Level-up Maniac, Level up in Modern Dungeons - Episode 1

I like leveling up.

I just love it.

I loved leveling up characters in games, especially in the genre known as RPGs.

Of course, it’s not that I don’t enjoy the game’s storyline or battling tough enemies, but more than that, I like the simple task of leveling up, which can easily become a pain.

I don’t think there’s any point in searching for a clear reason for this, but if I were to give one, it would be because the level system is equal and fair to everyone.

There were no disparities based on talent; by accumulating the necessary experience points, you were sure to level up, becoming stronger accordingly; and there was a kind system in which efforts were always rewarded.

–When I was in elementary school, my dream was to compete in the Olympics as a swimmer.

To achieve this, I went to swimming school, worked hard, and participated in various competitions. I even won a small local competition. But when I went to a big competition, my results dropped. There were a lot of people there who were faster than me.

Even taking into account that I was born later and was smaller than most people my age, there was still a stark, undeniable difference in talent that was difficult to overcome.

It’s not that those guys who are faster than I didn’t try hard. They probably tried just as hard as I, if not harder. I know that.

On top of that, the difference in talent is cruel.

Probably the first major setback in my life.

And so, I ended up quitting swimming, which I had been doing since kindergarten, in the winter of my sixth year of elementary school, before entering junior high school.

–But that’s not to say that I was overwhelmed by the cruelty of reality and became a teenager who unreasonably hates the world. It’s not such a serious story in the first place.

It was this incident that led me to become addicted to leveling up.

To put it bluntly, even this incident is not a major reason. There may not have been any reason in the first place.

At first, I think I got hooked on Dragon Quest, enjoyed the story, and then when a boss I couldn’t beat appeared, I would level up, and then I was able to easily defeat strong enemies that I hadn’t been able to defeat before because of the excessive level of violence.

Before long, I began to find pleasure in leveling up itself, and just as adults get small pleasures every day from cigarettes, alcohol, or gambling, I began to enjoy the act of leveling up as some kind of compensation.

Level up. Your brain releases pleasure substances. Level up. Your brain releases pleasure substances. Level up. Your brain releases pleasure substances.

And so, I became a full-fledged level-up addict.SamejimaSamejima TakeoTakeo

Well, it’s a common symptom that RPG fans will likely widely identify with.

However, it seems that my level of sensitivity was quite strong.

When I was in the third year of junior high school, I was unsure of my career path and wondered if I could somehow earn money just by leveling up in games. I want to live without working and just level up. That is my true desire.

But in reality, it’s difficult. If what I like isn’t leveling up, but games in general, I might have been able to aim to become a professional e-sports player, or even to become a video distributor of game strategy videos, regardless of whether I could achieve it or not.

But what I love is leveling up.

A gaming video where you just keep defeating monsters and leveling up…

What do you think? Is there demand?

No. Even if there is a one in a billion chance that it will go viral, people will get bored with it in no time, so it’s probably impossible to make a living from it.

This means that in the future, I will have to get a job at a company I don’t want to work for, do a job I don’t want to do, endure the power harassment of my boss, and live a life of being exploited like a slave for low wages with dead eyes. Just like the many corporate slaves that are rampant in the world! (Prejudice)

No, no, no! I don’t want that!!

During the winter of my third year of junior high school, I felt hopeless about my life, but a turning point came, as if God had reached out to me in my despair.

And on a global scale.

“Well, excuse me for interrupting the program.”

It’s not exactly familiar, but along with a template-like message, the nightly variety show switched to a breaking news screen. Behind the serious-looking announcer, people who looked like TV station staff were busily moving around.

At first, it was reported as multiple simultaneous collapses on roads, in parks, and at train stations in multiple locations across Tokyo.

That alone would certainly be unusual, but it’s not enough to keep broadcasting breaking news for a long time. However, as the minutes or even tens of minutes passed, new information would come in one after another, and the world would fall into chaos.

The simultaneous collapses did not occur only in Tokyo.

The news reported that similar sinkholes had occurred almost simultaneously in urban areas all over Japan – and in fact, in urban areas all over the world.

It doesn’t seem like a simple accident.

What on earth happened?

Could it be that a terrorist attack occurred simultaneously all over the world?

It was social media, not television, that quickly provided answers to the questions and anxieties that everyone had.

The discovery of the “hole” was reported immediately, and police rushed to the scene and sealed off the area, but it seems that a certain number of people were caught in the collapse caused by the cave-in and ended up inside the “hole.”

Some of these people managed to crawl out of the “hole” on their own and began posting photos and videos onto the internet that appeared to have been taken from inside the “hole.”

People of all nationalities, genders, and ages began uploading the videos to the internet at once, and the content was simply shocking.

Inside the hole were vast caverns and ruins. Near the entrance was a black obelisk and a glowing magic circle. Inside were videos of a moving water dumpling the size of a puppy, and a strange humanoid creature about the height of an elementary school student attacking with murderous intent on its face.

Even more glaring are the photos and videos posted by people who claim to have touched the Black Obelisk.

There was something like a holographic display floating in the air, with items such as [Level], [HP], and [Skills] written on the display.

This caused quite a frenzy online.

“What is this? Is it an advertisement for a game or something?”

“There are similar photos and videos from all over the world.”

“It’s strangely realistic. Is this a game advertisement?”

“Well, if this is just a marketing effort, doesn’t that cost too much?”

“It seems like this footage has started being aired on TV in various countries. If it was just on the internet that would be one thing, but on such a large scale, it surely can’t be used to advertise a game or movie.”

“So this photo and video are for real?”

“Hey, wait a minute lol The underground of Shinjuku Station lol It’s a labyrinth lol There’s a labyrinth underground too lol”

“Hey, is that little guy for real?! I watched the video and it scared me! He has an incredibly murderous look on his face, seriously!!”

“Is that a slime and a goblin?”

“I understand perfectly well. This is a dungeon. No doubt about it.”

“Announcement of the End of the World”

“No, in fact, this is the beginning of the world!

『Dungeons! Levels! Skills! Fantasy is here!! lol』

The Earth has been updated.

“The time has finally come for me to become a hero… I’m off to the dungeon for a bit.”

Like many people, I gathered information on social media.

As a result, I was able to synthesize the information that was coming in one after another and understand everything.

It seems like the Earth has been invaded by fantasy.

“…Let’s go.”

When I saw the “status” photos and videos posted on social media, my resolve was instantly made up.

I picked up the wooden sword I bought on my elementary school field trip, left my room on the second floor of my house, and went down to the first floor.

–As I headed towards the entrance, my father came out of the living room and blocked my way.

“Takeo, where are you going?”

　My father, Samejima, who looked like the typical stubborn dad of the past, asked me. St path Current situation

I answered with a look of resolve on my face, like a warrior.

“Dad… I’m going to the dungeon now.”

“Well…what are you going to do?”

“Of course, as a Japanese man, I will fight.”

“I see.”

It seems he was convinced.

Well then, let’s go!!

As I was about to pass by my father in high spirits, he suddenly put his hand on my shoulder,

“What are you talking about?!”

“Gubaaa!?”

With a yell that sounded like a captain from some ship, my father blew me away.

　●◯●

On the day when dungeons began to appear one after another in the world, I was restrained by my father and was unable to leave the house.

At the time, I thought I could just go the next day, but the next day, all of the dungeons that had appeared in Japan had been sealed off not only by the police but also by the Self-Defense Forces.

There was no way I could break through the Self-Defense Forces’ blockade and enter the dungeon — all I could do was wait with my fingers crossed for it to be opened to the public, while investigating new facts about the “dungeon” that were revealed one after another.

However, contrary to my expectations, the country’s policy was leaning towards sealing off the dungeon completely.

There were some serious reasons for this.

First, the power of firearms somehow decreases inside dungeons.

Secondly, the dungeon has many levels, and the monsters that appear the further down you go, the stronger they become.

Third, even in countries A and C, the soldiers who attempted to reach the lower levels of the dungeon were defeated and unable to do anything.

Well, the country has deemed the dungeon dangerous.

However, people like me who were attracted to dungeons were not like that. Public opinion (a part of it) was loudly calling for the development of the frontier known as dungeons. The basis for this, or rather, the argument against the government, was based on several facts that had been uncovered.

First, monsters cannot leave the dungeon, and even if they are forced out, they disappear within a few dozen seconds.

Secondly, various resources lie dormant within the dungeon.

Third, supernatural powers such as [Levels] and [Skills] acquired within the dungeon cannot be used on the surface.

The monsters can’t get out.

In other words, the dungeon was not a danger to humanity.

In addition, the thing that governments around the world were probably most worried about – a deterioration in law and order due to those who had acquired supernatural powers such as [Levels] and [Skills] – was also proven safe because these powers could not be used on the surface.

However, countries around the world were unable to immediately adapt to the sudden appearance of the dungeon, and except for a few countries, they remained cautious.

But.

The existence of the dungeon likely didn’t sit well with the attitude of the governments of each country, but two items were soon discovered within the dungeon, providing a strong boost to public opinion.

One is a power generation device that uses magic stones (not a nickname but the official name; confirmed with the skill “Appraisal”) that are always left behind by monsters when they are defeated in the dungeon.

The other was a communication device that used magical power.

These two were extremely simple in structure and easy to replicate and mass-produce. However, their power generation equipment was far more efficient than thermal or nuclear power plants, and their communication equipment allowed communication not only underground, but also between the dungeon and above ground.

With the discovery of these two items, the demand for magic stones in human society skyrocketed without limit.

The manpower required to collect the necessary magic stones was simply not enough with the military personnel that each country had.

As a result, the government will inevitably have to open the dungeon to its citizens to make up for the lack of manpower.

It has only been ten months since dungeons appeared all over the world.

Laws were rapidly established all over the world, and those who delved into dungeons and brought back various resources, especially magic stones, were officially recognized by society as ” beings “.ExplorerExplorer

　however.

In Japan, perhaps it was not possible to send a minor into a dungeon where there was a risk of death, so it became the rule that one could not obtain explorer qualifications until they reached the age of majority, 18.

But this decided my future.

The dream job of “just leveling up” has been born in reality. And you can level up not just your game character, but yourself. If you’re a game fan, you can’t help but get excited about something like this, even if you’re not me!

Well, to be precise, it’s a job that makes profits by collecting and selling dungeon resources, so you can’t just level up, but that’s what makes it interesting.

Anyway, I’ve decided what I have to do.

I will turn 18 after graduating from high school (high school graduation is March 1st, and my birthday is March 17th).

With some variation, I decided to become an explorer almost immediately after graduating from high school.

Inform your parents immediately.

“Dad, Mom.”

“…It’s usually not a good thing when you call us that… What is it?”

“I’m not going to college! I’m going to become an explorer after I graduate from high school!!”

“I see. But I reject it. Go to college seriously. Get a job.”

My father flatly rejected my request. However, I had expected that reaction. I don’t want him to underestimate my resolve.

“Dad – I refuse to be rejected!!”

“Dammit?! What are you planning, Takeo?!”

Dad slammed the table with a thump, but I didn’t give in and instead leaned forward and threatened my parents– No, I persuaded them.

“If I can’t become an explorer, I’m not going to get a job! If I can’t become an explorer, I’ll become a NEET!? I’ll never work for the rest of my life!? I’ll bite into them!? I’ll bite into my dad’s legs!? Once I get a grip on them, I won’t let go until I die!?”

“Y-you bastard…!?”

Calling my son “you.”

Well, I know what you’re thinking, but I understand how you feel. However, that’s exactly why it should be an effective negotiating tool…!!

“Oh, Dad, I don’t want to take care of this child all the time…”

Mom’s support (?). What a displeased look on her face when she is facing her son…!!

However, it seems that my father also thought that this was worth considering.

“Mmhh…!!”

I pressed my father further, his face scowling. At this point, it was either I become an explorer or I become a NEET and have to take care of him for the rest of my life.

And, as expected, my father didn’t want his son to become a NEET,

“…I get it. That’s fine. Do as you please. However, I won’t provide any assistance. If there’s anything you need, save up your money and buy it yourself.”

It finally gave way.

Thus, I decided to become an explorer after graduating from high school. This happened when I was in my first year of high school.

From then on, I dedicated my youth in high school to working part-time jobs to earn money to buy the things I needed as an explorer.

And so, time passed in the blink of an eye, and the day came when I graduated from high school and became an explorer.