Curious about the source of the shouting, I strained my ears to listen, but I immediately regretted it. A party that looked like university students was picking a fight with the High School Student Party.
Whoa, are they serious? Didn't they see that fight earlier? They're going to get themselves killed.
Sato and I, who were standing nearby, exchanged grimaces. We listened to the shouting match, worried it might escalate into a brawl. Both groups were skilled enough to reach this floor. If they actually came to blows, the collateral damage would be immense. In a real fight, the High School Student Party would likely win in a landslide, but there was always the risk of getting caught in the crossfire.
However, we were on the deep floors. If our expedition supplies or base equipment took significant damage, we would have to consider a total withdrawal for safety reasons. If that happened, the company would suffer a staggering loss.
Sato and I both let out a long, weary sigh of relief. It seemed the members of the University Student Party had finally managed to forcibly drag their agitated comrade away. Things had been touch-and-go for a moment, but the situation was resolved without further incident before the high schoolers felt the need to retaliate. Good on you for holding back, guys.
But our relief was short-lived. A man from Hazama Shoji stepped in and started giving a completely misplaced lecture to the high school students, who had just patiently endured an ordeal that didn't even qualify as a negotiation. Hey, wait a minute!
It was unbearable to listen to—no, it was beyond delusional. Sato and I wore expressions of pure exasperation as we listened to the "noble sermon" from that idiot Baba. Even though he was the one who had violated etiquette and sparked the friction in the first place, he was trying to seize control of the situation by talking down to them from his high horse. That isn't how a grown adult should behave, is it?
Baba seemed encouraged by the fact that the High School Student Party was quietly listening, and his lecture dragged on.
"It looks like... it’s finally over," I muttered.
"Yeah. Those kids in the High School Student Party really had a rough time," Sato replied.
"Tell me about it. Setting aside the vent from that crazed university student, that delusional lecture was just a disaster for them."
"True. But man, they really held it together."
To be honest, despite being treated so poorly in rapid succession, the High School Student Party responded with incredible maturity. They were patient and calm, trying to settle things peacefully without shouting back. If I had been in their position, I would have at least tried to land a counter-blow. I couldn't help but be genuinely impressed by their restraint.
"Ah, the Team Leader was there too," Sato noted.
"Looks like it. I didn't notice him until he spoke just now."
Hearing Team Leader Sakuoka's voice, which sounded dejected and pitying, Sato and I realized for the first time that he had been standing right there. Well, if other parties were moving in to make contact, our side couldn't just sit back and watch.
Though, in this case, it felt like he just got caught up in the mess.
"Yeah. With everything that happened, our company might have gotten a bad reputation by association," I said.
"Maybe. Since we were in a place like this, he didn't seem to be acting aggressively, but it looked like our Team Leader had intended to try and scout them."
"If we brought that up at a time like this, they’d think we were exactly the same as those other guys. It’s a shame, but if he still wants to scout them, it's probably best not to interfere any further for now. There's no way it would improve their impression of us; it would only make it worse."
I couldn't say for sure since I didn't see the whole thing directly, but seeing Team Leader Sakuoka pull back without saying anything more, it was likely that the students were at the absolute limit of their patience. Otherwise, he would have tried to establish a more solid connection. Instead, he only created a thin link by inviting them to an event. It was highly probable he judged it best to withdraw quickly before they lost their tempers.
Team Leader Sakuoka... Please hang in there. Just think of it as drawing the short straw!
The High School Student Party, who had certainly given us a lot to talk about, gave a polite nod to those of us preparing for exploration and then departed at a brisk pace. The way they looked like they were fleeing a den of iniquity was certainly not my imagination.
To be honest, I felt terrible for them.
"I feel bad for those kids," Team Leader Sakuoka muttered, staring down the passage they had vanished into. "They stopped here to rest, but with all these commotions happening one after another, they probably couldn't get any decent sleep..."
"Team Leader..."
"Dungeon exploration is physically taxing, of course, but mental fatigue is much harder to deal with. After everything that happened, I just hope they don't get injured..."
After gazing at the path for a short while, Team Leader Sakuoka slapped his cheeks with both hands to reset his mindset and began barking orders.
"Well, we can't stay depressed forever. Let's get moving. Every squad, begin operations according to the rotation."
"Understood!"
Following the Team Leader's instructions, my squad—the collection team—performed a final equipment check and began our exploration. Since yesterday's exploration only slightly exceeded our target quota, I wanted to achieve results that significantly surpassed it today if possible. If we did that, we could spend the extra time aiming for drop items other than food materials to increase our pay.
Also... if I ran into them on the way, I wanted to apologize for what happened in the plaza.
"Alright, collection team, moving out," I told my squad. "We don't know where the monsters might come from, so stay sharp."
"Understoo~d."
We formed up and headed out into the dungeon.
Fortunately, we encountered several groups of monsters. Despite a few struggles, we defeated the enemies and collected enough materials for today's quota. Ending our morning exploration with satisfied faces, we returned to the camp base with the fruits of our hunt.
"Hey! We got a huge haul today!" I shouted as we arrived.
"Oh, impressive!" a comrade replied.
While showing off the results of the hunt to the others who came to greet us, we stowed the drop ingredients into the storage containers.
Then, Team Leader Sakuoka, who had been on base standby duty, told us that the High School Student Party had already returned to the plaza and headed back up to the surface.
"I see. That's a shame. I wanted to apologize for yesterday if possible..."
"Well, you never know when someone will come back. It was just bad timing this time, so don't worry about it too much," the Team Leader said.
"Yes, sir."
Maybe they had become mentally exhausted because of yesterday's commotion and moved up their return schedule. Thinking that made my heart ache with guilt.
Seeing me look down, Team Leader Sakuoka offered a bit of hope.
"The chances are slim, but I gave them information about the upcoming corporate briefing. They might show up. If you have something to say, you can tell them then."
"I guess so. Though the chances do seem pretty low..."
"Haha, well, the situation didn't exactly allow for a strong recommendation. But hey, it's better than no chance at all, right?"
"I suppose so."
I flashed a wry smile and went along with his optimism. Fortunately or unfortunately, we would be participating in the upcoming briefing as part of the recruitment staff. If we were lucky, we might run into them.
If we were lucky, that is.
After several more days of diving and collecting materials, the end of this cave-dwelling life was finally in sight. I could see the 3rd Team, who would be taking over our shift, descending the stairs accompanied by transport robots bearing our company's logo.
Sigh, I can finally go home...
"Good work, Team Leader Sakuoka."
"Ah, Team Leader Takada. Good work."
Team Leader Sakuoka approached the 3rd Team as they arrived and began talking with the bearded, glasses-wearing Team Leader Takada.
After a brief handover, we began unloading our gear and loading the collected drop items onto the transport robots. Our squad's item collection this time was a massive success. We far exceeded the collection quota and managed to obtain several magic items and skill scrolls. I wouldn't know the exact value until they were appraised, but a special bonus of 100,000 to 200,000 yen was practically guaranteed. Maybe I'll go on a trip with some friends during my next time off.
"Yo, Suzuki! How's it going? Are you safe?"
"Hm? Oh, if it isn't Iijima! It's been a while," I said, greeting my colleague. "As you can see, I'm perfectly fine. Fortunately, I didn't suffer any injuries that required a recovery potion this time."
"Oh, is that so? In that case, those rumors about moving the camp base to a deeper floor soon might be true!"
I wore a look of surprise. Moving the camp base to a deeper floor meant that the difficulty of item collection and base defense would increase significantly. Did a customer place an order for some new materials?
"Is that talk already going around?"
"Yeah. The 1st Team that you guys swapped with finished their shift without any injuries, too. If you guys are in a similar situation, then if we finish our rotation safely, the relocation talk will probably become official."
"I see..."
"Hm? You don't look all that pleased. You're not against it, Suzuki?"
"Well, some... unpleasant stuff happened here this time..."
To be honest, I didn't think all of Hazama Shoji's explorers were the same, but I didn't want to have a base near a company where such a person served as a leader. You never knew when they would cause another problem and drag us into it.
While keeping bases somewhat clustered helped guarantee safety through combined military strength, I wanted to keep some distance if possible—ideally, about one floor's worth.
"Unpleasant stuff, huh?"
"The details will be explained in the handover meeting after this, so ask then. It's a bit hard for me to talk about."
"...I see, got it."
I remained vague, and Iijima seemed to sense that something had happened. He didn't press me and changed the subject.
The next day, after finishing the handover work, we in the 2nd Team left the 3rd Team in charge and began the trek toward the surface.
"Alright, Team Leader Takada, we're leaving the rest to you."
"Yeah, good work. You never know when monsters might strike until you're out of the dungeon. Don't let your guard down just because you're on the way home, okay?"
"Of course, thanks for the warning."
After that exchange between the leaders, we began the day-long journey toward the surface. We were attacked by monsters many times along the way, but they were scattered by our high spirits at finally being able to go above ground, turning into additions to our special bonuses.
As planned, while staying alert, the 2nd Team returned to the surface after about a day. I saw the world tinted by the sunset for the first time in nearly a week.
"We're here!"
"Hey, you guys! I know how you feel, but first we have the checkout procedures!" Team Leader Sakuoka shouted. "Let's finish the paperwork quickly and get back to the office. The job isn't finished until you're back home!"
"...Yessir..."
Admonishing us for relaxing the moment we hit the surface, the Team Leader led us and the transport robots to the corporate service window. This was a counter established specifically for companies like ours that handled massive quantities of dungeon ingredients. Previously, we had used the same windows as general explorers, but the appraisal volume was so high that it caused delays and complaints from others, leading to the creation of this specialized window.
That said, the time it took for the appraisal itself wasn't actually much faster.
"All right, good work. That's the last of the cargo loaded. Let's head back."
"Understood."
We loaded the processed ingredients along with the transport robots into the company truck that the 3rd Team had arrived in. Once we were ready, we climbed into the vehicles. Phew, it's finally over.
After about an hour's drive, we arrived at the company. Once we finished moving the ingredients into the warehouse, our work for the day was finally complete.
"All right, everyone, make sure you don't forget to submit your reports at the beginning of next week. Get some good rest today and wash away the fatigue. Everyone, truly, great job... Dismissed!"
"Thank you for your hard work!"
We finished our showers and changed clothes, then headed straight home without any detours. We promised to have a drinking party the next day to celebrate the end of the expedition.
And so, my dungeon exploration shift came to an end. Phew... I can finally get some decent sleep.