“A comprehensive progress status remains unclear as we cannot identify if there are any underground structures in the city. I can, however, display real-time surveillance data over a bird’s-eye-view map of the aboveground terrain.”
“Good enough. Set a drone or two to fly around me, too.”
“Understood.”
Now, how about we go check out that dungeon?
Constructed from stones, the city had an antiquated feel. A fortified wall surrounding it also gave it the appearance of a fortress.
Entering through the large open gates, I discovered a world bursting with activity. Beings of all sorts of races and horses drawing heavily laden carts went to-and-fro along the cobblestoned main street. Street vendors shouted over one another, blacksmiths pounded away at their steel, and alluring beastmaids called out enticingly to coax customers into their stores of employment. Countless resplendent weapons lay out in rows under the eaves of the shops lining the road. Would adventurers be the ones to stop and examine them?
Gorgeous women of fantastical species stole my attention. One long-legged, beautiful elf had porcelain-white skin and hair that seemed to be made of golden dust. Another woman unblushingly displaying a generous helping of skin and scales had fiery-red locks and a matching tail. Curly horns and fluffy wool sprouted from the body of a full-figured lady who walked with a staff taller than she was. I also spotted a female knight who, like one I’d seen before in a video game, was covered head to toe in a full suit of armor. The sight of her moved me. I would have jumped at the chance to team up with her.
An aromatic blend of foreign spices wafted my way along with medicinal smells that assailed my nostrils and the intoxicating perfumes of passersby. I heard the vividly explosive sounds of clanging steel and roaring flames, noticed the pockets of stillness formed in spite of this crushing river of people, and felt the danger lurking down the narrow alleys I peeked into.
And yet, I didn’t experience the sense of alienation a foreigner usually gets in an unfamiliar country. Everywhere I looked, my eyes landed on incredible diversity: an abundance of color, monsters of all stripes and shapes, and chaotic scenes different from anything I’d ever seen before. All the people around me were too far beyond outlandish to process, but they walked through the street as if nothing could be more normal.
I had worried I might stand out, though I shouldn’t have bothered. Compared to the people walking around with multicolored wings sprouting out of their backs or the three-eyed beastfolk I’d passed, a lone Japanese man looked plain, so very plain. I got the feeling I’d fit in just as well if I’d come wearing a full-blown kimono, my hair in a topknot, a katana at my side.
The small river Ghett had vanished into flowed through the city. The town appeared to have other springs as well, and Machina’s survey showed that a simple water and sewage system had been set in place. Establishments resembling bathhouses dotted the area. Could that mean the town also boasted bountiful supplies of combustible resources?
The path to the dungeon was a straight shot down the road. I didn’t even need to use the location-tracking feature on my device to find it. My destination was way too huge to ever miss. After walking about twenty minutes, I finally stood before it.
Yep, that’s pretty damn big.
Getting closer only drove home how enormous it was. According to Machina’s structural calculations, it was so tall that no currently available materials would be able to replicate even just the portion visible aboveground. And strangely enough, though most towers got thinner the higher up they went, this one flipped that on its head. It started off wide at the top and narrowed the farther down it went. I was supposed to explore that narrow section, the part sticking into the ground. Exactly how long was it? I couldn’t even begin to imagine.
It looked to be made of something like an elephant’s tusk. I decided to take a sample just in case. As a last resort, I figured I could plan to blast a hole in it with some TNT and make my way down, but I’d need to verify whether the material was something I could blow up in the first place.
I followed the flow of people and almost immediately found the entrance. I say “entrance,” but it was basically a cavity that something had busted open. The smell of alcohol and grilled meat floated all around me once I stepped inside, emanating from a large pub set up near the opening. The sun still shone high in the sky, but that didn’t stop some of the patrons from already being drunk off their asses. People like that were universal, I guess. Paper slips that I took to be job postings covered a great big billboard. Most surprisingly, a line of portals stood in the back of the cavernous space. I watched as adventurers popped in and out of them.
“The fields are stabilized. Fascinating.” I jumped at Machina’s voice coming through the receiver.
“I guess they invented those portals?” I’d known this ahead of time, but this place was full of other things I didn’t know about.
My eyes landed on a reception-like area of the hall. A couple of clerical-type ladies attended to several explorers. There were quite a few counters, so I wasn’t sure where to line up.
“Machina, can you analyze the writing here?” I asked.
“Analysis in progress. It will most certainly be quicker if you pose your query to a local inhabitant,” she suggested.
“Okay.” Good point. Just then, I saw a woman carrying a bundle of documents and decided to ask her for help. “Excuse me, this is my first time here. Which line should I use?”
“Welcome. You’ll find new adventurer registration and screening for permits to explore the dungeon at the far-right counter,” the cat-eared young lady explained with a dazzling smile. Luckily, nobody waited ahead of me in line, so I took a seat at the counter. Across from me stood a woman with two horns protruding from her head and a face completely devoid of emotion. She had a slender frame and lovely silver hair.
“……Yes?” she asked in a bitterly cold tone.
“Uh, I’d like to explore that dungeon. I heard I could take care of the paperwork for that here.” Had I gotten the wrong counter?
“I see. You should have started with that.”
“I’m sorry.” What was with this intimidating presence? I felt like I was dealing with a violent beast.
“In that case, please fill out the required forms.” She handed me some papers resembling lambskin and an inked pen.
“……”
I couldn’t read it. I didn’t even know what it was asking for.