- Mangaka : Seto, Meguru
- Publisher : Seven Seas Entertainment
- Genre : Action, Fantasy, Harem
- Published : October 2020 - Ongoing
Ore dake Haireru Kakushi Dungeon (The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter) Introduction
Noir is the son of a minor noble and recently got his job offer canceled before his first day of work. However, he possesses a rare magical skill where he could consult with the great sage, which in return, experiencing intense headaches for him. Being uncertain of his future to progress, he decided to ask for a direction to a hidden dungeon filled with rare beasts and magical items—a place where Noir will explore and train to become strong enough to change his fate.
Contains Spoilers
Discussion Time
Ore dake Haireru Kakushi Dungeon (The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter) has the right balance of pacing in terms of story and character progression. It is mainly focused on fantasy and harem. The artwork is simple, but the character design and outfits gave us the vibe of exploring the world as a beginner. The translation and typesetting are based on a first-person view, smooth and satisfying to read. In addition to the main story, there will be another three bonus stories to get to know other characters.
1. Micro-Management
To those who are familiar with Persona 5, rest assured, the concept of self-training, meeting and working with new hot girls, cough, party members, and building bonds with them are similar to it. It goes something like this:
I am thou, thou art I
Thou hast turned a vow into a story material
Thy bond shall become part of my harem
And break the yoke of thy heart
Thou hast awakened to the ultimate secret
Of the LP we needed to acquire overpowered skills
Just kidding. But some of it aligns with the story, so let us introduce you LP! Not life points as the story did not mention what the acronyms define. LP can be used to invest in skills. However, one must know when to spend and save their resources before investing in yourself. Pretty deep, huh? Anyway, if you spend your entire LP until they reach zero, you’re dead. We know, it’s weird, but we’re talking about fiction here.
2. A Mild Feeling of Being a Programmer
At the beginning of the story, we thought that oh, is this going to be a slow pace story where the main character starts from scratch. And we’re half-wrong which is a good thing. During Noir’s first visit to the second floor of the hidden dungeon, that is where he met his soon-to-be master Olivia, who is a legendary adventurer, and receives four unique and powerful skills: Get Creative, Bestow, Editor, and LP Conversion.
The third mentioned skill is the main shine to introduce programming aspects to the readers. How this series portrays the use of Editor unlocks readers’ perspective to this line of work in reality but not in-depth as it is somewhere along with the introduction for now. It also shows how much the price is for a slight or significant change based on the target, and it makes sense. Everything comes with a price, but it is possible to make a change that can be simple and cost-effective. That is the kind of mindset we humans are mainly practicing to contribute to society.
3. Harem’s Care Package
Now that we covered the previous two reasons, yes, you read the genre right— harem. We know our readers, especially Bee-kun is always super interested in any harem story. So, lets explain how harem works its way into this story.It’s fine. Noir has unintentionally gathered four girls who had grown romantic interests toward him after all the help he did for them. A childhood friend, a receptionist from a guild, a half-elf, and Duke’s daughter. The reasons behind their interests toward Noir were understandable and reasonable. It wasn’t like those stories where girls just fall in love with the main character without any concrete reasons at all.
Each girl has unique personalities from other girls, and you pretty much have a wide choice of waifus. And let’s not forget the rivalry between the girls is admirable and done professionally.
4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest
To earn LP that can be invested into skills, Noir has to consume delectable foods, engage in sexual activity of the opposite sex, fulfill a desire for financial and material gain and satisfy any other basic desires. It gives the impression to the readers of how many things we can explore in life and enjoy them. Of course, it goes without saying that consent is crucial when it comes to sexual activity, so don’t be a jerk as there will be consequences.
Final Thoughts
It was an enjoyable experience to read Ore dake Haireru Kakushi Dungeon (The Hidden Dungeon Only I can Enter) and experience the slow and fun journey Noir had gone through with his life to the fullest while helping those in need. As a bonus, surrounded by girls who are lovable in their own way, introduced to what being an editor feels like and the micro-management of LP. The setting is based on a first-person view of the main character and the Duke’s daughter. The artwork is simple, but its representation is enough to give us a feel of going out on an adventure.
So if you’re interested in a fantasy world where you can get to be creative with skills while helping others and surrounded by girls, give this light novel series a go. If you have read volume 1 of this series, who is your character?
Author: Nobodies17
