There was a secondary purpose to reviewing Kid's abilities. An extra albeit entirely unspoken reason to hold an impromptu tournament in the first place.

  Van leaned back against the tree as he waited for her, having sent her a message the prior day asking her to meet him at the portal the following day at noon.

  It was now the following day, and nearly noon, when he saw that small girl arrive.

  She was a common sight in the dungeon, which was natural since it was effectively her dungeon, but she still gathered attention from the various visitors who weren't otherwise preoccupied.

  Though they all watched from a respectful distance.

  The girl was wearing her backpack and carrying a crossbow.

  Her hooded jacket had a couple patches and other signs of mending and repair that gave the young dungeon boss a somewhat pitiable look, although despite that, her performance in the tournament had done a lot to assure everyone that she wasn't a pushover.

  Even the guild had quietly begun to shift its collective opinion of her from that of a child they ought to protect to a potential future comrade.

  Van carried proof of that shift with him that day.

  "Hey, Kid. Going hunting after this?"

  "Yeah."

  "Well, I've got good news. Since you cleared enough hours in the E rank dungeon, the guild decided to review your progress, and has decided to push for your promotion. You're now a D rank adventurer. Congratulations."

  He showed her that proof: an updated version of her adventuring permit, one that reflected her new rank.

  "Oh..."

  He tried not to laugh at her reaction. The girl had always been really bad at expressing gratitude.

  He knew it wasn't funny. It was probably a behavior she learned by surviving entirely on her own. Even now, she stubbornly refused help, even though any individual guild member could easily take her in at the drop of the hat.

  A few years ago, he could have even forced it, but there had been a small movement demanding people do more for outsiders.

  Alas, while that movement had good intentions, trying to force people from other cultures to adhere to imperial living standards had caused a backlash that, in fact, succeeded in refining the Empire's laws.

  Basically, it backfired, and resulted in the exact opposite of that the movement had wanted.

  As long as there was no threat to her health or well-being, as long as Kid wanted to live the way she'd been living, he had no right to stop her.

  If an imperial child tried to move in with her, on the other hand, that would be quickly corrected.

  So her refusal to simply accept help from adults was incredibly unfortunate and no laughing matter, even if he understood her rationality.

  It's just that her troubled expression was also quite endearing.

  ***

  I had received a promotion.

  "I see. Thank you," I eventually managed as I looked over my new permit.

  However, D rank dungeons were quite threatening to ordinary people. Since I had no Skill besides Beginner, I was fairly certain I couldn't take advantage of them yet.

  "That said," Van continued, "You shouldn't go in them alone. You should also consider getting professional adventuring gear. I'd suggest a sword as a sidearm, for example, and perhaps a gun over a crossbow."

  "I can't really afford all that though."

  "I'm sure the guild will loan or sell you whatever equipment you need with a fair payment plan. Junior members get the guild's full support, since we want them to grow and succeed."

  "But I can't fix a sword or a gun if they break..."

  "Ah. There are self-repairing ones though. Well, you need to supply them with mana, but that's it."

  "Huh?"

  'Such convenient things existed?'

  "I'll look into it," I said. "After I go hunting."

  "Hmm... well, how about I take you to a D rank dungeon for today, so you can get a taste?"

  "I can't afford a high ranking adventurer to escort me..."

  Van wasn't just a typical A rank, he was one of the top A rankers in the country.

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  "It's fine, I'm not going to charge you. You're an outsider, so I'll spell it out for you. It's so I can review your capabilities, and make sure you're progressing well."

  Although I wanted to refuse anyway, since he wasn't taking no for an answer, and since there were advantages to going, I hesitantly agreed.

  It wasn't like I was the only S ranking child out there, although they were exceedingly rare. It usually happened when a kid somehow got pulled into a wild dungeon, and unlocked some powerful Skill within.

  Nevertheless, I still had a strong aversion to standing out too much.

  ***

  【Goblin Mines, Rank D Dungeon.】

  I stared at the portal.

  Goblins and their respective subraces could be seen as humanity's oldest enemy in this world. Although goblins were deemed D rank threats, hobgoblins were C ranks, orcs were B ranks, and ogres were A rank tyrants.

  Unlike humans, they didn't gain Skills, but instead could evolve up that ladder.

  I wasn't too sure how it worked though, since I hadn't planned on hunting them, perhaps ever.

  And Van had just said "You'll see" when I asked where we were going.

  Although they weren't as intelligent as humans, they nevertheless formed tribal civilizations, and were still thus a big threat to a solitary, long-living existence like me.

  The odd thing about them is that they could be found spread out across countless dungeons. They still appeared in new wild dungeons all the time.

  "Is this safe?"

  "It's fine with me around."

  I didn't feel so confident, but in we went.

  True to the dungeon's title, we arrived in a mine, complete with wooden beams and the occasional flickering torch that provided just enough light to see by.

  There was no portal back, however.

  It was an asymmetric dungeon.

  This phenomenon was quite common among higher ranking dungeons, but it could happen at any rank, even beginner dungeons. Basically, the portal in led to one spot, and the portal out was at a different spot.

  Sometimes these spots were fixed, other times they weren't. Each dungeon was basically unique.

  "We can't get back out," I mused.

  Van must have taken it as me not knowing why, and... explained what I just said.

  "Ah. It's just an asymmetric dungeon. That means the entrance and exit are in different spots. Some have chaotic entrances and exits, which means the location isn't fixed, but this one is fixed. We just have to go through the dungeon's standard route to get there."

  "Yeah, I know all that, but I don't know the standard route."

  "Don't worry, I'll guide you. There's also a publicly available map, but... there's no internet access in here, since goblins are too aggressive."

  'But I could have just got it before we came in...'

  Nevertheless, I could also escape by killing myself, as long as my Beginner skill wasn't somehow nullified... actually, I could even if it was, but it'd mean giving up on this world in the process.

  With the full depths of Skills being a mystery, there could be one that disabled other Skills, but I was oddly certain that Beginner was still in effect.

  And so we started walking the dungeon's standard completion route.

  "The goblins here have long learned the standard route too, so they mostly avoid it. However, they're aggressive and stupid, so we'll probably encounter a few anyway."

  "What do we do if a whole tribe catches us?"

  "That's not impossible, which is why you shouldn't come in alone... but they're D rank because of their social attributes, not their physical capabilities."

  Humans were said to be C ranking lifeforms without skills, and the ranking system wasn't very granular. If one lifeform was a higher rank than another, it was the same as saying the higher rank should utterly devastate the lower.

  That said, I was physically a child, so my rank was probably D too, on par with a goblin.

  These ranks aren't to be confused with adventurer ranks, which basically indicated what rank an adventurer is expected to be able to deal with. An A rank adventurer was therefore basically an S rank lifeform.

  I had no idea why they promoted me either, if you were wondering.

  ***

  The mines weren't as tight as the tunnels I'd explored at home to meet Kazzim, but I got the impression the path we were taking was a main branch through the mines.

  "What happens if there's a cave in?"

  "Ah. One of the dungeon properties prevents that sort of thing. That's also why the torches are always lit. I can send you the manual for Scan if you'd like, you can use it on dungeons too, but don't get your hopes up. It only has a 2% success rate."

  "The manual?"

  "Yes. It's basically a collection of ways people have gotten it in the past. You can get combat skills just by fighting, but combat skills are always a bit oversaturated. You could make a lot of money even with Scan I, and never have to go in a dungeon again."

  "Really?"

  "Well... once you're an adult anyway. You know, you don't have to work and make money until you are. The guild's legally obliged to cover all of your expenses while you're still a minor."

  Since there was no escape, I decided to just get it over with and tell him.

  "I'll never be an adult."

  "Huh? Sure you will be, kiddo."

  "No. I can't grow any older than this."

  "Huh? Why do you think so? Hmm... well, we can see a doctor about it later."

  "I'd rather not."

  "Why not?"

  "I don't want to become a test subject. If you try to force me..."

  "Haah... we won't force you. I understand. What if we bring a doctor to you? Don't worry, it'd be a guild doctor, so your secrets would stay safe with us... although, you know, if you're right, people will gradually start to notice anyway?"

  "That's why I told you... fine, I guess..."

  Maybe someday I'd gain a Skill that let me age, even if only in appearance.

  ***

  As we continued, I suddenly heard movement up ahead.

  It was a pair of guttural voices talking in a language I'd never heard before.

  "Something's up ahead," I whispered to Van.

  He nodded.

  "There are at least two," I continued in a hushed voice. "That's difficult for me."

  "This is why you need to get a sword... well, I'll step in if you need help. Don't worry."

  I listened for the sound of footsteps, and heard three sets, along with the rattling of metal. One set was particularly faint compared to the other two.

  It seemed they were walking the same subterranean highway that we'd been traveling, only they were coming toward us.

  I carefully moved toward one of the branching tunnels, selecting one that'd make it hard to spot. These tunnels really were like a mine, so I hid behind a wooden column.

  Van hid too.

  He hid even better than me, since I barely noticed he was still there, despite the fact he'd been right next to me up until that moment. I assumed it was a skill.

  Then I waited.

  Finally, a trio of figures came into view.

  Two matched the description of hobgoblins, having colorful, patchy skin and grotesque features. They looked like more carnivorous and predatory humans, almost. They were quite muscular too.

  Basically, I'd never want to pick a fight with them, no matter how intuitively killing things seemed to come to me.

  The third was covered in dirty robes, and seemed to be led along by a chain.

  'Is it a goblin?'

  Goblins were the size of human children, whereas hobgoblins were closer to short adults. I couldn't see the robed figure very well in the dim lighting, though.

  I decided to deem it a non-threat until proven otherwise.