted.
Another strange point was that the Dungeon repaired itself. Any structural damage would eventually restore on its own.
They said the Dungeon's makeup was something like magic stones—either a lower or higher variant. But no scholar had ever fully understood it, and research still hadn't progressed beyond merely observing its phenomena.
And because the Dungeon resembled magic stone, even without sunlight, it remained strangely bright. Especially on the first floor, where the ceiling emitted a phosphorescent glow like a built-in light source, making it almost absurdly well-lit at all times.
And monsters… were like the Dungeon's living offspring.
As absurd as that sounded, people had witnessed them emerging from the walls like chicks breaking out of an egg. That's why, no matter how many were hunted, they never stopped coming.
So why… have I never seen a single one hatch with my own eyes?