Chapter 23: The Explorer Exam, The Day Of ②
“Well then, please prepare the Dungeon Pass we gave you at reception.”
“Yes.”
I took out a white card from my pocket with “Tochigi Prefecture Explorer Association 05” written on it.
“To enter the Ota Dungeon, you need to hold that card up to the authentication device at the entrance. Also, once you’ve successfully obtained your license, you’ll be doing the same thing with your own Explorer Card.”
“Understood.”
And so, after examinees number 5 and 6 from the Gunma Prefecture side entered the dungeon first,
“Well then, Natsume-san, let’s go.”
Urged on by Yamada-san, I proceeded towards the bare concrete structure—the entrance of the Ota Dungeon.
When I touched the card to the device, a lamp changed from red to green.
“With this, the lock is disengaged. Now, please try opening it.”
I pushed down the door lever and pressed against the steel door.
Feeling the heavy thud of the door, I slowly entered.
“…Uwah.”
The inside of the building was illuminated by cold-colored LED lights.
In the center of the building, at my feet, there was a square, manhole-like steel plate.
That was probably the gate to the Ota Dungeon.
On the ceiling and walls, there were surveillance cameras, some kind of sensors, and even things that looked like guns.
It had an inorganic and grim atmosphere.
“So this is what it’s like inside…”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Yamada-san followed me into the building and closed the steel door, which made a gigeegii… sound.
“In the past, monsters have never invaded outside the dungeon, but according to the calculations of various scholars, it’s predicted that powerful monsters could withstand the air outside the dungeon. Therefore, to prepare for any contingency, various offensive installations are equipped within this building.”
“…That’s a little scary.”
“Yes, that’s the correct reaction. Please, by no means should you try to enter the dungeon disguised as a goblin. There’s a non-zero chance the AI will misidentify you and you’ll be shot by a gun when you come out.”
“…I’ll be careful.”
“Well then, let’s begin the exam. Please open the dungeon gate and descend. I will follow right behind you.”
“Yes!”
When I lifted the square manhole cover, there was a stone staircase leading down.
Torches lit with purple flames lined the stone-built walls.
It was probably light generated by magic power.
I descended the stone steps one by one.
Each time my footsteps echoed, clack, clack, I felt my heartbeat quicken.
—I was finally stepping into the dungeon I had yearned for since middle school.
Excitement and fear mingled in my chest.
(I’ll do this—!)
The stairs led to the center of a room about the size of a tennis court.
As expected, purple torches were lit on all four walls.
“We’ll proceed down the left passage. Please follow behind me.”
Yamada-san moved in front of me and led the way through the dungeon.
After walking a short distance, a room similar in size to the previous one spread out before us.
“Well then, let’s begin the exam. Natsume-san, please wait inside this room, near the entrance. After a short while, a goblin will spawn somewhere in the room. Please subjugate it. Is that alright? …If you want to quit, now’s the time.”
“—Of course, I’ll do it. I have the goal of forming a party with Otama-chan, after all.”
I can’t afford to stumble here.
“Fufu, I understand. Well then, examinee number [Tochi 05], Natsume Kouichi-san, enter!!”
“Yes!!”
I entered the room and checked the short sword at my hip.
I can do this.
I know I can.
My level has gone up quite a bit, and Otama-chan even gave me her seal of approval, saying I’d be fine.
There’s no way I can lose.
Shortly after I entered the room, a purple haze began to gather in the far end.
In an instant, the haze took a human shape, and a green creature was born—
“Natsume-san! Skills are prohibited for the first match! Now, please begin!”
“Yes!!”
I drew the short sword from my hip and held it ready in front of me.
The green, imp-like creature—the goblin—lowered its stance and rushed towards me at full speed, weaving side to side.
“Kishaaaaaaa!!!”
“Uoh!”
In the online videos, goblins didn’t move like that.
They charged straight ahead much more foolishly, and their speed was a bit slower.
The other examinees might have been overwhelmed by this movement, just like I was.
“Shaaaaaaaah!!!”
Uwah, it jumped!!
The goblin leaped high, trying to scratch me with its claws.
I…
“Uwaaaaaah!!”
Dogoooooooon!!
—I reflexively delivered a roundhouse kick, sending the goblin flying about five meters into the wall.
“Shaa…”
The goblin slammed against the wall and then fell to the ground with a splat.
Shuuuuuu…
The goblin left behind a small magic stone and vanished into smoke.
Crap, it ended before I even used my short sword…
“First match, that’s it!”
Yamada-san’s voice echoed from behind me.
Yamada-san silently jotted something down on a piece of paper.
…She’s not saying if it was good or bad, which makes me anxious.
I even let out a slightly scared yelp.
Did she think I have mental weaknesses…?
Ignoring my anxiety, Yamada-san spoke again.
“Next. You may use your skills freely. However, chanting or drawing your weapon is prohibited until the signal. Please show me your true power, Natsume-san.”
“Y-Yes!!”
Alright, I’ll overwhelm the goblin here and make a good impression.
After a short while, a haze appeared in a different location than before.
“Second match, begin! You are permitted to prepare for combat!”
“Yes!!”
Let’s go with this first.
“Bug Sumo: Stag Beetle!! Come forth!”
When I held out my right hand, a rift similar to a dungeon gate appeared, and a stag beetle flew out.
Perhaps because I summoned it with clear combat intent, its size was considerably larger than when I tested it in the Private Dungeon.
It gave the impression of being about the size of a stack of A3 paper I used at work.
“Well then, shall we?”
The haze took a human shape and increased in density.
And this time—it transformed into a reddish-black goblin holding a spear.
“Kishaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
Oh, so the type of goblin changes for the second match. The Explorer Association knows this much about the dungeon, huh.
Was it an illusion, or was the goblin enveloped in a purple aura?
When skills are allowed, the enemy seems stronger too. I’ll have to go all out.
At that moment,
“Stop, Natsume-san!! The exam is suspended!! Please fall back immediately!!”
“Eh…?”
“Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
An instant after Yamada-san declared the exam suspended.
Clang, clang, the goblin’s spear fell to the ground.
“Eh…!?”
The severed arms of the reddish-black goblin were rolling on the ground.
—My stag beetle had sliced its arms off at the base.
Buuuuun… Kachi kachi!
The stag beetle returned before me, looking proud.
“N-Natsume-san…?”
“S-Sorry, Yamada-san. I had already finished my attack…”
“Ha…?”
The next moment, countless grasshoppers flew out from the gate that had opened in front of me and devoured the reddish-black goblin.
“Ga, Gaaaaaaa…”
“Wha…!?”
Gari gari gari gari…!
Eventually, the goblin, leaving behind only a medium-sized magic stone and the tip of its spear, vanished into a purple mist.
When the grasshoppers returned to the gate and the sound of their wings faded, a profound silence enveloped the area.
“No way, to this extent with no prior experience…!”
Yamada-san shook her head, then hurriedly rushed over to the goblin’s magic stone.
Then, taking the magic stone in her hand,
“There’s no mistake…”
she murmured.
I suddenly became anxious.
“…Was that bad…?”
I attacked the goblin after Yamada-san had declared the exam suspended.
—Failure to follow the examiner’s instructions may result in disqualification.
I recalled the instructions given at the start of the exam.
I approached Yamada-san and asked.
“Um… by any chance, am I… disqualified? I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop my attack…”
Yamada-san turned around, her expression serious, and said.
“What you subjugated, Natsume-san, was a Goblin General… A C-Rank equivalent, a superior goblin species that shouldn’t be on this floor.”
“Eh…?”
My mind couldn’t keep up.
“What… does that mean…?”
Yamada-san said, handing me the magic stone and the spear tip.
“We need to hurry, so I’ll give you the details later. To put it briefly, Natsume-san, you’ve passed the exam—more than that, you’ve gained the achievement of single-handedly subjugating a C-Rank monster, so you’ll likely start with a C-Rank license.”