After parting ways with Shigemori, we took a lap around the outside of the venue, checking out the various stalls and food trucks before returning to the entrance. It had taken a fair bit of time to make the circuit, and the crowd had noticeably grown since our arrival.
The primary demographic was clearly student explorers, but I also saw a decent number of working-adult explorers and ordinary families scattered about. It was a lively scene.
"Well, we’ve done a full loop of the exterior... but I didn't see any shops directly related to explorer work out there."
"You're right. It mostly felt like the kind of stalls you'd see at any regular festival or event," Mika agreed.
"I suppose they keep the explorer-related items inside the venue to differentiate the customer base," Saori-chan suggested.
"I think so too," Asami-chan added. "Dungeon-related products tend to be expensive, even for items that look fairly standard."
"True," Hino-san said. "There are probably things in there at price points our pocket money couldn't even touch."
Asami-chan and Hino-san narrowed their eyes slightly, looking off into the distance as they stole glances at Mika and Saori-chan. Something must have happened when they went out together recently. Well, even if they were all friends, Mika and Saori-chan were explorers, while Asami-chan and Hino-san were non-explorers. It was only natural that a clear gap existed in terms of disposable income.
Though, from what I could tell, Mika was currently on the verge of being broke because her self-control was weak and she’d been on a spending spree lately.
"...Anyway, let's head inside. Our main goal today is to check out the corporate exhibition."
"Y-Yeah, you're right! Let's go, quick!"
"Yes!"
"...Indeed, let us head in."
"Okay~"
I deliberately avoided asking what had happened, averting my eyes as I ushered them toward the entrance. A brief moment of awkward tension drifted between the four of them, but it dissipated soon enough.
We walked toward the ticket booth located beside the entrance.
"Hmm, entry tickets are five hundred yen for advance purchase and six hundred yen on the day..."
"They actually charge for entry?"
"Well, they have to cover the venue rental and other costs, so it’s only fair."
"Oh, look—it says it's free for high school students and younger."
"You're right, even high schoolers are free..."
While Mika and the others marveled at the price list, I stepped up to the window. It was far cheaper than a movie ticket, so I wouldn't have complained even if we’d had to pay.
"Excuse me, five high school students, please."
"Five high school students? Do you have your student IDs?"
"Yes."
While the girls were still distracted, I presented my student ID and collected the entry tickets.
"Alright, I've got the tickets. Everyone, take one."
"Thanks, Onii-chan."
"Thank you very much."
The girls each took a ticket as I handed them out.
"Now that we’ve got our tickets, let's get inside. It's getting pretty oppressive out here, isn't it?"
"Mmm, yeah. It’s definitely hot."
"It really is. Asami-chan, are you two doing okay?"
"Y-Yeah. We're fine for now, but the heat is starting to get to me..."
"Me too... just a little."
In response to Saori-chan’s concern, Asami-chan and Hino-san replied with pained grimaces. We were in the shade, which offered some protection from the direct sunlight, but the temperature was only going to keep climbing. For their sake, we needed to get into the air conditioning.
We hurried toward the entrance with our tickets in hand.
After handing our tickets to the Staff-san at the door, we stepped inside. Even though we were just in the entryway, the air conditioning was in full effect, making it feel like a completely different world from the outdoors.
Yeah, this alone made the trip worth it.
"The air conditioning is wonderful. It's so cool in here."
"Yeah, it really is a different world!"
"It's so refreshing..."
"Ah, I feel alive again."
"I don't ever want to go back out..."
Having escaped the sweltering heat, everyone looked blissful as they soaked in the cool air. Thanks to my explorer correction, I didn't feel the heat all that intensely, but for the others—especially Asami-chan and Hino-san—the midsummer sun must have been hellish.
We decided to sit on a sofa near the entrance for a few minutes to let their bodies cool down.
"It’s a lifesaver having it this cool. I can totally see why people get heatstroke if they stay out in that sun for too long."
"Really... Hey, Mika-chan, do you and Saori-chan really not feel the heat?"
"Yeah. Thanks to the explorer correction, it’s a lot more manageable for us than it is for you," Mika explained.
"That's right," Saori-chan added. "Even at home with my family, I notice a difference in our preferred AC settings. Even if the room is over thirty degrees, I'm usually fine without the air conditioning. My resistance to heat has definitely gone up."
"Is that so... I'm so jealous."
"...Maybe it's worth becoming an explorer just for that."
Seeing Mika and Saori-chan looking refreshed with their sweat already dried, Asami-chan and Hino-san watched them with envious eyes. While their resistance was lower than mine, Mika and Saori-chan’s tolerance was clearly a target of envy for a non-explorer. Given how murderous the summer heat had become lately, I could understand why someone might consider the profession just for the physical perks.
However...
"That might be true, but..."
"I wouldn't recommend becoming an explorer with such a casual mindset..."
?
Asami-chan and Hino-san looked confused as Mika and Saori-chan’s expressions suddenly turned serious.
"It's true that your resistance increases as your level goes up. But..."
"To gain enough resistance to actually feel an effect, you have to kill dozens of monsters," Mika said bluntly. "Can you really fight through all of that just to beat the heat?"
...
The two non-explorers fell silent, clearly overwhelmed by the weight behind their words.
After a long pause, Asami-chan spoke up. "...You're right. It's definitely not something you should get into for a trivial reason."
"Yeah, sorry. I'll give it more thought."
I see...
Asami-chan and Hino-san looked solemn, while Mika and Saori-chan looked relieved.
Watching the exchange, I felt that the two of them were finally shedding their "newbie" shells and becoming more professional as explorers. I had already received permission from Yuji and the others to discuss their evaluations from our dungeon exploration before Obon, but I had planned to double-check with them one last time. Seeing this maturity, however, I felt I could probably just tell them the results directly.
By the time the conversation settled, Asami-chan and Hino-san had stopped sweating. Their body temperatures seemed to have returned to normal—though that might have been as much from the sobering conversation as the air conditioning.
"Well, now that we've all cooled off, shall we get moving? If we take too long, we might miss out on things with crowd limits or limited quantities."
Yes! (Yeah!)
With our break over, we headed further into the venue toward the rows of booths.
The interior was packed with people and lined with numerous corporate displays. These were quite different from the stalls outside; each booth was filled with dungeon-related merchandise and informational materials.
This really was an event dedicated to the dungeon.
"Wow, it’s nothing but dungeon stuff in here."
"You're right. Oh, that company—I see their commercials on TV sometimes!"
"Ah, I've seen those too!"
"Heh, so even famous companies have booths here."
Mika and the others looked around the venue with eyes full of curiosity. I scanned the area as well, though my perspective was a bit different. I kept spotting company names that I recognized from the time I was being scouted.
I had researched the participating companies beforehand, so I knew they would be here, but seeing them in person made me a bit wary. I had to be careful not to stand out and attract any unwanted attention.
"So... where should we start?"
"Hmm, maybe we should just do a loop along the outer perimeter first? If we see everything once, we'll know where the interesting booths are."
"I agree. We have the map, but just seeing the names doesn't tell us exactly what kind of business each company does."
"I think a lap around the whole place is a good idea."
"Me too."
With the plan decided, we began circling the venue to get the lay of the land. It would be a lot of work to look through everything without knowing what was where.
"First up is... the corporate information section."
Starting clockwise from the entrance, the first section consisted of company introduction booths. Many people were already inside, listening to explanations from representatives.
...Most of those listening seemed to be students.
"I wonder if those people are planning to become corporate-affiliated explorers after they graduate?"
"Probably... They look like they're listening very intently."
"Being a salaryman explorer... I wonder what that's like?"
"Who knows..."
Mika and the girls watched the groups with interest as we walked past. Most of the booths had a similar corporate feel, but the items they specialized in collecting varied, which was quite interesting.
One company claimed to focus on collecting skill scrolls. I wondered if they were specifically recruiting explorers with high real-world luck? Their booth was full of luck-based games with prizes.
"Each company has its own way of appealing to people."
"Do any of these companies catch your eye, Onii-chan? You mentioned you were getting scouted left and right after the sports festival."
"That's right. The three of us looked through all those brochures together."
"...Oh, that? Hmm, from a quick glance, none of them really stand out to me right now."
I dodged their inquisitive looks with a vague answer. In truth, since we were keeping several secrets, our basic stance was to reject corporate affiliation entirely. If we joined a company, our abnormalities would be exposed immediately. We had no choice but to stay as independents.
"Really? But some of these look like they have pretty good conditions..."
"There's one where you get a base salary plus performance pay, and the company provides all your equipment."
"I found a place with a five-day work week and eight-hour shifts."
"And here's one with brand-new company dorms."
Mika and the girls chimed in, listing the attractive labor conditions they spotted. From the perspective of a normal job, those conditions were wonderfully appealing.
However...
"They might seem like good conditions, but if you think about the actual work of an explorer, they aren't necessarily that great. For example, regarding performance pay—it says they add to your salary if you collect specific items designated by the company, but that list of specific items isn't public. If they designate items with an incredibly high rarity, it means you'll only ever receive your base salary."
Items like marbled minotaur meat, for instance. If it’s an item that only drops once every few dozen minotaurs, it’s a target that’s nearly impossible for an average explorer to achieve.
In our case, we used a brute-force strategy based on level differences and volume, so we weren't exactly a standard point of reference.
"They might look good on paper, but if you don't understand the underlying meaning before you sign, you'll have a hard time later."
"Onii-chan, does that mean..."
"Yeah, including that other matter."
"...I see."
Mika reacted strongly to my words, her expression clouding over. "That other matter" referred to Taiga-niisan’s situation. That company had also offered conditions that looked great on the surface, but the reality was completely predatory.
"Um, Daiki-san? What are you and Mika-chan talking about?"
"...Ah, right. Should I tell Saori-chan and the others too? Actually..."
Since Saori-chan and the others were curious, I decided to give them a brief explanation. Knowing about bad examples could prevent future mistakes.
I explained the situation with the "black" consultant company.
"..."
"So, that's why you can't just jump at a company because they show you good conditions. You all need to be careful."
"...Y-Yes."
After hearing my explanation, Saori-chan and the others had slightly strained expressions. Hmm, even though we came here to learn more about the explorer industry, I seemed to be bringing the mood down with these grim stories.
Well, hopefully we could pick things back up from here.