Lowell had lost his entire party in an instant to the doll in front of him.
Yet his fighting spirit remained unbroken, and he calmly assumed his stance.
However, the bizarre doll before him showed no sign of attacking.
Just as Lowell began to sense something off about the situation.
He started feeling a strange energy in his body and looked himself over.
"Th-this is...?"
"It's nothing unusual, so accept it, hero."
As strange sparkling lights emanated from his body, the doll approached the flustered Lowell and spoke slowly.
"That power is a reward for holding your own against me in battle."
"Holding my own...?"
"So I'll expect even better from you next time."
Lowell had no idea what was happening and couldn't comprehend the doll's words.
But his body was gradually transported elsewhere.
Soon, he found himself in a space bathed in warm sunlight.
"Wh-what?! I was definitely inside the dungeon!"
In his panic, Lowell frantically looked around.
In the distance, between expansive green fields, he spotted a few buildings.
Continuing to survey his surroundings, Lowell had no choice but to head toward the structures right in front of him.
He pushed open the door to the largest building in the area.
And stepped inside.
"Hm? A first-time customer, I see?"
A wolf-man greeted him.
**************
A wolf-man?!
Anticipating a fight, he moved to ready himself for battle.
But his body felt strangely devoid of strength.
This is ba—
"It would be best if you didn't do anything foolish here."
"?!"
"So put that sword away and don't make a mess of the place."
Wh-what?
It was his first time seeing a wolf-man, known for their aggression, look so composed.
And that refined speech, like a noble's...
There were more than one or two odd things about this wolf-man and the space around him.
But since there was no sign of hostility for the moment.
He kept his guard up but sheathed his sword calmly.
"Good call. I was just wondering if I'd have to chase away my first customer right away."
"You... you're calling me a customer?"
"Hm? Didn't you just come from fighting that doll up front?"
"How did you—"
"Ah, so it's one of those situations Brother Balak mentioned?"
The wolf-man paused mid-sentence, resting his chin on his hand before speaking again.
"Normally, I'd keep quiet about it, but since you're the first to make it here, I'll explain. This is a rest area. Specifically, one for those who keep challenging it with persistence."
"So you're the one running this rest area?"
"Oh, polite speech. Glad to see you've let your guard down a bit."
"Ugh!"
The opponent's calm demeanor had triggered his habitual politeness!
Even with this unknown entity right in front of him, his wariness had slipped, and his face flushed in embarrassment.
But to gather more information.
He continued listening to the wolf-man.
"First off, I'm not running this rest area... I'm just renting the space. The owner is the current lord of this dungeon. You know who that is, right?"
"That Balak boss, you mean."
"..."
A chill ran down his spine.
The atmosphere had shifted in an instant?!
He thought a fight was about to break out from the sudden surge of killing intent.
But the wolf-man suddenly clutched his forehead and shook his head, and the frozen tension in the building thawed back into warmth.
"Ah, sorry about that. I get a bit sensitive whenever Balak comes up."
"Brother?"
"I serve Balak, the lord of this dungeon, as my brother. So please, use the proper honorific when speaking of him."
"Uh... yeah... Got it."
The excessive politeness left him speechless.
From what the wolf-man was saying, this space was a place to rest?
One created by that famous boss his seniors had mentioned?
The idea of providing rest to enemies who came to challenge him was utterly baffling.
"I can read it all over your face: you can't wrap your head around providing amenities to enemies."
"Is it that obvious...?"
"You're still so young, it's natural you struggle to hide your emotions. Anyway, even I didn't get it when Brother first told me, but if that's how he wants it, I follow. So... have a seat."
"Huh?"
"Surely we don't have to keep standing and talking? Plenty of empty spots, so make yourself comfortable."
He felt swept up in the wolf-man's peculiar aura.
But right now, he had no real choice.
He quietly took the seat the wolf-man indicated.
The wolf-man then used ice and some tools to mix something together before placing a drink-like beverage in front of him.
"This is...?"
"It's a cocktail, made by mixing liquor or fruit wine. You seem young, hero, so I made it non-alcoholic. Give it a try."
"..."
"Hm, is something wrong?"
"...How do I know I can trust you?"
"Pardon?"
"What if there's poison in it?"
"P-poison?"
That's right! Lowell was here to challenge Balak, the final boss(?) of this dungeon!
They were enemies, essentially, so he couldn't help but be wary of anything offered.
But upon hearing this, Ferguson!
"Pffft!!"
"Huh?"
"M-me, putting poison in this?! Hahaha!!"
One might expect him to get angry at Lowell for repaying kindness with rudeness.
Instead, he burst out laughing.
Still chuckling at Lowell's bewildered expression, he continued.
"Heh heh... Quite the witty joke."
"A j-joke?"
"Me, poisoning this...? Why on earth would I? Can you even beat Brother Balak? I doubt you could even dodge his attacks."
Ferguson took a sip from the drink he'd offered Lowell.
"There. Satisfied? And from that reaction, you haven't actually seen Brother Balak, have you?"
"That's... correct."
"Then let me give you some very important advice. Even if not now, but far in the future when you conquer this dungeon solo... You'll die against Brother Balak like a straw snapping."
"?!'
"Why get so worked up? You're weak to begin with. Not even close to soloing this place."
Lowell's blood boiled at Ferguson's blunt insults, but they hit too close to home for a retort.
Without allies, forget clearing the madhouse that was this dungeon—he'd get ejected midway at best.
"Self-awareness is one of the most crucial skills in life. Even for a hero like you."
"Then... how strong is that Bal—er, the lord of this dungeon, exactly?"
"I've seen Brother Balak's true power, but it's impossible to describe... Just think of it as unimaginably overwhelming. Or you could track down that hero who cleared it solo before."
"You mean Senior Hyrim?"
"Ah, right, that was the name. Brother praised that hero to the skies."
The one who'd solo-cleared the dungeon in the past.
As the dungeon grew more famous, his renown had skyrocketed!
Now, with people even seeking his guidance, he was the hottest figure in the world.
"I'm curious myself how that senior managed to clear it alone."
"Even pre-renewal, it's a feat worthy of legend. Anyway, we've traded our little rudenesses, so here, drink up."
"Ah, sure... Thanks."
No reason to refuse Ferguson now.
After taking a sip, Lowell paused.
"Huh? My b-body?"
"This drink is based on a buff potion that strengthens the body. It only activates once you leave the rest area, so it'll feel a bit weird for now."
The absurdity of buffing an enemy left Lowell dazed.
But he soon realized one issue.
"Uh... I don't have any money...?"
"No worries there. Brother said first-timers get it free. Besides, what good would outside currency do us?"
"Fair point. So what kind of currency do you use?"
"The dungeon's own resources."
"Huh...?"
"Check out the other buildings when you leave. There's a bank and shops."
"????"
After hearing this nonsense about a bank and shops inside a dungeon, Lowell thanked Ferguson and hurried to the other buildings.
"Beep!"
"Th-there's actually...?!"
The rest area had a park with benches and chairs for relaxing.
Small golems wandered about, cleaning up.
And there were genuinely golem-run banks and shops.
Lowell was already floored, but seeing the shop's wares left his jaw on the floor.
***********
Bam!!!
"Um, excuse me!"
"What's the matter so suddenly?"
"Th-the stuff in the shop!! The i-items!!"
"Easy now... Have some water and calm down."
After drinking the water Ferguson had given him and settling a bit.
Lowell asked what on earth the displayed items were.
"Everything on display in the shop right now is fake."
"Haha... Yeah, no way you'd have that many ultra-rare spirit elixirs and mythical elixirs just lying around—"
"But once you pay at the counter with the replica, we'll swap it for the real thing."
"Neeeeck?!"
"And let me warn you upfront: don't even think about stealing. Something really bad happens, and you'll lose access here forever."
"N-no, that's not it!"
That's right! Outside the dungeon, even low-grade spirit elixirs were a maybe once every three years!
Items impossible to buy no matter how much money you threw at them were just casually stocked here!
Lowell's worldview was crumbling.
"Why are things like this inside a dungeon...?"
"From what I hear, it's thanks to Brother Balak's various dealings that they've built up such a stock."
"Dealings?!"
"Merchants come and go from this dungeon often. Brother's quite friendly with them."
Hearing that merchants frequented the dungeon.
Lowell felt like a kid who'd peeked backstage at a parade, discovering sweaty, balding men in those cute mascot costumes.
Normally, he'd dismiss it as bullshit.
But this was a dungeon where incomprehensible things kept happening!
Ferguson's words rang true.
"So the currency is...?"
"Abyss Coins, right? The bank's got the explanation posted."
"I get that we earn more coins per room cleared... but you have to die to get them...?"
"Brother says the system rewards those who challenged every trial in the dungeon but couldn't overcome them all."
"So the shops are the rewards?"
"Exactly. Everything here's a reward to begin with."
Realizing that with enough grit, he could actually claim these insane prizes.
Lowell suddenly wanted to throw himself even harder into this dungeon.