Chapter 16

"Man, PDs are really convenient, aren't they?"

I moved all the cardboard boxes sent by Mr. Milk into the PD. Thanks to that, the spacious entrance of the first floor was now filled with cardboard boxes.

"PDs are not storage units, you know."

Dampun complained, but there was no other place to put them. I considered using a rental garage, but that seemed too wasteful.

"Anyway, it would be better to put them in Taira's inventory."

"It's not possible. The inventory can only hold up to 99 of the same item, except for D-coins and magic stones. Dampun, you know that, right?"

Before going to the Stone Stage Dungeon, I completed a mission to return to the surface with over 50 kilograms of drops, and inside the D-can I opened was a skill orb. By licking it, I learned the inventory skill—essentially an infinite storage or item box. The convenience of this skill lies in the fact that it can store items within a 5-meter radius without touching them. Moreover, once set, it can store items automatically without conscious effort. Therefore, it can automatically store dropped items, eliminating the need to pick them up one by one. The only drawback is that for new items, you have to pick them up yourself. Dampun explained that the inventory is like a catalog; when picking up an item already listed, you only need to change the number, but for new items, you need to add them to the catalog. Additionally, the inventory cannot store items not created in the dungeon, including water and food, so a backpack is still necessary.

"Well, let's start sorting."

Three hundred boxes of D-cans, with about 50 cans in each box, totaling around 15,000 cans. Sorting them will take a whole day.

So, I started sorting. Previously, I classified them into three categories: those that could be opened immediately, those that could be opened with some time, and those that couldn't be opened for a while. This time, I decided to classify them into four levels of difficulty and five other categories. Here are some examples:

Level 1

【Rub it three times and place it on the floor】

【Cash in 100,000 D-coins while holding this can】

【Focus sunlight with a magnifying glass and shine it on the can】

【Inspect with detailed appraisal】 (already opened)

【Have Dampun open it】

Level 2

【Wear this can on your waist and complete a full marathon】

【Wait 100 years (98 years, 11 months, 15 days, 21 hours, 19 minutes, 32 seconds remaining)】

【Receive this can as a birthday gift】

【Hold this D-can for 48 hours without sleeping】

【Take it to a place 4,000 meters above sea level】

Level 3

【Enter over 100 dungeons (currently 68)】

【Offer it at the altar on the 33rd floor of the Iriomote Island Dungeon】

【Be proposed to by multiple women】

【Collect 150 Pokémon in the Green and Red versions】

【Take it to the 50th floor of a dungeon】

Level 4

【Rank in the top 10 of the cash-in ranking】

【Learn 1,000 skills】

【Rare can with no opening conditions】

【Super rare can with no opening conditions】

Other

【Destroy a dungeon】

【Place a Philosopher's Stone on the can】

【Complete the quest: Elf's Meal】

【Tame a monster】

【Become a Dungeon God】

That's the gist of it.

Level 3 is too troublesome, Level 4 is practically impossible, and the others are just incomprehensible. I don't even know if destroying a dungeon is possible or what a Philosopher's Stone is. What's a quest? Do elves really exist? Taming monsters is said to be impossible, and becoming a Dungeon God is completely unknown. I thought 100 years was practically impossible, but if I leave the can in the PD, time will pass while I'm not in it, and it might open in a few months.

I took a few naps and managed to finish sorting. There were 3,215 cans that could be opened immediately (7 of which opened accidentally during sorting). It will still take some time, but what are rare and super rare cans? They have no opening conditions.

"That's where you use a magic can opener. It's a disposable can opener that can open any D-can, and it's found rarely in dungeons."

"I see."

Later, I found out that these magic can openers are very expensive, costing over 10 million yen each and rarely available. They must be rare items. When I have some extra money and they're available online, I'll buy one.

As for the D-cans that can be opened immediately, I thought about opening them all, but it would take too much time and spoil the fun. So, I decided to only open the ones that opened accidentally during sorting. They contained various interesting items.

【Transformation Hero Mask: A magical item that hides your true identity when worn】

It's a mask that only covers the eyes, but as a magical item, it must have some effect. The price is unknown because it's not available online. It seems like it could be misused in various ways.

【Mage's Staff: A staff that enhances magic power】

Despite the rule that only items smaller than the D-can can come out, this staff is larger. It increases the power of Hellfire, making it even harder to use magic up close. I'll have to think carefully about how to use it. The selling price is 100,000 yen.

【Hero's Elixir: A potion that instantly heals any major injury, but has no effect on the dead】

I think this is the best find. The selling price is listed as market price.

And one skill orb. Licking it, I learned a passive skill called "Super Strength," which increases attack power by 10%. It's reassuring to know that I can learn normal skills too.

Maybe more than half of the cans were good finds thanks to my luck. By the way, the dud cans contained marshmallows, dry bread, and a water bottle. The water bottle seems useful for everyday use. The water bottle and the mage's staff were larger than the can but flew out when it opened.

"Dampun, I'm going to the dungeon for a change. Can we go to the Stone Stage Dungeon up to the third floor and the Expo Park Dungeon for the fourth and fifth floors?"

"Possible. Also, you can go up to the seventh floor of the Stone Stage Dungeon."

"Huh?"

"Since Taira easily defeated the Werewolf, the friend managing the Stone Stage Dungeon gave permission to go up to the seventh floor."

"Really!? Then, can we go to the floor with the Evil Ogres in the Expo Park Dungeon!?"

"Not possible. Taira used a powerful Hellfire spell to defeat the Evil Ogres, but it can't be used again for a while. So, we can only go up to the fifth floor."

"I see. That makes sense. Then, let's go up to the seventh floor of the Stone Stage Dungeon."

So, I went to the copied floors of the Stone Stage Dungeon.

The first floor was, of course, Slimes. Boring, so I passed through quickly.

The second floor had Walking Mushrooms and Haniwa. These Haniwa were quite interesting, unlike the usual monsters. They came in various shapes—horses, soldiers, and even something like The Scream. They fly at your head, which would hurt if they hit, but catching and throwing them at the wall is a great stress reliever. The sound of them breaking is refreshing. By the way, the Haniwa drop jade magatama, which have protective properties. I threw and broke 100 Haniwa and got 50 magatama. The Walking Mushrooms always dropped mushrooms, but my inventory was full, so I moved to the third floor.

The third floor had Kobolds, Black Slimes, and Sticking Lizards. Unlike Lizardmen, these were large lizards that stuck to walls and ceilings and jumped at you. They were scary even with detection skills.

Since this floor was boring, I quickly moved to the fourth floor. I wondered what would be here, as I only researched up to the third floor. As I walked, a translucent ghost-like creature approached.

"Of all things, a Ghost!"

I ran. Ghosts are immune to physical attacks. I ran into another Ghost. This is strange; Ghosts don't usually appear in such numbers—considering the safety margin, this dungeon has the monster spawn rate set to five times normal! As I kept running, the number of Ghosts increased. Ghosts use a skill called Drain Touch, which steals life force. If all those Ghosts used Drain Touch, it would be bad. I ran back to the stairs leading to the third floor and then—

"Hellfire!"

I eliminated all the pursuing Ghosts. They dropped spirit orbs, which can be used to make accessories like magatama. My magic power was drained, so I couldn't use the same spell again. Without a magical weapon or low-cost spells, it would be difficult to progress.

I left the PD and went to the bath. After a refreshing bath, I checked my phone and found a missed call and a message. The missed call was from Mr. Milk, and the message was from Mr. Higashi. I called Mr. Milk first. He answered on the first ring. Was he waiting by the phone?

"Sorry for calling so late."

"Late? Oh, it's 10 PM now."

"Did you fall asleep?"

"No, I was just absorbed in work and lost track of time. More importantly, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. The counseling went well. Dad is just being overprotective."

"I'm just worried about you."

"I know... By the way, about the promised barbecue, how about this Sunday?"

"Ah, this Sunday... I have a plan to go to a dungeon with a friend."

"Is that so. Then—"

"Would you like to come with us? We can go for barbecue after the dungeon."

"Eh?"

"I thought it might be more comfortable for your friend to have a girl around rather than just two guys."

I said that, and Mr. Milk suddenly went quiet. Huh? Is the signal bad?

"......Taira, is your friend a girl?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'll go."

I see, he doesn't want to go with an unknown guy but might be able to make friends with a girl.

"Okay, I'll check with the friend. But she's also at a high level, so we might not be able to act together inside."

"That's fine. I leveled up to 10 when I defeated the Werewolf and became a full member of Dad's guild. Taira, you heard about that yesterday, right? The laws aren't set yet, but we can get a safety margin relaxation, so we can go up to the fifth floor."

"Got it."

He seems unusually motivated. We decided on the meeting time and hung up.

Then, I checked the message from Mr. Higashi. It was about confirming the meeting place for Sunday and that he had made a bento for me as a thank you for the lunch I bought him last time. I felt bad for the trouble, so I sent a thank-you message. He immediately replied, "You're welcome. I'm looking forward to it." Mr. Milk and Mr. Higashi—do high school girls always reply immediately? When I asked if I could invite a friend to the dungeon, there was no reply. It was strange because he usually replies instantly. Then, 15 minutes later, "I welcome any friend of Mr. Ichino." Maybe he was in the bath? After that, I checked the Stone Stage Dungeon information and found a way to deal with Ghosts.

Ghosts can be defeated by throwing magatama. Once thrown, the magatama breaks, so you need to prepare multiple ones. Such a simple strategy. Information is crucial. I should also check the information for the dungeon we're going to on Sunday.

Next time, a harem situation?

We're almost at the top of the Low Fantasy Week! If you found it interesting, enjoyable, and want to see more, please consider adding it to your favorites and leaving a review.

(I made some changes to the D-can settings in Chapter 4)