When my daughter finally broached the subject, I, Kengo Tatebayashi, let out a heavy sigh, thinking that the day had finally come.
It had been about a year and a half since dungeons first appeared across the globe. While the initial discovery triggered widespread anxiety and chaos, the world soon shifted its focus toward the utility of these structures. In Japan, they were opened to civilians about a year ago. Thanks to the resources harvested from within, the stagnant Japanese economy had been revitalized, and new technologies derived from these depths were transforming daily life. The achievements of those who dove into the dungeons—the explorers—were particularly remarkable.
Naturally, many young people were drawn to the profession. There were countless cases of students becoming explorers the moment they reached the age required to obtain an Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures. While some form of regulation might be imposed eventually, the current landscape was entirely unrestricted.
"So, you want to become an explorer."
Asami puffed out her cheeks at my reaction, giving me a pointed look. I gestured for her to continue, shaking my head slightly to show I wasn't dismissing her outright. It would have been unfair to oppose her without listening first; besides, given the current climate at schools and the surge of student explorers, it was only natural for her to bring this up.
Summer vacation had ended, and I had heard her mention before that many of her friends were already getting their permits.
"Yeah, I do. I thought you and Mom might be against it, but is it really that bad? Everyone in my class got their Armed Exploration Permit for Special Underground Structures over the summer and has been going to the dungeon."
"It's not that it's 'bad,' Asami. I'm just worried that you're making this choice simply because everyone else is."
I had heard far too many stories of students becoming explorers just to follow the crowd, only to suffer serious injuries because they hadn't done their research. While it was true that even a student could start the work and see significant profits in a short time, the risk of injury was equally significant. Perhaps as part of a national strategy, the media was constantly running dungeon specials, glamorizing the lifestyle and pushing people to explore. They framed it as a risk well worth the reward.
That was the source of my anxiety. Was my daughter just following a trend without understanding what she was getting into?
"That’s not it at all. I’ve been preparing for a while now. I’ve talked to friends who are already active explorers to get the real story, and I’ve been doing my own research online. I’ve even been working on my physical fitness with help from a friend in my club."
"Physical fitness?"
"Yeah. Lately, I've been using a corner of the school grounds after school to train. Most of the athletic clubs at school are inactive right now because they’re short on members, so there’s plenty of space. As long as I clear it with the school first, they let me use the grounds as much as I want."
"Now that you mention it, I think I read about that. Many athletic clubs are being forced to suspend their activities."
Hearing Asami's explanation, I recalled a news report stating that as the explorer population grew, the number of people participating in traditional sports was decreasing in inverse proportion. Apparently, this issue was most severe at schools with a high number of student explorers.
However, if she was consulting active explorers, gathering objective information, and training her body to withstand the rigors of the dungeon, then she wasn't just chasing a fad.
"Exactly. Over the summer, most of the first-years who joined the clubs got their permits and quit. Then the third-years retired to focus on their entrance exams. It’s not so bad for individual sports, but team sports are falling below the required number of players. They can’t even hold matches anymore."
"I see. If the upperclassmen and the newcomers all disappear at once after summer, of course they'd be forced to stop. Still, Asami, you've certainly been thorough with your preparations."
"I knew I'd never convince you or Mom otherwise. It sounds a lot better to say I've been preparing than to say I'm just starting today. Besides, if I only started training now, it would be months before I was actually ready to set foot in a dungeon."
She was right. If she were starting from zero today, it would be a long time before she was in any condition to dive.
When the dungeons were first opened to the public, people competed to become explorers, but the number of injuries spiked accordingly. A major cause was the lack of basic physical conditioning; many were simply out of shape. I’d heard that many retirements weren't even caused by monsters, but by sprains, torn muscles, or ruptured Achilles tendons—injuries born from a sudden, unaccustomed burst of activity.
"So, since you're bringing this up now, does that mean your training has progressed well enough?"
"Yeah. My explorer friends say that as long as I’m not on my own, I’ve reached a level where I shouldn't get hurt on the first floor."
"...Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"Who knows? But since people with experience say I'm fine, I think I've reached the minimum requirement for movement."
I was impressed by her dedication, but the "minimum" evaluation from active explorers was difficult to parse. I didn't know what their baseline for "minimum" was, which left me uneasy.
Furthermore, saying "as long as I'm not alone" implied that she might still get hurt if she had to face a monster by herself.
"Listen, isn't it still too early? I think you should keep preparing until you're at a level where you won't get hurt even if you're solo."
"I agree with you. I don't want to get hurt if I can help it. But my friends were talking about my base stats. They said once I start training with weapons, I'll be much better off."
So, did her friends mean that her current level of safety was based on her ability to run away or evade monsters, rather than fighting them? And the combat training was only just beginning?
"Have you not started combat training yet?"
"No. They said we had to start with base stats. They told me that even if you have a weapon, you can't use it properly without a minimum level of muscle strength and physical ability."
"That sounds reasonable. Swinging a weapon around is exhausting; you'd need a solid foundation to handle one effectively."
I thought back to my own school days, remembering how tired my arms would get after just twenty or thirty practice swings with a bamboo sword in PE class. Without a baseline of strength and stamina, fighting monsters in a dungeon with a real weapon would be impossible. Even if one could manage it for a moment, they would quickly tire out if they couldn't end the fight in a few strikes.
"That's exactly what they said. They told me that while your physical abilities get a stat enhancement when you level up, you have to fight with your natural strength until you reach a level where you can actually feel that boost. That's why base stats are so important at the start."
"I see. I knew explorers got stronger as they leveled up, but I didn't realize there was a hurdle like that. I suppose that's why newcomer explorers who dive in without knowing the facts end up getting injured."
"That's probably it."
I’d heard that injuries were common among rookies, and now I understood why. It was common knowledge that explorers grew stronger by defeating monsters and leveling up. TV variety shows focused on that constantly, showing explorers performing superhuman feats.
As a result, a misconception had spread that one becomes powerful the moment they become an explorer. Even I had assumed it only took a short while to reach the level shown on TV. If newcomers pushed themselves without realizing how long that process actually takes, it was only natural for them to misjudge their abilities and get hurt.
I nodded, processing everything she had said, though new questions continued to surface.
"I understand. So, if that's the case, you won't actually be entering a dungeon for a while?"
"Right. My Senior in the club—the one who's already an explorer—told me the same thing. He said that along with base stats, I need at least the minimum combat training, or I'll just freeze up in front of a monster and get hurt."
"Wait. This Senior in your club... is he one of the ones who performed that incredible appeal demonstration during the sports festival?"
"That's him."
Asami nodded with a touch of pride. The memory of that demonstration was still vivid; it had been a shock to the system. I knew from TV that explorers had incredible physical abilities, but seeing it in person was a different reality entirely.
Honestly, it was so far removed from my common sense that "amazing" was the only word I could find for it.
"Anyway, I asked the seniors for advice about becoming an explorer, and they told me I had to talk to my parents first. They said it takes a lot of preparation, and as a student, I'd need my parents' permission and help."
"Well, that's true enough."
"Even just talking to my friends, it sounds like the initial investment is pretty expensive. And since I'm a minor, I can't even buy the weapons I'd need without your help."
I remembered seeing something on the news about that. Because of legal restrictions, minors couldn't purchase items like real swords. That was why so many student explorers reportedly bought tools or iron pipes from hardware stores to use as weapons.
"The seniors mentioned a loophole: parents can buy the weapons and then gift them to their children. So, if we want to use proper equipment, your help is mandatory. They said we needed to have a serious talk and get you to understand."
"I see. A loophole, huh? If that's the only way, then you certainly need to convince us first."
So that was how they did it. I had occasionally seen student explorers Asami's age on TV carrying impressive weapons that weren't just repurposed tools. I had assumed they were just customized to look real, but they were actually the real thing.
"Yeah. And since proper weapons are expensive, they told me I had to talk to you about the financial side too."
"...Just how expensive are we talking?"
"From what I've heard, at least several hundred thousand yen for something decent. The Senior said that if you buy something cheap, it might break during a fight, so it's better to get something new and high-quality."
"Well, having your weapon break while fighting a monster would be a death sentence. I can see why he'd recommend something reliable."
Still, several hundred thousand yen for a single weapon was a massive expense. A student like Asami would have no way to afford that without her parents' support.
"Right. He also said that if an amateur uses a weapon like that improperly, they'll break it, so I need training to learn how to use it right. He mentioned that the special alloy weapons recommended by the Association are durable enough to handle some rough use, but they're so expensive that they're out of reach for students. He suggested that for an inexperienced beginner, a sturdy iron pipe or a crowbar might actually be a safer bet."
"Iron pipes and crowbars... I suppose the students buying from hardware stores aren't making a bad choice after all."
The optics weren't great, but from a purely practical standpoint, it made sense. Very few students would have any real training in swordsmanship, after all.
Thinking about it that way, my daughter's seniors were likely an exceptional case. You couldn't give advice about how weapons break under poor handling unless you were highly skilled yourself.
"I'd actually like to speak with these seniors of yours. Even if they're still students, they and your friends clearly have a much better handle on the explorer industry than we do."
"Good idea... should I ask them when they're free?"
"Would you?"
"Sure. I'll ask them at school."
Realizing that we couldn't make an informed decision with our limited knowledge, we decided to have Asami arrange a meeting with her seniors. I could see that she had prepared thoroughly and was serious about her choice, but I still felt uneasy knowing so little about that world.
I hoped the seniors could give us a proper rundown of the basics.
Given the state of the world, I had known this day would come, but facing it was another matter entirely.