(A): Right when you begin the game, turn around and strike the left wall until you break a hole in it to reveal a hidden item, bamboo. Collect it to add 30 seconds onto the clock. Turn return to the right, and begin to battle your way through the first few orcs. Watch our for slime which drops from the ceiling or pops out of pots.
(B): If you decide to open the first treasure chest, you'll find that it's booby trapped. Watch out for the pillar of flames that erupt from the ground. When you leap to the first column, a pair of bats will appear. Be prepared to remove them, as well as the snake hanging from the column to your right. Then head over to the second chest where you'll actually find some treasure. Unfortunately, there's a fire trap on the wall to the right so don't hang around the treasure after you collect it.
(C): After climbing up the pillar, you will reach the first decision point in your journey. The red arrows direct you along the shortest path through the stage, while the gray arrows indicate a more optional route which you can take to find more treasure, as well as more dangerous challenges. If your aim is to afford weapon power-ups, exploring the optional paths is a very good idea. If you travel to the right, watch out for slime which drops from the ceiling, and the fiery blasts thrown at you from above by Fire Demons.
(D): The doorway to the right here is the entrance to a dungeon. Dungeons are short optional sections where you might find more treasure. If you choose to enter one, you only get one chance to explore it. If you survive and exit the dungeon, or if you happen to die in one, you will be returned to the stage and the door the dungeon will be forever closed. The dungeon map is shown below:
(E): Just like the beginning of the stage, be sure to turn around and strike the left wall to find a hidden item. This time it will be a Mobi-chan, which grants you 10,000 points. This should help put you closer to the first health increase at 20,000 points. Then proceed to the right through the dungeons, rescuing the two frozen captives as you go along. Watch out for the skeletons that begin to pop out of the ground. Collect the POW near the end to destroy the last few orcs before you exit.
(F): Watch out for the Fire Demon waiting for you here. Strike fast and frequently to remove him from where he stands. Be careful, as there is a large plant that rises quickly out of the ground just to left of the demon. Once again, you have a choice. You can proceed up to the end of the stage, or you can explore the area to the left for more treasure. You'll find another Fire Demon blocking the path to another captive who will reward you with 100 Zenny for freeing him.
(G): You'll have to dodge some bats and a snake above before you can reach the platform with a captive on it. This particular captive has a shop. Be sure to visit it before you leave the stage. You should definitely have enough Zenny to purchase the first weapon upgrade. Buy the Level 2 chain whip. You shouldn't need anything else at this time. Before you leave the area, be sure to strike the wall behind where the captive stood; it contains an elephant which grants you a nice 500 Zenny boost. You cannot actually obtain this item before you visit the shop. You risk losing it by revealing it before you shop.
(H): After fighting against a particularly stubborn orc, you will reach the top of the staircase. Jumping over to the right will put you in the lair of the first stage boss. Make sure you are ready before you leap.
Boss: Two Stone Heads[edit]
The boss of this stage consists of two stone heads which hop around the area in an attempt to land on you and crush you. The stone head on top has purple eyes while the one on the bottom has orange eyes. To defeat them, you must strike them repeatedly. As they take damage, they will begin to crack until they finally crumble. Hitting them will frequently cause them to bounce. You need to defend yourself from both of their attacks, but the only head that you are required to defeat is the one with orange eyes. If you defeat this one before you defeat the one with purple eyes, the battle will end immediately and you will advance to the next stage. Defeating the one with purple eyes only reduces that amount of threat that you face. Once you destroy the orange eyed face, you will receive a bonus reward of 300 Zenny. Additionally, if your armor was reduced below level 2, or destroyed, your armor will be restored to level 2.