ch1-ch20 · 005-ch5

Chapter 5

He'd learned about Shinjuku Tower from his family.

The streaming thing had surprised him, but within Sai, his interest in Shinjuku Tower only grew stronger.

He felt a certain karmic irony in becoming an adventurer even after returning to Japan, but with threats of that level, even solo he could probably get pretty far without injury.

His parents looked worried, but he pushed through on that point.

He was glad to have people worry about him, but Sai was a veteran adventurer in the other world. When it came to fighting monsters, he could confidently say he was among the top-tier experienced people even in Japan.

A few days after learning about the tower. He checked various adventurers' streams, researched Shinjuku Tower conquest information, and prepared his own equipment.

He'd left his favorite blade behind in the other world, but even so, his Item Box contained replacement blades, plus a large stock of other weapons and armor.

He decided to use Japanese-purchased gear for some things like camping equipment and stoves.

He got the impression that the other world was more advanced when it came to fighting monsters, but for everyday-use items, Earth-made products seemed more advanced.

He reconfirmed the information on Shinjuku Tower.

No adventurer had completely conquered it yet, and there was no information on floor 26 or beyond.

Above the 20th floor, the tower's exterior was covered in thick fog, and not even the total number of floors was known.

However, based on the size of the first floor and the height of each story, it was estimated to be roughly 30 floors.

A tower shrouded in mystery.

Even though electricity and radio waves worked inside the tower, for some reason, whenever someone tried to examine the exterior with planes or drones, radio interference or instrument malfunctions occurred, or they were shot down by wyverns that appeared out of nowhere.

The wyverns, after shooting down planes or drones, would leisurely disappear back into the tower's fog. They seemed to resent "attempts to obtain information from the outside."

The only thing that could be said from this was that "some kind of will exists within the tower."

He didn't know who or what it was, nor what it wanted.

Just that something was intervening—that much, Sai assumed, was certain.

He'd seen dungeons like this several times in the other world.

In that sense too, it could be said Sai was well-suited to conquering Shinjuku Tower.

The day after his preparations were complete.

Sai headed to the Shinjuku Adventurer's Guild.

The Shinjuku Adventurer's Guild was built adjacent to Shinjuku Tower.

"Same stuff, whether it's the other world or Japan, huh."

In the other world too, Adventurer's Guilds were sometimes built near large dungeons.

People may be different, but their thinking must be similar.

Muttering to himself like that, he stepped inside the Adventurer's Guild.

Inside, there was a large reception desk, and at the surrounding tables, adventurers and their associates were chatting casually. It was a sight he'd seen in the other world too.

This Adventurer's Guild was larger and more spacious than the one in the other world.

The atmosphere resembled something like a ward office or city hall.

Looking at the directory board, there were various counters and facilities needed by adventurers, plus sales of weapons, armor, and tools usable in dungeons. It seemed there were even bathing facilities.

Sai called out to the reception desk and stated that he wanted to obtain a license to enter the tower.

"Huh? You're not already an adventurer?"

"Haha, embarrassingly enough, I'm a beginner."

"In that case, please submit your application at the Adventurer License Center next door."

As he deflected with a wry smile, they directed him to the Adventurer License Center.

An Adventurer's License from another world was useless in Japan.

The guild's annex. The Adventurer License Center.

Here, lectures and practical skills training for obtaining an adventurer license were held daily.

He'd assumed he could enter Shinjuku Tower right after applying, but apparently, he'd need to come to this annex for several days to obtain the license.

In the other world too, there were lectures for adventurers, but the initial training was only a few hours, and more detailed lectures were for those who wanted them.

In modern Japan, it wasn't as simple as taking a course and breezing through a dungeon.

This was probably one of the differences between the other world and Japan.

In both the other world and Japan, even though the name "adventurer" was the same, the role was different.

Common sense was different too, so there was probably a lot to learn.

Feeling excited about those differences, Sai headed to the training course.

When he went to the first lecture, there were about fifteen other attendees besides Sai.

They must have been young people who'd come of age and were aiming to become adventurers. The attendees were mostly young kids.

They were all in their twenties, and Sai was the only one in his forties.

The reason the young people looked startled when they saw Sai was probably because of that.

One middle-aged guy among a bunch of kids.

The lecture began.

The content was similar to the lectures in the other world.

They explained how dangerous the adventurer job was, the possibility of injury, and potential troubles, complete with case examples.

Maybe because it sounded like a lecture, some of the young trainees looked sleepy.

In the other world too, there were people who brushed off this kind of talk.

No matter the era, whether Earth or another world, some things never change.

Next, they were taught about streaming regulations and how to use the cameras.

It seemed the mainstream streaming cameras were those worn on the head, neck, or near the ear.

There were apparently high-performance handheld cameras too, but that was irrelevant to Sai.

The streaming camera's battery apparently lasted about eight hours. If holing up in the dungeon for more than eight hours, battery swaps were essential. The textbook also stated that if someone was inside Shinjuku Tower with the camera stopped, an alarm would sound.

There were five lectures. Sai kept coming to the License Center.

He felt the number of sessions was generous, but knowledge was a weapon.

There were bound to be differences between the other world and Japan too.

He made sure to listen carefully, especially about dungeon information.

There were tests too, but the questions were all solvable if you remembered the lecture content.

There were also five practical sessions. Basic combat training and lessons on how to walk through a dungeon.

When it came to walking techniques, it was common sense for Sai, who had also served as a scout. In fact, he prided himself on being someone who'd be on the teaching side.

What impressed him about these practical training sessions was that a simulated dungeon had been built inside the License Center. Robots were placed inside, and apparently they were designed to fall when dealt a certain amount of damage.

Specific hit spots were designated, and striking those spots would cause them to fall based on the assessment.

If the force was too weak, they'd get back up, so this system allowed one's ability to be measured.

It also taught proper dungeon walking techniques—it was educational.

If he ever made it back to the other world, he'd want to share this system with the Adventurer's Guild.

If they used golems, they could probably do something similar.

Sai was thinking about things like that.

The other world still remained in his heart.

In combat training, mock battles were also held, assuming combat with humanoid monsters.

Beginner weapons and armor were loaned out, and the format was to fight everyone.

The weapons were all wooden, but a hit to an unprotected spot would be a painful blow.

Moreover, the match formats included both one-on-one and one-vs-multiple.

For people who just wanted to sightsee inside the tower, these mock battles might be tough.

But Shinjuku Tower had many humanoid monsters like skeletons and goblins.

Combat training between people was important for accumulating battle experience.

And so, after passing the lectures and qualification exams held over several days, Sai happily became an adventurer in Japan.

His license read "F-Rank Adventurer."

It seemed it went F to start, then E, D, C, B, A.

Apparently there was also S-Rank above that.

Sai guessed it was probably the same as Special Class in the other world.

A special title given to irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind adventurers.

The adventurer standards weren't just Japanese but apparently global, adopting the same evaluation criteria as various other countries.

He held up and looked at the brand-new adventurer license he'd received at the counter.

Sai's heart raced at the novelty of starting from scratch after so long.

Now then. With this, he could finally—truly—begin his conquest of Shinjuku Tower.

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Thank you for reading.

Today marks a two-chapter update.

Thank you very much.