After grabbing a bite at the vending machine corner’s eat-in space, we took the direct shuttle bus from the dungeon to the nearest station to head back down to the town. Now that our business at the dungeon was finished, there was no point in staying in an area where we couldn't even kill time properly. Not long ago, this town had been a backwater village filled with nothing but rice paddies and vegetable fields, but thanks to the dungeon boom, various shops had been opening one after another, and the area was becoming quite lively.
Since the timing was a bit off and we had an awkward wait until the next train arrived, I figured it would be better to wander around here.
"We have about forty minutes to wait, so let's explore the area for a bit. There are shops for explorers opening up lately, so it should be a good way to pass the time."
"You're right," Yuji agreed. "Development has progressed a lot around here. There are significantly more shops than when we first came."
"Indeed," Hiiragi-san added. "In the beginning, there were only convenience stores and some small shops. To think it’s developed this quickly just because a dungeon appeared..."
The three of us gazed at the landscape of the former backwater town with deeply moved expressions as the construction rush continued. Meanwhile, Mika and Saori-chan watched us with looks that mixed bewilderment and curiosity. If they had known the peaceful rural scenery of the past and could compare it to the current constant construction, I’m sure they would have felt exactly the same way we did.
It wasn't every day you got to see a town’s appearance transform so drastically in such a short period.
"Has it really changed that much?" Mika asked. "We don't usually come here, so I can see that it's changed, but I'm not as moved as you guys, Onii-chan..."
"Well... you know how travel shows on TV show rural scenery through the window of a local train? Not long ago, this place looked exactly like that. Then, before we knew it, wide roads were built, and brand-new shops and houses started lining both sides. Anyone who knew the original state can't help but be impressed by how it turned into this."
"I see..."
That said, because the surrounding environment had changed so rapidly, I’d heard rumors of occasional friction between the original residents and the newcomers centered around the dungeon. To the residents who had lived here for generations, it felt like a massive influx of outsiders had suddenly descended upon them.
Furthermore, many of the newcomers hadn't moved here because they yearned for a rural lifestyle or to blend into the community; they were mostly explorers who viewed it as a base of operations—simply a place to eat and sleep to facilitate their work in the dungeon. When two groups have such different daily patterns and fundamental mindsets, it’s only natural for them to clash.
"Then again, in our case, our base of operations is outside the town, so we can afford to just be impressed. For the people actually living here, I'm sure it’s a lot more complicated than that."
"Speaking of which, I heard the population grew so fast that public services like trash collection haven't been able to keep up," Yuji remarked. "Apparently, there are plans to reinforce those services, but the population growth rate is higher than the projections, so they’re constantly having to revise the plans and are always falling behind. Well, I guess that's bound to happen when the number of people that usually takes ten years to grow increases in less than a year."
"Right now, the original residents and the new arrivals are almost equal in number... I heard the original residents still have a slight majority, but that might flip soon," Hiiragi-san noted. "Apartments and condominiums are going up one after another around here, so I wouldn't be surprised if it happens in less than a year. I've also heard rumors about plans for a suburban-style shopping mall, so we might see an increase in new residents who aren't explorers, too."
When the dungeons first appeared, there was a period when land prices near them plummeted because no one knew what their properties were. It was the result of rumors that dangerous monsters might emerge and attack nearby residents. Because of that, cases occurred across the country where anxious residents moved away or sold off their land before the value hit rock bottom.
At that time, sharp-eyed real estate agents who foresaw the potential had cleverly bought up land around the dungeons, which was fueling the current rapid development. The biggest hurdle in this kind of development is usually land acquisition. No matter how many plans for apartments or shops are proposed, they won't move forward unless the landowners agree to sell. The land acquisition for railway lines and expressways that remains stalled for decades despite being planned years ago is a prime example. Conversely, if land acquisition goes smoothly, things can progress all at once.
"So that's how it is..."
"Especially in a place like this where there's plenty of room for development because it was surrounded by fields," I explained. "Unlike dungeons in the middle of dense urban areas. When there's a profitable industry like the dungeon and plenty of high-income explorers, it becomes a place with massive growth potential. Any developer with capital and foresight will jump in. Once enough shops are built and an economic zone is established, you then get an increase in non-explorer residents who come here to work."
"Jobs attract people, and more people create more jobs," Saori-chan observed. "And the root of it all... is the dungeon?"
"Originally, the main industries around here were agriculture and forestry," Hiiragi-san said. "If you think of it as a new local industry being born... well, considering the sudden change in the environment and the increase in resident troubles, I wonder if it's truly a net positive."
When merits are created, demerits follow; it was only natural. That said, while many people would swallow their dissatisfaction if the merits outweighed the demerits, there would always be those who couldn't accept the changes and pushed back.
Well, I hoped the old and new residents could cooperate so the town could develop in a balanced way.
As we looked around, we saw that many shops catering to explorers had opened in a short period. Since the town’s development was triggered by the dungeon, it was a natural progression.
"Quite a few interesting shops have popped up," Hiiragi-san observed.
"Yeah. Is that a weapon shop... or rather, a gear shop?" I asked.
"...It looks like it."
The shop displayed a signboard with a stylized logo that looked like a classic sparrow trap. Inside, various items were on display, ranging from tools used to disarm traps in the dungeon to a variety of traps designed for use against monsters.
The disarming tools were one thing, but I wondered what kind of traps were available for use against monsters.
"Traps... I wonder what kind they have?" Mika murmured.
"Can they really be used against monsters...?" Saori-chan added.
"Do you two want to take a peek since you're interested? We have the train to catch, so we can't stay long, though," I suggested.
Since Mika and Saori-chan were looking at the shop with expressions full of curiosity, I asked them if they wanted to take a look inside. I was curious too, so if they were interested, I had no reason to refuse.
I glanced at Yuji and Hiiragi-san, and since both of them looked intrigued as well, they weren't about to object. And then...
"Yeah! I'm curious about what kind of products they have, so let's take a look," Mika said.
"I want to see too," Saori-chan agreed.
"Then let's go in."
And so, we decided to kill time before our train by checking out the shop.
After confirming the remaining time on our watches, we stepped through the entrance.
"Welcome," a voice greeted us.
Along with a light melody signaling our entry, a male shop clerk with a slightly tough appearance standing behind a glass case called out to us.
"You customers are young. Students? Coming back from the dungeon, based on your gear?"
"Eh? Ah, yes."
"There are some products we can't sell to students, but if you show me your Explorer Cards, there are things even students can buy by special exception, so feel free to ask. Also, if you don't know how to use something, let me know, and I'll explain it."
"Understood, thank you very much."
The clerk, noticing we were students, explained the precautions for purchasing items. Given the nature of the products, it wasn't surprising that there would be age limits or sales restrictions for unlicensed individuals. It was better to have it explained beforehand than to be told we couldn't buy something at the final stage.
We were momentarily taken aback by the clerk's warning, but we pulled ourselves together and began looking around the shop.
"They have all sorts of things. Is this a telescopic trap detection rod? It's so short, but it extends to three meters. How many sections does it have?" I wondered.
"Over here is a mirror for checking around corners without sticking your head out," Yuji noted. "It's a folding type and quite small, so the portability looks excellent."
"They have various lights here," Hiiragi-san said. "From headlights and handheld types to lantern-style LEDs. They even have glow sticks and candle lanterns."
We already owned many of these items, but seeing them all lined up like this was certainly eye-catching. We didn't have plans to replace our gear right now, but it served as a good reference for when we eventually did.
Meanwhile, Mika and the others were looking around at the products with eyes full of curiosity.
"Is this that tear gas spray? Does it work on monsters?" Mika asked.
"According to this description, it works on things like hound dogs and horn rabbits. It says the effect is guaranteed because it's been tested," Saori-chan replied.
"I see. But at this price and volume for one can, it wouldn't be profitable. You'd have to get a rare drop or something before you even finish the can..."
"True. It might be fine for dungeon beginners to use until they get used to fighting monsters, but if you want to earn money consistently, using this all the time would be too inefficient. In fact, you'd end up in the red. I think this might be better instead. A stationary glue trap... it looks a lot like a cockroach trap, though."
What Mika and the others were looking at seemed to be a powerful tear gas spray that claimed to work on monsters, but it was apparently quite expensive and offered poor cost-efficiency. If they were going to use that, they’d be better off using a homemade chili water gun. It wouldn't work once they reached a certain floor level, but it was perfectly viable for dungeon beginners until they got used to fighting.
"Hm? Yuji, is this...?"
"A manual air duster?"
What caught Yuji's and my attention was something that looked like a small hand-pumped water gun with a container on top.
"Oh, are you interested in that?"
As Yuji and I held the product and discussed it, the clerk spoke up to offer an explanation.
"Eh, ah, yes. It's a bit different from the other things lined up here. How do you use it?" I asked.
"Ah, that's a tool for dealing with slimes. Until recently, slimes were treated as a nuisance because they degraded any weapons used to defeat them. But the Dungeon Association recently spread a method for easily defeating slimes, and that product is a tool designed to make that method easy to execute."
"Um, and this method for easily defeating slimes is...?"
"To put it simply, you can defeat a slime by throwing a certain amount of salt on it."
It seemed that the fact that salt was super-effective against slimes had gotten out. Well, it wasn't as if we had been actively hiding it, so it wasn't a big deal.
"Experienced explorers have long ignored the slow-moving slimes because of their troublesome nature, so they haven't been hunted much lately. The Association likely noticed that and thought that spreading an easy way to defeat them would help beginners. As you know, drop items like Core Crystals are bought for much cheaper now compared to the old days, right? They did it so that people who just started as explorers could at least earn a minimum income."
"True. If there's a way to easily defeat slimes, beginners could at least cover their travel expenses if they hunt enough of them. If they’re lucky, they might get rare drops, which would let them save up for gear or learn skills," I remarked.
"Exactly. That's why that item exists—to carry out that method efficiently. Even though salt can be bought cheaply, the costs add up if you're hunting in large numbers. It’s meant to dispense the appropriate amount to avoid wasteful spending."
When we asked the clerk how to use the duster gun, Yuji and I both nodded in understanding. Using this manual air duster would indeed allow one to spray the perfect amount of salt on a slime every single time. The structure explained to us was similar to the salt shakers used at certain restaurant chains; when you turned the container upside down, a fixed amount of salt poured into the firing chamber, and then the salt was shot out using air compressed by the hand pump.
Impressed by the appearance of such a convenient tool, we spent the rest of our time browsing the shop’s inventory.