After Saturday’s half-day of classes, the five of us set off together for a certain facility in the city. Since we were on our way home, we were all still in our school uniforms. We didn't particularly stand out, though; plenty of other students were out and about, and I suspected more than a few of them were headed to the same place we were.
"Hey, Onii-chan? what kind of place are we going to, exactly?"
"I want to know, too. You said it was an athletic facility, but..."
Mika and Saori-chan, who were walking ahead of me, glanced back with puzzled expressions. I just gave them a vague smile. "We’re almost there. Just wait until we arrive—it’ll be a surprise."
"Athletic... well, I suppose you could call it that," Hiiragi-san murmured.
"True," Yuji added with a stifled chuckle. "Though it’s less of an athletic course and more of a ninja house."
They both seemed amused by the way I’d described the place. I knew it wasn't the most accurate comparison, but I hadn't been able to think of a better one.
"Athletic... right?"
"A ninja house?"
Yuji’s comment only deepened their confusion. The two girls stopped in their tracks, tilting their heads, so I nudged them along from behind to make sure we didn't miss our bus.
After a ten-minute bus ride and a short walk, we arrived at a plain, white-walled building that looked like a converted factory warehouse. A large sign near the entrance read: "Dungeon Trap Training Center."
I spotted a few other students around our age near the entrance, all wearing uniforms from different schools.
"It’s huge!" Mika exclaimed.
"I heard it used to be a warehouse complex for a logistics company," I explained as she stared up at the building. "Their business started failing during the chaos when the dungeons first appeared, so they put the place up for sale to raise funds. The Dungeon Association bought it and renovated it into a training facility for explorers."
"Heh, interesting." Mika sounded impressed.
While Mika was busy taking in the sight, Saori-chan turned back to us with a question. "Do you come here to train often, Daiki?"
"Ah, well... actually..."
"Fufu, this is our first time here too," Hiiragi-san answered for me.
Saori-chan’s eyes went wide. "Wait, really?!"
I couldn't exactly tell her the real reason: that thanks to my Appraisal Analysis skill, we could just bypass traps entirely. We’d never had a reason to step foot in a place like this. I’d only even learned about it from the Dungeon Association’s website recently.
"Yeah. We’d already gained plenty of experience with dungeon traps before these kinds of facilities were even finished," I said, offering a plausible-sounding excuse to smooth things over. "So, we just never had the chance to visit."
"Oh, I see..." Saori-chan seemed to accept that. It wasn't entirely a lie, anyway. Most of these centers didn't open until earlier this year, meaning those of us who became explorers last year didn't really have them as an option during our rookie days. By the time they were built, we were already used to handling traps on our own.
"Come on, let’s get inside and sign in."
"Okay!"
"Right!"
The two girls hurried toward the entrance. Since it was just after noon on a Saturday, there was a short queue at the reception desk. Judging by the uniforms, about half the people in line were students who had come straight from school, just like us.
After about ten minutes, it was finally our turn.
"Thank you for waiting. How many in your party?" the female receptionist asked.
"Five, please," I replied.
"Two men and three women, correct? One moment, please." She pulled five keys from a shelf behind her before turning back to us. "Is this your first time using our facility?"
"Yes, it is."
"In that case, I’ll give you a brief overview. This center is operated by the Dungeon Association and is divided into four areas: the Experience Zone, the Beginner Zone, the Intermediate Zone, and the Advanced Zone. The Experience Zone is open to the general public, but the zones from Beginner onward are restricted to licensed explorers."
"So the public can only use the Experience Zone?" I asked.
"Correct. The difficulty level increases significantly starting with the Beginner Zone, and there is a risk of injury for those without training, so we generally restrict access. The only exception is for those who have taken the explorer exam and are currently awaiting their results; they are permitted to use the Beginner Zone."
"I see." That meant Mika and Saori-chan were stuck in the Experience Zone for now. Still, it was probably best for them to start there to get a feel for things.
The receptionist picked up a card from the counter and held it up. "The Experience Zone features about twenty simplified recreations of common dungeon traps. Each trap has specific passing criteria; if you meet them, a staff member will mark your stamp card. If you fill the card, you’ll receive a commemorative gift."
"Oh, okay." I took the card and glanced at it before handing it to Mika. A commemorative gift, huh? She seemed interested, so I figured it was worth a shot.
"Now, regarding the Beginner Zone... do you have your Explorer Cards?"
"Yes, right here." I produced mine, and Yuji and Hiiragi-san followed suit.
"Then you are eligible for the advanced zones. The Beginner Zone is a time-attack course where traps from the Experience Zone are combined into a single run. You pass if you complete it within the designated time."
"Do we have to clear the Beginner Zone before we can try the Intermediate Zone?"
"No, you’re free to use them as you like, but we strongly recommend clearing the lower zones first. Attempting the high-difficulty courses without proper preparation only increases your risk of injury. If you can’t meet the time limit for the Beginner Zone, it’s best to go back to the Experience Zone to practice the individual traps."
"Understood." The way she emphasized it suggested they had plenty of overconfident people who tried to skip ahead and failed miserably.
Seeing that I’d taken her point, she continued. "The Intermediate Zone is also a time-attack course. The traps are the same as the Beginner Zone, but with added interference."
"Interference?"
"Yes. As you know, monsters appear in dungeons. This zone simulates being attacked by monsters while you’re trying to disarm or bypass a trap."
I nodded. That made perfect sense. We’d definitely dealt with monsters jumping us mid-trap before, though Hiiragi-san usually skewered them with a spear before they could get close.
"And finally, the Advanced Zone. Here, both the types and the quality of the traps change."
"I get that the types would be different, but what do you mean by 'quality'?"
"The traps up to the Intermediate Zone focus on obstructing a challenger’s progress. In the Advanced Zone, the traps are designed to eliminate or repel intruders."
"Eliminate..." So they went from security measures to actual booby traps. Was that even safe? Even for explorers, it sounded like a recipe for a lot of injuries.
"Safety is a priority, of course," the receptionist added quickly, as if sensing my concern. "We use soft materials for the floors and walls, and all weapons are made of urethane."
"Right... I see." Well, if there hadn't been any horror stories on the news, I assumed it was safe enough.
"That concludes the basic explanation. Do you have any questions?"
"No, we’re good."
"Very well. That will be 1,000 yen per person for the adult rate, for a total of 5,000 yen."
I pulled out my wallet and paid for everyone. The receptionist processed the payment and handed over the stamp card along with the locker keys.
"Here are your locker keys. Red is for the women’s room, blue for the men’s. Please be careful not to lose them."
"Will do. Thanks."
We left the desk and headed toward the locker rooms. Before we reached the doors, Yuji and Hiiragi-san handed me their shares of the entrance fee. Mika and Saori-chan started to reach for their wallets too, but I waved them off.
"It’s on me today. I dragged you both here without telling you where we were going, after all."
"Wait, really?" Mika asked.
"We can't let you do that," Saori-chan added.
"It’s fine, don't worry about it. Just pay for yourselves next time, okay?"
They hesitated for a moment but eventually gave in. I’d talked to Yuji and Hiiragi-san about the cost beforehand, but I didn't feel right making the younger girls pay when I was the one who’d initiated the surprise trip.
I handed out the keys to everyone. "Alright, let’s change and meet back here. Hiiragi-san, I’ll leave the girls to you."
"Of course. Come on, Mika-chan, Saori-chan."
"Okay!"
"See you in a bit, Daiki!"
As the girls followed Hiiragi-san into the women’s locker room, I turned to Yuji. "Shall we?"
"Yeah."
We headed into the men’s room and quickly swapped our uniforms for the school-issued gym jerseys we’d brought along. We finished first and spent a few minutes chatting outside while we waited for the girls.
"So, for today, we’re sticking to the Experience Zone instead of the Beginner Zone, right?" I asked.
"Yeah, that’s best. Mika and Saori-chan don't have their explorer licenses yet, so they can't enter the Beginner Zone anyway. It’ll be a good review for us, too."
"True." I was looking at the stamp card, wondering how many we could finish today, when Yuji suddenly clapped a hand on my shoulder.
"Oh, and one more thing, Daiki. No using skills in here."
"Huh?"
"It’s not like we’re in any real danger, so try to get through the traps on your own strength. It’s not much of a training session if you just cheat your way through with Appraisal Analysis."
"...Fine." I wasn't thrilled about it, but he had a point. It was probably a good idea to sharpen my manual trap-clearing skills just in case.
While we were talking, the girls emerged from their locker room.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
All three were in their school gym jerseys too. The only real difference was the color of the collars and cuffs, which indicated their school year: green for first years, blue for second years, and white for third years.
"What were you guys talking about?" Mika asked.
"Nothing much. Yuji just forbade me from using any skills."
"Ah... that makes sense," Hiiragi-san whispered. She’d always advocated for not over-relying on skills during our explorations, so she caught on to Yuji’s logic immediately.
"Onii-chan? What are you whispering about with Yukino-san?" Mika asked, eyeing us suspiciously as we stood with our heads close together.
"It’s nothing. Come on, everyone’s here, so let’s get started."
I brushed off the question and led the way toward the Experience Zone. I was actually starting to get curious about what kind of traps the Association had come up with.