After I came to the association, as I was asked to do, I was invited into a room that contained a few people.

“We need to be safe about this!” An old man with greying hair, wearing a white, collared, button-up shirt and beige slacks says firmly to the heated group of individuals.

“What we need to do is get in there as quickly as possible and learn as much as we can.” A younger man without any descript features states in response.

“Stop it, you two. He’s here.” A bigger man equipped with steel plate armor, a wooden shield with a steel band around its edge on his right arm, and a sturdy mace hanging at his waist stops their argument.

“Hello.” I say.

“Yes, hello.”

“Hey.”

They both return my greeting before going back to what they were talking about.

“You’re only Class C, right?” The older man asks me.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“But you took on the outbreak from the dungeon you found by yourself. That’s correct, too?” The other man asks.

“Yes.”

“So that means that you’re stronger than you were rated for?”

“Maybe not. I was able to handle a large number of weak enemies, but if I were to encounter a lot of stronger enemies, then I’m not sure I could win.”

“See? I told you that’s what it was like.” The old man reminds the younger man.

“It still proves that he’s able to handle a lot of weaker mobs.” The armored man says.

“… I just don’t think I can authorize an excursion of this magnitude. We aren’t sure what it’s like in a dungeon, Marlon.”

“That may be so, but this guy said he could go in. It is possible that he could lose that ability at some point.”

“We don’t know if you can get out from a dungeon, either.”

“It’s worth the risk. If we can find out what the Sources are, exactly, maybe we can disable them. Then we would never have to worry about monsters again. Just think about it. Even if it takes all our lives, it would still be worth trying for just a scrap of information.” Marlon says convincingly.

The old man sighs. “That is true, but it is still me sending you into danger.”

“We all know the risks. We’re all willing to take them, Mr. Kane.” Marlon states.

“And what about you? Are you willing to risk your life to venture into a dungeon?” The older man asks me.

“I suppose... I am. As long as it helps people.”

“We still need to decide whether to go into the dungeon you found immediately, or wait. Perhaps until we're all stronger, so that it’s safer for all of us.” Marlon says.

“But we don’t know what the other side of the barrier is like, or if we can even wait to go in.” Mr. Kane says. “We just don’t know anything.”

“Then send me in with strong people. That will increase the safety of the team. We can’t know anything else until we go in.” I say.

“...You’re right.” The old man gives in. “Marlon. You said you and your team are willing. If that’s truly the case, then you’ll be the team to accompany this man…” He pauses, and looks at me. “What’s your name, anyway?”

“I don’t have one.”

“Ah, right. I remember Talen informing me that there was somebody who had no name and signed on with a fingerprint instead. I suppose you’re him.”

“Yep, that’s me.” I think for a moment. “For now, I guess you can refer to me as Hunter, though.”

“Hunter? You want us to refer to you by your job title?” Marlon speaks up. “… Alright. It’ll be a pleasure working with you, Hunter.”

“So... When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow. For today, find some armor. I can see you have a decent weapon. We need to be as prepared as possible, so that means you need to get some armor.” Marlon responds.

“Alright, I’ll get some.”

“I’ll get together the supplies and everything for the expedition.” Mr. Kane says.

“And I’ll get my team prepped.” Marlon says.

“Good. We’re doing this tomorrow.” Mr. Kane says with finality.

…………………………………………………………………

This city truly has everything a hunter would need. Weapon and armor shops, plenty of places to sleep and eat. Most buildings are designed for the work hunters do. It’s nice.

But for now, I need an armor shop. I want one that’s not crowded so I can find what I want without hassling others. A shop shouldn’t get too crowded. The thing is, there aren’t many places that sell armor. Those that do already have a lot of people in them.

I take my time to find one nearly or completely empty, and I succeed. There’s one on the edge of the city. It looks like it hasn’t been properly maintained, but the sign above the door clearly says “Blade and Body Works”. A weird name, but I only need some armor. No need to pay attention to the name of the shop.

“Hello?” I ask as I enter, finding it dark inside.

“Yeah!?” I hear a loud voice from behind a curtain located behind the store’s counter.

“I’d like to purchase armor!” I shout back.

“Come back here!” He invites.

I walk around the counter and draw open the curtain. Behind it is a hot room, the only light inside is from a furnace. Inside it is a chunk of metal held in place by the man.

“You said you wanted armor? Why are you all the way here at the edge of nowhere?”

“I didn’t want to go in a shop with a lot of people. That would have put unnecessary burden on the people managing the counter.” I continue. “So I came here.”

“Ha ha! So you came here just because nobody buys from me?!” He bursts out into intense laughter before putting the chunk of metal onto the anvil. I watch him hammer it until it becomes a flat, rectangular piece. He then bends it a little to give it a curve.

“So. Armor, eh?”

“Yes.”

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

“What kind?”

“… What kind do you recommend? I don’t know anything about what’s effective.”

“Well, you have a knife, so you like having freedom of movement. You haven’t bought any armor yet, so maybe you want as little weight to encumber you as possible. Survey says: lightweight with lots of freedom. I think thick cloth, leather, or a small amount of steel would work, if you want it cheap. I have a few other metals better suited for what I think you want, but they’re more expensive.”

“I need protection. But I do want to be able to move as well as without the armor.”

“Hmm… If you want good protection in every place possible, while maintaining your previous movement abilities, then I suggest one of those expensive metals. Perhaps mythril? Again, it’s expensive, but it’s extremely lightweight and even more protective than steel.” He pauses. “But if you want the kind of freedom cloth allows, just mythril won’t cut it. Perhaps….”

“Alright. You know what I want, so can you sell me something like that?”

“I think I’ve got something that’ll work for you, but then again, it might not.”

He leaves the metal where it is and sets his hammer on the anvil next to it.

Walking inside what looks to be a storage area, he turns on a light. He goes in deeper and I lose sight of him. A little later, he returns with a piece of dark green cloth.

“You can have this if you can wear it. I won’t even charge you for it.”

“Really? I only have to wear it?”

“I specialize in mana crafting. Sometimes the results are that you need to have certain requirements to wear what I make. Since its requirements are so specific, I haven’t found any buyers for it. As it is now, it’s just being stored, doing nothing. At this point, I might as well give it away to free some storage space. And if it can save a life, that’s even better.”

“Okay.”

…………………………………………………………………

[Armor equipped.]

Name: Vale Inertiae

Rank: S

Type: Cloth

Armor Slot: Extra

Requirements: Rank S or higher Sense skill, Movement assist skill.

Effect(s): Cloth can take any form at will. Cloth cannot easily be cut or pierced. Damage can be repaired with MP. Grants Instant Movement (S). Instant Movement can level up through use like a normal skill while cloth is equipped.

[Instant Movement has been granted through armor effect.]

“What do you think?”

“It says that the cloth can take any form at will? What does that mean exactly?”

“Why don’t you just try it out?”

“Okay…”

I try to will the cloth into a different shape. The cloth seems to tear and bend. Wherever it meets itself, it comes together. As it was what I wanted, it turns into a glove.

I change it once more, and it folds to a cloak.

“Isn’t Rank S one of the highest grades possible? Why are you just giving this away?”

He chuckles. “I daresay I’m one of the few who can churn them out like they’re nothing.”

“So… since I equipped it, I can just take it?”

“Yes, of course.” He says. His words seem grateful.

With his confirmation, I leave. After getting out of the rundown store, I get on my bike, and head back to the hotel I stayed last night.

…………………………………………………………………

I’m now on my bed at the hotel. The armor I got is pretty good. It can’t be cut or pierced easily, and damage can be repaired in the field.

You know, I don’t think that just using it as a scarf would be very beneficial. What if I use it as a shirt?

I try out my thought and the cloth morphs into a shirt. And what if I change it so that it’s also my pants?

I change it. It turns into a one piece set of skin-tight clothes that also function as armor. This will work well for my expedition.

…………………………………………………………………

The morning after, I arrive at the association building. I find Marlon and several others in a tight group in the common area. I approach him.

“I’m here.” I say.

“Good. Oh, is that enchanted cloth?” Marlon asks, referring to my cloth suit of dark green armor.

“Yes. I got it from Blade and Body Works.”

“Really? The smith there really knows his stuff, but he doesn’t sell to most people. He must have liked you.” He looks around. “Well, everybody is here now. We all know our destination and mission. Be safe, and trust your teammates. That’s all. Let’s go take the world’s first look inside a dungeon!”

…………………………………………………………………

[ALERT: Memory loss. Full Status cannot be displayed.]

Name:

Age: 18

Race: Human

Title: Old One

Title Effect: Grants Skill Set – Mind Over Matter

Level: 11

Experience: 56.72%

Condition: Damaged (Missing Arm [L]), Memory Loss (Severe).

Condition Effects: None

HP: 544/544

MP: 22/22

Strength: 21

Intelligence: 22

Wisdom: 28

Dexterity: 46 (+5% Move Speed)

Constitution: 68 (18+50)

Unassigned Stat Points: 20

Skills

Sturdy (Passive) [E] – Lv. 5

Increases constitution.

Regeneration (Active) [D] – Lv. 4

Regenerate HP at the cost of MP.

Appraisal (Active) [A] – Lv. 1

Appraises the target.

Dismantling (Active) [E] – Lv. 1

Dismantles the target corpse.

Cartography (Passive) [A]

Maps the area which can be sensed. Can apply the map to a medium at the cost of MP.

Swiftness (Passive) [F] – Lv. 5

Increases movement speed.

Instant Movement (Passive) [S] – Lv. 1

Reduces inertia, allowing you to alter your movements much quicker.

Inventory [Special] – Lv. 2

Grants an extra-dimensional space for the storage of allowed items.

Mind Over Matter [Special]

Matter Control (Active):

Control physical matter that you can sense with Mind Sense and physical matter you can see.

Skill Strength: 21 kg of force

Novice Proficiency (25.53%)

Mind Sense (Passive):

Allows you to sense your surrounding at all times. Focus on an area to sense greater detail.

Skill Range: 0.56 meters

Novice Proficiency (35.11%)

Unassigned Skill Points: 4