We shook our heads in response to Juzo-san’s question. Even if there wasn't a crisis at hand, we weren't about to start blowing off school on weekdays just to obsess over the dungeon.
Or rather, that was how we all truly felt.
"Well, I suppose so. Skipping school just to go to a dungeon is hardly something to be praised, anyway."
It seemed Juzo-san hadn't been completely serious, either. Besides, answering "yes" to that question would mean choosing the same path as the repeating student explorers—an option we all wanted to avoid.
Furthermore, a day trip was already cutting it close just to take down an area boss. If we wanted to dive any deeper into the lower floors, returning the same day simply wouldn't be an option no matter how we looked at it.
"However, if that is the case, we must find a place outside the dungeon where you can face opponents you consider powerful or feel a sense of impending crisis…… Now then, what should we do?"
" " "……" " "
It was a difficult problem.
If we, as high-level explorers, were to look for enemies outside the dungeon that could make us fear for our lives, we would have no choice but to bring in super-class masters like Juzo-san or the absolute elite explorer teams from various nations who challenged the middle floors and beyond. It wasn't as if super-class individuals like Juzo-san were easy to find, and picking a fight with those teams would essentially mean declaring war on their respective nations' militaries.
Moreover, even if we looked for a place where we could feel a sense of impending danger, large-scale urban shootouts weren't exactly a thing in Japan, and we certainly didn't want a massive disaster to happen nearby. That meant there were virtually no places in everyday life where we could feel our lives were truly at risk. With our current abilities, even if a car plowed into us without braking while we were walking, we could either dodge it or withstand the impact with only minor injuries.
"……Are we at a dead end?" Yuji asked.
"I agree. I can't really think of what we should do either……" Hiiragi-san added.
They were thinking the same thing as me, both wearing troubled expressions as they tilted their heads.
It made sense. The only super-class master we knew was Juzo-san; we had no other connections to ask, nor any way to find their contact information. Besides, we weren't such battle maniacs that we'd go out of our way to pick fights just to find danger.
"Hmm. I see……"
Watching us struggle, Juzo-san rubbed his chin with his right hand, lost in thought. It seemed he had something in mind.
"……I suppose I could try asking him."
"Him?"
"Just an acquaintance I met while traveling long ago. You lot, wait here a moment."
With that, Juzo-san stood up and left the dojo, leaving us behind. All we could do was exchange looks and wonder what he was up to.
We waited for Juzo-san to return, chatting over tea. However, thirty minutes passed, and we were starting to feel a bit restless.
"He's late…… Juzo-san."
"Yeah. I thought he'd be back by now……"
"True……"
We grew weary of the wait, our initial tension giving way to a sluggish restlessness. The sun had finally set, and it was pitch black outside.
"Maybe I should send Mika an email saying I'll be late……"
"I should probably email my mother too……"
Hiiragi-san and I looked out the dark window, thinking we should let our families know we'd be late getting home. It had already been over an hour since we had sent Mika and the others home.
"Yuji, is it okay if I go send a quick email? I think Mika will worry if I'm too late."
"Oh, can I go too?"
"Of course. If Grandpa comes back, I'll let him know."
Having secured Yuji's permission, Hiiragi-san and I moved to the changing room. After spending a few minutes explaining our late return via email, we headed back to the dojo to find Juzo-san sipping tea with Yuji. It seemed we had just missed him.
"Sorry, Juzo-san. We stepped away for a moment."
"No? I do not mind. Yuji told me why you were gone. My phone call took quite some time as well."
I gave Juzo-san a light bow to apologize for my absence and sat back down. Hiiragi-san returned a few minutes later and sat down as well.
"Sorry I'm late."
"It is fine. I was having a long talk myself."
Once Juzo-san confirmed that Hiiragi-san was settled, he put down his teacup.
"Now then, you lot…… I managed to get in touch with my acquaintance. Depending on the conditions, he says he will oversee your training."
"……Conditions? Actually, Grandpa, what kind of acquaintance did you call? We haven't heard anything."
"……Did I not say?"
"You didn't."
In response to Yuji's pressing, Juzo-san scratched his head and tilted it awkwardly.
"Ah…… Sorry, sorry. The man I called is an old acquaintance from my travels—someone who worked as what they’d call an SP nowadays, a bodyguard. We met during a trip where many things happened, but we still keep in touch occasionally. I asked him if he would be willing to train you."
I was curious about what "many things" meant, but I decided to let it go.
"Huh, so that's the kind of person he is…… So, Grandpa, what exactly is the condition he set?"
"Ah, about that……"
Juzo-san trailed off, sounding hesitant. Seeing the rare sight of Juzo-san looking unsure, we watched him with curiosity.
"You lot, you defeated an area boss, did you not?"
"An area boss? Yes, we did, but what does that have to do with……?"
"I wish to confirm—do you possess any recovery potions?"
"……Recovery potions?"
We looked at each other, tilting our heads. Any explorer who dove into dungeons would have at least a few recovery potions unless they were a penniless beginner. Why was Juzo-san asking about something so basic?
"……Ah, I spoke too vaguely. I meant, do you have any mid-grade or higher recovery potions?"
"Mid-grade or higher?"
"For personal reasons, the fellow is looking for a mid-grade potion or higher…… but to be precise, he is searching for a high-grade recovery potion. It seems he is using various connections to try and obtain one."
"I see…… a high-grade recovery potion."
If they wanted a high-grade recovery potion, did they have a family member who had suffered a major injury?
"According to him, high-grade recovery potions are rare drops occasionally found on the middle floors and beyond. Apparently, they are so scarce that they cannot be obtained without specific connections."
That was certainly true. Few private explorers would be able to reach the middle floors, and those who did obtain a high-grade recovery potion would likely keep it as a lifeline rather than sell it. Furthermore, any high-grade recovery potions obtained by the Self-Defense Forces explorer teams would likely be secured for research or for high-ranking national figures; they were almost never released into the open market.
Even if a private explorer luckily obtained a surplus or was desperate for money, there was no way it could meet the general demand.
"As a condition for training you, he asked if I could introduce him to a connection to obtain a high-grade recovery potion. Since you said you defeated an area boss…… I wondered if perhaps you lot might have one?"
" " "……" " "
We looked at each other again.
We did indeed have a high-grade recovery potion as a drop item from the area boss battle. However, we had set it aside strictly for our own inner circle. We hadn't considered giving it to a stranger.
" " "……" " "
We exchanged silent eye contact. As for the potions themselves, we had a decent stock if we included the ones from the Slime Dungeon.
However, the only high-grade recovery potion that had been officially appraised by the Dungeon Association was the single one from the area boss battle. If we gave that one away here, we would be left with only the potions from the Slime Dungeon. Using one of those in the real world would lead to an investigation of our supply route, which would inevitably expose the Slime Dungeon. We wanted to avoid that at all costs.
We could just submit our other potions for appraisal, but that brought up the issue of frequency. As Juzo-san said, high-grade recovery potions were rare drops. At best, we could probably submit one for appraisal once a month without looking suspicious. Since we had already submitted one during Golden Week, it was safer to refrain from submitting another until next month. In other words, if we were to hand over a high-grade recovery potion, we'd prefer to wait until then.
Sensing the strange mood, Juzo-san spoke up with a slight frown.
"……Do you not have one?"
"Ah, no, well……"
As I hesitated, Yuji spoke up.
"Grandpa, does that person need the high-grade recovery potion right this second?"
"……No, he said it was not an absolute emergency. But he did seem to want to get his hands on it as soon as possible."
"I see……"
After glancing at Hiiragi-san and me, Yuji made the call.
"We definitely have a high-grade recovery potion."
"……Oh, so you do after all."
"But! We can't just give it to him. At least, not until we get a new one."
Yuji admitted we had the potion but made the handover conditional.
"If Mika-chan or any of us get seriously injured when we dive into the dungeon, we'll need that potion. If we had at least one more spare, I think we could give it to him, but……"
"True. I'd certainly hesitate to give away a high-grade recovery potion when we have no spares," Hiiragi-san added.
"Agreed. Considering we're taking Mika and the others into the dungeon, I don't think we can give away a potion that can heal any injury."
"……I see. What you say is certainly reasonable."
Hearing our reasons, Juzo-san nodded as if convinced, though he let out a sigh.
"However, if that is the case, I wonder how I should reply to him…… Is it truly impossible? The Kokonoe boy and the others won't be heading back into the dungeon until the middle of next month, nearly a month from now……"
"Even if you say that……" I muttered.
"It's not that we absolutely won't give it up, but…… right?" Hiiragi-san said.
"……Yeah."
"I see……"
We gave non-committal answers, and Juzo-san fell silent, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.
We didn't mind giving away a high-grade recovery potion itself, but when it came to giving away the appraised one, we hesitated. If it were a month from now, we could simply agree……
But Juzo-san had been helping us out tremendously. Having made up my mind, I whispered to Yuji and Hiiragi-san.
"Yuji, Juzo-san has done so much for us. Why don't we just give the potion to his friend?"
"……Are you sure?"
"We have a fair number of appraised mid-grade recovery potions, and we can just submit our current high-grade recovery potions for appraisal before Mika and the others dive into the dungeon next month."
"Yeah…… alright. I get it."
Yuji agreed with my opinion and nodded. I turned to Hiiragi-san, but she had already overheard us.
"I heard you. My answer is the same as Yuji’s."
"So…… you're okay with it?"
"Yes. We really are in Juzo-san’s debt. We can't have him lose face, right?"
"Ah, right. Yeah, you're right."
I turned back to the silent, brooding Juzo-san.
"Juzo-san, we’ll give the high-grade recovery potion to your acquaintance."
"……Are you sure?"
"Yes. You went through the trouble of making the connection for us, and it's not like we need the potion this very second. We have a decent amount of mid-grade recovery potions, and while they're less effective, they should be enough as long as we avoid fatal wounds."
"I see…… My apologies."
"No, you're always looking out for us, so we want to do what we can for you."
When I said that, Juzo-san started to bow his head, so I hurriedly stopped him. It wasn't the kind of thing he needed to bow for.
With that settled, Juzo-san contacted the other party. It was decided that we would head to the acquaintance's house the next day to hand over the potion and begin our training.