Chapter 1 – Mysterious Smartphone Game
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I started to walk, just to suddenly stop. A flock of crows was illuminated by the sunset as I was making my way home from school, cawing their loud chatter out into the world. I sighed deeply as I was so tired of looking at this dull scenery. It never changed for the better. Just like my own life.
My boring life kept playing out inside a feeling of eternal stagnation. Sure, I wanted to break out of this vicious cycle, but I lacked the necessary effort and motivation to do so. And no, I did try to attempt all sorts of hobbies that could color one’s life, following other people’s recommendations.
But, in the end I couldn’t find anything that drew my interest.
The last time I thought that something was fun from the bottom of my heart was a long time ago when I was still a little brat. It was probably back when I had explored my grandpa’s mountain with a stick in my hand. At that time, the world was full of the unknown.
I wonder whether something…unusual is ever going to happen, I thought while holding my school bag with the right hand over my shoulder.
Somehow I vaguely indulged the idea of wanting to go to a place I have never visited before and thus I headed into a residential area I didn’t enter before.
I walked through an alley adorned by two rows of telephone poles. No one else was out on the street. And although I had veered a few steps off my usual way back home, things were the same over here as well. As might be expected.
Thinking so, I tried to turn around, but just then a white paper stuck to a telephone pole caught my attention.
“What’s this…? A QR code?”
A black QR code on a white paper. Probably no one would fail to notice this thing which stuck out like a sore thumb. You can often find posters looking for lost pets or warning people to drive safely on such poles, but I’ve never seen something like a telephone pole with a QR code on it.
Maybe it’s advertising a scam site, a sex site, a new prank, or something like that?
…Discarding it as bullshit, tearing it off, and throwing it away would be simple enough. But, I somehow felt like checking out the website behind that QR Code.
That’s how bored I am.
Using my smartphone cam, I scanned the QR Code. After tapping on the screen and being directed to my browser, I was met with a plain message.
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Congratulations! You have obtained a written invitation to the new smartphone game 『Dungeon Seekers』.
Please click the link below, download the game, and start your life as an explorer! A new world is waiting for you, the one with the right “qualities!”
↓
https://www.××××.×××/×××/××××
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“What, so it’s an invitation link to a social game? Dungeon Seekers, huh? Never heard of it.”
I suspected this to be a scam under the ruse of a social game, but based on a guess after looking at the link, it’s a domain name that sounds trustable.
A new world waiting for me who has the right “qualities!”, eh? The quality to be a whale or what?
Well, whatever. It’s a rare chance, so I might as well keep going.
I tapped the link.
At that moment, the screen of my smartphone turned completely black, just to display 『Start downloading…』 in the next moment.
“Huh? You’re kidding, right? I’ve heard the smartphones of Orange Co. have a high level of security, and yet…”
I became nervous because of my smartphone suddenly having started to act in a way it definitely shouldn’t. After the download finished, the formerly black screen brightened up again, displaying my usual wallpaper and apps without any visible change.
Even while being surprised about just what the hell was going on, I couldn’t deny the tinge of excitement nesting in my chest. I didn’t expect something like this to be caused by a QR Code on a telephone pole.
When I swiped through my app list, I spotted an app I’ve never seen before. Its name was 『Dungeon Seekers』. An illustration with a wand-holding mage and a sword-wielding knight had been used as its icon. I haven’t entered a password or anything for that matter.
Even as I thought that this could be slightly dangerous, I couldn’t hold back the excitement welling up inside me. Moving my thumb, I opened the app without any hesitation whatsoever.
“Whoa…so it was a typical social game after all…”
I was able to open the game without having to download anything else. The game’s home screen used a layout as you could see really often these days…featuring entries like 『Stats』, 『Items』, 『Friends』, and so on. Or to be precise, it’s just like a certain drag-hunting game. Though I stopped playing that one several years ago. 1
Suddenly, a stupidly long explanation appeared on the screen alongside a User’s Agreement. What the hell is this? Is this normal to show for recent smartphone games?
For the time being, I skipped through all of it. I’m the kind of player who starts a game without caring about tutorials.
For some reason, I got bugged by annoying warning messages several times over, but after closing the explanation, I checked the elements of the home screen layout.
A mysterious entry called 『Seeking Camera』 was part of the otherwise very common layout.
Ah, I see. This is a game where you play by using your camera, duh. With that idea in mind, I activated the in-game camera, checking whether I’d be able to see something around me.
The residential area. As I looked through the in-game camera, I noticed a milky, violet mist further down the rows of telephone poles. That mist was moving around like a whirling tide.
I approached it while keeping it reflected in the camera. When I had reached a distance of around two meters to the mist, a 『Raid』 button appeared.
So, the game is going to start if I press this button, right? Oh well, sure. Why not? I’ll give that strange, new social game 『Dungeon Seekers』 a go.
“Whaa…!? SO BRIGHT!!”
After I tapped the 『Raid』 button, my face got flooded with dazzling, white light from my smartphone.
Removing my right arm, which I had used to cover my face, I was met with something akin to a dim tunnel.
HUH?
The walls were made out of even and uniform stones. Torches illuminated the devouring darkness at fixed intervals. I’ve never seen or heard about a place like this.
No, wait. That’s wrong. I know places like this. It looks just like…….
“……a dungeon…?”
The kikiki cry or laughter of a mysterious creature reverberated throughout the narrow path in front of me.
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