Chapter 3

I pushed my parents to accept my decision. The hometown is too far away, and I have no relatives in Toyota City. So, I'm attending high school in Toyota and renting an apartment nearby. Even though dungeons appeared and land prices plummeted, causing rent to drop, it wouldn't be easy for an average family to cover these expenses.

Perhaps they might have dipped into their savings, or my father might have sold some of his long-held stocks.

I don't expect to be a huge success in the dungeon, but I'm determined to pay them back someday.

There are still a few days before high school starts. So, naturally, I'm heading to the dungeon. Today's plan is to register and take a quick look around before returning.

The registration process is easier than getting a moped license. But it's also called a license, and they'll probably create a proper legal system for it eventually.

I've arrived at the Guild, which is just a little over 10 minutes walk from my rented apartment.

When the dungeon appeared, various government ministries and Self-Defense Force units apparently had a tough time... I don't know the details. But a facility called the 'Guild' was built right in front of the dungeon for general people called 'explorers' to enter dungeons.

To be precise, it's an organization with a long and complicated official name, but everyone calls it the 'Guild'. It was even on a social studies test, but I couldn't write the full name.

That's fine! It works globally as 'Guild', and there are one or two countries that have officially registered it as 'Guild'! The Diet will rename it next year! Stop putting it on tests!!

It's not completely decided yet, but Prime Minister Aso says so, so it's practically settled. There's no politician who would dare oppose Prime Minister Aso right now. Moreover, if we don't align with global standards, we might get left behind. Anyone who would unnecessarily obstruct this and risk being called incompetent by the citizens wouldn't want to do that.

"Welcome. How may I help you today?"

"Um, I'd like to register as an 'explorer'..."

I was finally standing at the Guild's counter. I'm a bit nervous.

It's probably similar to a bank or municipal office counter. But looking at the main entrance and the counter, I can feel Toyota City's financial power... It's different from my hometown. Even the counter lady is beautiful.

"May I ask your age?"

"Oh, yes. I'm 15. I just graduated from middle school this year."

This information has been confirmed. Initially, civilian dungeon entry was avoided in Japan. But with dungeons increasing yearly, Japan was forced to respond.

Laws have been revised almost annually, permitting civilian entry with the condition of being an adult. It became possible at 15, and this year it was revised to be based on school year.

Dividing by birthday would create a sense of unfairness. The pretext is that you can go to school by school year, so why be restricted by age. Well, it's actually said that the government wants to send more people into dungeons.

Starting after school begins would waste spring break, so it was standardized at middle school graduation. This also shows how critical the situation is. Countries with conscription are reportedly sending recently conscripted individuals into dungeons to advance exploration.

"Do you have any form of personal identification today?"

"Yes, here..."

I handed over my My Number Card. I brought my health insurance card too, but the website said the My Number Card has more information and requires fewer input fields.

"Thank you, I'll process this."

The lady is scanning it into a dedicated tablet. Even though nothing's wrong, I'm nervously waiting.

"Thank you. Please read this, and if you understand, please give your consent and sign."

As she hands me the tablet, I read carefully as instructed. I've been told that if I claim I didn't read or hear something, my license will be immediately suspended.

It's written in complex language: you're responsible for your own life, don't cause problems in the dungeon, you might be forcibly summoned only if monsters escape the dungeon – it took me a while to understand.

Having this beautiful lady in front of me makes me incredibly nervous. Because of that, I ended up taking even more time to comprehend things...

"I'm done."

"Thank you. Would you like to register for research cooperation?"

"No, please skip that."

This is about joining a system with another ridiculously long official name, the Japanese Explorer Skill Research... something or other. If you join, you must enter the dungeon at least 5 times a month, in exchange for monthly 'identification'.

'Identification' means the only way to confirm your 'status' is by using special items from the dungeon or using a skill received when leveling up.

But this means my 'status' would be completely exposed to research institution personnel. As someone lacking confidence, I definitely want to avoid that.

"Understood. You can register later if you change your mind."

"Ah... yes."

I probably won't change my mind, but I answered accordingly. I paid the registration fee and received my explorer license.

All that's left is to check my initial status, and I'm done.