Chapter 1

This is a dungeon-themed story.

The theme is what would happen if dungeons suddenly appeared in modern society.

When I heard that story, I glanced at the calendar to check the date. I, Kusanagi Daiki, thought it shouldn't be a bad day.

As I was eating breakfast and watching the morning TV news as usual, a short electronic sound rang out, and a breaking news ticker appeared at the top of the screen. It was unusual, or rather, the first time I had seen it, advising viewers to tune in for an emergency government broadcast in five minutes.

Exactly five minutes after the breaking news, the image of a government spokesperson appeared on the TV screen. Even when I changed the channel, the same image was shown on every station. The camera focused on the spokesperson, who, with a composed expression, delivered the first words that would alter the consciousness of many citizens.

"Multiple large-scale underground structures, commonly known as dungeons, have appeared within our country's territory."

I'm sure that at that moment, time must have stopped throughout Japan. My father, Daisuke, and my mother, Michi, who were watching TV with me, and my younger sister, Mika, who is one year younger, were all staring at the TV screen with wide eyes, chopsticks in hand.

"I understand that this sudden news may be shocking and hard to believe, but this is the official conclusion of the government after multiple confirmations. I will repeat: multiple dungeons have appeared within our country's territory."

It seems I didn't mishear.

My parents exchanged glances with mechanical movements, their faces showing disbelief, but my sister looked excited, her eyes shining and her ponytail swaying. Yeah, she's in her third year of junior high school... right in the middle of her "middle school second-year syndrome."

While I was in a state of denial, the spokesperson continued the report about the dungeons.

"Furthermore, similar dungeons have appeared in various countries around the world. The cause of their appearance is unknown, but it has been confirmed that aggressive unidentified life forms, commonly known as monsters, inhabit the dungeons. As a result, the Self-Defense Forces have been dispatched to the dungeons within our territory to restrict civilian entry and seal the entrances."

Yeah, that's the kind of response the government would take. If civilians entered the dungeons on their own and got injured or killed, it would somehow become a national responsibility issue.

"Currently, the Self-Defense Forces are conducting investigations inside the dungeons. From what we know so far, the interiors are vast and harsh environments with confirmed dangers such as traps and aggressive monsters. Therefore, if you discover a dungeon that the government has not yet identified, do not enter it casually. Report it immediately to the police or other public authorities. It is dangerous, so do not enter the dungeons out of curiosity."

Hmm, is this a joke...?

Well, the government probably doesn't have that intention, but there will definitely be a few idiots who ignore the warnings and enter the dungeons. This is probably a precautionary measure in case something happens. The government can say they warned people in advance, so if they enter the dungeons and get injured or killed, it's their own responsibility.

"The government repeats..."

After that, the emergency government broadcast ended after the spokesperson repeated the same content three times.

"Hey, hey, big brother! Did you hear that? Dungeons!"

As I was confused about how to react to the unexpected government broadcast, my sister Mika stood up with her chopsticks in hand and started talking excitedly.

"What are dungeons like!?"

"How should I know? From what I heard on TV, they seem to be very dangerous places. And Mika, sit down or put down your chopsticks. The miso soup is dripping."

"Oops, sorry."

Mika calmed down and sat back in her chair, looking a bit deflated.

What's so exciting about this? Just because dungeons have appeared doesn't mean the lives of ordinary citizens will suddenly change. Well, it depends on the results of the Self-Defense Forces' investigations.

"Dungeons... I want to go once."

"Mika, stop saying silly things and finish your breakfast. You'll be late for school."

"Ah, okay."

My mother scolded Mika for saying silly things. The government rarely does an emergency broadcast to warn about the dangers, so it's probably best to avoid getting involved unless absolutely necessary. I'm not sure if Mika will calm down, but I hope I've made my point.

What does she plan to do if she enters a dungeon? As the TV said, there are monsters and traps. Does she know how to deal with them? The traps I think of are like the ones in movies and dramas, and I don't know how to disarm or handle them. I don't know the types or sizes of the monsters, but how do you deal with something that attacks you with the intent to kill? Are you supposed to fight back and kill them? No way, no way, no way. I've never even dealt with pest control, let alone suddenly be able to do something like that without hesitation.

"Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu!"

Despite the unexpected broadcast, our family finished breakfast. Since we still had a bit of time before school, I decided to look up some information about the dungeons. I went back to my room and turned on my PC.

"Hmm?"

As I skimmed through the online news, I found that multiple related articles were already circulating.

According to the news, the dungeons appeared in Japan at midnight. At the same time, dungeons appeared in various countries around the world. Because it was midnight, Japan initially didn't notice the dungeons, but they became aware after receiving a notification from the United States. The government conducted a preliminary check and, realizing the severity of the situation, established an emergency response headquarters at the Crisis Management Center. They dispatched the police to investigate the dungeons, confirmed their existence, and began considering the deployment of the Self-Defense Forces. However, during the government's deliberations, news came that an overseas investigation team that had entered a dungeon had been wiped out. In response, the government decided to deploy the Self-Defense Forces to seal and investigate the dungeons.

"This is the same content as the government broadcast earlier..."

At this stage, they can only release non-controversial information.

I want to look into it more, but school is approaching. I'll check it again when I get back.

I turned off my PC and started preparing for school.

"Let's see, the first class today is math..."

While checking my schedule and packing my school bag, I opened the bottom drawer of my study desk to get the sketch set for today's art class.

"...Huh?"

Inside the drawer, a room as large as a school special classroom was spread out, illuminated by flickering lamps embedded in the walls. In the center of the room, about 3 meters below the drawer, a blob of amorphous, squishy material was moving.

Silently closing the drawer, I thought I was fine.

"Yeah, let's calm down. This is my room, and this is the study desk I've been using since elementary school, right?"

I shook my head slightly and tried to list the current situation with a trembling voice to clear my confused mind. But opening the drawer to find a stone-paved room inside... I had no idea what was going on.

I took deep breaths to compose myself.

"Um, could this be... a dungeon?"

Until yesterday, there was nothing unusual about my desk, but today, when I opened it, it was like this. The only reason I could think of was one.

If that's the case, that thing is a monster... but, it's a slime!

"Wait, wait, wait! Why is a dungeon appearing in my room!? Dungeons are supposed to appear with decorated gates, right!?"

The dungeons shown in the government broadcast had dome-shaped structures with unknown hieroglyph-like patterns. They were definitely not small enough to fit in a desk drawer.

Yet, there was a dungeon in my desk drawer in my room. Hoping it was a mistake, I opened the drawer again.

But...

"...It's not a mistake."

A sigh escaped my lips.

Inside the drawer, the slime was still there. Upon closer inspection, I could see a black sphere in the center of its translucent body.

"In fantasy, that black sphere is the slime's core, and breaking it should defeat it... but I don't want to touch it."

It looks like touching it would cause poisoning or paralysis. I don't know what will happen if I touch or approach something with unknown properties and ecology. At best, it might just be an injury, but at worst, I could become a carrier of a contagious virus.

I don't want to be the source of a biohazard.

"For now, let's pretend I didn't see it. I might be late for school."

I gently closed the drawer.

I gave up on the missing sketch set and packed my school bag with other materials, then left my room with heavy steps.

Dragging my feet like lead, I entered the living room, where Mika was watching TV.

"Huh? What's wrong, big brother? You look really tired..."

"No, it's nothing. Just a bit..."

"Hmm?"

The TV was showing a special news program analyzing the government broadcast. Self-proclaimed experts were presenting unclear theories and engaging in heated debates.

Just listening to a bit of the conversation, it was the usual stuff: whether the Self-Defense Forces' deployment for law and order is a problem, whether the government's monopoly on dungeons is illegal, and so on. It didn't seem like there would be any useful information for me, who had a dungeon appear in my room.

"You two, it's time to go to school. You'll be late."

"Okay."

"Got it."

Prompted by my mother, my sister and I headed to the front door with our school bags. Honestly, I didn't want to go to school.

"See you later!"

"See you."

Compared to my sister's energetic voice, mine was extremely low.

As I left the house and looked back at it from the road, I thought I saw something like miasma leaking from my room, but it might have been an optical illusion.

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