I, Kiyotaka Iida, let out a sigh that was a mix of relief and frustration as I looked around the sparsely filled parking lot, unloading our gear. The brilliant summer sun was relentless, feeling as if it were scorching my skin. Since it was the Obon holiday, the number of people diving into the dungeon had dropped significantly. Considering how congested it had been lately, it was a refreshing sight.
However, it was Obon. The rest of the world was currently on vacation. And yet, here I was, about to dive into a dungeon...
"Sigh... I guess it just means I'm starting my shift."
"What’s wrong, Senior? You’ve got a real philosophical look on your face all of a sudden. Why the big sigh?"
As I lamented my situation with a gloomy expression, my junior partner, Tamori, called out to me with a look of concern.
"Oh, nothing. Just wondering why I'm here right now, of all times."
"Why? Because you lost at rock-paper-scissors, remember? Besides, you aren't observing a Hatsubon and you don't have a family to look after, so you weren't on the exemption list."
"Well, yeah, I guess that’s it..."
The members selected to dive during this Obon period were single employees with no special circumstances like a Hatsubon. It was an inevitable choice, I suppose. Even though we’d get compensatory time off after the holiday, it would be a bit heartless to force people with families to dive during Obon. They have parents to visit and relatives to see. It’s a rare time when a whole family can take a break together, and it's only natural to want to prioritize family during this window. Consequently, the burden fell on us—the single guys with nothing better to do.
I understood it logically, but I still couldn't quite wrap my head around it. Sigh.
"Anyway, there's no point in grumbling about it forever. We're about to head in, so you’d better switch gears or things could get dangerous."
"...Yeah, you're right. Complaining won't change anything."
Taking Tamori's encouragement—or whatever it was—to heart, I gave my cheeks a light slap to reset my focus. I finished prepping for our departure, shouldering the heavy gear we’d hauled out of the car. We were swapping out with the previous team to man the company’s base camp on the 26th floor, so we were carrying a massive amount of supplies, including food and clothing.
From here on, we’d be cooped up inside the dungeon for a week, fighting monsters and collecting items every day. At first, the stress and the sense of confinement made me feel like I was going to lose my mind, but I’d eventually gotten used to the lifestyle. I could handle the duties with total indifference now. They say humans are creatures of habit, and it’s true. I never expected to prove that theory with my own life, though.
"Everyone, listen up!"
As I was chatting with Tamori, Soga-san—our team leader for this expedition—raised his voice. He was a man in his mid-30s who radiated a calm, composed authority. He’d timed his call perfectly for when our preparations were finished.
Once Soga-san confirmed he had the attention of all twelve team members, myself and Tamori included, he began the briefing.
"It looks like everyone is ready. We’ll head to the reception desk now. Once the paperwork is done, we start the dungeon attack immediately. As you can see, the parking lot is empty because of the Obon holiday. I suspect there will be fewer people inside the dungeon than usual as well... but that’s just a guess. Depending on the situation inside, we might reach our destination on the 26th floor much earlier than planned, but we will stick to the scheduled itinerary regardless."
"Soga-san? If we can get there early, wouldn't it be better to just push through?" one of the team members asked.
"That might be true for us, but the previous team isn't tracking our travel speed. If we arrive a few minutes early, it’s one thing, but if we’re over an hour ahead of schedule, the team we’re replacing might not be ready for the handover. If we disrupt the schedule and cause confusion during the transition, we could be caught off guard if monsters attack. To minimize that risk, it’s best to arrive as close to the scheduled time as possible."
"I see. Understood."
Soga-san’s explanation was firm and logical. Everyone, including the guy who asked the question, nodded in agreement.
It was like visiting a friend’s house. If you show up more than an hour before the time you agreed on, your host won't be ready, and it just creates a mess.
"Any other questions?"
Soga-san scanned the group, and seeing no more hands, he gave a curt nod.
"Then let’s move out. And... thank you all for coming in during the holiday. I know you’d rather be resting, but our company operates year-round. Even when the world is on break, someone has to be diving. But look on the bright side—with fewer people around, the monster encounter rate should be higher. Your chances of landing a big performance bonus are much better than usual."
"Haha, true enough. Let's aim for that extra paycheck then!"
Maybe Soga-san had overheard me and Tamori earlier, because he dangled the carrot of performance bonuses to motivate the guys who were clearly feeling the holiday-shift blues. It made sense; if there were fewer people on the surface floors, we’d run into more monsters. Since our pay was a base salary plus commission, finding rare drops meant a serious boost to our income. Sigh. Fine. I’ll work my tail off for those rare drops so I can live like a king on my days off.
With determined grins, we followed Soga-san as he led the way.
An hour into our trek, marching in double-file, my predictions were proven right. The number of people in the dungeon was way down. We were moving about 1.5 times faster than our usual pace, and we were even running into monsters on the surface floors—creatures we usually didn't see a shadow of during the peak hours.
Oh, and for the record, we’d already picked up a skill scroll. We didn't know what it was yet, but it was a good sign for our bonuses.
"Still, Senior, it’s so much easier to move through here without all those student groups," Tamori remarked.
"Yeah. Especially lately. With summer vacation in full swing, the number of beginners exploded. It’s been a nightmare."
"Right? It’s not like they're competing for our hunting grounds, but just trying to get through the crowds was taking forever."
"Tell me about it. If this were last week, we wouldn't have made it half this far in the same amount of time."
Tamori and I were bringing up the rear, keeping an eye out for ambushes while venting about the recent congestion. There wasn't much else to do, and walking through a dim dungeon in silence is a quick way to wear down your mental health.
Not that chatting was forbidden, mind you. But if our talking caused us to miss something, Soga-san would be all over us. You couldn't afford to lose focus. More importantly, if an ambush led to actual losses, it would tank our performance appraisals. I’d heard about a guy who screwed up like that once. I... well, I hope he’s doing okay wherever he is now.
"Exactly. Oh, that reminds me. Speaking of students, have you heard the rumor?"
"Rumor? What rumor?"
"About that legendary party of student explorers. They say they’re incredibly skilled—pulling off results that put even the top corporate explorer parties to shame, and doing it like it’s a walk in the park."
"Incredibly skilled, huh?"
I gave him a skeptical look. That sounded like an urban legend to me. Sure, there are some talented kids out there, but surpassing a top-tier corporate explorer party? That was hard to swallow. The gap in funding and organizational support between students and corporations was just too massive.
You only realize it once you’ve done this as a professional. Even if you have one or two aces in a party, they can't do much if they don't have a backup system for food and rest. That’s why corporate explorers have dedicated supply teams and maintain secure base camps. Naturally, the Self-Defense Forces have the best setup in the business. In fact, our corporate systems are based on the lessons they learned in the dungeons.
"The rumor says they reached the 30th floor before the big corporate teams. And they supposedly did it without a single scratch on their armor or gear."
"Okay, now it definitely sounds like a load of crap. I mean, sure, you can use recovery potions or the Cleansing skill to get rid of blood and dirt, but no scratches on the gear? That’s pushing it. To hit the 30th floor, you have to take down an ogre. Nobody fights an ogre and comes out with pristine equipment."
It had been over six months since the dungeons were opened to the public, and you still barely ever heard of an ogre being defeated. Outside of the big corporate teams, you could probably count the successful hunts on one hand.
That’s how high the wall is. Reaching the floor where the ogre lives requires more than just raw strength; it requires a logistical system that can support a long-term dive.
"Yeah, I figured. It’s probably just a story made up by students who are stuck on the upper floors and want something to dream about."
"Most likely. Besides, students can't spend days on end in a dungeon. Unlike us, they have school. How would they even justify being gone that long? They’d be suspended or expelled."
"True. But I feel like there has to be some basis for it. You know what they say—where there's smoke, there's fire."
"...Then it’s probably based on the top-tier student parties. Some of those university clubs are actually further along than the mid-tier corporate teams."
I’d heard whispers that some organized student groups had made it close to the 30th floor. It was still just hearsay, but it was more plausible. It was likely that those real achievements got exaggerated and distorted as they passed from person to person until they became this myth of the 'invincible students.'
"I guess you're right. Still, it’s a fun story."
"A bit too fun. If they said the students barely survived an ogre fight and came back covered in scars, I might have believed it. But 'unscathed'? Give me a break."
Our conversation had gotten a bit too animated, and our voices were carrying.
Soga-san, walking in the middle of the formation, frowned and glanced back at us.
"Iida, Tamori. Talk all you want, but don't let your guard down."
"Ah, right! Sorry!"
"We’re on it!"
We both ducked our heads in apology. We’d definitely gotten a bit carried away. Feeling a little sheepish, we shut our mouths and focused on the path ahead. We continued deeper into the dungeon, fending off the occasional monster attack and moving well ahead of our scheduled pace. Our main goal was to collect items on the 26th floor, so we ditched any common drops we found along the way. It felt like a waste, but we had strict weight limits. I really wish we had a way to carry it all back.
By the time we’d been at it for half a day, including several long breaks to burn off our excess time, we arrived at the 26th floor right on schedule. The previous team was already prepped for the handover, so it looked like the transition would be smooth.
I wonder just who those rumored students really are...