In 2135, things called dungeons appeared all over the world.

They have various shapes, and the only thing they have in common is that they have an entrance, such as those that imitate the appearance of ordinary houses, caves, or even gigantic buildings.

In the dungeons, gold and silver treasures, unknown substances, and liquids that could regenerate the body, which could not be replicated by medical science at the time, were discovered.

"Of course, they don't give humans such items for free."

Inside the dungeon, there were monsters that appeared in games such as RPGs.

The army thought that firearms, which were the mainstream at the time, could wipe out monsters, but inside the dungeons, old-era weapons such as firearms did not work at all, and troops in various countries were annihilated.

"Even so, human stubbornness cannot be underestimated."

"Humans weren't just being beaten either."

When a soldier from a certain unit was attacked by a monster, he frantically swung a knife and managed to attack the monster, but the monster was killed by the knife attack.

"From there, there's nothing more to say."

Weapons for close combat became the basic equipment for exploring dungeons, and weapons and armor that could withstand monster attacks were developed one after another.

As dungeon capture progressed, various booms occurred in society, consumption was promoted, and the economy was revitalized.

Eventually, when the dungeon was released to the private sector, young people and companies all set out to capture it, and as the capture of the dungeon progressed, the dungeon was quickly incorporated into society.

Fifty years later, in 2185, the world was dyed with dungeons to such an extent that it was impossible to say that companies all over the world were not related to dungeons.

****

After ten years of working at the company, I, Aren, was facing the most important moment in my life (personally).

"I'm really quitting"

Hiashi and Kazuhiro are my superiors as they stare at me.

Even though he's already busy with work, he's the worst boss who always says sarcasm.

He clearly remembers that his colleagues and juniors who were on good terms with me also quit.

"yes"

"Speaking of which, I will also quit Semi from now on."

Semi is a company that uses mithril collected in dungeons to produce armor, but many of its customers are high-ranked explorers of B rank or higher, and dungeon exploration continues even today. Therefore, it is a good company at first glance that it is unlikely that the company will go bankrupt.

However, when I opened the lid, even after 18 years of employment, I was still overwhelmed with work almost every day, and I had a boss like kazuhiro (or rather, a guy like that), so the workplace was hell. rice field.

I don't have any good memories, and the only thing that remains clear in my mind is the fact that I have never laughed since I started working for this company.

"I see, then grab your luggage and get out of there quickly. Just having a piece of garbage like you in the way will interfere with your work."

"It seems that he won't stop ranting until he quits."

"Shit is still shit no matter how long it takes."

"Understood... you bastard."

When I said that while looking at Hiashi eyes, I slammed his resignation letter on Hiashi desk and quickly left the company.

(It's a masterpiece, that one)

HIASHI eyes were wide open, maybe it was surprising that I called him a fucking bastard.

I was heartbroken by the fact that I had only looked down on him until now.

*****

"It's expensive"

After leaving the company, I took the train at a brisk pace and got off at the nearest station. I went to the store where it was sold.

There are many security robots and security guards patrolling the surrounding area, and security is considerably tighter than that of a normal store.

When I went to the back of the store, I was looking at the crystal ball on the shelf, but I couldn't hide my surprise at the high price.

"What is 10 million yen for a third-class skill orb?"

Items found in dungeons had skill orbs that could be used to acquire special abilities called skills.

There are 1st to 6th grade Skill Orbs, and it seems possible that the 1st grade Skill Orb will be able to acquire the superlative skills possessed by S-rank explorers, non-human monsters. Depending on the item, it costs hundreds of millions to tens of billions of yen, so ordinary people like me can't afford to buy it.

The best thing in this store is up to the third grade, and I was thinking of checking the price as a test, but it was more expensive than I imagined.

I don't usually spend a lot of money, or rather, I can't use it, so I have some savings, but when I think about my future living expenses, I can't afford to buy something like this.

"It can't be helped, should I use this 6th grade skill orb?"

The price of a 6th grade skill orb is 100,000 yen, which is quite reasonable compared to a 3rd grade skill orb. Whether or not a skill can be obtained is uncertain, and many of the skills obtained are of the lowest grade.

Amongst the superlative, advanced, intermediate, lower, and lowest grades, if you have intermediate or higher skills, you'll be safe to some extent as an explorer, but you can't hope for intermediate or higher skills.

On rare occasions, I've seen on the internet that intermediate skills were obtained from 6th grade skill orbs, but that kind of thing is like winning the lottery, so you can't really expect it. .

"For the time being, I bought three 6th grade skill orbs and left the store."

(Is a new life about to begin?)

"I dream of myself as an explorer."

"I just bought a skill orb, but I've already quit the company and have no other job."

"Leave the company and become an explorer."

"I can't say this is a good choice."

"However, in order for me to change as a person, I have to do this much."

In order to break away from the boring and meaningless life I have been living up until now and change myself, I must act even if the risks are high.

After taking a deep breath, I trotted towards the apartment where I lived.