Chapter 16

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In front of the gathered Class B, Instructor Sakamaki stood and began explaining the trap handling practice.

"From now on, we will begin the trap handling practice. The sets in front of you are recreations of traps that have been confirmed to appear in dungeons. I believe you have learned about the types, contents, and handling methods of traps in your lectures, so please recall them and proceed accordingly."

Instructor Sakamaki glanced at all the students and continued.

"When you delve into a dungeon, most of you will form teams. When there is someone in the team who is knowledgeable about traps, some of you might think it's fine to leave it to them. Indeed, if there is someone specialized in traps, the overall trap avoidance rate will increase. However, if that person is injured or killed, and the other members do not have the basic handling skills, the entire team will be wiped out in the dungeon."

Hearing Instructor Sakamaki's words, the faces of the Class B students became more serious.

"It's very good to see that you are taking this seriously. ... Hmm? The Class A students were approaching this practice as if it were an attraction."

It seems that Instructor Sakamaki was a bit puzzled by the difference between the expected and actual reactions of the students, perhaps still influenced by the intimidation from Instructor Kanzaki.

"Yes... Therefore, this trap handling practice is a place to gain the minimum necessary experience to protect your lives. Even though it's a simulation, if you experience the traps that are expected to appear, you will have a higher chance of dealing with them accurately in the real dungeon. Keep this in mind as you proceed with the practice. Now, let's begin. Please divide yourselves evenly in front of each set."

Following Instructor Sakamaki's instructions, the Class B students quickly formed lines as they did during the monster handling practice. After confirming that the students were properly dispersed, Instructor Sakamaki began explaining the contents of the sets.

"The sets are kept at the same light level as the inside of a dungeon, so it's dim. Be careful not to trip and fall. As a reference, if you close your eyes for about 10 seconds after entering, you should get used to it. The traps inside the sets are set up with foam and other materials to prevent injuries, but the content of the traps is equivalent to those found in dungeons. Students who fail to avoid the traps should be prepared to be injured accordingly. Also, because many students are participating in this practice, there is a time limit. When the buzzer sounds, it's over. There might be a situation where you need to retreat from a monster attack, so be careful not to be too cautious and fail to reach the end. Now, the first person in line, please enter the set."

Instructor Sakamaki concluded his speech, and the staff opened the door, guiding the students into the sets. About 30 seconds after the students entered, screams began to echo from inside the sets. The screams continued without stopping, and when the buzzer sounded, the students who came out were exhausted. After confirming the exit of the first group of students, Instructor Sakamaki called out to the next group to enter the sets. The faces of the students waiting in line became tense as they heard the continuous screams.

Finally, it was our turn.

"Then, I'll go."

"Um, what... Good luck?"

"Um, be careful?"

With a grim determination, Yuzi approached the terrifying trap practice set, where screams continued to echo. A few dozen seconds later, Yuzi's scream echoed from inside the set. Shizuka and I, with slightly pale faces, faced each other and prayed for Yuzi's well-being.

"What kind of traps are set up in there? For the screams to continue like this..."

"Indeed. They were told in advance that traps were set up, and they saw the exhausted state of the students who came out, so they should be prepared..."

The construction of the practice set was completely unknown, but the situation was far from normal. After a while, the set, which had been echoing with screams, fell silent as the buzzer sounded, and the exhausted Yuzi was expelled. Yuzi, with a hollow expression, waved to us to signal that he was okay, though honestly, I was quite shocked.

"Then, I'll go."

"..."

Shizuka, with a strained smile on her face, made it difficult for me to know what to say. Her ponytail, which swayed widely from side to side, seemed to reflect her nervousness. A few dozen seconds after Shizuka entered the practice set, screams began to echo. All I could do was pray for Shizuka's well-being...

When the buzzer sounded, Shizuka came out, swaying unsteadily, and without looking at us, sat down on the ground nearby, exhausted.

"..."

I clasped my hands in prayer. There was no other reaction I could have.

Finally, it was my turn. The modified dry container, which looked like a demonic temple from an RPG, seemed to mock me.

"Then, please do your best."

"..."

Encouraged by the staff, I stepped into the demonic temple. The inside of the practice set was dim, and I followed Instructor Sakamaki's advice, closing my eyes and counting to ten before opening them again. The lamps, which were as bright as night lights, illuminated the stone interior, creating a suitable atmosphere. Although it looked like a simple stone passage, it was impossible to take the screams of the other students at face value.

I activated my appraisal skill and looked around the set, my face contorting.

"Are you kidding me, whoever designed this?"

Indeed, as Instructor Sakamaki said, there were no traps that would cause injuries, but the way they were set up was too malicious. Activating one trap would trigger others in a chain reaction. The most malicious traps were the cutting wire-like trap near the entrance and the electric trap on the door handle at the goal. The cutting wire-like trap was set up about 20 cm above the floor, designed to trip you from behind if you activated another trap. The electric trap on the door handle was charged with a significant amount of static electricity. Clearly, this was not a level suitable for amateurs.

"Let's go."

With determination, I took a step forward. The first trap was a thin wire set at ankle height. This trap was a double trap from the start. Beyond the wire, another wire, painted black, was set up in the shadow. If you stepped over the first wire carelessly, you would trip the second one. Given the screams of the other students and the tension, few would notice this.

"Careful, careful."

Beyond the wire trap was a floor with an air cushion disguised as stone. If you jumped over the wire, you would likely lose your balance and trigger another trap. The safe area to land and avoid the air cushion was only about 30 cm wide. This was too malicious for amateurs.

The next trap was a weight sensor on the floor, which, when activated, would trigger a soft urethane rod to try to decapitate you. The sensor's range was about 1 meter, so you could jump over it, but it was a double trap. If you jumped too far, you would fall into a 50 cm wide pit covered with a rubber lid that looked like the floor.

"The designer must be a sadist!"

I jumped lightly, avoiding the weight sensor and landing just before the pit. I stopped there. Beyond the pit was a seesaw floor. If you stepped on the 30 cm wide, slightly darker center, the floor would tilt, and BB pellets would be fired from the walls. As evidence, there were black BB pellets scattered on the floor, hard to see.

"Is this even meant to be cleared?"

Shaking my head at the design of the set, I jumped over the pit and the seesaw floor, landing in a safe area.

The only trap left before the goal was the electric trap on the door handle. An invisible wall made with infrared sensors. Multiple red lights on the ceiling indicated the presence of the sensors. From this, I inferred that there were four invisible walls parallel to each other, spaced 1 meter apart. To get through, I needed to pass through the 50 cm gaps without touching the invisible walls.

"..."

I was amazed at the designer's malice but silently tackled the invisible walls. The gaps were: the first one in the center, the second one at the right end, the third one at the left end, and the fourth one with a 30 cm hook at the center, which I ignored, and passed through the main gap on the right end.

"Even at the very end, there's a hook."

I grumbled at the designer and stopped in front of the goal door.

"Exiting before the buzzer sounds will make me stand out... But..."

I hesitated. If I just left, I would stand out, but considering that I would be delving into the dungeon with Yuzi and Shizuka, it would be better to have a record of completely clearing the traps. If I cleared them, they would be more likely to believe me when I suggest the presence of traps in the real dungeon.

Weighing the pros and cons...

"Alright, let's go."

I lifted my right foot, careful not to touch the invisible walls, and lowered the lever with the electric trap, opening the goal door. When I stepped outside, I was greeted by a surprised staff member. It seemed that clearing the set before the buzzer was not expected. Well, no one thought an amateur could clear that sadistic and malicious set.

"Good job?"

"Thank you."

I replied lightly, and the staff member looked at me as if I were a strange object. I couldn't blame them, but it was a bit uncomfortable. I quickly moved away from the staff and headed towards Yuzi and Shizuka, who were lying on the ground.

"Did you really clear it before the time limit?"

"Really. What did you do?"

Yuzi and Shizuka looked at me as if I were a rare animal.

"Well, since everyone was screaming and coming out exhausted, I carefully observed the set and walked cautiously."

"But that's not something you can clear just by doing that, right?"

"Indeed. The designer must be a pure sadist."

I agreed about the designer but had only observed carefully.

"Then, do you have a good eye for traps?"

"That's what it seems."

"Seems so..."

They nodded hesitantly, looking tired. Their heads weren't working well.

"Then, leave the traps to me. I seem to be the best at this among the three of us."

"True. Daisuke did clear it."

"Right. Since you cleared it."

They looked at each other, nodded, and said in unison:

"Leave it to you (Daisuke)."

Good. I got their agreement. It might seem like I took advantage of their weakness, but I didn't want to trigger traps carelessly.

After that, we passed the time chatting while the screams from the practice set played in the background. When the practice ended, Instructor Sakamaki led the students in a cooldown stretch and gave a speech.

"Good job. This concludes all the practical training. If you felt inadequate, I recommend self-training such as strength training and jogging before delving into the dungeon. Please be careful and avoid injuries when delving into the dungeon."

Although his expression didn't show it, there was a hint of pity in Instructor Sakamaki's eyes. He probably saw the future of the gathered students. Maybe he was a former SDF member with dungeon delving experience?

Finally, he gave some administrative announcements.

"The results of the exam will be sent to you by mail. Those who pass should bring the notification and identification to the nearest Japan Dungeon Association branch for the issuance of the permit. This concludes the Special Underground Structure Armed Exploration Permit Exam. Thank you all for your hard work today."

How many of the gathered students would still be alive a year from now? As I watched the students, whose names and faces didn't match, disperse, a thought crossed my mind.

A few days later, the three of us received the passing notifications from the Japan Dungeon Association.

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We got the permits.

The next few chapters are side stories.