The receptionist studied me for a moment once I showed her the paper that I wanted. I was a bit tall for my age and I looked a bit older too, but no older than thirteen and I was alone too. So, I could tell that she was wondering if she should just stay quiet about it. When she looked at the pile of papers on her side, she realized that she didn’t have time to babysit anyone.

Once I had permission to leave, I returned to the shopping district to buy a good knife and then more than fifty breeze coins were spent.

‘It looks like my preparations weren't as good as I had predicted… starting as a solo adventurer is expensive. Well, it makes sense that the information is a bit old considering that Albert lived hundreds of years ago.’

I was starting to consider trying a bit harder… just fighting five wolves didn't seem like much. After waiting for all this time, I needed results and fast, but knowing my limits was still important. Moreover, I had never used a real bow before.

The area between Pirla town and the dungeon was filled with trees and some hills, but since the dungeon existed for a while, the path was clear and easy. Weirdly enough, I didn't see anyone along the path.

‘It can't be helped that the books don't have this kind of information… maybe everyone only comes earlier in the morning.’

I kept my guard up just in case because news about bandits working between settlements and dungeons attacking those who obtained some loot in the dungeon wasn't unheard of. I also had to consider some guards recognizing me.

Soon enough, I found the dungeon. I forgot what it was called, but I recalled that the description of the entrance fit the bill. It was exactly like the entrance of a dungeon of a very old game that I played. The entrance was made of stones and on the sides, one could see two giant wolves standing on two feet and trying to hit each other with their frontal paws. Thanks to that, their combination made it look like an arc.

On the side, there was a tent with some guards nearby, but they were sitting on chairs and resting their heads on the table. It looked like they had a long night. The smell of cheap booze was strong in the air too.

‘They should be working for the Dawnshield family, but I guess this is just a minor job. This dungeon isn't that important either. I was expecting to find people selling things around, but there is no one there… no people preparing to dive into the dungeon either. I knew that only non-combat classes were granted here, but was the town truly overflowing with the products of the dungeon?'

In any case, I headed to the dungeon with the bow in hand… and one arrow nocked. There were some stairs made of stone going down, so I followed them. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I found a rugged cave around. It wasn't dark since some torches were around. I wondered why the same didn't exist in the goblins dungeon, but then I realized that the goblins, even those ones, could be smarter than wolves. So, destroying them would be easy and necessary for them.

‘I should keep the skinning knife ready to be used in case my dexterity with the bow proves itself to be a joke. Having two of them could work better since I trained dual-wielding for a few years.’

Maybe I was thinking too much about that… my class was archer, to make things as efficient as possible, I had to use the bow. While I was thinking along those lines, I heard a growl in the distance. I immediately pointed the arrow ahead, but nothing showed up. No sound of footsteps either.

It was a bit too soon to find a monster… but maybe it made sense depending on how long ago the last party had entered the dungeon.

In any case, I soon found the path ahead splitting into three and then my guard raised… I felt that the growling came from that area and it was obvious that it came from either side, but I didn't know which.

I closed my eyes for a moment and then focused on the surroundings… despite trying to keep itself hidden, I was able to hear the breath of the beast.

‘Dexterity for the win once again…’

I took a deep breath and then pointed my arrow to the right side… I found a dead end with a horned wolf there. The creature was growling at me before charging… out of reflex, I used Power Shot.

The creature was only five meters away, so the arrow flew in a straight line to the face of the creature… it pierced its nose deeply to the point that half of the arrow vanished in the head of the beast.

You received 01 experience points.

You received 03 experience points.

I nodded in satisfaction and finally exhaled… it felt like I had been holding my breath for hours. Why was I nervous? Didn't I prepare for this for years? As far as I knew, no one dies on the first level of the dungeons, unless the dungeon is new or the person is insanely stupid.

‘Curious… to think having this much Dexterity would make my arrows pierce further. Strength should be pretty important for archers, but I suppose dexterity helps with stability and a piercing power thanks to rotation.’

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I thought that I would have a hard time pulling the arrow, but it was quite easy. The arrow was covered in blood, but the path created during the shot softened the flesh of the creature. In any case, only a few centimeters of hide was truly tough.

I took the claws of the creature with my knife and then decided to take the horn as well. I didn't have enough room to carry that much stuff, but I needed to make money. Even if it was a bit tiresome, I was planning to increase my rank that week.

‘Magic bags with extra space exist in this world… but they are too damn expensive. I guess I will have to train my body while carrying stuff.’

In any case, completing the quest had been pretty easy. The creatures moved fast, but I couldn't miss them when they were that close and I knew where they were hiding. They liked to hide in those dead ends and surprise their prey.

As I moved, I also drew the map of the dungeon… anything that would make me gain time in the future would be welcome. Perhaps I could even sell it to someone. They can be bought at the guild, but I can sell it for a better price for a newbie.

In any case, I found the beasts every one hundred meters, and usually, the first floor of the dungeons wasn't longer than one kilometer, so I decided to keep going even though the weight of the loot was already weighing on me.

Although my luck was bad before since I didn't find any mana cores, I found three of them in a row before reaching the end of the first floor… As soon as I killed the last horned wolf, I received that message again.

You completed a trial. Please choose between the classes: Woodcutter, Leatherworker, and Explorer..

I already knew the classes waiting for me, so I didn’t hesitate between choosing the one that I had decided a long time ago.

You obtained the Explorer class.

You unlocked the Stamina Regeneration parameter.

You unlocked the Aptitude: Master of Exploration.

You unlocked the skill: Pathfinding.

You unlocked the skill: Survival Expertise

I already knew the options waiting for me, so I didn't waste time making my choice. I needed more stamina regeneration and I also needed the skills of that class since it would be useful for me for I was planning to keep moving from one place to the other. I had some ideas on different ways to gain experience with that too.

Master of Exploration: Gain additional bonus experience when discovering new locations, charting unknown territories, and navigating difficult environments.

Pathfinding - Enhances your ability to find the best routes through unfamiliar or difficult terrain. This skill enables you to avoid natural hazards, reduce travel time, and discover shortcuts. It helps you when reading natural signs, understanding animal trails, and using environmental clues to determine the right direction toward your destination in mind. Cost: 50 mana.

Survival Expertise - Master essential survival skills such as shelter building, water sourcing, and basic foraging to sustain yourself during long expeditions. This skill improves your ability to thrive in harsh environments by using natural resources. It improves techniques for fire-starting, identifying edible plants, and crafting makeshift tools or shelter if you have the knowledge about it. Cost: 02 Mana per minute

I nodded to myself in satisfaction and then decided to leave the dungeon. From what I had heard, monsters tend to spawn on their spots after half an hour, so I shouldn’t find any of them on the way back and that was exactly what had happened.

I had a bit of experience stocked for when I obtained the next class, so I improved my stamina regeneration. I felt my physical exhaustion leaving my body a bit faster, but my mental one was still going strong. It couldn’t be helped.

In any case, I headed to the location of the client and then passed to him the parts of the horned wolves that he wanted. It was the same clerk who sold me my bow and knife. He passed me a stone card with his name written on it and the job as well. When I returned to the guild, I passed to the lady the card and she gave me fifty breeze coins and twenty mana core points more.

You received 01 experience points.

You received 01 experience points.

“What about these?”

I passed to her the mana cores I got and she identified them with her glasses..

“Each one of them can be bought for ten breeze coins.”

I nodded and then received the money… it seemed like a lot, but I couldn’t be sure since I didn’t know the prices of food and lodging. In any case, I looked for another quest that would want the other materials I had and then thanks to it, got more thirty breeze coins and twenty mana core points.

After half a day of work, I was 110 breeze coins richer and I got 70 points of the five thousand mana core points I needed to upgrade my rank. If I continue my pace and work during the whole day, it will take a bit more than a month to reach the copper rank. That was unacceptable.

Before making any other plans, I decided to eat some food and then look for a place to spend the night. The sun would set in two hours and it would be a pain to look for an inn in the darkness. Soon enough, I found an inn that offered three meals a day and a room. It cost sixty breeze coins.

You received 01 experience points.

‘It doesn’t seem that bad… but I also need to consider things like repairs to my gear, the need to buy more arrows eventually, and so on. In any case, the Master of Exploration is working well. If I enter some of the establishments here, I should gain quite a bit of experience, but the dungeon will be better.’

The three meals were all the same… soup of horned wolf. Extra salty since seasonings apparently weren’t a thing for adventurers, too expensive. Still, they gave me some beer and I frowned. No one else did, though.

‘I guess letting it go to waste would be suspicious… if it is just one with this much alcohol, I will be fine.’

I wasn’t a beer type of guy in my previous life… and it looked I wasn’t in this one either. I never tasted piss, but I could tell that it should be similar. Despite that, the others around drank it while smiling. At least it made me relax a bit…