Several tens of minutes of cycling from home. I arrived at today s destination, the Hachioji Dungeon.
When dungeons first appeared in 1950, the total number of dungeons in the world was only 10. Japan s dungeon was also just one, which appeared at the Outer Gardens of the Imperial Palace.
After that, dungeons continued to appear irregularly, and now 166 have been confirmed worldwide. Dungeons appear in populated areas, and it seems that the more active dungeon exploration is, the more likely they are to appear nearby.
Japan, a leading country in dungeons, possesses 20 dungeons. Among the 10 countries that possess dungeons, this is the third largest number after China and the United States. Comparing population and land area, you can see that Japan s number of dungeons is astonishingly high.
Thanks to that, it is in Hachioji, so it s easy to get to, which helps.
Suzuka s home is in Hachioji, a suburb of Tokyo. His nearest station is different, but Hachioji Station is within cycling distance, and access to the dungeon right next to the station is good. For a third year middle school student, just being able to save train fare makes a huge difference in ease of access.
Still, Hachioji Station 15 years ago was not this prosperous.
The dungeon is located south of Hachioji Station. Hachioji is developed to the north, and to the south, it is a station where you quickly reach a residential area after leaving the station. In Suzuka s memory, the south side at this time was not developed at all and should have only had a simple rotary. But Hachioji in this world line was different.
There was a proper pedestrian deck, and many luxurious tower mansions and buildings stood crowded together. The level of development was reminiscent of major regional cities like Sapporo, Sendai, and Fukuoka.
Is this Tachikawa or here This is what they call dungeon special demand right I wonder if the land price of my parents house is quite high
For Japan, which has developed through dungeons, dungeons are the center of the economy. Such dungeons appear in populated areas. Development is only natural. It is not only used by dungeon related people; there were also people who originally used the station for other purposes. A plus alpha on top of the existing users is guaranteed. Urbanization is bound to progress.
I thought I might get lost due to the appearance being so different from my memory, but perhaps because I have the memories of Suzuka from this world line, I reached the bicycle parking lot smoothly and was able to go to the Explorer Association Hachioji Branch, where the dungeon is located.
Upon entering, I got the impression of a clean and stylish government office. There is a reception desk for procedures such as explorer registration and consultations, and in the back, a heavy looking door leading to the dungeon can be seen. This building also has lockers for storing luggage, changing rooms, shower rooms, a reference room, and medical facilities, as well as serving as the office for the Explorer Association employees, making it a considerably large building.
Suzuka, who had prepared in advance yesterday, headed to the terminals lined up on the wall. About 10 terminals were lined up in a row, looking like ATMs. The difference from ATMs is probably that the spacing between adjacent terminals is wide and the partitions are large.
Such terminals were crowded with adventurers. The time was just before 9 o clock. A busy time when many people are heading out to explore. Suzuka lined up in a relatively empty line. He received strange looks for a single third year middle school boy waiting alone, but no one spoke to him.
Soon, it was Suzuka s turn, and he operated the terminal. This terminal is for registering exploration schedules. After loading the explorer license and confirming the personal information that appears is correct, a simple map of the dungeon is displayed. At the top left, there are buttons to select the floor, and the map is color coded into 5 districts. You select the floor and district that will be your main hunting ground for this exploration.
Also, the congestion level of each district is displayed, and if it exceeds the limit, it cannot be selected. This prevents competition for hunting grounds in advance, allowing explorers to concentrate on hunting with peace of mind. Therefore, it is common for explorers to gather early in the morning like reserving spots for cherry blossom viewing and head out to explore.
What Suzuka will explore is naturally the beginner area. Floor 1, District 1.
After deciding the area to explore, next is to register what time you plan to return. Depending on the area you explore, if you exceed this time, a notification will be sent to the registered contact. If you belong to a guild, it goes to the office; in Suzuka s case, it goes to his parents. Those who receive the notification can apply to the association for a search request, or other members of the guild can conduct a search.
The Explorer Association almost never voluntarily conducts searches. Explorers are people who make a living on their own, and they explore dungeons of their own will. Everything that happens inside the dungeon is within the realm of their own responsibility, and violating that would go against the association s principles.
Just as Japanese people avoid breaking Jizo statues or playing tricks on shrines and temples, in this world line, it is taboo to stop someone who intends to enter a dungeon. Perhaps due to a slight reverence for the explorers who restored post war Japan, Japanese people do not act to stop explorers.
Nevertheless, knowing that his parents would not be happy about him going to a life risking place, Suzuka came here without telling them. He must avoid a notification being sent to his parents after the set time.
Hmm. For now, I ll set it to 10 PM. I probably won t exceed 10 PM.
Since he plans to fight near the entrance of the dungeon, even if he gets absorbed, he should be able to return quickly.
After that, precautions for exploration etc. were displayed, and when he pressed agree, the procedure was completed.