Chapter 2

On the day he discovered the dungeon, it was past business hours, so Seiki contacted the town hall the next day.

"I would like to register my garage, as it has turned into a dungeon."

Five years ago, if someone had heard those words, they would have thought the speaker had gone mad.

While thinking such things, Seiki became aware of the phone receiver pressed to his ear.

"Understood. I will visit your home immediately with the Self-Defense Corps."

Judging by the voice, it was probably a male staff member in his thirties or forties.

What would his younger self, who had just started working at the town hall, think if he saw his current appearance? The voice had a certain depth, as if the owner was someone who often carried such worries.

It was a very legitimate concern, Seiki thought.

By the time he finished breakfast, an armored patrol car and a fire truck had arrived in front of his house.

Seiki went outside to greet the town hall representative.

"Hello."

"Is this the dungeon? The owner is someone named Aozora, right?"

"Um..."

"Hmm, you're late. I'll call you over."

"Sorry!"

"Oh!?"

It took a loud shout for the town hall staff to finally notice Seiki's presence.

Well, it's usual, so it's fine...

Still, it hurt Seiki a little, as usual.

He had even worn a flashy red shirt, but it didn't attract any attention.

Worse, after being noticed, he might be thought of as "This guy has terrible taste."

Indeed, that was probably what people were thinking.

The surrounding gazes were cold.

"I'm very sorry. Is your name Aozora?"

"Yes."

"Excuse me, but do you have a license, Mr. Aozora?"

The license referred to the adventurer's qualification.

Seiki lightly nodded.

"Yes, I obtained it this season."

"I see. Have you already entered the dungeon?"

"No. I thought it would be better to get the proper response first."

"That's a good judgment. May we set up a barricade immediately?"

Seiki nodded, and four members of the Self-Defense Corps began to unload sandbags and barbed wire from the vehicles and started working.

The entrance to a dungeon should not be blocked in principle. If it is blocked, another entrance will appear elsewhere.

If that entrance is blocked, another will appear, and so on, in a never-ending cycle.

There is also the possibility of a stampede, which refers to a situation where monsters overflow from the dungeon. Some countries have been almost entirely ravaged by monsters due to such events, making it a highly dangerous phenomenon.

To prevent being easily overrun by a stampede, barricades made of sandbags and barbed wire are constructed.

These serve to delay the advance during emergencies.

However, barricades against monsters are only effective for buying time.

That's where the Self-Defense Corps comes in.

The Self-Defense Corps is organized from members of the police and fire departments.

They are also known as the Dungeon Countermeasures Unit.

Their role is to thin out the monsters that overflow from the dungeon.

The Self-Defense Forces also perform this task, but with over 200 dungeons in Japan, they are insufficient to cover all of them.

Therefore, the police and fire departments act as the Self-Defense Corps to assist in defense.

The four men set up the sandbags as if they felt no weight, and the speed was impressive.

They must have undergone anti-monster training.

The sandbags were placed around the garage, and barbed wire was strung over them.

At the dungeon entrance, a small door at waist level, a security camera, an IC card reader, and a retinal scanner were installed.

After the legal reforms following a stampede, the ownership of dungeons was officially recognized by the state.

In other words, entering without a license is considered trespassing.

If this were not the case, there would be many incidents where people entered for fun and met tragic ends.

—Indeed, such incidents were frequent.

So the government issued a notice: "This is my property, so don't enter!"

It was a desperate measure.

Space was reserved for the dungeon gate (the entrance to the property became quite narrow), and the barricade construction was completed.

"It's done."

It was quick. It probably hadn't been an hour since they started. Seiki was surprised by their speed.

How strong are they, he wondered.

"By the way, has anything been taken by the dungeon?"

When a dungeon appears, it has the property of swallowing anything directly above it.

In Seiki's case, since the garage was not directly touching the stairs, it wasn't swallowed, but if a person or pet had been there, they would have been erased by the dungeon.

While there are no recorded cases, a whole house could be swallowed.

Indeed, there have been cases where subway stations have turned into dungeons, so it's a high possibility.

"Actually... the snow blower was."

"That's... unfortunate."

"Yes..."

The man seemed to understand the pain of losing a snow blower.

The atmosphere suddenly turned somber, like a funeral.

"Are you going to enter now?"

"That's the plan."

"I see. Please be very careful. They say 'An adventurer must be prepared to die,' but surviving is also important."

"Yes. Thank you. Thank you always, Self-Defense Corps."

Thank you for always protecting this town.

The four men, despite having just finished their work, stood with no sign of fatigue, aligned their feet, and saluted.

However, their gazes were unfocused.

...Yeah, they still didn't see me.

It's fine, though!

After returning to his room, Seiki turned on his PC and opened a website he often visited.

"Let's Be an Adventurer!"

Commonly known as "Narou," it is a website dedicated to adventurers.

It features blogs for daily strategies, forums for various conversations, requests for monster material collection, and a wiki summarizing monsters and strategies.

Especially for beginner adventurers, the site's wiki is content that should be thoroughly read.

This is how to defeat this monster. Its weakness is this weapon.

On this floor, monsters act in groups.

On this floor of this dungeon, a rare boss sometimes appears.

Be very careful, as it's extremely strong.

Even in the most deserted dungeons, the information on the upper floors is always accurate.

The survival rate can vary greatly depending on whether this information is available. Seiki also relies on it.

However, the reason Seiki opened "Narou" this time was not to view the strategy information.

Seiki clicked on the sidebar and opened a certain page.

It was the adventurer ranking.

A page that lists individual and team rankings from daily to annual, based on points from blogs and completed requests.

While the definitions vary slightly for daily and annual rankings, those who appear on these rankings are generally called "rankers."

Becoming a ranker increases the likelihood of being approached by various companies.

By signing a contract with a company, adventurers can receive free trial equipment or kickback bags for new equipment, among other benefits.

Of course, it's not just that.

They become very noticeable!

Surely, becoming a ranker would make his thin presence more substantial.

For Seiki, being noticed was more important than offers from companies.

He wanted to escape his invisible existence!

Scrolling down the individual daily ranking, Seiki let out a deep sigh, as if his body was sinking into the floor.

"New Dungeon Discovered!"

He had posted a blog with that title last night, but it didn't appear on the ranking.

It should be a very intriguing title...

If it appeared on the ranking even once, the page views would skyrocket.

That's why he tried to earn points with the special story of a dungeon appearing in his garage.

Ah, how cruel...

No one is reading the article.

Being invisible in both reality and online.

Maybe just writing a diary isn't enough to rise in the rankings.

He felt a deep disappointment, but it was unrealistic to become a ranker.

Rankers are adventurers who excel in the middle floors and beyond, he consoled himself, and shut down his PC.

*

The next day, Seiki left home after carefully equipping his weapons and armor.

His weapon was a 30 cm combat knife purchased for 20,000 yen. It was an entry-level model made by a large company, Ichibishi Manufacturing, with the company's logo and series name engraved on the blade.

His armor consisted of a construction helmet (white) and a slightly compact leather torso, elbow and knee supports, and safety boots, totaling 10,000 yen.

None of it was specialized dungeon armor.

There was a significant disparity compared to his weapon.

Of course, there was a reason for the low price of the armor.

It wasn't because he was cheap.

He simply didn't have the money to buy better armor.

Ideally, he would have wanted to buy specialized dungeon armor.

But he had no choice due to his financial situation.

In reality, for beginners, all armor is more or less the same.

Seiki's equipment wasn't uniquely low-quality.

Except for a few high-level adventurers, most beginners are cash-strapped.

It's normal not to be able to afford dungeon-specific armor.

The problem with Seiki's equipment was his weapon.

Very few adventurers equip short swords or knives.

The reason is simple: they can't kill monsters effectively.

Fighting monsters in a dungeon is like trying to kill a bear physically.

Would anyone fight a bear with a knife?

—No, they wouldn't.

Only someone like Segal could kill a bear with a knife.

But most people are not Segal.

Therefore, weapons that can attack from a safer distance and with greater power are preferred.

According to a survey on weapon usage conducted on "Narou,"

Bow = Great Sword > Long Sword >>> Sword >>>>> Others

Bows and great swords accounted for more than half of the responses.

Incidentally, knives, short swords, and blunt weapons are categorized as "Others."

Of course, there are adventurers who fight with knives.

But it's usually only when high-level adventurers are playing or training against lower-level monsters.

That's how significant the disadvantages of short swords are.

So why did Seiki choose such an unpopular knife?

Naturally, because it would make him stand out.

If his presence was invisible, he had to stand out through appearance and style!

That's why he chose the knife, but so far, he hasn't felt any effect.

Seiki believed that his efforts would eventually pay off.

Whether it was praise, ridicule, or criticism,

If someone said, "That guy is fighting with a knife!" he would consider it a win.

He swiped his IC card at the turnstile and performed a retinal scan.

The data linked to the IC card was read, and the turnstile opened only if the retinal scan matched.

If someone tried to force their way through, the police would be immediately notified, and a large, intimidating man would arrive.

Standing on the first step of the dungeon stairs, Seiki held his hand in front of his chest.

Immediately, a tablet-like stone slab emerged from his chest.

"Of course."

Yesterday, after returning home, he had tried several times to remove the stone slab in his room, but it didn't work.

It seemed he couldn't even take it out outside the dungeon.

A limited-use magic tool that could only be used inside the dungeon.

This was the first time Seiki had seen a magic tool, let alone held one.

Magic tools are not easily obtainable by beginner adventurers.

Magic tools are rare items that occasionally appear from treasure chests in dungeons.

There are various types.

While they look different, they all have one thing in common: they exert effects beyond human knowledge.

The most famous magic tool is the Magic Bag.

An effect beyond human knowledge—despite looking like it can only hold one watermelon, it can store much more. Such a bag.

Due to its fame, it fetches astronomical prices at auctions.

Recently, it even set a record with a 30 billion yen bid, creating a buzz.

The buyer was a large company, Kawamae Industry's weapon store.

The winning bidder reportedly said in an interview,

"I plan to display it in the store to entertain customers."

Like a first melon of the season.

The next most famous is the Magic Sword.

Its effect is unknown. While the existence of magic swords is confirmed, information about their effects is not available.

The owners likely restrict the information.

Either they fear theft or the effects are too dangerous to talk about.

Some mysterious and eerie magic tools also appear.

Perhaps they are too advanced for humans, and no one knows how to use them, so they are usually sold at rock-bottom prices.

Even collectors are wary of curses and avoid them.

In any case, the Skill Board Seiki had obtained was undoubtedly one of these magic tools.

Seiki sat on the stairs and glared at the stone slab.