Chapter 94

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A dungeon appeared.

The sudden news of this stirred the world about a year ago. Since that news, various aspects of society have changed. The government immediately sealed off the dungeon and restricted civilian entry, so there were no significant casualties. However, the situation was dire in other countries. Many people, lacking proper information and ignoring government regulations, rushed into the dungeons at random, leading to numerous tragedies and disasters. It is said that, within the first month alone, nearly 5,000 lives were lost, based on confirmed reports.

However...

"Well, with such benefits, it's not unreasonable for people to keep challenging the dungeon."

Looking at the newspaper, various new technologies were being announced. These technologies were close to the realm of science fiction, which were previously thought to be possible only in the future before the dungeon appeared. Leading the way was the new high-output power generation using Core Crystals, followed by room-temperature superconductivity technology, deep-sea resource extraction technology, and space development.

Of course, it's not just about technological advancements. Significant changes have also occurred in the fields of medicine and food.

"A patient who had lost all four limbs and was completely paralyzed due to a traffic accident has fully recovered using high-grade recovery drugs... After a few days of examination, he was discharged..."

Flipping through the newspaper, there was a photo of a man holding a bouquet of flowers, smiling broadly as he left the hospital. With the circulation of dungeon-produced recovery drugs, injuries and illnesses that were previously considered untreatable have become treatable, which is one of the reasons why civilian exploration of the dungeon continues. Recently, recovery drugs have even been made standard equipment in ambulances, and it has been widely reported that the number of traffic accident fatalities, which used to be around 10,000 per year, has decreased.

"Hmm, another dungeon food fair is being held..."

Flipping to another page, there were numerous listings for food events featuring dungeon-produced ingredients. These events are now held almost weekly in various parts of the country. I wanted to go to one that was held nearby during the Golden Week, but I couldn't due to an urgent work commitment. I was disappointed because the Minotaur meat that Yuzi brought back was quite delicious, and I wanted to try other ingredients... Maybe I'll ask Yuzi to bring some back next time.

While thinking about what ingredients to bring back, my grandson Yuzi, who was changing into his school uniform and carrying his school bag, called out to me.

"Grandpa!"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Like we agreed yesterday, I'm bringing Mika, the sister of Daisuke, to the house today."

"Oh, right. Got it."

Mika, the sister of Daisuke... I wonder if she has also undergone a height increase like Daisuke?

As I watched Yuzi leave for school, I recalled the time about half a year ago when he came to me, saying he was going to the dungeon and asked to borrow some of my weapon collection.

"Grandpa, I'm back! Are you here!?"

While meditating in the dojo, I heard Yuzi calling me loudly from outside. He had gone out early in the morning to get his explorer card and hadn't come up to the dojo. I wondered what he needed. I stopped meditating and opened the door. Yuzi, Daisuke, and another girl I didn't know were standing there. After Yuzi introduced them, I learned that the two were his companions for dungeon exploration. Yuzi had brought them to get some weapons from my collection.

When I heard this, I couldn't help but narrow my eyes and give Yuzi a questioning look. Weapons are serious tools that can easily take a life if mishandled. To ask for them...

"..."

"..."

I wasn't intentionally trying to be intimidating, but I think my gaze was quite intense. Yuzi, however, didn't flinch and looked straight back at me. It seemed he wasn't just making a half-hearted request. I glanced at Daisuke and the girl standing behind Yuzi. They were a bit nervous but didn't look away from our conversation. This made me decide to hear their reasons for wanting weapons and agree to lend them some.

I led them to the shed next to the dojo where I stored my weapons. I opened the security lock and the heavy door, inviting them inside. The shed was a bit dusty, but they would have to bear with it. When I turned on the lights, the contents of the shed were revealed, and Daisuke and the girl let out exclamations of amazement. They were observing the weapons with great interest, but unfortunately, the items they were looking for weren't there. I called out to them and led them upstairs.

"How about it?"

Until I called out, Daisuke and the girl were speechless, staring at the weapons I had collected. At this stage, they were looking at the weapons as if they were art pieces, with little awareness that they were dangerous tools. They needed to understand what they were handling.

After explaining a bit about the weapons, I finally chose the following for them: Daisuke got the katana Shiranui, the girl got the spear Isuzu, and Yuzi got the two wakizashi Shizukana and Murakumo. After receiving their weapons, Daisuke and the girl's expressions changed, showing a sense of determination. This was a good sign.

"You three, let's move to the dojo. I'll teach you how to use and maintain your weapons."

After selecting the weapons, I led them back to the dojo to teach them how to handle and maintain them. I entrusted the girl's training to Yuzi and focused on Daisuke with a wooden sword. Daisuke's grip and stance were those of a beginner, but his swings felt off. After observing him for a while, I realized the issue. A beginner who hasn't learned proper form was swinging the wooden sword forcefully without any wobbling in his core. Normally, a beginner's core would wobble when swinging a wooden sword, but Daisuke's didn't. I asked him about his physical training, and he said it was just light jogging... which I found hard to believe. Daisuke seemed to think he had fooled me, but I recognized this trait from people who had entered the dungeon, such as police officers and soldiers. They had experienced a phenomenon called "leveling up," which significantly enhanced their physical abilities. I had trained people with dungeon experience before, and they exhibited similar symptoms. They said their enhanced physical abilities made the wooden sword feel as light as a dry twig.

This meant that Daisuke had entered the dungeon and fought monsters. Hmm, what to do...

---

Two weeks after lending them the weapons, Yuzi came back from the dungeon and asked me to train Daisuke and the girl. It seemed that their experience fighting monsters in the dungeon had given them something to think about. I had planned to accept them if they asked, so I readily agreed.

The next day after school, I started training them. I began with the basics of swinging a wooden sword, and the results were quite surprising, as expected. Thanks to the enhanced physical abilities from leveling up, they completed 10,000 swings in an hour. This allowed us to finish the basic training in just a week, and now I'm training them in combat scenarios.

"Hey, Daisuke, your movements are fast, but they're not right. You're leaving obvious openings..."

After starting the training, I noticed that Daisuke and the others, including the girl, relied too much on their enhanced physical abilities. They didn't try to predict my movements and just swung their weapons blindly, which was frustrating. They weren't making full use of their enhanced abilities and were easily countered. They needed to learn to think more before acting.

After the training, while drinking tea and resting, I asked Yuzi about their dungeon progress. It seemed they were having a hard time. They were still not used to taking the lives of living beings, even if they were monsters. It's understandable; seeing an opponent bleed and die after being cut by you is a tough experience. They needed to mentally prepare themselves before they could fully commit.

---

The end and beginning of the year are troublesome.

Every year, I have to attend various year-end and New Year parties. This year, thanks to the appearance of the dungeon, I heard complaints from people in various fields. Some were struggling due to the changing times, while others had seized the opportunity and improved their performance. Our school has also seen an increase in enrollment from aspiring explorers, which has boosted our performance. I listened to the complaints of the people who got drunk and tried to engage me, and finally, the New Year arrived.

"Sorry for the delay, Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year. Daisuke and the girl, it's been a while. Did you slack off in your training?"

"No, I did swinging exercises every day."

"Me too."

"That's good to hear."

After the New Year break, I resumed training with Yuzi and the others. The training that day was quite intense, as if I was venting the frustration from the year-end and New Year parties. I felt I had gone a bit overboard, so I increased the New Year's gifts I had prepared for Daisuke and the girl. Yuzi's share was already given, so I didn't increase it.

---

Yuzi and the others' dungeon exploration and training were progressing smoothly, but recently, an entry restriction and ranking system were introduced for the dungeon. The lottery system for entry has reduced the number of times Yuzi and the others can go to the dungeon on weekends, increasing the focus on training.

"You guys seem to be having trouble with the lottery, huh?"

"Yes, we're all applying at different times, but we're not getting selected."

"That's right. Listening to the other students, some are getting selected, but..."

"Well, it's all about luck. You just have to wait patiently."

"Right, that's unfortunate..."

However, there's nothing you can do about luck. You just have to wait patiently. To distract Yuzi and the others from their frustration, I increased the difficulty of the training.

---

After a while, Yuzi and the others managed to get selected for the dungeon a few times. However, during one of these visits, they were attacked by another explorer for money. Fortunately, they managed to repel the attacker without injury, but it made them think. They started asking for more training focused on combat with other people. I hope they don't push themselves too hard.

---

After a training session, I noticed that Yuzi and the others' weapons were showing signs of fatigue and would break if used further. I told them not to use them in combat, and they looked disappointed. I introduced them to a blacksmith I knew, who might be able to transfer the enhancement effects to new weapons. They visited the blacksmith on the weekend, and it turned out the weapons could be reforged, but the cost was quite high. They complained about the expense, but I told them to work hard and earn the money.

---

One day, after school, Yuzi and the others asked for training in stage combat. It turned out that the girl's parents had told her to quit being an explorer, but she didn't want to. She wanted to show her parents her skills to convince them. I agreed to train them in stage combat but suggested that the girl should have a proper conversation with her parents. If persuasion failed, I told her to bring her parents to the dojo. After sending them off, I waited for Yuzi to return, worried about how the conversation went. When Yuzi returned with a bright expression, I felt relieved. It turned out that the main issue was a lack of communication between the family members. The father didn't express his true feelings, the mother followed without questioning, and the daughter acted on her assumptions. I realized that the family needed to communicate more effectively.

I need to value family time and be careful. While looking at Yuzi, I thought about this.

---

After a sudden replacement for a martial arts event during the Golden Week, I took a taxi home on the last day. I wondered how long those people would follow me. They didn't seem to be planning anything, but it was uncomfortable to be watched. Considering that their attention was on Yuzi, they might be from the Dungeon Association, possibly investigating the area boss they claimed to have defeated.

"But they're still annoying."

"Huh? Did you say something, Grandpa?"

"Nothing."

Yuzi didn't seem to notice. I