Thirty minutes later.
The members had gathered in the training ground.
“A Dungeon… huh.”
Tsukasa tilted his head.
Until everyone had gathered, Keiichiro and the others had been thinking about the details of the Skill, but in the end, they still didn’t understand it.
“To begin with, that Dungeon… might not necessarily be the kind of Dungeon we’re thinking of.”
Tōru was the one who said that.
–Indeed, the word ‘Dungeon’ is just part of the Skill name.
It doesn’t necessarily mean it refers to those Dungeons that Adventurers delve into.
“Well, we won’t get anywhere until we try seeing it first, will we?”
Akino stated.
In the end, just as she said, everything was mere speculation unless they actually tried it out.
“Right–“
Keiichiro stood in the center of the training ground.
All the members were present.
With this, the possibility of an unforeseen accident should be considerably reduced.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, so could you all stand back a bit?”
That said, a Skill whose workings are unknown also carries the risk of misfiring.
For the time being, Keiichiro decided to ensure some distance from the other members.
“Okaay.”
“Yes. If something happens, we shall lend you our strength as well.”
“Mm.”
Keiichiro confirmed that everyone had moved away.
Then, he stared straight ahead.
(Since it’s a Trap… I should just use it like usual, right?)
As always, Keiichiro held his hand out over the ground.
And then–he chanted.
“Trap–Set—-[Dungeon].”
“This is…”
The words escaped Keiichiro’s lips.
Immediately after activating the Trap, a change occurred before his very eyes.
Space warped.
Like blue ripples, it distorted space in a circular shape.
“Mm… Looks like a normal Dungeon.”
Just as Tōru said, what appeared before Keiichiro was a Dungeon Gate.
It was no different from the ones he was used to seeing.
“Although, the very fact that a normal Dungeon appeared is itself quite mysterious.”
A Dungeon being generated by a Skill.
It’s unheard of.
Dungeons are things that occur naturally.
Due to that nature, society treats them as akin to natural disasters.
A Skill that allows one to create them on their own can only be described as abnormal.
“–Looks like I can enter.”
When Keiichiro reached out his hand, the gate accepted him without resistance.
Indeed, it looked just like a normal Dungeon.
“Heeh. So it’s a normal Dungeon– Hey…”
Tsukasa, perhaps judging there was no danger, ran closer.
He reached his hand toward the gate–and stopped.
“Onii-chan, Onii-chan. I can’t seem to get in?”
His fingertips were touching the gate.
But they wouldn’t go inside.
As if there were a wall there, Tsukasa’s fingertips were repelled.
“–Me neither.”
“Nor can I.”
This phenomenon didn’t just happen to Tsukasa.
Tōru and Akino, who reached out next, were similarly rejected.
Thinking simply by majority rule, it meant Keiichiro, who could enter this Dungeon, was the special one.
Considering that he himself was the caster in the first place–
“Can only I enter…?”
This Dungeon only allows the caster to enter.
That’s what it seemed to mean.
“No, perhaps–“
Amidst this, a possibility surfaced in Keiichiro’s mind.
“Akino. Let me borrow your hand for a second.”
“Eh…!?”
Keiichiro grasped Akino’s hand.
Then he guided her hand toward the gate.
And then–
“Just as I thought…”
“…If I hold hands with Kageura-san… I can enter?”
Akino’s hand–passed through the gate.
As if being repelled moments ago was a lie, there was no resistance whatsoever.
“So it’s not just Onii-chan, but Onii-chan and his companions–is that it?”
Tsukasa was probably right.
Normally, Dungeons aren’t things meant to be conquered alone.
If only he could enter, it would just be a Skill that mass-produces Dungeons too difficult to clear by himself.
Could such a flawed Skill exist?
He had thought there might be a way to enter together with his companions–and it seemed he was correct.
“Since we’re here, shall we explore it a little?”
“In that case, please wait just a moment.”
It was Akino who put a stop to Keiichiro’s proposal.
She clapped her hands together with a pan sound–
“–Natsume.”
“Yes.”
Immediately after Akino called her name, a woman appeared behind her.
A woman in a maid uniform with neatly cut black hair.
Standing there was Ibara Natsume.
“Ah, the maid-san.”
“…First time, seeing her.”
Tsukasa, who knew her, and Tōru, meeting Natsume for the first time.
The two watched Natsume’s appearance with their respective reactions.
“Could I ask you to measure the Dungeon Rank?”
When Akino said that, Natsume quietly approached the Dungeon.
“If it is my master’s command.”
“…I don’t recall you being such an obedient child, though.”
“It’s your imagination.”
Deflecting Akino’s words without batting an eyebrow, Natsume took a small device out from her pocket.
–He had seen it several times before.
That was the machine Dungeon Supervisors use to measure the Dungeon Rank immediately after a Dungeon appears.
“I see… So being a Dungeon Supervisor means you’d have measuring equipment too, huh.”
Natsume is a Dungeon Supervisor employed by the Reizei Family.
Therefore, she likely possessed the means to measure the Dungeon Rank as well.
“This appears to be a Dungeon equivalent to B-Rank.”
“B… Same as that one from before, huh.”
Tsukasa looked up.
Hearing B-Rank, the first thing that likely came to mind was the recent clearance–the battle with the Death Mantis.
The feeling from that battle was still fresh in his memory.
“No. The Boss from the other day was an anomaly even among A-Ranks.”
Natsume stated quietly.
“The other day, Natsume-san, how did you see… And saying ‘even among A-Ranks’ is almost like–“
Tsukasa started to say something.
But for some reason, Natsume swiftly covered Tsukasa’s mouth.
And with a roughness like an iron claw.
“Come to think of it, I recalled that my previous occupation was [Assassin].”
Natsume’s left knuckles cracked with paki paki sounds.
–For just a moment, her five fingers seemed like blades.
However, nothing was likely to happen, and Natsume quickly removed her hand from Tsukasa’s mouth.
“–H-Heh… Th-That’s amazing. I wonder when that skill will be demonstrated…? Preferably somewhere I’m not looking, though.”
Tsukasa stammered out the words.
His eyes never met Natsume’s.
“Mmm… If her previous occupation was [Assassin], that means–“
Tsukasa muttered something in a low voice, but it didn’t reach Keiichiro.
“–Certainly, the strength at that level was a difficulty that exceeded the realm of B-Rank Dungeons. I don’t think we need to use that as a standard.”
In any case, Keiichiro shared Natsume’s opinion.
He too had delved into Dungeons many times as a member of 【Holy Sword】.
Although 【Holy Sword】 often delves into S-Rank Dungeons nowadays, there was a time when B-Rank Dungeons were their main battleground.
That’s why he understood that the previous Dungeon had a difficulty comparable to A-Rank.
The likelihood that the Dungeon before them was of such high difficulty was probably low.
“Of course, if I get even the slightest bad feeling, we’ll stop–but personally, I do feel like I want to try it out.”
It’s a Skill I finally obtained.
I want to grasp its details and make use of it.
It’s only natural to think that way.
“Well… we can’t just leave something like this in the middle of the training ground, can we?”
“Since we’re calling it verification, we’d want to grasp what’s inside the Dungeon, too.”
“I… don’t mind either.”
Tsukasa, Akino, and Tōru also showed their agreement with Keiichiro.
“Thanks.”
Indeed, if he couldn’t gain their assistance, he might have had no choice but to abandon the Dungeon exploration.
That’s precisely why Keiichiro expressed his gratitude to his companions.
“Kageura-sama.”
And it wasn’t just the members.
The one who approached Keiichiro was Natsume.
“For this occasion, may I accompany you as well, just in case?”
Natsume proposed.
In reality, Keiichiro didn’t know her exact capabilities.
Given that she worked as a Dungeon Supervisor, she shouldn’t be weak, but–
“I believe she won’t be a burden. Natsume is a Level 80 [Assassin], after all.”
Akino added that clarification.
She was Natsume’s employer.
Naturally, she would grasp her abilities.
“Yes. A Level 80 [Assassin].”
“Ehh……… That’s probably a lie, I think?”
Tsukasa said something, but his voice was too quiet to be heard.
The distant look in his eyes was concerning, but for now, Keiichiro decided to put it aside.
“In that case, could you come with us?”
“Yes. Likewise, I look forward to working with you.”
And so, it was decided that Ibara Natsume would accompany them.
“Aah… I kinda wanna go home already.”
Inside the Dungeon.
Tsukasa started saying such things not even five minutes into the exploration.
“I had prepared myself, but… I didn’t expect us to run into this so quickly.”
Akino seemed to share his opinion.
She showed no signs of liveliness and already looked exhausted.
“…Feel like I’m gonna die.”
Tōru murmured quietly.
The light was already fading from her eyes.
Even though they had just started exploring, Omokage’s morale was already dropping.
“Dungeon environments vary wildly, after all—”
Keiichiro said, wiping sweat from his brow.
This dungeon’s difficulty was just as expected.
It wasn’t like exceptionally strong monsters were appearing.
But the rate of exhaustion was greater than last time.
The reason—the environment.
“Ugh…”
Tsukasa lifted the skirt of his Gothic Lolita Dress, fanning air toward his feet.
Each time, his pale white thighs peeked out.
Anyone who didn’t know he was a boy would surely have been flustered by the provocative sight.
(This certainly is a troublesome environment this time.)
Keiichiro looked around.
—It was a sea of trees.
So many trees grew thickly that the scenery didn’t change no matter how far they walked.
A dungeon where one could easily get lost with the slightest lapse in attention.
The mental strain caused by this couldn’t be ignored.
But that wasn’t the biggest problem.
“Onii-cha~n, it’s so hot and humid~”
The biggest problem—was the humidity.
A heavy mist enveloped Keiichiro and the others.
This dungeon was like a tropical rainforest.
Rain was falling amidst the tall trees.
High temperatures and clinging humidity.
The unfamiliar environment mercilessly chipped away at Omokage’s stamina and concentration.
“I admit it’s not a comfortable environment, but just endu—”
Endure it.
Keiichiro stopped himself mid-sentence as he was about to say that.
He had heard a faint sound.
“Tsukasa, get ready.”
“Ah—they’re here?”
Tsukasa brushed back the black hair stuck to his forehead.
Then, he readied his knife.
It wasn’t just him.
Everyone present entered a combat stance.
Their previous appearance of being worn down by the dungeon’s harsh environment—was gone.
“It seems this dungeon is inhabited by—plant-type monsters.”
Keiichiro muttered as he looked at the monsters that had appeared.
The numerous trees surrounding them.
Several of them had started to move.
Trents, plant-type monsters.
Rank B.
However, they possess the Skill [Mimicry], making them troublesome enemies when they blend into the forest.
“Alright then—let’s go!”
At Keiichiro’s shout, they charged forward.
To reach an advanced class, one needs to be at least level 100—