My name is Minoru Suzuki. I graduated from university this past March and was scouted by my current employer, Masai Foods. I’d originally accepted a job offer elsewhere, but I turned it down to join this company instead. The reason was simple: a world-shaking event had completely transformed society. Last spring, dungeons appeared and caused a massive stir; eventually, under the weight of public opinion, they were opened to the general public, triggering a fanatical dungeon exploration boom.
The excitement surrounding it was truly something to behold.
"Senpai, I’ve finished the replenishment list for our next run."
"Oh, thanks, Suzuki. Sorry for rushing you."
"Not at all."
I handed the item list to my senior, returned to my desk, and began clearing the rest of my work. I belonged to the 2nd Team, Procurement Unit, Dungeon Food Section of the Materials Procurement Department at Masai Foods. We were scheduled to head into the dungeon tomorrow to rotate shifts with the 1st Team, so I had to finish everything now, or I’d be buried in work later.
After finishing my urgent paperwork, I left the office and began my own preparations. My basic equipment was provided by the company, so I mainly had to gather personal items.
"Let’s see... Oh, a new volume is already out. I’ll download this, too."
Since we would be living in the dungeon for a while, bringing entertainment to stay sane was essential. There was nothing to do during break times, so things got incredibly boring. Sleeping the whole time was an option, but that grew tiresome after several days. That was why everyone brought their own distractions: music, books, movies, games—you name it.
Incidentally, the current trend for killing time in our team was a city-building simulation game. We were competing to see who could build the most meticulously designed town, and so far, our team leader was the best at it.
"Next is shopping for luxury goods. I wonder what I should bring as a surprise this time..."
Once the entertainment was sorted, all that remained was food. For meals inside the dungeon, we primarily ate the preserved foods provided by the company. However, as one might expect, we eventually grew tired of those. Consequently, everyone started bringing their own favorites, and we naturally began comparing what we’d brought.
To keep the competition from getting too fierce, we had a rule that personal food items had to be under 3,000 yen. Before that rule was established, one team member had actually brought caviar... Good grief.
"Last time I brought pickled plums, but what should I do this time?"
Since these items had to survive the dungeon, they needed to be shelf-stable at room temperature. Items that required refrigeration or took up too much space were out. Inevitably, we often gravitated toward things that paired well with rice.
As I searched the supermarket shelves, something caught my eye.
"Soy-marinated mountain wasabi?"
It was shelf-stable and could be eaten on its own or used as a condiment for other dishes. This might be the one. None of the other team members had brought wasabi-related items yet, so it had the benefit of being a novelty.
I tossed the soy-marinated mountain wasabi into my basket and finished my preparations.
The next morning, after reporting to the office, I moved to the parking lot with my gear. Our company’s policy was for the entire team to gather first and travel to the dungeon together in a company vehicle. Apparently, some companies had their employees meet and disperse at the site, but that required arriving early on your own and increased the amount of unnecessary luggage.
Besides, for the sake of transporting the replenishment supplies, meeting at the site wasn't practical.
"Good morning."
"Hm? Oh, Suzuki. Morning."
When I arrived, Team Leader Sakuoka was already conducting the final check of the replenishment supplies. After greeting him, I put my luggage in the van and began assisting him. The supplies had already been checked yesterday, so it was just a simple walkthrough to look for any forgotten items or damage.
By the time we finished, the other team members had arrived, and we were just waiting for the leader's command to depart.
"Morning, everyone."
"Good morning!"
"Right. We are heading to the dungeon now to rotate shifts with the 1st Team... Is anyone feeling unwell?"
"..."
Team Leader Sakuoka addressed the ten members of the 2nd Team, but no one raised a hand. When we first joined the company, some people would feel sick from nerves, but lately, everyone had grown accustomed to exploration.
Then again, being too accustomed had its own problems. While no one got sick from nerves anymore, there were instances where people were left behind because they were hungover from heavy drinking the night before.
"...It seems everyone is fine. Then, we’re heading out. Everyone, get in the vehicles immediately."
"Yes!"
The 2nd Team split into two groups—a van and a truck—and departed. I was in the van group. One of my seniors was at the wheel; he drove the van regularly and was quite practiced at it.
One hour later, we arrived at the dungeon. After parking, we began unloading.
"All right, back it up, back it up."
Once we finished unloading our personal gear from the van, we opened the rear doors of the truck and attached the ramps. It was time to unload the supplies. The high-pitched whine of motors echoed from the truck bed, followed by the dull sound of rollers scraping against the ground as they carried their heavy loads.
Then, from the back of the truck, the transport robots—eight-wheel-drive units carrying large containers—emerged.
"Stop!"
"Check to see if the loads have shifted!"
"Hey, we're unloading the next one!"
At Team Leader Sakuoka’s direction, some checked the cargo while others brought down the next transport robot. Everyone was moving busily. Perhaps the sight of the robots was unusual, as a group of student explorers—who looked like they had debuted just this summer—stopped and watched us with curious eyes. Well, I suppose that was to be expected.
About fifteen minutes later, three transport robots loaded with containers had been successfully unloaded.
"Team Leader, all units are clear!"
"I see. In that case, we'll take a restroom break, finish the paperwork, and then enter the dungeon."
"Yes!"
It was finally time to go in. I had to switch my mindset and get focused.
We passed through the gate and entered the dungeon's interior. Our formation consisted of five in the vanguard, three transport robots in the middle, and five in the rear guard. We would spend the entire day pushing for the 23rd floor, where the 1st Team had established their base camp.
It was going to be a long walk.
"We're only on the 1st floor, but you never know when a monster might attack, so don't let your guard down," Sakuoka-san cautioned.
"Yes!"
We proceeded smoothly, and after about four hours, we reached the staircase plaza on the 15th floor.
"All right, let's take a meal break here. The cooks will prepare lunch; the rest of you, pair up and secure the perimeter."
The designated cooks began unloading tools and ingredients from the transport robots, while the other team members paired up for security duty.
Ten minutes later, the meal was ready—though it was just retort-pouch rice and curry.
"Let’s eat!"
The team split into two groups, and those on meal duty began shoveling down their curry. We would have liked for everyone to eat together, but we had to maintain a combat-ready force. Before I joined the company, a monster had apparently launched an attack during a meal, and it had nearly turned into a catastrophe.
After that failure, the habit of taking turns for meals became ingrained in the department.
"Thank you for the meal."
We finished our curry in about ten minutes and swapped with the security group. Fortunately, no monsters attacked during the transition, and we finished our break without incident. I wished it could always be this easy, but I knew better.
Once the break was over, we began the trek toward the 23rd floor again. I felt my attention flagging slightly from the full meal, but after walking for a while, my senses returned to their normal, sharp state. I was glad I'd recovered before we encountered an enemy—
"Attack!"
Immediately after we set foot on the 20th floor, I heard heavy footsteps approaching from the shadows. Judging by the sound, it was likely a single opponent. There was only one monster that acted alone on this floor...
"It's a minotaur! Just one!"
"Vanguard team, take it down! Rear guard, tighten the perimeter! If other monsters approach, focus on stalling them to buy time! You can kill them if it’s an easy shot, but don't overextend!"
"Roger!"
Following Team Leader Sakuoka’s instructions, we quickly shifted formation. I positioned myself at the side of the transport robots to protect the cargo.
"All right! Vanguard, move out! Surround it before it gets close! Don't get careless!"
"Yeah!"
The vanguard team led by Team Leader Sakuoka stepped forward, surrounding the approaching minotaur to prevent it from closing in or escaping. The minotaur realized it was trapped and stopped, shifting its gaze back and forth as it warily watched the team, bracing for an attack.
However...
"Go!"
"Uooooh!"
"Bumo!?"
Against the synchronized, multi-directional strikes from the vanguard, even the minotaur couldn't keep up. Its wounds mounted rapidly. Its arm was slashed, forcing it to drop its club; its leg was cut, bringing it to its knees. The creature's hide was soon stained with blood, its breathing growing ragged.
About five minutes after the battle began...
"Finish it!"
"Oh!"
On Sakuoka-san's command, the vanguard thrust their weapons into the blood-soaked minotaur. The creature convulsed violently for a moment, then went limp. It was over.
We stayed on high alert for a few moments until the minotaur's body began to undergo particleization. That was the definitive proof of a kill, and only then did we relax our tension.
"Phew... No injuries. Good."
"That’s a relief. But is it all right, Team Leader? Wasn't minotaur meat on the collected materials list? Now that it's particleizing, we can't use our skinning knives."
"It doesn't matter this time," Sakuoka-san replied. "This was our first serious combat of the run. Given the need for everyone to sharpen their combat instincts, I don't regret losing a single piece of meat."
"I see, that makes sense... Wait, look at that."
"Hm? Oh, looks like we got lucky."
Where the minotaur had vanished, a hunk of meat remained. We’d been blessed by the odds this time; often, you’d get no drop item at all.
After recovering the minotaur meat, we reformed our ranks. We were almost at our destination.
After the encounter with the minotaur, we fought through several more skirmishes and finally reached the 23rd floor. Fighting multiple minotaurs was truly exhausting work. One of our team members had failed to dodge an attack and suffered a light graze and a bruise.
Thankfully, a low-grade recovery potion fixed him up instantly. Those things really were miracles of science—or magic.
"Good work, Sakuoka-san. You're right on time."
"Yes, we made steady progress."
After the greetings, Team Leader Sakuoka began the handover discussion with the leader of the 1st Team. Meanwhile, we exchanged small talk and information with the 1st Team members. I found myself talking to Takahashi, a former party member who had been scouted at the same time as me. We had been placed in different teams, but we were old comrades. The bond of people who have trusted each other with their lives doesn't fade just because you’re on different shifts.
"Yo, Suzuki! It’s been a while. You been doing okay?"
"Yeah. You seem healthy enough for someone who's been living in a hole for days, Takahashi."
We traded jabs while exchanging information. It wasn't anything classified—just news from the outside world he’d missed and events that had happened inside the dungeon during his shift.
After chatting for a while, Team Leader Sakuoka called for us to assemble. The meeting was over.
"Handover procedures are complete. The 1st Team will begin preparations for their return, so we need to load their collected materials and unload our replenishment supplies. Once that's done and we've seen them off, we’ll organize our gear and take a break. Rotation starts tomorrow, so get some rest."
"Yes!"
"Very well. Let's get to work."
We began moving the containers. The real exploration would start tomorrow. I’d have to give it my all so we could all return home without a scratch.