Mika and I made our way through the dim corridor and took our assigned seats, waiting for the movie to start. We had arrived just before the screening time, so I’d been worried about disturbing the other guests, but those fears turned out to be entirely unfounded.
Mainly because...
"Hey, Mika? This movie is supposed to be fairly popular, right?"
"Y-yeah. According to the info online, it should be..."
"With this many people?"
I squinted at Mika before looking around the theater, my expression souring.
Even though the movie was about to begin, there were barely enough people in the room to count on both hands. It was hard to believe this was a blockbuster. Mika, sensing my skepticism...
"Well... at least we can relax while we watch it, right?"
She looked away, avoiding my eyes while scratching her cheek with a fingertip to play it off.
I let out a small sigh. Looking at her reaction, I figured I shouldn't set my expectations too high.
"Well, I suppose. We're already here, so let's try to enjoy it."
"Exactly! There just happen to be very few people today, but the movie itself is bound to be interesting... probably. Maybe. Hopefully."
"..."
That didn't sound very convincing.
As Mika and I went back and forth, a buzzer echoed through the theater to signal the start of the film, and the lights slowly faded to black.
Two hours later, the movie ended. Mika and I were now taking a breather at a cafe near the cinema. No matter how you looked at it, sitting in one place for two hours straight was fairly draining.
While snacking on a pancake set, we began critiquing what we’d just seen.
"Well, overall, it was pretty good, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. The action scenes were just as flashy and impressive as the advertisements claimed."
"The action, sure. The story itself was pretty cliché, though."
Since I hadn't expected much going in, my final impression was that it was actually decent. Though, whether it was 'interesting' in a meaningful way was another question entirely.
For the record, the plot followed a protagonist working for a certain intelligence agency as he fought to take down a massive drug-smuggling syndicate.
"That said, the idea of a protagonist single-handedly wiping out a whole organization just because he raised his level in their private dungeon is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?"
"But he had sub-characters helping him, like that backup team."
"Even so, a script where they dump every single frontal engagement on the protagonist is just lazy. No matter how high your individual combat power is, he wasn't exactly a god. If they just swarmed him with numbers, even a high-level explorer would eventually go down."
Though, in fairness, the early scenes of the protagonist using flashy acrobatics to slaughter low-level thugs were quite the spectacle.
One scene in particular stood out: in what looked like an abandoned factory, the protagonist engaged a group of goons in a 3D firefight. He sprinted up a wall in a single burst, hung upside down from a ceiling joist, and rained down bullets... The opening credits had included a disclaimer stating that no wirework or CGI had been used in the film, so he probably really performed those stunts.
"Hey, Onii-chan? Could you do stuff like that?"
"Hmm? I've never tried, but I think I could with a little practice. You could too, obviously."
"Me too?"
"In terms of physical ability, yeah. Though there isn't much point to it..."
In a dungeon, jumping around at full power without a plan usually just results in a lot of pain. If she really wanted to try it, she’d need to practice properly first.
"I see... maybe I should give it a shot sometime?"
"If you do, start slow and test your balance first. Also, if you do it against a flimsy wall, you'll put a hole in it."
"Wait, what?"
"Haven't you realized? You could probably kick through a wooden partition with ease. Not that you should be testing that theory."
Personally, I suspected we could probably shatter concrete walls if we really tried. Not that I’d ever do it; the cleanup would be a nightmare.
"O-okay, I get it. Anyway, in that movie, they were using offensive skills—like magic skills and stuff. Is that actually okay?"
Mika, appearing a bit dazed by the sudden reminder of her own strength, tried to pivot the conversation toward the special effects. Or, rather, the skills that took the place of effects.
Using offensive skills in a film, huh...
"It’s a foreign film. I don't know what the laws are like in that country regarding skill usage, so I can't really say. I'm sure they got the proper permits for filming, so it's likely fine over there... but in Japan, that would be a gray zone at best."
"Right? I thought so."
In the latter half of the movie, the enemy executives were shooting fireballs from their palms. If no CGI was used, they were definitely using magic skills. If that was the Fireball skill, those projectiles would ignite everything they touched. If an unprotected ordinary person got hit, they’d be lucky to escape with severe burns; at worst, they’d be charred to a crisp. It certainly isn't the kind of thing you should ever point at a person.
That’s exactly why, as a rule, the use of offensive skills outside of dungeons is strictly prohibited in Japan.
"The magic scenes looked like they were stitched together in editing, though. They probably just fired the skills at empty space."
"Mmm, now that you mention it, the cuts were a little weird. All the magic shots were just close-ups of the actors alone..."
"Exactly. Whenever there were two or more actors in the frame, they stopped using magic and stuck to basic hand-to-hand combat."
As an action movie, I suppose that works, but it did make me wonder about the logic of magic-user enemies suddenly deciding to trade punches as soon as the protagonist got close.
I understand the safety concerns, but as a movie-goer, it felt a little weak.
"And then there was that final scene..."
"The hideout ending in a giant explosion? It was a classic ending."
"The escape was well-done, though."
The climax was as predictable as it gets: a showdown with the boss, followed by the entire base blowing up. The sequence where the protagonist used his physical gifts as an explorer to navigate the collapsing structure, dodging debris with 3D maneuvers, was genuinely impressive. In one shot, the floor beneath him gave way, and it looked like he was about to plummet, but he kicked off a piece of falling rubble to vault back onto solid ground. It was the kind of stunt that really highlighted what an explorer's body is capable of.
However...
"I guess they used explorer action and explosions to make up for a lack of substance in the script?"
"Yeah. The stunts were memorable, but if someone asked me if the story was actually good... it was just okay. Middle of the road."
"Agreed. Well, it served its purpose as a way to kill time."
Our final verdict: the movie had its highlights but wasn't particularly good or bad. If the writing had been a bit more solid, it might have been something special.
Regardless, seeing the quality of the stunts made me realize that actor-type explorers are likely going to become a much bigger thing in the future. Even if it starts with nothing but action movies.
After finishing our break at the cafe, Mika and I headed out to do some window shopping as planned. Since Mika was currently broke, she didn't have anything specific to buy; we were just wandering around to see what was out there.
Honestly, just because she started earning money from the dungeon doesn't mean she should've spent it all already.
"Oh! A new model is out! This is so cool..."
"I'm not buying it for you."
"I-I know! I was just thinking out loud!"
"Really? Because I felt a very distinct 'I want this' gaze coming from you."
"Y-you're imagining things!"
Mika made a huffy face and started walking faster to hide her embarrassment.
I see you, Mika. I clearly saw that "I wish he'd buy this for me" look reflected in the glass of the display case. But, well...
"My mistake. You weren't making a face like that at all."
"H-hmph! Exactly! I would never!"
"Fair enough. In that case, after we're done looking around, can we head somewhere I want to go?"
"...The Dungeon Association, right?"
"Yeah. There's something I need to look into."
Mika stopped and turned back to look at me, a trace of anxiety on her face.
"Is it about Taiga-onii-chan?"
"Yeah. My initial research makes that company look pretty shady. I want to see if the Dungeon Association has any files on them."
If the Association has information ready the moment I ask, it means they're already on a watchlist. Part of me hoped that wasn't the case, but another part of me knew that if they were flagged, it would give me much better leverage to convince Taiga-niisan.
Actually, based on what I’d found so far, the company was already beyond the point of being acceptable.
"Let's go now, then, Onii-chan."
"Are you sure? We can keep shopping for a while longer."
"It's not like I can buy anything anyway. Besides, shouldn't we get the info as soon as possible for Taiga-onii-chan's sake?"
"That's a good point. The sooner I send it to him, the better."
If Taiga-niisan was planning to talk to his party today or tomorrow, I needed to get this data to him immediately. There’s no point in sending a warning after he’s already signed. I could send what I have now, but information coming directly from the Dungeon Association would be far more convincing.
"Let's go, then. If we have time afterward, we can always come back."
"Alright. Let's head out."
"Okay!"
With that, we cut our shopping trip short and headed toward the Dungeon Association. It wasn't far from where we were, so the trip was brief.
Once we arrived, Mika and I booked a consultation at the front desk. To kill time while we waited for our slot, we decided to browse the Association Official Shop. It had been a while.
"Wow, they have everything!"
"This is where you get all the essentials for exploring....Though it's all incredibly overpriced."
Being the official shop, everything was selected based on the feedback of actual explorers, so the quality was top-tier. The problem was the 'professional' pricing—even a basic length of utility rope cost a fortune.
While explorers make a good living, these prices were brutal for a rookie just starting out.
"Whoa, you weren't kidding... that's expensive."
"That's a down sleeping bag for you..."
Mika and I wandered through the aisles, gawking at the price tags. To the staff, we probably looked like annoying window shoppers with no intention of actually buying anything.
Before long, our appointment time arrived.
"Thank you for waiting. Now, what was it you wished to discuss?"
We sat across a desk in the Consultation Room from a middle-aged man with glasses and a pleasant smile. I caught a glimpse of the nameplate on his chest that said 'Section Chief,' but I decided to pretend I didn't see it.
I pulled out the pamphlet Taiga-niisan had given me, laid it on the desk, and explained the situation.
"An explorer I know is considering a management contract with this company. I did some research of my own, and their business practices seem a bit questionable. I was wondering if the Association had any information on their reputation..."
"A management contract, I see. If you'll excuse me, let me take a look at this."
With a polite nod, the man looked over the pamphlet... and his brow immediately furrowed.
"I see... this company is indeed a bit suspicious. Understood. Please wait a moment while I check if any reports have been filed against them."
"Thank you."
The man gave us a slight bow and stepped out of the room to conduct his search.
Mika and I both let out a breath, trying to ease the tension in our shoulders.
"Phew... why did a Section Chief come out to meet us? Normally, a regular clerk handles these things first."
Was it because of our recent rank-up? Had our names already spread through the Association? The idea that we were becoming well-known without my knowledge made me uneasy. If it was just as talented explorers, that was one thing, but for someone like me with a massive secret to keep... it was a situation I’d rather avoid.
About five minutes later, the man—whose pleasant smile had vanished—returned with a stack of papers and a very grim expression.