Chapter 31

With over 7,570 favorites and over 1,460,000 views, ranking 3rd in the genre's daily list, thank you for your support.

---

Last month, the government announced the appearance of a dungeon, and chaos ensued across Japan. Fortunately, there were no riots in Japan, and most citizens took a wait-and-see approach until accurate information was available. However, as news spread that items from dungeons in other countries were being traded at high prices, public opinion began to strongly demand that the government open the sealed dungeon to civilians. This trend of utilizing dungeons effectively began to spread, leading to a dungeon boom in Japan. The Japanese government, recognizing that they would eventually have to open the dungeon to civilians, started preparing, including legal adjustments. As a result, those selected and summoned from prefectural police departments across the country received training at a facility managed by the National Police Agency.

And one of those summoned was me, Miyata Renya, a patrol officer from the Fukuoka Prefectural Police.

"Thus, by defeating monsters that appear inside the dungeon..."

A member of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) with experience in dungeon exploration is teaching us the information currently known about the dungeon. Unfortunately, the original information is limited, and we can only understand the basics. This includes the types of monsters and traps that have been confirmed, the phenomenon called "leveling up," and the existence of drop items...

While the lecture was informative, it was short and left us somewhat unsatisfied due to the lack of information. After the lecture, we split into groups of about 20 from each prefectural police department to receive practical training. It felt like being back in the police academy.

"Now, as you heard in the lecture, firearms are not very effective in combat with monsters inside the dungeon. To explore the dungeon, it is necessary to use close-combat weapons. So, before we start the serious practical training, I want you to choose the weapon you will use."

The SDF member showed us a variety of close-combat weapons, such as swords, spears, axes, and maces, which had been placed on a mobile rack by the staff.

"First, try holding them to see which one you find easy to use. By the way, all the blades are sharpened, so be sure to check your surroundings and be careful when practicing."

We gathered around the rack and chose our weapons, eyeing each other warily. The swords and spears, which were the most eye-catching, were quickly taken by the higher-ranking seniors, and the axes and maces also disappeared for the same reason. As the lowest-ranking and youngest member, I ended up choosing last, and there was nothing good left. Nunchucks, kusarigama, pile bunkers, and drills—were these joke weapons?

"Huh? What's this..."

While the others started practicing, I looked through the remaining weapons on the rack and noticed something. It was a flat plate with a grip like a tonfa. Upon closer inspection, the plate part was covered with a hard silicone cover. Removing the cover revealed a black blade with a matte, anti-reflective finish.

The shape, with a grip on the tsuba (guard) part of the sword, was...

"Is this a blade tonfa? ...This is also a joke weapon, right! Who made this!"

Despite my complaints, I was intrigued and held the two-piece blade tonfa in both hands, trying to get a feel for it. The blade tonfa, which seemed to be made from a single piece of forged material, felt heavy but the blade was thick and seemed unlikely to break easily. When I held it as a sword, I realized it was well-made, with the center of gravity near the handle and a blood groove.

"Let's try some practice swings."

I put the silicone cover back on the blade and looked for a space where I could practice without hitting anyone. Unfortunately, the area near the rack was occupied by seniors, so I moved to the outer side and started practicing with the cover on. The blade tonfa felt surprisingly good to use, with a wider range than a knife but a narrower attack range. I was about to try other weapons when the instructor called us to gather.

"Alright, everyone has chosen their weapons. Later, you will need to fill out the weapon loan forms and submit them to the office by tomorrow."

What! Wait, seriously!? I haven't decided on this yet!

My silent protest, with a pleading look at the instructor, was ignored, and the staff quickly cleared away the rack with the remaining weapons. What should I do? Is my weapon really going to be the blade tonfa...

---

After completing the theoretical and practical training, we returned to our respective hometowns the following week. Upon returning, we were immediately loaded onto transport vehicles and taken to the dungeon that had appeared in the prefecture. After about an hour, we arrived at the dungeon entrance, which was sealed off by the SDF. The entrance was surrounded by tall fences and barbed wire, with a heavily guarded perimeter. The front gate, guarded by sentries, opened, and our transport vehicle stopped in front of a row of temporary tents.

"All personnel, get out and line up in front of the tents. We will greet the local unit commander, so be respectful."

Yasaka Kogo, the police inspector leading our team for this dungeon exploration, gave us instructions after we got out of the vehicle. We carried our gear and lined up in four rows in front of the tents. Yasaka entered the tent and returned a short while later with a middle-aged man in camouflage.

"All personnel, attention! Major Miyamoto has something to say."

At Yasaka's command, we all saluted, and Major Miyamoto returned the salute and began speaking. In summary, he warned us that the dungeon has many unexplored areas, and we should be cautious to avoid casualties. Of course, I have no intention of dying.

After the greeting, we borrowed an empty tent and began preparing for the dungeon exploration. We put on custom-made full-body protectors made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, colored in black and white. I suppose this was to make us easily identifiable as police, but the color scheme seemed a bit like a police robot anime. While grumbling, I equipped the blade tonfa and left the tent. The first thing I noticed was that the SDF members were looking at us with curiosity. Most of them looked at our outfits with a mix of surprise and amusement, except for a few who were clearly fans (otaku).

While ignoring their gazes and doing some warm-up exercises, I wanted to shout, "This isn't our style!"

"Are you all ready? We will now enter the dungeon in groups. Remember the training you received?"

Yasaka, dressed the same as us, turned his head from side to side for a final check. We remained silent, focusing our attention on his face as our response.

After confirming our readiness, Yasaka nodded slightly.

"Good. After entering, each group leader will give instructions. The planned exploration time for today is two hours from the current time. It's your first time in a dungeon, so don't overexert yourselves and stick to the time limit! ...Let's go!"

At Yasaka's command, our dungeon exploration began. We entered the dungeon in groups, weapons at the ready, and cautiously moved forward, alert for any monsters. The tension was palpable, making my throat dry and my breathing uneven. Checking my watch, I realized we had only been inside for about 20 minutes.

As time passed without any monsters appearing, the tension reached its peak. Just then, a monster finally showed up. It was a single creature, later known as a Hound Dog, resembling a dog. The monster stopped at a distance, sizing us up. It seemed to have targeted me. The monster suddenly accelerated and leaped at me. My only instinctive reaction was to cross my arms in front of my body to protect myself. However, this turned out to be effective. My weapon, the blade tonfa, has blades along the outside of the arms. When the monster bit down on my arm, its mouth was cut by the blades. Thanks to the protector, the monster's teeth didn't reach my arm, and instead, blood spurted from the monster's wounds. The warmth of the blood on my face brought me back to my senses, and I quickly pushed the monster away, slamming it to the ground. The blade tonfa's blade cut into the monster's head, bisecting it.

I was stunned by the unexpected turn of events, but the monster's body disappeared, leaving only a pool of blood. My colleague tapped me on the shoulder, and I stood up, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. After regaining my composure, I noticed that no drop items had appeared, as I had been told they would.

We continued exploring until the time limit, and our group encountered 10 monsters. We secured 3 drop items: 2 Core Crystals and 1 Skill Scroll. Combining the items collected by other groups, we obtained a total of 10 items. We completed the first day's exploration without any casualties and began a two-week stay to continue the dungeon exploration.

---

With the decision to open the dungeon to civilians, the Japan Dungeon Association was officially established, and we were assigned to the association's security department as Dungeon Protectors (DPs). Personally, I am not enthusiastic about opening the dungeon to civilians.

After months of leveling up, we have gained significant power, and we can easily subdue new explorers. However, this is only true at the beginning. As explorers continue to delve into the dungeon and defeat monsters, their levels will naturally increase. It is unclear whether DPs alone can maintain security around the dungeon as the number of high-level explorers increases. Before the average level of explorers rises, we need to establish rules and order to prevent chaos.

What concerns me most is the possibility of explorers going rogue due to the power they gain from the dungeon. Having experienced the intoxication of power myself, I understand the feeling. Fortunately, many of my colleagues have similar power and avoid feeling special. However, what about explorers who level up alone or in small groups? If there is no one nearby to bring them back to their senses, they may lose control.

My fears were soon realized.

"Hey, hey! What's this! Is this all you've got!?"

A few weeks after the dungeon was opened to civilians, there were minor disputes among explorers,