A new dungeon had been reported to have been spotted by a local on a remote village in Hokkaido, at Yakumo District. The Hokkaido Branch of the Adventurer's Association sent their experts to check the dungeon and evaluate its threat level.
The experts in question were members of the JSDF. They had been requested by the Hokkaido Branch, and it took two days before their request got approved and a squad had been dispatched for the evaluation.
It hadn't taken them two hours before they got their report. The unique dungeon entirely made out of cardboard was deemed safe for even beginners. There was only a single floor with a single type of monster called Sentient Dust. These monsters were essentially non-threatening. They quickly dispersed with a single bullet shot, or even a single punch by an adult. They only dropped Lesser Mana Stones.
Despite being a new type of dungeon terrain with a new monster type, it's difficulty was so disappointing. They didn't thought there would be something more weaker than goblins, which was the weakest recorded monster in history.
It felt like a waste for them to invest on it, so they simply made a simple outpost and office for it to be officially recognized. They haven't invested anything other than that.
There were other dungeons much profitable than this one, so while it had an interesting aesthetic, no one had visited it yet due to the loot being lacking.
This was preferable to Mikoto. She doesn't want someone to build something on her farmland. It was still the land she inherited from her family. The association still needed the space so it was mandatory for her to give them away. Thankfully the association gave monetary compensation for their forceful takeover of a small plot of her land, and at the same time monetary reward for her discovery of a dungeon.
It was a decent amount of money. At least ten million yen was given to her in total. A lot of money compared to what her parents sent her on a monthly basis.
She was glad for the monetary compensation, because it would make things easier for her dungeon management.
She had discovered a lot of functions about her ability during the time she reported about it, and got her rewards and compensation for it.
She learned that everything could be turned into her minions so long as she put it within the dungeon model she was using as a base for her manifested dungeon. She also learned that monster loots would automatically drop on her treasury which she could take out anytime she wants with her Skill Board.
The treasury was her personal spatial storage where every loots from the monsters killed within the dungeon would automatically drop. It also had the same function as a spatial storage where she could put or take whatever she wanted with it. The treasury was part of the Dungeon Builder package.
This function was a great boon for Mikoto. She was losing a lot of space on her house because of the amount of dungeon models she had stored everywhere. She could put the dungeon models she made to her treasury so she would have more space.
There were other useful things she learned about her ability. She learned that by just adding simple details on her cardboard model like drawing stairs or writing whether a spot had an incline or not, it would manifest on the dungeon itself. It was why the entrance had stairs to go down despite the model itself being flat.
She also learned that dungeon models she used as a base couldn't be put on her treasury. She could carry it with her, and the dungeon model based wouldn't break even if it fell from her hands. She could change the look of the dungeon, or make extensions on it, but it was impossible to outright break the dungeon model itself. Any changes she made on the dungeon model would be reflected on the manifested dungeon.
Another thing she learned were extensions. She could create new floors on her dungeon by connecting her dungeon model to another. She would be given a prompt when she picked a new dungeon model, whether she would build a new dungeon on another location or connect it to an existing dungeon she had.
If she picked the latter option, she would be given more choices whether she would put it as an extension to the same floor, or connect it as another floor to the one where she was connecting it. This was how she could make new dungeon floors.
She had already picked a new floor that she would connect to her first dungeon. Unlike her initial dungeon which was a few centimeters in length, this one was larger. It was a two meter cardboard maze with nine small rooms and one large room in it.
"Okay, I am done putting the new monsters and adding a few stuff within this floor. I think it's time to connect it to the cardboard dungeon and turn it into it's second floor." After her monologue, she peered at the new dungeon model she had.
Would you like to use the Dungeon Model as an extension?
> Yes
> No
"Yes."
After she said that, another prompt occurred on her eyes.
What kind of extension would you like to choose?
> Floor Extension
> Additional Floor
She picked the second option.
After that, she was asked which spot of the dungeon where she would put the link between this floor and the initial floor, and whether it would be connected on the floor above or below.
She chose above, and put the stairs connecting to it on one of the paths of the first floor model with a dead end in it.
Cardboard Dungeon Floor 2 has been successfully added!
"Okay, let's check it out!"
She was extremely excited after she was done with this dungeon. She knew she would be done with her build, so she had already prepared her adventuring gear before she ventured onto her dungeon.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
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Just outside Mikoto's house, there was a small white structure with a window on it besides the cardboard entrance of the new dungeon. On the other side of the entrance just in line with this white structure was a metallic rod with a red and green lense on top of it.
They called this structure the Dungeon Outpost. A government owned building that acted as a toll gate for Adventurers and at the same time the guard for the possibility of a monster wave. The white structure was a station for guards, while the rod on the other side of the entrance was a magical sensor created to identify anyone going in and out of the dungeon, and an alarm if a monster ever step foot out of it.
Since the time it got evaluated, the Hokkaido Branch had decided to build a simple outpost and an office. The office was located a bit farther than here. It was because the road on this village wasn't that developed yet. It still was a road of dirt. They had built the office and the outpost first before creating a concrete road to connect the outpost to the main road.
With this land owned by Mikoto's family, they had paid her a lot as they were essentially seizing her land. Mikoto doesn't mind as she hadn't used most of their farmlands yet. She was only one person, and she had no farmers working under her.
Not like there would be any available farmers out there as most people preferred to dive the dungeon. Mikoto's parents even left their land since they acquired decent skills on their Skill Board.
There was only a single person who was stationed on the outpost. Her name was Hiiragi Konoha. A Rank F Adventurer, and an association trainee.
This girl from Sapporo was glad to be assigned on this small village. The existence of a dungeon that even children could dive was unprecedented in itself. It was just a bit underwhelming to normal Adventurers so it wasn't that popular to them. Only children would actually attempt to go here, or those hopefuls who hasn't got their license yet.
It was still in the works, but later on the Yakumo Cardboard Dungeon would be put on their system and everyone from Japan would know of the existence of the weakest dungeon in the history. The Hokkaido Branch hoped that it would increase traffic on this part when this dungeon got advertised like that.
Because it literally had no value other than being a starting dungeon for the Adventurers.
Konoha was glad because being assigned on a station increased her salary along with the benefits she would get from the association. Normally, Head Post Guards would normally be at the D Rank, and Post Guards would be E Ranks at the minimum.
With this outpost being made for the weakest dungeon, a weak F Rank like her was considered enough for the station. So she was immediately promoted as a Head Post Guard.
"I'll have to do my best!"
She hyped herself up, before she perked up when she saw a woman approaching this place. She quickly recognized who it was. It's the one who owned this land, and the person who reported the existence of this new dungeon.
"Hello, I'd like to enter my... the dungeon." Mizufune Mikoto, a girl who was slightly taller than her, said.
Konoha could see that she looked ready for an expedition. She wore those basic adventurer sets that could be bought typically on a market.
"Ah right. Just let me check your ID and then I'll let you in."
Normally, it would be their Adventurer License, but this dungeon was considered Rank G, the very first of it's type, that they decided even civilians could enter it. So people only need a valid ID before they could enter the dungeon.
After the woman showed her ID at her, she let her be on the dungeon.
"Hmm... I wonder just what the dungeon looks like?" Konoha wondered to herself.
She passed the time sitting on her chair within this small station. It's not like she had anything to do. This was a small village with barely any population left in it. The few that were here were busy on their own farmlands to be bothered on a dungeon, or were unaware that a dungeon was here at all. It's not like anyone in this village had access to internet. It would be rare to even find people here to have cellphones. So it was likely for people to know there's a dungeon here.
She doesn't expect anything special to happen. Even if she wanted to do her best, the only thing she could do right now was to simply sit and guard the entrance until her shift ends.
It shocked her when after an hour, the owner of this land emerged from the dungeon with a shocking news.
"There's a new floor on the dungeon."
"... What!?" She exclaimed in surprise.
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A ban for entry was declared the day after Mikoto reported about the second floor. Another investigation would be done by the association, and a dispatch from the JSDF would be done again for evaluation. The process was estimated to be done after a week.
But Mikoto doesn't really mind. She was more interested at the adventure itself, and what she got within her own dungeon.
"Mana Stones are amazing. It actually let me create more functions within my dungeon!"
In her hand was a violet orb. This orb was very important, and costs millions of yen at the minimum.
This is because this orb is the Skill Orb. A rare drop from a dungeon.
Based on what she learned from the forums on the internet, Skill Orbs could only be taken as a loot on high tier dungeons. There were chances it would appear on a low tier ones, but it was incredibly rare, and most of the time it only appeared after beating a boss or finding a rare treasure chest.
But as the Dungeon Builder herself, she thought what if she could create her own chest. She managed to do so by creating a small cardboard chest and putting it on the edge of the large room.
That's not enough. It had been added to the dungeon, but it was still empty. She still had to do something.
She had gotten a prompt on it when she found a stylish pointer at it after she peered at it during the creation of the second floor. It gave her prompt asking for a mana stone.
She couldn't understand at first until she used one of the mana stone she had on her Treasury. When she pressed the mana stone on the cardboard chest, it immediately crumbled on her hand and it's dusts got absorbed by the cardboard chest. Then she was given a prompt asking her what kind of loot she wanted it to have.
Along with that were every available loots she could put in it. One of those things was a Common Skill Orb.
She always dreamt of having one as she thought it would give her the chance to get an Adventurer License. She might have lost her drive to be an Adventurer, but she still wanted to have the license and try being one anyway.
Another reason for it was because, after the second floor was revealed, the association might restrict unlicensed people from entering. She doesn't want that. She had fun wandering around on her own creation. She wanted to continue exploring her own dungeon at least.
So she needed the license even if she had no desire to be an Adventurer anymore.
"I just have to hold it in my hands and squeeze it tight, right?"
They said that it was the most effective way to activate a Skill Orb. The normal way was to control their mana and pour it on the Skill Orb. Those who got Skill Orb didn't just get Magicite sensitivity, they also acquired the capability to control it.
Though it was uncommon, but there were cases where people who awakened with their Skill Board couldn't control these magical particles that well. Mikoto was one of those who couldn't do that.
Though she could force her bare amount of mana to work by clenching her muscles and then squeezing that mysterious energy through her fingers. It doesn't do anything on the outside perspective, but it was proven to let people control their magicites somewhat and in a limited manner.
So she did that and squeezed the Skill Orb. Despite it's appearance, Skill Orbs weren't easily broken. Even a drop from a thirty story building wouldn't break it. That's how tough it was. So a squeeze from her hands wouldn't leave a mark on it.
She expected to get a prompt about her new skill, though she froze when she read what occurred on her Skill Board.
[Skill acquisition failed. Common Grade skills were incompatible to the user.]
"... Eh?" It felt like she got splashed by a bucket of cold water as she read that message.
She tried again.
[Skill acquisition failed. Common Grade skills were incompatible to the user.]
The orb was supposed to be single use, but seeing that she could use it again, it showed that the skill orb's charge hadn't been used as she was incompatible with it.
"... No way... I'm incompatible?"
Incompatibility. An incredibly rare case for Adventurers, but it was possible. She had read it on the internet. How some Adventurers were simply incompatible with certain skills that they couldn't learn it even with a Skill Orb.
The message destroyed her expectations. Whenever she read the message, the cracks from her heart widened until it became too much for her.
"I'm incompatible with every Common Grade Skills!?" She cried out.
It didn't specify the skill contained within the Skill Orb. The message stated that she was incompatible with the Common Grade Skills.
She felt like crying just seeing that.
After this, she spent her day on her bed in depression. She doesn't feel like doing anything to this day.