Chapter 1

4/21

Due to the small number of dungeons in Japan, it was decided to increase them.

Original: "In Japan, five were discovered in Iwate, Chiba, Osaka, Kochi, and Kagoshima."

↓ Correction

Revised: "In Japan, ten were discovered in Hokkaido, Iwate, Niigata, Chiba, Tokyo, Toyama, Osaka, Shimane, Kochi, and Kagoshima."

Level Adjustment

Original: Male: 25lv Female: 24lv

↓ Correction

No level display.

In the large cave chamber, a man-like figure about three meters tall with a bull's head is casually swinging a large axe, which seems disproportionate to his massive body, at a single man.

The bull-headed figure is called a Minotaur. It is the boss of the 15th floor of this dungeon and possesses the power to easily annihilate a group of four Self-Defense Force members who had already cleared another dungeon.

However, the axe never hits the man in front of him.

The man, using short daggers in both hands, deflects the deadly slashes, which are swung with terrifying force, by striking the side of the axe from the side while it is still moving slowly. It is unclear how much force he is using, but occasionally the Minotaur is blown away by the momentum of its own weapon.

Against the rampaging Minotaur, the man sways on the spot and deflects the axe's side with his daggers, avoiding it. Thanks to this, while the Minotaur, with its overwhelming physique, shows signs of fatigue, the man remains calm.

"Alright, big brother."

When the man hears the relaxed voice of a woman from behind, he throws his daggers at the Minotaur's eyes.

"【Impact】!"

The woman's clear voice echoes through the cave, and the explosion that occurs in the space next to the Minotaur and the man instantly assaults them, eroding their bodies.

The woman has just used a type of magic known as an explosion, one of the magic skills that focuses solely on firepower.

The explosion removes one of the Minotaur's arms, and by the time the smoke clears, the Minotaur is covered in wounds. However, it shows no signs of dying and, perhaps enraged by the pain it has received, raises its axe to strike the woman who cast the spell.

However, a magic circle appears on the ground, and thorns emerge to bind the Minotaur.

This skill, called 【Bind】, is designed to temporarily hinder the movement of weak enemies. Despite its apparent lack of power to stop the Minotaur, it successfully immobilizes it.

In the next moment, a sharp blade runs through the Minotaur's neck, severing it from its body.

The decapitated Minotaur leaves behind a large axe and a kilogram of meat before dissipating into a black mist.

Behind it stands the man who was supposed to have been destroyed by the explosion along with the Minotaur, holding a large scythe.

"Clear! We've met today's quota. Good job, big brother!"

The girl who just cast Impact speaks in a bright voice without changing her expression, holding a morning star, a spiked ball attached to a rod, and approaches the man with the scythe.

"Good job. Man, for a boss, it sure doesn't drop much. Just meat and an axe. Who's going to use such a huge axe? Besides, we already have one. The Self-Defense Force will cry when they clear it and get nothing but a huge axe and some meat as a reward. And the axe is just iron. I don't know how to compare metals, but still."

"Well, at least on the first clear, you get a weapon that suits you, so it's not bad, right? Anyway, let's go home. Today's dinner is Minotaur meat. It's tastier than beef, so you won't get tired of it. Did you level up?"

"Yeah, I did. The government decided that with four people at twice the floor level, they could barely beat the boss. Even then, it's not enough. And it's hard to level up."

"That's because of our classes. Ugh, thinking about it makes me irritated. Big brother, shall we hunt a bit more? I'll take the front. My level hasn't gone up."

"Man, really? Since it won't go up today anyway, I want to go home."

Despite his complaints, the man easily lifts the one-meter-long axe with a "yo-ho" and puts it into a small pouch on his waist. The axe, which should not fit into the pouch, is neatly stored, and no one questions this.

The two of them, despite being in a dungeon, engage in idle chatter and eventually descend to the lower levels.

The door to the dungeon room, where a fierce battle had just taken place, closes naturally, and nothing remains after they leave.

On August 1, something suddenly happened on Earth. Many holes appeared in countries around the world.

People who entered the holes never returned, and police investigations were conducted.

Inside were green, child-like creatures, translucent moving slime, and robot-like beings made of earth.

Once inside, all electronic devices stopped working. In this situation, the police, who could no longer use their guns, were overwhelmed.

As a result, most of those who entered the holes disappeared, and only a handful survived.

In response, the government quickly took action, and a sweep operation by the Self-Defense Force was decided.

Since heavy weapons and electricity could not be used, ten Self-Defense Force members, who excelled in close combat, attempted to enter the cave, but most of them did not return.

While the government was responding, the cave suddenly revealed its teeth.

Hundreds of unidentified mysterious creatures, UMA, emerged from the cave and attacked the waiting Self-Defense Force members and civilians.

These few hundred creatures simultaneously attacked the world, causing minimal damage to advanced countries but major chaos in developing countries, leading to political paralysis.

However, this brought more than just damage. The UMA were eliminated by the overwhelming firepower of heavy weapons, and the front line was pushed back to the dungeon. However, a problem arose. Once inside the dungeon, guns could no longer be fired. The front line, which relied on guns, could not advance further.

While the Self-Defense Force members were panicking, the UMA pushed back and killed those inside. The team that entered the dungeon was almost entirely wiped out, leaving only one person at the back.

This person, being a geek, quickly reached the conclusion that modern weapons could not be used inside the dungeon and that physical attacks received a bonus. Understanding the meaning of the information displayed in his head upon entering the dungeon, he switched to using the bayonet attached to the gun and striking with the stock.

At first, the battles were close, but as he killed a few, his movements became easier. As he continued to kill, his movements improved even more. Eventually, the UMA around him disappeared. The member immediately left the dungeon and reported back. This was the first successful return from a proper dungeon dive.

Inside the dungeon, guns and electricity could not be used.

Killing UMA in the dungeon using primitive methods increased one's strength.

This strength disappeared once outside the dungeon.

This information was quickly shared with other countries, and sweep operations using batons and other non-electronic weapons were conducted against the UMA, bringing the situation under control.

Thus, the event known as the "081 Disaster" was truly brought to an end.

Afterward, Japan and the United States cooperated to investigate the UMA and dungeons. The advanced technology of the United States and the otaku culture of Japan proved to be a good match. Within a week, many things were discovered.

First, while the inside of the dungeon was a long cave, digging around the entrance did not lead to the inside. The entrance to the dungeon was on a pillar about one meter in diameter, which extended from deep underground and could not be destroyed.

Additionally, it was discovered that the increased strength inside the dungeon was reduced to one-tenth outside the dungeon.

A person with a grip strength of 51, after confirming that their strength increased three times by killing UMA inside the dungeon, had a grip strength of 66. However, outside, it decreased to 52.5.

As a result, the only advantage of the dungeon at this point was that it made strength training easier. It was found that the increased strength outside the dungeon was not related to the status.

However, the government, judging that managing multiple dungeons was dangerous, sealed all dungeons except for Tokyo. When the entrances were sealed with concrete, an explosion suddenly occurred inside the dungeon, destroying the concrete and sucking in surrounding objects with a strong wind.

This led to the disappearance of the Self-Defense Force members monitoring the dungeon, and it was determined that sealing the entrance was impossible.

However, since the cause of the explosion could not be found, after several experiments, it was decided to seal the dungeon entrances inside buildings. It was found that as long as there was a space connected to the outside of the dungeon, the environment would remain stable for a week. If not, an explosion and absorption would force the entrance to open.

Thus, the buildings were equipped with sturdy doors without locks and were guarded around the clock. These buildings were named "Dungeon Dams."

As a result, the world regained safety, and the event was remembered not as a major disaster but as a supernatural phenomenon.

Suddenly, caves appeared around the world, which the government officially renamed as dungeons, and the creatures inside were called monsters.

In Japan, ten dungeons were discovered in Hokkaido, Iwate, Niigata, Chiba, Tokyo, Toyama, Osaka, Shimane, Kochi, and Kagoshima.

Monsters, which do not seem to feel the threat to their lives, do not become immobilized by pain even when attacked and continue to approach in response to sounds, making the use of heavy weapons difficult.

Inside the dungeon, all electronic devices are unusable, but the extremely weak electrical signals in the human brain are not affected.

Upon entering the dungeon, text appears in one's head, allowing the selection of a class.

The classes are: Sword, Shield, Fist, Bow, Spear, Staff, Trap, Hunter, Magic, Recovery, and Enchantment, totaling eleven.

Inside the dungeon, each person is assigned a status and level. The strength gained inside the dungeon is reduced to one-tenth outside. However, only the weight of the equipment is reduced to one-tenth outside the dungeon, so one does not get crushed upon exiting.

Skills cannot be used outside the dungeon.

Dungeon-produced equipment has a required level, and those who do not meet it cannot use it. More accurately, without the weight reduction outside the dungeon, symptoms such as dizziness, headache, and tinnitus, which do not disappear as long as the equipment is worn, make it impossible to move.

The above is an excerpt from Chapter 1, "Dungeon Basics," of "Dungeon Recommendations," published in March.

Volume 2 will be released on December 20, 2019!