Deep Dungeon: I’ve been thrown into a game-like world with a class system. Armed with a mediocre ability and no allies, I’ll take it easy and progress at my own pace
Welcome to the World of Deep Dungeon
I was the last one left, and when I pulled the gacha, the display reset to its original state.
What would come next? After that recent “iron rod incident,” I was watching with bated breath, dreading what might happen.
Without a sound, the door opened.
“Let’s embark on our journey.”
So this meant we were supposed to go outside through that door. This time, I had to move quickly.
But…due to the incident I caused earlier, my classmates swarmed the doorway. Only a few didn’t seem in a rush: the two who had drawn the gacha first, the two female students chatting with them, Yamada-san who had kindly helped me earlier, and one of the otaku students who hadn’t moved from his chair.
“M-Matsui-kun.”
“W-What is it, Yoshida-kun?”
Among the otaku students, Yoshida-kun was the only one I could bring myself to talk to voluntarily. He rarely spoke but often nodded along quietly.
Even when I, a loner, struggled to find words, he never made things awkward. Instead, he watched over me with kindness.
“I can’t move my legs…”
“Lean on me.”
He didn’t need to ask why I was frozen in place. He already knew.
“Matsui, I’ll help too.”
“A-Ah, thanks, Kanzaki-kun.”
The bright and popular Kanzaki-kun from the kendo club was dazzling as always. His aura was overwhelming.
While walking slowly alongside Yoshida-kun toward the door, the remaining female students went outside ahead of us. Subtly, the class rep positioned himself behind us—his handsome presence was enough to make anyone swoon.
Despite the possibility of another iron rod attack, their calmness was admirable. In an emergency, they’d be there to protect us from behind.
◆◆◆
When we stepped through the door—not emerging from a tunnel as one might expect—we found ourselves in a vast green meadow.
To our left was a sheer cliff, and to our right, the sea stretched out into the distance. From the looks of it, we were standing on a plateau jutting out from the cliff.
If we approached the edge near the sea, we’d likely get a clearer view.
But for now, it was better to avoid wandering freely. If an iron rod were to suddenly protrude from the grass, it’d be disastrous.
There was no need to be told where to go. Ahead of us stood an old Western-style mansion.
The weather was pleasant, and despite it being midwinter, the temperature felt comfortable. It almost seemed like a nice day for a stroll.
I had a faint hope, but it was clear by now that we weren’t in Japan anymore. The sudden shift from winter to spring-like warmth was impossible. And since the plateau wasn’t indoors, it couldn’t be artificially climate-controlled either.
“It’s farther than I expected…”
Of course, I muttered this to myself. Yoshida-kun wasn’t injured or struggling to walk, so he was fine on his own by now.
That naturally led to people sticking with those they were close to—you know what I mean, right?
The mansion loomed larger than anticipated, and it took us about ten minutes to reach it.
The white-walled, light-blue-roofed mansion was two stories tall, with a circular terrace. It fit the classic image of a Western-style estate perfectly.
Without realizing it, Kanzaki-kun and the others had taken the lead. As they approached the large double doors, they opened silently on their own.
The scene felt straight out of a horror movie, sending a chill down my spine.
I could already imagine murders or ghosts appearing once night fell. That glamorous, aspirational mansion had transformed in my mind into something ominous—I wanted nothing to do with it.
Would it be demons or snakes waiting inside? Either way, I didn’t want to enter, but stopping wasn’t an option.
Inside, a spacious hall greeted us. A spiral staircase stood at the center, leading to the second floor. Tall vertical windows lined the walls, creating an open, airy atmosphere.
Near the windows were sofas and tables seating about five people, while a circular sofa occupied the center of the room. It was large enough for everyone to relax comfortably.
Round tables accompanied the setup, making it perfect for strategy meetings.
“There’s also a path to the basement!”
One of the male students shouted. Sure enough, the spiral staircase continued downward as well as upward.
It didn’t take much imagination to guess that the stairs leading underground connected to the so-called “Deep Dungeon.”
Though technically, we hadn’t been told outright that we’d be exploring dungeons or labyrinths…but given the “Welcome to Deep Dungeon” message, it seemed unlikely we’d escape that fate.
“H-Hey…”
What now? While staring at the staircase to the basement, I noticed my classmates gathering around the circular sofa.
The round table had transformed into a display, with text floating above it.
Ah, so everyone had gathered to look at this.
“Let’s head to the Player Room.”
Since the first floor was a wide-open hall, perhaps rooms existed upstairs? This must have been the follow-up instruction from the blackboard display. If so, we needed to move quickly before another iron rod incident occurred.
I climbed the spiral staircase, hoping to find my assigned room—a private one, preferably—and rest.
The second floor resembled a hotel corridor, with doors lining both sides. My room…where was my room? There were no names on the doors, so how was I supposed to know which one was mine?
“It opened!”
Apparently, touching the door assigned to you caused it to unlock.
Thankfully, each student got their own room. I breathed a sigh of relief. Sharing a room with someone else would’ve driven me insane.
My room was just before the corner suite. A private room? No complaints here.
The door lacked a knob or handle, sliding smoothly to the right like an automatic door. Since my hand acted as the key, security seemed impeccable.
While there wasn’t much to steal, the fact that no one could enter without permission gave me peace of mind.
“Spacious…”
Contrary to my expectations of an antique-style room, the interior was modern and sleek. The floor appeared to be marble but was soft enough to sink slightly underfoot.
A counter jutted out from the wall, and to the left of the hallway stood a massive display screen. On the opposite side, a touch-sensitive panel revealed a washing machine-like appliance and a bathroom.
The display functioned like a vending machine, allowing you to select items via a menu. Tapping a button provided instructions on how to use it.
There was no door separating the hallway from the room itself. Inside, the layout was uniquely square, with nothing but the bed visible at first glance.
The far wall was entirely glass, offering a view of the terrace.
Too bad I couldn’t step outside onto the terrace…
“Whoa!”
But when I touched the glass, it parted just enough for me to pass through, creating a path to the terrace. Strangely, the opened portion of the glass didn’t slide aside—it simply vanished.
What kind of mechanism was this? When I touched it again, the glass reappeared seamlessly.