Chapter 4

I have ten D-cans in front of me.

They didn't come from a treasure chest.

I bought them.

With the money I got from exchanging D-coins.

They were said to sell for 1000 yen, but on online auctions, they usually went for around 5000 yen (including shipping).

A set of ten was listed for an immediate purchase price of 50,000 yen, so I bought it immediately.

That's what arrived today.

Of course, I don't know how to open them.

However, my dungeon life started with D-cans, so I thought I'd buy a few as a good omen.

I looked it up online, and it seems the contents of D-cans are not related to the floor.

Sometimes rare items appear in D-cans on the first floor, and sometimes erasers are found in D-cans on deeper floors.

The common point is that the contents fit inside the can, but there are also rumors of items larger than D-cans appearing.

By the way, this can is very sturdy and can withstand the force of a nuclear explosion. There was an attempt to use it as armor, but it didn't work out.

This can disperses impact.

For example, if it's protecting your neck, the impact it receives is all transferred to your neck. If it's protecting your chest, the impact is transferred to your chest.

It might be effective in protecting against slashing attacks, but since the full force of the slash is transferred, it ends up being the same as being slashed.

So it's not usable.

And there's another report about D-cans.

On Saturday, I pushed myself to grow to level 10, and I finally got my first skill.

Skills are learned with a certain probability when you level up.

The higher the level, the easier it is to learn skills. The probability of learning a skill by level 10 is less than 10%, so I'm lucky.

Maybe my high luck value is at work?

The skill I learned is Presence Detection.

Surprisingly, it can detect not only monsters but also people and treasure chests.

This will make slime hunting much easier.

Well, I don't need to hunt slimes anymore.

――――――――――――――――――

Ichino Taira: Level 10

Exchange Amount: 9251D (Ranking: 10K-50K [JPN])

HP: 52/52

MP: 0/0

Attack: 30

Defense: 28

Skill: 29

Agility: 24

Luck: 138

Skills: PD Generation, Presence Detection

――――――――――――――――――

By the way, I've gotten 30 bottles of slime wine so far.

One for my father, one sold to the shop, and the rest sold through the auction via the exchange.

The first auction was held yesterday, and it seems to have been sold for around 200,000 yen on average.

One person listed it for a minimum bid of 600,000 yen, but no one bid because Danpon added 20 bottles of slime wine to the next auction's listing.

Maybe it was the blonde guy at the shop.

This time it sold for 200,000 yen, but if I can steadily sell slime wine, the price will gradually go down.

"Danpon! I made it to level 10!"

"Congratulations! I also got all 8 Gym Badges!"

"Congratulations to you too!"

You're always playing games.

The time for breaks has increased, and the time I spend talking to Danpon has also increased.

Since I got permission to use informal language, I feel we've become even closer.

I'd like to play Pokémon with him and exchange or battle, but I can't bring a Game Boy into the dungeon.

"Danpon, I want a level 10 certificate. With my name and nationality, but no birthdate."

"The fee for issuing a certificate is 20D."

"Okay, I'll take it."

"Should I only write the level? Do you want the skill written too?"

"Um, please write Presence Detection too."

A certificate is a card that proves your level and skills.

If you request a full certificate, it can be used as an official ID for various procedures.

It's a document that's valid internationally, like a passport. In fact, top-level explorers use it as a passport.

It's made with otherworldly technology that can't be forged, so it's only natural.

I needed it to enter the second floor of the Umeda Dungeon.

This card is issued by Danpon, so it can be issued immediately, unlike the registration card for dungeon-produced firearms and swords.

"Here you go."

It's a certificate with a photo.

It only has my name, level, and the Presence Detection skill written on it.

It can't be used as an ID, but it's enough to enter the second floor of the Umeda Dungeon.

"I'll set it up to connect to the Umeda Dungeon again tomorrow."

"Yes."

Danpon says with a smile.

It moves more like a slime than the slimes in the dungeon.

"By the way, can I retrieve the sword I entrusted to you from the Umeda D exchange?"

"Yes, I'm processing it."

"Thanks."

The weapons Danpon holds are stored in a separate dimension, and he can retrieve them from anywhere.

Scholars around the world are studying the theory behind it, but it hasn't been solved yet.

Swinging a sword suddenly in a place with other people would be dangerous, so I'll start with some sword practice here to get used to it.

I bought a belt to hold a sword sheath from the shop, so the equipment is fine.

I immediately detected the presence of a slime.

Presence Detection is really convenient.

So, I went in the direction of the presence and found a slime.

I swung down from above, just like when I used a club.

"Huh?"

I thought the sword would cut it cleanly, but it looked like it was being crushed.

I imagined a master of iaido cutting through a straw dummy, but this is different.

Maybe the blade isn't sharp enough.

It's a sword from a first-floor treasure chest, so it's not that strong.

I'll call it a Slime Sword.

It feels more like a sturdy club.

"Another one."

It's slime wine.

This... I'll give it to my father as a gift tomorrow.

He likes alcohol, but he didn't drink the slime wine I gave him last time.

Well, I'll wrap up early since I have to leave early tomorrow.

The next morning, I woke up at 5 AM.

To be honest, I'm sleep-deprived.

It's all because of that web novel. I thought I'd read a little to fall asleep, but the clock hands were both pointing up.

If I keep this up, I'll miss my train due to sleep deprivation.

"Right!"

I went to the yard and brought out the PD I turned off yesterday.

Danpon was there again today.

"Huh? Taira, you're not connected to Umeda D?"

"Sorry, I'll rest a bit before leaving."

"Oh, I see. Got it."

I got into my sleeping bag and started snoring on the pillow.

I don't know how long I slept, but my sleep deprivation was gone, and I arrived in Umeda.

It takes 30 minutes by train, but I've come here so many times.

The balance on my transportation IC card is getting low, so I'll recharge it.

I set up the PD in the same place as last time, and then Umeda D arrived.

There's a long line today too.

People are coming out of the dungeon. They must be the night shift. Good work.

I went to the entrance for level 10 and above.

There's not much of a line here.

After all, to reach level 10, you need to visit the dungeon 600 times in a day for 8 hours.

It's difficult for people who work regular jobs.

There are probably few explorers who seriously aim for level 10.

By the way, the entrance fee for the second floor is 3000 yen, which is a bit expensive.

And although there are few people in line, the line doesn't move at all.

After about ten minutes, everyone moves at once and goes to the reception.

"Please."

"Welcome. Is this your first time exploring the second floor of the Umeda Dungeon?"

"Yes, it's my first time."

"Then I'll explain the exploration of the second floor. Monster hunting on the second floor is done in a completely rotational system. You can freely explore the designated area. The time limit is one hour, and you can challenge it twice a day. The area explanation will be given after everyone is ready. The main monsters on the second floor are walking mushrooms and slimes, but occasionally goblins appear. Goblins are more aggressive compared to slimes and walking mushrooms, and they initially appear with a wooden stick but may steal and use weapons left by explorers, so don't leave your equipment unattended. If an accident occurs due to a stolen sword, you may be held responsible."

"Understood—"

My sword, though dull, is still a dangerous weapon.

I need to be careful with it.

Additionally, I received instructions on what to watch out for when fighting walking mushrooms.

"That's the end of the explanation. Do you have any questions?"

"Can I leave in the middle?"

"Basically, we ask you not to. If you cross other areas while heading to the exit, it will inconvenience other explorers. Is there a possibility you might leave in the middle?"

"I might go back if it's too tough for my first time."

"In that case, we'll assign you to an area near the exit. You can leave from there, and staff will be nearby if anything happens."

"Really? Thank you. Ah, where can I retrieve the weapons I entrusted?"

"Weapons can be retrieved in the waiting room."

The reception ended, and I paid 3000 yen.

In the waiting room, 15 explorers were waiting.

Unlike the people on the first floor, some of them were properly equipped.

There was also an exchange.

A human male was working, unlike Danpon.

Since everyone had weapons, I decided to retrieve mine after putting my luggage in a coin locker.

"Excuse me, I'd like to retrieve the weapon I entrusted."

"Sure. Please show your explorer card or certificate."

"Here you go."

I showed the level 10 certificate I just got.

"Mr. Ichino Taira, right? Which weapon would you like to retrieve?"

"The sword."

"It's an iron sword. Here you go."

The receptionist took the iron sword out of the box.

Apparently, that box is connected to the space where Danpon stores weapons.

I sheathed the sword and sat down.

It felt like a hospital waiting room.

"Hey, are you a college student too?"

A young red-haired man next to me spoke.

He's probably an Awakened.

He's handsome.

He's probably wearing makeup too.

"Something like that."

College student and high school student. Yeah, they're similar.

"Got it. I'm Haru. Haru Shou. First time on the second floor."

"I'm Ichino Taira. Also my first time."

"………sigh"

He sighed deeply for some reason.

Did I say something that bothered him?

"Guess you don't know me. I have 5000 subscribers on MyTube, but it's still not enough."

"Wow…"

"Ah, you probably think 5000 subscribers isn't much? But it's impressive for a dungeon streamer who can't even enter the second floor."

"Well, slime hunting videos aren't very exciting. By the way, how much do you make from ads?"

"Out came the Osaka bad habit. But you're curious, right? I make about 10,000 yen per video."

It's a lot of money for a high school student, but how about for a college student?

Dungeon exploration live streams are supposed to be done in pairs, so it's not the money you get alone.

"So, how about you become a dungeon streamer in my company? It's a small company with only two people, but you have potential. I'll lend you a streaming crystal for free."

"No, I'm not interested in that."

"Got it, that's a shame. But I'll give you my card in case you change your mind."

Haru gave me his card.

A dungeon streamer, huh.

If I streamed the PD, it would probably be too dangerous.

After that, Haru didn't try to recruit me anymore and just chatted with me.

Then it was time to explore the second floor.

Everyone started moving,

We passed by the first-floor explorers waiting for slimes to spawn and went down the stairs to the second floor.

My exploration area is right at the entrance.

By the way, the area closest to the entrance is the least popular.

Because when everyone moves deeper, they kill monsters as they go.

You can feel the monsters being killed.

It's fine with me.

I can fight to my heart's content with the PD, so I'll just do my best here.

I felt the presence of a monster.

It's a walking mushroom.

A medium-sized mushroom with legs like an enoki mushroom is running towards me.

Its attack method is a body slam.

When fighting a male, it aims for the vital points, so be careful.

It drops a mushroom, but you can't tell if it's poisonous or not just by looking at it, so you need to have it appraised before taking it home.

The appraisal is expensive and takes time, so if you don't plan to take it home, you should submit it to the exchange.

They buy it for 500 yen per mushroom.

The drop rate is said to be low, but—

"It appeared right away."

I smashed it with my sword, and a red mushroom and D-coins dropped. It looks poisonous, but apparently all the mushrooms are this color.

I picked up the mushroom and put it in my backpack.

Then I resumed exploring.

A slime appeared.

It's a different color.

Red.

It's a red slime.

I killed it.

I can't tell the difference from the normal blue slimes.

Both can be killed in one hit.

If this is a red slime, maybe the ones I usually hunt are blue slimes? But they're still slimes.

Ah, slime wine dropped.

I put it in my leather bag.

The bag is quite large, so there's plenty of room.

I wanted to fight a goblin, but only walking mushrooms and red slimes appeared.

Goblins are rare, so it can't be helped.

The time limit is almost up.

They said walking mushrooms rarely drop mushrooms, but I got 20 out of 23.

The drop rate is said to be 60%, but maybe I'm just a bit luckier than others?

I only got one bottle of slime wine, though.

When the time limit was up, a bell rang in the dungeon.

I headed for the exit.

I left the dungeon, passing by the first-floor explorers waiting for slimes to spawn, and went to the waiting room for level 10 and above explorers.

I exchanged my items first.

"Please."

I'll give the D-coins to the PD Danpon, so I only need to exchange the mushrooms.

20 in total.

It should be exactly 10,000 yen.

"Really?!"

"Yes."

"U... Understood."

The receptionist seemed surprised.

Usually, it's better to exchange all the mushrooms according to the information site, but maybe it's normal to have them appraised and take them home?

But the appraisal fee is 5000 yen, and if the result is,

"It's an edible mushroom. It's not very tasty, though."

That would be disappointing.

So I'll sell them all.

"Would you like to exchange D-coins too?"

"I'll do that together."

"Understood. It will take a moment to process the payment for the mushrooms, so please wait."

Just as I put the slime wine in my bag, the others started returning.

I thought about greeting Haru, but I was hungry.

I took out my phone from my bag to check the time.

8 AM in the morning.

It ended earlier than I thought.

I'll look for a cafe that serves breakfast and have a meal.

※ ※ ※

'Senior, do you think a new second-floor explorer would bring 20 mushrooms?'

'That's impossible. First, it's rare to kill 20 walking mushrooms in an hour on the second floor. Walking mushrooms are quickly eaten by red slimes, so it's difficult to hunt efficiently. Plus, the minimum luck value for mushrooms to drop is 80, and the average luck value for second-floor explorers is around 9, so the drop rate is about 3%. The drop rate increases to 60% with a luck value over 80, but there's no way such a lucky explorer would be on the second floor.'

'But, actually—'

'That's enough. We can't leak information about explorers' exchange items, even to colleagues. That's the rule for dungeon staff. We just need to send the items explorers bring to the higher-ups.'

'...Yes, you're right.'

'Anyway, send the mushrooms up. By the way, the drops from explorers with low luck values are usually poisonous mushrooms.'

If you found this interesting and want to read more, please bookmark and rate it.