Chapter 13
The next morning.
While steeling myself to keep touching the coin 24/365 until I can flip it to whichever side I want, I check the Daily Mission.
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★Daily Mission★
Keep pushing forward steadily every day!
'Probability Time: Coin'
Land heads 10 times in a row via coin toss 0/10
Consecutive days: Day 13
Steady Rank: Silver (2.5x multiplier)
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I wonder why.
I don't know the reason, but I had a strong premonition.
"But fine. Somehow, I feel like you and I are gonna be stuck together for a long time. Bring it on."
──10 hours later
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★Daily Mission★
Keep pushing forward steadily every day!
'Probability Time: Coin'
Land heads 10 times in a row via coin toss 10/10
★Today's Daily Mission Complete!★
Reward: Wisdom of the Ancients B ×2 (50,000 EXP)
EXP: 5,000
Skill Nutrient C ×2 (10,000 Skill EXP)
Consecutive days: Day 14
Steady Rank: Silver (2.5x multiplier)
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Today was exhausting too.
It ended sooner than yesterday, but... it's already dark outside, and I don't have the energy to hit the dungeon.
The next morning.
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★Daily Mission★
Keep pushing forward steadily every day!
'Probability Time: Coin'
Land heads 10 times in a row via coin toss 0/10
Consecutive days: Day 14
Steady Rank: Silver (2.5x multiplier)
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What the hell is happening?
Hey, what's going on here?
Is it bugged? Bugged? Broken?
This is bad—forget about going to the dungeon now!
──9 hours later
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★Daily Mission★
Keep pushing forward steadily every day!
'Probability Time: Coin'
Land heads 10 times in a row via coin toss 10/10
★Today's Daily Mission Complete!★
Reward: Wisdom of the Ancients B ×2 (50,000 EXP)
EXP: 5,000
Skill Nutrient C ×2 (10,000 Skill EXP)
Consecutive days: Day 15
Steady Rank: Silver (2.5x multiplier)
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The Daily Mission's random, right?
Probability Time? First, go study what "probability" means and try again. Aren't you embarrassed getting picked three days in a row? Don't talk about probability like that. Get lost.
My rebellious spirit is stirring after wasting a whole day on this nonsense.
All day, just flipping the coin over and over—well, aren't I just an idiot?
And because I have to focus to land heads, I can't multitask—no videos, movies, anime, or music. Feels like a total waste of a day.
So, I'm not really motivated, but I'll at least head to the dungeon. Otherwise, I won't feel like I've truly beaten probability.
The two-hour trip is too long.
Maybe I should look for lodging near camp.
By the time I reached camp, it was already dark.
The camp basically operates 24/7 for dungeon resource mining and boss raids, so it's lit up by huge floodlights—the kind used for nighttime soccer matches.
"Akagi, heading into the dungeon now?"
"Yes. For the sake of rebellion."
"? I don't get it, but I'm glad you're alive! We hadn't seen you for two days, so we were worried something happened."
The way she worried about my well-being first—classic Gunma. Hundreds of thousands go missing in this untamed land yearly. Fact. The Japanese government hides it, but Shurado's reaction says it all.
"I inquired with HQ about your promotion to Rank C!"
"Oh, how'd it go?"
"They said no!"
She said it with a bright smile.
Well, if those are the rules, so be it.
I've been slacking on updating the foundation's SNS too.
No rush—I'll just make up for it slowly.
The dungeon life stolen by the demon called probability.
"Is the commissary still open?"
"Yes! The camp's commissary runs 24/7!"
That's reassuring.
I browse the shelves where I once bought a messenger bag and find a sturdy backpack.
Then, an old man in a lab coat speaks to me.
"My, aren't you the infamous Finger Man?"
"Hello. I'm Akagi Hideo."
"Thank you kindly, Finger Man."
This geezer refuses to call me by my name, huh?
"Ho ho ho, Finger Man, you seem to want a bag with lots of space."
"How did you—"
"That tattered, exhausted bag of yours, and now a backpack with more capacity—I see right through you."
Hah, not bad, old man.
"I'll let you use this invention of mine!"
He hurls a duralumin case at me with alarming force.
I barely catch it.
"That's my prototype—the 'Mugen High-Load.' As a developer of magic swords, this was supposed to cement my name in history!"
"'Mugen High-Load,' huh? Wait, 'was supposed to'—so you didn't?"
"Indeed! Because I never made any!"
"...Stolen credit or something?"
"No, I had nothing to do with the development!"
What the hell is this geezer saying?
Hey, cops—there's a senile old man trespassing here!
"What's with that look? So sad. The modern youth in a nutshell. Bet you'll just dismiss me as a rambling, smelly old man you'd rather avoid."
"With all due respect, I'll decline. Here, take this back. Goodbye."
"W-wait! Please, just try it! I guarantee the prototype's effectiveness! I may look like this, but I'm a craftsman of the foundation! A proper inventor, I tell you!"
And so, forced to take the 'Mugen High-Load,' I was sent off by the grinning old man and ended up at the dungeon.
Seriously, what's this 'Mugen High-Load' thing?
It's definitely not infinite.
With the duralumin case in one hand, I descended to the 6th floor for now.
As usual, I burned through with a finger snap.
Crystals dropped, so I opened the duralumin case to store them. Inside, it was lined with black shock-absorbing material, giving it a rather high-class feel.
At least the interior design is elaborate.
From the looks of it, it seems to be a crystal-exclusive case.
Probably dungeon-spec.
Though it doesn't seem impossible to use daily.
I closed the lid.
"......"
I went through the whole process of putting things inside and closing the lid.
Nothing special.
Just a normal case.
So where's the 'infinite' part?
Curious, I opened it again.
Then the crystal was gone.
Ohh! I see!
Maybe the case's interior is a pocket dimension, so no matter how many crystals you put in, it never fills up!
That old man... could he actually be an underappreciated genius?
This is amazing, seriously. Not just amazing—this could revolutionize global logistics!
Admiring it, I kept putting crystals into the case, muttering, "Incredible, so incredible!"
"Hmm, I should head back to the hotel soon."
After a decent hunt, I decided to call it a day.
"I'm so glad Akagi-san is striving for a healthy dungeon life!"
When I returned a little over an hour later, Shurado greeted me with a beaming smile.
"Are there any hotels around here where I could stay?"
I asked, handing her the duralumin case.
"Right now, I commute from a hotel two hours away."
"Two hours! That's tough... Oh, right! I have good news for you, Akagi-san! It includes lodging too!"
"Good news?"
"Yes, actually... Huh? This case is empty?"
"Ah, some senile old man claiming to be a Dungeon Foundation developer gave it to me near the shop. Probably a pocket-dimension storage type. (Pretending to know.)"
"Ah... Dr.... Then—"
Shurado went to the back, returned with a sledgehammer, and smashed the duralumin case to pieces. The crystal spilled out.
The sheer force of it left me speechless.
Was this the power of the ruthless cannibal chieftain's daughter, feared even among Gunma's 12 tribes for devouring infants alive?
"As expected of Akagi-san! Everyone else would've fainted from shock! Dr.'s inventions always have flaws, so breaking them is often the solution!"
Nah, I'm shocked at *your* destructive power...!
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Today's Appraisal:
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Small Crystal: 2,093 yen
Small Crystal: 2,215 yen
Small Crystal: 2,609 yen
Small Crystal: 2,000 yen
Small Crystal: 2,101 yen
Crystal: 4,869 yen
Crystal: 4,963 yen
Crystal: 5,200 yen
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Total: 25,510 yen
Dungeon Bank Account Balance: 181,579 yen
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"Anyway, be careful with Dr.'s inventions! Never accept them recklessly!"
"Got it. I'll be careful. So, about that good news—"
"Ah! Right! Here, take this!"
She handed me a black box.
A brooch, huh?
Saw this when I ranked up to D-rank too.
Opened it—yep, a brooch. Even had a gemstone certificate. Real deal.
The lustrous stainless-steel alloy frame housed a vivid emerald green that sparkled brilliantly. Pretty big, too.
"It's a 1-carat emerald made by a renowned craftsman, so losing it would be disastrous!"
"What happens if I lose it?"
"About 1.2 million yen for a replacement!"
Yeah, that's basically retirement.
Better not lose it.
"So this means I've made C-rank?"
"Yes! Congratulations! This is unprecedented, Akagi-san!"
Wow. That's kind of a big deal.
But didn't you say no earlier?
"Actually, a foundation agent came by and personally delivered this brooch! The Dungeon Foundation must have their eyes on you! Direct treatment like this is *extremely* rare. Truly befitting the Finger Man!"
The moment 'Finger Man' comes up, it just gets lame. Seriously.
Maybe I should change my name now. Like 'Judgment Snapper' or something.
"As a C-rank explorer, you can use the lodging near the foundation's reserved camp! You needed that, right?"
"Thank you. That's a huge help."
Apparently, just being a C-rank explorer puts you in the top 15% of all explorers. Rare talent.
The perks skyrocketed.
I returned the topaz brooch to Shurado.
In its place, I pinned the emerald brooch to my chest.
From today, I'm a C-rank explorer.