Both Yuji and I froze at Hiiragi-san’s sudden proposal.
For Hiiragi-san, who dove into dungeons specifically to source orc materials for her family’s business, going deeper shouldn’t have been a priority. Or so I thought.
"The supply of orc ingredients has been increasing lately, which is driving prices down," she explained. "Instead of hunting orcs ourselves to get the meat, I think it would be more efficient to dive into the deeper floors, collect high-rarity drop items, and then use the cash to just buy the meat we need."
"...Now that you mention it, that makes sense."
This time, the appraised value of the orc meat Hiiragi-san was planning to take home accounted for less than a third of our total earnings. A month or two ago, that same amount would have been worth more than half.
Furthermore, while we had collected a large number of items today, they were mostly low-rarity drops from the floors above level 10. Our total payout wasn't particularly high despite the volume.
"Besides, isn't diving into the deeper floors necessary for Hirose-kun’s training as well?"
"That’s..."
"If you want to complete your task of landing a blow on Juzo-san, you can't keep wandering around the shallow floors forever, right?" Hiiragi-san continued. "To be honest, the monsters on the shallow floors aren't even worthy opponents for us anymore. It’s just repetitive labor."
Yuji hesitated, unable to give an immediate answer when Hiiragi-san brought up the prospect of the dungeon's lower levels.
"You’ve spent the last few months helping me with my errands. This time, let me help you with your goal."
"Hiiragi-san... Daiki?"
Yuji turned to me, seeking my opinion. Though he remained silent, the desire to dive deeper was written all over his face.
I didn't have any particular objection to going deeper, so I gave him a firm nod.
"Alright, Hiiragi-san. We'll take you up on that proposal."
"Understood."
"You're really okay with it, Daiki?" Yuji asked.
"Of course. But even if we're going deep, I don't want us to rush it. I want to make sure we map out each floor properly as we go."
Real-life dungeons didn't come with the "auto-mapping" features found in games. Explorers generally had to map out a minimum area before descending to the next floor. If your map was too small, you’d have a hard time trying to escape or set up an ambush in an emergency.
"I know," Yuji agreed. "I don't intend to neglect the mapping. Let's take it one floor at a time and move forward steadily."
"Then it's settled. From now on, our policy is to push deeper into the dungeon."
"Right."
"Yeah."
With everyone in agreement, we committed to venturing further into the depths starting with our next dive. Our immediate goal: breaking through the shallow floors to reach the middle floors.
After returning from the dungeon and finishing dinner, I was in the living room watching TV with my family.
"Hey, Onii-chan?"
"Hm? What is it, Mika?"
"How was the dungeon today?"
"The same as always. Why the sudden interest?"
I tilted my head, confused by her question. Why ask that now? As I sat there looking puzzled, Mika slowly explained her reasoning.
"Well, wasn't today your first time back since the news about that minor dying in a dungeon? I was just wondering if the atmosphere had changed at all."
"Oh, I see... No, not really. I saw plenty of other teenage explorers like usual."
"Really...?"
"Yeah."
I thought back to that rowdy party I’d seen in the waiting area. They definitely seemed like the type who wouldn't pay any attention to the news.
"I mean, even if an explorer died, it didn't happen in the dungeon we use. Everyone there probably just saw it as someone else's problem."
"...What about you then, Onii-chan? Even after hearing someone died, you still go..."
At Mika's words, Mom and Dad both turned away from the TV to listen.
"I don't see it as someone else's problem. If anything, I think it was an accident that was bound to happen."
"Bound to happen?" Mika asked.
"What do you mean by that, Daiki?" Dad added.
"Well..."
Since Dad wanted clarification, I repeated the explanation I’d given Shigemori-kun at school. Hearing my assessment, my parents looked like they understood my point.
"I see. You might be right, Daiki."
"So that’s why you couldn't eat dinner the first time you came back from a dive," Mom recalled. "Now that I think about it, you weren't yourself for several days after that."
"Yeah. I could manage lunch, but dinner was a struggle..."
Just thinking back to those early days made my stomach feel a little tight.
"Anyway, the Association will probably come up with some kind of countermeasure soon."
"Countermeasure?"
"Yeah. Like training tours for new explorers led by professional instructors appointed by the Association."
"Dungeon exploration with instructors... that does sound like something that ought to exist," Dad mused.
"Right. Even if it's optional, the Association needs the public image of having implemented those kinds of safety nets."
"The media and newspapers have been making a huge fuss, after all. They have to do something."
Some weekly magazines were running editorials calling for a ban on minors getting explorer licenses, but since the major publishers hadn't joined in after the initial shock wore off, the public outcry was fairly muted. I suspected some pressure from corporate sponsors might be involved.
"At any rate, I understand how you feel about it. Just make sure you're careful."
"Of course, Dad."
"Seriously, be careful," Mom insisted. "I have no intention of holding a funeral for my son while he's still this young."
"I know. I'll keep that in mind."
"..."
While my parents were drilling the importance of safety into me, Mika remained silent, appearing lost in thought.
The next day, during lunch with Yuji and Hiiragi-san, we discussed the logistics of our new plan.
"We've agreed to go deeper, but what are we doing about our time? Are we extending the dive?"
"We'll have to," Yuji said. "It takes two and a half hours just to reach the 20th floor. If we don't extend the schedule, we'll be in trouble."
"He's right," Hiiragi-san added. "If we stick to our current hours, we won't have any time to actually explore once we reach the lower levels."
"Up until now, we’ve been doing six-hour dives with three hours for the commute," I noted. "If we want to push past the 20th floor, we have no choice but to stay longer."
Deciding to stay longer was one thing; actually doing it was another. With the three-hour commute and six hours in the dungeon, we were already at nine hours. Currently, I was leaving the house at 7:00 AM to make sure I was back by 4:00 PM. We also had to consider physical and mental fatigue.
"For now, why don't we add two hours to the dive time? We'll get home later, but it'll give us the time we need underground."
"That sounds reasonable," Hiiragi-san agreed. "It's better to let our bodies adjust to the longer hours gradually."
"We don't really have to worry about supplies thanks to my Spatial Storage, right?"
In any other party, longer dives meant the logistical nightmare of carrying more supplies, but luckily, we were exempt from that headache.
"So, two-hour extension for the next dive. Everyone okay with that?"
"Works for me."
"I'm in."
With our unanimous consent, the extension was official. I’d have to tell my family tonight that I’d be getting home later from now on.
The following week, we were back at the dungeon.
"Alright, we're aiming past the 20th floor today, right?"
"Yes. No issues here."
"I've got extra supplies packed, so we're good to go."
"Then let's head in."
At Yuji's lead, we began the exploration. Things went smoothly, and we reached the 20th floor—our previous limit—in the projected two and a half hours.
"Good progress so far."
"Yes. Last time we were here, we barely had any time to look around."
"I remember. We ran out of time right after we finished off those two minotaurs and had to turn back. I'd love to get some more minotaur meat if we can..."
The minotaur meat I’d served at Mika's high school acceptance dinner was from that very trip.
"I only got a few bites, but man, that stuff was good," Yuji said.
"It really was. It tasted like high-end brand beef," Hiiragi-san added.
"Yuji and I barely got any of it..."
" " "..." " "
The three of us looked at each other in silence for a moment before nodding simultaneously.
" " "Let's hunt minotaurs today!" " "
In perfect unison, our objective for the day shifted. A quick check of my watch confirmed we had about three hours we could dedicate to tracking them down.
We started walking at a brisk pace while mapping out the 20th floor. Ten minutes later, Hiiragi-san’s Presence Detection picked up our first target wandering the corridor ahead.
"There."
"Got him."
"Found one already."
The minotaur didn't seem to have noticed us yet. We ducked behind a corner for a quick strategy meeting.
"The minotaur's primary special ability is that high-volume roar."
"They're also incredibly strong and have thick hides."
"Our old weapons worked on them well enough, but..." Hiiragi-san looked down at her spear with a hint of uncertainty.
"It'll be fine," I reassured her. "The weapons have performed great against everything else we've faced today."
"If anything, I think they’re easier to use now," Yuji added.
To increase their durability during the reforging, the blades had been made thicker, which increased their weight. However, that extra weight translated into much more powerful strikes. For an average swordsman, the weight might be a drawback, but for explorers with several times the strength of a normal human, it wasn't an issue at all.
"...You're right."
"Okay. Since it's a single target, we don't need anything fancy. Who's taking the lead?"
"I'll do it," Yuji volunteered.
"Yuji, then? Hiiragi-san, you okay with that?"
"Yes, that's fine."
"Alright. Yuji's on point, Hiiragi-san and I will provide backup."
"Leave it to me."
"Got it."
"Then let's get to it."
Meeting over, we stepped out into the corridor with Yuji in front. Spotting our approach, the minotaur took a deep breath and unleashed a deafening roar.
"BU-MOOOO!"
The sound, as loud as a jet engine, reverberated through the narrow stone hallway. We had stopped and covered our ears the moment it inhaled, but our heads still rang. Once the short burst of sound ended, the minotaur raised its heavy club.
"Ow, my ears..."
"Is there really no skill to protect your senses?" I grumbled.
"Or at least some earplugs or earmuffs," Hiiragi-san added as we shook off the dizziness.
"That thing is a literal sonic weapon."
"Tell me about it. If the roar from a minotaur on the shallow floors is this bad, what's it like in the deep floors?"
"If we run into a dragon or something, the roar alone might kill us."
"Probably."
"Focus, you two. It's coming."
The minotaur was charging toward us, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground.
"You guys back off a bit."
"Roger. All yours, Yuji. Hiiragi-san."
"Right."
Leaving Yuji in the center of the corridor to face the beast head-on, Hiiragi-san and I moved to the walls. The minotaur ignored us, focusing entirely on Yuji. It closed the distance and swung its massive club downward.
"Hah!"
Yuji read the trajectory perfectly. He dodged the club by a hair's breadth and, using a reverse grip on Shigure, drove the blade deep into the minotaur’s neck and twisted. He immediately leaped back to clear the inevitable spray of blood.
The minotaur tried to clasp its hands over its throat to stop the bleeding, but the wound was too deep. Its knees buckled, and the massive creature slumped forward onto the floor.
"Whew."
"Impressive, Yuji."
"A perfectly placed strike."
Hiiragi-san and I walked over to Yuji while keeping a cautious eye on the body. Maintaining your guard even after a kill was vital; you never knew when a "dead" monster might have one last surprise.
Seeing us close by, Yuji finally relaxed his stance.
"It was nothing. More importantly... Hiiragi-san."
"I know."
Hiiragi-san pulled out her skinning knife and plunged it into the corpse. The minotaur’s body dissolved into light, leaving behind a Core Crystal and a large slab of meat.
"Hmm, looks like about three kilograms?" she estimated, weighing the meat in her hand.
Three kilograms... Minotaur meat went for several thousand yen per hundred grams, so that one piece was worth hundreds of thousands of yen.
"Here, Kokonoe-kun."
She handed the meat to me. I took some plastic wrap from my Spatial Storage, wrapped it up, put it in a cooler bag, and sent the whole thing back into storage. It was too heavy to carry around during combat.
"Alright, we still have plenty of time. Let's find the next one."
"Yeah. We'll need a lot more if we want enough for both selling and eating."
"Agreed."
"Let's go."
After a brief rest, we resumed our hunt on the 20th floor. By the end of the day, we had filled a large cooler bag with about thirty kilograms of minotaur meat. We decided to sell fifteen kilograms and split the remaining fifteen between the three of us to take home.
After converting our other drops to cash at the Association window, Hiiragi-san used a portion of her earnings to buy orc ingredients.
"Looks like you got your orc meat without any trouble."
"Yes. If we're able to dive this deep, it really is more efficient to just buy it."
"Minotaur meat has a much higher unit price than orc meat," I noted. "As long as we can hunt minotaurs at a decent rate, buying the orc meat is the way to go."
"Assuming you can hunt minotaurs as easily as orcs, that is," Yuji pointed out.
"Which is a condition most explorers could never meet," Hiiragi-san added.
We were definitely the exception to the rule. In gaming terms, we were like a high-level party capable of reaching the final boss's castle, yet choosing to hunt in the woods near the starting town. At the very least, you’d need to be a top-tier explorer to pull this off.
"I guess so. But since we’ve proven we can fund your orc meat through lower-level exploration, there’s no reason you can't keep diving deep with us, right?"
"None at all. As long as I have the ingredients, it doesn't matter if I hunt them myself or buy them."
That cleared up one of our biggest hurdles for moving into the lower levels. Yuji looked visibly relieved at Hiiragi-san’s answer.
"It's getting late. Shall we head home?"
With our plans settled and souvenirs in hand, we began the trek back.
And for the record, the minotaur meat made for an absolutely incredible dinner for my family that night.