Chapter 38
The moment he finally escaped the dungeon, being greeted by Shurado was a great stroke of luck for Akagi Hideo.
Shurado's sparkling smile was exactly the same as the one Akagi knew.
Thanks to the brightness of that smile, Akagi deeply felt that he had truly returned to everyday life.
Akagi muttered "Daily Mission" and stared into the empty air.
Shurado tilted her head in confusion.
She couldn't see the Daily Mission window.
"Whoa, 95 consecutive days? So it really has been two months... damn..."
"Akagi-san?"
"Eh? Ah, yes, I'm listening."
"Geez, I was really worried about you! And this is what you get for not replying to my messages! Take that!"
Akagi got chopped on the head and muttered "Ah, ow~" while giving a sheepish, goofy grin.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
Shurado asked.
Akagi exchanged glances with his grandfather and they nodded at each other.
"It all started on New Year's Day, and then blah blah blah..."
"That's outrageous!"
Shurado glared sharply at the suspicious men.
"So you're the highly dangerous group, the Metal Shiba Inu Club. Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused others? And now you've dragged in Akagi-san and his grandfather too? I'm furious!"
With a firm expression, Shurado made a phone call.
——20 minutes later
The Akagi residence was surrounded by black armored vehicles and combat helicopters.
The call she made was to the Dungeon Foundation's Special Operations Division.
It was the combat unit within the Foundation, known as the scariest division when it came to forceful action.
The Special Operations Division immediately detained the Metal Shiba Inu Club upon arrival.
"W-What are you people?! Don't touch me! We act under noble ideals to purify your impure souls——"
"Shut it and move!"
"Oraaa! Goraaaa! We're Special Ops, dammit!"
"Don't talk, just come quietly, you damn clown!"
Fists and kicks rained down in a bargain sale of violence to the face and stomach.
""H-hii...""
Brutal in both body and spirit, the once-confident cultists shrank and were taken away quietly by the terrifying people.
Meanwhile, Shurado was shown into the living room of Akagi Hideo's grandparents' house.
"You disappeared for two months. It was really tough, you know. And getting Hideo-chan involved too—what were you thinking?"
"No, Grandma, that's not it. There's a reason for all this, and it's not my fault—"
Even while being scolded by his grandmother, Akagi's grandfather asked, "The gateball tournament is today, are you joining?" and began preparing as he recalled, "Oh right, the New Year gateball tournament is today."
And so, the two of them happily went out to the gateball tournament, even with a special ops unit occupying their house.
(What the hell is going on with Grandpa and Grandma? Coming back after a two-month disappearance and the first thing they do is gateball? Am I the weird one? Is it my sense of normal that's off?)
Akagi Hideo began to doubt his own common sense.
Assigned to host their guest, Akagi served Shurado some tea in the living room.
"Akagi-san, what's with all those energy drinks?"
"These? They're Daily rewards I've been stockpiling. With old books, I just have to use them, but these I have to drink, and it's hard to go through them all at once. So I stuffed them in my coat pockets to carry around."
Akagi divided a total of sixty Skill Nutrients B into several empty cardboard boxes and sealed them with tape, saying, "I plan to drink them slowly once I'm home."
The topic then shifted to the Large Crystal.
"What do you think, Shurado-san? Pretty big crystal, right?"
"Ahaha, even after disappearing for two months, you're still as dedicated an explorer as ever, Akagi-san."
"Yeah, not much time passed inside the dungeon. Maybe a day, give or take."
"At a glance, this crystal looks like one from a Black Swamp-type dungeon!"
"Black Swamp-type dungeon?"
"Yes. Dungeons are categorized into a few types: Pure, Black Swamp, Salvation, Abyss... and a few others! It's academically significant, and it also affects the dungeon's appearance. Didn't the Black Swamp dungeon feel like a swampy wetland?"
"Now that you mention it, it was a dark and clammy swamp..."
"Exactly. As for this crystal, well, without a scanner I can't say for sure, but I'd estimate it's worth about 11.2 million. Normally, crystals of this size don't drop unless you defeat a dungeon boss! That this dropped from a Resource Boss means you're truly a beloved explorer, Akagi-san!"
"It wasn't a Resource Boss."
"? What do you mean?"
"It wasn't a Resource Boss—I defeated a dungeon boss and the drop——"
Just as Akagi was about to explain.
The living room door burst open.
At the same time, heavily armed Special Operations Division soldiers stormed in.
In an instant, they surrounded Shurado and Akagi Hideo, aiming submachine guns at them.
After the perimeter was secured, a man who appeared to be the captain entered.
In the captain's hand was a device emitting a nerve-racking noise like a broken radio.
"What's the meaning of this?! Even if you're Special Ops, this is too sudden!"
Shurado confronted the captain.
"Sorry to interrupt your chat. But time is of the essence. Take a look at this, miss Shurado."
"This is... for the Abnormality meter to react like this..."
"While searching for traces of the crab-like anomalous substance, we discovered that there's an anomaly within this house at SCCL application level. Adding in the testimony that the crab was protecting something... I suspect it's part of the recently increasing 'Calamity' series——"
The captain glared sharply at Akagi.
Akagi tried to maintain a calm facade.
But inside, he was panicking like crazy.
(Wait, Calamity? Calamity as in... oh crap——!)
"Chi?"
"Gii?"
"Hm? Just now... wasn't that some kind of cry?"
"Chiiiii! Giiii!"
"...U-Um, Akagi-san, what are you doing all of a sudden?"
"I just really wanted some cheese beef bowl. When I crave cheese beef bowl, I go into withdrawal and start vocalizing. Chiii! Giii! ...See?"
""......""
Cold, blank stares from the Special Ops soldiers.
Even Shurado gave a slightly awkward smile.
The captain looked at him with outright disdain.
(Someone please kill me.)
To protect those he cared about, he would sacrifice himself.
Could Akagi Hideo truly protect his partners?
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Stop! If the Foundation's device scans Snap-the-Fingerman's pockets, they'll find Shimaenaga-san and the others hidden in his round belly!
Please, don't make a sound, Shimaenaga-san! Stay still, Gii-san! If they find you here now, what will happen to Akagi Hideo's bizarre behavior? There's still a chance. If we can get through this, we won't have to be taken into containment!
Next time, "Calamity Discovered"
Duel standby!