Chapter 62 - Chapter 62: Deep Layer Attack Begins
As for the deep layer attack in cooperation with the top guilds, I was also assigned to help as a porter.
I will use my Item Box, of course, but naturally, it is not free.
I get 10% of the money earned from clearing the dungeon.
I am not a saint, nor am I a pushover.
――Though saying that, I am doing various things like using an Elixir of immense value or letting Kirara, who seems useless, join the guild――.
I cannot turn a blind eye to a child suffering right before my eyes, and Kirara was originally a capable adventurer.
She has turned over a new leaf and is leading the young ones.
It seems Mio's intuition was correct in giving her the OK――that is what it means.
Well, if she does something wrong, I just won't save her.
I put each guild's luggage into the Item Box――the next day.
I came to Haneda.
I am alone today.
The Princesses are also preparing for the dungeon attack.
All my luggage is in the Item Box, so I can arrive bare-handed or even in my clothes as they are.
Stepping off the ferry, I stand on the pier.
"Well then――"
First, I head to the processing plant where the buying old man is.
It is a specialized facility for disassembling giant monsters.
I have been there once, so I remember the location.
Walking along, a building like a large warehouse came into view.
Opening a small door opposite the building, I enter inside.
It is a bit early, but will it be okay?
"Hi~"
Inside, it is cool and chilly.
No, it is a place cold enough to be chilly, and already many people have gathered.
They are all wearing black rubber coveralls.
"It's a bit early, but is it okay?"
"Yeah! You came well. Sorry for calling you out."
"If you buy it, there is no problem."
"Alright! Let's do it right away!"
"Yes!"
I summoned a worm-like monster onto the concrete floor.
It might not actually be a worm, but for clarity, let's call it a worm.
"Ooooh!"
Cheers rose from the workers on site at the giant, snake-like long monster.
"This is a type I've never seen before... How do we take down such a big guy...?"
"Really, high-level adventurers are amazing..."
"I'm glad this one sold. Is it just the teeth part again?"
"That's right――"
He has a happy look on his face.
"Could it be that other parts sold too?"
"Hahaha! Actually, that's right. Didn't I give you some meat as a sample?"
"Yes."
"The reputation of that was good."
It seems to have no bad taste and has umami.
However, since it is neither beast meat nor fish meat, there might be those who like or dislike it.
"Well, if you buy it, I don't care. Otherwise, I'll end up throwing it away in the dungeon."
"Hahaha, that's right. Only you, brother, can do something like that."
Normally, even if you take down a big one in the deep layers of the dungeon, you cannot carry it.
Even if you peel off a little, the valuable meat and materials are left as they are in the darkness.
A waste.
The deeper you go into the dungeon, the higher the materials, yet the contradiction of not being able to take them out troubles the adventurers.
That is why the 3rd and 4th layers of the dungeon have become the main hunting grounds.
High-level adventurers attacking such deep layers are really doing it for their own honor――that would be the case.
Besides, rare drop items.
Those drop items are also things they want as a foothold to clear the deep layers.
It brings money, but that is secondary.
After all, repeating the attack is for oneself――that is probably the biggest reason.
People like me are a special case.
"Then, are you selling everything today?"
"No, sorry――can you just do half?"
"It's fine."
"I couldn't ask anyone but you, brother, to do this."
"Normally, you can't bring such a big guy out from the depths of the dungeon."
"Absolutely."
The workers began the work of cutting the giant monster in half.
Splitting it right down the middle, the back half will be returned to my Item Box again.
"Store!"
The back half of the monster entered the Item Box.
"Thank you, brother!"
"Then, can I go now?"
"Yes, please ask for the remaining half next time."
"Before that, will I be able to return from the depths of the dungeon, hahaha."
"You'll be fine, brother, right?"
"I hope so."
"Please bring a big one again next time!"
"Yes."
Since they can do business with monsters from the deep layers of the dungeon that usually do not circulate in the market, they are probably making a profit too.
Their expressions are very bright.
The world has completely changed due to the appearance of dungeons.
The things handled have changed a bit, but human activity has not changed at all.
This is probably a universal thing that will never change in the future.
I greeted the workers, left the warehouse, and headed to the next destination.
It seems to be in the warehouse district of Haneda too.
Following the smartphone guide, I walked and found a large warehouse here as well.
In front of it were many assembled scaffolding poles.
Since I am not entering the warehouse, they seem to be lined up on the premises.
I spoke to a person in a navy blue coverall nearby.
A young man wearing a cap with a brim.
"Hi~! Are you the people here?"
"Y-yes."
"I'm Niwa who ordered this scaffolding... Is there anyone detailed about it?"
"Oh, yes! Please wait a moment!"
The man ran into the warehouse, and an old man came out.
"Welcome. May I ask your name?"
"I am Niwa, introduced by the weapon shop in the Special District."
"Mr. Niwa. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
"This scaffolding is the item you ordered."
He pointed to the scaffolding on the premises.
What I ordered was 20 units of assembled scaffolding poles, 10 meters high.
Along with tools and materials for assembly――these are necessary items to connect the scaffolding.
Payment has already been made.
After all, if I tried to transport such things to the Special District, I wouldn't know how much it would cost.
It is correct that I came.
"How will you transport this?"
Well, normally you would think so.
"Yeah, that's fine."
What I will do with this――is to clear the 100-meter high entrance on the 7th layer.
I intend to stack the 10-meter scaffolding to reach a height of 100 meters.
My Item Box has a large number of tanks used to discard treated water.
I considered stacking those, but it seems difficult no matter how you look at it.
To stack 4-meter tanks up to 100 meters, you need 25 of them.
Stacking 25 tanks without fixing them is too unstable.
If so, the scaffolding poles are more reliable.
The stairs to the newly discovered layer also use scaffolding poles, so I think the same logic applies.
However, the height is on a different level.
Actually, I asked experts if it is possible to build the scaffolding up to 100 meters.
"If you don't mind a guarantee of life――"
――That was what they said, but since it is used inside the dungeon, there is no such thing from the start.
I conveyed that, got them to understand, and had them design it.
The bottom-most scaffolding uses more scaffolding poles than usual and is made quite sturdy.
They even gave it numbers for stacking properly.
Once we arrive at the 7th layer, we just need to take out all the scaffolding from the Item Box and place them in order.
There is plenty of space there, so it should be no problem.
Before that, there is one problem.
The problem that items brought into the dungeon get absorbed.
It is no problem while using them, but if left unattended, they get absorbed by the dungeon.
Even the rope made of blue sheets we used when returning is probably being absorbed now.
I have no idea what the logic is, but since it is originally beyond human intelligence, it cannot be helped.
Based on information that this problem can also be cleared, the talk of this joint attack came about.
The source of the information is a guild centered around wizards――a man named Yuuki.
If that is true, dungeon clearing will likely proceed smoothly.
Even without my Item Box, it becomes possible to gradually bring in supplies and build a bridgehead.
Could a small revolution happen here?
No, whether it is magic or a skill, if only specific people can handle it, it is probably similar to my Item Box.
While thinking about dungeon clearing, I stored the scaffolding into the Item Box one after another.
"Ooooh!? Amazing!"
The workers around also gathered.
"So this is the Item Box!"
"Even really big things fit in."
"It's super convenient, isn't it."
Well, it is convenient.
If ordinary people can handle this, a revolution will occur in distribution.
Transportation companies will definitely go bankrupt.
"Here, is this all?"
"Um, could you just sign for receipt?"
"Yes."
Signing, receipt completed.
Now, all I have to do is go to the 7th layer of the dungeon and assemble these.
Normally, it would be a weight requiring heavy machinery, but high-level adventurers are gathered.
This should be a breeze.
However, holding heavy things is fine, but tightening bolts has nothing to do with power.
Still, if food is sorted out, I think it's no problem since we have almost endless stamina.
With the errand done, all that's left is to go back.
As I headed to the pier, a message came into my smartphone.
Looking at it, it was Hareyama-san.
『Since the government-managed dungeon has disappeared, Mr. Niwa's work is complete.』
"Is it already over?"
『Yes.』
"Will the money be paid in full? Responsibility for the disappearance of the dungeon or compensation...?"
『That is fine! Rather, it is good that Mr. Niwa and others were there and no damage occurred to workers or civilians.』
It is worse if civilians suffer human casualties than if a secret dungeon disappears.
Casualties in a top-secret public project――that would be perfect bait for the opposition parties and the mass media.
Well, I don't think the current anti-government forces have much power, though...
"That is good."
『Thank you very much! The Prime Minister also contacted me to convey that.』
"What about the next job?"
『It is undecided for now.』
"I hope you won't give me too much trouble."
『It is still in the planning stage...』
This time, there seems to be a plan to dispose of the large amount of empty treated water tanks, or to dig up and dispose of the nuclear waste buried in Tohoku――something like that.
Oh my, please spare me.
Then, are you going to throw that into the dungeon-ified Undersea Tunnel?
Seriously?
They are trying to clean up the trash as much as possible.
It's a bit annoying, but the money is good.
Just from this job, 100 billion yen――even if half is taken by taxes, that is 50 billion yen in income.
Maybe I don't need to be an adventurer anymore?
I think that, but since I ended up dating the Princess, that is impossible.
I have to stay with her until she retires...
Before that, what if my abilities diminish due to age?
If my basic physical strength drops due to aging, the boosted parts from the level should also drop.
No one has been an adventurer until that age, right?
The sample size is too small.
Or should I receive the life-extending treatment that the Yaegashi Group is doing?
Since I have money, that should be possible too.
Considering the age difference with the Princess, I should consider that too.
Otherwise, I will become an old man first.
For now, having gotten what I needed, I returned to the hotel in the Special District.
I returned, but――.
I saw a familiar back view in front of the hotel.
Black hair and large breasts――her equipment seems to have improved compared to before.
It seems her adventurer career is going smoothly.
"Is that――Sana?"
I think she dislikes me, but the fact that she is here means there might be something.
I approached her and spoke.
"Hello."
"!"
She jumped up.
It seems she was surprised to be spoken to suddenly.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"...N-no!"
She ran away from the spot like a fleeing rabbit.
Her level seems to have gone up too, as she had quite a speed, but I think it is dangerous to run outside...
"Kyaaaaaa!"
Just as I thought that, Sana's scream came.
What should I do?
Should I save her?
No, if she is avoiding me, should I not stop her?
I am worried anyway, so I sent a message on my smartphone.
She has not blocked me yet.
"Are you okay? Did something happen?"
After a while, a reply came.
『Nothing at all.』
Hmm, I see...
『Thank you for the potion.』
Did she come to say thank you?
Well, it seems they are going smoothly in their own way, so I will leave them alone.
――A few days after gathering everyone's luggage in the Item Box.
The day of the attack on the deep layers of the dungeon.
Leaders and top rankers from each guild gathered in front of the dungeon.
I also prepared various things.
Money from video sites came in, so I purchased multiple high-performance cameras of the DSLR type.
These are strong even at high sensitivity, so they capture even faint light firmly.
I wish I could use light magic too...
The Princess, who couldn't use magic, learned it quite a while later, and I might be able to learn magic too.
I paid about 1 million yen at the usual weapon shop and bought an amulet that increases defense.
Since it has an effect guarantee, it should be fine.
I looked at the gathered high-level adventurers.
Gorilla is in full armor, and Iroha is not as exposed as the Princess's bikini armor, but she is equipped with high-exposure armor.
Armor covers her shoulders and chest, but nothing on her stomach, revealing muscular abs.
Her weapon is one I have never seen, but it seems she uses a longsword.
"Iroha, that armor shows your navel, is it a drop item?"
"Yeah, it is――Want to try it?"
I lightly punched, but it was deflected.
It really seems to be magical armor.
The Princess hides in a robe where there are many people, but Iroha does not do such a thing.
It seems she is proud of her own body.
Yuuki's group consists only of wizards, so everyone is wearing clothes with long sleeves and long lengths.
There are many women, but it seems basically no one shows their legs.
Stiff! Too stiff!
Well, it might be the guild's policy.
Even among the same wizards, the girl wizard assisting Iroha shows her legs.
The curly-haired female wizard with Gorilla is dressed the same as when I met her in the dungeon before.
Since she is with him, she is surely high-level as well.
Even with such top guilds, if they can only reach the 7th layer, the number is not large.
About 2 to 3 people from each guild.
In exchange, coordination between guilds is necessary.
Many adventurers belonging to them also crowded in to see off the leaders.
In the Showa era――there would be a triple chant of "Banzai".
"Waaaaaa!"
Cheering rose from many spectators who gathered after hearing the rumors.
Information control is not being done, so it seems the information has already spread on the net.
There is no need to hide it anyway.
"Kyaah!" "Princess Cherry-sama!" "Empress-sama~!"
Fans of the Princess and Kaorulko are pouring in.
Even though they are wearing robes, it is formal combat attire.
It will stick to those who like it.
If this were a sports tournament, there would be a send-off party, but this is not sports.
Among them, there are light adventurers doing it with a sports feeling, but everyone here is a serious force.
I was also in the light layer, but before I knew it, I joined the serious force.
Ordinary people stay outside the dungeon, but adventurers can enter inside.
Naturally, the entrance hall is full of adventurers too.
Originally, we planned to use the train inside the dungeon because moving was troublesome...
But the train is also full of adventurers.
"Princess, this won't do. Let's aim for the lower layers on our own."
"Um――Oga!"
She called out to Iroha nearby.
"What?!"
Iroha was also surrounded by adventurers.
"Move separately and meet at the 4th layer."
For top rankers, the 4th layer should be a breeze.
Probably, only the 1st layer will be full of people.
"This is unavoidable."
"Tell the others too."
"Understood!"
Looking, the wall of adventurers is not that thick.
I picked up Kaorulko and jumped through the crowd.
At the same time, the Princess also leaped over the wall of people.
Confirming the front is clear, I ran into the dungeon.
Only high-level adventurers can keep up with the speed of the top rankers.
Carrying Kaorulko on my back, I ran through the darkness while seeing the lights of adventurers flickering inside the dungeon.
"Daisuke-san, I'm sorry."
"This is nothing."
Normally, you cannot run carrying a girl, but for me now, it is a breeze.
Besides, Kaorulko is not wearing any armor, so I can fully enjoy her softness.
This is what you call a bonus.
Well, when the battle starts, will I carry Gorilla or Iroha?
Iroha is fine, but carrying the heavily armored Gorilla sounds unpleasant...
Well, if it comes to it, I have no choice but to do it.
Feeling the warmth of the big breasts on my back, I descended to the 2nd layer.
"Ah, people are gathering at the train platform."
"They might be waiting, having heard we were coming."
"There are still people on the 2nd layer. Let's push through the 2nd layer as well."
"Understood."
"Kaorulko, are you okay?"
"I am fine, but a little..."
It seems she is embarrassed.
Well, that is understandable.
"Then, let's take out the bicycles."
I took out the bicycle from the Item Box and stood Kaorulko on the rear step.
"I wish you had done this from the start..."
"Look, there were many people, hahaha."
"Then, let's go!"
The Princess put her heart into it.
"Since this is a bicycle, the speed will increase, but is it okay?"
"Hehehe, it is definitely okay."
"A-ah! Please don't go too fast――kyaaaaaa!"
I started pedaling the bicycle in the darkness.
――Though saying that, I cannot push myself too hard.
The bicycle might not hold up.
Since it is a mountain bike, I think it is sturdier than a normal mom-chari, but there is a limit to things.
If I, a high-level person, pedal seriously, it might fall apart.
Before that, the chain might break.
If that happens, repairing it will be troublesome.
Although tools are in the Item Box.
For an emergency, there is a way to connect the chain with wire.
Of course, since it is only for emergencies, it will become impossible to push hard.
Breaking through the darkness, I arrived at the entrance to the 3rd layer.
It seems there are no people here after all.
To get here, a certain level is required.
The 3rd layer is cleared by taking the train.
The Princesses also boarded the train with their robes deeply covering them.
By the 3rd layer, there are few people on board, and it is mostly used for transporting supplies.
There is no light, so it is pitch black, but high-level adventurers have no trouble.
While shaking with a rattling sound, we arrived at the terminal of the 3rd layer.
We boarded the steam elevator to descend to the 4th layer.
We slowly descend together with the mountain of supplies here too.
The sound of a steam locomotive blowing steam echoes in the darkness of the dungeon.
White steam flows before our eyes, but it might look like just darkness to ordinary people.
Since we are boiling water with magic, no black smoke comes out like a normal steam locomotive.
Shaking in the elevator, we arrived below.
Stepping onto the 4th layer together with the luggage.
"Well, in the end, we who ran were the fastest."
"That's right."
We went to a corner of the dungeon and had a light meal.
I ran, so I was hungry.
I took out a calorie bar and gnawed on it.
"I need a drink."
"Here you go~"
"Thanks."
I handed coffee milk to the Princess.
It seems she loves this.
If a normal person drank this like this, they would be straight to diabetes, but for adventurers, the calories consumed are burned immediately.
Kaorulko is not moving at all, so she is drinking a little grape juice.
She is bad at carbonated drinks and often drinks fruit-based drinks.
It seems there are also a large number of glucose tablets in her Item Box.
We have to wait here for a while.
Well, if Iroha comes, we should understand immediately with that loud voice.
"Ugh! It's boring! I'll go for a bit!"
The Princess stood up.
It seems she cannot stay still inside the dungeon.
"Eh? Seriously? Don't go too far."
"I know!"
Does she really know?
She is like a balloon with a cut string.
While waiting for the others and the Princess, a crying sound came from above.
Probably the Harpies.