Shortly after we began our exploration of the 25th floor, we encountered our target monster: a big bear. The moment it spotted us, it launched a sudden, massive charge. A direct hit would send even an experienced explorer flying and leave them with severe injuries.
"Yuji! Hiiragi-san!"
"Got it!"
"I'm on it."
On my signal, Yuji and Hiiragi-san broke off to either side, putting distance between themselves and me. In that heartbeat, the big bear’s eyes flickered toward them. I didn't miss the opening. With its focus momentarily fractured, I closed the gap and swung my machete.
"Hah!"
I was inside its reach before the bear could even process the movement. It tried to instinctively slam its front paw down, but it was already too late. Before its leg could descend, my blade swept through its neck. The severed head rolled away, its face frozen in a look of sheer bewilderment. The headless body continued running for a few steps by momentum before collapsing, blood spraying in a macabre fountain as it tumbled to the dirt.
I held my machete toward the carcass and maintained my zanshin for several seconds. Once I was certain it wouldn't move again, I exhaled and let the tension drain from my body.
"The decoy maneuver seems to have worked perfectly."
"Yeah. Though it's a trick we can only pull off against a solo enemy," Yuji said, approaching from the side.
"If there were more of them, we'd just end up splitting our forces," I added.
I cast my Cleansing skill on the blade to wipe away the bear’s blood and grease. As Yuji noted, having the two of them jump to the sides was purely a distraction. If we could divert a big bear’s attention for even a fraction of a second, it wasn't particularly difficult for people with our specs to close in and finish it.
"Kokonoe-kun, Hirose-kun. The big bear’s itemization is starting."
"Ah, right."
While Yuji and I were talking, the harvesting grace period ended. Just as Hiiragi-san pointed out, the corpse began to dissolve into particles of light. In its place, a one-meter square hide appeared.
"Nice! That's the first one!"
"A good start. Though we still need at least three more to reach our quota."
"It's a promising sign, at least. Come on, we're short on time, so let's find the next one."
"Right!"
Heartened by obtaining one of our target items so quickly, we collected the fur and set off at a run to find more bears.
We spent the next hour and a half pushing ourselves to the limit, sprinting through the dungeon without a single break. By the time we hit our deadline, we had managed to gather every item on our list—thanks to the sacrifice of a staggering number of bears and various other monsters.
"Phew... In the end, things only went smoothly at the very beginning."
"Tell me about it. I never imagined we'd have to hunt nearly fifty bears to get what we needed..."
"And half of them didn't drop a thing, while the other half mostly gave us items we didn't even want."
"I mean, normally we'd be thrilled to get this many skill scrolls, but right now?"
For some inexplicable reason, we had recovered a massive haul of skill scrolls—usually considered rare drops—from the monsters we slaughtered. The drop rate was nearly 20%... one in five. One out of every five big bears we turned into light particles had dropped a skill scroll. I wondered if ignoring the other drops and just running through had somehow influenced the luck.
Regardless, for this specific run, they were nothing but unnecessary clutter getting in the way of the items we actually needed.
"By the way, Daiki. Do you know what those skill scrolls actually are?"
"Yeah. They're mostly duplicates of things we already have. I don't think there's any point in keeping them."
"You're not going to give them to Mika-chan and the others to boost their levels?"
"Hmm. I considered it, but Juzo-san just scolded me the other day for spoiling them. I'll pass this time. If I'm going to give Mika and the others something like that, it should be a scroll that drops while they're actually exploring with us, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
Yuji scratched his head and agreed with my decision. Given that I’d just been lectured by Juzo-san, handing over skill scrolls unconditionally before the words had even cooled would show a total lack of reflection.
"You two, can we head back up now? If we dawdle any longer, we're going to be incredibly late getting home."
"Ah, good point. Yuji?"
"Yeah. We’ve got the goods. Let's move out."
"Then let's hurry."
We distributed our haul among our three backpacks and began the trek toward the Entrance Gate. On the way back, we took no detours. We smashed through any monsters in our path with a single blow and didn't even stop to pick up their drops. Because of that, we made it back to the gate in significantly less time than the trip down.
"Finally made it."
"Man, the rest areas on the second and third floors were packed. Getting through that crowd was a nightmare."
"It's peak hours. A lot of people stop by on their way home from work or school."
"The dungeon after work... I guess it’s like going to the gym?"
Aside from the initial investment and the cost of consumables, you can make a fortune if you're good at it... though you're gambling with your life.
"Like a gym, huh? I suppose it's effective. Fighting monsters is a full-body workout, after all... even if it might kill you."
"True. It's certainly better for motivation than a treadmill when you have a literal sense of life-or-death crisis. Even if it might kill you..."
"Yeah..."
If you're an explorer with a decent amount of experience, a light dive after work might be fine, but the risk of death is never zero. Personally, I'd only ever want to dive when I'm in peak condition.
"Well, whatever other people do is their business. Let's get our stuff exchanged and go home. It's getting late."
"Right. I forgot how late it was."
"Yes. Let's go change."
We stepped through the gate, officially ending our dungeon dive for the day.
Passing through the Entrance Gate, I glanced over and saw a long queue of people still waiting to get in. They're only just starting now... I thought with a trace of pity as we entered the hygiene management area.
"Well, Hiiragi-san, see you in a bit."
"Yes."
After parting ways with Hiiragi-san in front of the changing rooms, Yuji and I both let out a heavy sigh. The moment of truth had arrived. The gloom was about to return.
"...Shall we?"
"...Yeah."
With the heavy hearts of men walking to the gallows, we stepped into the locker room. If we had stayed in these clothes the whole time, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad, but having taken them off once, the psychological resistance to putting the disguises back on was immense.
Seriously, I should have picked something else...
"..."
"..."
We moved to our respective lockers in total silence. It must have been an optical illusion that the perfectly ordinary lockers seemed to be leaking a dark miasma. Knowing we couldn't stand there forever, we steeled our resolve and pulled them open.
"..."
"..."
Yuji and I changed with solemn, mechanical efficiency. We stripped off our gear and armor, then our tracksuits, until we were down to our underwear. And then...
"...Here goes."
"...Yeah."
Muttering those short words of self-encouragement, we reached for the dreaded costumes.
As we put the clothes on, the area around our lockers grew eerily quiet. Other customers who were about to change or were chatting nearby suddenly scrambled to get away from us. By the time we had fully suited up and shut our lockers, we were standing in a dead zone of empty space.
"...Shall we?"
"...Yeah."
When Yuji and I picked up our bags to leave, the crowd parted like the Red Sea. Everyone scrambled to get out of our way, naturally forming a wide path. Choosing these outfits was such a colossal mistake.
With our shoulders slumped in defeat, we walked through the clearing and left the locker room.
We trailed behind Hiiragi-san toward the exchange center, radiating an aura of total exhaustion. Even while waiting for her in the lounge, we had been subjected to a constant barrage of fearful and avoidant glares. We were reaching our breaking point.
When the weight of the stares became too much and I instinctively looked around, everyone in the vicinity immediately whipped their heads away to avoid eye contact. Having just let my guard down after finishing the exploration, the social rejection was hitting me right in the soul.
"You two... pull yourselves together. With that look and that attitude... honestly."
"...You're right."
"...Yeah."
I knew I had to snap out of it. Taking Hiiragi-san’s sighing rebuke as the cue, I lightly slapped my cheeks to refocus. I stood tall and straightened my back, following Hiiragi-san as she led the way. How that looked to everyone else—two intimidating thugs being led by a refined girl—was something I chose not to think about.
Once we reached the exchange center, we took a number from the machine.
"Number 137... it looks like it'll move quickly."
"Yeah. They have way more windows here than the other place, so we won't be waiting long."
As Yuji noted, there were ten reception windows. It spoke to the sheer volume of users, but it kept the flow of people smooth. We stood there for about five minutes, enduring the curious and terrified stares because there were no empty seats, until our number was finally called.
"T-thank you for waiting... Um, h-how can I help you?"
The receptionist, a fresh-faced girl who looked like a new hire, addressed us with visible trembling. I chose to ignore the way her face was twitching. It was better for everyone's sanity.
"I’d like to exchange these."
"Y-yes! I'll check the contents immediately, please wait a moment!"
Hiiragi-san placed the cooler bag full of drop items on the counter, and the receptionist began checking the contents with frantic energy.
Then...
"Eh!?"
"Is something wrong?"
"Ah, no! My apologies! Please wait just one more moment!"
The girl began bowing her head like a clockwork toy before checking the bag’s contents again with a look that suggested she was seeing something impossible.
The appraisal continued.
"U-um... here is the exchange estimate and the receipt for the drop items we'll be holding for further appraisal."
She timidly handed over the sheet with the estimate alongside the receipts for the skill scrolls and magic items. A quick look at the figure on the estimate showed roughly 3.2 million yen. As expected of drops from the 25th floor and beyond; the individual unit prices were on a different level.
Hiiragi-san shot a glance at Yuji and me before sliding the estimate back.
"We'll be taking home everything except the items for appraisal. Please process the transaction."
"Ah, um... you mean you're keeping all the estimated items?"
"Yes, please. I'll fill out the deposit forms in the meantime."
"Ah, yes! Understood! Please wait a moment while I process the return!"
Following Hiiragi-san’s lead, the receptionist hurriedly began the paperwork. Five minutes later, everything was finalized, and we left the window carrying our cooler bag full of bear parts.
Once we were outside the building, we started walking toward the taxi stand. Yuji voiced the proposal I had been considering myself.
"Hey, guys? Let's not take the train. Why don't we just take a taxi all the way home? I'll cover the fare."
"I'm in. Taking the train again in this outfit would be brutal."
"I don't mind, but I'm against Hirose-kun paying for the whole thing. Let's split it equally."
I nodded in agreement with Hiiragi-san. It wouldn't be right for Yuji to tank the whole bill, and we all shared the same desire to avoid public transportation.
"Got it. We'll split it then."
"Yeah."
"Fine by me."
With the plan settled, we reached the taxi stand just as a car was dropping off another passenger. There were no other people waiting, so the timing was perfect. Once the previous passenger was out, I leaned in through the open door.
"Excuse me, are you free?"
"Ah, yes. I'm fr...ee?"
The driver froze for a moment when he saw us, his voice trailing off, but a few seconds later, he spoke up with surprise.
"Wait... are you the students from this morning?"
"Eh? Ah, you're the driver who gave us a lift earlier... right?"
By some miracle, the taxi I had flagged down was the exact same one we had used to get here.
"Ah, yeah! What a coincidence. Is your dive over already?"
"Yes. we didn't plan on staying too late today."
"I see... Ah, sorry for keeping you standing there. Hop in."
"Thanks. He says it's fine, you two."
The three of us climbed in and finally shed our disguises. Since this driver already knew who we were, there was no point in keeping the act up.
"So, where to? Back to the station?"
"No, all the way home, please."
"Alright, let's see, your addresses were..."
After we gave him the locations, the driver entered them into the navigation system.
"Okay. Let's head out."
"Please do."
The taxi pulled away into the evening traffic. I sent a quick mail to my mother to let her know I was on my way. We spent the thirty-minute drive chatting with the driver about dungeon exploration and general news. We dropped Hiiragi-san off first, then Yuji, and finally, I arrived at my house.
As for the fare, we had agreed to settle the split at school tomorrow, so I paid the full amount for now.
"I'm home."
"Welcome back, Daiki....Oh? You're already out of your costume?"
"Ah, yeah. I learned the hard way that that look really doesn't suit me."
"I see... so I guess a photo shoot is out of the question?"
"Absolutely not!"
I shouted back at my mother and sprinted up to my room.
I'm never wearing those clothes again!