Chapter 6

The protagonist, Aikawa Hotaru, was racking her brain in the dungeon.

At the same time, the Japanese leadership was also struggling in a conference room.

The reason was the sudden appearance of large numbers of unidentified creatures, commonly known as goblins, across Japan.

However, that was not the only reason.

Reports came in that the Self-Defense Forces, dispatched to eliminate the goblins, found that their guns were completely ineffective.

This added to their frustration.

In the midst of this tense meeting, the first good news was announced.

"I report that one goblin has been confirmed to be eliminated."

Just those words brightened the faces of everyone in the room.

Of course, I was no exception.

"R-Really?!"

Uncharacteristically, I responded with a loud voice.

"Yes, it was eliminated by a high school student in Ibaraki Prefecture."

"A high school student? How did they do it?"

"Yes, currently, we are transporting the student to this base to ask for details. The team only witnessed the moment of elimination and did not see the actual combat."

A high school student, alone, eliminated a monster that even guns couldn't harm?!

How did they manage to do it...?

"Understood. Please provide this person with generous treatment and arrange a meeting with us as soon as possible."

"Understood. I will take my leave now."

With that, the information officer in camouflage left the room.

******************************

One hour later, the high school student appeared in the conference room.

The student, I believe, was named Danaya Kotaro.

His physique and appearance were typical of a high school student, with nothing particularly noteworthy about him.

Danaya sat down directly across from me.

"Thank you for coming all the way here today. You are Danaya Kotaro, right?"

"Yes, that's correct. So, I should talk about the goblin, right?"

The high school student started speaking confidently in front of us.

He seemed more composed than expected.

"Um, it's a bit embarrassing, so please don't spread it around. --"

After saying that, he surprisingly explained the details clearly and politely.

"So, that's when the Self-Defense Forces arrived, and here I am. Oh, do you want to see my holy sword? (laughs) Here it is, my savior."

With that, Danaya pulled out a blood-stained keychain shaped like a sword from his uniform pocket and concluded his story.

His method was completely different from ours.

We, the Self-Defense Forces, always prioritized safety and attacked from a distance, never getting close to the monsters.

However, he engaged in one-on-one combat with the monster, using its own weapon.

This might be the key to defeating the goblins.

The most significant difference between us and Danaya was that he used the enemy's weapon to kill it.

In other words, our weapons could not harm the monsters unless they hit vital points, but using the enemy's weapon could easily deal fatal blows.

This was a revelation that we, concerned with appearances, could never have reached.

However, this gave us a clear direction.

"Tell all the troops to seize the enemy's weapons. Equip them with shields and batons instead of guns. And ensure safety by having at least three people subdue each goblin. Let's start the counterattack from here!"

I gave the order in a loud voice.

Then,

"Excuse me, I know you're excited, but can I ask one more thing?"

Danaya raised his right hand apologetically.

"What is it?"

"Can I join the operation?"

I was surprised by his sudden request.

"I'm sorry, but we can't involve civilians in combat."

"Ah, it's a bit difficult to say, but if you let me join, I can provide another important piece of information."

Important information?

He hadn't revealed everything?

"Hmm. A deal, then. You seem to have more composure than I thought, Danaya."

"Yeah, well, I'm not stupid enough to give away all my information for free. So, what do you say?"

"Is the information valuable enough?"

I was willing to consider the proposal if the information was valuable.

"Um, I don't think it's immediately important, but I believe it will become significant in the future."

His ability to negotiate and keep his cards close to his chest suggested he was more intelligent than his appearance suggested.

I decided to accept his proposal.

"Alright, I'll accept your proposal."

As I said this, other council members voiced their concerns.

"Hey, isn't that a bit rash?"

"We should consider it more carefully!"

"We should take it back and get more opinions!"

"What are you saying! In this critical situation, you can't afford to be so leisurely. If you're so concerned, I'll take full responsibility! This should settle it."

I raised my voice at the foolish council members.

Danaya chuckled.

"You must be having a tough time with these stubborn people. By the way, if you don't keep this promise, I won't provide any more information, so please keep it."

"Understood, I'll make the promise."

Danaya stood up and slowly walked over to me.

"Status Open"

He suddenly said something incomprehensible.

Suddenly, a paper-like hologram appeared in front of his eyes.

He gestured for me to look at it, so I did.

[Status]

Name: Danaya Kotaro

Title: Number 104,396

Skills: Otherworld Appraisal Lv.1

Magic: None

Equipment: None

"Wh-What is this?"

"Well, I'm not sure myself, but since we have goblins and it feels like a fantasy or game world, I tried saying 'Status Open' when I was alone, and this screen suddenly appeared. I was really surprised."

"So, it's a game world. That's an interesting way to describe it. Seeing this, even the most stubborn people might soften. Can you tell me the other information now?"

"Sure, I'll tell you eventually, so it's fine. Anyone can bring up this screen. Just say 'Status Open.'"

Anyone?

I tried it, half-believing, half-doubting.

A similar screen appeared in front of my eyes.

[Status]

Name: Nagase Jiro

Title: Number 6,046,788,932

Skills: Otherworld Appraisal Lv.1

Magic: None

Equipment: None

Upon closer inspection, I noticed the difference in the title numbers.

"What is this title?"

"Well, I'm not sure myself, but I can make a guess."

"Go ahead, tell me."

"I showed this to my friends before coming here, and their numbers were all higher than mine, roughly the same as yours. It's simple: the difference between me and others is that I eliminated a goblin. That's the only thing I can think of. So, I speculate that this Earth has somehow turned into a game-like world. And the mysterious cave, if we consider it a 'dungeon' in a game, the goblins might be monsters that have spilled out from the dungeon. What do you think? If we can control the mysterious cave, we might be able to control the goblins."

His theory, though far-fetched, was hard to deny.

Unpublished information showed that sightings of monsters were always reported near the mysterious cave.

Considering this, his theory might not be entirely wrong.

"Hmm, that's a very interesting theory. We should include the discovery and containment of the mysterious cave in our mission, along with the elimination of the monsters. By the way, do you have any other information?"

"Yes, but that's all for today. Please take me to the field now. And, of course, return my weapon."

He said this with a smile and left the room.

Danaya Kotaro.

He was a very interesting young man.

At that moment, I sensed something extraordinary about him.

******************************

The Japanese government and Self-Defense Forces' response was effective, and they successfully eliminated all the goblins that emerged from the dungeons. They also managed to secure the areas around all the known dungeons with fences.

However, they couldn't reclaim all the land.

In Hokkaido, powerful monsters appeared in various places, overwhelming the Self-Defense Forces, forcing them to retreat.

Additionally, they failed to reclaim all of Kyushu and the southern regions.

Currently, the areas declared safe are the main islands and Shikoku.

In particular, the announcement of the complete elimination of monsters in Tokyo led to a surge of people moving to the Tokyo area.

Many Self-Defense Force members were lost in the reclamation operations in Hokkaido and southern Kyushu, leading to an urgent recruitment drive.

However, the number of recruits was insufficient, and they struggled to gather enough people.

To address this, the government, as a last resort, disclosed all the information on how to combat the monsters through TV programs.

They also announced support for those who would challenge the dungeons and offered high prices for weapons and items obtained from the dungeons.

This led to the emergence of "dungeon adventurers," people who explored dungeons and sold the items they obtained to make a living.

These items were either bought by the government or sold to wealthy individuals.

Thus, the foundation for dungeon exploration was gradually established.

The profession of dungeon adventurer became mainstream.

This process took about a year.

No other country in the world managed to stabilize society in such a short period.

This could be attributed to the initial actions of the high school student, Danaya Kotaro, the Japanese government, and the island nation surrounded by the sea.

Perhaps, this was a miracle born from the combination of these three elements.

Or, perhaps, this was the inevitable flow of events.