After waiting for a while with our tea, the door opened and Kiritani-san returned. Following behind him was a man in his mid-twenties wearing casual work clothes; he was likely the one who would accompany us on the mountain inspection.
Well, we were about to go hiking, so he could hardly be expected to wear a suit.
"Thank you for waiting. Allow me to introduce him: this is Ryoji Yuta-kun. He’ll be your guide for the inspection."
"I'm Yuta. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The man Kiritani-san introduced, Yuta-san, gave a polite bow as he greeted us.
"The pleasure is ours. I'm Hirose."
"I'm Kokonoe. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Hiiragi. Thank you for your time."
We rose from our chairs and exchanged greetings, giving Yuta-san slight bows in return.
Once he confirmed we had finished our introductions, Kiritani-san handed a set of car keys and a map to Yuta-san.
"Now then, Yuta-kun, I'll leave our guests in your hands."
"Yes, President. Leave it to me."
"Everyone, please follow Yuta-kun. I'll show you to the company car in the parking lot behind the building."
"Thank you, Kiritani-san. Yuta-san, we’re looking forward to it."
"The feeling is mutual."
With that, we took our leave of Kiritani-san and followed Yuta-san out of the office to the parking lot at the back. Parked there were two white vans with stickers that read "Kiritani Real Estate"—the company cars Kiritani-san had mentioned.
"Please, we'll use the one in front."
"Ah, right."
Prompted by Yuta-san, Hiiragi-san and I took the back seats, while Yuji sat in the front. Since we were here via Juzo-san's introduction, Yuji was technically the lead client.
Yuta-san climbed into the driver's seat after confirming we were all settled.
"We're heading out. I apologize for the inconvenience, but please fasten your seatbelts in the back as well."
"Ah, sure."
Once he confirmed everyone was buckled in, Yuta-san pulled the company car out of the parking lot.
On the way to the mountain, we spent the drive answering Yuta-san's questions. It wasn't every day a group of high schoolers tried to buy a mountain, so he was naturally curious about the explorer profession and the kind of financial power it took to pull this off. It made sense; seeing teenagers barely a decade younger than him becoming real estate clients was bound to pique his interest. He seemed to have been holding back while his boss was around, but now that he was in a car with no one watching, his guard had relaxed. We didn't mind, but I hoped he was careful not to get this casual with other customers.
Dropping the professional salesman persona he had worn at the office, Yuta-san spoke to us like a friendly older brother.
"Wow, so the explorer life really does pay well, then?"
"Hmm, I wonder. It’s true that in the early days, every drop item was a rarity and fetched a high price. But now that the number of explorers has grown and the supply has increased, the buyers are really driving the prices down... calling it predatory might be a bit much, but most things go for a pittance now. The only things that still command high prices are skill scrolls and magic items."
"I see. Basic economics—prices drop when supply exceeds demand. From our side, it just looks like dungeon-produced food is everywhere now, but for an explorer, it means you’re facing more competition and getting less for your work..."
"Exactly. We were lucky enough to start early, so we capitalized on that, recouped our initial investment, and built up some savings. But for people starting as explorers now..."
Yuji trailed off, looking out the window with a distant, awkward expression. I could understand why. Compared to the early days, the buyback rates for drop items from the shallow floors had plummeted to a fraction of what they used to be. You could risk your life fighting monsters only to walk away with a few hundred yen. Veterans could shrug it off as the way of the world, but for a newcomer explorer, it was a bitter pill to swallow. In less than a year, the industry had gone from a gold mine to a grind. They see how well-off their seniors are and jump in, only to realize after buying expensive gear and fighting day after day that they have no idea when they’ll even break even.
Unless you're incredibly lucky or have the support of veterans, I wouldn't call being an explorer a lucrative career choice these days.
"Is the difference between now and just a few months ago really that huge?"
"Yes. If you’d started around February... no, even March, you could have had a much better debut. Once the new fiscal year hit, corporations entered the dungeon industry in force. Doing this as an individual business is getting really tough now."
"I see... Still, the fact that you guys are looking to build a dedicated training ground suggests you’re high-level explorers making a decent profit, right?"
"We just got lucky. We’re only where we are because we managed to get a head start. As you probably know, Yuta-san, Yuji’s family runs a martial arts dojo. While other explorers were fumbling through fights with monsters, we already had a foundation in combat, so we stayed one step ahead."
Yuji tried to hand-wave our success with a plausible explanation. As long as Yuta-san didn't know our secret—the Drawer Dungeon—he’d likely believe we succeeded because of the training at the Hirose dojo. Especially for someone who knew Juzo-san, it was easy to assume that his grandson was highly skilled and that Hiiragi-san and I, as his party members, were equally capable. We probably couldn't fool a real expert like Genya-san, but as long as they weren't martial artists themselves, people tended to see the Hirose name and fill in the blanks.
In fact, Yuta-san was listening intently, showing no signs of doubt. For the record, Yuji wasn't lying; he was just being selective with the truth.
"That makes sense... So martial arts experience really is essential if you want to be an explorer."
"I'd say so. It’s not impossible without it, but if you're serious about the profession, you should at least master the basics. Being an explorer gives you a way to strengthen yourself through level ups, granting you physical abilities far beyond a normal person’s. However, that only means you possess those abilities; it doesn't mean you can control them. Explorers with martial arts experience can usually manage, but those without it often seem overwhelmed, like they're being swung around by their own strength. Martial arts is the art of controlling your movements based on a conscious perception of your body. If you know the basics, you won't be tripped up by the sudden boost from a level up. We gained an edge because we could adapt to our strengthened bodies faster than anyone else. That’s why I said we were lucky to get that head start."
"So while everyone else was struggling to control their new power, you guys had already moved past the confusion... 'Head start' definitely feels like the right way to put it."
"Yeah. Thanks to that, we weren't really affected by the chaos when they started imposing entry restrictions. Well, except for losing out on the lottery for entry dates a few times."
Yuji finished with a wry smile and a light joke.
Yuta-san let out a small sigh, a look of envy crossing his face.
"Hah... I was actually thinking of trying my hand at being an explorer, but it sounds like it’s not all it’s cracked up to be."
"You were planning on being an explorer, Yuta-san?"
"Yeah. I’ve been interested since the Dungeon Association first started, and I heard some friends from college were doing it. I finally started getting some free time lately, so I thought I’d give it a shot as a hobby or a side gig."
"Oh? But why now? It sounds like your friends invited you a while ago."
"They did. But with this job, I've been swamped ever since the dungeons appeared. When they first showed up, we were flooded with people wanting to move away from them. Then, once the dungeon boom hit, we were swamped with corporations looking for land or buildings for new branches. It only just started to quiet down recently... It was honestly exhausting."
Yuta-san looked genuinely spent as he vented about the chaos the real estate industry had faced behind the scenes.
He told us about a client in the early days who wanted to sell their shop because a dungeon appeared nearby and regulations had killed their business. Naturally, no one wanted to buy such a problematic property. Until the dungeon boom made it viable, the owner had called every single day, screaming, "Why hasn't it sold yet?!" There were other issues once the land prices skyrocketed; one owner tried to back out of a sale at the very last second because they thought they could get more money, causing a massive headache that took forever to mediate.
"So while the rest of the world was excited about the dungeon boom, the real estate industry was dealing with all that..."
"The public doesn't really hear about it, but it was an absolute nightmare for us. Things are finally returning to normal now, though. I finally have time for a hobby, so I thought, 'Why not try this explorer thing everyone's talking about?' But..."
"Our story made you think twice?...Sorry, I didn't mean to crush your motivation."
"No, don't worry about it. Honestly, I'm glad I found out what the industry is like now. If I’d jumped in without knowing any better, I might have ended up in over my head."
"...I’m glad we could help, then."
Despite his words, Yuta-san had a hollow smile on his face, and Yuji looked away with a guilty expression. Well, that went well. We accidentally managed to destroy a man’s dream.
An awkward silence filled the car for the rest of the drive.
At the end of a lightly paved forest road, we reached a clearing that served as a small parking lot. Yuta-san stopped the car and told us to get out. It seemed we would be continuing on foot from here.
Still, the fact that we could drive halfway up the mountain meant the roads were in decent shape.
"Alright, thanks for the ride, everyone. The property is a short walk from here, so please stay close and follow me. Be careful not to wander off; it's easy to get lost or injured in the brush."
Stepping out of the car, Yuta-san instantly switched back to his professional persona. His guard was back up, his posture sharp. It was a smart move—being careless on a mountain was a recipe for disaster. This shift in atmosphere was likely a deliberate way to signal to us that the tour had officially begun and that we needed to stay alert. The contrast with his casual attitude in the car actually made the warning more effective.
We followed behind Yuta-san as he set off, beginning our first real inspection of a potential mountain for sale.
You can't afford to be careless in the mountains; a single slip can lead to a serious injury. Vigilance is everything.