Yuri set foot into the purgatory district early the next day.
“Wow...!” he unwittingly exclaimed as he took in the scene touched by the morning light.
A massive, pyramidal tomb. A dome of pale-blue ice. A sea of flames where hellfire roared. An ancient castle of brick. A mountain coated in overflowing greenery. A cave so dark even the light of the sun seemed to avoid it. A waterfall pouring down from on high. A solemn temple towering over a lake.
It was as if famous sites from all over the world had been gathered here. It was far more than he had expected and overpowering to the eye.
“Err... So these are all entrances to different dungeons, and you should choose the right one for the materials you want.” He read out the memo he had received from Mirka the day before as he started looking for the dungeon he wanted.
“I don’t even know what to say. Next time, I’d love to come here with those two.”
In the end, Athena and Fram had reluctantly stayed home. He tried to have them at least accompany him here, but Mirka obstinately protested, going so far as to tie them up to stop them from following. Usually she was the one having to be restrained, but this time it was the complete opposite.
Regardless, Yuri hadn’t come to the purgatory district to play. His sights were set high, and if he wanted to reach them, he would have to do what he could.
“Alright! Just one week, I can do this!”
The moment he energetically thrust out his fist, something suddenly jolted him from behind. “Wah... That isn’t good...”
The note in his hand was swept off by a light breeze. He was about to hurry after it, but—
“Oi, brat.”
A familiar voice caused him to turn around.
“Ah, if it isn’t Mr. Haring!”
“Tsk... It really is you.”
In contrast to Yuri’s beaming smile, Haring’s face curled into an irked grimace. Yuri paid this no mind and simply continued to uphold his part of the conversation.
“What an outstanding coincidence to meet in a place like this!”
“It ain’t no coincidence. I’m here to—”
“I’m diving into the dungeon for the first time in my life! I’m so excited I don’t know what to do with myself!”
“...Oh, that’s right. You’re the kinda guy who doesn’t listen when people are talkin’.” After roughly scratching his head, Haring turned his back and started walking. “Whatever. Let’s get goin’, brat.”
“Hmm? I was told to wait for a guide...” According to Mirka, she had hired a personal guide for him. An accomplished individual who regularly made the trek through the dungeon for materials, who would complete any request for the right price, but...
“...Err, don’t tell me...”
“Tsk... That’s why you need to listen, goddammit.” Haring vexedly folded his arms, staring down at Yuri. “I’m your hired guide. I’m gonna be showin’ you around the dungeon for the next week.”
“Really!? What a wonderf—oof!?”
The moment Yuri was about to lock him in an embrace, Haring assailed him with a front kick. “Don’t you go misunderstandin’. I’m just taggin’ along for the money.”
“T-That doesn’t mean you have to kick me...”
“Shut it. Time’s a-wastin’.”
Leaving Yuri right where he was, Haring marched on in a huff. Yuri had to break into a jog to catch up.
“So kid, how much do you know about the dungeon?”
“Barely anything more than the introductory explanation!”
“Are you daft? At least do your research.”
“Well, you see, me going to the dungeon was just suddenly decided yesterday, so...”
“Hah... Meaning my pay included an explanation fee.” Perhaps coming to terms with something, Haring lightly waved around his left arm. “Start by changin’ your Proof to dungeon mode.”
“Err, I can’t enter unless I change it?”
“That’s right. The dungeons here use the same transfer technology as the Field to blast you off to danger zones all over the eight continents. Try enterin’ it in your normal state, and your Proof’s dimensional transfer functions will get in the way.”
“You mean we will be temporarily leaving the duel city?”
“Only strictly speakin’; they’re still technically city property. There’s a barrier with a three-kilometer radius set up at the destination point, and we can’t go beyond it. It works both ways; the people who live there can’t go in either, but no decent folk go waltzin’ into danger zones where monsters prowl.”
After watching Haring operate his Proof to change the setting, Yuri imitated his motions.
“Also, the transfer point’s no different from reality, so you’d better watch out. Sure, you can duel there if you want to, but if you see another duelist, you’re better off gettin’ the hell away, or making sure they absolutely know you’re there. Otherwise, you’ll get mistaken as a beast, or caught up in some attack.”
“No different from reality... Oh, that’s why you can collect materials!”
“Oh, how perceptive.” The corners of Haring’s lips lifted ever so slightly.
The Field a Proof transported one to was merely an imitation of reality. Existing in a separate dimension, it carried not the slightest influence on the real world, and everything was set back to its initial state once the Field was dispelled.
Even if one tried collecting materials inside the Field, once one left, they would all be gone. That was probably why the dungeon sent them off to real places. He was beginning to understand why Mirka said he would be constantly brushing up against danger.
“I think I should ask just in case, but you keep the injuries from the dungeon, right?”
“’Course you do. Bein’ real in there means your wounds don’t heal, and it’s all over when you croak.”
Precisely because duels occurred in the Field, wounds and death were undone the moment it was over. But the dungeon had none of that. It was possible to be immobilized from a wound, and fatal injuries would bring about death.
“But hey, it’s that danger that keeps the earnings up. We duelists can do just fine against monsters, and we can harvest materials that would be difficult for those folks on the continent to reach.”
“Come to think of it...when I was buying herbs and consumables, I was surprised to see they were so much cheaper here than on the human continent!”
“Now you’re gettin’ it. They’re valuable to those folks on the continent who aren’t able to fight, but we can get them here like it’s nothin’. On the other hand, we can’t get clothes and daily necessities out here, so the city’s got a whole back-and-forth thing goin’.”
As he listened to Haring’s explanation, Yuri couldn’t help but stare at his face.
“...What?”
“Oh no...it’s just, Mr. Haring, you’re sounding surprisingly clever.”
“That’s just ’cuz you’re surrounded by idiots. I don’t even have to say anythin’ about that stupid fox, and that shrimp ice spirit might have a good head on her shoulders, but that’s only in duelin’.”
“Ahaha... Athena can be like that sometimes, and I can imagine Fram would say thinking is a pain.” After a dry laugh, Yuri remembered his original question. “Don’t mind me. I just thought it was unexpected.”
“Tsk... Well, sorry for looking so stupid.”
“That’s not what I meant; you’re kinda good at teaching, or rather, I just thought you were giving some reliable explanations. Do you have any experience with teaching?”
To Yuri, it was a simple question. But, all of a sudden, Haring was scowling.
“...I’ve never taught a thing in my life,” he answered, before hesitantly adding, “It’s just, once upon a time, there was an idiot like you who asked all sorts of stupid questions.”
With his back turned, it was impossible to make out Haring’s expression, but his words carried a lingering hint of sadness. “But that don’t matter now. More importantly—this is the dungeon you’re goin’ into.”
After coming to a stop, Haring turned his eyes ahead. Before him was a stone gate, overgrown with vast swathes of vegetation. The gate itself was merely a manmade structure, yet it carried a peculiar air to it.
“The Ancient Forests of Bestia... A dungeon centered around the old, untouched woodlands across the continents. Compared to the others, it’s got a wider variety and quantity of monsters.”
As Yuri fell into a daze as he stared at the gate, dumbfounded, Haring smirked.
“How ’bout it, brat. Now’s your last chance to run home.”
Yuri’s eyes blazed at these provocative words.
“If I survive this, it’s possible for me to grow even stronger.” His fighting spirit burned bright in the maddened windows to his soul. “And for that—I’ll do anything.”
As if to answer Yuri’s declaration, the dungeon gate softly swung open.