After changing, we slung our backpacks and cooler bags full of drop items over our shoulders and headed for the purchase counter. However, as soon as we reached the entrance, we stopped in our tracks and let out a collective sigh.
"Man, there are so many people..."
"It’s summer vacation, after all. The students who usually can't come because of school are here every day, regardless of whether it's a weekend. It's only natural the counter is busier than usual," Yuji said.
"That's true. Plus, summer intensive courses for most high schools end in July, which only adds to the crowd," Hiiragi-san added.
Looking across the waiting area, the place was packed with students roughly our age. The number on the ticket dispenser had already passed 150. It was clear we would have a long wait before we were even seen.
Yeah, this kind of wait is rough right after finishing an exploration. There were even people sleeping with their backs against the wall.
"Well, let's just grab a ticket for now."
With a slightly gloomy expression, I walked over to the dispenser and pulled a ticket.
The number was 205—well into the two-hundreds. Compared to the old days, they had more counters now, so the turnaround was faster, but this was a number that suggested at least a thirty-minute wait.
"..."
"Maybe we should have grabbed the ticket first," I muttered.
We looked down at the ticket as we watched other explorers in their armor print their own and quickly head toward the exit where their companions were waiting. That was clearly a strategy for dealing with the wait time, likely born from bitter experience.
"It can't be helped. We'll just have to be patient. If we go grab some tea to kill time, our turn will come eventually."
"I guess... Oh, hey, how about we go there?" Yuji pointed toward a building visible through the window.
"There?"
"The food shop we went to the other day. It’ll be better to browse the shop than to just sit around drinking tea."
"The food shop, huh..."
My impression of that place was that everything was overpriced and it was staffed by a pushy store clerk. I gave Yuji a skeptical look.
"That place is a hassle. The staff, I mean."
"Well, you're not wrong. It's fine that they recommend products, but that clerk was a bit aggressive."
"And you didn't help me when I was getting cornered," I pointed out.
"I thought if I jumped in, the conversation would just get longer," Yuji countered.
"..."
Recalling the last visit, Yuji and I locked eyes in a silent, accusatory glare. After a brief silence, Hiiragi-san spoke up with a look of pure exasperation.
"Honestly, you two, could we move this little performance elsewhere? Look, you're starting to draw weird looks."
"Eh?...Ah."
Just as Hiiragi-san said, quite a few curious gazes were fixed on Yuji and me. This was genuinely embarrassing.
"Y-You're right. It would be better to move... right, Yuji?"
"Yeah, let's do that."
We beat a hasty retreat from the waiting room to escape the stares.
Once we were clear of the curious eyes, we decided to browse the food shop until things cooled down. Since we had focused on retort-pouch items meant for consumption inside the dungeon during our last visit, we decided to check out a different section this time. I wanted to avoid the corner with the pushy store clerk if at all possible.
"Hmm, this side is also full of food made with dungeon ingredients."
"True. Oh, thick-cut minotaur meat chips... I wonder if these are any good?"
"Orc broth, huh... maybe I should buy some for my father?"
Overall, there were many items where existing products had been modified or mixed with dungeon ingredients. It hadn't even been a year since dungeon ingredients started circulating properly, so developing entirely new products from scratch was probably still a hurdle.
That said, I did find a few items that piqued my interest.
"Alright, I'll buy this as a souvenir."
I picked up a vacuum-sealed pack of minotaur roast beef. It was a tiny item weighing less than 100 grams, yet it cost 3,000 yen. I wasn't sure if that was a bargain or a ripoff...
"Daiki, have you decided yet?"
"Yeah. What about you, Yuji?"
"I already bought mine."
"I've got mine too," Hiiragi-san said.
"Wait, really?! Sorry, I'll go check out now."
I gave a quick apologetic nod to the two of them as they held up shopping bags with the store logo, then I hurried to the register. I see, I was the last one...
By the time we had each finished buying our gifts, quite a bit of time had passed.
"Shall we head back? It might be our turn soon."
"Yeah, that was a pretty good way to kill time."
"Indeed. Until now, 'souvenirs' usually just meant giving people raw ingredients we brought back, so this was a nice change," Hiiragi-san remarked.
Bringing back raw ingredients wasn't bad, but it never really felt like a proper gift. It felt more like... the spoils of a hunt. Even so, the reception had always been good.
Conversing as we walked, we returned to the waiting room to find the display was at number 200. We had timed it perfectly.
"It looks like our turn will come in about five minutes..."
"Yeah. Is there an empty seat... nope."
The waiting room was still packed, so sitting down was out of the question. Since our turn was imminent, standing wasn't a big deal. As expected, our number was called in under five minutes, and we headed to the purchase counter.
"Thank you for waiting. How can I help you today?"
"We'd like an appraisal for purchase, please."
"Understood. Please provide your Explorer Cards and the items for appraisal."
Following the staff member's instructions, we placed our cards and the bags filled with drop items on the counter.
"Yes, I've received them. We will call you once the appraisal is complete, so please wait nearby."
"Okay. Thanks."
Having finished the routine exchange, we stepped away from the counter. Now then, I wondered how much the lizard materials would actually be worth.
It took longer than expected. About twenty minutes passed before we were finally called. Usually—or rather, last time—it had taken less than ten.
Feeling a bit worn out from the wait, we returned to the counter, where Staff-san greeted us with an apologetic look.
"I am very sorry for the wait. The appraisal is complete. Here are the results."
He handed us a sheet of paper with the breakdown. As I scanned the document, I saw the usual prices I was accustomed to, with only minor fluctuations.
However, my eyes snagged on a new entry—the lizard materials. I was momentarily stunned.
"...Um, is there any mistake in this appraisal amount?"
"No, that amount is correct," Staff-san replied.
"I see."
Thinking I had misread it, I had double-checked, but it wasn't a mistake. If that was the case... seriously? One lizard skin was 100,000 yen.
"...The meat is... fetching a decent price too."
"Hey, Daiki, forget the meat for a second. The skins are insanely expensive," Yuji whispered.
"Why is it this high? It's not like it's a magic item..." Hiiragi-san wondered.
As we hovered over the paper, puzzled by the price, Staff-san explained the reason for the high valuation.
"The reason the appraisal is so high is that they are currently priority purchase items. Their exceptional fire and heat resistance has become famous, and demand is skyrocketing... but given where they come from, we simply can't get enough of them."
"Ah... I see."
In other words, the demand was so extreme that it had created a premium price. Was lizard skin really that good?
Intrigued, I asked about the performance, and he gave a brief explanation. Apparently, even if you hit it with the flame of a gas burner, it wouldn't catch fire immediately and could withstand the heat for a full minute without burning through. I didn't know the technical specifics, but even as a layman, I could imagine plenty of uses for leather that could withstand a blowtorch. It was like a modern-day Robe of the Fire Rat.
"So, there is something I would like to ask of you all..."
After looking around to ensure we weren't being overheard, Staff-san leaned slightly over the counter and spoke in a low voice. I could more or less guess what he wanted to say.
"If possible, could you perhaps increase the ratio of skins among the items you bring back? There are very few people capable of reaching them, so we can't meet the demand at all. Besides, given the location... I hate to say this, but if word of this gets out to inexperienced groups and they start taking reckless risks, it would be a major problem for the Association."
It was true; if you wanted lizard skins, you had to dive to the 30th floor. The number of explorers who could go that deep was small. Furthermore, those who could reliably prioritize bringing back skins were even fewer.
The Association would be in a bind if an explorer party that was "almost" within reach of that floor did something reckless and got wiped out. Even if they were just "almost" there, they would still be elite explorers who usually hunted around the 20th floor. If even a few such parties were lost, it would be a blow far greater than a skin shortage.
"Therefore, this purchase price will be maintained for the time being until the demand is satisfied."
In other words, he was implicitly asking us to focus on the skins.
As far as liquid assets went, lizard skins were excellent. They were light, not bulky, and a high price was guaranteed. It was much more profitable to focus on skins than to bring back kilos of dungeon meat, which had been dropping in price lately. Magic items, skill scrolls, and lizard skins—if we were going to use the 30th floor as our main hunting ground, that was the most lucrative combination.
"Um... we'll do our best."
"Please. But do not overexert yourselves. It would be a problem if you were injured because of this."
"Haha, of course."
Was that a warning that the Association wouldn't take responsibility if we got hurt? In practice, it was a request that could be taken as a formal favor, but he was keeping it framed as mere small talk about purchase prices.
Yeah, I should stop overthinking it. We simply heard that these were priority purchase items.
"Then, for now, we'll go ahead with the purchase at this price."
I handed the appraisal sheet back to the man, who had returned to his professional posture.
"Understood. Would you like the deposit split three ways? Or a lump sum to one person's card?"
"Split it three ways, please."
"Understood."
Though it had taken some time, we finished the procedure and left the counter.
Phew, finally done. For the record, the total appraisal for the items from this exploration was approximately 1.63 million yen.
After leaving the building, we each bought a drink from a vending machine in a quiet corner and took a breather. Naturally, our talk turned to the lizard skins.
"...What should we do for the next run? Should we focus on bringing back skins like he asked?"
"The price makes them a great target, but hunting lizards all the way down on the 30th floor every time..."
"Farming lizards over and over sounds a bit... tedious, doesn't it?"
Neither of them seemed particularly enthusiastic. I wasn't too keen on it either. While we could certainly earn more by focusing on the skins, we didn't find the prospect that compelling.
We weren't currently hurting for money, and more importantly, our sense of adventure—the curiosity that had been building up while waiting for summer vacation—made us dislike the idea of staying on the 30th floor just to farm, especially when we finally had the time for deeper exploration.
"In that case, how about we increase the amount of lizard skins we bring back a bit, but continue expanding our exploration range to the floors below?"
"Yeah, I think that's the best policy," Yuji agreed.
"I'm fine with that too," Hiiragi-san said.
"Alright, then for the next run, let's bring back more skins while pushing further in."
"Got it."
"Right."
And so, our next strategy was set. If we brought back more lizard skins than we did today, the Association probably wouldn't have any complaints... hopefully.