After finishing that nostalgic chicken and learning what my first cigarette tasted like, Rubelt brought me to a dungeon managed by the state, commonly known as a “managed dungeon.”

Normally, diving into a dungeon required quite a bit of preparation, but since this trip was only for observation and some light combat, we came lightly dressed. If any other hunter saw me like this, they would probably ask, “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” That was how casual my outfit looked.

Because, yeah, I was wearing ordinary tracksuit clothes. Monster extermination was not a damn workout.

“How much do you know about dungeons?”

“I think I know the basics. A managed dungeon is a dungeon controlled by the country, and unmanaged dungeons outside that system are called ‘wild dungeons.’ Also, dungeons basically have bosses, and once you defeat the boss, the dungeon closes. That’s about it.”

“That’s the most basic of basics. By the way, defeating the boss of a managed dungeon and forcing the dungeon to close is a crime, so be careful. No matter the reason, you’ll be guaranteed a death sentence.”

What a scary-ass world.

That said, I understood what he meant. Dungeons managed by the state were usually safe dungeons that barely caused any damage to the surrounding area. In return, the country could harvest resources from them almost permanently.

Because dungeons were considered worlds separate from this one, pretty little ideas like environmental conservation did not apply.

Rather, this world’s common sense was to hunt everything down until the place ran dry. Apparently, no dungeon had ever actually been hunted dry, though.

There were so many dungeons they could practically rot in piles.

A wild dungeon referred to an unmanaged dungeon. The reasons varied: some dungeons could not be managed, some were too difficult to clear, and some simply did not offer worthwhile resources. Whatever the case, none of them were under state control.

When I gave a simple explanation of the difference between managed dungeons and wild dungeons, Rubelt added to my explanation, saying there was more to it than that.

“There were also things called dark dungeons. They were basically dungeons controlled by mafias and underground groups. Places the government couldn’t completely lock down ended up in their hands instead. Those groups managed the dungeons themselves, then sold the materials they gathered to the government or whatever organizations were willing to pay. Officially, it was illegal, but more resources meant more profit for the country, so most of the time the authorities just looked the other way.”

“Huh. So gangs actually send people into those places too?”

“You catch on fast. Yeah, the capable ones dive there. They have to hand over a percentage of whatever they bring back, but even after that, the money’s still damn good. Independent rogues without gang ties dive into dark dungeons too. That’s why the mafias usually don’t bother ordinary civilians. Still, the moment you look weak, they’ll squeeze everything they can out of you.”

“What a rough world.”

“Damn right. No matter the era, living is never easy.”

Dark dungeons. They had nothing to do with me, but I decided to remember them anyway. Maybe there were strong people there, or some idiot who wanted to challenge the “Five Great Dungeons.”

As I thought that, Rubelt continued as though something had just occurred to him.

“Ah, if you’re aiming for the Five Great Dungeons, you might end up dealing with mafias and shady organizations whether you like it or not.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because clearing the Five Great Dungeons is forbidden. Long ago, there was a country that tried to clear one of the Five Great Dungeons, and it disappeared from the map. After seeing that, the nations decided to put laws in place so some idiot wouldn’t pull the same crap again. So if you want to prepare for going there and all that, you might have to rely on underground organizations.”

So there was a law like that.

I only knew about the existence of the “Five Great Dungeons” as knowledge. I barely knew anything about the laws. If a law like that existed, then heading there through proper channels was impossible.

So, whether I liked it or not, I would end up involved with underground organizations...

I lightly patted Rubelt on the shoulder as he wore a slightly troubled expression, then smiled brightly.

“When that time comes, I’ll rely on you, Rubelt. Handle it well for me, okay?”

“Don’t be stupid. I value my life too. At most, I’ll help you investigate the Five Great Dungeons.”

In other words, he would help me look into the Five Great Dungeons.

Rubelt really was a good guy.

***

The dungeon entrance looked exactly like I had imagined.

A massive circular gateway swirled with blue and white light, beautiful in an almost unreal way. It was huge. Even three cargo trucks lined up side by side would have passed through it easily.

The moment I saw a dungeon entrance for the first time in my life, I froze without thinking.

Rubelt shoved me lightly from behind, and my feet crossed into the circle.

“…This is incredible.”

“Hahaha! Everyone makes that face their first time inside a dungeon! Feels like you stepped into a completely different world, right?”

The modern city I had been staring at moments ago had vanished without a trace.

In its place stretched an endless plain.

Thick green grass brushed against my ankles as I walked, and the moment I reached down to touch it, a strange sensation ran through my fingertips. It felt nothing like the grass back in the real world.

When I lifted my head, all I saw was a clear blue sky and a brilliant sun shining overhead.

The air filling my lungs felt fresh and alive. No pollution. No stale city air. Just pure nature.

Rubelt quietly watched my reaction without interrupting me while I stood there taking everything in, but I honestly had nothing I could even say.

That was how different this place felt.

It really was another world.

I finally understood why people called dungeons “otherworlds.”

After giving me enough time to absorb the shock, Rubelt waited until I calmed down before speaking again.

“Pretty surprising, huh?”

“Yeah. This place really feels like another world. Everything’s different.”

“This dungeon’s full of plains and forests, but every dungeon has its own environment. Some are frozen lands buried in silver snow, while others are burning worlds glowing red from heat. Gray, I hope you’ll get to see those places someday too.”

“Yeah… I hope so too.”

“Alright then. Since our rookie’s finally experienced the wonder of a dungeon firsthand, it’s time for this veteran to teach you a few things.”

After saying that, Rubelt began walking across the plain.

I hurried after him.

Rubelt entered the forest on the left side of the plain and walked smoothly while avoiding the trees.

As expected of a veteran. Since I was not used to walking through forests, just keeping up took all I had.

After walking for a while, Rubelt suddenly stopped and started talking on his own. The way he grinned while watching me breathe hard through my shoulders was a little irritating.

“The most important thing when diving into a dungeon is not losing track of your own position. This dungeon has been mapped by our great predecessors, but there are still many places people haven’t entered. I’ll teach you how to find the dungeon exit in those situations.”

“? You can figure that out by using a magic tool, right?”

After dealing with dungeons for more than four hundred years, this world had created countless magic tools with convenient functions for dungeon diving.

Of course, a magic tool capable of locating the dungeon entrance and exit from anywhere had already been invented. It had become an absolute necessity when diving into a dungeon.

I also remembered seeing something like a compass attached to the side of the “beginner dungeon set” backpack God had provided me. I still had not checked inside, so I had no idea what else was in it.

When I answered while tilting my head, Rubelt nodded lightly.

“Right. Normally, as long as you have a magic tool, you can find the dungeon exit... but there are some places where magic tools go haywire. Like here.”

After saying that, Rubelt took a compass-shaped magic tool out of his pocket.

It was the same kind of magic tool I had glimpsed before, and I could see scratches all over it. It was clearly a magic tool with plenty of years behind it.

Rubelt showed me the needle that pointed toward the dungeon exit.

“The needle’s going completely nuts. It looks like it’s breakdancing.”

“Pretty damn stylish, isn’t it? This thing isn’t broken. Parts of this forest have messed-up magnetic fields and mana waves. I’m no expert, so I don’t know the details, but just think of it like a compass going crazy in a sea of trees.”

The needle moved like the gauge of a busted car, never settling down as it continued its cheerful little dance.

Could a compass that went crazy once go back to normal? No, it probably could. This was another world, after all.

“So? What should I do if I end up in a situation like this, veteran hunter?”

“The answer is simple. ‘Look at the sky.’ In an open dungeon like this one, you basically use the sun and stars to figure out your position.”

“You sound like an old-fashioned navigator.”

“Good comparison. But you don’t need knowledge that complicated. The sun only rises in the direction of the dungeon exit, and the moon is the same. It’s strange, you know. When the sun gradually loses its light and disappears completely, the stars and moon slowly appear next. That was when I thought the common sense of Earth doesn’t work in this world.”

I already understood that. On a parallel Earth, no less.

I had heard people say that going overseas was like entering another world, but I never thought I would actually experience that through a parallel world. In that sense, this was my third time experiencing another world.

Of course, I had no intention of saying that out loud.

Judging from Rubelt’s stories and the knowledge God had planted in me, there were also organizations in this world that repeatedly conducted inhumane research. If the world learned that I was someone reincarnated by God, there was no doubt I would be chased by some dangerous organization and dissected.

Even in my previous world, that possibility had existed. In this world, where dissecting and experimenting on monsters was common sense, I really had to be careful. It would probably be best not to tell anyone, even someone I could trust from the bottom of my heart.

Still, this method of finding direction was simple. Since I had thought I would have to memorize something terribly difficult and annoying, it felt a little anticlimactic.

“You look disappointed.”

“Well, yeah.”

Rubelt read my expression smoothly, then looked up at the sky as though remembering the past. His expression looked somewhat lonely, even sad.

“It might feel anticlimactic, but there’s no harm in knowing it. Besides, things change again when you deal with cave-type dungeons or special dungeons.”

“You’ve dived into those too?”

“Of course. Cave-type dungeons are especially awful if you lose track of where you are. There’s no marker like the sun, so you have to rely on memory. On the other hand, this magic tool won’t break there.”

“So losing it would be the worst. I’ll make sure to keep a firm hold on my belongings.”

“Do that. Plenty of people have gone missing inside dungeons because of that.”

Rubelt’s face when he said that was the most serious I had seen so far.

Chapter 4: First Dungeon