Once I sold my dungeon spoils, I boarded the train and rode to the station nearest to my house. It didn’t take long to defeat Yunagi Dungeon, so the sun still hung high in the sky.
On the walk home, I paused in a familiar place. Shion Park was the largest park in town. Without thinking, I expected to see kids playing catch or something, but I didn’t. Instead, I saw adventurers with their weapons.
Three years ago, an E-rank dungeon called Shion Dungeon appeared in the park bearing the same name. Those adventurers probably came to defeat it. Lots of adventurers were restless to keep working, or maybe they didn’t have much experience.
“I think this was the first dungeon I faced. It’s a good one for beginners,” I mused to myself.
Not a lot to loot, though. Weak monsters meant low experience points, and the level-up reward only granted one level. Any adventurer remotely worth their salt wouldn’t think it was worth challenging. Even I only went down there a handful of times.
“Might as well check it out.”
I had time to kill, so I walked into the park. I didn’t plan to attempt it. Not that I could, anyway, since I had my week-long Span hanging over my head. I was just feeling nostalgic.
When I approached the entrance, the dungeon supervisor turned and held a small machine out at me. “Scan your Adventurer Card, please.”
“Sure.”
I extended my driver’s license-sized Adventurer Card. The machine beeped.
Like the name implied, an Adventurer Card was given to those who obtained their adventurer qualifications. It recorded the adventurer’s name, age, the ranks of the dungeons they had faced, and a few other pieces of demographic information. Dungeon entrance times and exit times were also recorded by the card. Having one was mandatory to enter a dungeon.
Naturally, someone needed to account for adventurers in the event they were involved in an accident inside a dungeon and couldn’t make it back. Hence the existence of dungeon supervisors. They were sent by a government-affiliated organization called the Dungeon Association. Besides recording the foot traffic, they offered other kinds of support to adventurers too.
“Thank you for your cooperation. Take care!” the supervisor said.
I accepted the supervisor’s words in silence and stepped toward the tip of a tower that jutted from the ground. Once I reached the entrance built into its side, I passed through and descended the stairs into the large rectangular space underground.
This space was called the Return Zone. Technically, it wasn’t part of the dungeon, so Dungeon Teleportation didn’t work here. All dungeons had a Return Zone with a singular purpose. Once the adventurer defeated the dungeon, the teleportation spell dropped them here. Yunagi Dungeon’s was identical to every dungeon in the world.
“Well, that’s not that important.”
I ignored my surroundings and headed straight toward the Gate, a passage that must be crossed in order to enter the dungeon. Past there lay the dungeon’s true beginning. I followed the familiar path toward the Gate and tried to enter, but an invisible power pushed me back. I couldn’t get in.
“Figures.”
Gates could repulse people who were too low-level to take it on, but an E-rank dungeon like Shion Dungeon didn’t have that. Anyone could enter it, even people without adventurer qualifications. However, I couldn’t enter the Gate because of the Span.
“Ugh. If it weren’t for the Span, I could grind these dungeons like they’re nothing and level up at warp speed…”
I was hardly the first adventurer to think so. Some adventurers attempted to destroy the walls next to the Gate, but no matter how strong a spell they blasted, they couldn’t make a scratch. There was no cheating the Span.
Then, a wild thought struck me. Hey, what if Dungeon Teleportation could get me inside?
Leveling up changed the condition of my skill from movement within the current dungeon to any dungeon I’d ever been in. If I couldn’t pass through the Gate, could I still get inside?
“Nah, I doubt it’ll work…but trying never hurt anybody.”
At least there was no one around to judge me if it didn’t work. I attempted to use Dungeon Teleportation. In my mind, I visualized a spot beyond the Gate to Shion Dungeon. A distance of one meter inside. Activation time: two seconds per meter. I had no hope that this would work, but I waited for the time to pass.
And then—
“No. Freaking. Way…!”
My eyes went wide with shock. I mean, how could they not? The inside of Shion Dungeon was right in front of me.
“It worked?! It really worked!!!”
I was so sure it wouldn’t, but I stood in the proof. Shock and elation warred in my chest and developed into a feeling I could not describe. Could I strategize without needing to worry about the Span anymore? If that was possible, that meant I could level up much more effectively than before!
“Wait. I need to get a grip. Getting inside is one thing, but that means nothing if I can’t obtain level-up rewards.”
It was too soon to think I’d beaten the system. I took several deep breaths and forced myself to settle down. “Okay. Onward.”
Once I got myself together, I headed for the bottom floor. Since Shion Dungeon was easy enough for anyone to solo at level 10, I beat the whole thing within the hour. Then, the moment of triumph came: I successfully gained the level-up rewards.
“Ha ha ha…I did it! I did it!” This time, my restraint went out the window. I shouted my joy full force.
This would be a serious game changer.
Thanks to Dungeon Teleportation, I might be the only person in the world with no restrictions on level-up rewards! Even grinding the same E-rank and D-rank dungeons would do the trick. Heck, I could grow my level way more easily than facing the powerful monsters found in A-rank dungeons!
“Yes! Now that I know the drill…”
After that, I tackled Shion Dungeon over and over with an enormous grin on my face. In the time it took for dusk to fall, I grew nine levels.