Chapter 45

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---

When I finally reached the classroom, the room was more bustling than usual. Listening closely, I realized that most of their conversations were about the dungeon's new entry restrictions.

"Why are they even implementing entry restrictions? The number of reservation applications for Saturday mornings is getting out of hand!"

"Yeah, it's like trying to get tickets for an idol concert. Even if we apply as a group, the odds are still over ten to one."

"Exactly. As students, we can only go on weekends, but with these odds, we won't be able to get entry tickets."

"Those with free time might go during the weekdays, but even then, the odds are still several to one. How long will this period last?"

It seems that the odds have skyrocketed to over ten to one. Indeed, with a fixed number of entries, if each member of an exploration group applies individually for the number of people in their group, the total number of applications increases exponentially. In other words, we are lowering our own chances of winning.

"Good morning, Yuzi."

"Ah, good morning."

I greeted Yuzi, who was already seated and reading a novel, as I placed my bag on the desk.

"Something big is happening, huh?"

"Yeah. Thanks to this morning's news, it's been like this all day."

Yuzi marked his place in the novel and started talking to me about the morning news.

"But, at least the entry restrictions have been implemented. Hopefully, this will alleviate the congestion in the upper layers."

"I think it will. At the very least, the situation where we spend hours exploring the dungeon without encountering a single monster should be resolved."

"I hope so. I've heard that there are more and more people who monopolize the hunting grounds, which is quite inconsiderate..."

He was referring to the pseudo-guild groups. There seem to be a certain number of them in each dungeon, and they monopolize the hunting grounds, especially in the upper layers. They identify multiple respawn points and stake them out, hunting the respawned monsters one after another, which is one of the reasons why the number of monsters roaming the layers is decreasing. As a result, inexperienced new explorers who lack the skills to move to lower layers are forced to do so, leading to an increase in injuries.

"Yeah, those guys. Indeed, in the current situation, waiting for respawns is a more reliable way to hunt monsters..."

"But for other explorers, they are like a thorn in the eye. Not only do they refuse to be persuaded, but if you try to stop them by force, they are part of a larger group, so the new explorers who protest are outnumbered and outleveled."

"High-level explorers who could potentially stop them by force are not interested in the upper layers, so they don't bother. This is one of the reasons why these groups are getting more arrogant."

"The Dungeon Association generally does not interfere with events inside the dungeon."

These groups monopolize the respawn points in the upper layers to avoid conflicts with high-level explorers. They are well aware that if they clash with high-level explorers, they might lose. Most of these groups are made up of people who have realized their lack of skill after fighting humanoid monsters like goblins and orcs, or those who have given up on dungeon exploration in the lower layers but still want to earn some money. Even the drop items from monsters in the upper layers are valuable, and with the current high demand, they can earn a decent amount by farming them. Magic items, in particular, fetch high prices.

Moreover, for high-level explorers, the upper layers are just a passage, not a hunting ground. From their perspective, these groups are beneficial as they ensure the safety of the passage to the lower layers. Unless there is a significant disadvantage, they are unlikely to actively oppose them. In essence, they are a group of bad adults occupying a children's playground.

---

"That's true. But my current concern is whether I can get an entry ticket or not."

"Ah, Ms. Hoshizuki."

"Good morning, Kujou-kun, Hirose-kun."

Ms. Hoshizuki, carrying her school bag, approached us with a serious expression. It seems she had been listening to our conversation.

"If we use the stock I entrusted to Kujou-kun, we should be fine for a while, but it will be a problem if we can't enter the dungeon for a long time."

"Yeah, that's true. But, Ms. Hoshizuki, with the reduced number of entries, the quality of explorers should improve. If more skilled explorers can go deeper, the market supply of orc materials should increase, and the prices should drop, right?"

"That's true. While the supply will increase, the prices will still be high. If we can self-provision, that would be ideal."

Indeed. Even if the supply increases, the price drop will be limited. The market for dungeon-produced items is not like the meat market, where millions of tons are traded, so the prices won't drop to a fraction of their current value.

"By the way, have you two made the reservation for the entry application?"

"Not yet. What about you, Yuzi?"

"Me too."

In response to Ms. Hoshizuki's question, Yuzi and I shook our heads. We usually go to the dungeon on weekends, but we didn't want to apply without discussing it first. Yuzi, who also shook his head, seemed to share the same thought.

"Right."

"Then, what should we do? Should we apply for the weekend entry as usual? The odds are apparently quite high..."

"The only thing we can do is apply. The chances of winning are quite low, though."

The Dungeon Association has set a daily limit of 2,400 people per dungeon, which is 100 people per hour. If the reservation odds for Saturday mornings are over ten to one, the winning probability is between 10% and 5%. This means that we can enter the dungeon once every two to five months.

"Apparently, the reservation status is relatively open for before 5:00 PM and after 9:00 PM..."

"But for us, who rely on public transportation, those times are not feasible."

"True. If we had a way to get there, it would be different, but..."

We spend about six hours on each dungeon exploration. In the past, we would enter the dungeon around 9:00 AM and leave around 3:00 PM. It's not possible to enter the dungeon before 5:00 AM because public transportation isn't running, and after 9:00 PM, we would be in the middle of the night with no way to get home.

There is a way to move without relying on public transportation...

"Another option is to move by bicycle or on foot..."

"But even with improved stamina from leveling up, I don't want to waste energy before a dungeon exploration."

"Me too. I don't want to do that after a dungeon exploration."

"Agreed."

I agreed with their opinions without any objections. As Ms. Hoshizuki pointed out, our stamina is indeed enhanced by leveling up, but fatigue is still fatigue. A marathon before a dungeon exploration... it would be like a triathlon!

"Another option is to use a motorbike, but our school prohibits obtaining a driver's license during the school year."

"Getting caught would result in suspension. I've heard that some students who used motorbikes to get to the dungeon were suspended."

"I've heard that too. They were upperclassmen."

"Then, it's best to avoid it."

There's no need to take such a risky path. However, this leaves us with no means of transportation. Public transportation is not an option, and self-movement is too risky. The only choice is to apply for the high-odds time slots.

As we were discussing our future plans, the classroom door opened, and our teacher entered. It seems that the homeroom period was about to start.

---

During lunch break, I checked the Dungeon Association's entry reservation page on my smartphone and saw that the odds for Saturday mornings had jumped to over twenty to one. I looked at the screen with a half-closed eye and called out to Yuzi and Ms. Hoshizuki, who were also looking at their phones.

"Should we apply for now?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Sure."

We entered our explorer card registration codes and made reservations for 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM, and 11:00 AM. According to the instructions, the application deadline is 48 hours before the desired entry time. At that point, the system randomly selects the winners from the applicants, and the winners receive a notification on their reservation page. By confirming the notification, the reservation is finalized. Before entering the dungeon, we just need to scan our explorer cards at the dedicated reader.

In other words, it's like showing your ticket at the airport security checkpoint.

"Well, now we just have to wait for the results. Will we get in?"

"The odds are not zero, right?"

"Probably not, but the competition is over twenty to one."

It's best to wait patiently without getting our hopes up too high. If we get too excited, the disappointment will be even greater if we don't win.

---

After school, on our way to Yuzi's house, we were discussing something.

"By the way, what's our rank?"

"Huh? Rank? Oh, you mean the adventurer rank?"

"Not really, but I'm a bit curious. We've been making quite a bit of money, after all."

"We've been focused on increasing our stock of orc meat. In terms of cash, we haven't made that much, right? We did sell some magic items like skill scrolls to secure funds at the beginning, but..."

Yuzi modestly said that we haven't made much money...

"Don't be too modest, Hirose-kun. If we've made over 3 million yen in about two months, that's a high salary."

"I agree."

In two months, with about 10 days of actual work, we've made 3 million yen. Dividing that by three, each of us has made about 1 million yen. If we assume we can maintain this rate throughout the year, our annual income would be 6 million yen. That's a respectable salary.

When I explained this with numbers, Yuzi looked surprised.

"Come to think of it..."

"Yeah, that's why I'm curious about our rank. The rank is determined by the number of dungeon entries, the number of floors explored, and the total amount of cash earned, right?"

"That's what the association's website says."

"Is the formula for calculating the rank not public? If we knew the formula, we could make a rough estimate..."

---

The formula... it wasn't on the association's website.

Hmm. Perhaps it's something like total cash earned / number of entries * (number of floors explored / 100)? The higher the result, the higher the rank. With this formula, even if the total cash earned is the same, a higher number of entries would lower the result, and a lower number of floors explored would also lower the result.

"According to the website, if you show your explorer card at any branch or outpost of the Dungeon Association, they can tell you your current rank."

"Right. Let's check it when we go to the dungeon next time."

"Sure. It's not something we need to know urgently, so that's fine."

If there were some benefits attached to the rank, like better buyback prices or access to the association's training facilities, it would be more motivating. But it's just a matter of honor. Yuzi and Ms. Hoshizuki also don't seem particularly interested in raising their ranks.

As we talked, we arrived at Yuzi's house without realizing it.

---

When we summed up the explorers' income, the main characters turned out to be quite high earners.