In the queue to enter, I stood for two hours. And even after paying an entrance fee that certainly wasn’t cheap, the interior was still crowded with people, people, and more people.
But this isn’t about a theme park.
This is about a dungeon.
-0-
Ten years ago, a mysterious extraterrestrial being known as ‘Danpon’ appeared in our world.
Danpon created numerous dungeons, enticing people to explore them.
Battles with monsters, discovering treasures, and leveling up—what a dreamlike concept, isn’t it?
Famous streamers’ videos of defeating monsters surpass a million views on average, and they generously donate their video earnings to charity. Dungeon conquest has become a competitive sport. In the past, high-income sports included soccer, basketball, golf, tennis, and baseball in Japan. But now, dungeon explorers dominate the top ten.
However, this dungeon, which should have been brimming with dreams…
「Is this what they call dungeon conquest?」
I muttered as I reluctantly joined my friend in exploring the dungeon. Taira Ichino, that’s me—I had zero interest in dungeons.
Yet, the dungeon explorations I’d seen on TV seemed more extravagant, more… flashy.
「Don’t be so picky. Level 1 explorers without any connections usually face something like this. Apparently, even non-aspiring adventurers show up. Learning useful skills can boost your job prospects too.」
My complaining was met with this retort from this bad friend of mine.
His name is Aoki.
He’s blunt, but his youthful face will tug your maternal instincts. He’s eighteen.
As Aoki said, defeating monsters raises your level.
And sometimes, you learn skills—not just combat-related ones.
Skills like ‘translation’ , ‘appraisal’, and ‘cooking’ have practical applications in daily life. Combat skills are restricted outside the dungeon, but these non-combat skills can often be used normally beyond its confines. Many people seek such skills and venture into the dungeons.
-0-
We each sat on the precisely arranged five-meter-square blue tarp, waiting patiently.
What we’re doing is called ‘spawn waiting’.
In the past, dungeon monster hunting involved exploring the dungeon, searching for creatures, and slaying them.
However, in lower-level dungeons, the moment a monster appears, it will likely be killed due to the sheer number of other explorers.
There used to be a rampant issue called ‘sideways snatching’ where people would steal monsters their opponents were fighting, leading to numerous incidents.
Recently, things have changed. Now, we sit on these blue tarps, and we’re granted the right to defeat only the monsters that appear on our tarp. There’s no need to actively search for them.
When a monster appears near the boundary line, the right to defeat it depends on which side it moved toward.
「Wouldn’t it be more efficient to venture into the Stone Stage Dungeon? There are fewer people there, right?」
「Oh, the Stone Stage Dungeon was acquired by the Oshino Group. It’s exclusively for hotel guests now. Costs a minimum of 1.5 million yen per night. Reservations are booked three years in advance.」
「Seriously?!」
I sighed.
And then, right before my eyes, a blue light shimmered, revealing a blue slime.
Startled for a moment by the sudden appearance, I instinctively swung the wooden staff I’d borrowed at the entrance. It felt like swatting a cockroach with a bathroom slipper.
The slime squished and crumpled, turning into light and vanishing.
What remained on the spot was a black medal that wouldn’t be out of place in an arcade—D-Coin.
Take this to the exchange counter, and they’ll convert it into money.
Black medals have the lowest value, around 50 yen each.
Waiting 30 minutes for 50 yen… If we calculate it as an hourly wage, it’s 100 yen.
Considering the 1,000 yen entrance fee and the 8-hour time limit, we’re looking at a projected loss of 200 yen.
「Low-level dungeon explorers don’t make much profit.」
「Indeed.」
As I was saying that, another slime appeared in front of Aoki so he smashed it.
「Once you reach Level 10, you can access the second floor, and efficiency improves somewhat. But before that, it looks like my savings might run out.」
「Don’t you need 9,000 slimes to reach Level 10? How old am I now?」
After seven hours, we had defeated 15 slimes.
My level remained 1.
On average, leveling up requires defeating about 20 slimes to reach Level 2, but achieving that today seems challenging.
Just then, a light appeared before me.
I expected another slime, but this time, it was something different—an actual treasure chest.
Despite my sudden excitement, no one else around seemed particularly surprised. Most items from first-floor treasure chests were mere trinkets.
The chests were fixed in place and couldn’t be moved.
However, some of them contained high-performance accessories, and there were stories of people selling them for millions.
Still, this was my first treasure chest, and I felt a thrill.
「Go ahead, open it!」
「Oh—rare item, come to me!」
I opened the chest.
Inside was a can—a completely black cylindrical can, slightly larger than a peach can.
I think it’s made of metal.
When I took it out, the chest vanished like a defeated monster.
「Isn’t that a D-Can?」
Aoki looked at the can and said that.
「What’s a D-Can?」
「Dungeon Can. It’s a can that can be opened to reveal treasures if specific conditions are met. You can sell it for 1,000 yen. But you won’t know what’s inside until you open it.」
「Like a game gacha?」
「Exactly. They even call it ‘Canned Gacha’.」
While I could get 1,000 yen for it, this was my first treasure, so I wanted to keep it for personal use.
The can felt empty—no sound when shaken.
But apparently, all D-Cans are like that.
There’s no hint about the contents until you open it.
「I’ll open it myself―― I have a can opener… why can’t I?」
「You can’t open it with a can opener.」
「You can’t open it with a can opener? But there’s no pull tab. How are we supposed to open it?」
「I don’t know.」
「Eh?」
「I don’t know how to open it. There are rumors that defeating monsters might open it, or that it opens after being kept for ten years. However, the conditions for opening a D-can vary depending on the specific D-can. Collectors may have over a million dungeon cans, but apparently, only about a hundred of them have been opened. The contents of D cans are also diverse; some say they contain dragon eggs, while others claim they hold canned sea chicken.」
「Wait, you’re telling me this might be a canned sea chicken*?」
TN: A tuna brand
「That’s how it is. I think it’s better to sell it.」
I gaze at the can in front of me.
I’m thinking that maybe I can open it.
「For now, I’ll take it home. Selling it can be done anytime.」
「Sure. But don’t get too fixated. Many people have gone mad trying to open a D-can.」
「Understood.」
And with that, our first day of dungeon exploration (or whatever it is) comes to an end.
And――
「Ichino, I’ve decided to quit being a dungeon explorer.」
「Well, it does require a lot of money and time… But didn’t you dream of becoming a dungeon explorer since you were a child?」
「After trying it out, I realized I can’t endure eight hours without my smartphone.」
「That’s――」
Come to think of it, Aoki was addicted to his smartphone.
During school breaks, he’d watch videos on it, and he preferred e-books for novels and manga. He always carried a portable charger for his phone.
Inside the dungeon, electronic devices, hazardous materials, and medicines are prohibited (except for items found within the dungeon). Even if you try to bring them in, the barrier at the dungeon entrance repels them.
「Oh, and this coin? You can exchange it whenever you want.」
「Got it… Ah, I’ll give you mine.」
The exchange counters for D-coins always have an average wait time of one hour. As a result, most explorers accumulate several days’ worth of coins before cashing them in.
I handed Aoki 16 black coins, equivalent to 800 yen.
While individual trading of D-coins is prohibited, this small amount is tolerated.
-0-
In the end, since we were already in the city, I bought ‘Uncle Vikro’s Cheesecake’ and took the train back home.
I vented about dungeon exploration to my mother and lay down on my bed.
From my bag, I retrieved the D-can.
「Is it canned sea chicken or a dragon egg?」
If a dragon egg were to appear, it could be traded for tens of billions of yen. Even after taxes take more than half, one could live a luxurious life for several lifetimes.
「Status open!」
I shouted toward the ceiling.
――――――――――――――――――
Ichino Taira: Level 1
Exchange Amount: 0 D (Ranking: -)
Health: 15/15
Mana: 0/0
Attack: 3
Defense: 2
Technique: 5
Agility: 3
Luck: 100
Skills: None
――――――――――――――――――
And with that, this screen appeared.
Once you enter the dungeon, everyone can view their own status like this.
I can’t tell if these stats are high or low, but they seem overwhelmingly average.
Is luck fixed at 100 initially?
According to a simple explanation site, high luck increases drop rates for items and makes skills triggered by chance more effective. However, it’s within a small margin of difference, so it’s probably not worth worrying about.
D-coins are aggregated based on exchange amounts, and rankings are created accordingly.
Top-ranked explorers earn tens of millions or even billions in a single day. I once dreamed of that.
But for ordinary folks, that dream seems far out of reach.
Many dungeons have safety margins, especially in Japan. Almost all Japanese dungeons only allow access to levels where you can reliably defeat monsters. Dreaming of a sudden fortune, we can’t venture into dangerous levels.
So, while at a low level, we’re limited to battling in lower tiers.
However, lower tiers are crowded, especially in dungeons with affordable entrance fees, like the one we encountered today.
Speaking of which, I mentioned the Stone Stage Dungeon to Aoki earlier. According to an information site on the internet, it seems that only hotel guests are allowed inside.
I want to earn experience points more efficiently.
「If only I had my own dungeon…」
I’ve never heard of individuals owning dungeons.
There’s a rumor that the Imperial Family has a private dungeon, but it’s purely speculative.
「Hmm?」
Suddenly, the can I was holding began to glow.
Could it be――
The lid of the can opened!?
Why?
No, that doesn’t matter.
Let’s see what’s inside.
「…..eh?」
There it was――a bright red glass bead? Maybe it’s a gemstone? A ruby, perhaps?
No, I can tell just by holding it. But to be sure, I sniff it.
It smells sweet.
No doubt about it, it’s a candy.
Not canned sea chicken, but a drop candy!
And just one piece.
「So this is the real drop item… Wait, am I trying to sound clever? It’s not like a monster dropped it, so it’s not really a drop item!」
When I shouted loudly, I got scolded from downstairs: 「Taira, stop screaming or you’ll disturb the neighbors!」
But maybe――out of curiosity, I decided to search the internet.
[D-can drop candy]
Search results: 55,100.
Huh? Is it normal for drop candy to come from D-cans? I checked, and it turns out that a confectionery company in Osaka sells drop candies in cans that look just like D-cans. Come to think of it, I might have seen their commercials.
Because of those search results, it’s hard to find information about drop candies coming from D-cans.
However, I stumbled upon a thread on a certain bulletin board.
――――――――――――――――
「I Learned a Skill by Licking the Candy That Came from the D-Can. Any Questions?」]
1. Anonymous Explorer: Do you have any questions?
2. Anonymous Explorer: >>1 Lies.
3. Anonymous Explorer: Lies.
4. Anonymous Explorer: I learned one too. The skill is NTR. My girlfriend disappeared.
5. Anonymous Explorer: >>4 Did your imaginary girlfriend vanish?
6. Anonymous Explorer: >>4 If it’s your girlfriend, she’s right next to me now.
[This thread has been archived in the past log storage.]
――――――――――――――――
…Well, that’s harsh.
Based on this information, even searching for [D-can drop candy skill] doesn’t yield any sensible results.
Maybe I should have it appraised?
I tried searching for [Dungeon item appraisal], and information about appraisers came up.
People with the [Appraisal] skill can appraise dungeon items for a fee――
The standard appraisal fee is 5,000 yen.
For a high school student like me, that’s quite a sum.
If they tell me it’s just an ordinary candy after paying that, I won’t recover.
「Courage is a man’s virtue.」
I decided to lick the candy.
Chewing it feels scary.
I gradually lick it, letting it melt.
It tastes like strawberries.
Delicious.
I’m used to chewing candies, so I almost bite down, but I resist.
And――
I finished licking it.
No noticeable changes.
Was it really just an ordinary candy?
With a disappointed sigh, I check my status, just to be sure.
――――――――――――――――――
Ichino Taira: Level 1
Exchange Amount: 0 (Ranking: -)
Health: 15/15
Mana: 0/0
Attack: 3
Defense: 2
Technique: 5
Agility: 3
Luck: 102
Skill: PD Generation
――――――――――――――――――
「――!? I now have a skill.」
PD Generation?
Damn, I don’t understand this.
I searched through the compiled list of currently discovered skills on the internet, but there’s no such skill.
Skills come in two types:
1. Passive Skills: Automatically activated skills.
2. Active Skills: Skills you actively trigger.
I decide to try activating it by holding my hand out――
Feeling nervous, I moved to the garden to test it.
「PD Generation!」
I say it aloud while extending my hand.
And then――
「Huh?」
Stairs appear right in front of me.
A staircase leading underground.
As I stand there, dumbfounded, my mother approaches.
「Taira, what are you doing in the garden?」
My mother, wearing sandals, steps outside.
「Um, well, this is――」
Oh no, I’ve created stairs in the garden without permission. I’m going to get scolded.
But then she says:
「Eh? Mom, be careful.」
「What careful?」
My mother walks over the stairs toward me.
Is she flying?
「Mom, down.」
「Down? Why?」
My mother looks down at her feet.
「There’s nothing there.」
Not that there’s no ground; it means there’s plain ground, literally.
She doesn’t see the stairs.
What’s going on?
「It’s late. Go to bed.」
「O-Okay.」
I watch my mother go back inside and disappear, and then I take a deep breath and step onto the staircase leading underground.
I half-expected it to be like mother—would float—but I descended smoothly, one step at a time.
As I try to go further underground, my smartphone is repelled.
There’s a barrier preventing me from bringing my phone along.
「Could this be… a dungeon?」
Finally, I decipher the meaning of ‘PD’.
A dungeon visible only to me—a P-rivate D-ungeon.
-0-
TN: A teaser for now. Will update daily starting next month.
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