-- It's been fifteen years since I became an adventurer, but I've never been back home.

　Over my parents' objections, I ran away from home and never saw it again.

　My father had yelled at me that you can't be an adventurer.
　I did my best to rebel against him at the time, but the result was this.

　My mother said I could come home whenever I wanted.
　I don't know what to say to her. It's a very shameful thing to do.

(What will I do about ...... from now on? ......)

　I don't plan to go back home.
　But I couldn't immediately say yes to the question of whether I would continue to be an adventurer.

　Two weeks of starvation, thirst, and loneliness in a small, dimly lit labyrinth, with my life in danger for the rest of my life.

　Memories of the nightmare that would never disappear for the rest of my life were holding me back from returning to the adventurer's business.

''Sorry for the delay!

　As I was vaguely thinking about such things, Sylvia came back with a slipping pace.

'It's just barley porridge, but if you've been fasting, this is the kind of thing you should start with, mother.
...... helpful.

　If you suddenly binge eat right after a fast, it will kill you.

　I don't know the theory behind it, but I've witnessed that moment before.

.............

　The simple, tasteless barley porridge soaked into the bottom of my stomach.
　It was the first time in his life that he had ever found barley porridge to be delicious.

　Forgetting that Sylvia is watching me, I silently continue to fill my stomach.

''But even so, I was really surprised at that time. I didn't expect someone to come to my rescue at the bottom of the dungeon. ......
...... the bottom of the dungeon?　Not in front of a dungeon?
Bottom, right?　I was on the fifth level.
What?
What?

　Obviously, I don't think the story is engaging.

　I must have found Sylvia and the others right after I escaped from the labyrinth.
　It can't be the bottom of the dungeon.

　But it didn't seem like Sylvia was joking.

'...... eh. This may be an odd question, but what dungeon was the one we encountered?
''It's an E-ranked dungeon, 'Sundial Forest,' right?　See, that's the dungeon with the picture over there.

　Sylvia pointed to a picture frame on the wall.
　The frame contained a fairly simplified picture of the dungeon.

　On the left half of the picture is a five-fold circle.
　It appears to be a view of the dungeon from above.

　In the right half of the picture, there is an inverted triangle with a step-like slope and a flat bottom.
　This seems to be a cross-sectional view of the dungeon.

　It may be the same shape as a bowl or an amphitheater.

...... I see. So it's an open dungeon.

　The Open Type is a classification of dungeon shapes.

　Ordinary dungeons are cut off from the outside world except for their entrances and exits, but this is not the case with the open-type dungeon.
　In other words, the interior of the dungeon is a "vaulted" structure that is directly exposed to the sun and air.

　In other words, the forest at the end of the stairs is not on the ground, but at the bottom of another dungeon.

That means the Thousand Year Corridor of the Abyss and the Sundial Forest were connected to each other by stairs, right? It's rare to find dungeons connected to each other underground.

　I've had a long career and I think I know a fair amount about the adventuring industry and dungeons, but there's still a lot I don't know.

　There's usually information in the world that isn't known to the lowly people.

''The reason we went to the 'Sundial Forest' was to pick some medicinal herbs for my grandmother's medicine.
An herb?　It's not safe for amateurs to dive into a dungeon, no matter what you think. Didn't anyone stop you?

　When I said that, Sylvia grudgingly countered.

''The 'Sundial Forest' was just certified as a dungeon last year. We've always gone there to get wildflowers and medicinal plants as normal.''
M...... They say that open dungeons are hard to notice.

　There are two main criteria for the Royal Palace to certify a dungeon.

　One. The establishment of an ecosystem centered around a magical beast.
　One. It must be lower than the surrounding ground surface.

　Therefore, even if it's a bowl-shaped terrain with no ceiling, such as the Sundial Forest, it will still meet the requirements for a dungeon.

But since it was approved as a dungeon, it must have magical beasts, right?　In fact, there were even dragons: ......
'I didn't know there was a guy like that!　I wasn't even on the danger report for the Guildhouse!

　Sylvia countered with a strong tone and I rolled my eyes in surprise.
　The reason for this was not unexpected.

''You didn't even grasp the ...... guild house?　What's that big thing?
'It's true!　I reported it to the guild and they were very surprised!

　Adventurer's Guilds have variously sized sub-branches in various locations.
　They vary in size and style; some are combined with inns and taverns, while others have their own buildings.

　Among such establishments, the most important and large ones are called 'guild branches'.
　On the other hand, the town or village level sub-offices are called 'Guild Houses'.

　The main job of the guild house is to act as a mediator for requests from nearby residents and to exchange materials obtained from dungeons.
　However, that's not their only function.

　Another important role of the Guild House is to provide information obtained through the adventurers to the residents in the area.

　Towns and villages pay a fee for information, which is an important source of stable income for local guild houses.

　That's why it's hard to believe that the guild houses would cut corners in providing information about danger.

''If the guild didn't know about it, it's no wonder. I'm sorry for sounding like I'm blaming you.''
'Never mind. You were worried about us, weren't you? But really, we usually only had demons like little animals.

　The nature of the monster beasts varies.

　Some are extremely powerful, like dragons and Fenrir Wolves, while others are only capable of being eaten to death by ordinary wolves.

　If they were weak demonic beasts, they could be considered ordinary animals until experts examined them.

''So, your uncle is ...... eh, before that. What is your name?　My name is Sylvia. I'm Sylvia from the Spring Wakaba Tei.
...... It's Luke. Luke of the White Wolf Forest.

　Unlike the aristocracy, commoners like us don't have a "family name".

　When it comes to the locals, it's enough to call them by their name or someone's son, something like that.

　In other situations, it is common for people to add the name of their hometown or business address, as mentioned earlier.

　For example, in the case of Sylvia, she would probably call herself 'Sylvia of the Sundial Forest' outside of town.

'Why is Luke in the dungeon ...... that?　I fell asleep: ......

　As soon as I finished my barley porridge, I closed my eyes on the bed.

　I'm sorry for Sylvia, but I can't afford to stay conscious any longer.
　My instincts are telling me to rest my body as soon as possible.

　Just as she was about to fall asleep, Sylvia's soft voice reached her ears.

'Thank you, Luke-san,'