Chapter 61: Dreaming of Global Dungeons

"Nagoya Dungeon?"

For some reason, my social media is flooded with replies like, "Have you been to the Nagoya Dungeon?"... It's probably something from a forum or discussion where my name came up.

Nagoya Dungeon, huh? That's the one that's submerged from the staircase between the 10th and 11th floors, and it's said to be impossible for humans to conquer. It's easy for people to say things like "Go explore it" or "Have you been there?" without knowing the reality.

"'I've only been down to the 34th floor,' and send."

Alright, it's time to head out. I promised to go shopping with Asakawa today, so I should probably leave the house soon. It seems like the media is still hanging around my apartment near Shibuya Station, so I'll continue commuting to the dungeon from this other place for a while.

Still, why are we going shopping together when we already planned to do a collab stream at Hachioji Dungeon? Asakawa has tons of friends. She could go shopping with someone who's more fashion-conscious instead of a guy who's constantly exploring dungeons. But since I'm going out with a woman, I should at least make sure I'm presentable.

Normally, I just run errands in my casual wear because I can't be bothered, but this is different.

"So, my friends are all busy studying for exams... I can't make plans with anyone."

"Well, you are a high school senior in the middle of exam season."

"Yeah... Somehow, just doing whatever I want every day makes me feel a little guilty."

"I don't think you need to feel guilty. You're putting your life on the line as an explorer, after all."

We started off just casually chatting while walking, but it's summer. It's getting close to the Obon holiday, and with the heatwave, it became impossible to hold a conversation. So we ended up at a café near Shibuya Dungeon, as usual. I noticed a few media people near the dungeon, but we managed to blend in with the crowd and not get noticed.

It seems the reason Asakawa invited me shopping is because her friends are too busy with exams. Honestly, I'd forgotten about it, but as a high school senior, this summer break is the peak season for exam prep. People going to cram schools are probably studying hard, and many others are switching from club activities to full-time studying.

"So, I wanted to go shopping today, but... I also want to hear more dungeon stories."

"Dungeon stories? I can only talk about the deeper levels, though."

"That's what's so valuable! You're the only person I know who can go that deep."

"Isn't it abnormal to know someone like that?"

I don't know if I'm the best person to say this, but... even S-rank explorers are rare.

Now, even though she wants to hear dungeon stories... is there anything worth talking about? I could just tell her to watch my archive of Shibuya Dungeon streams for that. There's no deep level in Takayama Dungeon, so maybe Sapporo Dungeon?

"I'm personally curious about that Australian dungeon you mentioned before!"

"...Oh, you mean the Alice Springs Dungeon?"

Alice Springs is a town located in Northern Territory, near the center of the Australian continent. It used to have a population of less than 30,000, but thanks to the dungeon, it's become more populated. The climate is typically Australian, with July being the coldest month and January the hottest. They have clear distinctions between summer and winter.

"That dungeon has a unique terrain, so it's pretty famous in the explorer community. It's also popular with foreign streamers."

"What's it like?"

Oh... Asakawa's really into exploring dungeons now. Normally, if you start talking about Alice Springs Dungeon, most people would just respond with, "Oh, interesting." But she's listening with her eyes lit up.

"The main feature is that the dungeon is structured like a maze."

"A maze?"

"Yeah. From the top layer, it's already set up like a web, with only one path leading down to the next floor. Monsters spawn along that path. And that structure continues all the way to the deeper levels."

"Wow... There are so many different kinds of dungeons. I've only been to the regular ones, so I had no idea."

She probably thinks of the Shibuya Dungeon as a "regular" dungeon, with its constantly changing terrain. But a dungeon with landscapes as varied as Shibuya's is pretty rare. At least, that's true for the deeper floors. The upper and middle levels are standard fare.

"Wouldn't it be fun to explore a maze?"

"The issue is that there are so many corners, so you're constantly at risk of a monster ambush. It's considered one of the tougher dungeons."

"Oh, right. But once you memorize the right path through the maze, it should be easy, right?"

"That's the thing—this dungeon is special. The layout of the maze changes periodically. So each time it does, local explorers have to go back in and solve the maze all over again."

The constantly changing structure of Alice Springs Dungeon is a unique feature not found in other dungeons. When the maze changes, the Australian Explorers' Association sends in many explorers to find the correct path to the lower levels. Some explorers even sell maps of the correct path at high prices. It's impressive they come up with these ideas. Searᴄh the nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"But Australia, huh... I heard the country wasn't that developed before the dungeon appeared."

"That's kind of a misleading way to put it... But yeah, compared to other developed nations at the time, they were a bit behind."

Previously, Australia's developed cities were all on the coast. The central areas were plagued by desertification and extreme heat. Now, though, they don't need massive power plants because magic stones can generate electricity, and places like Alice Springs can survive without needing to transport those stones.

It's like a local production and consumption model, which is how Alice Springs has managed to thrive.

"Man, that sounds so cool... I want to explore dungeons all over the world someday." Stay immersed with m-vl-em-py-r

"Is that your dream?"

"Yeah. I'm really getting into dungeon exploration."

I'm glad to hear that.

She's come a long way from when she was stuck at the entrance of the lower floors. Having more explorers who are passionate like this can only be good for Japan.