ch1-ch20 · 001-ch1

Chapter 1: A Birthday Present

Today, June 1st, I—Kasugano Haruki—have finally turned eighteen.

At eighteen, you're old enough to get your dungeon entry permit in Japan.

Following the plan I'd been working on for a while, I took the day off from school and headed to the Adventurer's Association branch attached to the nearest dungeon to apply for my adventurer's license.

Maybe it was because it was a weekday morning, but apparently I was the only one applying for a license today.

I was all alone in this large room with desks and chairs arranged like a classroom.

"Congratulations, Kasugano Haruki-san. There were no issues with your paperwork. You're officially an adventurer now."

A woman's voice echoed through the room as she slid the door open with a rattle and stepped inside.

She was a lively-looking beauty with black hair tied back behind her head—the same woman who'd been at the counter when I submitted my documents.

Guess the rumors were true. They say every receptionist at every branch across the country is a total beauty.

Having a beautiful woman wish me a happy birthday on my actual birthday? Yeah, that's a pretty nice feeling.

"Here you go," she said, handing it to me like a birthday present.

It was my adventurer's license, complete with my photo.

Apparently, they took my picture after my application was approved and whipped this up while I was listening to various explanations...

"T-Thank you very much."

I bowed reflexively and took it with both hands.

"Next, you'll want to enter the dungeon and check your 'Status.' Your Status is treated as personal information, so please don't share it casually with others. That includes us staff at the Adventurer's Association, by the way. Especially watch out for people asking about your 'Special Skill'—you'll get a lot of those."

The 'Special Skill' she mentioned was a powerful ability that you automatically learn when you first enter a dungeon.

Regular 'Skills' can be learned by leveling up inside the dungeon, and you get to choose which ones you want.

But with a 'Special Skill,' you have no idea what you'll get. In exchange for that uncertainty, though, they come with incredibly powerful and unique abilities.

If you can recruit someone with a strong Special Skill to your party, conquering the dungeon becomes that much easier.

That's why some people resort to forceful methods to recruit them, and apparently there have even been kidnappings overseas to exploit those powers.

"Sorry for the late introduction. I'm Hayashi Sakura, and I'll be your instructor for today's orientation. I hold a Single-Rank adventurer's license myself, so don't worry—just follow me. Though honestly, you almost never run into monsters on the first floor of a dungeon anyway."

Single-Rank refers to adventurers who've cleared the tenth floor of a dungeon.

When you break through the tenth floor, you obtain something called a 'Job,' and depending on your Job, you can learn different Skills or receive corrections to your Status.

I heard later that during the hiring process, staff members get power-leveled by being taken down to the tenth floor.

So if she's Single-Rank, she should be able to handle any monsters that show up on the first floor without breaking a sweat.

"I'm Kasugano Haruki. Nice to meet you."

She'd already said my name loud and clear earlier, but I figured I should introduce myself anyway.

The Association branch was attached to the dungeon.

Or rather, the building was constructed around the spatial rift called the 'Gate' that led into the dungeon.

Since this room was on the second floor of the branch building, Hayashi-san—the receptionist—made her way toward the 'Dungeon Gate' on the first floor.

Naturally, I followed right behind her...

"So this is the 'Dungeon Gate'..."

A spatial rift floating in the air like it was suspended there.

I'd seen it in videos and photos before, but this was my first time seeing one in person.

It was about two meters tall, and at its widest point in the center, maybe a meter across at most—shaped like a distorted diamond.

In front of the Gate was something like a train station turnstile.

When I waved the license I'd just received over it, a beep sounded and the gate opened.

They must use this to keep track of who enters and who leaves.

"Shall we go in, then?"

The receptionist—Hayashi-san—slipped smoothly through to the other side of the rift.

I took a deep breath and followed her.

I touched the Gate, but there was no physical sensation.

Just a change in temperature—like stepping out of an air-conditioned room into summer heat—that I could feel at my fingertips.

I steeled myself and walked through...

"—!"

The area beyond the Dungeon Gate was still inside a building.

Apparently the 'Gate' that led back to the surface world from inside the dungeon was also covered by a structure.

"Welcome to Chiba Dungeon. Now, please say 'Status' out loud."

'Status.'

Inside the dungeon, this 'Status' system applies corrections to your physical abilities, allowing you to perform superhuman feats.

To view it, you apparently have to say the word 'Status' out loud.

At the same time, you can check any Skills or Jobs you've acquired.

Since I was already inside the dungeon, I should have learned my 'Special Skill' by now...

"Okay. Status."

Rows of text and numbers floated up in my mind.

Name: Kasugano Haruki
Job: [None]
Lv: 1
HP: 10
MP: 10
Strength: 1
Endurance: 1
Agility: 1
Magic: 1

Skill: [Gate]

Gate?

Gate, as in this 'Gate'?

I stared at the spatial rift I'd just passed through.