Chapter 37

Nightly update! ('ω')

It's been a week since we received the request.

We have been making preparations, including a dungeon attack for coordination and various other tasks.

Nene, who is temporarily joining us, turned out to be an excellent scout and attacker, beyond our expectations.

Although she reported her rank as C, I believe it was a deliberate adjustment of her adventurer credibility by Mamar-san.

...Her actual strength is equivalent to an A-rank.

Nene, who can fill both the roles that 'Clover' lacks, can be considered an indispensable member for this national request.

Next, there was a significant change with Marina.

She also underwent a major transformation.

After repairing the "Revelation Memo" we found in the 'Aion Ruins Labyrinth' and giving it to her, her "Second Vocation" manifested as she wished.

Marina's hidden talent is – 'Samurai'.

A highly powerful vocation that excels in close combat, originating from the East.

While she was a bit disappointed, saying, "I wanted to use magic..." she seems to be quite special, having two rare vocation talents.

Silk has also been making several preparations based on my advice.

First, she purchased a magic bag to increase the number of arrows and bolts she can carry into the dungeon.

She has also prepared several types of consumable magic items called "Attribute Arrows" and has successfully contracted with two spirits as a spirit user.

A spirit user can invoke spirits in the environment to create magical phenomena, but with contracted spirits, she can use her powers regardless of the environment.

Silk chose the spirits of wood and water.

Rain, compared to the bustling activity around her, remained quite calm and brought out a staff from somewhere.

A staff adorned with gold and a red gem. Anyone who sees it would recognize it.

– The "Ruby Staff".

A magic weapon that significantly enhances the power of the five major offensive spells.

She said she "borrowed" it, but to have a friend who can lend such a valuable item... Rain's connections are quite mysterious.

Everyone has been making their preparations. I, too, have made extensive preparations.

My magic bag, which had plenty of space, is now quite full.

"Are you all ready for the infiltration the day after tomorrow?"

While setting the dinner on the table, I asked the four of them.

Seeing their affirmative responses, it seems there are no issues.

"It's quite a bother to use the party house even though I'm just a temporary member."

"Don't worry about it. It's better to gather here to prepare and share information."

"We have extra rooms anyway!"

I didn't predict this situation, but the guest room we built just in case has come in handy.

Nene is using it because she doesn't want to return to Mamar-san's place, and it seems she's fitting in well, which is good.

"Alright, let's confirm. We'll enter 'The Colorless Darkness' as planned, starting from the morning after tomorrow. Currently, the A-rank party leading the way has reached the eighth underground floor."

"It's been quite a while, yet they haven't made much progress."

I chuckle at Marina's comment.

The quality of the parties taking on the challenge is already known to be poor through the broadcasts.

The situation worsened when the only decent party, 'Scordia,' withdrew from the national request due to the other two parties, 'Thunderpike' and 'Grantsblow,' losing interest.

Of course, if you're relying on others to progress and just following behind, it would be ridiculous.

Especially 'Grantsblow,' a party of poorly mannered troublemakers.

They push the floor bosses to the leading party and wait for them to be defeated before passing through the boss floor unscathed, which has earned them a bad reputation in the broadcasts.

I can understand why Benwood sighs, saying they are "unreliable."

Our goal is to investigate any abnormalities, not to conquer the dungeon. We will basically proceed while live-streaming, and the Guild Master and scholars from the Royal Academy will check the footage.

However, from the records and broadcasts, it seems like a place that has been abnormal from the start. It's unclear what kind of abnormalities we are supposed to find, but 'The Colorless Darkness' is a uniquely peculiar labyrinth.

"We have 'Scrolls of Exit,' but the dangers are unknown. This is a dungeon where it's hard to take precautions. Let's proceed with utmost caution."

"We've made all the preparations we can. We just need to do our best as usual."

"Let's do our best! I'm sure we can do it!"

Silk and Marina nod enthusiastically.

I thought they might be more apprehensive, but perhaps my concerns were unfounded.

"I'll do my best too. I'm not just doing this lightly!"

"I'm counting on you, Nene. In a way, you'll have the most responsibility."

"Leave it to me!"

Nene grins.

"Rain, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm ready as usual."

"Good. I'm counting on you."

"Okay. But, Yuke, you need to rest properly tomorrow."

She pokes my nose, and I flinch.

I had planned to do a light check of consumables and synthesize some magic potions tomorrow.

"Overworking. You must rest tomorrow."

"But..."

Just as I was about to make an excuse, the 'Tablet' I was wearing beeped with an urgent notification.

"– Breaking news."

"The Adventurer's Guild and the Royal Academy have issued a corrective recommendation to the two parties currently in 'The Colorless Darkness' due to their lack of investigative ability. In response, 'Grantsblow' has declared their withdrawal from the request, and 'Thunderpike' is expected to conduct the investigation alone."

"The Adventurer's Guild and the Royal Academy are discussing and planning to implement appropriate measures in response to this issue."

"Additionally, there are concerns about the transparency of the use of sponsor funds collected for this national request, and an investigation is currently underway regarding Simon Berkeley of 'Thunderpike.'"

"...I thought it was only a matter of time, but it happened sooner than expected."

"'Grantsblow' was just aiming for attention from the start, so it's not surprising."

"That's true. Given their poor reputation, it's probably for the best that we don't run into them in the dungeon."

"Yes. From the broadcasts, they seemed questionable..."

The withdrawal of the A-rank party is a bit of a blow, but they were also a potential source of trouble.

Honestly, humans can be more frightening than monsters, so it's a relief to have one less problem to deal with.

"Alright, let's get back to eating."

"Don't try to avoid it."

Rain pinches my nose.

"You must rest tomorrow."

"I have things I need to do."

"No, you don't."

The next day...

I ended up resting as much as possible.

How was it? ('ω')

I hope you enjoyed it.

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【Announcement】

Due to the worsening of my tendinitis and the start of a new project, I will be changing the update schedule to "daily at 12 PM, one chapter at a time" starting tomorrow.

I apologize to those who have been looking forward to the updates.

I appreciate your understanding and support. ('ω')