After finishing our warm-up exercises, the three of us let out synchronized sighs as we joined the queue for the entrance gate.
"The wait to get into the dungeon is just as long here as it is back home..."
"Yeah," Yuji replied. "Actually, because it’s so convenient, it’s even more crowded than our usual spot."
"True," Hiiragi-san added. "But they let larger groups through the gate at once, so the line actually moves faster than the one we’re used to, don't you think?"
"I guess, but just looking at this crowd is exhausting, isn't it?"
"...Well, I can't argue with that."
Hiiragi-san was right; the flow of people was smooth. However, seeing a line one and a half times longer than what we usually dealt with was still mentally draining.
We continued to grumble for about fifteen minutes, but our turn came surprisingly quickly.
"Please present your cards."
"Here you go."
The staff member at the entrance gate prompted us, and I tapped my explorer card against the reader. After a short electronic beep, the gate swung open.
"All clear. Please enter."
I gave the staff member a slight nod and hurried to catch up with the other two, tucking my card away as I passed through.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we?"
"Yeah."
"Yes, let's."
We switched on our lights and stepped into the dungeon. This was a different environment than we were used to, so I made sure to stay sharp.
The first thing I did upon entering was use Appraisal Analysis to check for those specific dungeon devices. The result was positive—this dungeon was also equipped with that equipment.
I slumped my shoulders and let out a heavy sigh, prompting Yuji and Hiiragi-san to look at me with pained expressions.
"Daiki... was it there after all?"
"Yeah."
"...It’s not active, is it?"
"No. It looks like the one here won't work either unless we go deeper and activate the primary source."
Both of them sighed in unison with me. I had expected them to be here, but confirming it in person was still depressing.
However, we couldn't stand around forever. I shook my head to clear the lingering thoughts and looked toward the dark depths of the dungeon.
"Well, let’s put that aside for now and move on. We have a long way to go, and we can’t afford to waste time here."
"...Right. Daiki, lead the way."
"Leave it to me."
"Then let’s go."
We lightly slapped our cheeks to psych ourselves up and set off, with me taking the lead. Since this excursion was a race against time, I decided to fully utilize Appraisal Analysis—a move I’d recently been treating as a forbidden technique to encourage our personal growth.
"...Alright, appraisal finished. The basic structure of this dungeon is identical to our usual one. You two, I'm going to set a fast pace, so follow me closely and don't miss my signals."
"Got it."
"Yes."
"Then let's move."
With that, I took off at a speed that would have rivaled the pre-dungeon 100-meter world record. Yuji and Hiiragi-san stuck right to my back, showing no signs of falling behind.
The benefits of a level up were truly remarkable. It was no wonder people with an armed exploration permit for special underground structures were being banned from professional sports.
Without dropping our pace, we sprinted through the dungeon, taking the shortest possible route toward the stairs leading to the lower floors. Whenever monsters appeared to block our path, Yuji and I would lop off their heads with our machetes, while Hiiragi-san eliminated others with magic. We were in such a hurry that we didn't stop to collect any drops. Because of this, rumors would later circulate that items could occasionally be found just lying on the ground in this dungeon.
"Watch it! There's a pitfall right there! Don't step on it!"
"Got it, over there."
"Correct. Wait, did you notice it already?"
"Yeah. That’s the result of Genya-san's training."
"Good point."
Trading light banter, we evaded traps and pushed deeper into the dungeon. It seemed the two of them were spotting most traps before I even called out the results of my Appraisal Analysis. As Yuji said, it was definitely the fruit of our training under Genya-san.
As a result, we reached the 6th floor in a mere fifteen minutes.
"Goblins start appearing from here, so keep your guard up."
"Goblins, huh... Well, I'll be careful."
"Understood."
Without slowing down, we stepped onto the floor where the humanoid monsters that had scarred the hearts of so many newcomer explorers began to appear. That said, we weren't so fragile that killing a few goblins would affect us anymore.
Case in point: Yuji had just used his machete to decapitate a goblin with a completely expressionless face. He had been so shaken the first time he killed one, but now he didn't even change color. The same applied to Hiiragi-san and me.
"Hmm? What is it, Daiki? Why are you staring at me? Do I have blood on my face?"
"No... I was just thinking that you've gotten incredibly efficient compared to when we started."
"Well, I've killed quite a few humanoid monsters since then."
As he spoke, Yuji lopped off the head of another goblin that had appeared. Yeah... there was no reason to be hesitant at this point. We continued to take down every goblin in our path without slowing our pace for a second.
Naturally, we skipped item collection to save time. A group of explorers who happened to witness us were left staring in shock as we sprinted past without a moment's hesitation. Some groups tried to call out to us, but no one went so far as to try and stop us.
"Anyway, our goal today is the 25th floor, so let's keep going. We don't have much time."
"Right. It would be bad if we got so focused on the dive that we didn't realize the clock had passed midnight."
"Exactly," Hiiragi-san said. "If that happened, my father and mother would definitely put me on house arrest."
"Then let's hurry."
"Yeah."
"Yes."
We continued to run deeper, beheading goblins as we flew through the floors.
When we reached the 20th floor, we stopped for the first time since entering. The reason was the delicious-looking prey standing before us—a minotaur. It let out a threatening roar, looking ready to charge at any second.
However...
"..."
"!?"
As the three of us stared at the minotaur with eyes that saw it as nothing but high-quality meat, the creature, which had been roaring aggressively, suddenly flinched and took a step back.
It seemed it had instinctively realized how we were perceiving it.
"..."
The minotaur's aggression vanished, replaced by a look of terror. It edged backward, eyes darting around as if searching for an escape.
But we weren't about to let it get away.
"Yuji!"
"On it!"
"Hiiragi-san!"
"Ready."
Yuji sprinted toward the minotaur, which looked ready to turn tail and run, while Hiiragi-san drew a knife.
"Hah!"
"!"
As the minotaur turned to flee from the charging Yuji, he swung his machete and lopped its head off without resistance. The head rolled across the floor while the massive torso collapsed with a heavy thud, blood gushing from the neck.
Hiiragi-san approached the corpse cautiously and plunged her knife into it.
"..."
The moment the knife sank in, the minotaur dissolved into particles of light, leaving a single large hunk of meat in its place.
Furthermore, the meat was beautifully marbled with a fine, web-like pattern.
"Lucky! It's rare meat!"
"Yeah, it’s marbled meat!"
"We’re really in luck today!"
The three of us cheered around the marbled minotaur meat.
This was a prize we rarely obtained, even after hunting countless minotaurs. Until now, we had found it fewer than five times. The first time we had grilled this meat for dinner, the entire hunk had vanished before we knew it because it was just that delicious.
"This meat is definitely coming home with us!"
"Obviously! There’s no way I’m selling this!"
"Exactly! It would be such a waste!"
The decision to keep the marbled minotaur meat was unanimous.
For context, if we were to trade this in at the counter, it would be worth over 10,000 yen per 100 grams. This piece was about a kilogram, so it would easily fetch over 100,000 yen.
"I have an idea. Let's have a party and eat this together to celebrate after the sports festival is over!"
I suggested sharing this stroke of luck with Mika and Saori-chan.
"That sounds great!" Yuji said. "In that case, can I invite my old man to the party too?"
"Juzo-san has done a lot for us, so I'm fine with it..."
"Of course, I'm fine with it too," Hiiragi-san agreed. "We owe Juzo-san a great deal."
"Thanks, you two."
Ideally, we could have invited the families of Hiiragi-san and Saori-chan as well, but considering the amount of marbled meat, inviting too many people would mean everyone only got a single bite.
I felt a bit guilty, but we’d have to keep this a secret from the rest of our families.
"Then let's gather a few more ingredients for the party here before heading to the 25th floor."
"Hmm? Daiki... don't you have minotaur meat in your Spatial Storage?"
"Oh? Did I not mention it? My stock is pretty low right now. I took some out a while back..."
I glanced over at Hiiragi-san.
"I asked Kokonoe-kun to share some with me," she explained. "My father said he wanted to create some prototypes for dishes using minotaur meat, so I wanted to get at least enough for the trial versions."
"Oh, I see..."
"Ah, but don't worry. I've already given Kokonoe-kun the money for the meat... wait, Kokonoe-kun? Did you not tell Yuji that I received the meat?"
"...Sorry, I forgot to mention it."
I instinctively averted my eyes as Hiiragi-san directed a reproachful gaze at me.
I'm sorry, it had completely slipped my mind until just now.
"Honestly, get it together, Kokonoe-kun."
"My bad. Yuji, I'll make sure to give you the money I received once we're out of the dungeon."
"A-Ah, sure."
When I bowed my head and apologized, Yuji gave a somewhat bewildered reply.
"W-Well, I'll hear the details about that later, but what's the plan? Are we doing a hunt?"
"Yeah. It would be a letdown if we ran out of the main ingredient halfway through the party. Let's restock a bit."
"...Got it."
The three of us spent about twenty minutes on the 20th floor diligently hunting minotaurs, securing about 10 kilograms of meat. To be clear, it was the standard kind. During our harvest, the sight of other explorers struggling against minotaurs on the same floor while we took them down with ease was quite a scene. I just hope no weird rumors start because of it...
Once we finished restocking, we started running toward our original destination, the 25th floor.
A little over an hour after starting our dive, we finally arrived. At this depth, there were apparently very few other high school explorers; the number of students had dropped sharply after the 23rd floor, and the areas near the stairs were now dominated by professional explorers wearing protectors emblazoned with corporate logos.
"The atmosphere here is different from the people above..."
"Yeah," Yuji agreed. "The students... especially the high school explorers, still have an air of longing for the unknown. But the professionals here are dead serious because their livelihoods are on the line."
"That’s true," Hiiragi-san said. "For them, their exploration results are directly tied to their performance reviews. They get a small base salary, but apparently, it's mostly a commission-based system tied to results. If they don't produce, their pay decreases."
"I see..."
I had looked at job postings for explorer recruitment companies online before, and it was just as Hiiragi-san said: a meritocratic system of base pay plus performance pay. If their results were poor, they'd only receive a pittance.
Moreover, as the dungeon clear records certified by the company progressed, the standards for performance pay became even stricter. If one wanted to earn a decent wage, they had to keep up with the company's top-tier clearance groups.
While it was good that companies handled equipment and insurance for major injuries, the idea of not being able to progress at one's own pace was a significant downside.
"Well, let's not worry about them and get started ourselves."
"Yeah."
"Yes."
Bathed in the curious gazes of the professional explorers, we stepped into the passage leading deeper into the floor.