Chapter 44
I made it down to the third floor.
Other than the dungeon being unusually bright with a white glow all around, I don't feel much difference from the last time in the Gunma Class 3 dungeon.
The biggest difference is that the monsters I turn into charred remains have changed from Chihuahuas to dachshunds.
"Okaaay, charred remains, charred remains~♪"
——Snap
——Snap
I collect the small crystals and store them in the Mugen High-Load ver4.0.
As I think about which anomaly to evolve next, I go through my long-lost dungeon hunting routine.
Treasure chests are scattered here and there too, so I go full-on "store-it-away old man" mode and keep cramming them into the Mugen High-Load ver4.0.
"Chii chii chii"
"Gii"
Yes, I know.
Three-four-three, right? I know.
And so, I continue exploring while a portion of my experience points gets skimmed off.
Fun times always fly by in a flash.
When I casually check my phone, I see six hours have passed.
That said, it's only been six hours.
From here on, pulling three all-nighters in a row is standard for a full-time explorer.
"Chii chii chii"
"Oh, did you find the stairs to the fourth floor, Shimaenaga-san?"
"Chii~♪"
Mind if I go down?
When I first entered the dungeon, even Mister's posts had only gotten as far as the third floor.
If I go down here, does that mean I might become the top explorer?
"Let's check the foundation's SNS."
I check Mister's post.
That guy's already on the eighth floor.
He was moving so ridiculously fast I completely missed it.
I mean, how is Mister even posting to SNS... Did he go all the way back to the third floor? No, doesn't seem like it.
......Maybe Mister's the only one with 5G on his phone.
I send the location info of the stairs to the foundation.
Sharing info increases trust from the foundation.
"Now, let's download the map up to the eighth floor."
I'll gratefully make use of your info, Mister.
——Forty minutes later
I made it down to the eighth floor.
Last time in the Gunma Dungeon, I ended up treasure-hunting to free Shimaenaga-san, who was sealed on the twelfth floor.
So in the Chiba dungeon, I definitely want to reach deeper than the twelfth floor.
The Mugen High-Load ver4.0 is starting to get really heavy.
I think I've probably gathered about 200,000 to 300,000 yen worth by now.
Huh, I see a bluish-white light coming from around the corner.
According to Labyrinth Conqueror, it should be a dead end ahead, and there shouldn't be any dungeon objects there...
As I turn the corner, I see someone standing ahead.
A person about two meters tall wearing a long black coat.
Their glasses glint suspiciously, and behind them are equally suspicious light-blue eyes.
Oh, this is a monster.
"Welcome"
You can talk? You're a human?
They dramatically fling their black coat open, revealing the inside.
Just like when a flasher exposes himself to a schoolgirl.
Inside the long coat, items were neatly stuck all over.
"A face I haven't seen before. Do you have any crystals, explorer of the Dungeon Foundation?"
"Sure do."
"Very well. Let's make a deal. If there's an anomaly you like, I'll sell it to you. And vice versa. I'll buy anything you've got."
"You're doing business inside the dungeon?"
"Explorers aren't much different, are they?"
Well, when you put it that way, I guess so.
But as a being, you seem way more bizarre.
"Do you always do business in dungeons?"
"I do business anywhere. Location doesn't matter."
"Do you have permission from the Dungeon Foundation to operate?"
"The dungeon doesn't belong to the Dungeon Foundation."
"Why are you so big?"
"I don't want to answer that."
"Are you like some shadowy merchant type? You sure ask a lot of questions. Maybe I shouldn't sell to a blabbermouth like you. Ah, I was gonna offer 'Moteru Motel' for free as a first-time bonus, but..."
"'Moteru Motel'? Could you tell me more about that?"
The black merchant pulls out an old bottle containing a pink liquid from their pocket.
The bottle itself is dirty, and the glass is cloudy.
The liquid inside seems to emit a faint glow.
"'Moteru Motel.' If you have your beloved drink half and you drink the other half, they'll instantly become yours. You'll be lovey-dovey the same day."
"I'll buy it. And I swear I won't tell anyone you were here."
"Chii chii!"
"Shimaenaga-san, please be quiet. This is an important moment."
"Chi, chii..."
I accept 'Moteru Motel' as hush money. Heh heh heh, score!
If I have Shurado drink this...!
"From this moment, you can no longer reveal my existence to anyone."
"Huh?"
"It's that kind of skill. The activation conditions were met. You can no longer talk about me to anyone."
Are you kidding me?! You tricked me!
You sneaky jerk! That's not fair, boo boo!
"Chii......"
Is Shimaenaga-san giving me that exasperated look?!
Like, "I warned you..." Wait, am I losing in terms of intelligence here...?
Oh well, whatever. (mentally checked out)
I mean, it's not like I'm planning to become a morale officer for the Dungeon Foundation anyway!
Might as well buy something while I'm here!
There's a wide variety of anomalies neatly arranged.
It's just like a department store display window.
Some of them even look pretty interesting.
"Gii"
"What is it, Gii-san?"
Something squirms from inside my sleeve, and a tentacle extends forth.
The tentacle points toward an anomaly called 'Mazel Mazeel.'
It's a dirty bottle filled with cloudy liquid.
Could it be that it wants this?
"What is this?"
"An anomaly that synthesizes anomalies. Once you synthesize it, there's no telling what might be born."
"How much?"
"Converted to yen, that'll be three million crystals."
"Is this enough?"
"Not even close. That's our flagship product. Don't try to lowball us."
Flagship product, huh... Well, I guess it makes sense—synthesizing and mutating anomalies probably has a lot of appeal. Like a gacha.
Still, seriously? Three million crystals is insane.
"Do you even want to do business, black-clad one?"
"In most cases, people trade by combining anomalies, crystals, and other things."
People?
"So, what will you offer in place of crystals?"
"Well then, how about this? This one's called 'Mugen High-Load ver4.0.' Its terrifying capabilities are such and such and such..."
"What the...? An anomaly like that...?"
"I'll let you use it. What do you think? Even in black market deals, Lv2 or Lv3 anomalies are rare finds, right?"
"...I'll buy it for two hundred million."
"Huh?"
The black-clad one suddenly spouted nonsense.
"If that 'Mugen High-Load ver4.0' anomaly really has that kind of power, I'll buy it for two hundred million."
N-No way... That's way beyond my Total Assets...
"Well? Will you sell it?"
"I... won't. It's not for sale."
No matter how much money is stacked on the table, my heart will not be swayed. Nope.
Because this is something I borrowed from the Doctor.
Shimaenaga-san looked at me with a gaze of renewed respect.
"All you can buy is the usage rights to 'Mugen High-Load ver4.0.' Let's see... 200,000 crystals per use sounds fair."
"Let me be clear. That's far too cheap."
Ehh... Harsh critique...
I wish he'd keep quiet, we're in the middle of a negotiation...
"Let's go with 300,000 for the first use as a trial."
"Very well. 300,000 for the first time only. After that..."
I glance over at the black-clad one.
He gives a slightly exasperated look and mutters "500,000."
"300,000 for the first time, and 500,000 from the second time on."
I pop open the 'Mugen High-Load ver4.0.'
The black-clad one selects a weirdly-shaped dagger from among his vast collection of anomalies and places it inside the 'Mugen High-Load ver4.0,' holding his hand over it.
A stream of small crystals pours from his sleeve into the 'Mugen High-Load ver4.0.'
Once the lid is closed and opened again, the anomaly evolution is complete.
"What an incredible anomaly. With this, the value of my merchandise could increase tens to hundreds of times, and my assets by thousands... May I ask your name?"
"No way. Sounds like it'd be dangerous to get involved."
"Cautious, huh. I'm just a businessman. There's nothing lurking behind me."
"Still, no thanks."
The black-clad one—no, the Shadow Broker (tentative)—continued happily evolving anomalies with this and that.
In the end, he used it ten times and seemed satisfied for now.
First use, 300,000. From second use on, 500,000.
I earned a temporary income of 5.3 million.
"My name is Dungeon Broker S. Don't let any other brokers use that 'Mugen High-Load ver4.0.'"
"Even if you say that..."
"I'll give you 'Etchi Etchi.' If you make someone drink this, they'll temporarily get all hot and bothered."
"Looking forward to working with you again, Dungeon Broker S. I really think we can be great partners."
"Chii chii chii!"
"Shimaenaga-san, please be quiet for a bit. This is an important conversation."
"Ch-Chii..."
And so, I obtained both 'Moteru Motel' and 'Etchi Etchi.'
With these in hand, I'll be able to... Yes, I can win against Shurado!
I also bought the original item I was here for—'Mazel Mazeel.'
I'll give it to Gii-san. I wonder what they'll use it for.
"Gii"
"Huh? You want another one?"
"Gii"
"Could you sell me another 'Mazel Mazeel'?"
"You're short on money... but fine, I'll give you a special deal."
Broker S handed me another 'Mazel Mazeel.'
That brought my funds down to zero.
"Gii"
When I handed it to Gii-san, they skillfully grabbed the little bottle with a tentacle and splashed it toward the nearby 'Mugen High-Load ver4.0' on the desk.
Oh, so they're trying to synthesize it with 'Mugen High-Load ver4.0.'
"What would be good, I wonder? But if I synthesize the wrong thing, the effect might change..."
"Stop. That 'Mugen High-Load ver4.0' is an item that can change the world. You shouldn't perform uncertain synthesis. What if it loses its evolution function?"
Broker S stopped me in a panic.
"Gii"
"Ah, Gii-san acted on their own."
Without opening the bottle, Gii-san placed the second 'Mazel Mazeel'—still wet with Mazel liquid—on top of the 'Mugen High-Load ver4.0.'
Broker S gasped.
Moments later, the 'Mugen High-Load ver4.0' sparkled and was engulfed in smoke.
The smoke cleared.
What appeared was a duralumin case with a slightly altered design.
Its item name was 'Mugen High-Load ver5.0.'
It upgraded to 5.0 on its own.
Hope the Doctor doesn't get mad...
'Please select a function'
'Evolve' 'Transform' 'Synthesize'
"Oh wow, I can choose functions now... huh? Looks like I can synthesize stuff too now?"
"......"
"Ah."
Come to think of it, he did say synthesis was his flagship product...
"Well then, I'll take my leave now."
"......"
Broker S looked at me with such a terribly lonely expression.
"Gii"
"You're quite the rascal too, Gii-san."
"Gii♪"
From now on, I can synthesize to my heart's content.
Nicely done, Gii-san.
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