I, Hibiki Shigemori, stared at the bulletin board in the main gate plaza with a look of complete indifference. The cherry blossoms had already fallen, and the board was plastered with the new class assignments. Last year, I had been a nervous wreck as I checked the lists for my entry into high school, but after a full year here, that kind of excitement just didn't well up anymore.
"Hmm, Class 2. It’s nothing but names I don't recognize..."
I found my name on the list for Class 2, but the names of my future classmates meant almost nothing to me. I managed to spot a few girls who had been in my class during my first year, but I didn't have a single memory of ever actually speaking to them.
"Well... I'll get used to it eventually," I muttered, letting out a soft sigh.
I double-checked my class and student number before heading toward the shoe lockers. Since the locker assignments would have changed, I needed that number to figure out where to put my shoes. At the entrance, I saw the back of a student who looked like a classmate walking away, but again, he didn't look familiar.
"Sigh... they could have at least put one of my old guy friends in here."
The complaint escaped my lips before I could stop it. I swapped my outdoor shoes for the slippers I’d brought and tucked my sneakers into my new locker. As I turned to leave the entrance, a voice called out from behind me.
"Yo, Hibiki. Morning. What class did you get?"
"...Daisuke?"
"Yeah. What’s with the long face? It’s the first day of the term."
The one calling out was Daisuke Kijima, a friend who had been in my class last year.
"I just checked the board. There’s no one I know in my class."
"Not even one person?"
"A few girls, but I'm the only guy from our old group. How about you, Daisuke?"
"My class has three of us, counting me."
"Must be nice."
"Well, just do your best to make some new friends. Oh, right—I'm in Class 5."
"Got it. I'm in Class 2. Stop by if you’re bored..."
I chatted with Daisuke as we climbed the stairs together, eventually splitting off to our respective classrooms on our floor. I took a deep breath before sliding open the front door. The eyes of my new classmates, most of whom had already arrived, immediately fixed on me.
"Good morning."
I made an effort to sound casual as I offered my greeting and stepped inside. My voice felt a bit tight from the nerves, but at least I didn't stumble. That should keep my first impression from being a total disaster. Sensing their gazes shift away, I checked the seating chart on the blackboard.
"Let’s see... my seat is in the third row, second from the back."
I glanced toward my desk. The surrounding seats were still mostly empty. I sat down and began to unpack my bag, though I didn't actually have much to take out.
With a smartphone in one hand, I scanned the room. My eyes landed on a classmate who had bandages peeking out from under his sleeve. I let out a heavy sigh as I began to reflect on everything that had happened over the past year.
Ever since the government's first broadcast about the appearance of dungeons, my entire world had been consumed by the topic. During breaks, every single person in the classroom was talking about them. Even the friends I’d made when I first entered high school were obsessed.
"Hey, Shigemori, aren't you interested in the dungeons at all?"
"Hmm, not really? Not right now. It feels like the name 'dungeon' is just running wild. I think I’ll wait until there’s more solid info before I get excited."
There was so little information back then that I didn't even know what to get excited about. I felt like I’d missed the wave of hype and had become the only person in the room who stayed calm. It was a bit alienating, in a way.
"Well, I guess that makes sense."
"I’m sure more info will come out soon enough."
In this day and age, whether the info is true or not, it tends to spring up from nowhere almost instantly. I decided I’d just browse the net and gather what I could for a while.
About a month later, the internet was drowning in dungeon news. There were lists of monsters, types of drop items, and the one thing that grabbed everyone’s attention...
"Hey, hey, Shigemori! We should dive into a dungeon and strike it rich!"
"...Sigh."
"What’s with the sigh?! You saw the news, didn't you? That treasure they found in America and Russia!"
That was the general image of dungeons back then. They were essentially a modern-day gold rush. High risk, but incredibly high return. A movement demanding the general opening of dungeons began to gain momentum, led mostly by young people who felt stifled by modern society. They were all aiming for that one big score they’d read about in international news.
"You mean the gold bars and the giant diamonds?"
"Exactly!"
The dungeon boom was fueled almost entirely by those stories going viral on social media. If it hadn't been for the gold and gems, the fever wouldn't have spread half as fast.
"But didn't they say those were just first-timer bonuses? I heard the stuff coming out of the dungeons now isn't nearly as valuable."
"Even so, you can still find magic books!"
Magic books... also known as skill scrolls. They were the legendary items rumored to grant the user actual magic. People who had allegedly found them in foreign dungeons were uploading videos of themselves using magic to every video site imaginable. That was the real gasoline on the fire.
"Magic is so cool. I thought it was just fantasy, but you can actually use it in the real world."
"Magic, huh..."
"...Wait, are you seriously not interested in magic, Shigemori?"
"It’s not that I’m not interested. It’s just... it’s an unknown quantity, isn't it? I keep wondering if there are side effects."
"It’s probably fine. We haven't heard about anyone growing a second head or anything."
...Isn't that a bit too optimistic?
I watched my classmates and friends talk passionately about dungeons with a cold, detached gaze.
Then the news reported that the government had succeeded in practical applications for a new type of power generation derived from the dungeons. Since the nuclear accident years ago, the country had been plagued by chronic power shortages, and the media hailed this as the ultimate solution. They said it would take several years to reach commercial operation, so it wasn't an immediate fix, but it changed everything.
Public opinion, which had been cautious, suddenly flipped. The narrative shifted to the idea that we should be actively exploiting the dungeons. Every media outlet ran special features, and the dungeon fever reached a boiling point.
"Did you hear, Shigemori? There was a protest march in front of the National Diet Building this weekend to demand the opening of the dungeons."
"Yeah, I saw it. About ten thousand people, right?"
"That’s what they said. There’s another one scheduled, and they’re expecting nearly twenty thousand this time."
"Huh. I didn't know it was that big."
"If there’s one nearby, I think I want to go."
This kind of reaction had become normal. I couldn't help but wonder if things were moving too fast, but maybe that was just the bitterness of someone who had failed to hop on the bandwagon.
Eventually, the dungeons were opened to the public. The Special Underground Structure Special Measures Act—better known as the Special Dungeon Act—passed the Diet and was enacted after a short grace period. The Dungeon Association was established as the governing body, and news reports clarified that civilians would need a permit issued by the Association to enter.
Recruitment for the Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures Issuance Exam began immediately, and tens of thousands of people applied. Almost everyone in my class seemed determined to get their license.
"Aren't you going to apply, Hibiki?"
"Nah. I’ll... pass for now. I want to see how things play out. What about you, Daisuke?"
"I already sent in my application form."
"Wait, you already did it?"
He was fast, but when I looked around the room, I realized several other classmates were filling out what looked like application forms even during lunch.
"...What are those?"
"Nakamuta was passing them out earlier. He said he got a stack from the government office. You want one, Hibiki?"
"No, I’m good."
"Fair enough. You can get them for free at the office by the station if you change your mind."
I’d missed my chance, and I couldn't keep up with their enthusiasm. I stayed quiet, watching them with a sullen heart I took care to hide.
Lately, it had become common to see classmates covered in bandages or adhesive plasters. It wasn't just my class; it was happening across the whole school.
"Since the dungeons opened up, people are getting hurt a lot more..."
"Well, you’re fighting monsters. You’re bound to get a few scratches."
"I guess... Hey, Daisuke. You’ve got a bandage on your wrist. Is it a sprain?"
"Hmm? Oh, this? I just twisted it a little. It’ll be fine in a couple of days with some patches."
"..."
Was it my imagination, or did Daisuke's eyes look a bit dull? It wasn't just him; it was a common trait among everyone who had become an explorer. To varying degrees, their atmosphere shifted after they started diving.
"You... you seem different lately."
"...I do?"
"Yeah. I can't quite put my finger on it, but you've changed."
"..."
I didn't know what to say. Or rather, I didn't know what I was allowed to say. The air around Daisuke and the others who dived into the dungeons had become jagged. It felt like I was standing in front of an unsheathed blade. I couldn't exactly tell him he felt like a weapon.
"Well, winter break is coming up. Why don't you forget about the dungeon for the New Year and just relax for a bit?"
"I can't. I’ll fall behind the others if I do. I can only go on Sundays as it is..."
"Spend some time with your family. The dungeon isn't going anywhere."
...Is this guy going to be okay?
He seemed possessed by the idea that he had to go. When I suggested he take a break, that dullness in his eyes seemed to darken for a split second.
Winter break ended, and the third term began.
The news was full of stories about large-scale power plants and room-temperature superconductors, but we weren't interested in that. Entry restrictions had been placed on the dungeons, which meant Daisuke and the others couldn't go as often. Because of that, the "unsheathed blade" atmosphere they’d been carrying around started to fade.
"You've really calmed down lately," I noted.
"...You think so?"
"Yeah. You feel more... grounded, I guess."
"...Maybe it's because I haven't been able to get in."
"That’s probably it."
It wasn't quite exhaustion, but the frantic tension had left them. They looked like themselves again. It was as if a curse had been lifted.
"...Once I realized the lottery meant I just couldn't go, the pressure just vanished. I don't know why I was so obsessed."
"Who knows? But look—next time you go, try to take it a bit easier. From the outside, you looked like a balloon that was about to pop."
"I looked that bad? Okay, I'll be careful."
Daisuke thought about it for a second and nodded. It looked like he’d made it through the danger zone. I hoped the other guys would settle down the same way.
Then, it finally happened.
News reports broke about explorers attacking other explorers in the dungeons—so-called player killing, or PK. Fortunately, there were no deaths, but people were being injured and having their drop items stolen.
It wasn't just a one-off; it happened in multiple dungeons across the country at the same time, leading to suspicions of a large-scale criminal group. There was a rumor—unconfirmed, but persistent—that one of the students at our school had been a victim.
The whole school was buzzing about it the next morning.
"This is getting crazy," I said.
"Yeah. I never thought PK would actually happen in the real world..."
Daisuke looked a little pale as he spoke. In games or novels, it was a staple, but it was hard to believe someone would actually do it in Japan. We’d been too optimistic.
"So, do you know who the victim was?"
"No idea. The rumor that it was one of our students is just floating around. No one knows if it's even true."
"No smoke without fire, though. There has to be a reason people are saying it."
"I guess..." Daisuke scratched his head, looking troubled. He really didn't seem to have a clue.
"Sigh. Well, look, if you’re going to keep being an explorer, you'd better be careful."
"Yeah, definitely. The guys I party with are already talking about it. We’re thinking about pooling our money to buy a detection-type skill scroll."
"A skill scroll... magic? Aren't those expensive?"
"Incredibly. You need at least several hundred thousand yen for one."
...Over a hundred thousand?
"Do you guys even have that kind of money?"
"We have all these other expenses, too... If we empty our savings and everyone chips in, we can just barely afford it. But we can't just go in unprepared. It’s a painful hit to the wallet, though..."
"My condolences."
I patted Daisuke on the shoulder. He just slumped further. Sorry, man.
"So, Hibiki, still no interest in becoming an explorer?"
"With all this PK stuff happening? Are you kidding? Not a chance."
"Yeah, figures."
Daisuke looked up and shook his head. He’d been trying to recruit me for a while, but my answer was set in stone. No one in their right mind would sign up for dungeon diving right when people started getting mugged in them.
As I sat there lost in the past year's events, the seats around me had filled up. I must have been spacing out for quite a while. I’d been holding my phone as a cover, but I hoped I hadn't looked too weird.
I put my phone away and scanned my new classmates. My eyes met with the guy sitting nearby.
"Uh... hello?"
"Oh, yeah. Hello."
"..."
We exchanged greetings, but the conversation stalled immediately. I figured I should at least introduce myself to get the ball rolling.
"...I'm Hibiki Shigemori. I was in Class 3 last year. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Daiki Kokonoe. Nice to meet you, too."
I tentatively held out my hand, and Kokonoe shook it without hesitation. At the very least, it looked like I wouldn't spend the year with zero friends.
We were both a bit awkward, but that was my first contact with Kokonoe.
Last year had been a roller coaster thanks to the appearance of the dungeons. I had no idea what this year would bring. With a heart full of trepidation, I prepared for the start of my second year.