Chapter-06 · EP-086

Episode 86: Okutama Dungeon

May 3rd, Constitution Memorial Day. Today, the first day of Golden Week, I arrived at Okutama Station.

"This isn't what I expected…"

According to Meiris, I'd heard it was the least populated place in Tokyo, but when I got off the train, the station was crowded with people.

I felt a twinge of unease.

I'd even booked a stay at a traditional inn. Could it be that the dungeon was also crowded? If the dungeon was too busy, I wouldn't be able to do my secret skill verification in private. My carefully planned expedition would be a huge failure. In that case, I'd give up on skill verification and just focus on leveling up.

Thinking about this, I headed to the inn.

"Welcome, you've come from far away."

"It's not that far, since I'm from inside Tokyo. Still, it's surprisingly crowded."

"It's Golden Week, you see. Everyone's here for sightseeing."

"Sightseeing, huh. So not everyone is trying to dive into the dungeon."

Hearing the innkeeper's words, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dungeon? Are you going to the dungeon, by any chance?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Sightseeing and then the dungeon?"

"Huh? No, I'm only here for dungeon exploration."

Somehow, my conversation with the innkeeper wasn't quite meshing.

"You're an unusual one."

"Huh?"

"If you're going to a dungeon, there are more convenient places than this."

"Is that so?"

When I asked, it turned out that to get to the dungeon, I had to hike about an hour up the mountain to an abandoned village. The location was poor, and the dungeon had no distinctive features, making it unpopular. If you were going to a dungeon, it was far better to go to the ones in Shinjuku or Yokohama in terms of transportation and surrounding facilities. Apparently, almost no one had visited in decades.

There was supposedly an entrance gate (like a train ticket gate) that restricted access, and you couldn't pass without showing your dungeon explorer license.

After leaving my luggage at the inn and changing into light gear, I finally headed to the dungeon. As the innkeeper had said, a mountain path started behind the inn.

"The abandoned village, about an hour's hike up."

I confirmed my destination again at the trailhead and started walking.

The path was well-maintained and easy to walk at first. True to Okutama's reputation as a tourist destination, the slope was gentle enough for a casual hike, and the path was reasonably wide. It was also the season of fresh greenery, the green of the trees was dazzling, and the birdsong was pleasant. The richness of nature, which you rarely experience in the city, lightened my mood a little.

But as I walked, the path gradually narrowed, and the slope became steeper. The ground also became rocky and difficult to walk on. It seemed to have changed from a well-maintained tourist path to a serious mountain trail.

I moved my feet in silence. Even though I had stamina built up from regular dungeon exploration, mountain climbing used different muscles. Feeling the front of my thighs gradually grow heavy, I continued walking.

I'd been walking for about thirty minutes, I think. The path became even more rugged, and there were even sections where I had to use ropes to climb up rocky areas.

"This is strange…"

The innkeeper had said it would take about an hour, but I'd already been walking quite a while, and there was no sign of any abandoned village. In fact, the path seemed to be heading deeper and deeper into the mountains.

I checked my smartwatch. When I displayed my current location with GPS, I was dismayed.

"Huh, I'm walking in completely the wrong direction…"

I was heading in the opposite direction of where the abandoned village was supposed to be. I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.

"This is bad."

I had no choice but to turn back. Going downhill was easier than going up, but I'd wasted energy. It had also taken longer than I thought, and it was already afternoon.

When I returned to the trailhead, a man who looked like a local, probably in his late fifties, was walking his dog. He was wearing work clothes and had the air of a resident of the area.

"Ah, hello. Did you just come down from the mountain?"

"Hello. Yes, actually, I got lost."

"Ah, I thought so. I saw a young guy with a backpack heading up the mountain and wondered if he'd be okay."

The man gave a wry smile.

"Where were you trying to go?"

"Well, to the dungeon."

"The dungeon? Ah, that labyrinth in the abandoned village."

The man looked a little surprised.

"You're unusual. Hardly anyone goes there these days. I'll guide you. Let's walk together."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

I followed the man and started walking up the mountain path again. This time, we immediately turned onto a narrow side path. It wasn't the tourist trail I had taken earlier; it was a path only locals would know.

"Back in the day, this dungeon was quite popular, you know."

The man spoke as we walked.

"That was back when you could get antidote herbs on the fourth floor. Those herbs sold for a high price, so explorers used to come here often to collect them."

"Can you no longer get antidote herbs?"

"That's right. After Saito-san, the master of finding antidote herbs, passed away, no one could find them anymore. Saito-san was an amazing person. It was as if he understood the feelings of the plants, knowing exactly where the antidote herbs would grow."

The man's voice carried respect for the deceased.

"So the explorers stopped coming."

"Well, besides the antidote herbs, it's a dungeon with no real distinguishing features. The dungeons in Shinjuku and Yokohama are more convenient, so there's no reason to come all the way out here."

I see. So that's why it's unpopular. It was convenient for me, but probably sad for the locals.

As we walked, the man stopped.

"Here. You turn here. I bet you went straight at this point, didn't you?"

Now that he mentioned it, there was a small signpost. But it was half-hidden by grass, so small you wouldn't notice it unless you looked carefully.

"No wonder I couldn't see it."

"Yeah, it hasn't been maintained for years."

We walked another twenty minutes or so, and ahead, I could see what looked like buildings.

"That's the abandoned village."

There were indeed traces of a village, but now only a few dilapidated houses remained. There was no sign of people. It was a place that truly suited the word "abandoned."

"The dungeon entrance is in the back there. You should be able to enter with your dungeon explorer license."

"Thank you so much for guiding me."

"No problem. It was nice to see a young explorer after so long. Be careful."

The man turned back the way we came with his dog.

I stood alone in the silent, abandoned village. There was truly no one around. It seemed safe to do my secret experiments here.

Heading to the back of the abandoned village, I found the dungeon entrance. There was a modern electronic gate, but the contrast with the surrounding ruins was strangely surreal.

I held my dungeon explorer license over the gate and passed through. Finally, my challenge of the Okutama Dungeon was about to begin.