The day after we saw off the 1st Team as they headed back to the surface and got some rest inside the dungeon, our work officially began.
My first rotation for the day was camp maintenance. We’d unloaded the relief supplies we brought in yesterday, but since they hadn’t been organized yet, I was picking up where we left off.
Without proper organization, it was impossible to tell at a glance what was missing or how much we had left in an emergency.
"Just as the reports said, our medical inventory is running low. I should probably submit a request to increase our stock of recovery potions."
When I first checked the supplies stored at the camp base, I noticed that the stock of medical items, particularly recovery potions, was depleting faster than the last time I’d been in the dungeon. Our company had been operating on deeper floors lately, so the monsters were likely getting tougher, leading to more frequent injuries.
While it didn't look like anyone had touched our prized mid-grade recovery potions yet, injuries requiring low-grade recovery potions seemed to be on the rise.
"As for other shortages... ah, I should probably request a restock of these as well."
I continued the inventory check for a while, and once I’d looked over everything, I began storing the supplies we’d brought with us. Since I was the one who had created the list for the relief supplies, I knew exactly what we had and where it went, so the work finished relatively quickly.
"Right, that’s that."
Having finished organizing the gear, I called out to a team member who was busy preparing lunch.
"Nice work. I’ve finished on this end. Anything else I can help with?"
"Hm? Oh, that’d be a help. In that case, can you set out the tableware? The collection team should be back any minute now."
"Got it."
The team member asked me to get the table ready while they stirred a large pot of pork soup. I gave a light nod, then began taking plastic dishes from the storage area I’d just organized and lining them up.
About thirty minutes after I’d started, the collection team returned from their monster hunt.
"Good work, everyone. Lunch is ready."
"Ah, thank you."
When I spoke to Team Leader Sakuoka, who had been leading the collection team for the first rotation, he offered a word of thanks.
However, while his words were polite, his expression was sour, and frustration radiated from him. It seemed they hadn't achieved much during their first run.
"...Did you not find many monsters?"
"No, unfortunately. Well, we've only just started... We'll just have to be patient and keep at it."
"...Hah."
We had a minimum collection quota to meet, so we couldn't exactly afford to be too patient... but Team Leader Sakuoka likely understood that better than anyone, so I didn't press the issue. Still, I suspected I knew the cause. I flicked my gaze toward something behind the team leader.
In that direction stood a tent bearing the corporate emblem of Hazama Shoji.
"When there are competitors in the same hunting ground, the resources really do get split up, don't they?"
"Well, that's just how it goes. Anyway, let’s eat. You went to the trouble of making something hot; it’d be a waste if it got cold."
After a fleeting look of bitterness, Team Leader Sakuoka hurried to his seat, as if forcing himself to change his mood.
Well, there was no point in dwelling on problems we couldn't solve. We just had to work hard to ensure we weren't outpaced by the competition.
The collection team returned to the base camp after finishing the latter half of their hunt. Their expressions looked reasonably bright this time, so it seemed they’d achieved decent results. When I asked Team Leader Sakuoka, he mentioned they had secured a skill scroll. Our company primarily aimed for dungeon food, but "extras" like this were converted into cash and distributed to the team members who found them as a special bonus.
Normally, we actively used skinning knives to force food items to drop in order to meet our quotas, so we usually only aimed for things like scrolls after the quota was met...
"During the exploration, we got into a sudden encounter with a pack of kobolds. There were so many of them that we couldn't use the skinning knives on all the corpses within the time limit. Then a skill scroll just happened to pop out by chance, you see?"
"...Ah, I see."
Whether that was the whole truth or not, if you didn't use a skinning knife within the time limit, the drop became random. If combat with multiple enemies was still ongoing, you couldn't carelessly move to the collection phase. You could easily end up seriously injured that way.
Thinking of it like that, the explanation that they hadn't had time to use the knives was convincing enough. Whether it was true or not, I couldn't say.
"More importantly, is dinner ready?"
"Yes, it's all set."
"Good. Then let's eat."
And so, it was time for dinner. That said, we didn't all eat at once. We split into two groups—one for lookout and one for eating—and took turns. Since we were inside a dungeon, there was no telling when a monster might attack. I was in the second group, meaning I would eat after the collection team was finished. Since they were the ones who were most exhausted and hungry, it was only natural to prioritize them.
After I finished my dinner, we had a meeting regarding the night watch rotation.
"Then Suzuki and Sato, you two take the third shift."
"Understood."
"Next..."
As the order was being decided, things got a bit noisy outside the camp. My first thought was an enemy attack, but when I strained my ears, I realized it was an argument... or rather, the voices of other explorer parties sitting in the same staircase plaza, negotiating. Parties negotiating with each other inside a dungeon... that was rare.
As a rule, explorer parties generally followed a principle of non-interference inside the dungeon. Of course, that didn't mean they didn't interact, but if you tried to negotiate, even a minor disagreement could lead to a confrontation—and, in the worst-case scenario, disaster. I'd heard stories of such things escalating into knife fights. Therefore, many parties would interact but avoid any actual negotiation. As I listened, wondering if the deal would proceed smoothly, I heard a term that piqued my interest.
"Hm?"
"Hey, did you just hear 'Water Magic'?"
"I heard it..."
There was a Water Magic user nearby. The moment we realized that, a stir went through our group. Being able to create water inside a dungeon was an incredible advantage. They were definitely the kind of talent we’d want to secure for our company.
Thinking that, I reflexively turned to Team Leader Sakuoka.
"..."
Noticing my look, the team leader simply shook his head with a troubled expression and remained silent. I didn't know what he was weighing in his mind, but it seemed he had no intention of jumping out to scout them immediately.
Still, an explorer with Water Magic who could make it this far... it felt like a waste to let them get away.
"...It looks like the negotiation is over."
"Yeah. Well, considering we're inside a dungeon, I suppose that price was... acceptable?"
"It’s high, but I don't think it's highway robbery."
Honestly, I wondered if it was a ripoff, but considering the location, it could be called reasonable. If you were to ask an explorer capable of diving this deep to deliver supplies, the delivery fee would be astronomical. If an explorer of the level required to reach this floor spent the time they’d use for a delivery on regular exploration instead, they could easily earn hundreds of thousands of yen. To guarantee that profit while paying them a reward... it wouldn't be strange to be charged close to a million yen in fees.
Thinking of it that way, the amount suggested in the negotiation couldn't exactly be called a scam.
"It looks like they're taking the proposal back to discuss it."
"With an amount like that, they’d have to. Judging by their manner of speaking and the sound of their voices, they're likely both student parties. Even for a party that can reach this floor, that's not an amount they can decide on the spot."
"That's true... Back when we were diving on our own, we struggled quite a bit with our finances, too."
Back when we were diving during our student days, the buyback prices for drop items were still decent. But considering the current market where rates had plummeted due to the massive influx of items, their financial situation must be even worse than ours was. Under those circumstances, an expenditure of several hundred thousand yen would be a massive blow. It was only natural they'd hesitate.
After a while, the voices resumed their negotiation, and they eventually managed to reach an agreement.
"Looks like they reached a deal safely."
"Yeah. I'm glad it didn't escalate into a fight. If explorers capable of reaching this floor started brawling, the damage would definitely splash over to us."
A squabble between low-level explorers was one thing, but a fight between high-level explorers was a nightmare. Especially if it happened in the staircase plaza where our camp base was set up... we'd inevitably be caught in the crossfire.
However, my relief was short-lived. The next problem arose immediately.
"..."
The Hazama Shoji party, which had set up their camp base on the opposite side of the stairs, began a scouting offensive toward the student explorers who had just finished their negotiation.
"I'm heading over for a second."
"Ah, yes. Be careful..."
Leaving those words behind, Team Leader Sakuoka left the camp base. He had held his head in his hands at Hazama Shoji’s predatory timing and had gone to force his way in, partly to see how the student explorers were doing. From an outsider's perspective, it would look like he had rushed over because a promising prospect was about to be snatched by another company, but the reality was that he was offering a lifeline to young people who were surely exhausted from a difficult negotiation. Of course, he also had the ulterior motive of wanting to be seen as the one who saved them from a pushy solicitor.
Bringing up such a tedious topic at a time like this... anyone would be left with a bad impression.
At the report of an enemy attack, I leapt up from the bed where I had been napping.
"Wha—what?! What happened?!"
"Monsters!"
"Monsters?!"
I tried to grasp the situation while forcing my groggy brain to wake up. In the meantime, preparations for interception proceeded steadily, and powerful lights were shone down the corridor, appearing like pillars of light.
Then, we finally caught sight of the approaching shadows.
"All hands, wake up! Monster appearance confirmed! Prepare for interception immediately!"
"The enemies are kobolds! Estimated number is ten!"
"Hey, everyone, get up! They're here!"
Sharp warning whistles rang out alongside a flurry of shouted orders.
I called out to my comrades whose movements were sluggish from sleep, then grabbed my spear and jumped outside the camp base. I saw the kobolds stopping in their tracks, blinded by the light, and I tightened my grip on my spear.
"Night watch team, move forward and intercept the approaching kobolds! Collection team, take the rear! Defend the camp base and watch for ambushes while providing support!"
"Understood!"
Team Leader Sakuoka, who came out of the camp base slightly late, quickly issued orders and organized our defense.
Around the time we finished forming our lines, the kobolds seemed to have adjusted to the light and began to move.
"Here they come!"
With the team leader's warning, the kobolds split into three groups of four to launch their attack....Wait, what? Groups of four? I felt a flash of doubt at their behavior even as I moved to intercept those approaching me as a vanguard.
These things were reasonably strong individually, but they became incredibly difficult when they coordinated. Therefore, the key was to prevent them from linking up... but because the enemy had split into small groups this time, it was easy to force them into one-on-one fights. In a one-on-one, they weren't hard to defeat. I lunged with my spear, launching a preemptive strike on a kobold that had closed in. The creature dodged, so my blow didn't land where I'd intended, but I succeeded in piercing its right shoulder and making it drop the club it was holding. It wasn't a fatal wound, though. I clicked my tongue inwardly and prepared for the next move, but despite the look of agony on its face, the kobold grabbed the spear stuck in its shoulder and tried to pull it away from me.
But...
"Sorry, but you're not taking this!"
The moment the kobold grabbed the spear, I yanked it back, throwing the monster off balance while slamming a front kick into its chest. The kobold let go of the spear and clutched its chest. It was standing right in front of me, completely vulnerable after I’d pulled my spear back to my side.
In other words...
"Got you!"
I lunged with my spear toward the throat of the kobold. This time, my aim was true; the spear pierced its throat. The kobold let out a silent scream, thrashed about, and then stopped moving.
I pulled back my spear and stayed on guard, shifting my attention to the other battles to see if my comrades needed support. But it seemed my help wasn't necessary.
"...Is it over?"
"Yeah. How about your side?"
"Finished over here, too."
It seemed that all the kobolds that had come toward us were dead.
The battle on the Hazama Shoji party's side had ended as well, leaving only the student party still in the middle of combat.
"Should we help them?"
"No... they look like they're struggling, but they'll be fine. If we jump in carelessly, we’ll disrupt their coordination and make things more dangerous for them."
"I see..."
And so, we stood by, ready to jump in at any moment while we watched.
Still... I wondered why none of the kobolds had gone toward the other student party?