We sat in the waiting area for about twenty minutes before our number was called by the automated guidance system. Since they had opened temporary windows to handle the rush, the wait was surprisingly short despite the crowd.
Cooler bags in hand, we headed toward the designated purchase counter.
"Thank you for waiting."
"Ah, yes. We’d like to have some drop items appraised for buyout, please," Mika said, addressing the Staff-san with a practiced air.
"Understood. First, I’ll need to see your Explorer Cards."
"Yes, here you go."
"Here."
Following the staff member's instructions, Mika and Saori-chan placed their prepared cards on the counter.
The staff member tilted his head slightly, looking a bit puzzled as he looked between the three of us.
"Um, will the transaction be for these two only? What about the rest of you?"
"Oh, we’re fine," I replied. "We were just acting as porters today."
"I see. My apologies. Then I shall proceed with the paperwork for these two."
"Please do."
The staff member took the Explorer Cards and moved through the procedure with efficient speed.
"Verification is complete. Kokonoe-sama and Kishida-sama, yes? Now, please present the drop items for appraisal."
"Right. Oh, also... the quantity is pretty large. Is it okay to unload them all here?"
"A large quantity? Exactly how much are we talking about?"
Mika lifted the cooler bag hanging from her shoulder so the Staff-san could see it clearly over the counter, then shot a quick glance our way.
"Five cooler bags this size, all filled with minotaur meat."
"Wait, five?"
"Yes. I don't think they'll all fit on the table if we take them out at once."
"I-I see. One moment, please."
The staff member's expression turned flustered as he picked up the desk phone to make an internal call. Well, yeah—dumping five bags' worth of meat onto the counter all at once would be a mess.
"An attendant will be here shortly. Please wait just a moment."
"Of course. Sorry for the trouble."
Less than three minutes after he hung up, someone emerged from the back pushing a cart loaded with several container boxes.
"Thank you for waiting. Now, let’s get those drop items processed."
"Right."
Following the instructions, Mika and Saori-chan began transferring the mino meat from the cooler bags into the container boxes on the counter. Since there were over a hundred pieces, it took a fair amount of time.
After swapping out the containers as they filled up, it took about ten minutes to finally unload every last block of meat we had brought.
"W-we have received the items. This is your deposit receipt. Please wait a bit while we finish the appraisal."
"Thank you. We'll be waiting."
After taking back their Explorer Cards and the receipt, we gave a light bow and stepped away from the purchase counter.
The sofa we’d been sitting on earlier was already occupied. Nothing for it; we’d just have to wait standing against a nearby wall.
"When you actually see the count, it really is a lot," Mika remarked.
"Yeah... a hundred and forty-seven blocks..."
Checking the total on the deposit receipt, the girls looked a bit stunned. We’d stopped counting halfway through our run, so seeing the final number in black and white was a shock.
Even without the marbled minotaur meat, what was a haul like this even worth?
"We were working pretty hard out there, so it makes sense," I said.
"True," added one of the seniors. "And given the drop rate for the rare stuff, this might actually be on the low side."
"I agree. I’d say you were quite lucky."
Just as they said—considering we’d pulled three pieces of marbled meat, it wouldn't have been surprising if the total block count had passed two hundred.
"That might be true, but there's no way just Saori and I could have brought this much back ourselves," Mika said.
"Yeah. Carrying two or three full cooler bags each while fighting your way back from the deep floors isn't realistic," Saori-chan agreed. "We struggled that much in combat just carrying one. If it were two..."
Mika shook her head with a grimace, likely imagining herself trying to fight while overbalanced on the return trip.
"You'd definitely lose your center of gravity during an evade," I noted.
"Definitely. It’d be a disaster. That’s why one bag is the limit for a normal run. Even then, you’d have to be ready to drop it the second combat starts—or even before."
"Exactly. Which means on a normal run, we’d only be able to bring back a third of this, maybe half at best."
"And the rare drops... we probably shouldn't count on those."
Mika and Saori-chan looked a bit dejected. It’s a bitter pill to swallow: having proof that you can harvest this much profit, only to realize you have to leave most of it behind because of carrying capacity.
Then again, if you aren't using your skinning knife on every single kill, you might have better luck finding small, lightweight, high-value rare drops... though the odds are slim.
"Now, now, don't look so down. You achieved the main goal of today’s expedition, didn't you?"
"He's right. The point was to verify how much drop items affect combat and how much you could bring back if capacity wasn't an issue. You've confirmed that now."
"Knowing your limits means you can start thinking about how to allocate your capacity efficiently," another senior added. "Since you know how much you can carry, you can be more selective about high-value items and avoid unnecessary fights. Less time in the dungeon means getting out sooner and staying safer."
For example, based on today’s data, if they focused only on mino meat, they could probably compress their exploration time—minus travel—to a third of what we did today. Getting out of the dungeon earlier would mean more time for self-training, restocking, or anything else.
Heck, they could even use that time for an after-party before heading home.
"You're right. We did achieve our goal for today."
"I know we should be happy about hitting our target, but still..."
Mika and Saori-chan sighed, their expressions a mix of conflicting emotions. I suppose they understand the logic, but it’s still hard to accept.
"Well, you won't come to terms with it overnight. You’ll just have to let it sink in. Besides, the year-end is going to be busy, so you won't be back in the dungeon for a while anyway."
"I guess..."
"You're right..."
They exchanged looks and let out another small sigh. Keep that up and you'll scare away all your good luck.
After about ten minutes of chatting by the wall, we were called back to the window. Despite the volume of meat, they had finished the appraisal surprisingly fast.
Receipt in hand, we headed back to the counter.
"Thank you for waiting, Kokonoe-sama, Kishida-sama. The appraisal is complete. May I have the deposit receipt?"
"Yes, here it is."
"Thank you. The numbers match. And here is your appraisal statement."
Mika took the document, and Saori-chan leaned in, peering at it with intense curiosity.
Then, both of them froze.
Wha—Eeeeh?!
A few seconds of dead silence were followed by a synchronized scream of utter disbelief.
"Hey, tone it down. You’re making a scene," I cautioned.
"Eh? Ah, s-sorry! But—but look at this!"
"T-this amount... is this for real?!"
They were visibly shaken, gesturing wildly even as they tried to keep their voices hushed. It was rare to see the two of them this rattled.
I took the statement from Mika’s trembling hand, and the three of us seniors quickly scanned the lines.
"Let’s see... the buyout unit price for mino meat is 2,000 yen per 100 grams."
"147 blocks totaling 441 kilograms."
"The total is 8.82 million yen. I see."
Well, with a figure like that, I couldn't blame them for being stunned.
However...
"The price for mino meat has dropped a bit compared to the old days," I remarked.
"True. Though it doesn't look like the market has crashed or anything," another senior added.
"I suppose it’s settled at the price point of high-end brand-name meat, thanks to the dungeon enterprises stabilizing the supply."
The three of us remained perfectly calm, scrutinizing the statement with clinical detachment. Our lack of reaction seemed to offend Mika and Saori-chan.
"Wait, why aren't you guys surprised?! This is a crazy amount of money!"
"Exactly! How can you be so calm about this?!"
Seeing us so utterly unfazed seemed to act like a cold splash of water; their excitement began to ebb into mere confusion. It’s funny how seeing someone else stay calm can force you to settle down too.
"Well, you can hit numbers like this if you luck into a rare drop," I explained. "Back when the dungeons were first opened, a single skill scroll for magic could go for millions."
"Yeah, those were the days. And this time, we just turned in a massive quantity of a relatively high-value item. It’s only natural the total would look like this."
"If anything," one of the seniors added, "it would have been nearly double in the early days. It’s almost a bit disappointing how much the price has fallen."
...
Mika and Saori-chan went silent, looking floored by the sheer difference in our perspectives and financial sense. I suppose if the number that blew your mind is treated as "disappointing" by your mentors, there's not much left to say.
The Staff-san behind the counter seemed to agree with us; he had a nostalgic look on his face, as if remembering those early gold-rush days.
"...Um, if there are no issues with the appraisal, could I have you sign the documents?"
"Eh? Oh, right! Sorry!"
Still looking a bit dazed, the girls scanned the statement one last time, their eyes darting over the figures. After a minute of scrutiny, they set the paper back on the counter.
"Everything looks correct."
"Thank you. Are there any items you wish to exclude from the buyout?"
"Yes. These four items here. We’re taking those home."
"Understood. I will reissue the statement. Please wait a moment."
After confirming they were keeping the four pieces of marbled meat, the staff member processed the rest of the transaction. The girls checked the final revised statement and gave the okay.
"Thank you. We will process the payment now. Would you like the payout as a lump sum to one account, or split between the two of you?"
"A fifty-fifty split, please."
"Understood. I’ll set up the transfers to both accounts. Please sign here."
"Okay."
While the girls signed the paperwork, the staff member finalized the transfers. Meanwhile, another attendant brought out the four blocks of marbled minotaur meat they were keeping. Once the final confirmation papers were signed, the transaction was complete.
"That’s everything. Thank you for coming in today."
Thank you very much.
We gave a polite bow and left the purchase counter. Mika and Saori-chan were still visibly restless, stealing glances at their transfer receipts every few steps. They looked completely suspicious, like they’d just made off with a bank vault.
Once we were outside and clear of the crowd, they finally let their suppressed emotions explode.
We did it!
Well, pulling in nearly 4.5 million yen each without even needing a rare drop—I’d call that a massive win.
Now I just have to make sure they don't go out and blow it all at once.