Episode 150: Niigata Dungeon
Having returned from the company in Chiba, Yuma was searching for news online.
Naturally, it was about the “Black Armor.”
“Let’s see… ‘Vicious Monsters Escape,’ ‘Government’s Failure,’ ‘Elceed and Fameel Unable to Handle It,’ huh…”
All of it was negative. Checking the comment section of the online articles, it was even more scathing.
“I’m completely treated like a bad monster. And it seems like the negative feelings are swelling up day by day…”
The public’s stress seemed to be increasing due to the Black Monster not being found.
Opinions demanding it be found immediately and killed quickly were also scattered about.
“The president also told me not to Metallize. I should stay quiet until the heat dies down.”
The next day—Yuma was in the “Blue Dungeon” with Tanaka.
Since Yuma had told Tanaka the full story, Tanaka had said, “I’ll protect you with the president with all my might!”
From Yuma’s perspective, Tanaka was a reliable ally.
“Today, let’s advance to the fifteenth floor. Yuma-kun, it would be good if you could use ‘Water Magic’ a little more,” Tanaka said.
“Understood,” Yuma replied.
The two of them dived down to the fifteenth floor, defeating a whole bunch of monsters that looked like amphibians and reptiles, and collected Magic Gems.
“One, two, three… seven. The size is decent, so should we head back for today?” Tanaka asked.
“Yes, let’s. I’m quite sticky from the frog’s fluids,” Yuma replied.
It was still before 4:00 PM, but the two decided to leave the Dungeon. They arrived at the company at 6:00 PM and reported to Kanzaki.
“Seven today, huh… put four in stock and Yuma, you can eat three,” Kanzaki said.
“Is it okay? To receive three?” Yuma asked, surprised.
Yuma made a surprised face, but Kanzaki waved his hand dismissively and said, “Don’t worry about it,” before returning his eyes to the newspaper he was reading. Right now, the company’s income was scarce.
Even though they were cheap, “Water Magic Gems” should have been an important source of income.
While thinking about that, Yuma glanced at Maika, who brightly said, “It’s okay, it’s okay,” and even brought him water to make it easier to drink.
“Then, I won’t hold back.”
Since they were “Iolite” gems smaller than 0.5 carats, Yuma threw all three into his mouth, took a mouthful of water, and swallowed.
After a short while, his stomach became hot, confirming that he had absorbed the Magic Gems.
“I’m okay. Thank you,” Yuma said.
Maika, receiving the cup from Yuma, asked, “How much Water Magical Power do you have now?”
“I think it’s around 420, including what I received last time,” Yuma replied.
“I see, with that much, you could have been active in the ‘Red Dungeon,’ but… bad timing, isn’t it?” Maika said, sounding disappointed, as she took the cup to the sink.
With the Red Dungeon being off-limits, there was no opportunity to use Water Magical Power, no matter how much he had.
—I hope the shelter is completed soon so we can enter.
As Yuma was thinking that, Kanzaki, who was sitting at the desk in the back, suddenly stood up and came to the center of the office.
“Everyone, gather around,” Kanzaki said.
Yuma and Maika approached, and Tanaka, who was sitting, stood up and came to Kanzaki.
“The Niigata Dungeon that I asked Tanaka-san to apply for, it seems like the entry permit will be issued this weekend. So, I’m thinking of going to Niigata next Monday,” Kanzaki said.
“It’s finally happening,” Yuma said, his heart racing at the thought of going to a new Dungeon. Seeing Yuma like that, Tanaka smiled.
“But you have to be careful, Yuma-kun. The ‘Green Dungeon’ is said to be more dangerous than the Blue Dungeon,” Tanaka said.
Hearing Tanaka’s words, Yuma frowned and asked, “Is that so?”
Seeing that, Kanzaki opened his mouth.
“Well, even if it’s dangerous, it’s not as dangerous as the ‘Red Dungeon.’ It’s just that it’s full of disgusting bugs, and if you go to the deeper floors, there are monsters that use ‘Wind Magic’,” Kanzaki said.
“Wind Magic, huh… it’s hard to imagine,” Yuma said.
Since there were few Seekers who were Wind Magic users, Yuma couldn’t quite grasp it. It was Tanaka who happily explained to Yuma.
“Wind Magic is amazing! If you become a high-level user, you can unleash ‘Wind Blades’ that can cut even steel, and you can even create a Tornado to blow away your opponent!” Tanaka said.
Yuma gave a wry smile at Tanaka, who was talking so enthusiastically.
“Well, even so, monsters that can use such strong ‘Wind Magic’ are only in the very deep floors, so I don’t think we’ll encounter them,” Tanaka said.
“I see… but Green Magic Gems aren’t that expensive, right?” Yuma asked.
When Yuma asked, Kanzaki nodded and said, “Well, yeah.”
“Because there’s no ‘Yellow Dungeon’ in Japan. ‘Wind Magic,’ which is effective against Lightning Affinity monsters, isn’t needed. That’s why the price of Green Magic Gems is also cheap,” Kanzaki said.
Unlike Japan, in countries with many Yellow Dungeons, Green Magic Gems were traded at high prices, but in Japan, they inevitably became cheap.
The reason they were still trying to collect them was probably because D-Minor’s financial situation wasn’t good.
As Yuma was thinking about that, he suddenly had an idea.
“Ah! Then, how about exporting them? If we take them to countries where ‘Green Magic Gems’ are used a lot, wouldn’t we make a profit?!” Yuma asked.
Kanzaki gave a wry smile and shook his head.
“The import and export of Magic Gems are strictly regulated. It’s not that simple,” Kanzaki said.
“There are regulations?” Yuma asked, looking disappointed, but Kanzaki spoke brightly.
“What are you talking about so gloomily! Even if the unit price is low, we can dive deeper than the ‘Blue Dungeon.’ Let’s just focus on the ‘quantity’ and make money!” Kanzaki said.
Hearing those words, Maika also said, “That’s right. Let’s earn as much as we can in one expedition!” and Tanaka also encouraged him from a strange angle, saying, “You’ll be able to see all sorts of monsters, so it’ll be fun!”
“Yes… I’ll do my best to get a lot of Magic Gems!” Yuma said.
“Yeah, that’s the spirit. We’re going to Niigata on Monday and staying for a week, so prepare well,” Kanzaki said.
“Yes!” Yuma and Maika replied.
Yuma raised his spirits with full motivation and prepared for the expedition on Monday.