I’d expected the application for the final certification inspection to take quite some time due to the backlog, but for some reason, it proceeded remarkably smoothly. The inspection was scheduled for the earliest possible date. It seemed Kawakita-san, who was now a familiar face, would be handling it again. While I’d hoped he might go easy on us, there was nothing to be gained from a half-hearted inspection. For our own sake down the line, it was better for him to be strict.
And so, we found ourselves gathered once again in front of the property at the Cape.
"Thank you for having us today," Kawakita-san said.
"Likewise, we appreciate you coming out," Yuta-san replied.
They exchanged greetings as representatives of their respective groups. The group participating in today's final certification inspection consisted of the three of us and Yuta-san, while the Dungeon Association side included Kawakita-san, Nohara-san, and two new young staff members: a man named Otani and a woman named Yaguchi.
"Allow me to introduce our new team members," Kawakita-san said. "This is Otani-kun, and this is Yaguchi-san."
"I’m Otani. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
"I’m Yaguchi. I look forward to working with you today."
"These two are staff members with prior explorer experience," Kawakita-san explained. "They’ll be assisting with the inspection to provide a perspective more aligned with active explorers."
It made perfect sense. If they were certifying a training facility specifically for explorers, having inspectors who could offer feedback from that viewpoint was only logical. Neither Kawakita-san nor Nohara-san had any explorer experience themselves, so during the preliminary investigation, they could only offer opinions based on strict regulatory criteria. For the final certification exam, however, the professional intuition of experienced explorers was considered vital.
"I say 'experienced,' but I only dabbled in it a bit before joining the Association," Otani said, looking a little bashful. "I wasn't particularly focused on explorer activities. My record is quite humble compared to top-tier people like you."
"I just followed the trend for a bit back when I was a student," Yaguchi added. "I don't have any real strength to speak of."
They both looked a bit embarrassed as they downplayed their histories. It had only been about a year since dungeons were opened to the public, after all. Any student focusing on their studies or future career wouldn't have been able to devote themselves entirely to exploring, no matter how popular it was. In that case, their skills were likely just past the beginner stage—maybe a step away from being mid-level?
"Setting aside their individual strength, their ability to offer an explorer’s point of view is what matters for this inspection," Kawakita-san said. "Those of us without that experience inevitably lack that perspective. Besides, they have a role that only they can fulfill."
"A role?" I asked.
"Yes. If you consider the nature of today's inspection, the answer should be fairly obvious."
Kawakita-san spoke with a playful, riddle-like tone, while Otani and Yaguchi shared a small, wry smile.
Wait—are Otani-san and Yaguchi-san magic skill users?
"Correct," Kawakita-san confirmed. "This inspection determines whether we can grant a skill use permit, after all. Even if it's on a small scale, we have to see things in action."
Otani and Yaguchi nodded in agreement. It made sense; they were the perfect personnel for the job.
"With that in mind, Yuta-san, these two will be the ones activating magic skills on the property, as we discussed in our prior application. We’ll take every precaution to avoid any significant terrain alteration, but we apologize if any minor issues occur."
"Understood," Yuta-san replied. "This is a rather unique location. Otani-san, Yaguchi-san, we’re counting on you."
"The pleasure is ours," they responded in unison.
It seemed Yuta-san—and by extension, Kiritani Real Estate—had already been briefed. Since magic skills were going to be used on the property, getting the landowner's consent was a given. The Association would have also needed to clear various bureaucratic hurdles in advance, so it wasn't something they could have just decided on the spot.
So, the three of us were the only ones kept in the dark?
"So you'll be doing a test firing of skills?" I asked.
"Precisely," Kawakita-san said. "If this place is to be used as a training facility, we have to perform a baseline verification. We can't have someone using an offensive magic skill and causing a disaster after the permit is already granted. Of course, once the permit is issued, you might build dedicated facilities like structures with shielding walls."
"That's true. Actually using the skills is the most reliable way to confirm they're safe to use here."
"It's just a minimum safety check, though," he added.
While building a proper facility with shielding walls would definitely improve safety, we still needed to verify the impact range of magic skills used on the grounds themselves. If the property was too small, the risk of offensive magic skills flying outside the boundaries would be too high. That was why Otani and Yaguchi were here.
After the greetings, we jumped straight into the final certification inspection. We started with the broken perimeter fence, an issue flagged during the preliminary investigation. Since we’d worked with Kiritani Real Estate to perform emergency repairs, I felt confident, but I still felt a surge of nerves as the formal check began.
The eight of us walked the length of the fence, focusing on the repaired sections.
"The holes we identified during the first survey have all been patched," Kawakita-san noted.
"Yes," Yuta-san explained. "Replacing the entire fence would have been too costly and time-consuming, so we prioritized sealing the breaches for now. We’re currently weighing whether to install a completely new fence or construct a new earthen wall along the boundary."
"I see. For now, this should function adequately as a deterrent against unauthorized entry."
"Thank you very much."
The mesh and pillars still had plenty of rust, but since the fence fulfilled its purpose of keeping people out, it passed. All that effort we’d spent repairing it for a whole day had paid off.
With the perimeter checked, we moved from the entrance where the cars were parked into the heart of the property.
"I noticed this while we were walking the fence, but the trees are quite thick here," Otani remarked.
"It was originally planned for a resort," Yuta-san said. "The trees were left to act as a natural screen, shielding the interior from outside view."
Seeing the property for the first time, Otani and Yaguchi sounded impressed as they gazed at the dense, shadowed woods.
"I see. With this much cover, it would be hard to see what’s going on inside. Were they planted specifically for that purpose?"
"No. We simply kept a section of the original forest several dozen meters deep along the fence line."
Creating a forest of this scale from scratch would have cost a fortune in time and labor, so utilizing the existing trees was far more practical. Otani and Yaguchi seemed satisfied with the answer, but their expressions soon turned a bit wary.
"If fire magic ever spread to these trees, it would be pretty terrifying," Otani said. "The whole place could go up in an instant."
"That is a concern," Yuta-san admitted. "However, the property is vast, so practicing well away from the forest should be fine. That said, as a precaution, we might want to install fire cisterns or other firefighting equipment at several points along the tree line. If we can handle the initial response, we can prevent a major disaster."
"I agree. With an explorer's physical stats, a bucket brigade could be incredibly effective as long as there's enough water."
Otani was right. Given how fast and strong explorers were, a single person with a bucket could probably move a staggering amount of water. If someone could haul a twenty-liter bucket from a cistern and back every ten seconds, they’d be scattering over a hundred liters a minute by themselves. With a whole group? They’d be as effective as a fire engine.
"Understood. I’ll look into installing fire cisterns," Yuta-san said.
"I’d highly recommend it, just for peace of mind," Kawakita-san added.
Next, we checked the forest for any signs of wild animals. We didn't find any. During the repairs, we’d been worried about trapping animals inside the fence, so the three of us had swept through the woods to drive them out. We hadn't told anyone that the animals looked so terrified as they scrambled through the holes that Yuta-san, who’d been standing nearby, had tripped over himself in shock.
"The fence gave me an idea of the scale, but this place really is huge," Otani said.
"The coastline makes a lot of it unsuitable for construction, but as a resort site, it was designed to accommodate multiple buildings and a hotel," Yuta-san explained. "Though the project was eventually scrapped."
"And they want to turn this into a training facility. With this much space, I don't see an issue with a large number of explorers training simultaneously. I still need to see the rest, but as long as people keep their distance, using offensive magic skills shouldn't be a problem."
"That's a relief to hear," Yuta-san said, looking visibly cheered.
While he’d personally thought it was fine from a non-explorer perspective, seeing the three of us in action had made him uneasy. We’d been sprinting up mountains and jumping off cliffs like it was nothing. I knew we were way above the average explorer, so I couldn't blame him for worrying that even a property this size wouldn't be enough.
"Your documentation mentioned there are no active fishing grounds in the waters nearby. Is that confirmed?" Kawakita-san asked, checking his papers.
"Yes. After you pointed it out last time, we contacted the local Fisheries Cooperative Association. They confirmed that no boats currently use this area for fishing."
"Good. That significantly reduces the risk of a boat being hit if an offensive magic skill accidentally veers toward the sea."
"I can't say it's impossible, but the probability is very low," Yuta-san replied firmly. Kiritani Real Estate had done their homework on this one.
"Thank you for being so thorough."
"Of course."
Kawakita-san looked satisfied, and Yuta-san let out a quiet sigh of relief.
We moved along the coastline, checking the cliffs before heading to the center of the property. It was time for the part of the inspection we couldn’t do before—the reason Otani and Yaguchi were here.
We were asked to stand a safe distance away while the magic test was conducted. Nohara-san signaled that he was ready to record the data, waving his hand and shouting to the two staff members.
"All set! You two can start whenever!"
"Roger that!"
A large balloon had been set up on the ground a short distance from Otani and Yaguchi to serve as a target.
"Alright, here goes!"
Otani raised his right hand toward the balloon and activated his skill.
"Fireball!"
A ball of flame roughly the size of a softball manifested in front of his palm and streaked toward the target. It looked to be moving about as fast as a high school pitcher's fastball.
The fireball slammed into the balloon, detonating with a sharp crack and blooming into a sphere of flame the size of an exercise ball for a split second before vanishing.
Fire magic really is flashy, I thought, standing beside Yuta-san, whose eyes were wide with shock.