After carrying Yuta-san back to where the car was parked, we took a short break before reluctantly getting to work. Yuta-san, his face heavy with dread, pulled out his smartphone and called his office now that we were back within signal range.
He quickly switched to speaker mode, holding the phone out so we could hear the conversation. It was a clear precautionary measure; if he got stuck on how to explain things, we could step in and report in his stead.
“...Hello, this is Yuta. A problem has occurred at the viewing site. Could you put me through to the President? Yes, thank you.”
A clerk answered first, sounding a bit flustered when Yuta-san mentioned a ‘problem,’ but they transferred the call immediately. A few seconds later, President Kiritani picked up the extension.
“Hello, Yuta-kun? What is it?”
“Good work, President. I’m sorry, but an issue has arisen. It’s a situation I can’t handle on my own, so I’m calling to report and consult with you...”
“While you’re out on a viewing with Hirose-kun and the others? That doesn't sound very peaceful. What’s the problem?”
“Yes. Also, President, Hirose-kun and his group are present for this call. I’ve judged that we need their knowledge and opinions as experts for this matter.”
Yuta-san looked up from his phone and glanced at us, prompting us to join in. We gave him a slight nod and leaned toward the device.
“Good work, President Kiritani. This is Hirose.”
“Good work. It’s Kokonoe.”
“Good work. It’s Hiiragi.”
“A rather troublesome issue has cropped up, so we’ll be joining this conversation. We appreciate your time.”
“Ah... oh, right. Good to have you?”
President Kiritani sounded utterly bewildered. It made sense—it wasn't every day a client sat in on an employee’s problem report. However, he was a man of experience; he quickly regained his composure and urged Yuta-san to continue.
“Ahem! Well then, Yuta-kun, please give me the report.”
“Yes. I’ll go through the events chronologically. To start, I guided Hirose-kun’s group to the marshland for today’s viewing. There were no issues on the way there. However, once we arrived at the site, they reported feeling that something was off.”
“Something off? Did they find signs of trespassing or something of that nature?”
“No, it was unclear at the time. They said they felt a ‘familiar atmosphere.’ While they maintained a state of high alert, we landed on the island in the center of the marshland.”
“...Atmosphere, you say?”
Naturally, the man was confused by such a sensory explanation. President Kiritani also didn't seem to grasp the weight of us ‘maintaining high alert.’ To him, it probably sounded like high schoolers playing pretend. He didn't realize that if anyone on-site understood that a situation had arisen where high-level explorers like us felt the need to be on guard, they would have fled the area immediately.
“Immediately after landing on the island, we found the cause of that atmosphere.”
“The cause... Was there a pile of illegally dumped waste?”
“...That would have been ten thousand times better.”
“Hmm?”
Ignoring President Kiritani’s confused grunt, Yuta-san paused for a beat before dropping the bombshell.
“A dungeon... We found an undiscovered dungeon in the center of the island.”
“? A dungeon...?...Wait, what?! You found a dungeon?!”
“Yes. One of the dungeons that appeared all over the world last year. Since this is a remote area, it seems it went unnoticed until now.”
“...”
After the President’s scream echoed through the phone, a heavy silence fell. In the background, I could hear other employees frantically asking him what was wrong or sounding confused by the word ‘dungeon.’ It was a perfectly natural reaction to being told a dungeon had just been discovered on a property you managed.
We exchanged bitter smiles and waited for President Kiritani to pull himself together.
“Ah, sorry. I lost my composure there. Yuta-kun, are you certain about this? Do you have some kind of concrete proof that it’s actually a dungeon?”
“Yes. Hirose-kun and the others have already explored the interior and confirmed the presence of monsters. I’m sorry for acting without consulting you.”
When Yuta-san admitted they had already checked the inside, we sensed the President take a sharp breath. He was clearly about to erupt in anger. We stepped in to preempt him.
“President Kiritani. We were the ones who proposed the exploration, and we did it on our own after asking Yuta-san to look the other way. He didn't force us into anything, so please don’t blame him.”
“Exploring an undiscovered dungeon was a necessary act for us as explorers so we could quickly report the status to the Association and the government. Confirming whether it was actually a dungeon was a requirement, so Yuta-san is not at fault.”
“None of us were injured, and we only operated within a range we deemed safe based on our professional experience. As experts, we determined the risk was effectively zero, so please don’t take it out on Yuta-san.”
“...”
Because we all spoke up to defend him, President Kiritani lost his chance to scold Yuta-san. We could practically feel him through the phone, struggling to swallow his words. Finally, he let out a long, weary sigh.
“...Yuta-kun. Since this is an unprecedented emergency, I’ll judge that you aren't at fault and let it slide. But please, don't let it happen again. I understand that the confirmation was necessary, but it would be a huge help if you at least cleared it with me first.”
“Yes. I’m sorry, I’ll be careful from now on.”
“Yes, please do. Sigh... I suppose I should draft a manual for dungeon discoveries for the future.”
Yuta-san bowed his head slightly toward the smartphone with a look of immense relief.
With the initial report out of the way, we shifted the discussion to our next moves—specifically, how to report this to the Dungeon Association and the government.
“Sigh... But more importantly, what do we do now? My side of the industry received a notice a while back saying to contact the Dungeon Association if one is found on a property, but I have no idea about the actual procedures....Hirose-kun.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know anything about how this is handled from an explorer's perspective?”
“Only that we’re supposed to notify the Association. Just like you, President, I don't know the specific paperwork or legal steps involved.”
“I see...”
“““““Sigh...”””””
Everyone sighed in unison. None of us had ever dealt with this before. But we couldn't just sit here forever.
“It can't be helped. I don't know if they'll believe us right away, but I'll try calling the Dungeon Association. Nothing will change if we don't move.”
“Right. Actually, President Kiritani, how about we make the call? We’re officially registered explorers with a decent track record, so they’re less likely to brush us off as a prank call.”
“That would be a huge help, but... are you sure?”
The President sounded concerned that we were taking on too much of a burden.
“We’re already involved. As the ones who found it, we’ll probably be brought in for questioning anyway, so it makes no difference.”
“I see... Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Understood.”
To be honest, it was a role I’d rather avoid, but it would look suspicious if the explorers who found a new dungeon did nothing. While the real estate paperwork would be for the President’s side, we had to at least handle the initial mediation with the Association.
I just hope they don't make it too complicated...
“Alright, I’ll call the Dungeon Association now. The government will likely be notified through them, so we’ll just see how they react first...”
Yuji pulled out his phone and dialed the number for the Dungeon Association he had looked up earlier. He set it to speaker mode just like Yuta-san had. After a few rings, someone picked up.
“Yes, this is the Dungeon Association General Consultation Desk. How may we help you today?”
“Ah, excuse me. I’d like to consult with someone regarding a dungeon...”
“A dungeon... What sort of matter is it?”
Yuji hesitated for a split second, took a shallow breath, and made the dive.
“Please stay calm and listen, okay? Actually, I’m out in the mountains with some friends right now... and we’ve discovered a dungeon.”
“...Huh?”
“It isn't managed, and there are no signs of anyone else having been here. It’s almost certainly an undiscovered dungeon.”
“...P-please hold a moment. I’ll transfer you to the relevant department.”
Caught completely off guard, the staff member fumbled through the transfer. Judging by the panic in their voice, new dungeon discoveries weren't a common occurrence these days. After about thirty seconds of hold music, the call connected to the new department.
“Thank you for waiting. I’m Marui from the New Dungeon Management Division. I’ll be taking your call.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“Now, regarding your report of finding a dungeon in the mountains?”
“Yes. About an hour ago, my friends and I found it while scouting the area for business. We investigated the interior briefly and confirmed the presence of monsters, so there’s no doubt.”
“?! By ‘investigated,’ do you mean you went inside?!”
Marui let out a yelp of surprise. Right, I forgot—we should have mentioned our credentials first. Hiiragi-san and I gave Yuji a pointed look, prompting him to introduce us. Yuji scratched his head, realizing his mistake.
“Ah, sorry, I should have said this first. We’re active explorers. If you check the Association database, you’ll see our registration.”
“Eh? Ah, is that so? Come to think of it, I haven't gotten your name yet. May I ask who I’m speaking with?”
“Sure. I’m Yuji Hirose. We dive as a three-person group called Team NES.”
“Thank you. Please wait a moment while I verify that.”
The hold music started up again, and Yuji looked at us.
“Well, the conversation is going smoothly so far. New dungeons might be rare now, but they must have had plenty of reports a year ago, so they probably have a solid manual for this.”
“Seems like it. In that case, we should just follow their lead and get the procedures done quietly.”
“Agreed. It’ll be less of a headache later if we just cooperate and hand the ownership over to the state without making a fuss.”
I’d heard rumors that in the early days, some landowners tried to get greedy with the government for compensation and ended up having their land seized through compulsory acquisition. I didn't know if it was true, but the Dungeon Special Law probably allowed for that. It was better to hand it over gracefully before the government started looking at us as a problem.
While we were chatting and waiting for the verification, the hold music suddenly cut off. A different voice, deeper and more authoritative than Marui’s, came through the line.
“I apologize for the wait. I am Miyashita, the Section Chief of the New Dungeon Management Division. I’ll be handling this conversation from here on.”
“H-huh... Nice to meet you.”
Wait, why was the head of the division stepping in all of a sudden? Usually, the subordinates handled the details and the boss just signed off at the end.
This felt like it was about to get complicated.