In this Second Chance at Life, where I can see skills as clear as day, everything feels like a breeze. And to make it even better, I’m spending my days joyfully with my First Love. - Chapter 33

*”Across the globe, mysterious holes—so-called dungeons—have suddenly appeared. These dungeons have unleashed creatures, referred to as ‘monsters,’ which are unlike any animals previously observed. Today, in Japan alone, 58 people were injured, and three have lost their lives due to these monsters.

The government has announced that it will take this situation seriously by managing all dungeons under its jurisdiction and prohibiting civilian entry.”*

“We have specialist Mr. Hakozaki here with us. Mr. Hakozaki, given the recent emergence of these dungeons and the impact on our nation, what are your thoughts?”

*”Well, there have been many intriguing reports—claims of leveling up after defeating monsters, for instance, and stories of humanity being bestowed ‘occupations’ by the gods. But perhaps the most notable are the auditory phenomenon reported worldwide: ‘The Trial of the Gods’ and the name Sasajima Yasushi.

It’s almost certain that these are key to understanding the entire incident.”*

“I see. Now, about this Sasajima Yasushi—who exactly is he?”

*”Reports vary wildly. Some say he’s a businessman, others say he’s a middle schooler, and some even claim he’s a baby.

What we do know is that several individuals with the same name, Sasajima Yasushi, have been identified nationwide. Authorities are currently conducting interviews with all of them.”*

“Interesting. Now, about—”

Click.

Having accidentally knocked out the suited woman who barged in with an entourage of police, I had dragged her and the officers to a nearby park and dumped them there.

Now, sitting at my desk, I switched through TV channels while waiting for my computer to boot up.

As expected of an outdated PC from an era before smartphones were widespread, it took forever to start. Even after it booted, loading Google’s homepage was painfully slow.

As I waited, I turned off the TV with a click, the reports of injuries and deaths lingering in my mind.

Fifty-eight injured and three dead. Whether that was considered a large or small number, I couldn’t say. But judging from the government’s stance on managing dungeons and restricting civilian entry, it seemed the public didn’t feel overly alarmed. That was a relief.

Maybe the dungeons appearing worldwide were weaker than the ones I’d experienced.

Or perhaps humanity had grown stronger thanks to their newfound occupations. Could there be others out there as powerful as me?

Regardless, the fact that my name—Sasajima Yasushi—was now widely known, even being discussed by experts on TV, meant that if significant damage were to occur because of the dungeons, public outrage would inevitably target me.

Not that I had anything to do with their appearance.

With these thoughts in mind, I started browsing the internet for dungeon-related information.

As expected, there was a lot of talk about The Trial of the Gods and Sasajima Yasushi, but I also found forums where people shared their experiences with dungeons.

Discussions ranged from discovering new occupations to leveling up and encountering various monsters.

From what I could gather, monsters encountered in the dungeons typically ranged from level 3 to 7.

Fortunately, there were no reports of monsters escaping dungeons so far, but considering the injuries and deaths already reported, it felt like too many casualties for something that should’ve been avoidable.

Then again, even a level 5 goblin was twice as strong as my dad. A civilian with the Villager occupation wouldn’t stand a chance.

Still, three days had passed since that mysterious announcement, and the information available on both TV and the internet felt surprisingly sparse.

I could only assume the lack of information was why that woman had shown up to question me. Maybe knocking her out wasn’t the best idea.

“Yasukun, are you okay?”

Ichika-chan’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She sounded genuinely concerned as she looked at me with worry.

“I’m okay… Wait, no, I’m not okay.”

She giggled softly. “Don’t worry, Yasukun. You have me by your side.”

With that, she hugged me from behind, holding me gently.

She was soft, warm, and smelled amazing. It was both comforting and heart-racing.

Somehow, her embrace melted away my worries about becoming a public target or getting dragged into a mess.

Though realistically, with my overwhelming stats, it was hard to imagine being in any real danger.

Still, I was grateful for the hug, so I said, “Thanks.”

Then it hit me.

“No, wait! That’s not what I meant! Ichika-chan, I’m not the one in trouble—it’s the dungeon!”

“The dungeon?” she asked, still hugging me.

“Yes! The government just announced that all dungeons will be managed by the state, and civilian access will be prohibited!

They might confiscate our dungeon!”

That’s a Problem!

Without that dungeon, there’s no place where I can freely do intense exercises (if I tried outside, I’d end up breaking a lot of things). Plus, if my dad and the others ever changed their minds, we’d lose the perfect spot for leveling up. Not to mention, the system that converts magic into materials and monsters has been incredibly useful.

“That’s… a problem,”

Ichika-chan, who had been experimenting with alchemy and concoctions as a witch, agreed with a serious expression.

“Hey, hey, Yasushi-kun, is there any way you could hide that dungeon so no one finds it? Or maybe… put it in your item box?”

“That’s it! The item box! Ichika-chan, could you possibly be a genius?”

“Ehehe,”

Ichika-chan’s shy smile is absolutely adorable.

That said, I had never thought of putting a dungeon into my item box. It wasn’t just clever—it was a brilliant idea. At that moment, Kanabe decided to interject.

“That would be impossible. Theoretically, it’s not completely out of the question, but a dungeon contains vast amounts of magic energy and is enormous in scale. You’d need something on par with a top-tier god’s magic power, not to mention an exceptionally high-level item box.”

“I mean, I have plenty of magic power. What level would I need for the item box?”

“Hm… since there’s no precedent, I can’t say for sure, but it would likely need to be at least Lv. 60… no, Lv. 70 at the very minimum.”

I see. That is quite high, but my item box is already at max level, and its expansion skill is at Lv. 13.

Ichika-chan gave me a thumbs up, saying, “Then it should be no problem.”

Feeling as though Kanabe had indirectly confirmed it was possible, I headed to my room with high expectations. I wrapped the dungeon in magic and prepared to store it.

“‘Store,’” I said.

The moment I spoke, the closet where the dungeon had been reverted to being… just a regular closet.

“W-what?! No way!”

Kanabe was so shocked, it looked like his eyes might pop out of his head.

However, while I successfully stored the dungeon, I noticed that it took up 80% of the capacity of my item box, combining the dungeon and my immense magic power.

I was honestly surprised.

But with the remaining 20%, given my overwhelming magic power and the high level of my item box, I could probably still store anything else I’d need. It wouldn’t be an issue.

With that, I began preparing for the inevitable visit from the police or government officials, which was likely to happen today or tomorrow.