Vol. 1 Chapter 1 - Hideo Akagi's Ambition

I, Hideo Akagi, to be clear, am a genius.

 

This year, I’m graduating from a decent university, and here’s my plan for life after graduation.

 

I’ll use the extra scholarship money I borrowed as capital to invest and multiply it by 1 million. Thanks to borrowing a bit more, I already have 2 million yen saved. Heh, how about that for being a genius?

 

With this, I won’t bother with silly job hunting, and of course, I won’t be working five days a week either. Instead, I’ll swiftly join the ranks of billionaires.

 

── Or, so I thought.

 

“Huh? 2 million? Ah, I thought you wouldn’t use it, so I went ahead and spent it.”

 

“You’ve got to be kidding… Brother… Please tell me you’re joking… At least use your usual excuse of losing at the grand opening of a new store and coming home saying, ‘Today, I won!’… or something silly like that.”

 

“Well, money is a fickle thing in this world. You know, they often say the economy doesn’t circulate well because old folks hoard money. So, I believe one should spend money freely. That’s right! As a splendid Japanese citizen! I spent 2 million for the sake of the economy. You should learn from me──”

 

I just knocked him out.

 

On that day, I understood the meaning of awakening to waves of murderous intent. Not with the head, but with the heart.

 

“This moron should die and apologize, damn brother!”

 

“I-It’s terrible! Dad! What’s the difference between me and the hero?! His beloved investment is just like pachinko, right?!”

 

“Oh, both of you just shut up.”

 

While my father usually takes a neutral stance as a steady salaryman, this time, he sided with me on the matter.

 

My mother also sided with my father, and my sister sided with my mother. And so, my brother realized he had vanished from the house.

 

Well, I don’t really care about my brother.

 

“This is the worst… the worst… Is it me who has to pay off the perfect plan of 200 million…? If it’s like this, I shouldn’t have borrowed… This is the worst!”

 

“Big brother, you’re so noisy.”

 

Having lost 2 million yen, I reluctantly had to return to the hellish job hunting.

 

Crying while writing resumes, crying while heading to interviews, crying while attending interviews, and crying while being rejected as if it’s a matter of course.

 

I decided to end my life.

 

“There’s no god in this world… That’s right, even if I had 2 million, there’s no god, so I can’t make a profit… Hehehe, that’s right, because there’s no god in the world, so cruelly, I’ll be a god…”

 

I tried to commit suicide by jumping from the balcony into the yard, but it just hurt.

 

No one in the family was worried. “It’s usual for Hero to be weird,” said my mother. Isn’t that a bit too much? Show more love for your child, please?

 

“Big brother, hm.”

 

My sister threw an envelope at me without any expression.

 

It was an envelope from the international organization “Dungeon Foundation.”

 

Dungeon Foundation.

 

I vaguely remembered it was a wealthy organization that managed dungeons where precious resources, crystals, and abnormal substances from different civilizations called Anomalies slept.

 

I opened the envelope.

 

“Hideo Akagi-sama… Dungeon… Explorer… Explorer? Huh?”

 

The content stated that I had the potential to explore dungeons.

 

Becoming a dungeon explorer is not something anyone can do. Humans with the genetics to adapt to dungeon environments exist at a rate of only 1 in 1,000.

 

In other words, was I a chosen individual?

 

What the heck, this is totally where my story begins!

 

“Father.”

 

“You have that face again, talking about something absurd, Hero.”

 

“I’m going to become a hero, father.”

 

“… Do as you please.”

 

“Cough. Father, the nearest active dungeon is in Gunma…”

 

“I won’t lend you money.”

 

“Please! Father!”

 

So, I knelt down, and he lent me travel and accommodation expenses.

 

Since I’ve completed all the credits at university, I can leave it unattended for a few months, and I’ll graduate.

 

Gunma Prefecture.

 

It felt more civilized than it looked in the pictures.

 

I headed to the village, no, the town where the dungeon was occurring based on my pre-research. I found a group of tents that looked like something you’d see on the news during a disaster.

 

I submitted the Dungeon Explorer certification from the Dungeon Foundation, along with my driver’s license and social security number, completed various procedures, and was handed a Dungeon Brooch. Something was written in English. Probably means ‘E-rank.’ I don’t know.

 

I’ve never worn fancy accessories like brooches before. Ouch, did that needle hurt?!

 

“This not only represents your explorer rank but also contains a chip indicating your identity. Absolutely, I mean absolutely, do not lose it!”

 

A cute girl around my age told me. I straightened my back a bit and replied, “Yes, of course,” pretending to be nonchalant.

 

She’s really cute. I wonder what her name is… Shurado-san, as she called herself. Truly fitting for Gunma, a world of strange and supernatural things. Probably the daughter of the most ferocious chief among the 12 tribes in Gunma. I get it, I get it.

 

“Oh, I don’t recognize that face.”

 

The one who spoke was a muscular guy with white hair.

 

As a greeting, he flexed his biceps that could probably crush apples.

 

“Uh, th-thank you…”

 

Involuntarily, my voice choked. If this guy is gay, today, I’m done.

 

“Don’t shrink away. It ruins the charm of a good-looking guy.”

 

“……(Please, let it slide.)”

 

“You’re a new explorer, right? Welcome to the dungeon. Unfortunately, this dungeon is mostly cleared, about 80%.”

 

Hoping not to get crushed, I asked the robust Mr. “Is there nothing left inside anymore?”

 

“That’s right. Most likely, all the crystals have been mined.”

 

According to Mr. Explorer, dungeon resources are limited, and once the dungeon boss is defeated, the dungeon disappears. Usually, it gets conquered within 1 week to 1 month. While there are differences in difficulty and buried resources in dungeons, even the lowest-class crystal resources obtained from one dungeon are worth several hundred million yen. The Dungeon Foundation buys all the crystals. The top brass of the foundation is the only one who knows their use. Rumors say they can be converted into various materials or serve as the next-generation energy source replacing electricity, but it’s all speculative.

 

“Open your status. If you’re recognized by the Dungeon Foundation, your skills should have awakened.”

 

As I muttered “Status” as I was taught by Shurado-san, I stroked the brooch.

 

──────────────────

 

Hideo Akagi

 

Level 0

 

HP 10/10

 

MP 10/10

 

Skills

 

『Finger Snap』

 

──────────────────

 

Finger Snap? Is that referring to finger snapping?

 

“Huh, ‘Finger Snap’…”

 

“That face, it’s the strongest ability, right?”

 

“No… Well, it depends on the person.”

 

“What’s with that reaction?”

 

“Skills are abilities that explorers develop or special events they’ve experienced, and they awaken through various cause-and-effect relationships. Well, yours is finger snapping, right?”

 

“Well, yeah.”

 

I confidently snapped my fingers. In middle school, I believed that by mastering finger snapping, I could create sparks and ignite them by hitting them against someone. Of course, I haven’t given up on that dream.

 

So, this should be a piece of cake. Hehe.

 

“It’s a nicely crisp sound.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Being praised made me a little happy.

 

“Well, you’ll understand when you use it. Shall we enter the dungeon right away?”

 

“Huh?”

 

So that’s what it is. It’s definitely the power to ignite, right? (Confident)

 

Because it’s the power to ignite, I can’t try it here with so many people, right? (Convinced)

 

Passing through the black gate surrounded by tents, I descended into the dungeon.

 

“Oh, you’re lucky. There’s a survivor monster from the first floor over there.”

 

Immediately, I targeted it and snapped my fingers.

 

The tip of the small monster’s nose, like a Chihuahua, sparkled with a snap.

 

“Hm?”

 

“It’s over.”

 

The monster ran away.

 

“Um…”

 

“It’s over. That’s ‘Finger Snap’ for you.”

 

Status.

 

──────────────────

 

Hideo Akagi

 

Level 0

 

HP 9/10

 

MP 10/10

 

Skills

 

『Finger Snap』

 

──────────────────

 

My stamina seems to have decreased…

 

“‘Finger Snap’ is commonly known as the weakest skill. You snap your fingers to surprise the opponent with sparks. By the way, what’s interesting is that it’s a skill that consumes HP, not MP.”

 

“This is such a damn useless skill.”

 

I hung my head in disappointment.