[Tsukuba City — Ministry of Dungeons — Dungeon Research Center]
Here at the Dungeon Research Center, an organization that had been put together at the same time as the Ministry of Dungeons,a Gamerican man was currently introducing himself—or rather, giving a lengthy speech.
“I have thrown Gamerica away to focus on researching dungeons. Why? Because this country offers the best environment for dungeon research. The gears in my head turn 24-7, every day of the year, thinking only about the dungeons. Since you are fellow researchers, I am sure you can understand. Titles, fame, and money are worthless in comparison to the riddle that is the existence of the dungeons. We may even obtain proof that God exists once we understand this supernatural phenomenon! This is the ultimate research topic, the most important in the history of humanity!”
The scientist, Isaac Roland, addressed his audience using such fluent Japanese that no one would have guessed he was a foreigner from his speech. On the other hand, the blonde beauty who accompanied him introduced herself in English.
“I’m Professor Roland’s secretary, Rebecca Weisburn. As you can see, the professor is a bit of an eccentric and is utterly incompetent when it comes to matters of daily life, but I hope you will watch over him. I would also like to say that I cannot speak Japanese, so please use English if you wish to communicate with me.”
“That will not be an issue. At the very least, I can tell you that there isn’t a researcher here who doesn’t speak English at all. It would be an honor to be able to work with Gamerica’s greatest genius, Professor Roland. Thank you so much for this opportunity,” the leader of the research group on magic stones answered.
The thesis that Isaac Roland had published at the end of the previous year, entitled “The Wave Equation Applied to the Connections Between the Void Space and Dungeon Maintenance Energy,” had received a great deal of attention in the scientific community for linking the way time elapsed differently inside the dungeon to quantum mechanics. Even though he was still in his twenties, no scientist would ever think to look down on Isaac.
“Okay! We should be done with introductions now. Professor Roland will not be focusing on any particular aspect but rather be in charge of studying the dungeons as a whole. This means he will be moving from team to team. Professor Roland, please let me know if you need anything. We have countless sponsors, including wealthy individuals and large companies from all over the world, so our budget is pretty much inexhaustible,” the laboratory chief explained before clapping his hands.
The Dungeon Research Center was not relying only on the funds it received from the Ministry of Dungeons. They accepted donations from all over the world. Japan was currently becoming a center of investment, and the wealthy aimed to secure their assets with these. If a nation crumbled, it would no longer be able to support its currency. As soon as trust in the state was lost, money would turn into mere scraps of paper, and if the dungeons were left unchecked, this was not an unlikely scenario.
“All right then. Without further ado... I want to go to Shinjuku Dungeon. I’ll read the documents in the car,” Isaac said, putting his arm through the sleeve of a white lab coat as he left in a hurry.
Shinjuku Dungeon, which had appeared in Hyakunincho, Shinjuku City, had not been opened to civilian adventurers, and the Research Center was currently monopolizing it. The spots at which monsters respawned and the moments when one was taken down were being observed by a high-sensitivity camera system, and research regarding the monsters and enhancement element was being conducted. The research team was also focusing on the Dungeon Core, Monster Cards, and adventurers’ bodies.
A joint research project between Japan and the EU had been put into place in cooperation with CERN—The European Organization for Nuclear Research—so every result was then shared with European teams. Much about the dungeons was still unknown, but results were slowly starting to appear. For instance, researchers had been able to make observations on the energy that triggered magic.
Scientists were also standing up to the dungeons, though in a different way than the adventurers.
✦ ✦ ✦
[Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department — Tokyo Olympics Security Special Headquarters — Ezoe Kazuhiko]
With the Olympics coming up, every adventurer over Rank E was summoned to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on July 20. The government and local authorities hoped to recruit adventurers in order to bolster security for the Olympics, which was set to kick off in four days.
“The appearance of the dungeons has forced authorities to heighten their vigilance in the face of terrorism on a global scale. Holding this celebration of peace during these times of crisis will become a great legacy in the future and leave its mark on the great history of the Olympics. So that Tokyo can prove to the world that it is indeed the safest city in the world and a diverse megalopolis that welcomes everyone regardless of nationality or culture, we...”
I wondered if I should just go home as I listened to the governor of Tokyo’s introduction speech. Honestly, I did not feel bad for thinking that either.
Why does this granny keep throwing in English words? Is she trying to imitate that foreign language-loving comedian, *shiba Lu?
“Ezoe-san, as the leader of Dungeon Busters and representative of the adventurers, could I ask you to make a comment?”
I was suddenly called on, so I stood up. There was no point in starting a useless confrontation here, so I decided to stick to poking a little fun at her.
“Everyone, let’s have a very together summer.”
Sadly, very few seemed to get my joke.
“Even if you ask us to provide assistance, civilians can’t simply arrest suspicious people as they see fit,” Amane said. “Our main job would be to stay put and wait in case the worst happens. We’d be stationed at the National Stadium and switch out with each other. Well, I guess it’s not that bad of an offer, since it means being able to watch the games for free.”
It had been decided that her team would participate on behalf of Dungeon Busters. Amane was a former police superintendent. She had plenty of acquaintances at both the Metropolitan Police Department and National Police Agency, so she was naturally the best person for the job.
“I entered the Busters to set up an organization dedicated to handling adventurer-related crime, so this offer is a godsend. Although, I must say I did not expect these sorts of requests to start coming in for at least six more months. I assume all of this is Joker’s fault.”
“There should only be a handful C-Rankers in the world at the moment, let alone B-Rankers. However, there’s no telling whether one of them happened to have earned the Dungeon Buster title. If something happens, reach out to Akira and me immediately.”
A safe was located right next to the underground staff room temporarily set up for adventurers under the National Stadium. Inside the strictly monitored safe was an aluminum case, packed with several kinds of potions, weapons, and equipment. We should be able to fend off monsters up to Rank B without too much trouble.
“The athletes from the Kingdom of Ko and Venisuela should have gone through a very thorough check, but a little card is easy to conceal. I’m counting on you in case anything happens,” Ishihara told me.
It was finally time to kick off the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, which were set to last for around a month and a half.