Chapter 54
Today's daily "Dungeon Life" can be completed simply by spending 24 hours in the dungeon. Apparently, our EXP factory, also known as "Metal Trap Room Lv2," counts as being inside the dungeon.
If it hadn't counted, I would've been stripped of my Platinum membership on the spot.
Looking back, I just realized I was walking a pretty dangerous line.
To keep "EXP Production Facility ver2.0" boosted, it needs a continuous supply of crystals. Two hundred thousand per week.
As an A-rank, I'm not restricted by floor level, so if I go deep enough, the cost isn't too burdensome.
"Floor 13 was pretty easy, so maybe I'll dive in more confidently next time."
"Chii chii chii."
"Gii."
So anyway, I updated "Today's Hunting Grounds" earlier and also picked up Mister's fastest-clear data, so I'll use the stair location info from that and head downward.
Seems like Mister and the rest of the frontline group have already made it to the 19th floor.
"Hmm, the frontline might be pushing it a bit, so maybe I'll just go down to around the 15th floor."
I searched for the stairs and descended—now I'm on the 14th floor.
Along the way, I collected treasure chests and turned monsters into charred remains.
The 14th floor still has the same black stone-brick corridors.
It's been like this since the 10th floor.
Floors 10, 11, and 12 in Gunma Dungeon also had these black corridors.
If there's any difference, it's that since this dungeon is of the "Salvation" type, there's a slight white glow to everything.
Hm, found the stairs.
Let's keep going down.
I step onto the stairs.
"Ah."
This floating sensation... I'm falling.
Looks like I've fallen into another trap room.
Oh, I can see the ground.
Feels like the same thing as "Trap Room Lake," with a thin layer of water spread out.
I fell about 100 meters before landing in the water.
Yep, it's shallow. About 5 cm deep.
But something feels off. Isn't this trap room kind of cramped?
About 3 meters wide and 10 meters long. A rectangle.
If I stretch out my hand, I can touch the white wall.
Compared to "Trap Room Lake," this one feels way more enclosed.
The water has a current, flowing straight through the length of the room and disappearing somewhere.
The water starts bubbling, and as usual, Dungeon Dachshunds begin to appear.
I guess the specs haven't changed.
"I know how to handle this... Shimaenaga-san, please."
"Chii!"
She leapt from my chest pocket and poofed up big.
She landed gracefully on my head.
"Blasphemous Gaze" reveals the mysteries of the hidden pocket dimension.
The edges of the space begin to collapse, and just like before, we start falling into the sky.
"Once you know the trick, it's nothing to worry about."
"Chii chii chii."
"Mhmm, right? You're already out of MP, huh. Gotta be careful next time."
"Chii."
Shimaenaga-san's MP is about 20,000.
Blasphemous-type skills are powerful, but their cooldowns are long, so in practice, you need to spend 10,000 MP to bypass the cooldown.
You can think of Shimaenaga-san's MP in 10,000-point chunks.
And since she just used it to reveal the Metal Dachshund and the trap room, her Gaze is all used up for the day.
A twisted knife lies on the ground.
Its item name is "Trap Room River."
It was smaller than the lake, and if you call it a river, yeah, I guess it fits.
────────────────────
'Trap Room River'
A creation by the interdimensional artisan Morton.
Transforms into an object to lure in explorers.
Storage capacity: 2,000 units
Remaining: 453/2,000
────────────────────
Definitely smaller in scale than the earlier "Trap Room Lake."
"Let's be careful around the stairs."
I throw "Trap Room River" into the "Metal Trap Room."
All right, let's head downstairs.
This time I found a real staircase and made it down to the 15th floor.
"Chii chii chii."
"You showed up quick, huh, dachshund."
A dachshund, tall enough to reach my waist, charges at me, working its short legs furiously.
I counter it with HP 1 and ATK 500.
——Snap
Once, twice, three times, four, five.
And done. Charred remains.
Shurado told me before that most regular monsters have basically no defense, so this one probably had around 2,000 to 2,500 HP.
"Combat just doesn't feel tense anymore..."
To be honest, I kind of want more edge-of-your-seat battles.
Thinking back, the dungeon boss "Malice Buried in the Black Swamp" was great...
"I mean, I'd still rather have it easy than suffer, though."
As usual, I snapped my fingers to turn monsters into charred remains and went around collecting crystals and EXP.
"Chii chii chii."
Huh?
There's some kind of line drawn on the ground.
Fluorescent paint. Must've been done by another explorer.
It says "This way" in English, with an arrow.
"......"
W-Well, I mean, it's English, right? Even if I don't get it, machine translation makes it a breeze nowadays (※Middle school level English).
There's an arrow, so let's follow it for now.
A yellow arrow glides smoothly over the black brick corridor—and at the end, I run into a woman who looks like Foundation staff.
She's carrying a large box.
She's wearing an outfit similar to Shurado's.
She's tall and a beauty. Wearing a hat.
"Hello. That looks heavy."
"...... Are you an A-rank explorer? I don't recognize your face. Is this your first time on the 15th floor?"
She totally ignored my greeting... ugh.
But you know, I'm not giving up.
I'm a strong kid, after all (Steel Spirit).
"Yes. I just came down for the first time."
"...... Then I suppose I should explain the supply base."
Still holding the box, the woman says "This way" and tells me to follow.
"I'll carry that box for you."
"...... Very well, I'll leave it to you."
Just like how it's natural to help an old lady about to be hit by a car, it's only natural for a guy to help a beauty carrying something heavy.
Still, there sure are a lot of boxes lying around these corridors.
All of them have the Dungeon Foundation logo on them.
They must be things the Foundation brought in.
The pile of boxes keeps growing higher and higher.
Along the way, I passed by several explorers and Foundation staff.
It's rare to see this many people inside the dungeon.
When we arrived at a slightly open area surrounded by walls, the woman said, "Please place the box there."
I placed it down just as she told me.
"...... Thank you for your hard work. Here, have a candy as thanks."
"Thank you very much."
I don't know why it's candy, but since it's from a beauty, I don't need a reason. It's delicious. Really delicious.
"...... This is a supply base established by the Dungeon Internal Supply Base Division. Normally, supply bases are unnecessary in Class 1 or Class 2 dungeons, but in large dungeons of Class 3 or higher, a relay point like this is necessary for conquest."
The woman picks up a binder left on top of a container and hands it to me.
The paper tucked inside the binder has a space for my name, and below that are random words like 'water', 'food', 'bed', 'bath', 'billiards', 'ping pong', and 'mahjong'.
"What is this?"
"...... These are the welfare services provided by the Supply Base Division. Explorers of B-rank and above are extremely rare and valuable in dungeon conquest, so the Foundation offers these services with high hospitality and at reasonable prices."
As she continued talking, I learned that many high-ranking explorers who attempt floors beyond the 15th use this supply base as their main hub.
Thinking back, I realized I hadn't seen Mister at all since the dungeon opened, and now the mystery is solved. Mister is the type who does everything from the supply base.
"...... Therefore, A-rank Akagi Hideo-sama, we hope you will fully utilize this supply base."
"Does it also have an appraisal counter and commissary?"
"...... Appraisals for discovered anomalies and crystals can be done just as usual. The commissary has a slightly different selection compared to the camp, but you should be able to obtain all necessary supplies."
"I see. I think I understand the general idea. Is there anything else I should be careful about?"
"...... Resources are limited, so please refrain from wastefulness."
Well, that's only natural.
"It must be tough carrying all the supplies here too, right?"
"...... No, the transportation itself isn't all that difficult."
"Really?"
"...... Yes, the Foundation has spatial technology that allows for long-distance transportation of supplies."
Apparently, by placing the supplies in special containers and passing them through a spatial gate, they can be sent from the camp to the supply base. How convenient. Apparently, living beings can't be transferred, though. She even told me about a horrific incident that happened during the experimental phase. Yikes...
Hm, but in that case, what does that mean for my "Metal Trap Room," aka the EXP Factory?
I've been going in and out of a pocket dimension and the dungeon... Could it be that this is an anomaly so advanced it surpasses the Foundation's teleportation tech?
A Dungeon Broker might know more about that kind of thing.
"Thanks for everything. Uh... by the way, what should I call you?"
"...... Please call me 'Jiu.'"
"Jiu-san, then. Thank you again."
I decided to take a walk around the supply base.
Some were enjoying a cold beer and grilled chicken, others were playing billiards, some explorers were fast asleep in beds, and some were playing strip mahjong——.
It seems everyone is enjoying a brief moment of peace amid the harsh conquest.
So being an explorer doesn't mean you have to be a stoic monk.
Taking breaks in moderation is also the professional approach. I get it, I get it. I'm a pro too, after all.
"We should make our base more comfortable too."
"Chii chii chii."
"Gii."
I just said it offhand, but I think that was a pretty genius idea.
Making the base more comfortable... In other words, if we can establish a living space in the EXP Factory, wouldn't we be able to live there?
Hah, I'm a genius... too much of a genius, even.
I'm honestly a little scared of my own talent.
Is it really okay for such a genius to exist? This level of genius is——
"Gii."
"Hm? What is it, Gii-san?"
Gii-san, the brains of Team Finger Man, is pointing his tentacle outside the supply base.
I head outside as he instructs.
"Gii."
This time, Gii-san points at a nearby wall.
Seems like he's telling me to create an entrance to the "Metal Trap Room" here.
I follow his instructions and create a door.
"Gii."
"We still can't go in? Sigh."
"Gii."
"Huh? Up? You mean go back to the upper floors?"
"Gii."
Just what exactly is Gii-san thinking?
Following his directions, I keep climbing back up the floors, and eventually return to the first floor.
"What are you trying to make me do?"
"Gii."
Again, he tells me to make a door to the "Metal Trap Room."
I create the door and enter the EXP Factory.
Nothing's changed.
The 'EXP Production Facility ver2.0' is humming along vigorously... and there's a door that's appeared next to it.
Huh? A door? Why?
"Hm?"
I turn around.
There's a door behind me too.
That's the door I just came in through.
It connects to the dungeon's first floor.
So then, what's the door next to the 'EXP Production Facility ver2.0'?
"Gii (Translation: Just as expected.)"
"Chi, chii! (Translation: M-my junior is so smart, chii!)"
"Huh? Huh? What? What's going on? (※Owner who can't keep up with their pet's intelligence)"
"Gii."
"Chii......"
I feel like they're exasperated with me...
Fine, I'll just open the door and see what's behind it. I'll open it, I will.
Next to the humming machine, I swallow nervously and muster my courage to push open the door.
On the other side of the door... it's just another part of the dungeon.
But it's a black brick dungeon.
This layout is only seen below the 10th floor... Wait, this is the supply base.
Huh?
Could it be... that's what this is?
Dungeon 1st floor
↓
EXP Factory
↓
Dungeon 15th floor
"It's warping..."
"Gii."
"Gii-san, did you come up with this after hearing Jiu-san talk about teleportation?"
"Gii."
You're so smart it's making your dad tremble.
At this rate, it's only a matter of time before humanity is ruled by slugs.