Madness of the Blue Blood Labyrinth - Chapter 1
“If you can’t enjoy life, there’s no point in dragging it out.”
The year was 2026 when dungeons first appeared in the world.
Mountains, forests, valleys, oceans, skies, cities.
Without rhyme or reason, towering labyrinths suddenly materialized in every conceivable place—999 in total.
Their existence sent tremors through nations, overturning everything people thought they knew about the world.
Forty years have passed since the day this phenomenon, now grandly referred to as the “Revolution of Events,” made its way into elementary school textbooks.
After the twists and turns of its early days, human civilization now basks in the blessings drawn from the dungeons, reveling in an era of prosperity.
When did it begin?
When did everything I saw, heard, and felt start to irritate me so much?
──There’s no need to ask. It was like this from the very beginning.
Since I was old enough to understand the world, I’d always admired the dungeon explorers.
It’s not an uncommon story. Battling vicious monsters, solving the intricacies of dungeons—it’s a profession that makes many kids’ eyes sparkle with excitement.
But I soon realized something: it was impossible for me.
One in every two thousand people is born with the innate talent required to be an Explorer—the “Slot.”
Whether or not you can walk the path you desire is decided while you’re still in your mother’s womb.
It’s a familiar tale. The first real disappointment in life for many.
And I was just one of the countless others.
A few more years, and—whether I actually do it or not aside—I’ll have to exchange the sword and armor I desperately wanted for a suit and tie I never asked for, and step out into society.
There is one way to overturn my fate, but it requires a tremendous amount of money—legitimate money.
And that’s a sum no twenty-something student could hope to gather, no matter how hard they tried.
Thus, I offer my deepest gratitude to the turning point that today has brought.
The bank I visited in the middle of a weekday.
The slip of paper I presented at the reception desk.
The private room they led me to in the back.
Whether he knew about the wild joy barely contained within me or not, the banker with rimless glasses bowed deeply and said:
“Congratulations on winning one hundred million yen.”
Ah. The time has come to put an end to the dull, suffocating life I hadn’t even been truly living.
Though it’s a bit late, it starts today.
The life of meaning for me, Tsukihiko Tōdō, begins now.
…
“Uh, I forgot my account number, so if possible, could I take the money home in cash?”
You wouldn’t happen to have a large plastic bag I could borrow, would you?