After about an hour of being swayed by the motion of the car Yuta-san was driving, we arrived at the coastal property known as the Cape. When we first heard the name, we had imagined the kind of scene you’d see in a TV drama—a rugged, rocky area overgrown with sparse vegetation, or perhaps a sprawling grassland with a lighthouse towering over it like a tourist attraction.
However, the property spread out before us was quite different from our expectations.
"It really feels like a forest. Is the ocean actually here? I mean, I can smell the salt air, so it must be, but..."
"Haha. The trees are a bit thick around here, but once you get through them, you’ll definitely hit the water."
To put it simply, the view before us was a forest. There was no sign that it had been maintained by human hands; it was a dense, gloomy woods where trees clumped together chaotically and tall long grass reached for the sky.
It was hard to believe the ocean really lay just beyond this.
"Well, saying it while looking at this view isn't very convincing. It’ll be faster to just show you."
Yuta-san climbed out of the car and approached an entrance set into a rusted fence full of holes. He began fumbling with a relatively new lock—likely one Kiritani Real Estate had recently installed.
After a bit of a struggle, Yuta-san successfully undid the lock and pulled open the rusted gate with an unpleasant screech.
"Everything past this fence is the property I’m introducing today. This fence was installed by the previous owner, so it’s quite old. It’s questionable as a barricade, but it works well enough as a boundary line. If you need it, we can arrange to have the fence replaced... for a fee, of course."
"...Well, it’s not like people will be wandering in often, so isn't it fine like this? If we end up renting the place and it seems like it'll cause problems, we might ask then."
"I suppose so. If we put up a private property sign, anyone with a lick of common sense won't trespass. I don't know about animals, but I think it’ll be fine even if left as is."
Returning to the car with a wry smile, Yuta-san gave us a quick brief on the fence before driving through the gate and onto the property. He parked in a slightly cleared area.
Maybe the previous owner had cleared this out for a parking space. Though it was now carpeted in weeds, there was enough room to park two or three cars.
"Alright everyone, we'll be moving on foot from here."
"Understood."
Because the land hadn't been maintained for so long, the moment I stepped out of the car, the overgrown grass tangled around my legs.
With Yuta-san in the lead, we began trekking through the woods toward the coastline. As we walked, he shared more about the property’s history.
"Originally, a resort hotel with a view of the sea was planned to be built here."
"And now it’s in this state. Was there a reason the plan was canceled?"
"Yeah. During the geological survey phase before construction could even start, they discovered something fatal for a resort hotel project."
"Discovered?"
In response to Yuji’s question, Yuta-san’s expression soured. He furrowed his brows as he revealed the discovery.
"The test drilling confirmed the existence of a massive cavity beneath the hotel site. A sea cave—a cavern carved into the rock face by the waves—runs right under this Cape."
"...A cave?"
"Based on the drilling results, they inspected the coastline by boat and found a hole just barely large enough for a small vessel. When the waves were calm, divers attempted to enter. It turned out the cave was extremely extensive—a massive cavern. Because of this cave, it became impossible to build the hotel as originally planned, forcing them to scrap the design... but while they were trying to revise the project, the company was hit by the burst of the bubble economy. Their cash flow dried up, they went bankrupt, and the resort development plan was discarded. This place was abandoned and forgotten for years."
Yuta-san let out a small, weary sigh, his face filled with a sense of helplessness.
"To think that happened..."
"Thanks to that, this place became a cursed piece of land with a reputation for bad luck. People say that anyone who tries to develop this land will go under."
"The timing of the bubble's collapse was probably the main factor, but I can see how people would be hesitant to step in after the first company went bankrupt. On top of that, if there's a massive cave underneath, large-scale development would be..."
"Difficult, to say the least. If you wanted to build something big, you’d have to fill the cave in or reinforce it so the ground wouldn't collapse. But the cost for that would be astronomical compared to a normal project. If you were to ask if the benefits of a resort here outweigh that kind of cost..."
Yuta-san trailed off with a complicated look, leaving the conclusion unsaid.
I see. It sounded like a property where it was doubtful if the profits could ever justify the investment. If the cave collapsed and the ground gave way, the result would be catastrophic. Almost no one would want to touch such a high-risk property.
Pushing through the overgrown weeds, we walked through the gloomy trees for about ten minutes before the view finally opened up. The blue sea stretched out to the horizon as far as the eye could see, and the coastline was a sheer cliff adorned with crashing white waves.
As expected of a candidate site for a resort, the view of the ocean was outstanding.
"This is quite a view, Yuta-san. I can see why it was chosen for development."
"I have no complaints about the vista from here. If the weather is good, the sunset is breathtaking—the sky changes colors in tandem with the sun sinking into the horizon, and as it grows dark, the stars begin to shine... it’s incredibly romantic."
"If the development had gone according to plan, it might have become an amazing resort facility."
"Exactly... if it had, our company would have made a fortune."
We tilted our heads for a moment at Yuta-san’s regretful tone, but the reason quickly dawned on us, prompting a round of wry, sympathetic smiles.
Kiritani Real Estate probably hadn't just held this property, but had likely snapped up all the land in the surrounding area. If the resort had succeeded, property values would have surged, and the company would have raked in the profits.
"I see... That's a shame."
"Yeah. The President also thought that if a resort hotel was built here, the surrounding area would prosper, so he secured the land along the road leading here too. Because of that... he often laments that it became a massive source of red ink."
"Haha..."
If you tried to develop a cheap countryside area into a major resort only to have the centerpiece plan fail, and the land you bought in anticipation of that success became worthless... yeah, that would be a massive loss. Even if the land was cheap to begin with, securing a large enough area for business purposes must have cost hundreds of millions of yen.
In fact, it was impressive that Kiritani-san’s company didn't go under despite such a blow. Especially since the original development company actually did go bankrupt...
"So, despite the amazing view, there are zero companies willing to take over the project. This land has just been left to sit for years without anyone touching it. Of course, I’ve been coming here periodically to keep an eye on things."
"Well, if they can't turn a profit, no one will touch it. On the way here, there didn't seem to be anything that would naturally attract people either..."
"That’s exactly why the plan was to build a resort and create a new consumer hub. But then the hotel, which was supposed to be the core of the plan, fell through..."
Perhaps the resort project had been a town-wide initiative. If jobs and commerce were created, the population would naturally grow and revitalize the local economy. We’d seen that ourselves—how depopulated areas were rapidly turning into small regional cities thanks to the appearance of dungeons.
It wasn't surprising that a town would try to move in that direction.
"And you're suggesting we rent this jinxed land?"
"Considering how you intend to use the land, you probably won't be building any large structures. Even if there’s a cavity underground, it shouldn't have much of an effect. Besides, even with the cavity, it’s not so fragile that it would collapse from building a storage shed. It’s mostly hard rock."
"True. For our purposes, the cave itself doesn't seem to be a problem. But just in case the cave collapses and the terrain changes, what should we do? It's not like we can repair it."
"If it collapses, I can only say it collapsed. It’s land that’s been sitting for years anyway. As long as you don't intentionally cause a massive collapse, we don't intend to demand restoration of the property after the lease ends. I'm introducing this place specifically because it meets those conditions."
I’d have to clarify exactly what counts as "intentional." From an explorer's perspective, depending on the skills we used during practice, it wasn't impossible to cause the kind of "massive collapse" Yuta-san mentioned.
Conversely, depending on our skill proficiency, we might even be able to repair such a collapse.
"That’s a relief to hear. We have no intention of destroying land we've gone through the trouble of renting, but we don't fully know the limits of what our skills can do as our proficiency increases, so there’s always a 'just in case' factor."
"True... If the abilities you all showed in today's verification are mixed with the effects of the skills I've heard about, that possibility might not be entirely out of the question."
Yuta-san wore a slightly worried expression. Usually, the idea that a few people could cause large-scale terrain changes would be dismissed as nonsense, but since it was us—explorers—saying it, it carried a weight of reality.
Yuji addressed Yuta-san’s anxiety with a firm, clear tone.
"Just to be sure, we have no intention of recklessly destroying the land we borrow, whether it’s here or anywhere else. The shape of the ground might change a little during skill practice, but we won't cause changes that trigger secondary disasters like landslides. Furthermore, if something does happen, we’ll make sure to consult experts for the proper aftercare before any secondary disasters can occur."
"...I’m relieved to hear you say that. There are far too many cases where people tried to hide a mistake because they thought they wouldn't get caught, only to cause a catastrophe later."
"Yeah, we want to avoid that too. If the worst should happen, we will definitely consult you on how to handle it."
It’s always better to consult an expert and act quickly rather than having amateurs try to fix it. As long as you take basic measures immediately, you buy yourself time to think about the next move. When people panic, they often realize later that they did something incredibly foolish.
"Well then, let me show you around the rest of the property. Although, since most of it is overgrown, there isn't much else to see..."
"Oh, right, Yuta-san. Can we check out that cave you mentioned? I’d like to see how large a cave has to be to prevent buildings from being constructed on top of it."
"Oh, I want to see that too."
"I'd like to see it as well."
I and Hiiragi-san both raised our hands to agree with Yuji’s suggestion. A location on the Cape was allure enough, but a massive cave? That was a dream come true.
Depending on what that underground cave was like, we might just decide on this place then and there.
"Alright... I understand. I'll take you to the entrance. However, you can't actually go inside without proper preparation."
According to Yuta-san, there was an entrance and hoisting equipment built years ago for surveying the cave. However, the equipment had deteriorated badly, and going down without gear was impossible. Well, he did say it had been abandoned for years, so it was only natural for it to be in bad shape.
Guided by Yuta-san, we began walking toward the cave entrance, our faces reflecting a mix of nervous anticipation and excitement.
The best secret bases are always underground, after all...