Modern dungeon capture s.., p.1
Modern Dungeon Capture Starting with Broken Skills Vol. 2, page 1
Table of Contents
Color Gallery
Title Page
Copyrights and Credits
Table of Contents Page
Prologue: The Melancholy of Tachibana Maki
Chapter 1: Dungeon Life, Starting with a Deep Breath
Chapter 2: How Come You’re Suddenly a Butt in the Wall?!
Chapter 3: Relying on Sheer Magnitude to Win the Day!
Chapter 4: Do UN Forces Really Need to Get Involved?!
Chapter 5: Shopping Mall Dungeon
Chapter 6: Sorry, That’s All You’re Getting for Today!
Chapter 7: I, Tachibana Maki, Am the Japanese Government!
Epilogue: The Mysterious Adventurer Mizuki Ryosuke’s Totally Wild True Identity
A Note from the Author
Newsletter
Prologue:
The Melancholy of Tachibana Maki
TACHIBANA MAKI WOKE UP EARLY TO THE RI-RI-RI-RING of her phone alarm. She reached for it from her futon, tapped the screen to silence it, and then dove under the covers and closed her eyes. Five minutes later, the alarm’s ri-ri-ri-ring started up again—a result of the snooze feature. Finally, Tachibana Maki got up.
“Ugh…”
Her voice was weak in the gloomy, dark room. Tachibana Maki was twenty-four years old, had low blood pressure, and was absolutely not a morning person. In fact, she was terrible with mornings, desperately and despairingly so. But still she had to go through the daily ordeal of waking up at six each and every morning. To her, it was practically torture, a routine that slowly chipped away at her mental health.
“So sleepy…”
She went over to the gap in the curtains and glared at the delicate rays of aurora-like sunlight pouring in with frightfully sleep-deprived eyes. It was definitely morning. There was no denying that. She sighed heavily, tying up her long hair that grew down to her lower back, before sluggishly dragging herself to the sink. It felt like lead flowed in her veins instead of blood.
“In today’s video, we’ll be looking at three adventurers who are super craaaaaazy!”
“Ugh…”
Tachibana’s lazy morning routine involved brushing her teeth while watching YourTube videos on her tablet. She brushed her teeth as she sleepily watched one of the urban legend videos she’d been getting into recently.
“Third up: Mizuki. Now, Mizuki’s a mysterious Japanese adventurer who came out of nowhere. He got his start appearing in a certain high-school-aged YourTuber’s video on Shinobu’s Channel. Kind of a problematic video, but apparently the name you hear on the tape is Mizuki. There are even rumors he had something to do with the recent Horimiya Group bankruptcy…”
“Huh.”
Tachibana paused the video partway through, took a shower, and started doing her makeup.
“According to speculation, this Mizuki guy used an unknown ability that doesn’t exist in the U.S. skill database. Intelligence agencies across the world are scrambling to find intel on him.”
The amusingly edited video neared its end just as Tachibana changed into her suit and finished her morning routine. She had a little time before she needed to leave the house, so she sat on her bed, put the tablet on her lap, and watched the end of the video.
“So those were my top three super-crazy adventurers! Did watching the video make you want to be an adventurer too? Did it make you virgins want to get wild with Shinobu-chan♥? Remember to like and subscribe! See you!”
She shut the folding tablet cover with a clap and threw it onto the bed where it landed with a dull thud. The tablet was thin, precise in its design, and had cost her just under forty-thousand yen. It made a pathetic sound as it fell atop her messy, disheveled futon. There had been a time when she was more of a go-getter and thought she might use the tablet for work and other things. Now it was a YourTube machine, and the weird stylus that’d come with it was stashed away somewhere she couldn’t find.
Tachibana did a final check of her bags and left the house, getting into the used car she’d bought for her commute.
“I don’t want to go to work,” she mumbled to herself. She sighed, collapsing onto the steering wheel.
A thought popped into her head. Maybe I wouldn’t need to wake up so early if I became an adventurer.
I wonder if I’d be able to get rich quick that way. But how do you become an adventurer in the first place, anyway? If I remember right, you’re supposed to buy some skills, raise your level, do all kinds of training. I hear it takes at least ten-million yen to get started. Even with all that time and money, only a handful of people actually make it as working adventurers. Apparently, it’s harder to become an adventurer than a doctor or a super-popular celebrity. Hah… It’s not happening. Of course not. Regular people just have to knuckle down and work. They have to wake up early every morning and slowly build up their savings with their monthly salary.
I mean, I know all of that.
She turned the engine key to start her car. Vroom.
It was about twenty minutes to her workplace, Omori City Hall.
***
“You haven’t found someone yet, Tachibana-kun?”
In the Crisis Management Task Force office, Tachibana dripped with cold sweat.
“I-I’m sorry… I, um…”
“I’ve been told you still haven’t found one.” The office manager hit her with the question. Cold sweat continued pouring down her forehead, worse now than before.
“I haven’t…found anyone yet…” Tachibana said.
“You do know when the announcement is, don’t you?” her manager prodded.
“N-next week, yes.”
“Then what are you going to do about it?” His tone was oppressive.
Tachibana’s heartbeat skyrocketed. She found it hard to breathe, unable to properly get air into her lungs. Her throat tightened, and it felt as if she only had a few millimeters of windpipe left. Oh no. I can’t breathe.
“The top brass is coming all the way from Tokyo for the announcement. If they arrive and you’re the only one without a partner…” The office manager tilted his head at her.
Tachibana’s legs trembled, her knees buckling on the spot. “Hyaah…”
“Are you all right?” the manager asked.
“Ah, I’m s-sorry…” Tachibana said. “I j-just started hyperventilating a l-little…”
He paused. “Again? Fine, forget it,” he said. “Come back when you’ve calmed down.”
“Okay… I’m s-sorry…”
Tachibana left, looking like she was about to throw up. She clung to a nearby wall as soon as she made it out of the office and held her breath for a moment.
“Haah… Hgh…”
Her back curled as if she were hunched over in a crouch. One hand went to her stomach, which churned violently, as she tried to focus on her breathing. Quiet, slow, and steady—she exhaled. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
She breathed in deeply from her diaphragm and pushed all the air out once more, concentrating intently. “Haah… Haah!”
The hyperventilating slowly ceased as she went through the emergency damage control routine she was so used to performing. Air came in easier, and the suffocating pain dissipated. Tears were still in her eyes when it was over. She wiped them with the sleeve of her suit jacket as she waited for her breathing to return to normal.
It was a problem with her constitution—Tachibana’s breathing was immediately thrown off whenever she felt overwhelming mental stress, making her hyperventilate. It had been this way since she was young. At this point, she was an expert at calming herself down.
“Guh… Ugh…”
Her respiratory system was finally cooperating. Tachibana swayed as she got to her feet and made her way down the hallway at a slow crawl, one hand on the wall.
My legs are heavy. My chest hurts. I’ve got that weird taste in my mouth. Ah, I hate this. I don’t know what to do. I want to die. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to die. I want to quit.
***
“Is that so…? Yes, I understand. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me…”
Click. Tachibana pressed the receiver back into place and held her head in her hands. It’s no use. I’m just not finding anyone, no matter how many places I try.
She looked over her list for the next person to call. The roster of licensed adventurers living in Japan had scrawl all over it in yellow and red ink. The names in yellow had refused her once. A red line struck through a name meant she had been rejected a second time. Anyone on the list who didn’t actually have a license had been scribbled out in black.
She briskly picked up the receiver and tried to input the number for the next call, but she crumpled to the desk the next moment as though she had broken her neck. A sob escaped her.
“Ugh…”
The pressure was stifling, and a helpless kind of impatience set in.
If this is how it’s going to be…maybe I should just find a random adventurer, one who doesn’t even fit the requirements. No, that won’t work. I’d have to find someone else after the fact. And if I can’t switch them out properly, things might get bad enough to make the news. This is a big, nationwide project; I can’t invite just anyone to the announcement. Only, I may not have a choice anymore.
Tachibana then had a realization. She’d heard stories of unbelievable government gaffes on
“Tachibana-san?”
The voice came out of nowhere. She looked up to find a man in a navy-colored suit with a pleasant smile on his face.
“Ah, um… Kawatani-san. Is something wrong?” she asked.
“Have you still not found a partner?” said Kawatani.
She swallowed her words. Do you really need to ask?
Kawatani Makoto was Deputy Head of the Omori City Hall Crisis Management Task Force Office’s Dungeon Management Division. No man who could keep a navy suit looking that clean or well-ironed belonged anywhere near a countryside city hall like this one. He had graduated from Keio University and went straight to Kasumigaseki—a career man through and through. He had apparently been sent all the way from the Ministry of Environment’s Caves Department’s General Affairs Division up to Omori City.
This wasn’t a demotion in his case, though—it was to handle the sudden appearance of the Omori Dungeon. Tachibana’s relegation from the prefectural office to the local city hall placed her in a situation somewhat similar to Kawatani’s.
“Not much to be done about it though, eh?” said Kawatani, his smile warm. “There aren’t many adventurers in Japan who meet the requirements the higher-ups gave us.”
“Yes,” Tachibana said. “I’m calling everyone I can, but I haven’t had any luck yet…”
“Not to mention, the adventurers who do meet the requirements are already busy, and they make enough money that they don’t need to bother dealing with difficult work like ours. The guys further up the chain really don’t understand the conditions here on the ground,” Kawatani explained.
“Yes, I think you’re right…” Tachibana smiled and laughed politely.
“Everyone else has already found a partner.”
She paused. “Yes.”
“If you’d like…” Kawatani suddenly sidled up to her, whispering in her ear. She could smell his aftershave—it might have had a nice scent, but the experience as a whole was unpleasant. “I could use my connections to find you a partner, Tachibana-san.”
“Huh…? You wouldn’t mind?” Tachibana asked.
Surprised, she studied Kawatani’s face, which was right in front of hers.
I thought he was just some asshole from Kasumigaseki… I mean, he can be really mean sometimes. But now he’s going to help me?
Tachibana’s eyes widened. Kawatani grinned at her.
“Of course not,” he said. “We’re a team. I’ll help you out.”
“Ah… Th-thank you, then! If you could… B-but I only have until next week!” Tachibana exclaimed.
“I know. I’ll make sure to have an adventurer for you by the start of next week.”
“Th-thank you…!” She flushed, feeling grateful.
Tachibana looked inside herself, ashamed of the part of her that had hated Kawatani. He wasn’t just some boastful, elite university graduate with wristwatches, suits, and leather bags. She knew the way he looked at her had been untoward at times, but her bust and butt were bigger than average. She could hardly blame men for looking.
I owe him a lot… Really.
“Not that this is in exchange or anything…but I’m really going to have to push my contacts to get this through. May I ask you for a favor in return?” Kawatani asked.
“Y-yes! Whatever you need!” Tachibana said.
“Good. Make sure you’re free tomorrow night.”
Tachibana hesitated. “Night? Err…”
“Don’t play dumb, Tachibana,” Kawatani said. It felt like the temperature in the room dropped two degrees. “You do know what I’m getting at, don’t you?”
“Eh?” Tachibana squeaked.
“Look. It’s a mystery why you were even assigned to my team. A useless lackey from a prefectural office gets to work on a vital national project just for showing up?” He glared at her, his eyes cold. Tachibana felt her throat closing up again. “Who do you think will take the fall for you when you screw up? It’s not going to be the division head or the head of the office. It’s going to be me. That’s the whole reason I’m stuck here in the middle of nowhere. You do get that, don’t you?”
“Ah… Y-yes…” Tachibana stuttered.
“I’m saying I’m going to be taking the shirt off my back for you. I’m surprised you’re still accepting your paychecks when you can’t even find a single adventurer to work with you. I just want you to take the shirt off your back for me, too, if you know what I mean.”
Kawatani smirked at her, the corners of his mouth twitching upward, creases forming on his cheeks. There was a glimmer of evil there, something so filthy that even the most expensive cleansers could never wash it out.
Tachibana met him with complete silence. Then, just like that, his cheerful smile returned.
“Just kidding! It was only a joke, really. Don’t take everything so seriously.”
He left, the soles of his leather shoes tapping against the floor as he walked down the hallway.
“Oh, but if you are up to the task,” he said as he left, “I’ll get right on it. Contact me over Lain if you change your mind!”
Nausea welled up within Tachibana, the signs of panic setting in.
***
Tachibana sat in one of the city hall bathrooms, furiously tapping at her phone.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
I’m going to order one of those mobile recording devices and sue him for sexual harassment. I’m going to take him down in front of everyone, mark my freakin’ words!
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!
But then what?
There’s no way I’ll ever be able to find an adventurer to be my partner. I won’t be able to stay with the Crisis Management Task Force. Not just that, I might be kicked out of my job at city hall altogether. I thought I’d at least get two years of peace after I left that prefectural office. The higher-ups there bullied me to no end, brought me to the verge of depression… Just when they moved me to this quiet little place in the countryside, a dungeon just had to appear in Omori City! I didn’t even know what a dungeon was! Then I got transferred into this new dungeon department they slapped together just because I had a shiny job title at the prefectural office. I was made a task force member to enforce the government’s new dungeon business policy.
The plans are so messed up, too. There’s no way some politician’s whims aren’t behind the whole thing…
“Haaaaaaaaaaaahh…” Tachibana gave a long sigh, curling up into a ball on the toilet seat.
What do I do now? It’s not like I’ve got anything to lose. It’s the epitome of easier said than done, but there’s no alternative.
“I seriously can’t do this anymore…” she groaned. Suddenly, Tachibana’s phone screen caught her eye. “Huh?”
It was open to the dungeon access application page for the prefectural branch. A new name had just appeared on top of the list requesting access. She tapped the screen to confirm it was real.
The adventurer’s name was Mizuki Ryosuke.
Chapter 1:
Dungeon Life, Starting with a Deep Breath
1
ONE OF THE CONTROLLER’S STICKS SHIFTED FORWARD with a resounding thunk. It wasn’t a finger that pushed it but a kick from someone’s leg. A person typically used a controller with their hands and fingers, not their legs—except in special circumstances. In this case, those special circumstances involved the player being a fairy, not a human—and a palm-sized fairy, at that.
The human-sized game controller was far too big for her, so she had to stand upright on top of it, wildly stomping on the buttons and kicking the control sticks in order to use it. It was, in fact, an incredibly logical input method for a being of her size.
“Aaaall riiiight! Nice! I’m way too strong! Strike?! Average hitter?! Tenacious hit! I’m unstoppable now! Witness the demonic batter, consuming all the pitchers in his paaaath!” Coach Kessie, my fairy roommate, screamed happily from atop the Ploystation Four controller.
