“—Attention, Special Crisis Case Explorers! Thank you for waiting! Please gather here!”
Tona Hitokata—a silver-haired, blue-eyed beauty with the air of a high-end secretary—arrived at the Honmaru Ruins alongside an older man from the Self-Defense Forces and called out to the waiting explorers.
Drawn by her voice, the crowd began to drift toward her.
As for why Tona-san was here—I had asked her while we were staying at the hotel, and she had told me it was simply because the Sendai Castle Ruins Dungeon was dangerous.
Normally, chaperoning and various clerical duties would be handled by the respective coordinators. However, the risk of monsters overflowing from the Sendai Castle Ruins Dungeon onto the surface was high. It had been decided that the task was too hazardous for coordinators who lacked combat capabilities.
Thus, Tona-san had personally volunteered to handle the work. I still wondered exactly what a Special Advisor’s job was supposed to be.
The Association had apparently approved her request immediately, reasoning that if Tona-san was the one doing it, everything would be fine.
…I mean, that was basically the Association admitting that she had combat capabilities, wasn't it?
Personally, it felt only natural since she was Mito-san’s older sister, but thinking about it calmly, they were quite the formidable pair of siblings. In this context, “combat capability” meant the ability to fight on the surface as a prerequisite.
“Now then, I will explain the details of the request once more,” Tona-san began as soon as the group gathered before her and the older Self-Defense Force officer.
“What we are asking of you is the conquest of the Sendai Castle Ruins Dungeon up to Floor 10. However, this is an aspirational target, not a mandatory objective.”
A stir ran through the explorers. They had heard the mission details beforehand, but this was the first they had heard that they didn't necessarily have to reach Floor 10.
“What we need is for you to conquer Floor 1 by today if possible, or tomorrow at the very latest. The Association believes that if we can secure even just the first floor, the immediate danger of monsters overflowing onto the surface will be mitigated.”
I see.
“Naturally, we would like you to proceed with the conquest of Floor 2 and beyond, but we do not have detailed information regarding the monsters that appear deeper down. While you are all among the top explorers in Japan, it is entirely possible that you may encounter monsters with strength far beyond your capabilities.”
Hm, hm.
“In such a case, we leave it to your individual discretion whether to continue the mission or abort and retreat.”
The crowd buzzed again. She was basically saying it was okay to abandon the request halfway through.
“The government and the Association intend to pay rewards even to those who abort midway, provided that the Floor 1 conquest is achieved quickly. However, please understand that rewards will be scaled based on the actual floors cleared.”
Well, that was only fair.
“The deadline for this request will be the return of the parties led by Taito Imiki, Denshiro, or Hero Yoshida, who are currently dispatched overseas.”
In other words, once Headshot Yakuza, Denshiro, or the Hero’s party returned, the dungeon conquest would be handed over to them.
So, we didn't really need to force our way through anything past the first floor.
Considering that the government and the Association weren't rushing their return—and they likely knew that Headshot Yakuza could use teleportation on the surface as well, meaning they could bring him back in an instant if they really wanted to—things probably weren't that desperate.
Thinking about it that way, I suddenly felt much more relaxed. Not that I had been particularly nervous to begin with.
“Furthermore, this dungeon conquest will be conducted with the Professor, Sage Saito, and Kurage-chan at the center. We ask that the rest of you follow their instructions as much as possible while inside the dungeon.”
Hmph, that was also natural. The Professor, Saito-san, and Kurage-chan were powerhouses with levels overwhelmingly higher than anyone else here. They undoubtedly had far more experience in dungeon exploration.
I casually looked around and didn't see anyone objecting to Tona-san’s words. Everyone seemed to accept the arrangement without complaint.
Tona-san nodded after confirming there were no objections and continued her briefing.
“As you will realize immediately upon entering, the Sendai Castle Ruins Dungeon is a very unique environment. The interior is far vaster than a normal dungeon, and we have yet to identify the location of the Dungeon Core mentioned in the Dungeon Master's video. However, the government has been informed of its appearance. According to the Dungeon Master, it is a glowing crystal pillar about five meters high, growing directly from the ground or floor.”
I see. That sounded like something we'd recognize the moment we saw it. Finding it probably wouldn't be too difficult.
“To complete the conquest of each floor, you must destroy the Dungeon Core and then install a special magic tool in its place. These installation tools have already been provided by the Dungeon Master. —It is this.”
Tona-san produced a black, square cube about ten centimeters on each side.
She had said “install,” so I had been imagining something much larger. While I was tilting my head at the surprisingly small object—
“—!!”
In the next instant, we were all stunned into silence.
Tona-san extended her right arm, gripping the cube, out to the side. Suddenly, the cube glowed faintly, and a massive Black Obelisk appeared at the end of her arm.
With a heavy thud, the Obelisk stood upright on the ground.
It was the exact same type of Black Obelisk found alongside the teleportation circles in the Staircase Plaza of every Floor 1.
Wait, did that Obelisk just come out of that tiny black cube? It didn't look like an expansion bag at all. Was it some kind of item-box-like magic tool?
I was more shocked by the cube’s performance than the sudden appearance of the Obelisk. It was clearly far superior to any expansion bag I’d ever seen. What was that thing?
Tona-san ignored our shock and continued her explanation.
“This cube contains nine more items identical to this Obelisk. It was provided by the Dungeon Master along with the Obelisks. It’s a magic tool that stores objects in a pocket dimension… You can understand how to use it just by touching it. It seems to have some sort of interface built in. I would like one of you—the Professor, Saito-san, or Kurage-chan—to take custody of it.”
When Tona-san turned her gaze toward the three of them, they exchanged looks. The Professor was the first to speak.
“Hmm… Considering the possibility of unforeseen circumstances or the chance of our party being wiped out, it would be best for the Sage to hold onto it. Given his superior mobility, he is the most likely to return to the surface in a worst-case scenario.”
“Mm, I… agree with that…” Kurage-chan added.
“Then this humble one shall take custody of it!” Sage Saito declared.
And so, the black cube was handed to Saito-san. When he received it from Tona-san, he let out a surprised cry.
“Oh! Ohh! I see! So this is how one operates it! This one understands everything now!”
The way he reacted felt a little performative, but I decided it was just my imagination.
“And finally, one last thing—” Tona-san continued, moving past the excited Saito-san.
“Currently, no Obelisks exist within the Sendai Castle Ruins Dungeon. Therefore, it is impossible to form a party through the system. This should become possible once you have conquered Floor 1 and installed the Obelisk, but for now…”
Huh, I hadn't realized that. But the inability to form a party was a bit of a problem.
It meant I wouldn't be able to share experience points with Hinata-san. I felt terribly guilty about that. After all, experience points were more important than anything else in the world.
I would have to make it up to her later. I’d have to grind through monster rooms harder than ever and dedicate all those experience points to Hinata-san.
“The lack of a party system will likely cause various inconveniences. Please be extremely careful as you proceed with the conquest. —That is all from me.”
With that, Tona-san finished her part of the briefing. However, there was still more to come.
“Next, we have a few words from Colonel Tojo, who is commanding the lockdown of the Sendai Castle Ruins Dungeon.”
Introduced by Tona-san, a middle-aged Self-Defense Force officer stepped forward and saluted us.
I instinctively saluted back, though I didn't really know the correct form. A few other explorers seemed to be saluting back as well.
Colonel Tojo spoke with a grave expression.
“I am Colonel Tojo. Ordinarily, I believe the Self-Defense Forces should be the ones handling such a crisis. However, the threat level of the monsters appearing in this dungeon is too high; we have judged it impossible for the Self-Defense Forces to manage them. Therefore, despite your roles as Special Crisis Case Explorers, we are in a position where we must rely on you as civilians.”
Civilians—that was right. Even though we were called Special Crisis Case Explorers, we weren't government employees, so we were still technically civilians.
This was because it was currently impossible to hire high-level explorers as civil servants. High-level explorers earned massive amounts of money, and there was no way the government could match that income in a salary. Who would accept a job with far less pay and far less freedom that sent them on the most dangerous missions first?
A few exceptionally selfless people might, but most would never choose such an environment. As a result, securing high-level explorers for military or police forces was a difficult problem for every nation.
Well, that was why the Japan Explorer Association existed in the first place.
“—That being said, I pray for your safe return. For the safety of the people of Japan, we thank you.”
Colonel Tojo’s speech was brief. To summarize, it was basically: “Sorry for pushing this dangerous job on you! If a monster actually makes it outside, the military will handle it, so don't worry! Stay alive, but please hurry and clear the first floor!”
Once Colonel Tojo stepped back, it was finally time for us to enter the dungeon.