The cicadas’ cries had shifted from the shrill hum of aburazemi to the delicate call of tsukutsukuboshi, signaling that summer was nearing its end—or at least, it should have been. The lingering heat was relentless.
I was on my way to Dungeon Academy.
The walk from the nearest station was supposed to take just ten minutes, or so I’d been told. I’d underestimated the summer heat.
My throat was parched.
I spotted a vending machine—one of Osaka’s famous cheap vending machines.
The cheapest option was a mystery drink for just 10 yen.
It was likely filled with nearly expired drinks bought in bulk.
But I had money.
Time to buy a refreshing bottle of So〇bi Tea from a well-known brand…
「…I have no cash.」
To be precise, I only had a 10,000-yen bill and a 5-yen coin.
Recently, I’d been relying on smartphone payments, so I hadn’t checked my wallet.
I resigned myself to drinking water instead—when I noticed someone collapsed on the ground.
「Are you okay!?」
I rushed over and looked down.
It was Shizuka-san.
「C-Chinota-kun… I’m sorry… water…」
「Here!」
I pulled out my magical mini-canteen and handed it to her.
She took it and—
「Shizuka-san!」
「Gulp, gulp. I know what you’re thinking. Drinking too much water during dehydration can lead to hyponatremia, right? Don’t worry, I have salt candies.」
「No, that’s not it—I just wanted you to use the cup so I could drink too.」
The cup I took out from my inventory had gone to waste.
「Ah, a shared drink would’ve been an indirect kiss. My apologies.」
「It’s fine.」
She handed back the canteen, and I poured myself a cup of water.
「So, what were you doing, Shizuka-san?」
「Scouting out the Dungeon Academy. I heard it was a ten-minute walk from the station, but the heat was unbearable… Then, when I tried to buy a drink from the vending machine, all I had was a 10,000-yen bill. I guess pulling three all-nighters was too much.」
She really lived an unhealthy life.
Could she even fight in the dungeon like this?
「So we’re not the only ones visiting the Dungeon Academy today?」
I asked while sipping my water.
「That’s right. Other students from different schools should be here too. There are so many high schools that they couldn’t invite everyone at once. Want a candy?」
「Thanks, I’ll take one.」
Licking a lemon-flavored salt candy, we headed toward Dungeon Academy.
In front of the academy gates, cameras—likely belonging to the media—were stationed. It seemed they were still in rehearsal mode.
They weren’t filming just yet.
Perhaps they were planning a live broadcast during the midday news.
After all, Dungeon Academy was the center of attention these days.
「I thought it’d be in a residential area or near the station since it’s a school, but there are a lot of factories around here.」
「They probably struggled to secure land on such short notice. Plus, setting it up in a residential area would have faced strong opposition. When people hear dungeon created by Danpol, the image of danger is hard to shake.」
「But this dungeon is supposed to be safe, right?」
「Based on what Lady Tuna told us about Danpol in the other world, and the accounts we’ve heard from Danpon, I don’t think they’re lying. If Danpol wanted to kill people without rules, they could create dungeons anywhere without effort. They have that power. The fact that they don’t means they abide by the rules they set. However, emotions can sometimes override logic.」
I couldn’t exactly blame people for feeling that way.
Most people live their lives with no connection to dungeons.
If a dungeon appeared next to their home, offering no benefit and only a vague sense of dread, of course they’d protest.
To make matters worse, explorers like me had to deal with the perception that we were school dropouts who couldn’t handle academics.
In reality, anyone who couldn’t endure the grueling task of waiting in long lines just to hunt slimes over and over was the real failure.
Honestly, studying in school sounded much easier.
-0-
We showed our invitations to the staff at the side entrance and entered the academy grounds.
The school was pristine, so much so that I wished they’d swap it with my high school’s building.
However, it had that slightly sour smell typical of new buildings.
I didn’t like that smell much.
「Still, the meeting between Danpol and the Prime Minister was only recently. They managed to build a school in such a short time.」
I muttered to myself.
「The meeting with Danpol may have been recent, but construction started right after you finished clearing the Ikomasanjo Amusement Park Dungeon. They were probably working on it behind the scenes even before the direct negotiations took place.」
Shizuka-san explained.
Still, it had only been about two months. How did they manage to build such a magnificent school so quickly?
The dungeon wasn’t in the center of the campus but tucked away in a corner.
There were changing rooms and entrances both inside and outside the school grounds, but since the outer entrance was currently sealed off, we headed for the inner one.
Beside the dungeon, there was a parking lot where three large buses were parked.
They probably belonged to the high school students who had been invited.
-0-
At the entrance to the changing rooms near the dungeon, we presented our invitations again.
Shizuka-san and I each went into our respective changing rooms.
After storing our valuables in the designated lockers, I changed into my Fire Rat Cloak and proceeded to the dungeon interior.
There were no other students from the other schools in the lobby, but beyond the doors, I could sense the presence of many people.
They were probably already hunting slimes.
Or so I thought until I felt another presence in the lobby.
The figure turned to me and greeted me with a smile.
「Hey.」
I had no intention of returning the greeting.
Because it was Danpol.
「What are you doing here?」
「What do you mean? I’m the manager of this dungeon, aren’t I? Of course I’d be here. My job is to explain the dungeon to you. Now that your friends have arrived, shall we get started?」
Friends?
As I wondered who he meant, Milk, the other girls, and Shizuka-san arrived.
All of them, except Shizuka-san, looked wary when they saw Danpol.
Hime reached into her bag and pulled out a kunai, which she apparently carried around all the time.
In Ayame’s hand appeared the Archmage’s Staff, likely summoned with magic.
「No need to be so cautious. Danpol-kun, can you fetch our weapons?」
「Of course. That’s part of my job today.」
Danpol produced a naginata from thin air and handed it to Shizuka-san.
She swung it skillfully, making it hard to believe she was the same person who had collapsed from heatstroke moments ago.
「I’ll take my staff and gun.」
Milk also received her weapons.
「Alright, can you explain now? I want to see and hear for myself just how this dungeon is the safest in the world.」
「Of course. Here, take these.」
He handed out bracelets.
【Substitute Bracelet ∞: A bracelet that absorbs damage and status ailments on behalf of the wearer. ※For Academy Dungeon use only.】
…Huh? Normally, these bracelets display how much damage they can take before breaking, but there’s nothing like that here.
∞… Infinity!?
Does this mean it can absorb infinite damage?
I decided to appraise it just to be sure.
【Upon meeting certain conditions, teleportation magic activates, ejecting the wearer from the dungeon and resetting their level to 1.】
Reset to level 1!?
「This Substitute Bracelet will absorb any damage on your behalf. Someone try putting it on and say ‘check.’ It should display the wearer’s health.」
Shizuka-san was the first to equip the bracelet and said, ‘Check’.
【HP 2080/2080】
Whoa. It’s lower than mine, but more than double Milk’s or Ayame’s.
As expected, Shizuka-san has high HP.
「Except in specific areas, if your HP hits zero, it’s game over. You’ll be teleported back to the changing room, your level will reset to 1, and any dungeon items will drop where you fell. You also won’t be able to enter the dungeon for a week. But you won’t die. You won’t even get injured or suffer status ailments. It’s safe, right?」
「Even if you don’t die, I’d rather not lose my levels…」
Hime said with a wry smile.
Considering how much effort we’d put into leveling up, losing it all would be a nightmare.
Still, now the dungeon’s reputation for safety made sense.
「Over there is the arena. In the arena, even if your HP reaches zero, you won’t die. You can have full-power sparring matches safely. Dungeon streams are sure to get hyped, don’t you think?」
「So it’s legal PvP? That does sound pretty fun.」
「Members of the EPO Corporation can use it by paying a rental fee. Details will be sent via email later, so make sure to check it. Also, since today is the pre-opening, usage is limited to 5 PM. If you don’t exit by then, you’ll be forcibly teleported back to this lobby, so be careful.」
With that, Danpol handed us each a Substitute Bracelet ∞.
「Hey, there are a lot of things I want to ask that have nothing to do with the academy dungeon. Can you answer them?」
「I can’t. I don’t have the authority. I’d love to chat more with you, though.」
Danpol spoke with a hint of regret.
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