When Yuma and the others returned to the government building by car, Ethan Noble was there to greet them at the entrance.
“Well, well, bravo! That was an even more impressive display of combat than I expected.”
“You were watching?”
Yuma asked, and Ethan replied, “Of course.”
“I was filming with military drones. I watched the footage with the government’s top brass.”
Ethan, Yuma, Rui, Akito, and Faybel entered the building’s entrance and headed straight for the conference room on the second floor.
As they climbed the stairs, Yuma glanced at Ethan walking beside him.
“So… you’ll let us enter the Dungeon, right?”
Ethan wore a mischievous smile.
“Prime Minister Rabin will talk to you about that. Just listen without getting too worked up, okay?”
There was something held back in his words. Yuma was a little suspicious, but he followed Ethan into the conference room.
As they passed through the hinged door and entered, all the Israeli dignitaries were seated, their serious eyes fixed on Yuma and his group.
“Mitaka-kun, wasn’t it? We’ve seen your fighting.”
It was Prime Minister Rabin who spoke. As if representing everyone’s opinion, he cleared his throat once before shifting his gaze to Yuma.
“Your power exceeded our expectations. We would like you to cooperate in the Dungeon Conquest of Orpheus.”
Akito chuckled, “Of course.” Yuma was relieved, thinking he could finally enter the Dungeon.
To Yuma and the others, Rabin continued, “However—”
“It’s conditional on you going with the Israeli Seeker Clan. We can’t let you go alone.”
“Eh!?”
Taken aback by the unexpected condition, Yuma and the others exchanged glances.
Conquering an incredibly dangerous Dungeon. If Seekers other than themselves entered, they would inevitably become a hindrance.
“Why? We can carry our own luggage, and I think the three of us can make it to the lowest level. Shouldn’t we avoid going to such a dangerous place with so many people—”
Rabin stopped Yuma’s protest with a hand.
“This is a decision. No matter how strong you are, it’s still too risky for just the three of you. Besides, it would be a problem if we didn’t have Israeli Seekers participating in the Israeli Dungeon Conquest. We need to show our will to fight as well.”
Akito gave a wry smile and muttered under his breath.
“The latter is the real reason, isn’t it? They just want a piece of the Dungeon Conquest.”
Yuma could only nod. There was no point in arguing here.
Seeing the three of them fall silent, Rabin seemed to take it as agreement and called out, “Faybel,” to the person behind Yuma and the others.
“Yes.”
Faybel straightened his posture and respectfully responded.
“I’m entrusting you with the leadership of the Seeker Clan. I’m counting on you, as it concerns the nation’s prestige.”
“Yes, sir!”
Faybel gave a strong reply, and the discussion ended. Yuma and the others left the conference room with Ethan.
Ethan looked at Yuma with an apologetic expression.
“Sorry about that. The higher-ups care about their image. I hope you can put up with this.”
“We’re fine. We’re just worried about the people coming with us…”
“Don’t worry about that. It’s entirely their own responsibility.”
Ethan clapped his hands brightly, “Well then.”
“The preparations for diving into the Dungeon should be finished today. We can depart tomorrow morning, is that alright?”
Asked by Ethan, Yuma replied, “Of course.” It was finally beginning.
The Dungeon Conquest of Orpheus—the world’s largest Dungeon.
◇◇◇
The next day, more than fifty Seekers had gathered around Orpheus.
Akito shielded his eyes with his hand and looked around with admiration.
“A whole lot of people came. Are all of them planning to enter the Dungeon?”
Rui, carrying a backpack filled with food, replied, “It seems so.”
“Well, it’s helpful that they’re carrying a lot of necessary supplies, but…”
Rui made an indescribable expression. Yuma also began to worry.
—In the worst-case scenario, everyone here might die. Would we even have the余裕 to help them?
As he was thinking about that, Ethan walked through the crowd of Seekers, with an assistant beside him.
“Well, well, everyone. It looks like you’re all ready.”
He gave his usual gentle smile. Yuma replied, “We’re ready to go anytime,” and turned his eyes to the Dungeon’s entrance.
From the edge of the large Hole, there was a slope leading down. It seemed they would descend from there.
“First, the Israeli Seekers will go ahead. If you follow them, you can advance through the Dungeon in the shortest amount of time.”
“Since it’s a vertical Hole, can’t we just jump in? That seems like the fastest way.”
Clark, who was next to Ethan, widened his eyes at Yuma’s unexpected suggestion.
“Heh heh heh, it certainly looks that way, doesn’t it? But you shouldn’t. No one who has tried that has come out unscathed.”
Ethan smiled brightly, but there was no laughter in his eyes. Yuma decided to follow along obediently.
Not only Seekers had gathered here, but also government officials and soldiers, totaling over a hundred people.
From that group, the advance team for the Dungeon Conquest departed.
Yuma and the others took up their weapons and began to walk, trying to follow after them. At that moment, Ethan called out to Yuma.
“Be careful. The White King is more dangerous than you think.”
Yuma stopped and asked, “Do you know about the White King?” Ethan shook his head slightly.
“There’s hardly any information about the White King. However, as far as we can decipher the hieroglyphs written in the ancient ruins…”
Ethan’s eyes gleamed eerily, capturing Yuma’s face.
“The strongest of the Six Kings. Said to be a monster with unimaginable power.”