Episode 52: Deep Dungeon
“Hey, Maika! Bring me a beer, just one, okay?!”
“No way! Dad, you always say that and end up drinking too much! Once you start, you can’t stop, and you sleep until noon the next day. You’re not allowed to drink a single drop until work is done!!”
“What a heartless daughter I have!”
The president made a face as if he had bitten into a bitter bug. In the end, he was overwhelmed by Maika and gave up on drinking.
“Yuma! You seem worried about your Mana not increasing easily, but you might be a late bloomer. Someday, become a Seeker with a title like ‘Flame Emperor Albert’ or ‘Raijuu Tennoji’! I have high hopes for you!”
The president laughed heartily, but Yuma was overcome with strong anxiety, wondering what would happen if his “Mana Wall” was one or less.
After finishing dinner, they went to bed for the night.
The next day, they continued to dive into the Red Dungeon, defeating Monsters and collecting Magic Gems.
Over three days, the president and Tanaka (he) obtained many Magic Gems.
At market prices, they were worth no less than six million yen. Maika (she) also dropped nearly twenty Magic Gems from Monsters.
This seemed to amount to a profit of several hundred thousand yen.
In contrast, Yuma only managed to obtain three Magic Gems.
“That’s amazing. You got three Magic Gems on your first try! That’s quite something!”
Maika encouraged him brightly, but even with all three, it was only worth about ten thousand yen. It was a world of difference compared to the others.
On the way back to their accommodation from the Dungeon, the president patted him on the shoulder.
“Well, the company will be closed tomorrow. From the day after tomorrow, we’ll be back in the Blue Dungeon to raise your Mana. For the time being, you can just concentrate on that!”
“Y-yes…”
So, it’s back to those slimy frogs from tomorrow, huh? Yuma felt gloomy, but he switched his mindset, telling himself it couldn’t be helped since it was his job.
“Alright! Now that work is over, let’s eat and drink tonight!!”
“Hey, Dad! We’re driving back, so no alcohol for you!”
“What!? I’ve been holding back all this time, so it should be fine!”
The president and Maika started arguing about whether or not to drink. Yuma was flustered as things heated up, but Tanaka (he) calmed them down with a gentle expression, saying, “Now, now.”
“I don’t drink alcohol, so I’ll drive. President, please feel free to drink.”
“Oh! Tanaka-san, you understand. Alright, let’s go to an izakaya! An izakaya!”
In the end, they ended up going to a restaurant in Seeker’s Town with the president, who was in high spirits.
◇◇◇
“Cheers!”
The president, who was the only one drinking, happily raised his beer mug high and gulped it down.
“Phew, that’s the best. Don’t hold back, you guys, eat up, eat up!”
Maika looked exasperated and warned, “Don’t overdo it.”
Yuma, on the other hand, was making his throat rumble at the feast before him. Assorted sashimi, sushi, hot pot, grilled meat—there was a wide variety to choose from.
The restaurant Yuma and the others had entered was the largest izakaya in Seeker’s Town, “Yamayama Dining.” The spacious interior was bustling with Seekers who had finished work, filled with energy.
As Yuma hesitated over which dish to choose, the president, who was in a good mood from drinking, called out to him.
“Yuma, how was it? The Deep Dungeon is different from the Blue Dungeon, right?”
“Ah, yes! I was especially surprised by the Labyrinth Mirage. Are all Deep Dungeons like that?”
While eating a piece of tuna sashimi, Yuma asked, and the president tilted his mug and drained his beer in one go. He placed the empty mug on the coaster and wore a satisfied expression.
“Well, not all of them are like that. Each Dungeon has different characteristics, so there are places where the Labyrinth Mirage doesn’t occur.”
“Is the Red Dungeon the only Deep Dungeon in Japan?”
“No, the Black Dungeon in Yokohama is also deep. I think it’s about 150 floors deep…”
Yuma knew from reading books that the Red Dungeon had 180 floors. The definition of a “Deep Dungeon” was 150 floors or more.
In other words, the Black Dungeon was just barely a Deep Dungeon.
It was no wonder that information about it was scarce, given its unpopular location. On the other hand, Yuma had something he was curious about.
“By the way, how do you investigate the floors of a Dungeon? There are Dungeons that you can’t reach the bottom floor of, right?”
“Ah, that. I was curious about that a long time ago, so I looked it up. It seems like they do something called boring surveys.”
The president boldly stuffed the meat in front of him into his mouth, munching on it with a satisfied look.
“Boring surveys?”
“Hmm… ah, wait a minute.”
Swallowing the meat that remained in his mouth, the president continued.
“Well, I don’t know the details, but they dig into the ground next to the Dungeon to an incredible depth to investigate the ground and layers. That’s how they roughly figure out the floors of the Dungeon.”
“I see.”
They would have to dig hundreds or thousands of meters deep in some places. Yuma was impressed by the people who did such work.
“Then, what’s the deepest Dungeon in the world?”
“That would definitely be the White Dungeon in Israel, Orpheus.”