「Oh, PD is seriously convenient.」
I had transported all the cardboard boxes sent by Milk’s father into the PD.
As a result, the spacious ground floor entrance was now filled with boxes.
「PD isn’t meant to be a warehouse.」
Danpon complained, but there was no other place to put them.
Renting a garage was an option, but it felt wasteful.
「Why not put them in Taira’s inventory?」
「Impossible. Besides D-coins and magic stones, the inventory can only hold up to 99 of the same items. You know that, Danpon.」
Before heading to the Stone Stage Dungeon, I had completed a mission: carrying over 50 kilograms of dropped items back to the surface, which unlocked the D-can.
Inside, I found a skill bead. After giving it a taste, I learned inventory skill—essentially an infinite storage or item box.
Its convenience lay in the fact that it could store things within a 5-meter radius without physical contact.
Once set up, it worked automatically, even storing dropped items without manual effort.
The only drawback was that for items encountered for the first time, you had to pick them up yourself.
Inventory meant inventory.
TN: Skill is written in English.
For existing items, you could simply adjust the quantity, but adding a new item required updating the inventory, as Danpon explained.
Additionally, the inventory couldn’t hold anything created outside the dungeon—no water or food. So, backpacks were still necessary.
「Now, shall we start sorting?」
300 boxes of D-cans—each containing around 50 cans. That meant approximately 15,000 in total. Sorting them would take a whole day.
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And so, I began.
Previously, I categorized items into three groups: those that can be opened immediately, those that require time to open, and those that can’t be opened for a while.
This time, let’s divide them into four difficulty levels for opening, plus five additional categories that can’t be sorted by difficulty alone. Here are some specific examples:
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Level 1
– Rub it three times and place it on the floor.
– Exchange 100,000 D-coins while holding the D-can.
– Focus sunlight on it using a magnifying glass.
– Inspect it with detailed appraisal (already opened).
– Ask a Danpon to open it.
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Level 2
– Wear this can around your waist and complete a full marathon.
– Wait for 100 years (remaining: 98 years, 11 months, 15 days, 21 hours, 19 minutes, 32 seconds).
– Receive this can as a birthday gift.
– Hold this D-can for 48 hours without sleep.
– Take it to an altitude above 4,000 meters.
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Level 3
– Enter dungeons 100 times (currently at 68).
– Offer it at the altar of the 33rd floor in the Iriomote Island Dungeon.
– Pressured by multiple women for marriage.
– Collect 150 Po〇mon (Green and Red versions) entirely on your own.
– Take it to the 50th floor of a dungeon.
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Level 4
– Achieve a top-10 ranking in world exchange value ranking.
– Learn 1,000 skills.
– No opening conditions for rare cans.
– No opening conditions for ultra-rare cans.
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Other
– Destroy one dungeon.
– Place the Fool’s Stone on top of the can.
– Complete the quest: Cooking for Elves.
– Tame a monster.
– Become a dungeon god.
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That’s the general idea.
Level 3 seems overly complicated.
Level 4 is practically impossible.
As for the “Other” category, some things are just downright mysterious.
Can dungeons even be destroyed? And what’s this Fool’s Stone?
And quests—do elves really exist?
Monster taming is said to be impossible, and as for becoming a dungeon god, who knows?
As for the 100-year wait, well, if I leave it in the PD, time will pass automatically while I’m not inside, so it might open on its own in a few months.
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Taking short naps in between, I manage to finish sorting the cans.
Among those that can be opened immediately, there are a total of 3,215 cans (although 7 of them unexpectedly popped open during sorting). Still, it’s quite a time-consuming task.
Now, about those rare and ultra-rare cans—what are they, exactly?
They claim to have no opening conditions.
「Well, those require a magical can opener. It’s a disposable tool that can open any D-can. Extremely rare, found only very occasionally within dungeons.」
「So that’s how it is.」
Turns out, these magical can openers are quite pricey—over 10 million yen each—and rarely available.
Clearly, they’re exceptionally rare items.
If I ever find myself flush with cash and stumble upon one online, consider buying it.
As for the cans you can open right away, I briefly consider opening them all. But where’s the fun in that?
Instead, I’ll resist temptation and stick to the ones that accidentally opened during sorting.
Even so, they contain some intriguing surprises.
【 Kamen Hero Mask: a magic tool that makes you invisible when you wear the mask. 】
It’s labeled as a magic tool, so it likely has some effect.
Unfortunately, its price remains a mystery—nothing can be found online.
Could be useful for various purposes, perhaps even mischievous ones.
【Mage’s Staff: a staff that improves the magic power】
It is said that D-cans only produce something smaller than itself but this thing is bigger than a D-can.
Apparently, it enhances magic power. But if it boosts the Hellfire spell even further, I might find myself unable to cast magic up close.
I’m now quite worried about how to use it.
It’s priced at around 100,000 yen.
【Elixir of Heroes: A medicine that can instantly heal any serious injury. It has no effect on the dead】
This is the real jackpot.
Unfortunately, the market value isn’t specified—just listed as “can be sold.”
And there’s also a skill bead I licked.
It granted me the passive skill “Monstrous Strength”, which boosts your attack power by 10%.
Nice to know that even ordinary skills can be learned this way.
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It’s quite fortunate that over half of the cans turned out to be valuable, isn’t it?
By the way, among the less exciting cans, there were marshmallows, dry bread, and a water flask.
The flask seems practical for everyday use.
Interestingly, both the water flask and the mage’s staff are larger than the cans, yet they popped out as soon as the cans opened.
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「Danpon, I’m going into the dungeon for a change of pace, can you arrange the first three floors as the copy of Stone Stage Dungeon and fourth and fifth floors from Expo Park Dungeon?
「Certainly. By the way, about the Stone Stage Dungeon, you can explore up to the seventh floor.」
「Really?」
「Yes. Taira-san had no trouble defeating the Bite Wolf, so my fellow danpon granted you permission to explore up to the seventh floor in the Stone Stage Dungeon.」
「Incredible! So, can we reach the level with the Evil Ogre in the Expo Park Dungeon?」
「Unfortunately, that’s not possible. When Taira-san defeated the Evil Ogre using the Hellfire magic, it’s a powerful technique that can only be used once in a while. To face multiple Evil Ogres, you’re still too weak. So, we can only add floors up to the fifth level.」
「I see. Well, that makes sense. In that case, please set up to the seventh floor of the Stone Stage Dungeon.」
And so, I find myself in a copy of the Stone Stage Dungeon.
The first floor remains as unexciting as ever—just slimes. I decide to pass through without lingering.
On the second floor, I encounter walking mushrooms and haniwa figurines.
These haniwa are quite different from what you’ve seen before—they come in various shapes. Some resemble horses, soldiers, or even something akin to monks.
Despite their unpredictable attacks—often lunging for your head—they make for excellent stress relief when you catch them mid-air and hurl them against the walls.
The satisfying bang! sound echoes through the dungeon.
By the way, the haniwa figurines drop jade amulets.
They appear at roughly a 1-in-2 chance per two haniwa.
Apparently, they have the effect of repelling evil spirits.
I managed to collect exactly 50 amulets by smashing 100 haniwa figurines. And, of course, the walking mushrooms consistently yield mushrooms—they’ve filled my inventory, prompting me to move to the third floor.
The third floor—home to kobolds, black slimes, and sticky lizards.
Unlike lizardmen, these large reptiles stick to walls and ceilings, which can be unnerving.
And they pounce unexpectedly—even if you sense their presence, it’s still unsettling.
Since this floor lacks excitement, I swiftly head to the fourth floor.
By the way, what monsters are there?
I only researched up to the third floor, assuming that was the limit.
As I walk, an almost translucent, ghost-like figure approaches.
「Of all things, a ghost!」
I flee.
After all, physical attacks don’t work on ghosts.
But as I escape, more ghosts appear.
It dawns on me, this dungeon’s monster spawn rate is set to five times the usual!
And these ghosts use a skill called Drain Touch, sapping the life force of anyone they touch. Facing so many of them would be disastrous.
I sprint toward the staircase leading back to the third floor, and then—
「Hellfire!」
Your spell engulfs the pursuing ghosts, leaving behind spirit orbs—stones that, like jade amulets, can be crafted into accessories.
But I can’t use the same technique again as my magic power reserves are depleted.
Without magical weapons or low-cost spells, breaking through will be tough.
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Exiting the PD, I head straight for a relaxing bath.
Refreshed, I checked my phone and found a missed call and a message.
The missed call was from Milk while the message was from Azuma-san.
I decided to call Milk first.
At the first ring, Milk answered.
She’s not waiting for my call, right?
『Sorry, it’s already late at night.』
「Late at night? Ah, it’s currently ten in the evening.」
『Were you asleep, by any chance?』
「No, I was just immersed in some work, and I lost track of time. But more importantly, are you okay?」
『I’m totally fine. Even during counseling, there were no issues. Papa tends to be overly dramatic, you know.』
「It’s just because he’s worried about you, Milk.」
『I understand, but… Oh, about the promised yakiniku—how about this coming Sunday?』
「Ah, this coming Sunday… Wait, I already have plans with a friend to explore a dungeon.」
『I see. Well, then…』
「How about you join us too, Milk?」
『Huh?』
「That friend is also a girl. I thought maybe she’d be more comfortable with you, someone at the same age and gender than being alone with a guy like me.」
That’s what I said.
But Milk falls silent unexpectedly.
Areh?
Is the signal bad or something?
『…Taira. That friend a girl?』
「Yes.」
『In that case, count me in.』
Ah, I get it. She probably didn’t want to go with an unfamiliar guy, but if it’s another girl, maybe they can become friends.
「Okay, I’ll check with my friend too. But keep in mind that this friend is quite high-level, so we might not be able to stick together inside the dungeon.」
『No problem. After defeating the Bite Wolf, I leveled up to 10 and became an official member of Papa’s guild. You remember what we discussed yesterday, right? The legal details aren’t finalized yet, but we can benefit from the relaxed safety margin, so we can explore up to the fifth floor.』
「I see.」
She seems unusually motivated.
I’ll arrange the exact meeting time and end the call for now.
And then, I checked the message from Azuma-san.
It was about confirming the meeting place for Sunday and letting me know that she had prepared a homemade bento, even my share.
Is this her way of thanking me for treating her to lunch the other day?
I feel bad for inconveniencing her.
When I sent a thank-you message, she promptly replied, “You’re welcome. I’m looking forward to it.”
Whether it’s Milk or Azuma-san, do high school girls always respond instantly? It seems to be the norm.
Next, I asked, “I have a friend who wants to join us in the dungeon. Is it okay to invite her?” But this time, there was no immediate reply.
Earlier, the response came in an instant.
And then, fifteen minutes later, I finally received a reply: “If it’s Ichino-san’s friend, I welcome them.”
Could she have been taking a bath?
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Afterward, I checked the information about the Stone Stage Dungeon.
There, I found the method for dealing with ghosts.
It turns out that you can defeat ghosts by throwing magical beads at them.
However, once you throw a bead, it shatters, so it’s best to prepare several.
Such a straightforward strategy—information truly is crucial.
I’ll also research the details about the dungeon we’re visiting on Sunday.
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