Since smartphones cannot be taken into the dungeon, I returned to my room to leave my phone behind.
「I’m going for a little jog.」
I lied to my mother and headed toward the dungeon.
I descended the stairs that had appeared in the garden.
This time, I made it down safely.
No one was there.
As I walked slowly, I noticed a currency exchange booth.
「Welcome.」
Said the enormous marshmallow-like creature with only eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
It was a Danpon, the otherworldly beings who had created the dungeons.
Although now I only saw Danpon at the exchange booth, initially, when the dungeon was first created, it had been featured in various media.
Aside from its adorable appearance, Danpon introduced various items from the otherworld.
From medicines that made you lose weight to ones that made your hair grow, and even cures for illnesses—it offered a wide range of products.
And they sold these medicines to government officials, dignitaries, and wealthy individuals, exchanging the proceeds for D-coins.
The reason D-coins could be converted into cash at the exchange booth was precisely this.
「Welcome to the Private Dungeon.」
So, PD stood for Private Dungeon after all.
「Is this your first visit? Do you need an explanation about the Private Dungeon?」
「Yes, please.」
「Understood. The Private Dungeon is exclusively for solo use—it’s your personal dungeon. Others cannot enter through conventional means.」
「Conventional means? Are there other ways for people to enter?」
「There are, but I’d like you to discover them on your own. Additionally, time within the Private Dungeon flows at only one percent compared to the outside world. Even if you spend a year here, only about three and a half days will have passed in the external world. Consequently, physical growth and aging also occur at a rate of only one percent.」
So, it doesn’t just completely stop.
「Next, a word of caution when generating a Private Dungeon: If there is another dungeon within a radius of five hundred meters, there is a possibility of them connecting. In such cases, you can travel from here to the other dungeon, but you cannot directly return from another dungeon to the Private Dungeon. Please be aware of this. Also, the moment you move to another dungeon, time returns to normal, so that also requires attention. Furthermore, you cannot open two or more dungeons simultaneously, so please keep that in mind.」
「Okay, understood.」
This area should be fine since there are no dungeons around.
「Can dungeons be created anywhere?」
「You can create them anywhere outside of existing dungeons, as long as it’s not within the dungeon itself.」
In this case, you might wonder what happens if there’s another room underground. However, dungeons aren’t truly located beneath the ground—they exist in a separate dimension, so there’s no issue.
「Next, the Private Dungeon can only generate dungeons based on information from floors you’ve actually visited. Since you’ve only been to one layer of the Umeda Dungeon, you can only create dungeons derived from there.」
Conversely, this means a safety margin is ensured. Encountering a dragon out of nowhere while diving into the Private Dungeon—such a thing won’t happen.
「Finally, in the Private Dungeon, you can adjust the frequency of monster and treasure chest spawns. However, you can only adjust it within this room, so please take note.」
「Settings adjustment? Can I create a room overflowing with treasure chests?」
「No, the spawn frequency of treasure chests and monsters is interconnected, so having only treasure chests is impossible. The frequency can be increased up to five times the normal rate.」
If it’s just the slimes coming out of the Umeda Dungeon, I can defeat them with a single blow from a stick.
Even if five times the usual amount appears, it should be fine.
Quite a convenient setting—having exclusive access to monsters and five times the spawn rate.
「Do you also offer weapon rentals?」
「At our establishment, we only sell weapons; we don’t provide rentals.」
Come to think of it, the Umeda Dungeon’s weapon lending service was managed by the proprietor, not Danpon.
「How much for a wooden staff?」
「It’s 10 D nano desu.」
「D? You mean D-coins?」
I showed the black D-coin.
I brought it, thinking there might be an exchange booth here.
「Yes. We sell them for 10 coins.」
「Ten black coins… about 500 yen. Can D-coins be exchanged for cash?」
「Unfortunately, this dungeon lacks dealings with the government and corporations, making cash conversion difficult. However, if you connect to another dungeon, you can negotiate with that dungeon’s Danpon and arrange for flexibility thereafter.」
So, Danpons engage in transactions with each other?
「That concludes the explanation. If possible, we’d appreciate it if you could deposit some D-coins with us. While I can’t go into detail with too few D-coins, it would personally put me in a bit of a bind.」
「Understood. I’ll deposit at least some, if not all. Now, as I venture into the dungeon, please set the monster spawn rate to five times the usual. Also, I’d like to purchase the wooden staff.」
「Very well. Take care.」
I bought the staff from Danpon and thanked him before heading toward the dungeon floor.
There stood a metal door.
While the Umeda Dungeon had been perpetually open, this one is closed.
I pushed the door with all my might and stepped inside—
Suddenly, a slime leaped at me.
「Whoa!」
With an embarrassed cry, I instinctively swung the staff.
The slime collapsed from the blow, and a D-coin fell.
In the Umeda Dungeon, it would take hours of waiting and even longer to defeat a slime. Yet here, it happened so effortlessly.
Slimes were scattered throughout the dungeon.
I smirked.
This was the dungeon life I’d been seeking.
Continuing to defeat slimes one after another, much like splitting watermelons at a festival.
Collecting D-coins takes longer than defeating the slimes.
And—
――――――――――――――――――
Ichino Taira: Level 2
Exchange Amount: 10 D (Ranking: 10M～ [JPN])
Health: 17/17
Mana: 0/0
Attack: 5
Defense: 4
Dexterity*: 6
Agility: 4
Luck: 103
Skill: PD Generation
――――――――――――――――――
TN: Changed ‘Technique’ to Dexterity.
I’ve leveled up!
Also, it seems that purchasing the wooden staff is considered an exchange, as it’s listed in the rankings.
Ranked below the top 10 million Japanese players, huh?
I recall hearing that when you become a top-ranked player, both the Japanese and global rankings are displayed simultaneously. But for me, that’s a distant story—well, not entirely distant if I have PD.
Anyway, time to level up!
As I thought that, I stumbled upon a treasure chest.
Naturally, I checked its contents.
Inside was a long sword.
I’d like to graduate from the wooden staff, but I can’t equip it.
It’s not about the appropriate level or swordsmanship skill.
There’s a law that prohibits using weapons obtained in dungeons with a blade length of 15 centimeters or more, except in emergencies.
If you break that law—even within the dungeon—you’ll be arrested for violating the Firearms and Swords Control Act.
First, I need to take these items back to the dungeon entrance.
-0-
Returning there, I found Danpon playing a Game Boy.
Quite a retro game.
And how can Danpon deftly manipulate it with no hands or feet?
I’m curious about the game software, but I assume it’s one I don’t know.
「500 yen for a Ko〇ngu? That’s a bargain.」
The Danpon murmured.
…Ah, yes.
I recognize the game now.
「Ano…」
「Ah, welcome back, dear customer.」
「I’m back. I’ll be right back, though. Can I apply for ownership of this sword?」
「Yes. It will take about two days, but it’s possible.」
Danpon took out a computer.
They handle sword ownership applications on a computer. The power cable is connected, but not the LAN cable—meaning this room has Wi-Fi. Or perhaps electricity reaches here.
While I can’t bring my smartphone or computer, it seems Danpon can. Or maybe they were excavated from the dungeon?
「Weapon storage is free for up to three items, but applying for sword ownership requires 20 D.」
One D-coin is equivalent to one black coin, which can be exchanged for 50 yen. So that’s around 1,000 yen.
Since I’ve collected plenty of black coins from the slimes, payment won’t be an issue.
After entrusting the sword to Danpon, I deposited all the D-coins I acquired and returned to the dungeon.
I continued hunting slimes.
After about three hours, I reached Level 4.
At that moment, after a slime disappeared, what remained was a black coin and a large bottle.
This is—
「Slime sake!」
It’s supposedly alcohol that slimes ferment by consuming grains and such internally.
The drop rate is an astonishing 0.1%—meaning it appears in only one out of a thousand slimes.
Among slime drop items, it’s ultra-rare. Well, considering it’s a slime, the price is known, but even so, 30,000 yen should be trivial.
I recall that even on a single floor of the Umeda Dungeon, only a few bottles appear per day.
I can have it all to myself.
Of course, if I spend several hours defeating nothing but slimes, slime sake will naturally appear.
「7000 slimes to Level 10… 7 bottles of slime sake… 210,000 yen.」
I couldn’t help but smile.
However, feeling tired today, I decided to head home for now.
As I returned home and stepped into the entrance, my father had just arrived.
‘Thank you for working hard so late—-or so I thought but it’s only 7pm.
My sense of time has become strange because I was in the dungeon.
「I’m back. How was the dungeon?」
「It’s going okay… Oh, this? It’s from the dungeon, so feel free to have some.」
「Is this… slime sake! If you sold it, it would fetch a fortune!」
Yeah, 30,000 yen is a lot of money.
「No, it’s something I obtained in the dungeon using the allowance father gave me.」
「Thank you. Let’s keep it safe, and when you turn twenty, we’ll open it together.」
He wore an expression akin to a parent receiving a gift from their child on their first paycheck.
Well, maybe it’s a similar feeling from his perspective.
「You’re exaggerating. If you want more, I’ll get it again. Just enjoy it now.」
「Getting it again won’t be so easy… Well, yeah. When the time comes, I’ll count on you.」
My father nodded deeply, wearing a face that said, ‘I understand’.
And as I returned home—
「Taira, you’re back already? Weren’t you just out a few minutes ago?」
My mother looked at me with an exasperated expression.
She must have thought I’d gone jogging but returned within a few minutes.
――――――――――――――――――
Ichino Taira: Level 5
Exchange Amount: 30 D (Ranking: 10M over [JPN])
Health: 26/26
Mana: 0/0
Attack: 11
Defense: 9
Dexterity: 13
Agility: 12
Luck: 110
Skill: PD Generation
――――――――――――――――――
Yeah, I’ve reached Level 5.
However, as levels increase, so does the required experience.
After depositing all the medals with Danpon, including yesterday’s haul, I had a total of 1,281 coins. Subtracting the 30 I’d already used, that left me with 1,311.
To reach Level 10, I need to defeat about 7,000 slimes. So, approximately 5,700 more slimes to go.
I still have a long way to go.
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