Chapter 21

It's Saturday, a day off from school. Yesterday, I had a great time singing karaoke with my classmates, so today, let's dive into some dungeon exploration!

"Well, well. What's today's challenge...?"

I look over the materials I had prepared in advance. There are three dungeons to challenge this time: one that appeared in the garden of a house in a residential area, one that appeared inside a factory, and one that appeared on a small hill in the suburbs.

Among these, the dungeons in the garden and the factory are considered relatively safe based on the depth and number of rooms discovered during the investigation. They are deemed suitable for F-class explorers. On the other hand, the dungeon on the hill is a bit risky. According to the materials, it has three underground levels and a total of 10 rooms. It's the kind of place that E-class explorers would typically tackle as the main level.

Why would I, still an F-class, be rushing into such a dangerous place?

Well, to put it simply, it's due to the government's convenience.

To be honest, in terms of raw ability, I've already surpassed the F-class explorer level. With all the skills, titles, and various boosts and bonuses I've accumulated, it's only natural that I've reached this point.

So, from the perspective of someone like Mr. Hirose, the head of the Explorer Guild, keeping a cheater like me at F-class is a waste. I've been asked to take the promotion exam, which normally requires at least a year of experience as an explorer, as soon as possible.

For me, it's not that I love being an F-class explorer. Promoting will broaden the range of dungeons I can explore, make it easier to earn money, and offer various benefits in terms of welfare.

Most importantly, as a higher-class explorer, I'll be more popular. I might even become famous and get pampered.

I was considering taking the promotion exam if the opportunity arose.

My intention and Mr. Hirose's request aligned perfectly, and I, with only about half a month of experience as an explorer, was allowed to take the promotion exam as an exception.

The content of the exam was to explore and clear a dungeon equivalent to the E-class level.

At 10:00 AM, I arrived at the garden dungeon in a high-end residential area in the city. In the grand garden, there's a huge hole.

I start preparing for the exploration. Mr. Sasaki, the owner of the garden, and his family look worried, wondering if a kid like me is up to the task. Mr. Kudo, the videographer, reassures them before I can.

"Please rest assured, Mr. Sasaki. This young man, Kosei... Yamagata, may be inexperienced as an explorer, but he is already on par with the best of the higher-class explorers."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, indeed. This is a fortunate thing. You are witnessing the early days and the legend of a supreme explorer who will shape the future of the world and the times!"

"Let's pause the camera for a moment. Sorry, Mr. Sasaki, this guy has a bit of a thing for younger people."

"Huh?"

As expected, he's already causing trouble.

He's been following me around, even waiting for me at the guild, treating my exploration activities as his life's work. That's fine, but the problem is that he seizes every opportunity to start some weird recruitment.

Because of this, I honestly feel both a desire to have him around and a desire to be away from him, about fifty-fifty, Mr. Kudo.

Of course, I don't dislike her. In fact, I have a good opinion of her, but her fanaticism is a major issue.

If someone like Koseki-kun appears, even if they are a beautiful person, I would normally be put off by their zeal.

However, unfortunately...

I'm starting to think it's normal for Mr. Kudo to be around.

"It feels like it's normal to have Mr. Kudo with her smartphone around."

"It is normal. I am the evangelist spreading the works of the savior to the world."

"Scary..."

She's as determined as ever to film my exploration and spread her faith through videos.

I'm starting to feel that my reaction to her fanaticism is becoming less unnatural. Maybe I've been ignoring it too much, and my senses are becoming numb.

Look, the Sasaki family has taken a few steps back. While it's a good judgment to keep a distance from the dungeon, it's clear they're not doing it for that reason.

"Alright, let's go, Mr. Kudo."

"Perhaps you can call me Kana from now on? I understand, Kosei."

Don't be so embarrassed! You're unusually clueless about such things!

While inwardly pointing out her flaws, I set out to clear the first dungeon of the day.

At the time of posting this story, it has reached:

1st place in the Low Fantasy Daily Ranking

6th place in the Overall Daily Ranking

Thank you very much. I will continue to work hard.

I would appreciate it if you could continue to bookmark and rate the story.