Dungeon's Final Boss: Banished by My Boss, the Goddess, to Earth—So I'll Continue My Past Life - 8

Chapter 8: Convenience Store?

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Shinjuku Dungeon. The Shinjuku Dungeon appeared in a corner of Shinjuku Station two years ago. As an unexplored dungeon, it was still relatively young, and it remained uncertain whether it would continue to exist in the long term. Currently, the dungeon was exclusively contracted to Shinjuku Birth, a dungeon-conquering company. Only Awakened individuals affiliated with Shinjuku Birth were permitted entry to Shinjuku Dungeon. According to the official announcement from Shinjuku Birth, the dungeon was 80% conquered, and they expected full completion by the end of the year.

I found this while browsing Wikipe. Curious about where the 80% completion estimate had come from, I decided to visit the Shinjuku Dungeon. The idea of a dungeon emerging in Shinjuku Station—a place that was already like a maze before—was a tasteless joke and, at the same time, an enormous nuisance. The section was sealed off, and detours had been created, making the station’s layout even more complicated.

That said, I also thought it was good that information about Shinjuku Dungeon wasn’t made public. It seemed like a good place for a little test. And so, just like last time, I used invisibility and phasing magic to infiltrate the Shinjuku Dungeon and set ‘it’ up on the first floor. As soon as someone approached, I erased my presence and decided to observe in silence.

“Hey, Leader.”

“What is it?”

“Do you really think we can conquer this dungeon by the end of the year?”

Chisato Sendou, posed the question to Gou Azuma, the president of Shinjuku Birth and the leader of the exploration team. Gou was a warrior who specialized in defense, clad in heavy armor reinforced with magic stone coating. Chisato, on the other hand, was a magic swordsman who wielded a spear, serving as the team’s main attacker. Behind them, their support members—responsible for healing and attack assistance—stood ready.

“…We have no choice but to do it.”

“No, I’d rather not die from pushing myself, thanks.”

Chisato sighed at Gou’s strained response. Holding exclusive rights to a dungeon was extremely profitable. In the present world, magic stones extracted from dungeons were the foundation of the energy industry. Beyond that, magic stones were also used as catalysts and materials—like the magic stone coating on armor—to create new, powerful alloys.

There were also countless other specialized applications, and there was never a shortage of demand for magic stones. Even dungeon drop items like weapons could be used internally for the company and if they weren’t useful, they could always be auctioned off. Additionally, various new uses for other items were being discovered, ensuring that nothing from the dungeon went to waste.

The reason Shinjuku Birth had exclusive rights to this golden egg was simple. People wanted the dungeon gone. While dungeons contributed greatly to technological advancement, they also posed a significant risk due to the emergence of monsters. Leaving a dungeon in the middle of a major transport hub like a train station was unacceptable. It presented both a security risk and the potential for drastic changes in public safety. As such, the authorities demanded its rapid conquest and removal. Shinjuku Birth was granted exclusive access under the condition that they conquer the Shinjuku Dungeon within three years.

However, if they failed to do so, they would face penalties for breach of contract. Gou, as president, used the profits from magic stones to upgrade the equipment of the exploration team and recruit new awakened individuals, diligently pushing forward with the conquest. Although the business was making money from magic stones, nearly all the revenue was reinvested in survival and progression of conquering the dungeon. If they were forced to pay damages for failing to fulfill the contract, the company would face a massive financial loss.

The reality was that they still had no clear path to complete conquest, but they couldn’t afford to admit that. And so, their official website declared an 80% completion rate. If they actually managed to conquer the dungeon in the end, it wouldn’t be a lie, right? But… If they failed…

“We will conquer it. No matter what.”

Gou forcefully pushed away the unwanted thoughts of failure, reaffirming his resolve. As he did, he noticed a strange light ahead. They were still on the first floor. For the past two years, aside from holidays, he had seen this scenery almost every day. And yet, this was the first time he had ever seen that light source. More importantly, that source of light felt rather unsettling.

“What is this?”

Chisato, who noticed it a moment later, had the same reaction. And then…

“A convenience store?”

It became clear that they were seeing the same thing. A square building with glass walls facing the corridor. Though the branding was different from the ones they usually saw outside, its structure was unmistakably that of a convenience store. It was the basic design of a convenience store, the kind of design that looked nearly identical regardless of the convenience store’s company brand.

However, something about the design felt unfamiliar to them. The upper part of the building was painted a pale blue, while the walls were white. Above the entrance, in that same blue section, were the words “Dungeon Convenience Store – Shinjuku Branch.” Beyond the glass, they could see a checkout counter, where what appeared to be a person in a blue convenience store uniform was standing.

“W-What do we do?”

“What do you mean, ‘What do we do’?”

Gou, clearly shaken, turned to Chisato for her opinion, but she was just as baffled. The other members were also waiting for Gou to decide their next course of action.

“Let’s go in.”

“Are you sure?”

“If this turns out to be a new kind of trap, reporting and investigating it might buy us more time for the conquest deadline.”

“That’s quite the wishful thought.”

Chisato chuckled, taking Gou’s words as a joke. He had planned to enter alone, but Chisato followed him. As they approached, the glass automatic doors slid open on their own.

“Welcome.”

There was no background music announcing a customer’s arrival—only the store clerk behind the counter acknowledging them with a greeting. But it wasn’t human.

“A golem, huh.”

“A magic doll. It looks just like a person though.”

Being a magic swordsman, Chisato could sense the magical energy emanating from the clerk and identified its true nature immediately. Inside, the store was vastly different from a normal convenience store. The checkout counter was positioned right at the entrance, with the products located further inside. Customers couldn’t browse the shelves at their leisure and pick out what they wanted. The only accessible areas were the space in front of the counter and a section behind it, where several tables were arranged.

Is that… A dining corner…?

A menu stood propped up next to the counter. The lettering matched the text used in the store’s signage. They were unfamiliar characters, and yet, for some reason, he could understand them perfectly. It read:

・Elixir Juice (Orange Flavor) – Full Recovery / 10,000 Magic Stones

・Cure Potion Juice (Grape Flavor) / 200 Magic Stones

・Detox Potion (Strawberry Flavor) / 200 Magic Stones

・Revival Powder (Single-use, Dungeon Only) / 1,000,000 Magic Stones

・Stamina Fried Chicken (Garlic Soy Sauce Flavor) – Stamina Buff / 200 Magic Stones

・Powerful Rice Ball (Salmon) – Strength Buff / 200 Magic Stones

・Speed Rice Ball (Tuna Mayo) – Agility Buff / 200 Magic Stones

・Mana Rice Ball (Kelp) – Magic Power Buff / 200 Magic Stones

・Guard Rice Ball (Cod Roe) – Defense Buff / 200 Magic Stones

・Golem Rental (Attack Support / Defense / Porter) – Max 8 hours, automatically disappears upon dungeon exit / 5,000 Magic Stones

・Golem Rental (Healer – Each healing costs 200 Magic Stones) – Prepaid per use; disappears after all uses are consumed, after 8 hours, or upon dungeon exit

※ The effects of food-based buffs last a maximum of 4 hours or until dungeon exit.

※ Items cannot be taken outside the dungeon; they will disappear.

“What the hell is this?”

The prices were listed in magic stones.

“So, we have to bring magic stones as payment?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

The store clerk golem, who had been standing behind the counter, responded with a businesslike smile.

“Right this way.”

It gestured towards the register next to the counter.

The large register had a table-like section on the customer’s side.

The clerk golem motioned toward this area with its hand.

“Please place your magic stones here. They will be converted into a currency usable only within this store, based on their weight. One magic stone equals 100 grams.”

Even at the lowest guaranteed rate, a 100-gram magic stone could be sold to the D-Ministry’s exchange center for at least 100 yen. Of course, only uninformed Awakens without corporate connections would sell them at such a low price… But even at that rate, a juice or a rice ball costing 200 magic stones would mean 20,000 yen per item.

“Isn’t that way too expensive? And we don’t even know if they actually work.”

Chisato made no effort to hide her skepticism.

“The products crafted by Master are definitely effective.”

The clerk golem simply smiled radiantly as it said that.

“Sorry, but we just entered the dungeon and don’t have any magic stones on us. We’ll come back and try it another time.”

“Understood. We look forward to your next visit.”

With a flawless bow, the clerk golem saw them off as Gou and Chisato exited the store.

“It’s more like a kiosk than a convenience store.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Still, isn’t it ridiculously overpriced?”

“But if what was written there is true…”

“That would be ridiculous though.”

Chisato still didn’t believe it, but for Gou, who was increasingly pressed for time by the dungeon conquest deadline, the thought lingered in his mind.

“We’re changing today’s plan. We’re going to mine magic stones.”

“Gou?”

“It’s worth testing, don’t you think so?”

Besides, wasting a day wouldn’t change their current situation anyway.

And so, on their way back that day, Gou took a portion of their harvested magic stones and returned to the Dungeon Convenience Store—where he would personally confirm its effectiveness.

In December of that year, Shinjuku Birth successfully conquered the Shinjuku Dungeon, barely making the deadline. And the Dungeon Convenience Store played a significant role in that success.

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