While jogging along the mountain trail, we exchanged information on the current state of dungeons with Uwajima-san and his team. It wasn't every day we had the chance to hear directly from explorers belonging to the Dungeon Association, after all. We couldn't let an opportunity like this slip away.
Of course, there were details that neither side could disclose, so the conversation remained somewhat vague, never straying too deep into specifics.
"I see. So the corporate faction really has been gaining momentum lately. We run into them quite often ourselves when we're diving."
"Yes," Uwajima-san replied. "As the explored floors get deeper, the expeditions naturally take longer. Logistics become a major hurdle, making it difficult for small parties to operate. You have to account for supplies needed to reach the target floor, the transport capacity to bring back drop items, and the mental and physical exhaustion of the party members. These are challenges that a small party struggles to overcome, but they can be solved through sheer numbers. Because of these shifts in the environment, the vast majority of explorers active around the 30th floor belong to the corporate faction. With only a few exceptions, the reality is that small parties now primarily operate on the 20th floor."
When I mentioned how frequently we saw corporate-type explorer parties lately, it seemed the Association was well aware that the corporate faction dominated the deeper reaches. Thinking about it that way, a small party like ours bringing back items from the 30th floor and beyond every single time must have drawn a significant amount of attention from the Association.
Then again, since there were so few parties capable of reaching the 30th floor in the first place, we would have stood out regardless.
"It's true," Yuji agreed. "We're always wrestling with those issues when we dive. If we cut down on our gear, we risk being stranded without supplies in an emergency. On the other hand, if we bring too many spares, we're forced to leave behind the drop items we worked so hard to get. Given the physical abilities of high-level explorers, we can technically carry over a hundred kilograms, but..."
"Even if you can carry the weight, the bulk of the luggage hinders your movement. You'd be more likely to make a mistake during a monster encounter and get injured, wouldn't you?"
"Exactly. In the worst case, a light injury can be fixed with a recovery potion, but if we have to use them constantly, I don't know if we'd even turn a profit, no matter how much loot we bring back. Plus, depending on the situation, a wound might heal, but you're left with the trauma."
"I've seen many explorers retire because of that trauma," Uwajima-san said, his gaze drifting toward the distant sky with a touch of melancholy. Perhaps he had someone specific in mind. If he had been scouted by the Association, it meant he must have been a private explorer in the past.
Then again, even we knew people who had retired due to trauma following certain incidents. Perhaps it wasn't such a rare occurrence in this profession.
"That's right," Yuji continued. "I think if transportation could be improved a bit, the whole landscape of dungeon exploration would change. No matter how you look at it, that's the biggest bottleneck right now."
"...Yeah. I also think things would change if they were improved. But that's not a problem that can be solved immediately."
"I suppose so. Corporate-type explorer teams have the luxury of using human wave tactics or multi-legged transport robots, but you need a company of a certain scale to afford that. Without some kind of technological innovation—something cheap and easy to implement—I don't think we'll see any significant improvement. But even if we rushed into it, if the operational system isn't ready, it would only lead to widespread chaos. I guess we just have to be patient."
"Yeah, I'd have to agree with that."
Following the flow of the conversation, Yuji had used weighted phrasing to probe about the handling of the magic bag we'd handed over. Uwajima-san's eyes widened for a split second before he matched Yuji’s tone, nonchalantly hinting at the Association’s stance on the items. We subtly signaled that we had no intention of abusing or leaking the existence of magic bags, and I hoped he believed us.
As expected, it seemed the government and the Association didn't want word of magic bags getting out yet. It would certainly be a headache if such items flooded a market that had no rules to govern them. They were incredibly convenient, but the potential for misuse was just as vast. They likely wanted to hold off on a public announcement until the regulations were set. With those thoughts in mind, we continued our run through the mountains.
After about thirty minutes of light conversation, we reached the undiscovered dungeon in the marshland. It had taken longer than our first trip, but that was only natural since we were guiding the others.
The truth was that shortly after we started, Ogawa and Sugawara had begun to look a bit strained, so I’d slowed the pace. Thanks to that, I’d managed to get a decent read on their physical capabilities. Aside from Uwajima-san, the other two seemed to be slightly more capable than Mika’s group.
"We're here. This is the entrance to the dungeon we found."
"This is... Yes, it's definitely a dungeon entrance."
"You're right. The carvings here follow the same pattern found in other dungeons."
"The passage we can see from here goes quite deep, despite the exterior. No mistake about it."
Standing before the entrance, Uwajima-san and his team scrutinized the structure with grave expressions. Although they had been sent here based on the high probability of our report being accurate, nothing was official until they confirmed it with their own eyes.
The team circled the entrance, taking photographs and recording data as they inspected the exterior.
"Based on the exterior inspection, I believe we can officially judge this to be a dungeon entrance," Uwajima-san declared.
"I see. So it really is..."
Uwajima-san reported the initial confirmation to Yuta-san. Upon hearing it, Yuta-san took a sharp breath, his shoulders slumping as his face momentarily betrayed the look of a man who knew his workload had just tripled. Now that the dungeon was essentially confirmed, Kiritani Real Estate was going to be swamped for the foreseeable future.
And since Yuta-san was the one who had brought this "seed of trouble" to them, he was all but guaranteed to be on the front lines of the cleanup. Given the future awaiting him, I couldn't blame him for wanting to sigh.
"We'll proceed with an internal check now. Until formal approval is granted, this place will be provisionally certified as a dungeon and placed under the management of the Dungeon Association. At that point, negotiations for the acquisition of the surrounding land will begin, so I'd like you to start the necessary preparations."
"...Understood. I'll consult with my superiors once we're back at the base of the mountain."
"Please do. Now, the three of us will go inside to verify the interior. The rest of you should wait here. We're just checking for monster presence, so we should be back within an hour."
"Understood. We'll leave it to you. Please be careful."
After shaking off his gloom, Yuta-san bowed slightly to the investigators. Uwajima-san then turned his gaze toward us.
"Given your track record, I'd normally want you to accompany us, but..."
"We don't have any of the equipment we usually use for exploring right now," Yuji finished for him. "Besides, the Association has its reputation to uphold. Having us go along might..."
"Yes. We can't exactly take unarmed civilians into an uncertified dungeon. Instead, I’d like to ask you to stay here and guard Yuta-san. It should be fine, but we're deep in the mountains; wild animals might be attracted to the area. Can I leave that to you?"
"Of course. We'll take care of it."
Yuji accepted on behalf of the group. We had intended to stay with Yuta-san anyway, so it wasn't a problem. I suspected that the original plan had been for one of the three investigators to stay behind as a guard, but since we were there—and clearly didn't need protecting—they decided to send all three inside to maximize their safety.
Indeed, Ogawa and Sugawara looked a bit surprised by the sudden change in plans as they stood behind Uwajima-san.
"Thank you. Well then, we're off to investigate."
"Good luck."
After the brief exchange, the investigators left their extra gear with us and headed inside. Since we had already explored it and given them a brief rundown, they moved with cautious but efficient steps.
Once they disappeared into the darkness, we were left to figure out how to kill time. They had said they'd be back within the hour, but they’d probably be out in less than thirty minutes. There wasn't much we could accomplish in that window.
Yuta-san seemed to be struggling with whether he should try to head down and make contact with his office.
"If the investigation really takes an hour, we could probably make it back to the car to call Kiritani-san... but if Uwajima-san and the others come back early, it might look bad if we aren't here."
"I know what you mean," Yuta-san said. "I'm sure the President is already moving on his end, but I should report as soon as possible that formal approval is likely. It’s hard to approach the landowner without some level of certainty."
"True. Discovering a dungeon is a massive deal. From what I've heard, even depopulated areas can turn into thriving towns once a dungeon appears."
If this dungeon was officially approved, land that was previously worth next to nothing could become a gold mine. The landowner would be thrilled to see a burden turn into a fortune.
However, Kiritani Real Estate wouldn't want to give the landowner false hope. If rumors started that they were a company that profited by misleading clients, it would be a disaster. They could handle things internally for now, but involving outside parties without confirmation carried too much risk.
"Exactly. The President told me to let him know immediately if approval is a sure thing, but there’s no signal out here."
"That's true. But Uwajima-san and the others will probably want to head down the moment they're finished anyway. You can call then. Or, if you're really in a hurry, one of us could take your phone with a typed-out report, run down the mountain to where there's a signal, and send it for you."
If Yuta-san stayed behind, we could probably make the round trip in less than twenty minutes at full speed.
Yuta-san looked tempted for a moment, then shook his head with a sigh.
"No, I can't ask you to go that far. I'll just wait here for them to come back."
"I see. If you're sure, then we'll wait with you."
Following Yuta-san's wish, the plan to send a messenger was dropped. We spent about twenty minutes chatting until Uwajima-san and the others emerged from the cave. They looked perfectly fine, returning without a scratch.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Uwajima-san said, his tone steady and professional as he addressed us. "We have confirmed the presence of monsters inside. As an official investigator, I hereby provisionally certify this site as a dungeon."
It was still provisional, but the dungeon was now officially recognized.