"It's getting developed more and more... Humans are amazing..."

A genuine thought slipped out of my mouth.

Dhaka Central S-Class Dungeon, first level.

...But, is this really a dungeon?

I can't help but question it.

"Would you like to try some magic experience? We're having a special discount for first-time customers!"

"Come on over and see! We've caught a skeleton python from the 10th level and brought it here alive!"

"You can try monster cuisine here! Why eat something just like what you can get on the surface when you're already in the dungeon?"

"Looking for an exciting tour experience? A team of five adventurers, including C-class, will safely guide you through the first three levels!"

It feels like a blend of a department store basement and a festival stall.

The dungeon's rocky walls are exposed, and although it's not as dim as the deeper levels, it's still dark.

But if you were told that this is a commercial facility with such a concept, it would make sense.

Dungeon Park.

Now it's not something unusual anymore.

You can see scenes like this in any dungeon, although the scale may differ.

"Hey, you there!"

A man in his forties calls out to me.

"We sell crafts made from materials obtained in the dungeon. If you're interested..."

The man suddenly stiffens.

"...Ah, right, I completely forgot. I need to go restock."

He quickly turns around and heads back into his shop.

The bustling atmosphere seems to dissipate just as suddenly.

(Just now it was so noisy, but now everything feels oddly quiet…)

"Who’s that…"

"Idiot, don’t point!"

"Why so quick…"

Whispered voices float around.

(Ugh, I hate this… Thanks to the trauma of being teased as a kid, I feel like everyone is talking about me…)

I know it's an overreaction, but it’s hard to avoid those feelings, rooted as they are in past pain.

I glance around, but no one meets my eyes.

(See, I knew it. I’m just overthinking…)

In fact, it feels more like people are deliberately avoiding looking at me.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Maybe that's just another paranoid thought, though.

Despite all the people here, the crowd parts in front of me.

It feels almost as if I'm being avoided, but could this just be another mistake in perception?

(No, this doesn’t feel like a misunderstanding… Is it my smell after all? I’ve tried to stay clean…)

I sniff at my clothes, but I can't tell if I smell bad or not.

This time, I returned earlier than usual after a week-long camp, so I figured I’d be fresher than normal.

But even so, people still seem to avoid me just like always.

(At this point, maybe it’s not just about not showering for a week… maybe I do stink…)

It stings a little.

Just a few years ago, this wouldn’t have happened.

(Could it be… body odor? No, but I’m not that old…)

As I walk through Dungeon Park, I often see people camping.

(What’s the point of setting up tents here? They’re not even experiencing the fun of camping.)

As someone who loves camping, I can't help but think this way.

But from their perspective, it’s probably none of my business.

After all, they’re not camping here because they enjoy it.

Dungeon Parks don't have accommodations.

The reason for this is a bit complicated.

The history of Dungeon Parks comes into play.

Six years ago, two years after the first dungeon appeared, the Dungeon that emerged in Last Haven, Pennsylvania, is considered the birthplace of Dungeon Parks.

As expected of America, they were quick to develop dungeons, and you might think it’s progressive.

But the reality was different.

Last Haven was one of the worst slums in America.

It had once thrived from steel and coal industries, but when those industries collapsed, it became a ghost town.

As a result, the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry even issued a warning not to visit, it had deteriorated so much.

Crime rates, the number of gangs, and homeless people were all the highest in the world, on a per capita basis.

Life was said to be heavier than a penny but lighter than a dollar bill.

That was the state of the land.

The people of Last Haven chose to live in the dungeon rather than on the surface.

Inside the dungeon, it doesn't rain.

There are no seasons, so you won’t freeze or suffer from the heat.

Of course, monsters existed.

But who cares?

In Last Haven, murders were committed over scraps of bread.

It was better to kill monsters than people.

It was better to be killed by monsters than by people.

More importantly, dungeons offered the chance to strike it rich.

The resources were abundant, and there was no competition over them.

Well, that logic aside, the truth is they probably didn’t want to hurt anyone.

They had no choice but to take from others to survive, to protect their families.

They chose to help each other inside the dungeon.

Of course, there were those who tried to profit at the expense of others.

They claimed ownership of gates, charged tolls, or extorted others for money.

But those who did such things were seen as weaklings who couldn’t fight for themselves.

In the dungeon, guns couldn’t be used.

The same went for bombs.

Even if a curious person brought in a flintlock gun or dynamite, it wouldn't work.

Only primitive weapons like knives and blunt instruments were effective.

The dungeon was a place where pure strength mattered.

Gang bosses who were once on top above ground became weak in the dungeon.

It was a complete reversal of power.

But gangs didn’t stay silent.

There were many incidents where they ambushed people just as they left the dungeon, gunning them down and stealing their valuables.

It was a cruel irony that it was safer in the dungeon than outside of it.

But that too eventually calmed down.

It turned out it was more worthwhile to go into the dungeon than to continue gang activities above ground.

Gang members increasingly flowed into the dungeon, and the gang bosses who had been top dogs vanished without a trace.

Did they escape because they felt threatened? Or…?

As an outsider, I can't say for sure.

In fact, this whole story is just something I heard.

My little sister has a friend who’s obsessed with dungeons, and they tell me all sorts of things.

One of my favorite stories is about a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy who was pointed at by a gang boss with a gun and just said, "So?" in response.

But whether that actually happened, I can't say for sure.

In any case, the Last Haven Dungeon flourished this way.

People built homes inside the dungeon and lived there.

The first level functioned as a full-fledged town, eventually becoming known as Dungeon Town.

But one day, a tragedy struck.

It would later be known as the Dungeon Error disaster.

In the seven years since the first gate was discovered, only a handful of such incidents had been observed.

But one thing is certain: the event in Last Haven was the first and worst Dungeon Error.

The people of Last Haven lived peacefully in Dungeon Town.

Even if monsters appeared, they had a system of mutual assistance that made it easy to deal with them.

After all, the monsters in the first level were relatively weak, and the numbers were overwhelmingly in their favor.

But then…

On the 16th of February, in the third year of the dungeon calendar, a powerful group of monsters suddenly appeared and attacked Dungeon Town.

The number of casualties exceeded a thousand in a single disaster.

The incident shocked the world and reminded everyone of the dangers of dungeons.

The number of people entering dungeons plummeted, and my little sister firmly forbade me from going.

"If you want to camp, you can do it on the surface," she said.

She doesn’t understand anything.

Once you’ve experienced the joys of dungeon camping, you can’t go back to regular camping.

But after my sister said, "If you go into a dungeon without permission, I’ll cut ties with you!" I had no choice but to reluctantly obey.

Time passed…

Humans are resilient, or maybe they just forget things easily.

Or perhaps it’s the dungeon's magic that draws people in.

Now, this is the reality.

Of course, measures have been put in place to prevent another tragedy like the one in Last Haven.

Going into a dungeon for just a day isn’t realistic.

I can comfortably camp for weeks, and sometimes stay more than a month.

But what caused the Dungeon Error in Last Haven?

No one knows for sure, but there’s a theory: it might have been because people settled in the dungeon.

The dungeon allows invasion, but it doesn’t tolerate conquest.

That’s probably the dungeon's law.

For that reason, building homes or accommodations inside the dungeon is prohibited.

Bringing in bedding is restricted, and only up to 30% of the floor area can be developed.

International Dungeon Law established these rules.

The name "Dungeon Park" was adopted for the same reason.

It’s a park, not a town.

And so, they insist they haven’t settled there.

But… who are they insisting this to? To the dungeon itself?

Bangladesh has strict laws and regulations, but there are rumors that powerful people and celebrities in other countries secretly own vacation homes inside dungeons. [A/N: If people can buy lands in moon, then why not dungeons :D]

For now, no other incidents like Last Haven’s disaster have occurred.

(But that doesn’t guarantee safety in the future.)

It could happen at any time…

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream of a woman pierces the air.