Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: The Brown Bear Battle
One day, I suddenly crushed a hole that looked like a dungeon in the backyard, and a status screen appeared.
You're probably thinking, "What the hell are you talking about?"
In this world, dungeons have appeared and become integrated into a system just like a game.
My level shown on the status screen was 49.
Probably, this is considered a top-level rank even in this world.
Since I had gotten this ability as a stroke of luck, I decided to use it to make some money.
Of course, through legitimate means.
I haven't officially registered as an adventurer yet, but I was in a cheerful mood and made my own weapons.
Weapons are sold even in places with dungeons, but most of them are rip-offs.
Anyway, since I had no money at first, I decided to make my own partner, but...
I went to the mountains to test the weapon I made, and in front of my eyes was a black, huge, shaggy creature.
"Why did it turn out like this!"
Standing in front of me was a giant brown bear.
Snow will start falling in about a month, so it's probably gathering food for hibernation.
The mountains are full of chestnuts and horse chestnuts.
We glared at each other against the black beast -- but it stinks!
A smell of a dog that hasn't been washed for about 10 years wafts from the bear.
Is this what they call beast odor?
Bear droppings are scattered on the roadside, and they smell exactly the same.
I thought that if I didn't show any intention to attack, it wouldn't be very aggressive, but... this one seems different.
It is clearly full of intent.
When I back away, it closes the distance.
Is it frustrated because it couldn't gather enough food?
Or does it intend to make me its food?
I took out a slingshot and concrete fragments from the Item Box.
Since I stored them with the ammunition set, I could take them out and immediately be in firing position.
As expected, the Item Box is convenient.
It is truly a cheat.
I started rotating the slingshot.
It was spinning at quite a high speed, and the sound of the rope cutting through the air could be heard.
If it were me before, I wouldn't have been able to swing such a heavy object around.
This is thanks to this high level too.
"Here I go!"
I let go of the slingshot.
Naturally, the concrete fragment flew towards the enemy.
Even if I couldn't finish it off in one shot, I thought it might scare the bear and make it run away after taking damage -- I was just a little hopeful.
Ignoring my miscalculation, the concrete hit the tree trunk near the bear.
After the explosion sound, the tree began to fall with a tearing noise.
The diameter of the trunk must have been about 10cm.
The power was sufficient, but it seems training is needed to hit the target.
Well, that's only natural.
No matter how much your power increases and you can throw speed balls, training is necessary to control it.
"Guaaaaa!"
After receiving a clear attack, the black beast charged towards me.
It was truly a fierce assault -- but the enemy's movements looked slow.
You often hear stories about movements looking slow when you get into an accident or in a split second.
Actually, I have encountered such situations myself.
I panicked at the bear's attack and jumped sideways, but I lost my balance and fell over due to the momentum at a speed completely different from my imagination.
It seems that not only the strength to swing weapons has increased, but also leg strength.
Despite that, there is no hindrance to daily life.
I didn't crush cups or anything like that.
It seems to have turned into a combat training I never expected.
"Grrr..."
The enemy was threatening me with its white fangs exposed.
A single strike from a bear is intense, powerful enough to kill a human in one hit.
I took out a Single-pipe Missile from the Item Box.
Since the throwing spear device was set as soon as I took it out, I could throw it as is.
"I haven't even done a test shot yet..."
I don't know if this thing is really usable, but I have to use it.
If this fails, it will be hand-to-hand combat.
At Level 49, can I really win?
I have no idea how strong Level 49 is.
I had intended to actually dive into a dungeon and gradually test my strength against weak enemies step by step...
"Gwooo!"
Did it lose patience? The brown bear stood up.
I thought it was big, but standing up it's 3m -- no, isn't it close to 4m?
It's seriously a big shot.
Being big means the target is big too.
I gripped the throwing spear device tightly and wound up.
"Whoa! Hit it!"
With all my might, I launched the missile from the throwing spear device.
The Single-pipe Missile left a white trail and flew straight, hitting the torso of the standing bear, and then pierced through it.
"Gaah!"
The bear let out a short scream and flew sideways -- then ran away in a panic.
Fast!
These things can reach about 60km/h even in the mountains.
They are good at climbing trees and are truly a terrifying existence for humans.
Although it is the king of the mountain, it was probably surprised by the unexpected pain of the attack.
It ran at full speed for about 50m, but then stopped abruptly.
"What's wrong?"
It stayed still for about 10 seconds, then slowly collapsed right there.
I held my stance for a while, but it didn't move a muscle anymore.
"Phew!"
I took a deep breath with all my might.
It was desperate, but before I knew it, my knees were shaking, and I felt like I was going to faint from anemia.
I squatted down for now.
"Haa~"
I took a deep breath again.
My heart is pounding, and I'm craving something sweet.
Speaking of which -- I remembered there was canned coffee in the light truck.
I want to drink that to calm down.
My head was full of canned coffee.
I glanced at the fallen black beast -- it's fine.
Returning to the light truck, I picked up the canned coffee I had thrown onto the passenger seat.
Sitting by the tire, I took a sip.
"Phew..."
I'm calming down a bit.
It was an unexpected event, but it was good that I could do a rehearsal before diving into the dungeon.
Although the prey was a bit too big.
After finishing the canned coffee in one gulp, I headed back to the scene.
Looking closely, a large amount of red liquid connected all the way to the bear.
In other words, death by blood loss.
The missile I threw probably damaged a large blood vessel.
A large amount of blood flowed out from there, and finally, life activities stopped.
-- That's how it was, but even with a fatal wound, it moved for several dozen seconds.
There was a possibility it would charge at me, ram me, or bite me.
If that happened, I wouldn't get off scot-free.
Speaking of which -- I understood that my attack power increased at Level 49, but what about defense power?
I can't possibly test it, though.
I pondered for a moment, but since the adventurer rankers wear bikini armor, their defense power must have increased too.
Should I get some armor too?
"But, there's no armor at the home center..."
I'll have to buy those at the Special District where the dungeon is.
Or, get drop items from inside the dungeon just like weapons.
That famous bikini armor is also a drop item, after all.
No, no, forget that. What should I do with this one?
I gazed at the black mountain in front of me.
For now, it stinks -- intensely.
If I report it -- they'll ask, "How did you kill it?!"
If it turns out I'm an adventurer -- they might investigate the dungeon too...
Besides, there's that Wildlife Protection Law, and it's not yet the hunting season, and I don't have a license.
"That's it!"
I had a sudden realization.
Can't I just put it in the Item Box?
I don't even know if living things can go in -- but...
"Store!"
The black shaggy creature disappeared from in front of my eyes.
Yes!
I did a victory pose all by myself.
"Living things can go in too..."
I suddenly looked up, and there was a small bird on a tree.
I tried to store this one next, but it didn't react at all.
I tried various things like insects and lizards.
It seems living things cannot be stored, but corpses can be stored.
If even humans can be put into the Item Box, I could do whatever I want with kidnapping or anything.
If I could store important figures from various countries, we'd be heading straight for World War III.
I can only hope such a skill never appears.
Since I put the bear in the Item Box, I'll go collect the missile I just fired.
"Ugh!"
It had fallen quite far away, covered in blood and emitting a foul odor.
Damn it -- using things like this makes you dirty...
I think dungeons and levels are like games, but this is how it actually turns out.
I wonder what those people swinging weapons around are doing.
Do they wash them every time?
I heard there is a cleaning magic called Clean, so maybe they rely on that.
Magic, huh -- now that you mention it, I'd want a cleaning magic like Clean.
I wouldn't have to do laundry either.
I wouldn't have to struggle with car washing either.
If such a thing exists, I definitely want it.
"Oh, speaking of which..."
I checked my status -- but there was no change.
I didn't learn any magic either -- nothing.
Is it not enough just to defeat a brown bear?
Or is it only monsters inside the dungeon that count?
Anyway, I stored the blood-soaked missile.
Doing it this way means I don't have to touch it, which is good.
I'll just go to a river where no one is and wash it.
I panicked due to the sudden event, but I realized the slingshot and throwing spear device are fully usable.
Now it's up to training.
Is there a skill for throwing too?
If I get that, maybe I could hit with any throwing weapon 100% of the time.
When I returned home, I took out a bucket from the garage and came to the river where I had taken river sand.
I took the missile out of the Item Box on the riverbank and scooped river water into the bucket to wash it.
There is plenty of water.
It's troublesome when it dries, but it became clean quickly.
While I was at it, I finished my business here.
I took out neodymium magnets from the Item Box, which were in a case.
I took them to the river sand.
When I submerged them in the sand, many black things attached -- iron sand.
I collected a lot of it.
What am I going to use this for? -- I took out a toy plastic plate from the Item Box.
I bought it at the home center, and it already has a hole in the bottom part.
I inserted a funnel into it and poured the collected iron sand in.
This is a close-range weapon for living things.
At the moment of impact, the iron sand deforms, so it doesn't bounce off and can transmit the shock internally.
I think filling it with oil clay would work too.
It's rare to be able to verify if these homemade weapons are really usable.
Because of this opportunity, there are many things I want to try.
I think I'm a dangerous guy myself, though.
Someone said -- you can't stop longing.
Finally, I picked up a large stone for the slingshot and tried a test shot.
It has enough power to blow away driftwood on the riverbank.
If a 10cm stone collides at high speed, even if the opponent is a monster, it will take considerable damage.
It would seem more powerful if it were a bit more uneven, but that can't be helped.
The ones rolling around here are Lohas (dead language), after all.
Since there is no change in the Item Box even if I put in a lot, I picked up about 100 stones.
With the weapons ready, I started preparing to go to Tokyo.
I bought a massive amount of food, boiled potatoes from my home garden in a large pot, and made curry.
I also purchased an additional large pot.
It's curry with a massive amount of potatoes instead of rice.
Potatoes are harvested in large quantities from my farm, so there are plenty.
I threw the potatoes with dirt on them into the Item Box too.
In Tokyo, these will also be worth money.
I cooked all the rice I had stored.
No matter how much I cook, I can store it in the Item Box to preserve it.
I don't need to become an adventurer; I think I can sell like crazy just by putting the Testing Land's food into the Item Box and bringing it to Tokyo.
That seems easier -- but this Item Box ability is linked to adventurer abilities, after all.
If the level disappears, it will probably vanish too.
-- One day like that.
I found something shining in the backyard.
It was the place where the pit had been.
"What is this...?"
When I picked it up, it was a small bottle.
Inside was a golden liquid that sparkled.
I shook it.
The golden liquid that sparkled spun around, glittering like stars dancing, stealing my eyes.
I've never seen anything like this, and I've been living here for over 10 years.
I mow the grass often and take care of the fields.
I can't imagine I missed it.
"Oh..."
I remembered something.
It seems that when you defeat monsters in a dungeon, items sometimes drop.
Could it be that I didn't notice it when the dungeon disappeared?
"I don't know what item this is, but I'll check it later."
It might be a valuable item.
Anyway, I stored it in the Item Box.
After that -- I used my smartphone to get a ticket for a flight to Tokyo.
The fare has become quite high compared to the past, but it can't be helped.
Once, it was connected to Honshu via the Undersea Tunnel, but that tunnel has become a dungeon.
If I don't use a plane, I have to cross to Honshu by boat.
It takes a terribly long time.
Many of those boats, which stopped moving when the world froze, have not been repaired.
No one knows if it's worth spending a lot of money to repair them.
The Undersea Tunnel, which took enormous money and time to open, would have been a dream in the Showa era to end up like this -- but...
What's done is done.
I have to accept it and move forward.
Well, if there's a dungeon nearby, I wouldn't have to spend money to go to Tokyo -- but...
The Undersea Tunnel Dungeon has few people and is not well maintained.
It was a depopulated area to begin with.
Tokyo is where the most people live, bustling, and where Special Districts are well developed.
Also, it's the home base for most of the rankers.
Famous guilds are concentrated in Tokyo.
After all, if the population is large, things become well-developed, which might be kind to an adventurer beginner like me.
Also, on the net, there were many opinions that if you want to earn money, the Tokyo dungeon is the most efficient.
I won't take it all at face value, but if there are so many such opinions, there must be a reason.
"Take that and this..."
I repeated the simulation in my head.
Normally, I would pack clothes and bags -- but I have the Item Box.
I can just put everything in the Item Box.
However, I can't let people see me taking things in and out, so I must be careful.
Since I'll be away for a long time, I went to greet the neighborhood association official living nearby.
There are many large agricultural machines lined up in the big house, but now that fuel is expensive, they aren't used much.
Even if you hire many people and spend labor costs to produce food, it's a good business now that imports are often cut off.
Farmers who own land are strong in times like these.
"Hi~"
"What's up, Niwa-san?"
An elderly man with a slightly red face appeared.
This is a large-scale farm.
"Um, the period is unknown, but I'll be away for a long time, so I came to say hello."
"Oh? Is it work?"
"Hehe, that's right..."
"Where are you going?"
"To Tokyo."
"Oh my, that's so far."
I have to make sure they don't circulate the circular board or anything.
In the countryside, you can't avoid these kinds of social obligations.
Snow will fall soon, so I'm worried about snow removal, but if I make money, I can hire a contractor.
If I make a huge sum of money suddenly, I'll come back right away, but the merchant won't let me get away with that.
After returning from the greeting, I noticed something.
"How do I get to the airport..."
This is a remote area, so it's about 80km from here to the city airport.
If I'm coming back in one day, I can drive the light truck there and leave it in the airport parking lot.
Of course, there will be a fee.
There used to be a limousine service, but it went out of business.
Buses were also discontinued because they couldn't break even.
I'll have to ask someone to give me a ride...
"That's it! I have the Item Box!"
Can't the light truck go into the Item Box?
If it fits, I can go near the airport and store it where no one can see.
I decided to close the garage shutter and try it.
"Store!"
My beloved white light truck disappeared.
Yes!
This means I can take the car too.
After storing the light truck, I'll go to the airport by taxi.
"Wow! As expected, the Item Box is too convenient!"
I never thought a car could fit inside...
Even though huge things like cars are inside, the weight is zero.
It truly transcends human knowledge.
Seeing things like this -- I start to wonder if the story about being forced to play God's game is true.
I wonder how much can actually fit.
I tried putting in the remaining sandbags too.
"It won't fit..."
Can't these sandbags be used as defense against enemies?
Well, I can't feel the weight, so I'll just take them along and throw them in the dungeon if I don't use them.
-- A few days later, after finishing the last shopping, I put that in the Item Box too.
I put a sign on the mailbox.
"I'll be away for a while --"
After confirming the locks, I got into the light truck.
"Departure!"
This light truck has a CVT, so I don't feel stress even on regular roads.
I drove through the road where autumn leaves started to turn and crossed the pass.
When I arrived in the city, I looked for a place without people, and there was one place that came to mind.
It was a narrow underpass that a compact car could pass through.
It's a place known only to those who know, a place only locals know.
When I arrived there, I checked the surroundings.
No following cars.
I got out of the car in the dark after passing under the underpass.
I checked front and back again.
"Okay, store!"
The compact car was sucked into the Item Box and disappeared from my eyes.
This thing is convenient!
But it's troublesome to make sure no one finds out.
I walked out onto the street as is, caught a taxi, and headed to the airport.
After finishing the procedures at the counter, I headed to the lobby.
I boarded the plane directly, and above the clouds.
It's been a while since I was in Tokyo, but I never thought I'd end up going there to dive into a dungeon.
After about an hour of flight, we arrived over Tokyo.
Tokyo Bay is visible below, and in the center, a small hill can be seen with the city spreading around it.
Has half of the bay been reclaimed already?
It has expanded this much in just 10 years.
I lived in Tokyo 10 years ago, and I remember when the dungeon appeared.
All electronic devices became useless, and transportation and logistics stopped.
Naturally, imports from foreign countries stopped, but since communication also stopped, I didn't know what was happening in other countries.
Infrastructure controlled by computers also stopped, and hunger caused by a shortage of supplies struck Tokyo.
Inflation also started, and people began to move to the countryside on foot or by bicycle.
They thought places with agriculture and fishing would have food, but primary industries are now mechanized.
It was a return to the early Showa era where everything was manual labor.
After all, if semiconductors die, even motor scooters won't move.
Among them, there were few vehicles that could move.
Motorcycles and cars using traditional point ignition, ships with glow plug engines, etc.
The older the thing, the more it moves -- a sharp irony against modern civilization.
Amidst this, desperate investigations were repeated on a mysterious hole that appeared in Tokyo Bay.
A few days later, it was found that vacuum tubes could be used, and a communication network using transmitters and receivers began to spread.
Vacuum tubes aren't like old glass light bulbs.
They are new-generation vacuum tubes that run on batteries, utilizing the principle of fluorescent display tubes.
A few months later, it was determined that the cause of semiconductors stopping was the hole that appeared.
Even if the cause was identified, food didn't just appear.
To produce food, most people engaged in primary industries.
There was no other work, and if they didn't make it, there would be no food.
Everywhere was dug up and turned into fields and rice paddies.
What was I doing at that time? --
I had returned to my parents' home for my father's funeral.
When I was in the countryside, the world froze due to the dungeon, and I became unable to move from that spot.
I couldn't contact the outside, and vehicles wouldn't move.
I had no choice but to live locally.
If things don't come in from the outside, there's no choice but local production for local consumption.
Fortunately, my hometown has a food self-sufficiency rate of over 100%.
I cultivated 300 tsubo of land behind my house and 300 tsubo of my parents' land by hand, and planted potatoes that could be stored.
I stored chestnuts and horse chestnuts that I usually don't harvest, and even dug up sunflowers growing by the river.
I was desperate.
Because if I didn't do that, I wouldn't survive.
I aimed for food self-sufficiency, but since imports of chemical fertilizers stopped, productivity didn't increase.
I carried compost and leaf mold from the mountains and used them.
The elderly said it was like returning to the early Showa era.
I wanted meat, so I hunted bears and deer non-stop...
It was actually illegal, but in an emergency, you can't say such things.
Besides, the police officer in the village should turn a blind eye.
Otherwise, I can't live in the village.
Even so, the young people managed somehow, but since hospitals also stopped functioning, half of the elderly in the village passed away.
The house I bought and lived in was also inherited from someone who had passed away.
Originally, the land and building had no price, and the owner was an elderly person with no relatives.
After a few months, a hydroelectric generator was installed in the river, and a vacuum tube radio came from the town hall.
When it was installed at the promotion center, information was brought from the radio network laid out nationwide, and circular boards were circulated in the village.
That was the only information from the outside.
That's when I first learned that the cause of this abnormality was dungeons appearing in various places.
Rumors about people came in, but they were all vague.
Finally, accurate information from the country was brought.
And six months later, the latest organic compound regulators and rectifiers began to circulate, and moving vehicles increased.
Of course, things using the latest electronic control engines like before were no good.
Simple engines like motorcycles and generators became movable if modified.
However, the import of crude oil, the source of fuel, has almost stopped.
Therefore, plants like fuel potatoes and corn are cultivated everywhere in the country, and alcohol is being produced.
In addition to the potatoes we use for food, we produce fuel potatoes and sell them wholesale.
There was originally a sake brewing manufacturer in the local area.
That facility was converted to produce fuel alcohol, and local production and consumption of fuel is being carried out.
Across Japan, the development of alternative fuels is accelerating rapidly.
In the past, there were urban legends that oil majors would interfere if you tried to develop such things, but oil majors have already declined.
With that, we can boldly develop alternative fuels.
One year after the world froze, it was discovered that magic stones from dungeons could be used for semiconductors.
As a national project, legal measures were made to use dungeons as mines.
After that, the dungeon industry continued to expand rapidly -- leading to the present.
Japan's recovery is progressing, and it is returning to its former state.
Japan's population has decreased considerably, but I realize once again that we can manage somehow.
Some heartless people say it's good that the grain-wasting elderly have decreased, but I think it's because they sacrificed themselves that the young people could survive.
As I immersed myself in painful memories, the plane landed at Haneda Airport.