Chapter 22 First Dungeon and Spoils
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”By the way,” I asked, “what’s going on with skills and all that?”
I was sitting in a rattling canopy rickshaw—the kind that’s like a horse carriage, except pulled by a person. Across from me sat Trash.
Outside, the sky stretched cloudless and blue, autumn sunlight pouring through the trees. A cool breeze slipped in through the gaps in the rickshaw, just enough to make me pull my coat a little tighter. It was the kind of perfect fall day that made you want to wander down quiet streets or go searching for red leaves in the mountains.
The air was so crisp it almost sparkled. Every breath felt clean, refreshing. A perfect day for an outing—no one could be blamed for feeling cheerful.
We were on our way from the school grounds toward a dungeon hidden somewhere deep in the Ichihara mountains after a short ride through the forest trails. Just the three of us—me, Trash, and C*mslut.
Today, there were no bodyguards. Only the two members of the Exploration Squad who had completed their Oath of Fealty Ritual, plus a few school staff. No one else was allowed to enter the dungeon; that was the rule.
This was, in short, our long-awaited outdoor mysticism class.
At first, I’d tried to avoid this sort of thing. But as a man, I didn’t have much of a choice. Exploring dungeons and uncovering mystical resources was the main duty of men and the Imperial Guards. An obligation you couldn’t escape.
The other major “duty,” of course, was reproduction. Personally, I would’ve preferred to focus on that one sooner. Maybe the dungeon would drop some kind of powerful aphrodisiac—then maybe I could finally have sex with Trash…
”Skill…” Trash echoed my word, her expression faintly puzzled.
”You know, those mysterious powers,” I said. “You get one after finishing the ritual, right? One per person?”
”Ah—yes. You mean Psionic Power. Of course.”
”Oh good. So, what kind did you get?”
Right, that was the proper name—Psionic Power. I’d nearly forgotten, distracted by the physical boosts from the ritual. Women who completed it gained special powers—abilities that went beyond reason. Magic, basically.
Each person’s power reflected their upbringing, personality, or desires. Totally unique. It wasn’t a skill in the scientific sense—it was more like a personal supernatural ability.
Unlike physical abilities, which could grow endlessly with experience, a Psionic Power was granted only once in a lifetime. Mastering it completely was the key.
Trash smiled softly at my curiosity and reached into the pocket of her white uniform, drawing out a small, delicate knife—the kind used for fine crafting.
”Want to see it?” she asked.
”Yes! Show me! What’s the knife for?”
She chuckled. “Patience.”
Gently, she soothed my excitement, then slipped the knife back into her pocket.
A soft tap on the pocket. It glimmered faintly for an instant.
”I gained my Psionic Power the day after the ritual,” she said. “It seems my little obsession with collecting things became the seed of my ability.”
Then she drew out not one, but two identical knives.
”They’re… the same knife?” I said.
”Admiring fine objects is like conversing with people from the past,” she said. “And one can never have too many good things.”
She tucked both knives away again, tapped the pocket—and now there were three.
Trash kept producing new knives one after another.
”Whoa, that’s amazing! It’s like that song about the magic pocket!”
”You know it?” she said, smiling. “I’ve always loved that children’s song. I suppose that’s where it came from. My urge to collect grew out of poverty. I often wished I could get what I wanted without taking it from someone else.”
Her expression softened, touched by memory.
Honestly, it was incredible. I picked up one of the knives—same shape, same weight. I couldn’t tell which was the original.
If she could produce infinite copies, this power could destroy the economy.
”Wow… that’s insane. How much can you make?”
”As long as my stamina holds, as much as I like. Something this simple—ten, twenty, no problem. I can duplicate anything that fits in here. And the copies don’t vanish with time.”
”Okay, that’s… terrifying. I can only think of ways this could be abused.”
”There are limits,” she said, her tone calm. “I can only duplicate what fits into this pocket.”
Her fingers brushed the white fabric over her chest.
”The happiness suited to me,” she murmured, “must be small enough to fit inside a pocket.”
”That’s more than enough,” I said. “Small things can hold plenty of value.”
”Those words mean a lot to me,” she said softly.
I grinned. “Still, the power I gave you turned out pretty materialistic, huh?”
”No,” she said, smiling faintly. “Your gentle nature answered my wish. It’s the kindest Psionic Power in the world.”
Trash smiled—radiant, almost holy. It was as if compassion itself shimmered around her.
Meanwhile, I was hopelessly down-to-earth.
Damn it. I should’ve brought that dessert from yesterday’s lunch. She could’ve duplicated it endlessly…
”Still,” I said, “seeing it up close—it’s wild.”
Of course men were privileged in this world. If gifts like this were given by them, women would work hard for their favor.
Just how many craftsmen—or machines—was Trash worth, now that she could duplicate anything?
I closed my eyes and tried to imagine it.
If she truly could make permanent copies of small objects indefinitely… In modern terms, that’d be like a company with a billion-dollar facility and hundreds of workers, producing a hundred circuit boards a day.
Even if she only managed a fifth of that—say, twenty copies daily—the total profit over her lifetime would reach the billions.
There might not be electronics in this world, but there were ships, which meant precision steel parts. If one woman could produce them alone, just sitting in her room, she could put entire small-town factories out of business. Maybe even erase a town or two.
Even if she just used the power to multiply raw materials, she’d never have to worry about survival again.
…She’s not planning to get recruited by someone, right? She wouldn’t… right?
”Don’t worry,” Trash said with a faint smile. “I only ever intend to use this power for you, Young Master.”
”…Huh? Am I really that easy to read?”
”It was written all over your adorable face.”
”Seriously? How did you even tell?”
I glanced nervously at her. Her expression was calm, perfectly composed—nothing written there at all. Apparently, this little mind-reading system worked one way. I couldn’t read a thing from her.
Guess my powers of observation still need work…
Rattle. Clatter.
The rickshaw rolled gently forward. We must’ve been close to our destination by now.
Come to think of it, C*mslut hadn’t said a word the whole time.
”…Is she asleep?” I asked.
I looked over at her, sitting quietly beside Trash.
”…”
Her eyes were open, but she didn’t react. So, not asleep then.
Well, silence wasn’t exactly unusual for an Imperial Guard. Unless spoken to, they were supposed to stay quiet. Napping, of course, was out of the question. If one ever chatted with her master just to pass the time, she’d be disqualified on the spot.
”Hey, Trash—C*mslut isn’t talking. She’s not even moving. Is she okay?”
”I’m not entirely sure,” Trash said, tilting her head. “But it seems her Psionic Power allows her to… fix things in place.”
Trash explained that C*mslut possessed a unique Psionic Power that allowed her to freeze objects or even herself in place, though it was still hard to control. Sometimes she froze up completely like this—immobile, unresponsive.
”She probably tried to show off for you, Young Master, and ended up stuck. Let’s leave her be.”
”That’s cold…”
”She brought it upon herself.”
Wow. Trash could be pretty harsh with her coworkers.
But seriously—what was happening here? C*mslut wasn’t even breathing. Eyes open, body frozen solid.
Was this… my secret wish for “time-stop” videos somehow merging with her psyche? I’d heard ninety percent of those were fake—but maybe I’d finally met the real deal.
Still, a power that freezes *yourself* seems… kind of useless.
”Mind if I touch her?” I asked.
”She’s sturdy. You could kick her if you like.”
I crept closer, trying not to trip in the moving carriage.
When the cart lurched, I grabbed her thigh for balance.
”Whoa… she’s really frozen.”
”…”
”Her chest is soft, though. Wow, this really is like one of those time-stop things…”
”…”
Her expression was perfectly still, her skin faintly warm. She looked like a living doll.
I couldn’t resist testing it—tracing my hands over her, pressing gently. After a while, I noticed a tiny change. Her face stayed frozen, but her cheeks turned pink.
Ah. She’s blushing. Maybe she can’t release the Psionic Power. Poor thing—she’s stuck like this, embarrassed and unable to move. Her eyes even looked a little wet.
That must be torture—being touched, unable to resist, unable to speak.
”…N…no…” came a weak murmur.
”Whoa, that’s hilarious,” I said, grinning.
Well, might as well test a few more spots, for science.
I was still sitting on her knees when we finally arrived.
The rickshaw stopped in a field halfway up a gentle hill.
Golden grass swayed in the autumn wind, whispering like bristles of a broom sweeping the earth. Somewhere nearby, the cheerful buzz of maggots—yes, maggots—rose and fell like birdsong. The flatland was neatly trimmed and fenced off. At the entrance stood several middle-aged women, likely school staff, checking the people entering.
”Wow, this place feels nice,” I said. “Could totally have a picnic here.”
”It’s well maintained,” Trash agreed.
”I thought dungeons were more like dark, creepy caves.”
”This area was developed to transport resources,” she said. “Before being cleared, many entrances were indeed such caves.”
”So it’s like a mining operation, huh…”
Exactly. The dungeon we were about to enter had already been conquered—at least, officially. The site was completely organized and ready for visitors.
”So it’s already cleared, then?” I asked.
”That’s what they claim,” Trash said, frowning. “But in truth, it’s questionable. Dungeons are all interconnected, so a complete conquest is impossible.”
Apparently, this dungeon had at least five levels, but only the first two were mapped. The rest was just for show—political propaganda to advertise Ichihara’s safety and prosperity.
Somehow, that made it less exciting.
And, as usual, the Kazusa Province wasn’t exactly known for harmony between its regions.
I stepped down from the rickshaw and passed the bowing staff members, entering the fenced area. Teachers stood by a checkpoint, taking note of our arrival.
Inside, it was just open grassland—empty and quiet. No one else around. We followed the Imperial Guards across the field until we reached a strange sight: a khaki-colored door standing alone in the middle of the meadow, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.
Just one Western-style single door and its frame, standing upright, disconnected from everything—like something left behind by mistake.
It reminded me of those news photos where a hurricane wipes out a house, leaving only the door still standing.
Looking behind it, there was nothing. Nowhere it led. Just a mysterious door.
”…This is weird,” I muttered.
”Now then, Young Master,” Trash said, producing a rope. “We’ll tie ourselves together. Please tell me if it’s too tight.”
”…A climbing rope,” I realized. “So we stay connected.”
”When entering a dungeon, if we’re not physically linked, we can sometimes appear in different places. …C*mslut, come closer.”
”Wait, this door is the entrance?” I said, staring at it.
Of course, it didn’t answer.
”…”
”Are you listening? Fine, whatever.”
Since that forced kiss, C*mslut had been acting like a proper lady—quiet, shy, always looking down. Even now, she kept a small step of distance between us, her face flushed whenever I looked at her.
Now, the three of us—Trash, me, and C*mslut—were tied together with the rope. She seemed nervous from how close we were. Maybe I’d gone too far earlier when she couldn’t move. Poor girl.
”Let’s go,” Trash said.
”Okay.”
She grasped the doorknob, and together we stepped through.
Oh.
Beyond the door stretched a true cave.
The ground was brown, compacted dirt—firm and damp, like a clay floor. The walls and ceiling were rough stone, shaped like frozen wax dripping from giant candles. The gray rock shimmered faintly in the dim light.
It was darker further ahead, but not oppressive. The passage was about three meters high—tall enough to walk comfortably. Air flowed softly through the corridor, carrying the scent of earth but no dust or decay.
Our footsteps echoed faintly as the light behind us faded, and the darkness swallowed the path ahead.
The light source was strange—hard to define. The air was dim and hazy, yet everything nearby was clearly visible, as if softly lit from within. Behind us, the door still opened onto the bright world outside, but that light wasn’t what illuminated this place.
It was a peculiar kind of brightness—shadowed yet visible, like the caves in the picture books I’d read as a child. Dark, but somehow still clear. Maybe because I was smaller now, it all felt like wandering through a dream.
Trash untied the rope linking us together.
”This dungeon belongs to the Ichihara territory,” she said. “Its name is the Forest of Mystery. Before it was conquered, many kinds of monstrous beasts lived here.”
”It… doesn’t really look like a forest,” I said.
”This is just the entrance. Walk a little farther, and you’ll see the woods. Don’t be afraid, Young Master—we’ll protect you.”
”Got it. Then let’s go.”
Yeah. Better stay close to them. Part of me wanted to hold someone’s hand, but if we ran into other students, that would be awkward.
Trash led the way like some handsome kidnapper who’d somehow gotten a pass for being charming. She walked ahead, C*mslut silently followed behind, and I stayed between them.
After a while, I noticed something odd—my body felt different. My steps grew lighter. At first, I thought I was just feeling good, but my pace slowed while each stride carried me farther. My body felt almost weightless, like walking on a fluffy carpet.
”Hey, doesn’t it feel like we’re lighter?” I asked.
”You noticed,” Trash said. “Many mysterious phenomena occur in this forest.”
”Mysterious phenomena…”
She turned, smiling gently at me.
”So the lightness is one of them?”
”To explain—certain areas of this dungeon have reduced gravity. Not too extreme here, but in some places, it’s less than half the normal force.”
I bent my knees and bounced—and suddenly floated upward. It felt like moving underwater, except without any resistance.
”This is so weird,” I said. “Like the gravity’s gone. Maybe it’s centrifugal force or something—like falling on a roller coaster that never ends.”
”A roller coaster track…? That’s an oddly fitting comparison,” she said with a chuckle.
”Hey, Trash, can I try running around a bit? It’s not dangerous, right?”
”Go ahead. Just be careful—not everyone’s stomach handles it well at first.”
I took off running.
Whoa—this felt like walking on the moon! Each step launched me forward in long, buoyant strides. I tried triple jumps and wall kicks like a video game character, laughing to myself. Maybe it was the younger body talking, but something in me—a kid’s pure excitement—was bursting out. With every leap, I felt stronger, freer.
Okay, I get why dungeon maniacs like Tokumasa get obsessed with this stuff.
”Look at him,” Trash whispered. “He’s having so much fun…”
”…He really is adorable,” C*mslut murmured softly.
Under my guardians’ watchful eyes, I enjoyed the low-gravity playground. I probably looked like a kid on a field trip, but I didn’t care. Both of them watched me with fond, almost parental expressions.
After playing around for a while, we moved on. I remembered this was supposed to be a lesson, not recess.
Soon, the cave floor grew strange—small black plants began to sprout everywhere. The deeper we went, the thicker they grew until the ground looked like a black carpet.
Then, the tunnel opened up into a forest.
Everywhere I looked—right, left, above—was filled with trees, dense and dark. It was disorienting, like stepping into a different world.
The trees and leaves were all shades of gray or pitch black, as if color itself had been drained away. Most were straight conifers, tall and thin. It didn’t feel like the gentle woodlands of Japan, but more like the deep forests from old fairy tales overseas. The bark and leaves looked drawn in ink, dotted with rough shading, like a newspaper illustration rather than something real.
There was no sun above—just a jagged cave ceiling like the inside of a domed stadium.
”Still,” I said, “it doesn’t feel scary. Just… mysterious.”
The three of us walked through the monochrome forest together.
”Everything looks the same,” I said. “It’s like we’re looping.”
”This way, Young Master,” Trash said.
”Ah—right. Coming.”
My body still felt light, almost dreamlike. I could walk forever like this, weightless and unburdened. If I got lost here, I might never find my way out. The sameness, the silence—it pulled you forward endlessly.
Eventually, the forest opened into a vast clearing.
There, scattered across the ground, were enormous bones.
They were thicker and stronger-looking than a whale’s—huge, like a dinosaur doubled in size.
In that wide chamber, several other men and their Imperial Guards were already gathered. Apparently, this was a resting point inside the dungeon. Some boys had set up folding chairs and were brewing tea. Among them were not just my classmates, but also younger students I didn’t recognize.
”We’ve arrived,” Trash said. “This is the Tea House of the Elephant’s Corpse. Half a century ago, a great monster was slain here, and its remains were turned into this resting spot.”
”Wow… so the building’s made from the monster’s body. Those bones really do look like pillars.”
”They say it was a giant elephant-like beast,” Trash continued. “You’re standing now inside its chest. The creature was so powerful that many lives were lost defeating it.”
”So… this is its breastbone?”
I looked around. The space was about thirty meters wide, with tall white columns rising at regular intervals, meeting high overhead. A thick, curved beam crossed the ceiling—probably the spine. Toward the back, a huge tusk jutted from the ground. Yeah, we were standing inside its ribcage.
No wonder I hadn’t noticed. The scale was unbelievable.
”Wow,” I breathed. “Hard to believe something this massive was alive once.”
I craned my neck to stare up at the spine arching above. Calling it a “monster” felt wrong—it was practically a kaiju.
I wandered through the break area—a mix of bone and cloth structures, like an old frontier camp. There were stands selling dumplings and tea, souvenir shops offering mystical trinkets from the dungeon, and even a restroom for men.
It honestly felt like a tourist stop halfway up a mountain trail.
”Delicious,” I mumbled, munching happily.
I sat on a long bench, finishing my dumplings. The tea was excellent—no surprise, since this place catered to men. All around me, students were laughing, chatting, and exploring. It didn’t feel like a serious outdoor class at all—more like a relaxed social studies field trip. No roll call, no assignments, no supervision. Just a free-entry amusement park built inside a dungeon, for men to enjoy.
”Mmm… this tea’s really good,” I said, stretching a little. “Honestly, this outdoor lesson just feels like a field trip. Kind of underwhelming, actually.”
”Mysticism field lessons exist so that men may understand the hardships women face,” Trash explained. “This is only the first step.”
”Huh. I mean, I guess I get what a dungeon is like now—but it might give the opposite impression. It doesn’t seem that hard at all.”
”The beginning of understanding should always be joy,” she said gently. “Are you enjoying yourself, Young Master?”
”Yeah,” I said, smiling. “I’m glad I came.”
”That pleases me. A master’s happiness is a woman’s highest reward.”
We looked around together. The students and Imperial Guards nearby seemed closer than usual—talking, laughing, a little more relaxed than they ever were at school. Watching their partners smile seemed to make the Guards quietly happy too.
Maybe that was the real purpose of this outdoor lesson—to strengthen bonds between men and women, or at least improve relations through a little shared adventure.
Of course, the real dungeons—those used for student fieldwork and official expeditions—were another story entirely. The one used for collecting mystical resources was in a different part of Ichihara, and only women were allowed to enter. Many had died there—Imperial Guards and ordinary women alike.
Compared to that, this place felt utterly peaceful.
I sipped my tea and wandered around the plaza.
”They say there were once many kinds of beast-shaped monsters here,” Trash explained. “Bears, lions, rabbits… some would pose riddles to travelers or beat drums for no reason at all.”
”Huh… were they as big as that elephant?”
”Would you like to see another corpse?”
”Yeah, definitely.”
She led me down a corridor branching from the plaza. As we went, my body grew even lighter. We bounced through the dim forest until we reached a small lake where clear water bubbled from underground. Trash and C*mslut had explored this area before, so even deep in the woods, they never lost their way.
”Whoa,” I said. “The water’s splashing in slow motion—it’s like a slow-mo video.”
”The spring flows from the corpse of a stork-type monster,” Trash said. “The water it produces is pure, soft, and free of contamination. It’s widely used.”
”It’s not that big,” I said, peering closer. “Wingspan maybe three meters? Pretty normal for a stork.”
In the center of the lake floated a massive white bird, pierced through with spears and arrows. Its feathers had lost their sheen from age, but the flesh hadn’t decayed. Without the exposed bone, you could almost believe it was still alive.
”Pretty gruesome,” I muttered.
The bird didn’t move, just drifted silently in the water like a pale statue.
Still, it was a fascinating phenomenon. I stared for a while. A monster’s corpse being turned into a natural water source—humans using the remains of what once threatened them. If it truly produced endless clean water, that solved droughts, pollution, even industrial supply. No wonder dungeons were treated as national resources. This water was literally fueling civilization.
”So the monster’s corpse itself became a mystical object?” I asked.
”More precisely, its feathers,” Trash said. “A single feather can store enough water for an entire village to live on. Many died defeating it, but Ichihara owes much of its prosperity to this creature.”
”That’s incredible.”
”It is. Would you like to take a closer look?”
She stepped down toward the water’s edge. With a polite nod from the staff standing nearby, I followed.
The stork’s white feathers quivered faintly underwater.
”Oh… it’s moving. Not alive, though. What’s going on?”
”It regrows feathers about once a month,” she said. “The new feathers are collected and used throughout the Kazusa Province—or traded abroad. Mystical objects come in two kinds: those harvested from slain monsters, and those that simply appear inside the dungeon.”
So, basically like video game loot drops—and random collectibles scattered around. This was the kind of dungeon I understood.
”Try tossing a stone,” said an elderly staff woman standing nearby.
I picked up a pebble and threw it into the lake.
”Whoa…”
Because of the weak gravity, the splash hung in the air, droplets floating upward like tiny stars. It was beautiful. Unreal.
Yeah—dungeons really were mysterious places.
We spent a while exploring the forest afterward. Strange things lay scattered on the ground—a rusted trumpet, a fur-covered drum, other odd relics. But nothing dangerous. No monsters, no movement. Everything threatening had been cleared long ago.
At least I wouldn’t have to fight some random bear out of nowhere. Though, honestly, after seeing how strong Trash and C*mslut were yesterday, part of me had wanted to see them battle a slime or something. It would’ve been like watching a real-life fantasy scene.
When our exploration wrapped up, I turned to watch C*mslut, still trailing quietly behind.
As I smiled and leaned closer to look at her face, she froze.
Wow—she really hadn’t spoken all day. I’d almost forgotten she was even there. The bold, teasing attitude she had yesterday was completely gone.
”…Um. Young Master, I…” she stammered.
”Are you embarrassed?” I asked.
”Uuuh… I just remembered… stuff from yesterday… Sorry, I-I can’t look at you right now… I’ll fix it soon, I promise…”
”It’s fine,” I said, laughing softly. “Really. Sorry for teasing you before.”
C*mslut blushed and looked away, flustered. Honestly, I was getting a little tired myself.
Well, that was enough for today. I’d had fun. And the golden rule of sightseeing: always head home before you’re exhausted. We’d be back next week anyway.
”Maybe I’ll bring home a souvenir,” I said.
”Understood,” Trash replied. “Once you find something you like, we’ll head back.”
”Anything counts as a mystical object, right?”
”Yes. On this first floor, you may take whatever you please, Young Master.”
That didn’t mean everything here was valuable, though.
In principle, everything inside a dungeon was touched by mystery. Even the trees here—dark, patterned plants that grew under low gravity—were technically mystical objects, though not exactly useful. From the sand on the ground to the corpses of monsters, all of it operated by different laws of nature, but usefulness was another matter entirely.
I looked around at the clutter scattered on the forest floor, but nothing seemed practical. Finally, I plucked a few black leaves—ordinary-looking, but strange enough—and decided they’d make fine souvenirs.
”I’ve officially collected my first mystical object,” I said aloud.
No sound effect chimed. No triumphant music played.
Well. That felt about right.
Notes:
• Psionic Power – Mental energy concept in Chapter 35’s lecture. Trash-san teaches it to strengthen the protagonist’s mind after dungeon ordeals.
• Kazusa Province – A region cited in Chapter 29 dungeon records defining unreturnable dungeons. Serves as a geographic and academic reference for explorers.
• Tokumasa – Friendly male student from Nokogiriyama, Tateyama Town. Sun-darkened skin, approachable.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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