We spent nearly thirty minutes standing in line before it was finally our turn. The sheer congestion just to enter the dungeon was staggering. Was it going to be okay inside? Surely we wouldn't have to wait in line just to fight a monster, right?
Following the instructions of the male Staff-san stationed by the Entrance Gate, we held our brand-new Explorer Cards over the reader. It felt just like passing through a train station ticket gate.
"Hm? Oh, are you guys newcomers making your first attempt today?"
"Eh? Oh, yes!"
The Staff Member, who had been checking the readouts on his monitor, noticed it was our debut and spoke to us with a look of concern. He’d only exchanged brief greetings with the people before us, so I wondered why he was singling us out.
"I see... I know it’s none of my business, but let me give you a heads-up."
"What is it?"
"Ever since the students started their summer vacation, a massive wave of newcomers has been swarming this dungeon. As a result, the interior is incredibly crowded."
"Ah, so that’s how it is after all..."
Hearing the explanation from the Staff-san, who wore a somewhat apologetic expression, we frowned as we considered the length of the entry queue and the sheer number of people already inside.
The Staff Member narrowed his eyes, his expression tightening as he continued in a more formal tone.
"Because of that, you'll find many situations where you simply won't encounter any monsters. But please, don't push yourselves. It’s a common mistake for newcomers to get impatient when they can't find anything to fight and descend to the lower floors, only to end up injured. It's been happening a lot lately."
"Um..."
We exchanged awkward glances. We’d come here specifically to fight monsters, only to be told we probably wouldn't find any—and then warned not to go deeper. Talk about a cold shower.
Sensing our frustration, the Staff-san's face softened into a clumsy smile, as if he realized how ineffective his words were.
"Then again, this is just my personal advice. You're under no obligation to follow it. Still, I’d be happy if you just kept it in the back of your minds."
"Er... thank you for the warning."
"Haha, well, do your best. I’ll be praying for your success and a safe return."
Seeing us off with a small wave, we passed through the Entrance Gate and walked toward the dungeon entrance. Even if it was because we were rookies on our first challenge, the fact that the Staff Member went out of his way to warn us meant the inside must be absolutely packed.
Sigh. My heart already felt heavy before I'd even stepped inside.
The first thought that crossed my mind the moment we entered was: Why is there still a line in here?! Was this really a dungeon? I half-expected to find out this was actually some theme park and we were just queuing for an attraction.
"Hey, isn't this totally different from what we imagined? The situation hasn't changed at all since we were outside," someone muttered.
"You're right. So far, this doesn't feel like a dungeon at all."
"I had this image of monsters attacking as soon as you step inside... but this is just pathetic."
"Whether you look ahead or behind, there's nothing but explorer parties. Honestly, where are all the monsters?"
"No matter how far we walk, all we see are the backs of other explorers."
Feeling a mix of confusion and disappointment, we followed the party in front of us, shuffle-stepping along like part of a slow-moving parade. There was no tension at all.
After following the flow for a while, the path ahead split. I could see the majority of the explorer parties in the queue moving into the right-hand passage. At a glance, the parties with seasoned gear and veteran vibes were heading right, while the fresh-faced groups in brand-new equipment were heading left.
"Hmm, what should we do? Follow the crowd to the right, or go left with the other newcomers?"
"What do you mean, 'what should we do'? If we stay in this line, it doesn't look like we'll see a single monster."
"True, but since other parties are ahead of us, even if a monster did appear, the leaders would have combat priority..."
"Which means even if we follow them, we won't actually get a chance to fight, right?"
"Then we won't get to fight anything unless we find a path where there aren't any other parties. Let's walk a bit further, see how things look, and then break away from the crowd."
Concluding that we had to stick with the flow for a bit longer, we let out tired sighs and watched the backs of the parties ahead of us with resigned eyes. This was exactly what the Staff-san meant.
After turning about five corners while staying in the flow, we finally reached a point where there were no more parties visible ahead of us. I'd started to worry we'd never be able to leave the line and would end up pushed all the way to the lower floors.
"Alright, let's break off here and head forward. Everyone okay with that?"
"Yeah!" the group chorused.
With that, our party left the stream of explorers and turned the corner.
Now then—this is where our real dungeon exploration begins!
It was all well and good to be fired up about starting our trek after leaving the massive flow, but...
"...There aren't any monsters at all."
"Not a single one."
"Not a hide nor hair of them."
"Actually, no matter how far we go, we only run into other explorer parties."
"Are there only rare monsters in this dungeon?! I want to speak to the manager! Honestly, I could scream that right now and no one would blame me."
As time passed without us encountering even one monster, our frustration boiled over into a series of complaints. When we first left the line, there had been no other parties nearby, and we’d braced ourselves for an immediate encounter. That illusion hadn't lasted long.
Why? Because the backs of other explorer parties—several of them—had quickly come into view.
"Fundamentally, there are just too many explorers for the number of monsters that spawn."
"It's total saturation..."
"At this rate, monsters are probably being hunted the second they spawn."
"If you let one get away, who knows when you'll find the next one? Everyone must be ganging up on them the moment they appear."
"Monsters getting jumped by bloodshot-eyed adventurers the second they're born... I wonder which side is supposed to be the villain here."
I winced as I imagined the scene Tadao described. The explorers definitely sounded like the bad guys in that scenario.
However...
"Even so, we can't exactly go home empty-handed."
"True. We're flat broke as it is."
"Between the gear and the fees, everyone's New Year's savings are gone."
"If we don't earn a decent amount today, we won't even have funds for the next exploration."
"Is this going to be our first and last trip of the summer? I wonder if I can get an advance on next month's allowance..."
Our expressions clouded over. It was a cold, hard truth: without money, there was no 'next time.' I wanted us to earn at least ten thousand yen to cover our transportation costs, but to do that, we needed drop items. And to get drop items, we needed monsters. At this rate, we wouldn't even see one.
That left us with only one option.
"Should we... head to the lower floors?"
"Is that really okay?"
"But we're not getting anywhere staying here."
"I'm not sure the encounter rate will be that much better down there, though."
"Well, if the crowd thins out a bit, our chances might go up..."
We huddled together to discuss our plan. Combat was a pipe dream at our current depth. Going deeper might change the situation, but it also increased the risk and the length of the return trip. Still, we had to take a chance if we wanted results.
By now, the advice from the senior explorer party and the warning from the Staff Member at the Entrance Gate had been completely forgotten. Looking back, I can only regret how easily we dismissed such earnest warnings.
After a brief discussion, the decision was made.
"Alright, let's go deeper."
"Yeah, sticking around here all day just for the tiny hope of fighting one monster is pointless."
"And that's only if no one else is around to take it."
"People probably wouldn't steal a kill, but there'd definitely be an argument over who saw it first."
"It's literally a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity. If it's clear the other party has priority, we'd back off, but if it's a toss-up, no one's going to want to yield..."
And so, to increase our encounter rate, we decided to descend. To be honest, it was exactly what beginners on their first day shouldn't do, but without fighting, we couldn't progress. No fights meant no drop items and no level ups. To succeed as an explorer, combat was non-negotiable.
We knew it was a reckless move, so we set a strict limit: we would go no deeper than the 3rd floor. According to our licensing lectures, monsters there only appeared individually and there were no traps.
"Now that the plan's set, let's head back to the main path. If we follow that flow, we can get to the lower floors safely."
"We have to get back in that line...?"
"I really hate it. It feels like waiting for a theme park ride."
"I get it. I don't like it either. Especially those looks we get from other parties—like they're judging us as failures for leaving the line."
"I'm sure it's only a few jerks who look at us like that, though."
I remembered those stares from when we'd left the queue earlier and felt a surge of annoyance. Like Tadao said, I knew it was only a handful of people, but it was still unpleasant.
However, as dungeon beginners unfamiliar with the layout, following the main flow was the only way to guarantee we'd reach the lower levels. We just had to suck it up.
Despite our sliver of hope, the situation didn't change. We rode the flow of explorers down to the 3rd floor, but the population density hadn't decreased; if anything, it felt worse. It made sense, though. When the Staff-san said the number of entrants had spiked, he was talking specifically about newcomers like us.
Naturally, novices stick to the surface floors—the 1st floor through the 3rd floor. With so many people concentrated in the same hunting grounds, overcrowding was inevitable.
"Sigh... we called it wrong."
"Yeah..."
We sat in the 3rd floor staircase plaza, taking a break while looking around and venting our frustrations. The 2nd floor had been just as packed as the 1st. Every corner we turned revealed the back of another explorer party. Every junction we crossed, more explorers. Even when we tried to find a quiet path, there was always someone ahead of us.
Seriously, where were the monsters?!
"...Hm?"
As I sipped my barley tea and wallowed in disappointment, I overheard a conversation between some explorers nearby.
"Have you heard the rumors? About the spear-wielding duo that's been showing up lately?"
"Oh, you mean that girl duo? The small ones?"
"Yeah, them. Word is they're both incredible with spears. Apparently, they're taking out multiple hound dogs with single strikes—and without taking a single scratch."
"Heh, so they're high-level explorers? I guess that’s doable if you've got the levels..."
"Actually, the rumor is they're newcomers. People only started seeing them recently, so they're probably just rookies with some serious martial arts background."
"And they're already performing like high-level explorers... Man, I envy talent. Here we are barely scraping together pocket change on the surface."
Hearing that rumor, with its underlying tone of cynicism, I felt a strange murkiness well up in my chest. I tried to tell myself it was just a rumor about strangers, but the feeling wouldn't fade. If anything, it felt like it was turning into something darker.
Once the gossiping explorers had finished their break and left, I sat in silence for a moment, lost in thought. Finally, I looked up at my friends, who were all radiating exhaustion and defeat, and made a proposal.
"...Hey guys, why don't we try going a little deeper?"
I didn't realize then that this was the first step toward a reckless disaster, driven by envy and overconfidence.