arc3 · 058-ch58

Chapter 58: Settings and Such

Note: This does not affect the main story even if you don't read it.

■Introduction

Thank you for reading this far!! I'm truly grateful for your support, reviews, and the many people who have supported me!! Thank you!! I also post side stories in my update notes for supporters only, so if you're interested, please check them out!

From here on, it's setting material and supplements for up to Chapter 3. I thought this might help resolve some of your questions about this world, so please take a look if you'd like!

■About the World's Dungeons

Dungeons appear in only 10 countries worldwide. The number of dungeons increases within the country, but never crosses national borders. For example, there is a dungeon in Washington, USA, but none in nearby Vancouver, Canada. On the other hand, if you invade another country and make it your territory, dungeons will begin to appear there.

The countries where they appear are: Japan, USA, Russia, China, UK, France, Germany, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya.

Just because they don't appear there doesn't mean citizens of other countries can't enter dungeons. Canadian citizens can enter American dungeons. Japan has opened its Kyushu dungeon to the world, and elites from countries without dungeons use it every year.

■Japan's Dungeons

20 dungeons have appeared in Japan. This number ranks 3rd, following China and USA.

The dungeon breakdown is: 2 deep-layer, 5 mid-layer, and 13 low-layer. Low-layer means floors 1-3, mid-layer means floors 1-6, and deep-layer means floor 1 onwards—how far it continues is unconfirmed.

■About the World Situation

There are frequent outbreaks of explorers running rampant in countries. Especially in countries without dungeons, there are no countermeasures against explorers, and there exist countries that have been taken over by explorers.

In light of this, Japan permits military personnel from other countries to use dungeons for security maintenance. However, the permitted dungeons are low-layer only, and there is a restriction that you must pass quite strict review to use mid-layer dungeons for existence evolution.

In other words, they're applying pressure that if you oppose Japan, Special-Grade explorers will deal with you.

■About the Domestic Situation

The biggest problem is that there are no effective measures against explorers. This is common to all countries.

Police schools and Self-Defense Forces level up in dungeons, but compared to professional explorers, they're several tiers lower. They chose this path to protect the country, so they can't put that much effort into fighting monsters with their lives on the line in dungeons. Besides, they can't keep going to dungeons in the first place, so they can't raise their levels either. Some homegrown units do receive such training, but the absolute number is small. Also, they're deployed for security maintenance in places like the Kyushu dungeon that foreigners use as an exploration base, so there's always a shortage of personnel.

Therefore, in prefectures without dungeons, the police can't even respond to explorers, and cases of crimes by former explorers run rampant. If they go too far, they'll be purged, but for crimes at the level the yakuza or semi-gangs commit, the local police have no choice but to handle them, creating lawless zones.

As such crimes by explorers and former explorers increase, voices calling for harsher punishment and crackdowns on explorers are also rising.

■Background Behind Explorer Crimes Running Rampant

The reason explorers can do whatever they want is because there is no one to regulate explorers. Police can't handle explorers above a certain level, and police and Self-Defense Forces who have completed existence evolution would never be deployed for minor crimes.

One might think other explorers should regulate them, but this is difficult. With monsters, you can reduce the risk to your life by taking countermeasures. For example, if fighting a monster that uses fire magic, just equip fire-resistant armor or accessories. If fighting a monster weak to water magic, equip a weapon with water magic effects like "Water Blade Weasel's Tail" or put a water magic user in your party.

However, with explorers, you don't know what they'll use. There are many uncertain factors: skill composition, level, items held. This makes the risk too high for those enforcing the law. There are almost no active explorers who would think of fighting criminal explorers outside dungeons where levels don't go up. The risk is too high for zero return.

It's like asking a Matagi hunter to shoot a violent criminal. If you add a note that the criminal might have bombs or guns, who would accept that?

Furthermore, since criminal explorers are often experienced in human-versus-human combat, it becomes even harder to get other explorers' cooperation.

As a result, it's difficult to regulate explorers who have raised their levels, and the current situation is that criminal organizations led by former explorers have formed in various places.

■About Status Upon Level Up

Changes in appearance occur only until level 10. Therefore, someone who was ugly at level 10 will still be ugly even if they work hard to reach level 100. Although an aura-like intimidation increases with level, there's no change in appearance. For this reason, training facilities raise characters to level 10 in District 1-1 only, where there are appearance changes.

In dungeons, four grades are given upon level up. The amount of status distributed is determined according to these grades.

Grade 1 gives only 1-2 status points. Training facilities and such fall into this category. Exploration conducted with almost no risk is considered Grade 1. Even among Explorer High students, there are those who get Grade 1 upon leveling up if their performance is poor.

Grade 2 gives 3-5 status points. Even if you're at the top of Grade 2, you don't get all 5s—3-5 status points are randomly distributed. In other words, if you keep getting Grade 2, the status average naturally becomes 4.

Grade 3 gives 6-8 status points. Explorer High students with excellent grades can achieve this grade. Generally, they go back and forth between Grade 2 and 3.

Grade 4 gives 9-10 status points. Only those who take considerable risks get this amount of status, and if you aim for First-Grade or Special-Grade explorer, you'd want to achieve Grade 4 more than 5 times.

With this in mind, let me explain the approximate acquisition rates for the current cast.

Suzuka is an extremely high achiever with almost only Grade 4. There was one time she got Grade 3 when exploring with Yasu, but since then it's been Grade 4. Suzuka's status increase average is 9.5, maintaining a high level.

Yasu had Grade 3 three times and Grade 4 six times by level 10. In Yasu's case, because she trapped Drunken Sheep and fought safely, there were three times with Grade 3. Even so, the status increase average is 8.5, showing excellent results.

zoo members' average increase is 8.5. About 60% Grade 4, 40% Grade 3. They were pushed back by the Water Blade Weasel this time, but zoo stepped into District 1-3 for the first time that day, so just surviving against the Water Blade Weasel at that level is amazing enough. Suzuka also leveled up in District 1-3 before challenging area bosses.

With zoo's increase rate, First-Grade explorer is certain, and depending on skills, Special-Grade explorer is reachable.

Parks members' average increase is 5.8. It's slightly higher because of savings from District 1-1. Grade 2 and Grade 3 are about fifty-fifty. If this continues, they can exceed level 100, but won't reach level 150.

Urban members' average increase is 4.6. About average for Explorer High. On the borderline of whether they can reach level 100. Not weak, but not strong either.

■About Suzuka

Looking at the various status increases, you might feel strange that the average increase of Suzuka exploring solo is close to that of zoo's four-person party. Is zoo taking that much risk?

I have to explain that Suzuka is abnormal and that there's a system limit, which is why it's this way. In other words, no matter how much risk you take, the grade limit is 4, so you can only get Grade 4.

For example, if the condition for Grade 4 is getting over 80 points, zoo members get around 80 points, so they go back and forth between Grade 4 and 3. Meanwhile, Suzuka is like completing extra assignments and getting 200 points. Since over 80 points is Grade 4, stacking points beyond that has no meaning in terms of status, but Suzuka keeps working hard and accumulating risk every time.

Therefore, aside from the level difference, there's not a large difference between Suzuka, a solo explorer, and zoo's four-party members' stats.

Does that mean the risk is wasted? Not exactly. If you accumulate risk, the dungeon responds accordingly. That could be skills, items, or various benefits. Just like how Mana Perception manifested as a result of accumulating risk against Rabbit Demon Iron Skin, you receive benefits in things other than status.

If no major difference is created in level difference or status difference, what matters is skills and items. Up to a certain point, status is important, but to go further ahead, you need to consider other things too.

The prime example of this will come in Chapter 4, so please accompany me through Chapter 4 as well, and you'll know the results of Suzuka's accumulated risk.

From Chapter 4 onward, one chapter will be posted daily. I've written up to Chapter 7, so I'd be happy if you could stay with me for a long time to come.