Chapter 27 First Dungeon Part 04.

"Let's continue".

Soma with a renewed vigor began to resume his expedition. Picking up the scattered Mana core. He began to walk toward the straight passage that existed within the room.

As usual, he walked while observing his surroundings and tried not to be distracted by lowering his guard. He cast his gaze upfront and found a single rectangular space that was wide enough with multiple presences in it.

In the surrounding Soma could see probably five tents had been erected. A lot of other people rested their tired bodies while chattering with their party members and some of them even slept in this dangerous place.

In the novel Chronicles Saga, he read. He remembered that on every floor in the dungeon there will be a space called a Safe floor. That space was devoid of any monster and it became the pit stop for the awakeners to rest their tired physique and mental capabilities to continue exploring or maybe to go home.

Soma cast his gaze further forward and to the foremost side of the room. He could see there was a hole big enough for a human adult to get past, with its dark maw trying to entice the explorer to enter it.

"?".

Soma stepped inside the room and all of the awakeners who stayed turned their focus toward a boy who entered the dungeon floor alone without any proper weapon in hand, only a gauntlet and armor. Some of them whistled as they marveled at the courage that the boy had shown, and some of them even opened their eyes wide or covered their mouths because they couldn't believe that this boy could enter the dangerous place alone.

One of the awakeners who gasped after seeing a lone boy enter the place, snapped back as she began to approach the young boy with knitted brows.

"Hey, you?"

Soma flinched his body because he didn't think that he would get called by some stranger. He turned his gaze and soon met the eyes of the person who yelled at him.

She was a beautiful woman in her late teens, 156cm tall, and had a nice curved body wearing a distinctive white robe like a priest with a hood covering her beautiful face. Holding a cane while pointing her index finger at him.

With the sudden appearance of the woman, Soma knitted his brows as he began to put up his guard even further, showing his unwillingness to prolong this further. He resumed his walk.

The woman who was dumbfounded because of the attitude that Soma showed, opened her eyes wide, as she began to puff her cheeks and take a step closer to block Soma's advance inspecting him closer.

However, the moment when the woman took a step forward, Soma took one step back, again she took one step forward and he one step back. The woman halted her advance and looked straight at Soma.

"Hey, what are you doing here?".

"...Exploring the dungeon, of course".

Sooma hesitated at first, but he opened his mouth to answer the obvious question the woman asked.

"I know that, but what I mean is..".

"Would you please stop, Kaori".

A third party began to interrupt the conversation. It was an average man with a humble appearance standing behind the woman wearing a full set of armor plates and a single sword at his left waist approaching the two with a wry smile on his face scratching his cheeks.

He is 170cm tall, has an average appearance, and has a humble nature. But Soma had a feeling that he was not as simple as he looked.

"But Tanaka, he is alone here, how could I..".

"I know you are just worried about him, but please don't try to agitate him too much by approaching him so suddenly like that. You know the boy was clearly on guard against you".

"What!?".

The woman opened her eyes wide as if she was hearing that for the first time. She turned her attention to Soma before looking at his expression clearly and found out Soma was indeed cautious of her and he even tensed his body, creating a wall around him.

As she began to notice the boy's expression. The woman whose name was Kaori turned to Tanaka and gaped her mouth before she faced Soma and bowed her body in ninety degrees. It was such a perfect bow that was done properly as she is rather used to it and it shakes the wall for a bit.

"I am sorry for the inconvenience".

On the side, Tanaka could only smile awkwardly witnessing this familiar sight before putting his hand on Kaori's shoulder.

"I'm sorry for interrupting. My name is Tanaka Ryuu and the girl beside me is Shinjou Kaori, pleased to meet you".

"..Name Soma, pleased to meet you".

Soma could only reply curtly as he still didn't put off the wall around him. Witnessing that Soma still didn't try to open his walls for a bit made him smile wryly.

"I am sorry for what My childhood friend had done to you. She meant no harm. She is just worried about you coming to this floor alone. Are you truly alone?".

Soma closed his mouth and only nodded his head to reply to Tanaka's question. Tanaka opened his eyes wide, seeing his reply casually.

Tanaka's mind began to wander. Looking at the armor Soma wears he thought that Soma probably was a noble rich kid who tried to explore the dungeon alone only because of whim. But seeing the attitude and vigilant state Soma showed earlier, dismissed that assumption as soon as he began to wonder what Soma was doing alone in this place.

Kaori, who slipped away from anyone's attention, grabbed Soma's left hand as he began to jolt because of the sudden warm and soft sensation in his biceps and felt Kaori handling his body with care.

"Are you hurt somewhere?".

"..No, I am fine".

Soma flusteredly answered as the faint scent of flowers entered his nostril and caused his brain to halt. He tried to break free from the woman's grasp but his strength betrayed his expectation. "Strong". Soma muttered.

Even after he used the physical strength he had, Soma still couldn't let go of the woman's grasp. This was proof that the woman beside him was way stronger than him by leaps.

"Kaori that's enough"

Tanaka approached the two of them and began to grab Kaori's back collar before dragging her away from Soma. The scene was so ridiculous, it was like a stray cat clinging to a person and being removed by holding its neck that Soma had to stare at their retreating figure, dumbfounded.

"But Ryuu, he probably hurt somewhere. I need to help him now".

"Like I said, don't just invade a stranger's personal space as if nothing happened. Besides, he is fine no matter where I look, with no harm on his body and damaged equipment. His breathing is also stable and didn't have any indication that he is holding some injury, either".

Soma opened his eyes wide hearing the words that came from Tanaka's mouth. From the appearance alone he could deduce that his condition was fine with only a glance. Soma began to put another guard up as he began to be wary about the man more than the woman.

"Wait, wait, wait. I didn't mean that way. I just have a good eye for observing people that's all".

Tanaka realized that Soma was putting more walls in his heart. Flusteredly shakes his head and hand sideways. With a cold sweat that began to emerge from Tanaka temple. Soma sighed and opened his mouth.

"..I see, then".

Soma bowed his head a bit before resuming his walk, bypassing the two people near him. Trying to enter the next floor.

"Hey, how can you get here, are you alone? The first floor is a maze, and on some of them there is also a monster that emerges once at a time. How can you deal with it?".

Tanaka turned his body around, as he opened his mouth trying to prevent Soma from acting recklessly, by going to the second floor alone. Soma halted his step as he began to try to find the reason to tell them.

"..Just luck".

Soma didn't lie. He is indeed one-hundredth percent come to this place purely based on luck and a bit of instinct.

"..Luck huh, ..The first floor is pretty a complex maze for a beginner, it has many branches that will confuse the beginner and eventually lead them to the wrong way and get lost in it. But it was easy if you have the map, right. ..By the way, do you have the map for the second floor and lower?".

Tanaka began to mumble to himself but Soma could catch some words that flowed from Tanaka's mouth. Soma began to race his mind trying to figure out how to answer him in this situation.

"...No, I didn't".

"What have you done?".

Kaori reacted strongly as she began to trash away from Tanaka's grasp. But Tanaka's grip was firm and she couldn't let herself free from his grip.

Tanaka looked straight at Soma who was showing his back to them, sighing. He began to take some parchment from the bag he was holding before throwing it out at Soma.

"Here, catch this!".

Soma turned his body back and saw a parchment fly in a straight line in the air about to hit his head, he raised his right hand to block the incoming parchment by grabbing it.

"What is this?".

"It was a floor map in this dungeon".

"..Why?".

He didn't understand why Tanaka gave something this precious to a stranger, especially a stranger who always put up his guard when approaching with a good intention.

"You can keep it".

"..Why are you giving this to me?".

Tanaka paused as he began to ponder something. Lifting his corner mouth he opened his mouth.

"..Nothing, Just a hunch. Just give it back to me when you find me again. Let's go, Kaori".

"Let me go first!".

The two of them turned their back on Soma and began to walk away from the place leaving the dumbfounded Soma alone.

"..Wait".

Soma tries to chase the two but is halted by the other awakener.

"You better leave it, kid".

"Why though? This thing doesn't belong to me. I should give this to them while still having a chance, What??".

The sudden interruption made his progress stalled. Then, he turned his gaze again to look out for the two but found nothing in front of him. The man who interrupted smirks and opened his mouth.

"Heh, you better give up on pursuing those two!".

"Who are they?".

Soma turned his gaze at the man who sat on top of Matt after savoring his meals.

"I heard those two are the students from the Hero Academy, and it seems they are considered an elite there".

"Hero Academy".