One day, while I was psyching up my companions in front of the entry gate, shouting, "Alright, let's head into the dungeon again today!" we were stopped by a staff member. Apparently, someone was there who wanted to speak with us about an important matter. If we were willing to listen, they wanted us to move to a conference room. Wondering who on earth it could be, we were stunned when the staff member revealed the person's identity.
The individual waiting for us was a scout for a certain corporation—one that had been all over the news lately for its rapid growth through dungeon exploration and the trade of dungeon items. We agreed to the meeting and headed to the conference room.
We soon found ourselves facing a scout in a sharp suit. We were in one of the small conference rooms the Dungeon Association rented out by the hour for strategy meetings and pre-dungeon attack briefings.
"How does an annual salary of six million yen, plus performance-based bonuses for acquiring designated items, sound for your first year?"
The scout skipped the pleasantries and formal greetings, pulling a company brochure and a document detailing the scouting conditions from his bag. He slid them across the table.
"Six million yen a year..."
"Are you for real...?"
"..."
While the scout’s words hummed in our ears, our eyes were pinned to the paperwork.
A faint, wry smile played on the scout's lips as he watched our reaction. He began explaining the key points of the offer.
"Additionally, as noted in the documents, all equipment necessary for exploration will be provided by the company."
"You’re even providing gear?!"
"Yes. During extended expeditions, your needs naturally increase. If you camp inside the dungeon, you'll require tents, food, and various supplies. Naturally, if company-issued equipment is damaged or destroyed during a monster attack, we will not seek compensation—unless it was intentional—and will promptly reissue replacements."
"Whoa, that’s incredible!"
My companions leaned in, devouring every word on the page.
I kept an eye on their excitement while directing a few questions toward the scout.
"Um, excuse me... may I ask why you're scouting us? Why reach out to our party specifically? I don't think we've achieved any particularly noteworthy results..."
Technically, we were classified as frontline explorers in this dungeon. However, since we were still students, we couldn't dive from dawn until dusk like a pro explorer would. Compared to the elite frontline groups, we hadn't made any major headlines for reaching record floor counts or finding ultra-rare items. With that in mind, I looked at the scout, who maintained his polished professional smile.
"Ah, I see. It's only natural to want a reason when someone suddenly drops a scouting offer on you. Very well, I’ll explain."
The scout pulled a single sheet of paper from his bag and held it out.
"This is a request for item collection that our company asked the Dungeon Association to post. Have any of you seen this before?"
"Um..."
"Oh, wait! This is..."
As we looked over the request, one of my friends let out a small gasp. It looked very familiar.
"This is the request we finished the week before last, right...?"
"Yeah. The bear fur collection..."
Our expressions grew tense as we remembered exactly what it took to get that fur. To be honest, we had only managed to take that bear down through a mix of a desperate struggle and sheer dumb luck.
During our run two weeks ago, things had been going better than planned. We happened to find the stairs leading down early, and with some time left on our return limit, we decided to descend in high spirits for some reconnaissance. In the plaza at the base of the stairs, several groups had set up tents for a camp, and we gave them a quick greeting before pushing forward. They had warned us that bears started appearing from that floor on, but since we’d been having such a smooth run, we didn't take the advice as seriously as we should have.
The result was...
"It’s a miracle we beat that thing..."
"Yeah. That bear was a monster..."
"..."
Recalling the brutal fight, we all fell silent, reflexively touching the spots where we’d been injured.
We had ignored the veterans' advice and pushed down the corridor, only to run smack into a bear that let out a blood-curdling, hostile Roar. The bear didn't miss the split second we spent flinching; it lunged immediately. It was a stroke of luck that its first move was a simple charge... even though the impact sent our party’s tank flying. That shock snapped us out of it, giving us just enough time to regroup and retaliate.
While the rearguard used recovery potions to get the tank back on his feet, another teammate and I struggled to hold the bear off. Our skills were clumsy, and we couldn't fully deflect its power; both of us took some nasty hits. The weight of that bear’s paw was like nothing else... I’ll never forget the shock when I failed to dodge and its swipe snapped the bone in my left arm like a twig. If the tank hadn't jumped back into the fray to swap with me right then, the bear would have likely finished me off. In the end, it took forever, but we managed to gank the thing. We walked away with shredded armor and broken bodies, but we managed to kill it just before anyone took a fatal wound.
"It sounds like you had quite the experience... Ahem! Anyway, to get back to the point, this specific request serves as one of our company’s scouting benchmarks."
"...A benchmark? Collecting bear fur?"
"Precisely."
The scout nodded at our confusion. He pulled out a notepad and pen and began jotting something down.
"As explorers, I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but you're aware of the 'borderline' that exists in the dungeon, independent of the floor count?"
"The borderline... do you mean the depth where humanoid monsters start appearing?"
"Yes, among other things. Similarly, as a commercial enterprise, we require a return on our investment. Based on our analysis of item yields and market price fluctuations, the point where mid-to-long-term profits justify the investment is the 20th floor."
"If the 20th floor is the profit line, why use the bear fur as the standard?"
"As you say, we could simply scout anyone who can reach the 20th floor. However, there is a massive difference between an explorer who can merely reach the 20th floor and one who can operate beyond it. Our company isn't looking for explorers who might occasionally find a single item a customer wants. We want explorers who can reliably secure the quantity our clients demand on a stable basis. 'You're in luck, we happened to get one in stock' doesn't make for a stable business model."
"...I see."
When he put it that way, it made perfect sense. Given the choice between a shop with a spotty, unpredictable inventory and one that was always stocked with exactly what you needed, anyone would choose the latter.
"Furthermore, as a company, we have no desire to send our employees into what is clearly a death trap, regardless of how high-level or experienced they are."
The scout lowered his voice slightly as he added a postscript.
"...I probably shouldn't say this to the people I'm trying to recruit, but if a corporate explorer died in the dungeon on company orders, the public backlash would be staggering. At worst, the damage to our reputation could bankrupt us."
It really wasn't the kind of thing you said during a pitch.
But looking at it from another angle, it meant that as long as we secured the minimum profit for the company, we wouldn't be forced into reckless, deep-floor suicide missions. We were looking at a high guaranteed salary from the first year, plus performance pay. Equipment was provided, and the risk of being ordered into impossible situations was low... We hadn't discussed insurance yet, but so far, it wasn't just a good deal—it was an incredible one.
To be sure, if you were an elite frontline explorer, you could make millions by selling rare items. But for a group like us, who were just 'high-level,' that kind of wealth was out of reach. Deep-floor exploration was expensive to prep for, and the 'item bubble' from the early days of the dungeon opening had burst. Being an explorer was only a gold mine for the absolute top tier nowadays.
Because of that...
"Um... I think this is a fantastic offer, but it’s just so sudden..."
"Ah, naturally. I don't expect you to make a decision right this second. For today, I'm satisfied just having you hear the proposal."
"I appreciate that. It helps a lot."
I bowed to the scout and glanced at my friends. Their faces were flushed with a mix of nerves and restless excitement.
Seeing our state, the scout handed out company brochures and copies of the terms to everyone.
"I'll leave it at that for my part. Please read through these and discuss it among yourselves. You have this room for..." He checked the clock on the wall. "...about another hour. Please, use the space to talk."
"Th-thank you for your consideration!"
Th-thank you very much!
"Not at all. We reached out to you, after all. It’s only right. When you leave, just lock the door and return the key to the reception desk."
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Then, I will take my leave."
The scout packed his things and stood up. Just as I was about to stand to see him off, one of my teammates raised a hand tentatively, clutching the document.
"Wait! Um, sorry, can I ask one more thing?"
"Of course. What is it?"
"What does it mean by 'scout candidate' in this section?"
...Eh?
At those words, we all scrambled to look at our papers. Sure enough, the phrase was right there. We looked up, stunned, and the scout met our gaze with a pleasant smile.
"It means exactly what it says. Dungeons are popping up all over Japan now. Our HR department tours dungeons nationwide, reaching out to individuals and parties who catch our eye. If we only scouted one party and they declined, we'd lose out to other companies and miss the chance to secure promising talent. For this round, we are specifically looking at those set to graduate high school this year."
"I-I see... So there's a chance this deal could fall through?"
"The possibility... yes. There is a cap on how many people we can officially bring on board, so the offer could be rescinded."
A chill ran down my spine. This offer could just... vanish?
"The process for formal hiring is detailed there. Within the response period, we will evaluate the candidates who have accepted the scout offer and notify them of our final decision."
"...I understand. And, uh, how many people are you looking to hire in total?"
"Currently, we're planning for twenty. Given the logistics of providing equipment, that is the maximum our company can support at one time."
"...Understood. Um... one last thing? Can you tell us what the most important selection criteria are...?"
My companions' eyes widened as they waited for his answer.
The scout slowly raised an index finger to his lips.
"That's a secret. However, please don't overextend yourselves just because there's an evaluation, alright?"
Leaving us with that slightly annoying gesture and a cryptic warning, the scout walked out the door. We stood there dazed for a moment before snapping out of it. We immediately scrapped our exploration plans for the day and stayed in that conference room until the very last second of our rental period, debating our future.
A few days later, after we’d sent our reply accepting the scout offer, we found ourselves participating in the sports festival rehearsal. The program had been drastically changed at the last minute, and most students had lost interest, moving through the motions with bored lethargy. But we, having been scouted, were full of energy and participating with gusto.
Right up until the club activity appeal began.
"...What is with those guys? How can they even do that?"
The words leaked out of my mouth. A group from a circle I’d barely heard of was putting on a mock battle that looked like something out of a shonen manga. I wondered if it was a skill-based illusion, but the heavy thuds of their footsteps and the sharp cracks of limbs colliding echoed across the field, proving this was no dream. I watched in a daze. The gap in our fundamental techniques was so vast it was staggering; the more I watched, the more I realized how much we had relied on the raw power of our level ups.
"..."
As the club activity appeal ended and the participants left the field, a sharp sense of panic flared in my chest. This was bad. If there were people like that in other dungeons, our scout offer was as good as dead.
Just as I was about to pull my team together to talk after the rehearsal, we were suddenly summoned by the Student Council. I grumbled about the timing, but I complied and headed to the Student Council Room. Inside, I saw several familiar faces—other third-year explorer groups and the top-tier second-year party. We’d never explored together, but we saw each other at the surface facilities all the time. I gave a small wave as I joined my party, waiting for things to start.
"So, what's this all about?"
"Who knows? We'll find out soon enough. Anyway, can everyone meet after this?"
"Yeah, I'm free."
"..."
We all agreed to hold a strategy meeting afterward.
Finally, the trio who had put on that flashy mock battle entered the room, and the Student Council began their briefing. But in the middle of it, I overheard the trio talking with the leader of the second-year group.
Wait, what?! The three of them reached the 25th floor?! Are you kidding me?! Reaching past the 20th floor with just three people should be impossible. I—and everyone else in the room except for the Student Council members who already knew—stared with wide, silent eyes.
President Hisamatsu eventually forced the conversation back on track. I was still half-skeptical since there was no proof, but the shock wouldn't fade. I only half-listened to the rest of the meeting.
And then...
"I'm Masahiko Obayashi, a third-year. Good to meet you."
Hiding my inner panic and the shock of what I'd just heard, I approached the person who seemed to be the leader of this new dark horse trio—Daiki Kokonoe.