That day began like any other, with me eating breakfast with my family. The dining table was filled with the warm, harmonious atmosphere typical of our household. It was a perfectly normal morning scene. However, that everyday tranquility began to shift bit by bit from the moment the living room TV suddenly switched channels and a government broadcast flickered to life.
As we ate, we turned our attention to the TV to hear what was being said. A government spokesperson, his expression incredibly grave, declared that dungeons had appeared. In that moment, I doubted my own ears, wondering if I had simply misheard him. My brother even let out a small noise, his eyes darting toward the calendar. I, on the other hand, couldn't look away from the screen.
Dungeons. Actual dungeons! Something that had only ever existed in games and manga was undeniably real and right here in our country. The Japanese government had officially recognized it and was informing every citizen via a national broadcast. There was no way I couldn't be fascinated by what the spokesperson would say next. At that moment, my heart was racing with a mixture of expectation and curiosity.
The moment the broadcast ended, I abandoned my half-finished meal and shouted in excitement. My brother scolded me, and my fervor cooled for a moment, but deep down, a sense of longing had taken root. I wanted to go there. I wanted to experience a dungeon for myself. Of course, when that thought accidentally slipped out loud, my mother gave me a stern talking-to.
Once breakfast was over, my brother and I went to our rooms to get ready for school. I changed from my loungewear into my uniform and stood before the mirror, applying just enough natural makeup to avoid a lecture from my teachers. Once I was ready, I grabbed my school bag and headed back to the living room. The TV was still tuned to the news, but the coverage was—to put it mildly—in utter chaos. It was understandable given the nature of the announcement, but it meant my usual morning horoscope was a lost cause. I flipped through the channels, but every station showed the same thing: newscasters stammering and fumbling due to a lack of information. Not a single new detail about the dungeons was being reported.
While I aimlessly watched a news program featuring a heated discussion between self-proclaimed experts and pundits, my brother walked into the room. Compared to before he went upstairs, he looked a bit pale and worn out. I wondered if something had happened in his room. I called out to him in concern, but he just gave me a weak, wry smile and told me he was fine. He didn't look fine at all, though.
Mother eventually nudged us toward the door, reminding us it was almost time for school. As we stepped outside, my brother looked back at his room with a strange, indescribable expression—one full of anxiety. I really did wonder what had gone on in there.
My brother and I walked the same route together for a while. Eventually, we reached the intersection where our paths diverged. This was where we parted ways; we had attended the same middle school until last year, but now he was in high school. I waved to him as I turned the corner and headed toward my own school.
"Mika-chan!"
"Ah, Saori-chan!"
The person who called out to me near the school gate was my best friend since elementary school, Saori Kishida-chan. She was a spunky girl with cute fangs and glossy black hair tied in twintails that reached halfway down her back. She was also characterized by a large chest that seemed entirely disproportionate to her petite build. I felt a secret pang of depression as I compared Saori-chan’s chest, which swayed heavily as she ran, to my own slight curves. We were almost the same size until last year; I wondered why such a gap had opened up. Was it our diet?
After we exchanged greetings, our conversation remained fixed on the dungeons all the way to the classroom. Since the news hadn't provided anything substantial, Saori-chan and I let our imaginations run wild with theories based on games and manga. Would we be able to level up? Would there be drop items?
The classroom was already buzzing. My other classmates were just as obsessed with the news as we were, huddled in groups and talking excitedly. A group of boys was getting hyped up about going to a dungeon to slay monsters, while a group of girls discussed whether there might be fairies or cute mythical beasts. Dungeons were an instant hit. The talk didn't stop until the teacher finally came in for homeroom.
After school, there was an all-school assembly regarding the dungeons, but it was a complete waste of time. The principal just droned on and on without saying anything useful.
"Honestly! If he didn't have anything new to say, he should have just let us go early!"
"I agree. I wanted to get home and see if there was anything on the news."
"Exactly! Wait... huh? Isn't that your brother, Mika-chan?"
As Saori-chan and I were walking home and complaining about the assembly, we spotted my brother in his civilian clothes. He didn't look as gloomy as he had this morning, but he seemed somewhat bewildered. When we spoke to him, it turned out he was just on his way to the supermarket. After a short chat, we said goodbye, and I went over to Saori-chan's house.
In Saori-chan's room, we drank juice and watched the TV as it replayed the morning's chaos. Because a dungeon had appeared in a residential area, everything within a several-hundred-meter radius had been designated an evacuation zone. The screen showed residents fleeing all at once, their faces etched with fear and confusion. It vividly illustrated the reality of the emergency. Saori-chan and I stared silently at the screen for a long time.
"While we were at school, things really took a turn, didn't they?"
"Yeah. The other news stations are covering everything that happened today too."
"A civilian who ignored warnings and entered a dungeon was attacked by a monster and suffered various injuries... I see."
"I get wanting to see it, but if you get hurt because you ignored the warnings... isn't that just your own fault?"
Watching the news, Saori-chan and I felt a chill of fear, but also a strange, magnetic pull. Was this what people meant by a "dangerous attraction"? We knew it was perilous, yet we still wanted to go at least once. After chatting for about an hour, the setting sun began to crawl across the room, and I decided to head home before dark.
When I arrived, my brother’s shoes were in the entryway, so he was already back. I greeted my mother in the living room and headed toward my room on the second floor. As I passed my brother’s door, I heard a faint clink, clink sound. I wondered if he was building something. Tilting my head in curiosity, I dropped my bag in my room, changed into my loungewear, and headed back downstairs, already looking forward to dinner.
Following the initial dungeon reports, the state of Japan—and the entire world—was transformed.
Japan led the way in practical applications for things called Core Crystals, using them for power generation. Domestic industries, which had been crippled by chronic energy shortages and declining production since the nuclear plants were shut down after the Great Earthquake, were suddenly revitalized. As the energy crisis vanished, the economy surged, and signs of the recession ending finally began to appear. In turn, public opinion shifted. People who had once emphasized the dangers of dungeons and denied their existence began to embrace and defend them. The media jumped on the bandwagon, running daily dungeon specials. The country was in the midst of a full-blown dungeon craze.
Now, people were demanding that the government open the dungeons—which were currently cordoned off by the Self-Defense Forces and police—to the public. There were even protest marches in front of the National Diet Building on weekends. While I also wanted the dungeons opened up, I wasn't nearly motivated enough to join a protest. I just watched the news and thought they were working hard, treating it like someone else's problem.
Eventually, whether due to the protests or the government's own needs, it was decided that dungeons would be opened to civilians. However, to enter, one needed a qualification called an Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures, issued by a newly established organization: the Japan Dungeon Association.
"Mika, why the long face?"
"What do you mean 'why,' Onii-chan? I can't go into the dungeons!"
"Well, you aren't old enough yet."
Because of the age limit, I couldn't even take the exam.
Furthermore, since I had my high school entrance exams coming up, it seemed like no one in the family wanted me to take it anyway. I had no allies in this house. This meant a gap would inevitably open up between me and the people who got a head start. Unlike a video game, there were no catch-up mechanics for beginners. A few days later, when I saw on the news that the number of applicants for the first exam had exceeded fifty thousand, I practically threw a tantrum.
But an even bigger surprise came a month later.
"Hey, Onii-chan. Why did you suddenly decide to go? You never seemed that interested in the dungeons before..."
My brother, who had seemed so indifferent, suddenly announced he was going to take the explorer exam. This was the same brother who always scolded me for saying I wanted to go. After a brief discussion, my mother signed his application form, but I still found it strange.
I was persistent in asking why, and he eventually gave me a reason, but I wasn't satisfied with it. I couldn't believe that my brother, who always insisted dungeons were dangerous, would take the exam just because a friend invited him. The news was constantly highlighting how explorers were getting injured. So why did he agree to it? In the end, without giving me the real reason, he went off to take his explorer exam.
He passed! He claimed the exam itself was easy, but he had been restless until the results came out. He said he was going to the Association branch over the weekend to officially register.
"I'm home."
"Welcome back! How was it? Did you get registered?"
"Yeah."
He returned in the evening as the sky was turning a deep red. He was carrying a long, slender leather bag that he hadn't had when he left. He told me it was something Yuji-san had given him. However, his expression seemed heavy, as if he were deeply troubled by something. I wondered if something had happened during the registration. After dinner, we all looked at his permit and ID card in the living room, but they were... well, normal. I thought the design could have been a bit more stylish.
" "Excuse us." "
"Welcome! Come in, come in."
My brother's friends came over. I knew Yuji-san, but who was the woman? Were the friends he took the explorer exam with Yuji-san and her? As I peeked out from the living room, my brother introduced her as Yukino Hiiragi-san. She was his classmate and had taken the exam with him.
My brother led them to his room and brought up some drinks. They didn't come back down until almost evening. It had been a bit noisy up there; I wondered if they were getting excited talking about the dungeon. After they left, my brother looked much more relaxed. He had been looking so stressed lately that it was a relief to see him finally at ease. In the week leading up to their first dive, the two of them visited every day. I wondered if they really had that much to discuss.
"Welcome home, Onii-chan!"
"...I'm back."
As the sun began to set, my brother finally returned from his trip to the dungeon. He didn't seem to have any visible injuries, and I let out a long sigh of relief. I tried to ask him about it right then, but my mother told me to wait until after dinner.
We all gathered at the table, but my brother was acting strangely. He was just pecking at his ginger pork—his favorite meal—and barely ate anything. Mother noticed too and swapped his dinner for simple ochazuke. I was worried.
"Is he ready yet...?"
After dinner, I waited in his room to hear his story. His gear from the dungeon was strewn across the floor. Since he’d gone straight to dinner, he hadn't had time to tidy up. I was considering doing it for him when he finally walked in.
When I asked him how it went, he handed me the long leather bag.
"Take it out."
I unzipped the bag as he told me to, and a Japanese sword in a black-lacquered scabbard slid out. The moment I saw it, I froze. The sheer weight of it told me immediately that this wasn't a toy or a prop; it was the real thing. A Japanese sword... my brother called it Shiranui. When I drew it, a silver blade polished to a mirror sheen reflected my face. I was instantly captivated. I felt like my soul was being drawn into the steel until my brother's voice pulled me back to reality. He told me that Shiranui was a lethal weapon designed to take lives.
It felt like I’d been struck with a hammer. My hands began to tremble. My brother stated clearly that he had gone into the dungeon with Shiranui and killed monsters. I realized then that I had been completely wrong about what "conquering a dungeon" actually meant. It wasn't like a game or a manga. In that moment of realization, I felt my own ignorance and tears began to well up. I couldn't say a word; I just hung my head, trying to keep the tears from falling. My brother then gave me a choice: I could keep listening, or I could stop now. He told me I didn't have to force myself.
I steeled my resolve. I gritted my teeth and raised my head, meeting my brother's eyes. I was ready to hear the rest.