The day after seeing the dragon, I woke up a little later than usual.
My eyes opened just as the first bell finished ringing.
When I stepped out into the backyard carrying a basket filled with laundry, Amanda-san wasn't there yet.
I went ahead and started washing on my own, and after a while, a sleepy-looking Amanda-san showed up.
"Morning... Erik."
"Good morning, Amanda-san. That's unusual for you. I think this is the first time I've ever seen you look so drowsy."
Her steps were a bit unsteady, and she let out a weary sigh as she set her laundry basket on the ground.
"Because of that midnight commotion, I had a hard time falling back asleep. Were you able to drop off right away, Erik?"
"I was a bit dazed at first, but I fell asleep pretty quickly. I knew I had to get an early start today, so I figured I needed to get proper rest."
"That's impressive. As for me, it was the first time I'd ever seen a dragon. My heart was pounding so hard from the excitement that I just couldn't sleep."
Chatting as we finished the laundry, I realized there wouldn't be enough time for training, so I decided to head straight to breakfast.
After eating, I changed my clothes and set off for the Adventurer's Guild.
As I drew closer to the guild, the crowds grew thicker, and inside, the hall was practically overflowing with adventurers.
Even Reina-san's reception counter, which was usually empty, had a long line.
I took my place at the very back.
"Reina-san, is this crowd because of yesterday's dragon after all?"
"Yeah, that's part of it. But something even bigger happened. Very close to the royal capital—you know that forest you used to go to all the time, Erik-kun? A dungeon formed right in the middle of it."
"Wait, a dungeon?!"
A dungeon.
It was known as a place where the gods imposed trials upon humanity.
When, where, and how they appeared remained an unsolved mystery.
However, once one formed, it would remain rooted in place until its heart—the core—was destroyed.
Dungeons continuously spawned all manner of monsters within their depths.
Just like wild monsters, they could be harvested for materials, and on top of that, valuable ores and medicinal herbs were naturally generated inside the labyrinth.
"Aren't there other dungeons near the royal capital as well?"
"Yeah, but those are extremely difficult, meant only for high-ranking adventurers. From what we know so far, though, the upper floors of this new one seem to be at a level even beginner adventurers can handle."
"Hey! If you're not going to register, get out of the way! We want to get to the dungeon already!"
As I was talking with Reina-san, complaints flew at me from the adventurers waiting in line behind me.
I quickly apologized to them and decided to just take an in-town request instead.
While I was curious about the dungeon, I had no desire to plunge headfirst into danger.
I was more than happy to wait until more information became available, and even if I never got the chance to go, it wouldn't bother me in the least.
With that in mind, I accepted a town chore request and made my exit from the bustling Adventurer's Guild.
"There are barely any people around compared to this morning."
The town request went off without a hitch.
The reward was ten copper coins, but since it was just clearing away dishes, it was over in no time.
Because it took so little time, I decided to clean up the yard while I was at it.
The client was an elderly person who had mentioned having a hard time keeping up with yard work.
Telling them to consider it part of the job, I tidied up the entire garden before wrapping things up.
The client was thrilled and left a glowing review on my completion report.
Having finished the task, I returned to the Adventurer's Guild two hours later to find it remarkably quiet compared to the morning rush.
Even the adventurers who usually hung around chatting inside the guild were nowhere to be seen today.
"Reina-san, you look exhausted."
"It's from processing paperwork for all those adventurers rushing to the dungeon... Good work on your request, Erik-kun."
It was the first time I had ever seen Reina-san look so utterly drained.
She told me she had been working nonstop without even a single break.
The newly discovered dungeon was located right outside the royal capital.
The guild had already stationed personnel at the entrance and exit.
Apparently, when it came to officially managed dungeons, no one was permitted entry without going through the proper procedures at the Adventurer's Guild first.
That certainly explained why there had been such a massive crowd this morning.
"Are you not interested in the dungeon, Erik-kun?"
"It's not that I'm completely uninterested. But if you're asking whether I'd go out of my way to take unnecessary risks, not really. For now, I'm earning enough to get by, and that's plenty for me."
"Hehe, you really never lose your cool, do you, Erik-kun?"
Reina-san gave a faint smile as she processed my completed request.
"Still, what should I do moving forward? It was only because of that forest that I was able to take on requests outside the city walls..."
"That is a bit of a problem. There aren't really any other areas around that suit your fighting style, Erik-kun. How about sticking to town requests for a while until the dungeon craze settles down? Once things calm down, I'm sure you'll be able to hunt slimes around that area just like before."
"...I suppose that's my only option. After all, I still need money to survive."
Agreeing with Reina-san's advice, I asked her to look for my next request.