In the dead of night, during the hour of the ox when even the insects are hushed, key members of the cabinet had been summoned for an extraordinary meeting in a conference room at the Prime Minister's Official Residence.
"So, Prime Minister, might we be told the reason for this emergency summons?"
"Very well... Chief Cabinet Secretary, if you would."
"Yes, sir."
Prompted by the Prime Minister, the Chief Cabinet Secretary began to explain the circumstances leading to the late-night call. The attendees noted with concern that the secretary looked somewhat pale, but they remained quiet and listened to the briefing.
"At midnight today, multiple special underground structures appeared simultaneously in various countries around the world, including our own."
"Underground structures?"
"Yes. A special underground structure... commonly referred to as a 'dungeon.'"
"Dungeons!?"
A chorus of bewildered voices rose from the ministers. It was an understandable reaction.
"We first learned of their appearance through an emergency contact from the United States. After issuing instructions to police departments nationwide, we have confirmed their existence. The reports are factual."
"W-Wait a moment! Dungeons? Chief Cabinet Secretary, are you in your right mind?"
The Chief Cabinet Secretary looked briefly offended at having his sanity questioned, but with an expression that suggested he understood their skepticism, he operated a terminal. An image appeared on the large wall-mounted monitor.
The screen displayed a dungeon discovered within Japan.
"Fourteen dungeons have been found within our borders so far, and we expect that number to rise as the search continues. While the police have cordoned off the sites and are excluding civilians, no fundamental countermeasures have been established."
"...This is truly happening, then?"
"Yes, unfortunately. As far as we can confirm, these dungeons appeared uniformly across the globe, without regard for national borders. Several nations, led by the United States, are already sending military forces inside to investigate. This next footage is somewhat graphic..."
The Chief Cabinet Secretary tapped his terminal again. It was body-cam footage provided by the U.S., recorded by a unit descending into a dungeon. The video showed a squad moving in formation, advancing cautiously through a dimly lit stone corridor. After a few minutes of tension, a four-legged animal roughly the size of a large dog appeared at the edge of the frame.
"...What is that?"
"Watch."
The animal in the video let out a roar before charging the unit with terrifying speed. The soldiers reacted instantly to their commander's orders, opening fire. Despite being riddled with bullets, the creature didn't stop. It finally collapsed only after reaching the very edge of the squad's formation.
"...Good god."
"This is a record of a U.S. unit's internal investigation. The footage continues for another few dozen minutes, but I will spare you the rest. There are various other hostile species inhabiting these dungeons, and they attack anyone who enters indiscriminately. Fortunately, they have not been observed leaving the dungeons yet. It appears that as long as one does not step inside, there is no immediate danger of attack."
"..."
Silence descended upon the room. Every minister, excluding the Prime Minister and the Chief Cabinet Secretary, massaged their temples as they struggled to process the situation.
"...Thank you, Chief Cabinet Secretary. Well, everyone, that is why I called this emergency meeting."
The Prime Minister’s voice broke the silence, and the cabinet members finally began to stir.
"It is difficult to believe, but if this is the reality we face, we must act immediately. I request permission to deploy the Self-Defense Forces," the Minister of Defense stated.
"Even so, on what grounds would you dispatch them? A public security operation? Disaster relief? As of yet, no direct damage has been caused by these dungeons in our country," the Minister of Justice countered, showing reluctance from a legal standpoint.
"He is right. For the time being, the police can handle the situation," the Chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission added, as his department oversaw the National Police Agency.
"Furthermore, if the Self-Defense Forces move prematurely before the situation is clear, it may cause unnecessary alarm among our neighbors," the Minister of Foreign Affairs noted.
"I have a concern as well," the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare said, raising a hand slightly. "Looking at that footage, these dungeons contain unknown biological entities. From a public health perspective, I am deeply concerned about the potential for unknown viruses."
Opinions regarding the dungeons began to fly fast and thick. The extraordinary cabinet meeting descended into a predictable dance of ministers trying to protect their own departmental interests while eyeing potential new benefits.
After a long period of boisterous debate, they reached a tentative conclusion.
"Very well. We shall hold an emergency government broadcast tomorrow morning to announce the existence of the dungeons and the restriction of public access. Are there any objections?"
"..."
"Seeing none, it is decided. I expect each of you to gather information regarding the dungeons. We will discuss the findings at tomorrow's cabinet meeting."
With the Prime Minister's declaration, the meeting adjourned, and the officials hurried off to their respective duties.
One week after the initial government broadcast, the extraordinary cabinet was convened once more.
"...What is the status?" the Prime Minister asked.
"It is not good. Starting with the U.S. survey teams, investigation units from several nations have been virtually wiped out," the Minister of Foreign Affairs reported.
"I see."
The Prime Minister’s expression turned grim. He held his head in his hands. Coordination between ministries had been slow, which had delayed the departure of the Japanese investigation team centered on the Self-Defense Forces. It was a stroke of luck that had kept their soldiers unharmed, but it meant their entire investigation plan had hit a wall before it even began.
"Do we know the cause of these failures?"
"Yes. We have a general idea."
The Minister of Defense took over the briefing, operating a terminal to bring up images on the large monitor.
"The cause is simple: our current firearms lack sufficient power. The M4 Carbines used by the U.S. teams could not penetrate the defenses of monsters found on the fifth floor and below. Consequently, those units lost their commanders in the initial monster strikes, fell into chaos, and were annihilated without being able to mount an organized counterattack."
The monitor showed the corpse of a bear-like monster, its body riddled with over a hundred bullet impacts.
"As you know, the corpses of monsters defeated inside a dungeon usually vanish. This image was captured by a survivor before the body dissipated. As you can see, the bullets were hitting their mark; they simply weren't doing any meaningful damage."
"Meaning that conquering a dungeon with firearms is..."
"Impossible. At the very least, standard infantry-portable firearms lack the necessary firepower."
The Minister of Defense concluded firmly that current weaponry was useless for dungeon exploration. The other ministers let out heavy, disappointed sighs.
"So that's how it is. I suppose we should be grateful we learned this before our own Self-Defense Forces went in."
"Indeed. We cannot abandon our investigation, but until we find an effective countermeasure, I believe we should refrain from descending into the deeper floors," the Minister of Defense suggested.
"Agreed. We cannot afford to have a unit wiped out through recklessness," the Prime Minister said. "Now then, can each ministry report on the public's reaction since the announcement?"
"I'll start," the Chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission said. "We have mobilized police nationwide to search for unconfirmed dungeons. Between citizen reports and our own efforts, over fifty have been confirmed. If we include unexplored mountainous regions, there may be as many as a hundred within our territory."
"A hundred..."
"While these sites are cordoned off by the police and the Riot Police, we have already arrested dozens of civilians attempting to sneak inside."
"Even after seeing what happened to the foreign teams on the news? Good grief..." the Prime Minister muttered, sighing at the news of the arrests.
The Minister of Defense followed up. "Globally, the trend among developed nations was to use their militaries to seize control of the dungeons. However, since the reports of those units being wiped out, military movement has stalled. Most nations are now focusing on containment and the construction of defensive facilities."
"...It would be wise for us to construct defensive positions that serve as containment facilities as well. It would also help with the trespasser issue," the Prime Minister mused.
"Yes. If we mobilize the Ground Self-Defense Force's Engineer Branch, we can have defensive positions built in short order."
"We will take that into consideration."
The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry spoke next. "Keidanren has formally requested that the dungeons be opened to the private sector."
"Keidanren? Already?"
"It seems they have their sights set on the resources produced within."
The minister displayed images of various items recovered from the dungeons. The briefing shifted to the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
"For instance, take these ores dropped by defeated monsters. Analysis shows a metal purity of 99.9% by mass. These are raw drops, yet they are essentially refined ingots of pure metal. We are still analyzing other items, but the results are consistently staggering."
"..."
"Keidanren likely sees the dungeons as high-risk, high-reward treasure chests."
"They're always so quick to start counting their coins, even in a crisis..." the Prime Minister muttered, rubbing his temples. He couldn't ignore the business lobby entirely, but opening the dungeons to the public now was out of the question.
As the Prime Minister agonized over the path forward, the Minister of Finance spoke up tentatively.
"Um, Prime Minister? If I may?"
"...Go ahead."
"We are receiving inquiries from landowners. They want to know if the state will buy the land where dungeons have appeared, or if a dungeon appearing on a vacant lot will be subject to property tax. We’ve had several such questions. What is your stance?"
"...We will have to consider land buyouts eventually. As for taxation, since the dungeons are a supernatural phenomenon, I think we should hold off for now. Regardless, we need a formal legal framework. Minister of Justice."
"Yes, sir."
"Begin drafting a Special Dungeon Act. We need to get it through the Diet and passed as soon as possible."
"Understood. I will submit a draft immediately."
"Thank you."
Exhausted, the Prime Minister finally brought the extraordinary cabinet meeting to a close.
"Those damn fools! Do they have any idea we're in the middle of a national emergency?!"
The moment the Prime Minister returned to his private office and dismissed his aides, he let his frustration explode.
"Dealing with the dungeons should be the absolute priority! Instead of asking moronic questions, they should be offering counter-proposals!"
He thought back to the opposition party's performance in the Diet, where they had grilled him over the civilians injured after sneaking into the dungeons.
"Why should we be held responsible for people who forced their way past police cordons after being warned repeatedly on national television?! It's their own damn fault!"
He spat out the words he couldn't say in public, his breathing heavy in the large, empty office. Once he had vented his spleen and cooled his head, he glanced at a proposal from the opposition and tossed it aside with a click of his tongue.
"Opening the dungeons to the private sector immediately is impossible without a legal framework. Besides, if fully armed special forces are being wiped out, letting untrained, unequipped civilians inside is nothing short of state-sanctioned suicide. We'd just be filling the dungeons with a mountain of corpses."
He knew it was just political grandstanding to win over the public, but it was an immense headache. The Prime Minister didn't intend to ignore public opinion forever, but it was too soon. Until a minimum level of safety and information was established, he would not open the gates.
"Eventually, people will have to enter the dungeons. That is certain. But it cannot be a chaotic, haphazard process. It must be done in a way the state can support—and in a way that serves the national interest..."
Gazing out at the cityscape beyond his window, the Prime Minister fretted over the future of a Japan thrust into a turbulent new era by the appearance of the dungeons.