Level 1

With the contract read, proofread, and signed, Jackal attained a new store to look after. Of course, that was after paying the commission, the security deposit, and the first month's rent.

Gonjo managed to get the rent down to 5500 valis. This means Jackal paid a total of 51,700 Valis. The security deposit is six months of rent and the commission is based on the entire year's rent.

For renovations, he has two options.

The Goibniu Familia or The Hephaestus Familia.

Prominently known for their skilled smiths, the two familia boasts a lot of other crafts such as architecture.

'So... an old man or a hot redhead in tight leather pants...' Jackal muses seriously.

'On one hand, she's a redhead... on the other, the old man is her rival. But those two won't be personally renovating my store so it's just better to keep an open mind and assess the familia members who will.'

'For a store... I need someone who has experience. Someone who makes use of more of the space but keeps it aesthetically pleasing nonetheless. But for now, a simple repair contract should suffice. I need to first make this work before thinking about lavish customization!'

He chose Hephaestus club the moment he thought of the Familia captain.

Anyway, they aren't his immediate concerns.

He contracted a team of Hephaestus artisans.

Since the contract had included the Familia providing materials for construction at 3% less than the market price, Jackal opted for their generosity. But the whole thing, even if basic repair, is quite an expensive ordeal.

Over the years with no dating or any sort of social life, his previous host had quite a large sum of savings.

But inflation is a bitch in every economy.

Jackal has saved upto 900,000 valis. But including renting the store and the contract of repairs including the listed materials, he is close to splurging 170,000 valis.

But... what is done is done.

Jackal chose to focus on his next objective while his contract repairs the store in the next three days.

Dungeon.

Sweet, sweet dungeon.

Although the Jackal of this world had no experience in battle, the new one does. He's always tried to fight back if he isn't tied so... yeah. But he needs some form of a crash course to this world's combat OR...

He can be sensible, purchase weapons, and good armor, and just stick to the first floor.

The first floor has some of the weakest monsters. Even rookies who just got their falna can enter the first floor and have an 80% chance of survival.

'I can have my adventure when I am decently experienced with weapons and monsters. Let's just go easy and have fun. It's likely that I CAN get stronger from consuming the monsters...

In fact... maybe I will be surprised. Monsters are magical in nature.'

With a gaze full of hope, Jackal toasts more of Ollie's cousins to cinders and prepares dinner with his own hands by choking the life out of two more chickens.

It's nothing personal, he sniffs, as energy pools in his body.

In the final step, the energy settles within his stomach and Jackal feels he can still go on... unlike yesterday when he felt full after two plants.

'So... I AM getting stronger with every 'meal.' I just need to look at the right hints,' he smiles.

---

The dungeon is not a safe place. Well, that is obvious. Right?

Jackal has hundreds of stories where the adventurers he advised never returned. Not that it ever mattered to him. Both, the past and the current him.

With five Adrenaline Chicken potions and ten low-quality stamina-mind dual potions, Jackal feels ready. Of course, he purchased a set of combat outfits. From leather gloves, armor, and greaves, he feels packed. A small bag hangs around his waist and two axes are strapped on his back.

Why no swords?

Because Jackal like axes, and then hammers. That's all.

But it would be a lie if he said he did not feel the least bit nervous.

Nervous is a strong word...

He felt a little excited.

All around him, demi-humans of various kinds walk in and out of the dungeon. In Orario, being a regular human is rarer, to be honest.

This should be enough for his craving for fantasy.

Cute elves, sexy but nonetheless short pallums, spicy were-humans, and even dwarves. Everywhere he looks, he can spot a cute chick once every five times. Spirits like gnomes, though rarer than humans, are still quite a bit to be found.

A few extreme exceptions even venture into the dungeons with a party.

For a moment, he cranes his neck and looks high up.

The tower is so long and mighty that it threatens to pierce heaven!

'Once I score a Goddess... not easy ones like Ishtar... I'm gonna call my little Admiral— Babel.' He resolves himself.

Much like this divine tower that hopes to pierce heaven, he hopes to pierce goddesses.

This is not a grand ambition by any means.

But Jackal never was a grand person. He... is him. As simple as that. And he intends to live his best life and not fall under anyone else's employment ever again.

Yes, the latter portion is important!

Taking a deep breath, Jackal mixes with the crowd and enters the Tower of Babel through the explicit entrance to the dungeon that winds down into the ground itself. How deep the dungeon really is... maybe only the Gods can assume. Maybe it goes as deep as the core of this planet? Realm, maybe?

The many, many adventurers don't stop at all. The entrance of the dungeon is crowded but as one goes further, the crowd disperses quicker and quicker.

Although this is only the first floor, the area is quite large. Larger than most cities!

As such, everyone can find one silent spot after a moderate amount of search.

Pulling out the map for the first and confirming his location, Jackal begins to walk deeper into the floor.

The upper floors have a nice bluish tone going for them. Columns of rocks can be seen in a few rooms but no monsters are seen this early... usually.

Assuming caution, however, Jackal holds his axe tightly. He has two axes, yes, but how is he ever gonna dual wield if he doesn't learn it with his dominant hand first? The other axe is a backup in case the first one is lost.

'Anytime now...'

He goes deeper.

'Anytime now...'

He licks his dry lips.

'Anytime now...'

He chews his lips before snarling, "Where the fuck are you green sacs of balls!"

*Trk*

As if the dungeon itself favored his choice of words, he hears a small noise of cracks spreading on a rock and he looks back to find a deep crack in one of the walls of the room. His expression brightens as he sees the hint of green trying to climb out from the walls, causing more and more cracks.

"The hell you're going to get it easy!" He grins. Excitement bubbles in his chest. His red-gold eyes glimmer with a bout of fervor and he rushes forward, wielding his axe overhead!

*Swish*

And he brings it down in a ruthless strike!

His axe embeds itself into the skull of the goblin but it the difference in strength becomes clear now.

Injured, yes, but the Goblin is still not dead!

Letting out a soft snarl of exertion, Jackal pulls back his axe, and finally, as the shower of monster's black blood spews out, the goblin lets out one dying screech before dispersing into a bout of wind and ashes!

*Thck*

A lone, purple crystal as large as the nail of an infant's pinky finger drops down with a crisp sound.

But Jackal cannot focus on it.

"Woah..."

He stammers and steps back. The wave of warmth... the sensation of its thickness, its weight... it's unlike Ollie or the chickens!

His mind buzzes slightly as if jolted into another wave of refreshing rest. But... that's only a tiny part of it.

Jackal feels the heat coursing through his veins. He feels his body vibrating ever so slightly... Growing. This time he can feel it. His joints cry out in pleasure, his muscles groan comfortably, and his blood rushes to every single corner of his body with squeamish joy. His bones... vibrate in agreement. Yes, there is a small sting, too.

But it is so fickle.

'A side-effect of my body growing?'

He touches his stomach.

'I can take on four more before I feel full... I don't want to know what happens afterward but no digestive system ever encourages overeating. And Death Eater loosely follows such a process.'

He lets out a pleased sigh.

'Goblins are the weakest of Rank 1 monsters. Theoretically, I can just stick to the first floor and reap benefits forever. Yes, it feels too good to be true so there may be depreciating returns but even then...'

He cautiously picks up the magic stone and pockets it.

'I want to test my limits~!'

It would seem that the Dungeon is quick to notice what adventurers are in need of some attention as two Goblins begin to sprout out of the wall at a noticeably quicker speed.

Rushing to the nearest one, Jackal once again cleaves down. He notes the tiny difference instantly. He is stronger.

But this little improvement means nothing and his single strike to the skull still isn't enough to disregard the Goblin's bony defense!

As he pulls his axe out and lets the goblin spray, he bites back the comfortable feeling to focus on the second Goblin.

"Ugaaaahhhhhh!" It screams unholy screeches!

"Fuck your mother, too!" Jackal empathizes with the sentiment and rushes the motherfucker with his axe and slices the arm lashing forward through the Goblin's knuckle. This meant that his axe cleaved into Goblin's arm and sliced it from the center like a ribbon until he reached the elbow.

Although feeling quicker and stronger after digesting the second Goblin, Jackal lets go of the axe since it felt stuck to something and unbuckles his other axe to bring it down on the red-eyed screeching enemy pulling back in pain!

Tchkk!

The wet, gory sound of his axe slicing through the Goblin's neck echoes into the dungeon room.

*Vhoomph*

The third goblin, too, disappears in a bout of ash and wind, leaving a lone magic stone.

Jackal looks around for a moment and only after confirming the existence of no other monsters, he decides to pocket the two magic stones.

'Hmm... if it continues like this then the only thing I need to worry about is actual combat experience. I should maybe find a trainer to learn how to wield axes, too."

Jackal could continue the grind by just excreting the energy into whatever potion would be formed from a Goblin's energy but there is a popular theory that the Dungeon is 'alive.' And he doesn't want to get all that dungeon-hate clout for himself only.

No, let it be shared!

---

"Whoo!"

Jackal sidesteps and his axe slices the Goblin apart. Not with ease, mind you.

These few days, Jackal is understanding more and more about Death Eater.

First thing, as he expected, there is a soft cap on how much he can earn from this trait.

This cap is the overall raw potential of the target itself.

For instance, Jackal was always stronger than Ollie, his cousins, and the chickens he butchered. As such, he barely gained anything. He did gain SOMETHING. But the overall improvement is minuscule at best. Not that he minds it. Any improvement is better than no improvement.

Goblin's raw capabilities, or maybe their potential itself is better than the current Jackal. Or was? After three days of the hunt, Jackal's appetite as is as large as 40+ goblins. And given that he wasn't too weak when compared to a Goblin, he reached the soft cap on Goblins yesterday.

But again, that did not stop Jackal. Compared to the minuscule growth from Ollie and chickens, the limited growth from Goblins is comparatively better.

And Jackal can feel his strength eventually edge over a Goblin. His technique, of course, leaves quite a lot to be desired, and here lies the second point he learned about Death Eater.

He is learning things... quickly.

Mistakes are noted and naturally worked on. Even if he never trained with an axe before, by now, after cleaving through dozens of Goblins, he at least feels like a proper amateur not a stranger to axe outright!

He assumes this is because of the growth of his mind.

*Shing*

His axe claims another goblin.

His reach is the slightest bit longer.

And there lies the third observation.

He wasn't imagining his body vibrating and popping in places.

His body's growth is increased. He is the slightest bit taller when compared to himself a few days ago. His muscles are the slightest bit more defined. His reaction time is the slightest bit more refined. He is the slightest bit more enduring and lasting.

And all this makes him recall the musclebound titan of a diety-like phantom behind the dog right before his death.

'Death Eater is a digestive system that uses the death of a target to provide for the body and the mind. Like food is needed for bodily functions...'

And the final observation—

As long as he feeds on 'life', he does not need to feed on food.

His mind remains fresh. His body doesn't feel sluggish. And there isn't any bodily craving for food. He can still eat meals, but it is no longer a necessity.

Case in point, he hasn't eaten for two days now... and he is raring to go against more goblins.

After finishing the third Goblin, Jackal sighs in relief.

He feels warmth quickly nurturing his mind and body before letting the remaining portion settle in his stomach.

'If that's how falna feels like then damn... Adventurers truly are living well~!' Jackal resists the urge to groan before he starts collecting the magic crystal.

To be honest... this part feels like a waste to him.

Why?

Jackal cannot just turn to Pantheon— the Guild's main building— and sell off these stones. They know him for years and he's never pandered to any god before. So, for now, he's settled to sell the magic stones to one of the gnome bankers in Daedalus street.

Yes, the Guild has a monopoly on magic stones by law... but that's why criminals exist. To bring methods beyond the laws.

Although... Jackal does suffer a 20% reduction in price but that's that.

He decided not to take on falna for now and is enjoying himself. Mere 20% isn't gonna bother him!

'I can't wait to get stronger!' He licks his dry lips and remembers the map.

He's going to the second floor today where the chances of meeting a kobold are higher. He already is slightly stronger than a Goblin with all his accumulation but kobolds should be a game-changer!

'I also need to let Miach test the potion from Goblins tomorrow. It's my grand opening, after all! I need to go all out in 'creating' more adrenaline potions and recovery potions!'

The poultry of Orario is indeed under a serious threat.

Glancing at his axes and making sure they won't give up on him, Jackal makes his way toward the second floor!

---

*Clang*

*Ksshhh*

In a lone, rocky hallway, Jackal's axe deflects sharp claws before rending down a deep gash into the grey, wolf-like kobold as the attack draws a spray of monstrous blood!

"Haaaa!" His face splits into an excited smile reflexively. Oh, he enjoys it. He enjoys every moment of it!

"Rrrohhggghhhhhhh!" The red-eyed kobold roars in response, not the least to feel intimidated by Jackal's battle cry as he pounces forward!

Undaunted, Jackal holds his axe tightly before throwing it forward. It doesn't matter if his aim sucks and it's the handle of the axe that hits the muzzle of the kobold. Jackal just wanted to distract the beast.

And...

*Swish*

With his red-gold eyes locked against the beast's irrationally hateful eyes, he swings down his axe brutishly. One strike to the neck.

One kill.

*Vhoomph*

The beast disappears with one final roar.

And then Jackal feels it.

Yep.

The beast was physically stronger than Jackal and with what he was feeling, the margin is quite a bit high.

'Rank 1 adventurers can usually get down to the seventh floor with D-grade stats. Of course, they are members of a party. But I'd like to keep to myself for now. If I have to make an assumption... my stats are around F-G. Newbies start at I-grades and work up to A... or rarely, S-ranked stats before leveling up.'

He enjoys the feeling of his body reacting to the newfound strength and sighs, 'Even after all those Goblins... I have space for seven more Kobolds. Cool!'

He grins, picks up his weapon, pockets his magic stone, and leaves with a pep in his steps.

'Oh kobolds, oh kobolds, where are you♪'

*Trk*

The wall not far from Jackal begins to crack and he notices a hint of grey.

'There you are, there you are! I choose you♪!'

His rhymes, as usual, are impeccable.

Unfortunately, he couldn't claim the same about the broad stroke of his ax!

---

*Knock* *Knock*

Jackal, still packing his products, stops and looks in the direction of his door.

"Who is it?" He calls out.

"It's me."

"Me, who?"

"Jackal-san," the exasperated, sweet whine is undoubtedly HERS as she asserts, "Please, not again!"

Snickering, he simply slots down the last of his potions and zips the backpack shut.

"Coming~!"

He calls out and opens the door.

The sight of Eina in her guild uniform and a red-headed werewolf in a similar uniform greets him as he chimes, "Good morning, Eina, Rose-Senpai. How are you two holding up?"

"What do you mean?" Eina questions while Rose nods and adds, "Good morning to you, too."

"Well," Jackal works his jaw, "I don't think it would be easy to cope with the hole I have left you guys with after quitting, right?"

Eina's lips part in surprise as she struggles to find an answer. As usual, the half-elf delight is just the right, delightful treat for him in the morning.

Meanwhile, Rose inclines her head, "You always were good at paperwork... The workload has increased. But this has made many take their jobs more seriously."

"Work?" Eina looks at Jackal as if trying to find all the wrong answers. Instead of answering her, he smirks mischievously and questions, "Would you like to come in? I've been a bit busy these days so you would have to excuse the mess."

Rose nods and walks ahead. As she passes Jackal, her nose twitches for a moment but the action itself is very subtle. Her yellow pupils gain a somewhat critical look but she keeps quiet in the end and allows Jackal to close the door after Eina.

"Senpai, you've been here before. Just make yourself at home. I'm going to bring something to drink."

Once the glasses of juice are served, Jackal sits across from the two women. His eyes briefly fall on Rose's floofy tail taking a better portion than the two of them combined as he resists the urge to smile.

"Jackal-san," adjusting her glasses after taking a sip of orange juice, Eina speaks maturely... which, again, is damn cute to look at, "We feel you are acting rashly. This is a sentiment shared by all your co-workers."

"Indeed," Rose nods and questions, "But are your actions related to... that urn?"

She looks at Ollie set on top of the cupboard as even Eina looks surprised and then glances at Jackal inquisitively.

"Ah, that's Ollie. Don't worry about him. He went out without pain and had no regrets."

"Ollie?" Rose leans forward slightly, "Someone you were close to? An adventurer?"

"Potted plant."

The two stare at him for a while.

Well, isn't that the understatement of the day?

"You're being honest..." Rose sighs, "So... you will not change your mind?"

"I already rented the shop and had the repairs done, and these are the first of the goods I intend to sell," Jackal pats the backpack with a pleased expression, "I want to do this, Senpai. But still, thank you for taking care of me all these years!"

"Wait, Jackal-san, you have already done all of it? Where did you rent your shop?" Eina questions, something that garners Rose's interest, too.

"Oh, just a few meters down Maria's lane," Jackal smiles, "Do visit me, Eina. It'll get boring without you and if Misha asks, tell her she's welcome if she doesn't chatter on and on about some guy that caught her glance as she walked down the street to buy groceries for her grandma because she fractured her hips while 'falling' on her grandfather."

"You... remember it even now," Eina sighs with a fond smile, "I will tell her."

"Then we should leave." Rose nods and finishes her glass of juice just like Eina.

As Jackal gets the door for them, Rose turns around and looks at him, "One more thing."

With a rather elegant sway of her tail, Rose asserts, "You are no longer my coworker... no need to regard me as Senpai. Just call me Rose."

"Rose it is," Jackal grins.

"And..." looking at him seriously with a gaze all too knowing, she whispers, "Stay safe. And never lose the caution we advise others to have."

Leave it to a werewolf to sniff things out despite being clean. Nodding eagerly, Jackal doesn't try to hide it when he's already caught, "Of course!"

Rose hums audibly and leaves while Eina looks back inquisitively.

***

Alternate Title: First Dungeon Run; Beyond Goblin!; The Ax Bringer!; Eina a Day Keeps Sadness Away; The Floof Senpai; Fatal Growth; The Consumer of Dungeon!

***

Rose Fannett