The Earth-san Has Leveled Up!

1-1. The World Changed and Became a Dungeon in 0 Seconds

Was I the only one dropped here, or has the entire Earth turned into this mess?

Either way, this is definitely a dungeon.

Thrown into such a place without any warning, Meiko trembled in fear.

The dungeon’s structure was entirely made of stone—floors, walls, and ceilings.

Even though there didn’t seem to be a light source, the surroundings were oddly visible.

Shadows fell below her, suggesting light might be coming from the ceiling.

Not that a confused Meiko had the capacity to notice such fine details.

Startled, Meiko turned around and realized the hallway extended behind her as well.

For now, there were no enemies in sight.

The eerily silent corridor stretched straight ahead, wrapping her in oppressive stillness that made her break into a sweat.

Meiko quickly pulled out her smartphone to search for answers.

No signal.

“What do I do, what do I do… Ah! Of course!”

Recalling a possible hint to break free of her situation, Meiko focused intensely.

Suddenly, something appeared before her eyes.

It was the status window Earth had mentioned.

――――――

Hitsujiya Meiko

Age: 15

Job: None

Karma: +1286

Level: 0

Mana: 20

Skill

[Synthesis Enhancement]

Title

[The One Who Congratulated Earth-san]

――――――

“Probably weak…!”

Meiko was stunned.

The mana stat seemed intriguing, but her level was zero.

While having a fantasy-like skill was exciting, it seemed to be a crafting-based ability.

Would it even be useful in a dungeon when she was all alone?

“But how do you even… use a skill… huh!?”

Just as Meiko was about to question how to use her skill, a sudden surge of energy coursed through her body.

The shock made her face contort like a cat experiencing something new, but something incredible was happening in her mind.

After a moment, she regained composure.

The surge had taught her how to use [Synthesis Enhancement].

As expected, it was a crafting-based skill.

But if used well, it might be enough to navigate her current predicament.

The aftershock of the surge also gave her a better understanding of the status window.

She focused on the title [The One Who Congratulated Earth-san] to see its details.

―――――

[The One Who Congratulated Earth-san]

Thank you for blessing Earth!

All who offered blessings receive +10 Mana!

―――――

“Is +10 a lot or a little? Well, either way, I’m glad I clapped back then.”

Meiko felt grateful to the animals who had spread the blessing mood to her.

Come to think of it, the animals had all been clapping too.

Maybe animals were ahead of humans in this regard.

In fact, very few humans had blessed Earth at that moment.

Of course, on a global scale, there were some, but most were solitary individuals—cheering for Earth’s growth to brighten the gray world or those with pure hearts.

“Alright, now what should I do?”

Meiko pondered.

The place was undeniably a dungeon.

Would help arrive if she stayed here?

Or would monsters show up before help did?

How strong would those monsters be?

She knew nothing.

Living in a modern world where the internet could answer almost anything, Meiko found herself overwhelmed by the lack of guidance.

In the end, she decided to move.

She didn’t like staying here.

The hallway was about 50 meters long, with corners at both ends.

She stood right in the middle.

Whether this location was advantageous or not, it was undeniably terrifying.

So, she chose a direction and started walking.

Let’s talk about Meiko’s equipment.

First, a pristine white hoodie.

For bottoms, denim shorts paired with mismatched striped knee-high socks.

Her sneakers completed the look.

Her accessory of choice? A beloved pouch bag.

Such was the gear of Hitsujiya Meiko, a 15-year-old girl under 145 cm tall, with minimal strength—and, let’s just say, minimal assets.

Her initial equipment? Paper.

Initial stats? Probably trash—uh, paper-level.

Thus began her daunting dungeon journey.

Her first action was to retrieve something from her pouch bag.

A girl’s pouch bag can hold anything!

She pulled out scissors from a mini sewing kit.

Keeping such items handy is a fundamental rule of girl power.

Though small, the scissors were better than barehanded combat for a petite girl like Meiko.

A well-placed strike to the throat could cause significant damage.

Driven by wild survival instincts, Meiko armed herself with the small scissors.

Reverse grip, thrust!

Reverse grip, thrust!

She practiced, readying herself.

Next, she took pictures of the dungeon with her smartphone.

This was more of a casual idea—she didn’t want to risk dying for a social media post.

Even during preparation, her eyes darted cautiously to both ends of the hallway.

In a dungeon, the careless die first.

Meiko was already thinking like a seasoned dungeon traveler—even though she hadn’t moved a meter yet.

Her pouch bag also contained a notebook, tissues, a handkerchief, a bag of candy, and a bottle of tea.

She resolved to use her food and drink sparingly.

Once ready, she began walking in the direction she had initially faced.

She approached the corner cautiously and peeked around it.

Beyond the corner was a 20-meter-long straight path with nothing in sight.

“Maybe I should draw a map?”

Taking out her notebook, she started sketching a basic map with straight lines.

She marked the starting point for clarity.

After finishing the map, she put the notebook away.

It was tedious, but having a map might come in handy later.

Meiko continued exploring the dungeon like this.

Her first encounter came at the next corner.

“…!”

Peeking around the corner like before, she spotted an unfamiliar creature.

And it was fairly close.

She gasped and quickly pulled her head back.

Leaning against the wall, she calmed her breathing, ensuring the creature wouldn’t hear her.

Her earlier idea to snap photos was entirely forgotten as she focused on steadying her racing heart.

Once she felt composed, she peeked again.

The creature was about three meters away.

It looked like a balloon with springy arms ending in spheres, floating aimlessly.

It hadn’t noticed her yet.

Could she take it down?

Meiko swallowed hard.

It might not even be an enemy, but she didn’t have the luxury of assuming the best.

If dungeons and status windows were real, then so was the warning about dungeons requiring a readiness to face death.

This creature was likely an enemy sent to kill her.

Retreating to the starting point was an option, but there could be enemies there too.

This was her best shot.

One enemy.

Close range.

Unaware of her presence.

It didn’t seem too strong at a glance.

Surely the first enemy wouldn’t be impossibly powerful.

She had to try.

Resolving herself, Meiko clenched her lips and suppressed her trembling.

Gripping her small scissors tightly, she leaped out from the corner.

Without hesitation, she thrust the scissors downward at the balloon’s head.

The impact pushed the scissor handles into her palm, causing pain, but she ignored it.

The balloon fell to the ground from her strike, its springy arms flailing violently.

Pinning one arm with her foot, she stabbed it repeatedly with the scissors.

One arm hit her calf, sending sharp pain coursing through her leg.

It hurt enough to make her cry, but she knew releasing it would mean death.

Clenching her teeth, she kept stabbing.

She lost count of how many times she stabbed.

Single digits weren’t enough; she reached double digits and kept going.

Each strike felt like crushing a plastic bottle—cold and lifeless.

Yet, its flailing made it seem alive.

Just as doubt began to creep into her mind, the balloon stopped moving.

Its springy arms fell limp, and moments later, it dissolved into glowing particles.

All that remained was a spring and a small red stone.

“Ugh… Hic… Sob…”

Meiko cried.

Was it really an enemy?

Had she done something horrible?

In the unknown realm of the dungeon, where nothing was certain, Meiko could only rely on her own judgment to move forward.