After we finished changing, we passed through a connecting corridor and stood before the doors of a building bearing a sign that read "Experience Zone." From inside, I could hear a cacophony of screams and cheers from the people within.
My eyes were drawn to a set of massive iron cargo doors—likely a remnant from when this building served as a logistics warehouse—but off to the side was a smaller sliding service door with "Entrance/Exit" painted on it. I assumed that was our way in.
"There’s no point in just standing around out here. Shall we?"
"Yeah, let's go."
As Yuji and I walked toward the side door, Hiiragi-san and the others, who had been staring up at the cargo doors, seemed to snap out of their daze and hurried after us. There wasn't really any need for them to rush, but...
I placed my hand on the sliding door and pulled it open slowly. The noise from inside rushed out to meet us all at once. Upbeat pop hits blasted at high volume as background music, competing with the shouts of users and the mechanical whirring of the trap training units. It felt less like a training center and more like an arcade.
"It’s... loud."
"Yeah. My ears are starting to throb."
"I agree. It’s hard to believe this is actually a training facility."
Covering our ears, we stepped inside. Various training units were installed along both sides of the warehouse. Each unit was surrounded by a crowd; I even saw boys and girls who looked like middle schoolers—far too young for an explorer license—lining up to play. Shifting my gaze, I even spotted families with small children in the mix.
It’s basically a theme park. As that thought crossed my mind, Mika and Saori-chan cried out beside me.
"Look! That person just fell into the floor!"
"Wait, what?! Ah, you’re right!"
Following Mika’s finger, I saw a young man who looked like a college student get caught by a pitfall trap—the kind you often see on variety TV shows—and sink into a sea of white urethane foam.
The people waiting in line were laughing and pointing at the fallen student, who climbed out of the foam with a sheepish grin.
"They look like they're having a blast."
"Yeah. It looks like something straight out of a TV prank show or a penalty game."
"True. I wonder if they rented the equipment from a television station?"
"I doubt it..."
Still, looking at the rows of machines that looked suspiciously familiar, I felt like Hiiragi-san’s suggestion wasn't entirely far-fetched.
"Anyway... shall we try one out?"
"Sure."
"Yes, let's."
"Mika! Saori-chan! We’re moving!"
I called out to the two girls, who were still mesmerized by the student climbing out of the pit.
Okay!
Once they snapped back to attention, I led the group through the warehouse to find a unit with a shorter line. Along the way, we found a space covered in joint mats and took the time to do some thorough warm-up exercises to prevent any unnecessary injuries.
Once we were ready, we resumed our search. However, every unit seemed to be a hit, with at least ten people waiting for each one.
We kept walking toward the back of the warehouse until we finally found a training unit at the very end with no one waiting at all.
"What about this one? It looks pretty unpopular since nobody's in line, but..."
"Well, it beats waiting around. Is this one okay with you three?" I asked, checking with Mika, Saori-chan, and Hiiragi-san.
"It’s fine with me."
"Yeah, me too."
"Of course, I don't mind at all."
"Then it’s settled."
With everyone's approval, we headed for the machine at the far end of the warehouse. As we got closer, the full layout of the training unit came into view. It was a simple, two-meter-wide path with a white floor that stretched for about ten meters. I couldn't tell what exactly it was supposed to be training us for.
To find out, I approached the staff member assigned to the machine. Since no one had been using it, he was sitting in a chair with his chin resting on his hands, nodding off.
Hey now, you're on the clock.
"Excuse me? Do you have a moment?"
Feeling a bit exasperated by his work ethic, I spoke in a reserved tone to wake him up.
Startled by my voice, the attendant tried to jerk upright, but his head slipped from his hands, and he slammed his chin hard against the wooden desk.
Ouch. That had to hurt.
"~!? ~!? ~!?"
He tumbled out of his chair and curled up on the ground, writhing in agony while clutching his chin and the backside he’d bruised in the fall. Well, I suppose that’s divine retribution for slacking off.
We watched him struggle with a mixture of pity and exasperation, waiting patiently for him to recover.
After about five minutes, he managed to pull himself together. He was still clutching his chin, but he was at least able to speak. He shot us a resentful glare, but honestly, he was the one who fell asleep.
"I apologize for that... unsightly display."
"Ah, no... Are you all right?"
"Yes, somehow..."
"I see."
"..."
The silence was heavy. This was incredibly awkward.
"Er, right... You're here to use the unit, correct?"
"Yes. Is that okay?"
"Yes, of course. Is this your first time using this specific training unit?"
Remembering his job, the man stopped rubbing his chin and asked about our experience. Since we were newcomers to the facility, we obviously had none.
"Yes, it’s our first time."
"I see. In that case, let me explain the machine."
The staff member flipped a breaker-style power switch on the side of his desk, bringing the unit to life.
"This unit is designed to train you in evading floor-based traps."
As he tapped on a computer, a projector mounted on the ceiling cast a black-and-white checkerboard pattern onto the white floor. Each square was about twenty centimeters wide.
He stood up and stepped onto the unit.
"I’ll demonstrate. Please watch."
He began walking, stepping only on the white squares. He moved about a meter forward before stopping and turning back to us.
"As you can see, in this specific pattern, the white squares are set as safe zones. As long as you only step on them, nothing happens. However, if you step on a black square..."
He deliberately placed his right foot on a black block. Instantly, a red lamp on the ceiling flared to life, and the projected image vanished.
"The system judges that a trap has been triggered, and you fail."
"...Is it always a checkerboard pattern?"
"No. This was just a simple example for the explanation. We don't use this pattern for the actual training."
Well, it wouldn't be much of a challenge if it were that obvious.
"Excuse me, can I ask something?" Mika piped up.
"Yes?"
"How does it know we stepped on the wrong spot?"
"There are pressure sensors built into the floor. They sync with the images from the projector to determine if a trap has been activated."
"I see... thank you."
That sounds like a pretty expensive setup.
The attendant returned to his desk while answering Mika's question.
"Any other questions? If not, we can begin. Who’s going first?"
We all looked at each other. We hadn't decided on an order, and everyone seemed to be sizing each other up. Nobody really wanted to be the guinea pig; we all wanted to see how it worked first.
"So, who’s it going to be?"
"It doesn't look especially difficult," Yuji noted. "Anyone should be fine."
"True. Does anyone want to volunteer?"
In response to Hiiragi-san's question, Mika’s hand shot up.
"I’ll go first!"
"Mika? You sure you want to jump right in?"
"Yep! I’ve got this."
So, Mika was our lead-off batter.
After announcing her intent to the staff member, she stood at the starting line with her head held high.
"The training involves a round trip—an outbound leg and a return leg. Be aware that the projected image and the difficulty will change on the way back."
"Got it!"
"Then, begin."
The attendant operated the computer, and the projector cast a new image onto the floor. This time, it was a lush field of colorful flowers in full bloom.
"Any part of the image that feels 'wrong' is a trap. You have a five-minute time limit. Good luck."
"Here I go!"
Mika took a nervous first step—and the red lamp immediately flashed as the image cut out.
"..."
Mika froze mid-step, and the rest of us watching fell into a stunned silence.
She stepped off the unit, her shoulders slumped as she let out a heavy sigh. I stepped forward to offer some comfort.
"Mika, don't let it get to you..."
"But I failed on the very first step..."
"It’s your first time; mistakes happen. Besides, this is training. There’s no shame in failing. What matters is what you learn from it."
"...Yeah."
"Just take what you learned and do better next time."
My pep talk seemed to work, and she finally looked up.
Still, though...
"I think I see why nobody was waiting for this one," I muttered.
"Yeah," Yuji agreed.
"I agree. This unit is on a completely different level of difficulty," Hiiragi-san added.
Most likely, very few people could even clear the first leg. That would explain why there was no line compared to the other machines.
As we were silently debating who should go next, the attendant spoke up.
"Who’s next?"
"Ah, just a second!"
I asked him to wait while we huddled up to pick the next victim.
"Okay, who's next?"
"...I'll do it."
Yuji stepped up as the next challenger.
"Good luck."
"Ready? Begin."
At the signal, a different flower field was projected onto the floor. Yuji didn't rush. He stood at the edge, carefully observing the image. He tilted his head, scanning the floor for several seconds before finally taking his first step. He landed on a large white flower; the red lamp stayed dark. Safe. He took a second and third step, maintaining a steady, cautious pace.
"Hirose-kun is doing great."
"Yeah, he's got it."
"But... he's taking way too long."
"You're right," Hiiragi-san noted. "He's used almost two minutes and hasn't even cleared a quarter of the distance."
At this rate, he’d never finish the round trip within the time limit. Still, as a licensed explorer, I was hoping he’d at least finish the outbound leg for the sake of his pride.
"..."
Yuji must have heard us, because his movements suddenly became rushed. His body tensed up, and his rhythm faltered.
And then...
"...Sigh."
The moment his foot landed on a yellow flower, the red lamp flared, and the field vanished. Failure.
He had made it to within two meters of the outbound goal with a time of three minutes and forty-five seconds.
"Sorry, I messed up."
Yuji stepped off the machine with a frustrated expression, giving a small bow of apology.
"No need to apologize."
"He's right. Thanks to you, Hirose-kun, we have a much better idea of how hard this thing is."
"...Yeah."
Even if it was his first try, the fact that Yuji couldn't even finish the outbound leg meant the difficulty wasn't just high—it was brutal.
Is this thing even winnable?
In the end, we all took multiple turns at the unit, but our best record was only making it one-third of the way back on the return leg before the timer ran out. While we were struggling, several other groups tried their hand at the machine, but most gave up almost immediately after seeing how hard it was. We kept at it out of sheer stubbornness for about two hours, but we never cleared it. Eventually, Mika and Saori-chan hit their physical limits, so we decided to try some of the other units.
After exploring the rest of the zone, we realized our hunch was correct: the popular machines were easy, and the unpopular ones were grueling. It turns out the first machine we picked was the most difficult one in the entire Experience Zone.
No wonder it was deserted.
"Well, should we head home?"
"Yeah, let's."
"I agree. We have a dungeon raid tomorrow, so we should get some rest."
We finished changing and grabbed some drinks in the break room before finally standing up to leave.
"Are you all going to a dungeon tomorrow, Onii-chan?"
"Yeah, we are."
"I'm so jealous..." Mika sighed.
"You guys don't have your licenses yet, so it can't be helped. You'll get them next month, and then we can all go together."
"Daiki's right. Besides, you two are still green. You need to spend more time with my grandpa to build a solid foundation."
"Exactly. You two are training with Juzo-san tomorrow, right? You need to focus on that first."
"...Yeah."
"We will."
The two girls nodded obediently at our advice.
Since they hadn't even done any "level boosting" in the Slime Dungeon, taking them into a real dungeon without proper training was simply out of the question.
"Alright. Let's get going."
Okay!
We tossed our empty bottles into the trash and walked out of the training facility.
Now then, tomorrow is the real deal.