'As expected.'
A faint smile tugged at Bell's lips. This time, instead of shifting his weight to the left, he'd shifted it diagonally back and left. The goblin's short sword missed him entirely, not even brushing his clothes.
Before the goblin could recover its stance, Bell's prepared blade swept across its throat. It wasn't a clean decapitation, but the wound was fatal nonetheless.
All five goblins had been eliminated.
Bell now had five goblin daggers and five small magic stones in his possession.
"This drop rate is kind of insane. Are monster drop items really supposed to be this easy to get?"
Even without having finished the anime Danmachi, Bell knew that monster drop rates weren't supposed to be high. With low-level monsters, you were lucky just to get a magic stone. Expecting consistent item drops was pure fantasy.
Yet here he was, with a 100% drop rate. That was... suspicious.
No matter how he looked at it, the only explanation that made sense was luck. After all, monsters in the Dungeon weren't being controlled, and even if they were, it's not like they were dropping items just for him. Bell didn't believe in targeted drop mechanics.
"Guess I'm just lucky."
He shook his head and dropped the thought. It wasn't like this would matter unless someone with an agenda started paying attention. Besides, Bell didn't plan on teaming up with anyone anytime soon. This was the Dungeon—better not to romanticize it.
The belief that 'teammates are often dead weight' was deeply ingrained in him. He wasn't like that idealistic protagonist from the original story who handed out trust like candy. Bell had learned the hard way not to put faith in others. Especially not in "teammates."
"I need to stay cautious for now. Keep a low profile until I've grown stronger."
To protect the uniqueness of his secrets, Bell had no intention of attracting attention anytime soon. Even if exposure became inevitable later, it would only happen after he'd gained enough experience. For now, secrecy was his priority.
"Those goblins... they didn't act like mindless creatures at all. The moment I reused a tactic, they immediately became wary. Were they knights in a past life or something?"
"Whether or not they've got the instincts of a Saint, saying they have zero intelligence is just absurd. Would something brainless be able to react to a trick it's only seen once? If I hadn't been careful, that last strike could've done real damage."
Bell was starting to doubt the common claim that monsters lacked intelligence. Even just from a single goblin, it was obvious—those movements weren't random. No unthinking beast could react that way.
He glanced down at the Guild-issued data sheet in his hand and frowned. The early inaccuracies in the guide had already made him question its reliability. Now he'd have to be extra cautious with the rest of its advice.
Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps echoed around him.
Bell snapped out of his thoughts and quickly stashed the goblin daggers and magic stones into his four-dimensional space.
In the Dungeon, now wasn't the time to overthink things—not unless he was absolutely sure it was safe.
'The data on the goblins has been collected. Their agility and flexibility are average, and their defense is extremely low—ordinary weapons can injure them. But their strength is surprisingly high.'
'Still, as long as you avoid direct confrontation, their strength isn't a problem. Considering their speed and agility, once you find an opening, you can hunt them in large numbers.'
'Next, I need to spend more time on this floor.'
Bell listened intently to the surrounding sounds. After that recent battle, he could clearly feel his hearing and sense of smell had become sharper. While he still couldn't pinpoint a monster's exact location through scent alone, he could now tell if one was nearby through sound.
Judging by the noise, Bell confirmed that monsters were moving nearby. The volume matched what he'd expect from goblins, so he assumed they were Dungeon-spawned goblins.
'Forget everything else for now. First, I need to earn enough for a ten-pull. Time to start grinding.'
Most adventurers didn't waste much time on the Dungeon's first floor. After all, only goblins spawned here, and even then, they only dropped magic stones—and not even consistently. So once they got past the beginner phase, adventurers rarely lingered on the first floor.
But Bell was an exception. The drop rate from goblins wasn't bad for him—magic stones, goblin daggers—it was worth it. Compared to the risk of heading to the second floor, spending his first day here was much safer.
And that's exactly what Bell did.
He entered the Dungeon at dawn, right as the sun came up, and didn't leave until sunset.
Just before stepping out of the Dungeon, Bell cautiously pulled up his hood to cover his face. It made him look a bit suspicious, and when a few people glanced his way, they quickly looked away.
Why? Because Bell wore only a simple windbreaker with nothing on his back—not even a bag. Anyone could tell he was a complete newbie. Most probably thought he was just covering up out of embarrassment.
Looking like that, Bell headed straight for the Guild. The magic stones he had gathered needed to be processed, and he had a pile of goblin daggers to deal with too.
For regular use, keeping about twenty was probably enough. The two top floors had weaker monsters, and goblin daggers were still effective. If he ran into something they couldn't handle, his only option would be to find a way to escape.
'I hope Miss Eina's still there.'
Bell picked up the pace toward the Guild. He still had to return home before sunset to let Goddess-sama know he was safe. If he didn't hurry, weighing the magic stones and drop items would take up too much time.
Actually, the Guild's working hours were surprisingly long—much longer than Bell had expected. From nine in the morning to seven in the evening, it was a full day. Still, the tasks weren't too complex, so even though the hours were long, it didn't feel exhausting.
There were shift breaks too, so if he came at the wrong time, he might not see anyone.
Fortunately, Bell was in luck today.