Chapter 42

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---

That day, I, Yuzuki Hozuki, doubted my own ears.

The government spokesperson was seriously broadcasting the appearance of a dungeon. As the broadcast was repeated, I gradually began to accept that it was true, but I still watched the TV with a detached feeling.

On my way to school, I listened to the conversations around me, and most of them were about the dungeon.

"Hey, did you see the morning TV?"

"Yeah, a dungeon appeared, apparently."

"But, is it really? A dungeon is something from a fantasy world..."

"Well, it's not April Fool's Day, and I don't think the government would joke about something like this."

Everyone seemed to be half-believing and half-doubting, but I could see that they were also harboring some hope that the dungeon was real. I can't say I don't understand, but for now, it's probably best to wait and see. After all, the announcement was sudden, and there's too little information about the dungeon.

As I got closer to school and the number of students increased, the "dungeon fever" became more intense. Students were actively discussing the dungeon with their friends and close groups, often drawing on their knowledge of games and manga, which led to some rather extreme and reckless content. Even when I reached the classroom, the situation didn't change.

I put my bag on my desk and looked around the room. I noticed two boys with serious expressions discussing the dungeon. I think they were Kusakabe-kun and ... Hirose-kun, right? The atmosphere around them was different from the other groups, so I decided to talk to them.

"Hey? You guys are also worried about the dungeon?"

"...Hozuki-san?"

They called my name. It seems they knew my name. Since it hadn't been long since the entrance ceremony, and we had only talked a couple of times, I was worried they might not remember me, but it turned out to be a needless concern.

"Everyone's been like this all morning. I understand they're interested in the dungeon, but it seems they're equating the real dungeon with the ones in games and manga. I wish they would think about what it means for the Self-Defense Forces to be sealing off the dungeon instead of the police."

I really think it's a problem.

In their conversations, there were even jokes about breaking through the seal and entering the dungeon. That's just plain illegal and criminal. It's hard not to look at them with a sense of exasperation.

Kusakabe-kun said that their heads would cool down over time, but I really hope that's true.

There was a school assembly after class that day, but it didn't provide any useful information.

---

Is this the beginning of a dungeon boom?

Every day, on TV, in magazines, newspapers, and on the internet, information promoting the use of dungeons is being broadcast across all media.

"Well, with such visible results, it's no wonder public opinion is moving in that direction."

After breakfast, the front page of the newspaper I spread out had the headline "New Power Generation Method: Core Crystal Power Generation Successful." Although it's still an experimental reactor, it has a power generation capacity of nearly 1 million kWh and has the potential to replace nuclear power plants, which are being debated for continuation or decommissioning. Most importantly, the cost of power generation is praised for being extremely low. What used to cost 10-30 yen per kWh is now calculated to be less than 0.1 yen.

Moreover, if there are no issues with radiation or carbon dioxide, which are problems with traditional power generation methods, it is also welcomed from an environmental perspective. The newspaper also mentioned that supporters of nuclear decommissioning and environmental protection groups are supporting core crystal power generation.

"If you hear that electricity bills will be reduced to less than 1% of the current cost, the general public will support the use of dungeons."

The content of the newspaper was mostly welcoming the core crystal power generation. At the same time, a plan to build multiple core crystal power plants across the country was announced, with the goal of constructing a 10 million kWh class power plant by next year.

While electricity bills won't immediately decrease, I thought they would definitely drop in a few years.

After finishing the front page, I opened the next page of the newspaper.

"Mass demonstrations by the general public demanding the opening of dungeons in the United States. In China, ignoring warnings, people entering dungeons are causing a large number of deaths, with over 2,000 confirmed so far. In some parts of Europe, clashes with security forces have led to gun battles and casualties."

It's a depressing article. In Japan, there haven't been any large-scale demonstrations or clashes with security forces yet, but with this level of excitement, it's only a matter of time before large-scale demonstrations break out...

Seeing the enthusiasm of my classmates at school makes me worried.

"Do they think the returns outweigh the risks of entering a place where people are dying?"

All items produced in dungeons are traded at high prices. This is probably the driving force behind the dungeon fever.

Gold bars posted on American social media, giant diamonds sold by Russia, and magic videos uploaded to video sites are indeed tempting, but I have doubts about whether they are worth the cost of life.

However, public opinion has judged that the risks are outweighed, leading to this dungeon boom.

"Well, ultimately, it's a matter of personal responsibility, so it's not something I should be commenting on."

While reading the newspaper with a half-closed eye, my mother called out to me.

"Yuzuki, if you don't leave soon, you'll be late for school."

"Ah, yes."

I folded the newspaper and placed it on the table, then went to the entrance with my bag.

"I'm leaving."

I called out to my mother, who was seeing me off, and headed to school.

---

Six months after the appearance of the dungeon, it was opened to civilians. The Japan Dungeon Association was established, and dungeon-produced items began to circulate in the general market. Although they were expensive, these items started to change our lives gradually.

One month after the establishment of the Dungeon Association, I received an outrageous proposal from my mother.

"Um, Mom? Could you repeat that...?"

"...Yuzuki, could you go to the dungeon?"

"..."

I was speechless. Several question marks floated in my head.

I never thought I would hear such a line from my mother... I had occasionally discussed the dangers and usefulness of the dungeon with Kusakabe-kun and Hirose-kun at school, but I never imagined I would be in this situation.

First, I needed to understand why my mother thought going to the dungeon was an option. I took a deep breath and asked my mother.

"...Can I ask why?"

"Yuzuki, you know that a ramen shop using dungeon-produced ingredients opened near our store, right? The one your father went to for a reconnaissance visit."

"Yes, I know. He said it's getting good reviews through word of mouth recently."

The novelty of using dungeon-produced ingredients probably contributed to the long lines that have formed in front of the shop for several weeks. As a fellow local business, I had been keeping an eye on it...

"So, when your father came back from trying the food, he said, 'We'll make ramen using dungeon ingredients too.'"

"How does that relate to me going to the dungeon? Can't we just buy the ingredients from a wholesaler?"

My father is obsessed with cooking. It's not surprising that he was shocked by the dungeon ingredients and decided to use them himself. He's done similar things in the past.

"...But when we inquired with the wholesaler, we were told that the quantity of dungeon ingredients available is small and the price is quite high. The prices were really shocking."

"How high?"

"...About the same as high-end A5 grade beef?"

"...What?"

So, it's around 2,000-3,000 yen per 100 grams?

Using that in ramen? Is my father crazy? We're not a high-end restaurant; we're a local ramen shop. Who would eat such expensive ramen?

"Shouldn't you tell my father about the wholesale prices?"

"I did. I told him the results of my inquiry with the wholesaler, that the prices are too high to use at home. But..."

"...He's still going to do it?"

"...Yes."

This is the worst. Once my father makes up his mind about cooking, he becomes stubborn and won't change his opinion, even though he usually listens to my mother and me.

My mother and I sighed deeply.

"Who would order such expensive ramen? Our customers wouldn't."

"Yes, you're right. We'd need to charge at least 2,000 yen per bowl to break even."

"2,000 yen... No one would eat such expensive ramen. It would be a novelty menu item."

"I know, but your father..."

The expression on my mother's face gave me a bad feeling.

"Your father says he won't change the price. He says that since we're losing customers to that shop, changing the price would make things worse. He says using dungeon ingredients for the soup is fine."

"Wait. I understand what my father is saying, but if we do that..."

"The more we sell, the more we'll lose. If the wholesale prices don't come down and we can't break even..."

Closing down, bankruptcy. Those two words floated in my head.

"True, if dungeon ingredients become more widely available in the future, customers' tastes will change. If there's no change, customers will get tired of our ramen and start going to other shops. There are benefits to using dungeon ingredients even if the material costs are high now."

"But, to sell something that will definitely result in a loss..."

"We have savings, so we can manage for about six months..."

If the price of dungeon ingredients doesn't come down by then...

I see.

"That's why you want me to go to the dungeon."

Since my father won't change his mind, we need to find a way to buy dungeon ingredients at a lower price. To do that...

"Yes. Yuzuki, aren't you old enough to take the explorer qualification exam? Explorers can buy dungeon-produced items at a discount as a member benefit."

"That's true, I've seen it on TV and in magazines."

Indeed, with an explorer's license, I can get dungeon-produced ingredients at a discount from the association, which is cheaper than buying from a wholesaler.

But...

"But, Mom, there are a lot of monsters in the dungeon, right?"

"Yes, but TV and magazines don't say it's that dangerous, do they? Your father says it should be fine if we go in a group."

"..."

Seeing my mother say this so lightly, I thought it was the worst.

It seems my parents have been swayed by the public opinion. They are taking the trend created by the media at face value.

"TV says many high school students are going to the dungeon, so I thought I'd ask you, Yuzuki."

"..."

"Please, Yuzuki. Could you get the license and go to the dungeon for us?"

I understand that my mother and father don't have any bad intentions, but it's sad that they don't realize this is sending their daughter to a dangerous place.

I suddenly remembered the conversations I had with Kusakabe-kun and Hirose-kun. The current trend in society seems similar to the pre-war era. The public is getting caught up in the intangible atmosphere of public opinion, businesses are calculating potential profits and acting behind the scenes, and the government is being swayed by public opinion to open the dungeon. It seems to hit the mark.

After a moment of silence, I looked straight at my mother and replied.

"...Alright. I'll go."

"Really? That's great. If you had refused, I was going to consult the bank about a loan."

As I watched my mother walk happily to the kitchen, I sighed deeply. What should I do?

---

The next day, on my way home from school, I went to the city hall to get the application form for the explorer exam and ran into Hirose-kun, who was also getting the form. We sat in the lobby and talked, and I learned that Hirose-kun, like me, was going to the dungeon due to family circumstances. I thought it was a good opportunity and invited him to go to the dungeon together. He agreed, but suggested we needed one more person, so we decided to invite Kusakabe-kun, who often discussed the dungeon with us. The next day after school, we convinced Kusakabe-kun, and he agreed to go to the dungeon with us.

"Tomorrow is the explorer exam. We have to do our best."

The exam had two parts: a written test and a practical test. The written test was easy, like a regular school exam, but the practical test on traps was challenging. Are such malicious traps really found in dungeons? Fortunately, Kusakabe-kun was good at these kinds of traps and easily cleared the training, so I decided to rely on him in the dungeon. It would be safer to leave it to him than to try to handle it myself.

After passing the exam and registering as explorers, we learned that we couldn't buy weapons, so we went to Hirose-kun's house to get some. It was then that I learned for the first time that Hirose-kun's family was a real martial arts family. I received a spear named "Isuzu" from his grandfather, Juzo, who looked like a true warrior. Holding the sharp silver tip of Isuzu, I realized again what I was about to do and gripped the handle tightly.

"Phew... What an outrageous thing to hear."

"Yeah. If Daiki had consulted us earlier, we could have gotten better items..."

"I know. I understand why he couldn't say it lightly..."

Kusakabe-kun's revelation was really shocking. Being told that there's a dungeon in his house, what were we supposed to do? We couldn't make a fuss about it, so we ended up promising to keep it a secret... Ah, well!

Eventually, it might be reported to a public authority in some form. Considering the value of Kusakabe-kun's dungeon, the government would likely get involved if it became known. Since items can be obtained so easily, if the conditions are negotiated well, it should be possible to handle it smoothly, hopefully... I hope so. Phew... I can only pray it doesn't get exposed.

"Phew, is this really going to be okay..."

Our first dungeon exploration was a disaster. The equipment issues can be fixed before the next exploration, but the main problem is different. I never thought that killing living things with my own hands would be so psychologically taxing. I thought I was used to blood from helping in the kitchen... but there's a big difference between ingredients and living beings. Kusakabe-kun and Hirose-kun also seemed quite affected. I guess we just need to get used to it, but this start has made me somewhat anxious about whether we can handle it. Phew...

"Orc meat... Finally got it!"

After three months of hard work, I finally got the orc meat we were aiming for. It was a continuous struggle, but our efforts finally paid off. I am extremely grateful to Kusakabe-kun and Hirose-kun. If I hadn't formed a party with them and explored the dungeon together, it would have taken much longer to get the orc meat... I don't even want to think about it. It would have taken at least twice as long. Thanks to the orc meat I brought back from this exploration, our family's shop can breathe a sigh of relief. They also offered to help gather orc meat for the shop for a while. It was definitely the right decision to ask for their help.

I have to repay this favor someday!

---

This is the process of how Yuzuki obtained the orc meat.