arc4 · 067-ch67

Episode 67: Expedition Destination

Mid-December. Suzuka had come to a ramen shop with Yasu. It was Bibin-tei, one of several places in Hachioji where you can eat Hachioji ramen. There were other shops in Hachioji that served Hachioji ramen, but Suzuka liked this place best.

"Welcome! Buy a meal ticket and take any seat you like!"

Receiving the cheerful greeting from the owner, they bought meal tickets at the ticket machine. Suzuka was usually a cashless person, but since this was an era without QR code payments yet, it was cash only.

"What are you getting, Yasu?"

"I'm getting Hachioji ramen."

"Gonna add extra meat?"

"Nah, it's my first time, so I'll stick with the regular one."

Ah, right. Suzuka came to this shop often with Yasu, but this would be their first visit in this era. They first went back when they were in college, after both started part-time jobs and had some extra money.

Lost in sentiment, Suzuka bought two meal tickets for spice ramen loaded with chopped onions.

"Sorry for making you treat me."

"Naturally. I invited you, and I'm earning money anyway."

Today Suzuka was treating Yasu to Hachioji ramen. The ramen topped with plenty of chopped onions is a simple yet addictive local specialty ramen.

Treating a friend might not be the healthiest dynamic, but asking a middle schooler who doesn't even work to pay felt worse. Besides, Suzuka was earning quite a bit in the dungeon. He didn't plan to pay for everything, but he didn't think Yasu was dating him just for money, so he didn't worry about it.

"So, you're going to a different dungeon over winter break?"

Yasu, who had brought over the self-service ice water, brought it up as he sat down.

Suzuka and friends were about to start winter break. Since it's a long vacation, they thought it might be nice to change things up and try a dungeon different from Hachioji. He was planning to leave home after graduating middle school anyway, so this would also serve as reconnaissance.

There are 20 dungeons in Japan total, so he wanted to consult with Yasu about where would be good and reached out to him.

"Yeah. I wanted to discuss where would be good. Sorry for dragging you between cram school lessons."

"It's fine, it's my dinner break anyway. Plus I've basically finished exam prep and am studying high school material, so I've got plenty of time."

That's a line examinees everywhere would love to say at least once. But Suzuka just thinks it's only natural.

Like Suzuka, Yasu also has high stats, so covering the scope of high school entrance exams should be easy. And he wasn't originally dumb to begin with, which makes it even more true.

"So, what are you actually aiming for in dungeons, Suzuka?"

"Aiming for what?"

"You know how dungeons have different numbers of floors depending on the location, right?"

"Ah, you mean that."

Just as Yasu said, dungeons were divided into three types depending on location.

Low-layer dungeons with up to 3 floors, mid-layer dungeons with up to 6 floors, and deep-layer dungeons where the total number of floors is unknown. Those are the types of dungeons. By the way, Hachioji Dungeon, where Suzuka usually explores, is classified as a low-layer dungeon.

What Yasu wanted to know was how many floors Suzuka planned to explore. In that case, the answer was already decided.

"Deep-layer. I want to try going to places even top-rank guilds haven't stepped into."

Dungeon exploration is the first content Suzuka has seriously tried to work at. He's making an effort to reach greater heights in his own way.

If he just wanted to reach the front lines, he could join the Special-Rank Explorer Guild, which is a top guild, and grow while receiving guidance. But what Suzuka is seeking lies beyond that.

The highest reached area in dungeons hasn't been updated for several years now. In other words, there's a limit to the current Special-Rank Explorer Guild's approach.

That's exactly why Suzuka chose to take risks and explore District 4, where success in growth was unclear despite the danger to his life.

"Well, considering how you are now, that makes sense. In that case, wouldn't deep-layer dungeons be your only option?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

There are only two deep-layer dungeons in Japan. Tokyo in the east, and Osaka in the west.

Deep-layer dungeons are the absolute front line of dungeons worldwide. They're home to the Special-Rank Explorer Guild, and Suzuka intended to explore them sooner or later too.

"In Kanto there's also the mid-layer dungeon in Yokohama, but I hear security is bad there, so better to avoid it."

"Is that so. Then Yokohama is out."

Suzuka absolutely didn't want to approach an area with poor security where there are many explorers. Once he gains power rivaling special-rank explorers, maybe he'll go there and show off.

"There's also Osaka for deep-layer, but that's pretty far, isn't it."

Osaka, huh. Not bad. But as Yasu said, for a middle schooler to go alone, it's far. Suzuka himself wouldn't have a problem, but whether his parents would allow it is another matter.

Plus, the Tokaido Shinkansen during the year-end and New Year period is insanely crowded. Crowded beyond comprehension. He wants to avoid that.

In that case, Tokyo Dungeon would be the most appropriate dungeon in terms of both location and floor depth. Since this is only for winter break, it might be just right as reconnaissance for a dungeon he'll explore eventually anyway.

"Guess it's Tokyo after all. Thanks, I've made up my mind."

"Yeah. Well, Hachioji and Tokyo just differ in floor depth, but the content is basically the same."

"Well, apparently there's a bit of a difference, so I'll enjoy it as a change of pace too."

It's said that dungeon structure doesn't differ much within Japan. But it seems the monsters that appear change a little, so he'll enjoy that difference.

"Ah, I think you'll be fine while exploring the first floor, but be careful if you go to the second floor or higher."

"Why?"

"Tokyo Dungeon is also known as the 'Dungeon of Trials.' On the second floor and above, monster trains are said to occur easily, and consecutive battles often happen. It's famous for being tough on the second floor even for skilled explorers."

These are phenomena said to occur easily in deep-layer dungeons rather than specifically Tokyo—irregular events like excessive monster spawns or enhanced versions of regular monsters. Even without exploring the front lines, just being active in a deep-layer dungeon is said to be a status symbol for explorers.

However, the first floor seems to be the same as others. Naturally Tokyo Dungeon also has Explorer High School attached, and if students are exploring dungeons without problems, even training facility trainees do level grinding. If dangers occurred frequently, the training facility would be unmanageable, if not Explorer High School.

"Hearing that makes me want to try the second floor too, though."

"You're still on District 4, right?"

"Yeah, still District 4. I want to get to District 5 during winter break."

Suzuka had started staying overnight in the dungeon on weekends since November, but he was still exploring District 4. As usual, his level-up speed was slow, but since the amount of stat increase hadn't changed, he didn't mind.

Since it's common for levels to rise easily in the early stages, he's telling himself it's simply changed to an appropriate speed.

"Well, I think you'll be fine, but be careful if you go to the second floor."

"Yeah. Well, I won't go to the second floor. For now, District 4 conquest is the priority."

There's also the proverb about how he who chases two rabbits catches neither. He's still in his third year of middle school. He'll go to Tokyo Dungeon's second floor and above eventually anyway, so there's no need to force it now.

"By the way, did Sugō-kun safely reach level 10?"

"Yeah. It took until the end of October, but he made it safely. His stats weren't bad either."

"That's amazing. Sugō-kun, but you too. They don't recommend level grinding because raising stats is hard, you know."

Even with Sugō, although he basically fought alone, his stat growth wasn't at the top level like Suzuka's. As expected, even when fighting alone, if there's a safety device like Suzuka nearby, there must be a cap set on the upper limit.

Setting that aside, Sugō had high stats overall, so it could be called a great success.

"Well, not as high as our stats, though."

"Still though. But don't go taking requests easily just because it went well this time? The Explorer Guild prohibits mimicking training facilities because there are just that many troubles."

Injuring someone would be a huge problem. Complaints would arise if the level grinding doesn't go well and the schedule gets delayed, and if stats are lower than expected, it could even lead to a lawsuit in the worst case. Especially since stats can't be redone, they're the biggest factor for trouble.

Some wealthy people and talent agencies apparently request the Explorer Guild instead of training facilities for level grinding. They need to pay a large sum, but stats grow better that way.

Besides that, while the Explorer Association doesn't recommend it, there are cases where people ask acquaintances who are explorers, but the cost and risk rarely align so it almost never happens.

Suzuka succeeded in raising his brother Sugō's level, but since Suzuka himself has long binding times, he probably won't do it again. This time he only accepted it because there was a reward of staying overnight in the dungeon.

"Here you go! Two spice ramens, thank you for waiting!"

Just as the conversation was winding down, the ramen was brought out. Chopped onions were placed covering the soy sauce-based ramen. These onions are delicious.

"Mm! Tasty!"

"Right? The ones here are good."

The two mindlessly slurped their ramen. It was a good thing the conversation was finished. They probably wouldn't have been able to talk while eating ramen together.

"Thanks for the meal~"

"Thank you!"

Together, they finished everything including the soup. This is Hachioji ramen. It was a bowl that hit the spot on a cold winter day.

"Delicious! Let's come again!"

"Naturally."

Yasu looked satisfied. Suzuka was also very satisfied eating it for the first time in a while.

"Well, I've got cram school, so..."

"Yeah. Good luck with your studies."

"Suzuka, be careful too if you go to Tokyo Dungeon."

And so, the dungeon Suzuka would expedition to during winter break was decided. The location: Tokyo Dungeon. One of only two deep-layer dungeons in Japan.