arc1 · 005-ch5

Episode 5: Hachioji Dungeon

　Pedaling from home for several tens of minutes. Arrived at today's destination, the Hachioji Dungeon.

　When dungeons first appeared in 1950, the total number of dungeons worldwide was a mere 10. Japan's dungeon was just one that appeared in the outer gardens of the Imperial Palace.

　After that, dungeons continued to appear irregularly, and now 166 have been confirmed worldwide. Dungeons appear in places with large populations, and the more active dungeon exploration is, the more likely they are to appear in the vicinity.

　Japan, a dungeon-advanced country, possesses 20 dungeons. Among the 10 dungeon-possessing countries, it has the third-highest number after China and America. When you compare population and land area, you can understand that Japan's dungeon count is remarkably high.

"Thanks to that, there's one in Hachioji, so it's easy to get to—big help"

　Suzuka's house is in Hachioji, a Tokyo suburb. The nearest station is different, but Hachioji Station is within cycling distance, and the dungeon right next to the station has good access. For a middle school third-grader, just saving on train fare makes a huge difference in how easy it is to commute.

"Still, Hachioji Station 15 years ago wasn't this booming, was it"

　The dungeon is located on the south side of Hachioji Station. Hachioji is the kind of station where the north side is prosperous, and as soon as you leave the station on the south side, it becomes a residential area. In Suzuka's memory, the south side around this time wasn't developed at all, and there should have only been a simple rotary. But the Hachioji in this worldline was different.

　There was a splendid pedestrian deck, and many high-end-looking tower apartments and buildings stood tall. The level of development brings to mind major regional cities like Sapporo, Sendai, and Fukuoka.

"Tachikawa or here? It's that dungeon special demand, right? Maybe the land price of my parents' house is actually worth a decent amount?"

　For Japan, which has developed through dungeons, dungeons are the center of the economy. And such dungeons appear in places with large populations. Development is natural law. Not only dungeon-related personnel use it, but there are also people who originally used the station for other purposes. These existing users are guaranteed a plus-alpha benefit. Urbanization progresses as well.

　With the appearance quite different from my memory, I thought I might get lost, but perhaps because I have Suzuka's memories from this worldline, I smoothly reached the bicycle parking area and could make it to the Explorer Association Hachioji Branch where the dungeon is located.

　Entering inside, I got the impression of a clean and stylish government office. There's a reception where procedures like explorer registration and consultations can be handled, and in the back, I can see a heavily armored door leading to the dungeon. This building also contains lockers for storing luggage, changing rooms, shower rooms, a reference room, and medical facilities, not to mention serving as the office for Explorer Association employees, making it quite a large building.

　Suzuka, who had studied in advance yesterday, heads toward the terminals lined up on the wall. About 10 terminals are lined up in a row, and their appearance is like ATMs. The difference from ATMs is that the spacing between adjacent terminals is wide, and the partitions are large.

　Such terminals are bustling with adventurers. The time is just before 9 AM, and it's a crowded time when many people head out for exploration. Suzuka lines up in a relatively empty line. People look strangely at a middle school third-year boy standing alone in line, but no one speaks to him.

　Before long, it's Suzuka's turn, and he operates the terminal. This terminal is for registering exploration schedules. After reading the explorer license and selecting that there's no error in the personal information that appears, a simple map of the dungeon is displayed. In the upper left, there's a button to select the floor level, and the map is color-coded into 5 districts. You select the floor level and district that will be your main hunting ground for this exploration.

　Also, the congestion status of each district is displayed, and if it exceeds the prescribed number, it becomes unselectable. This prevents conflicts over hunting grounds in advance, allowing explorers to focus on hunting with peace of mind. Therefore, it's common for explorers to gather early in the morning like saving cherry blossom viewing spots and head out for exploration.

　Naturally, the area Suzuka will explore is the beginner area. Floor 1, District 1.

　Once the exploration area is decided, next you register what time you plan to return. Depending on the exploration area, if you exceed this time, a notification is sent to the registered contact address. If you belong to a guild, it goes to the office, and in Suzuka's case, it goes to his parents. Those who receive the notification can apply for a search request to the association, or have other members of the guild conduct the search.

　The Explorer Association almost never conducts searches voluntarily. Explorers are people who make a living with nothing but themselves, and they explore dungeons of their own will. Events inside dungeons are entirely a matter of self-inflicted consequences, and interfering with that goes against the Association's philosophy.

　Just as Japanese people abhor breaking Jizo statues or playing pranks on shrines and temples, in this worldline, stopping people who intend to enter dungeons is considered taboo. Perhaps due to a light reverence for the explorers who lifted post-war Japan back up, Japanese people don't stop explorers.

　Even so, since he's going to a place where he'll risk his life, his parents probably wouldn't be pleased, so Suzuka came here without telling his parents. He must avoid letting a notification go to his parents after passing the set time.

"Hmm. For now, I'll set it to 22:00. I won't go past 22:00, right"

　Since I plan to fight near the dungeon entrance, even if I get absorbed, I should be able to return immediately.

　After that, precautions regarding exploration and so on are displayed, and pressing agree completes the procedure.