Chapter 10
Somewhere in Gunma
The camp of a Class 3 dungeon
An open-air beer garden where explorers gather
For several years now, the Dungeon Foundation has been improving welfare benefits for explorers.
What was once just a camp for buying weapons, slaying monsters, and selling crystals now hosts various stalls.
There's alcohol, junk food stalls, even major convenience stores, and sometimes local specialties make appearances.
Because of this, the roughly one-month period from the dungeon's appearance to its boss's defeat becomes a festival of sorts for the area.
The camp is divided into two layers.
The first is the outermost area, open to all, packed with stalls.
The second is the inner area, guarded by police officers, accessible only to explorers and Dungeon Foundation personnel.
This open-air beer garden lets you see the entrance to the inner area and observe the faces of those daring to challenge the dungeon.
"Wait, you wanna ask about Finger Man?"
The one boldly interviewing the group of five beer-drinking explorers—average age 48—was a young girl clad in a black formal suit.
She looked about 18. With delicate features hidden behind sunglasses, she was undeniably handsome—the type who unwittingly mass-produced fangirls.
She was an agent of the Dungeon Foundation.
Her name was Gakidou. No one knew her given name.
Gakidou peered through her black lenses, scrutinizing the drinkers like a predator, then answered plainly, "Yes."
"His real name's Akagi. It was just two weeks ago, right? We were shocked when some kid suddenly showed up! There's this superstition that explorers gotta be at least in their 30s. Oh, right, miss—you're with the foundation, yeah? So, can young folks even become explorers?"
"There's no such rule (I think)."
Gakidou's expression made it clear she had nothing more to say.
This girl had a tendency to come off as intimidating due to her curt speech.
"R-really? Still, it's pretty rare, huh? They say he's still a college student."
"Why is he called Finger Man?"
"Well, lady, check this!"
The drinker snapped his fingers.
"He takes 'em all out with a Finger Snap—and get this, in one hit!"
"One 'Finger Snap,' you say?"
The girl rested her chin on a slender hand, checking the details of 'Finger Snap' from her status screen.
───────────────
'Finger Snap'
Snaps fingers to startle enemies.
HP Cost: 1
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"With this garbage?"
The girl's words sounded harsh, but it was just poor phrasing.
(How does one even defeat anything with such a trash skill?)—was what she meant to say.
"But it's a one-hit thing, y'know?"
"Right, this was when I almost died on the 5th floor."
Suddenly, one of the drinkers began his tale.
"Back then, I was running on empty—MP and HP both near zero. Didn't have any rare anomalies to recover MP, so I usually fought with MP-consuming magic swords. But that day was my first time on the 5th floor. Guess I got cocky. Next thing I knew, I was at death's door. Nasty monsters bared their fangs, charging at me. Slammed against a wall, I could clearly see my parents waving from beyond the Sanzu River. Yeah, that was the closest I've ever been to dying. Huh? My parents? Oh, nah, they're still alive and kickin'."
The drinker took a swig of beer and continued.
"Then, from far away, a shadow approached—unbelievably fast, reaching me in no time. That's right, Finger Man—Akagi Hideo. And then, I swear he said, 'Aah! Soupuuuu!!' Next thing, a hellish crimson flame burst out, roasting those terrifying beasts alive."
Gakidou frowned. "Soup...?"
In that instant, she realized.
"Ah, soup...... Wait, could it be—'Aah......so poor──ahh......what pitiful monsters. This won't satisfy my hunger.' (※Gakidou's translation)"
Gakidou's eyes widened.
Less than two weeks as an explorer, yet he showed such composure on the 5th floor—a perilous zone where many lose their lives yearly.
"No ordinary man. I see—playing with the scales of life at his fingertips. Thus, Finger Man. (※Gakidou's interpretation)"
"You get it now, girl? Just how much of a big deal he is."
"It ain't just that—he's the real deal. Explorers dive the same dungeons, so we see each other often. But that guy? Always one hit. Just one. Never needs more."
The drinker snapped his fingers.
"Listen close, and you'll hear it—snap, snap, snap...... Once that sound reaches ya, the monsters got nowhere to run. All that's left is charred remains."
"(Gulp)"
Gakidou swallowed hard and adjusted her sunglasses.
"Thanks. I understand Finger Man a bit better now. I'll be back."
With that, Gakidou left the beer garden, climbed into her black luxury car parked outside the camp, and drove off.
On the way back, she searched for Finger Man on the foundation app.
Few posts. But all were informative.
Among them, the plain words attached: "Today's hunting grounds."
From these brief words, she deduced—Finger Man always declared himself the hunter before monsters, exuding quiet confidence. Stoic, stern, and if angered, a wrathful figure like a demon. (※Gakidou's profiling)
"Finger Man—I need to investigate further."
As soon as the light turned red, she slowly pressed the accelerator.