Living in a Dungeon in Modern Japan! An Overpowered Life with a Useless Skill - Episode 1

(Note: The names in this novel have been to western-style. For example, the MC’s name is “Akira Akatsuki”, with “Akira” as the given name and “Akatsuki” as the family name.)

Chapter 1: Breakthrough

Episode 1

Three years have passed since dungeons appeared around the world. And now they’ve become part of everyday life. I, Akira Akatsuki, 25 years old, was wandering the city streets. I had become unemployed when the factory I was dispatched to shut down due to the dungeon-related economic boom.

People talk about the “dungeon boom” like it’s a good thing for the economy. But in truth, only companies capable of effectively using drop items and skills obtained from dungeons benefit from it. Traditional small and medium-sized businesses, on the other hand, have had their customers stolen and continue to go bankrupt one after another.

I had been working at an ordinary parts factory. But with the increasing shift to new products that used “magic stones” — a newly discovered energy source from dungeons — the factory failed to gain new clients. As a result, contracts with buyers were cut. And I, working there as a temp, was also let go.

“Haa… My contract was cut so fast. But that factory doesn’t look like it’ll last much longer either…”

Though I felt bitter and wanted to curse, I also couldn’t help but feel sorry thinking about the factory’s fate.

The emergence of dungeons had brought more job opportunities — but there was a catch: a certain qualification was required to take those jobs.

That qualification was called the [Explorer License].

As the name implies, it’s a license required to enter dungeons. But its usefulness extends far beyond that.

The greatest benefit dungeons brought to society was undoubtedly the energy material called [Magic Stones]. This energy source shocked a world that had been heavily dependent on fossil fuels. The energy extracted from magic stones could replace every energy source humanity had ever used.

As a result, cars powered by magic stones emitted no exhaust, refrigerators no longer required freon gas, and nuclear power — once used to generate electricity — became obsolete and dangerous. Most nuclear power plants were ordered to shut down.

However, in order to handle these magic stones, one must have a license — the aforementioned [Explorer License].

Despite being called a “certification,” it’s not something just anyone can obtain. To enter a dungeon and qualify, a person must meet a specific condition.

For the record, people without the certification cannot touch magic stones. In fact, they can’t even handle components related to them. Why? The reason is quite simple: if someone without the certification touches something imbued with magic stone energy, they’re repelled as if shocked by static electricity. This doesn’t apply when simply using electricity or heat generated by magic stones, but… the limitation is a major problem.

The companies thriving in the dungeon boom are, of course, those involved with magic stones. So if you can’t even touch them, you’re out of the question. If you’re in a non-hands-on role, not having the license isn’t a big issue. But for people like me, who mainly do hands-on work, it was a huge hindrance.

Due to certain circumstances, I had been jumping from one dispatch job to another. At first, I believed I could benefit from the surge in job openings brought by the dungeon boom. But fate was cruel: I did not possess the Explorer License.

To obtain that certification, there’s only one requirement — having magical power.

Those with magic can touch magic stones. Those without are repelled. It’s a simple and clear-cut rule.

People without magic exist at a rate of about 1 in 100.

You could say that’s a fairly high chance, or quite rare — depending on your perspective.

But I happened to be one of those one-in-a-hundred. Had I been someone with status or power, the impact might’ve been small. But I was a fragile social underdog. So the consequences hit me hard.

At the big company I worked for at the time, which dealt with magic stone products, I was one of the first to be cut during staff reductions.

After that, I drifted between various companies. But as magic stone products became more widespread, the number of places willing to hire me dwindled.

And just now, I had become unemployed again.

“I need to find a new job… but honestly, unless it’s a company that doesn’t deal with magic stones, it’ll probably be the same story again…”

I muttered to myself while heading home.

My apartment was an old, traditional type. One of the reasons I wasn’t panicking despite being jobless was because of this apartment.

People without magical power receive support from the government. That includes the provision of housing that can be lived in without magic, like this apartment, as well as a certain amount of financial assistance. While the support is “enough not to die,” it’s nowhere near sufficient for a normal lifestyle.

“I’m home,”

I said, though no one was there. It was a small one-room apartment.

When I checked the mail, something had arrived.

“…It came again this year.”

It was a notice for reapplication to the [Explorer Exam].

Just because someone doesn’t have magical power now doesn’t mean they’ll never have it. Some people awaken magic later in life. Because of that, people without magic receive this reapplication notice once a year. Especially those receiving support, like me, are required to take the exam or lose their benefits.

“I’ve got some free time now anyway. So maybe I’ll go tomorrow.”

I ate the convenience store meal I had picked up. And trying to forget my worries about the future, I went to bed early.