We traveled from the Floor 8 teleportation circle back to Floor 1 and finally stepped out of the dungeon.
After passing through the dungeon gate—which functioned much like a train station ticket gate—we found Urara-san, looking like a little schoolgirl, waiting for us alongside several staff members from the Japan Explorer Association.
"I’ve been waiting for you, everyone! Good work out there!"
Watching Urara-san greet us energetically, her ponytail swaying as she bounced, I felt a strange sense of relief wash over me.
"Urara-san, I missed you...!!"
"Fueh?! W-what was that all of a sudden?! Could it be that you’ve finally fallen for your big sister?!"
My mutterings, born of pure relief, made Urara-san let out a surprised "hoeeh."
"Y-you can't, Takeo-kun!! Think about our age gap! Six years is just too much...!!"
I had absolutely no intention of the sort, but she was right—it would definitely look bad. Her misunderstanding was going to get me branded as a criminal.
Meanwhile, Urara-san was squirming and muttering to herself.
"Oh, dear...!!...Wait? Maybe a six-year gap isn't actually that big a deal? Besides, Takeo-kun earns quite a bit, so doesn't that make him an excellent property? My mother has been so noisy lately about me finding a good partner, so if I think about it seriously..."
"—Urara-san."
Hinata-san called out with a sharp smile.
"Please stop your delusions right there. What should we do next?"
"M-Mashiro-chan...? Wait, are you angry about something...?"
"No?"
"B-but..."
"No?"
"..."
"No?"
"Ah, yes. Understood."
After a very forced cough, Urara-san fixed her expression and turned back to us with a professional air.
"Well then, could you hand over the bodies of the five unidentified explorers found in the Floor 8 monster room? That will conclude the request for Ikegami-san and his party. Thank you very much for assisting us on such short notice."
As Urara-san bowed deeply, Ikegami-san waved it off. "No, not at all."
"Don't worry about it. We know this is all part of the duty of a Special Crisis Case Explorer."
"I appreciate you saying that."
"Now then, let's handle the transfer of the remains over there."
One of the staff members waiting with Urara-san prompted Ikegami-san’s group to move. It seemed this was where we would part ways with them.
Since Hinata-san was still wearing that fixed, icy smile and clearly remained in a foul mood, it fell to me to handle the farewells.
"Everyone, thank you for today."
"Takeo-kun, really, don't worry about it. As fellow Special Crisis Case Explorers, I'm sure our paths will cross again. Next time—"
"Junkie-niki-kun!!"
Interrupting Ikegami-san mid-sentence, Mayurin-san lunged forward.
"Form a party with me!!"
She dropped a proposal that was so absurd I didn't even know where to start.
"Mayuri?! What the hell are you saying?!"
"We already have five members, you moron!!"
Ikegami-san and the others shouted the obvious retorts. Exactly. A party was limited to five people.
However, Mayurin-san gave a characteristically ruthless answer.
"Ehh? Couldn't we just put Ren or Motosuke on the bench?"
"H-how cruel...!!"
"What do you think we are to you...!!"
Ashitaba-san and Hondo-san looked visibly devastated. I thought it was a bit much, but I decided to double-check.
"Um... does that mean you want to scout both me and Hinata-san?"
"Nope. Only Junkie-niki-kun. I don't need that black-hearted one with the bad personality!"
"............Takeo-kun?"
Hinata-san said nothing but my name, her smile never wavering.
I-I know, Hinata-san...!!
"I’m sorry, but having too many party members is a problem... the experience points would get spread too thin."
Even if I wasn't feeling a level of pressure from Hinata-san that rivaled Mito-san's, I would have turned her down anyway.
"Experience points, huh. Hmm... then how about forming a party with just the two of us? That should be fine, right?"
"Hey, Mayuri!! You! What do you plan to do with us?!"
Ikegami-san snapped. It was only natural. Based on our conversation today, Ikegami-san was practically the one running the show, but Mayurin-san was the nominal leader. That was only because she was overwhelmingly strong compared to the other four. I hadn't seen her fight today, but I'd seen enough of her stream videos to know.
If a core member like her left, the rest of the group would be in serious trouble.
Yet, Mayurin-san said nonchalantly, "Eh? Can't you four just do your best? Oh! Or you could just scout that milk woman over there!!"
"You idiot!! Stop saying whatever you want! You’re bothering Hinata-san and Takeo-kun too!!"
"Yeah, yeah! And you’re bothering us in the process!!"
"Stop being so self-centered!!"
"You really need to grow up, Mayuri."
"What's with you guys~? Do you love me so much you can't bear to be apart? But sorry, Teruya and the others aren't really my type, or rather—"
"As if we'd ever ask for you!!"
"Of course we have the right to choose too!"
"Dating Mayuri is a hard pass."
"I can't even see you as a woman."
"What was that~...? I'll seriously kill you, you know? (Deadpan)"
They were a noisy bunch. It seemed like they all got along well enough, so they really shouldn't be talking about disbanding. And besides—I gave Mayurin-san my final answer.
"I’m sorry. I can’t form a party with you, Mayurin-san."
"Gaan!! W-why?! I'm super strong, even if I do say so myself?!"
Mayurin-san looked genuinely shocked. Honestly, that was the first time I'd seen someone actually vocalize "Gaan" in real life.
"With my fighting style, I’m more compatible with Hinata-san... and I think I can earn more experience points by teaming up with her..."
"Fufu."
Hinata-san chuckled.
"Um, it was Kamiyashiki-san, right?"
Hinata-san???
"It seems Takeo-kun feels you are quite incompatible?"
Hinata-san??? Well, I’m a bit awkward around Mayurin-san, but I didn't go as far as to say we were incompatible.
"...!!? You black-hearted milk woman...!!"
"He seems quite compatible with me, though. In many ways."
"You...!! Fine...!! Let's go—"
"Waaah!! W-wait!! Don't fight in a place like this, you two!!"
Urara-san scrambled between the two of them as the air turned explosive.
Immediately after, Ikegami-san and the others snapped to their senses and restrained Mayurin-san.
"Mayuri, stop it!!"
"What's with you guys!! Where are you touching, you perverts!! Let go!!"
And so, Mayurin-san was dragged away by her party. Just before she disappeared, she threw out a parting shot that reeked of sour grapes.
"Milk woman!! Don't think you've won!! A girl with a personality as bad as yours will get dumped in no time—!!!"
"............"
Hinata-san simply watched them leave with a pleasant smile.
●◯●
Afterward, Hinata-san and I were led to a room in the Association, where Urara-san questioned us about the incident.
That said, between the drone camera footage and the fact that we had no prior connection to those men, it didn't take much time at all.
While we were at it, I decided to ask for an appraisal of the items dropped by the special variant goblin.
"In that case, I'll appraise them for you!" Urara-san offered.
"You will, Urara-san?"
"Fufun! Your big sister here actually has the Appraisal skill, despite appearances."
Seriously? The Appraisal skill was quite rare. That was impressive.
"Then, could I ask you to do it?"
"Leave it to me!"
I handed the magic stone, skill orb, and longsword to Urara-san.
The results were...
"Hmm, hmm... this magic stone belongs to a Level 60 Normal Goblin."
"What?! A Normal Goblin?!"
I couldn't help but shout. In the first place, a Level 60 Normal Goblin shouldn't even exist, but even setting that aside, that thing didn't have the strength of a normal monster!
"And... this skill orb is... mumu?! This is rare! It's a skill orb for the Footing Creation skill!!"
Footing Creation... that was likely the skill the goblin used to move through the air.
I consulted with Hinata-san about who would use it. Selling it was out of the question.
"Takeo-kun should use it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I mean, I've already received plenty of skill orbs like Life Magic and Fire Magic, and besides, I don't think I could master a movement skill like that anyway. It's better if you have it."
Honestly, the moment I heard the skill name, I wanted it, so Hinata-san’s suggestion was a godsend.
"Thank you! Then I'll go ahead and use it!"
I used the skill orb right then and there. New skill get!!
And finally—the worn-out steel longsword.
"This is a steel longsword," Urara-san said.
Well, it was exactly what it looked like. I wasn't hurting for money, so I figured I’d keep it as a spare—but then Urara-san paused.
"Hmm? But what is this...? Even though its performance is the same as a normal steel sword, for some reason it has an inscription?"
"Wait, an inscription? Seriously?"
I was stunned. Among equipment dropped in the dungeon or made by high-level crafters, there were rare items that possessed an "Inscription."
This was distinct from common names like "Archmage's Staff"; it was proof of a unique, one-of-a-kind item. Apparently, no two items with the same inscription have ever been found. More importantly, inscribed equipment often possessed hidden, special properties.
"Then, does this sword have some kind of rare ability?"
Just as the Holy Sword dropped by the Divine Knight increased magic skill power, it wouldn't be strange if this sword had an effect.
"Hmm... I feel like something is hidden... but no. It seems I can't see it with my level of Appraisal. You'll have to ask someone with Greater Appraisal to find out."
It seemed there was information that Urara-san couldn't reach. Something was hidden. My expectations were soaring. Fortunately, I knew someone with Greater Appraisal. I had a feeling Mito-san might flatly refuse because she was busy... but worst-case scenario, I’d beg and plead until she gave in.
"S-so! What is the inscription on this sword?!"
Urara-san answered. "It's the Fool's Sword."
"..."
My excitement flatlined. The Fool's Sword... I see. Apparently, it wasn't a weapon meant for me.
I wasn't a fool at all. If the equipment requirements included being a fool, I might not even be able to pick the thing up. Still, inscribed equipment was incredibly rare, so I decided against selling it for now. I’d ask Mito-san for an appraisal when the opportunity arose.
At any rate, the questioning was finished, the drops were appraised, and the magic stones were sold. We were finally free. We agreed to go on another overnight exploration the day after tomorrow, and then we headed home for the day.
●◯●
A short while after Takeo and Hinata left...
An Association staff member arrived to report to Urara Kongoji, who remained at the Japan Explorer Association Shinjuku Branch.
"Kongoji-san, we’ve identified the explorers from their belongings. Here are the documents."
"Oh, really?! Thank you! It’s a relief they were identified so easily. Now I might actually get home on time."
Accepting the documents with a smile, Urara began to skim through them. However, her expression gradually turned grim as she read further.
"Hmm, hmm... ages twenty and twenty-one. Current university students, all in the same department... and their licenses were obtained only three months ago...? That's... impossible. Excluding outliers like Takeo-kun, there's no way they could have reached Floor 8 in three months. And these kids weren't particularly famous, were they?"
"No. We’ve done a thorough search, but their exploration videos on DungeonTube were all set to private, and they had no presence on Yo!Tube or social media. We also checked their entry records; they only entered the dungeon eight times in the last three months."
"In that case, their levels shouldn't have been high enough to survive there... Were you able to check their recorded footage?"
"Yes, after a fashion... However, the footage cuts off a few minutes after they entered. It's likely the cameras were intentionally deactivated."
"I see..."
It was clearly suspicious. In particular, intentionally interrupting the filming of exploration activities—which was a legal requirement—was essentially an admission of guilt.
(But if that's the case... then there's a real possibility that this special variant was intentionally triggered by them.)
They had reached Floor 8 when they shouldn't have been able to, and their gear was far too high-quality for beginners. It was unnatural. And of course, the biggest question was why they were inside a monster room.
Surely they wouldn't be running laps in a monster room for experience points like a certain someone. If they were that capable, they wouldn't have been unknown.
(There were testimonies that among the perpetrators of dungeon terrorism, there were those who used skills and magic despite not even being registered explorers...)
Individuals with unnatural strength. That was a common thread among the perpetrators of dungeon terrorism. It smelled like trouble.
"Well... it looks like overtime is definitely back on the menu today."
Urara let out a heavy, melancholy sigh.