Chapter 50

The meeting room in the Prime Minister's Office was filled with cabinet ministers. The Prime Minister, having quickly read through the documents in front of him, asked the ministers about any issues.

"So, how is the impact of the dungeon entry restrictions?"

"Yes, currently, the excessive entry that exceeded the appropriate number has been resolved, and explorers are appropriately dispersed across each floor."

"Along with this, the levels of the explorers are rising, and the average number of floors they can explore has increased. The quality of the dropped items has improved, and the number of items obtained is gradually increasing."

"More dungeon-produced items are flowing into the general market, and prices are gradually decreasing."

"However, some explorers who missed out on the entry ticket lottery are staging protest demonstrations. Some are even filing lawsuits demanding compensation for damages caused by the entry restrictions..."

A few ministers who could relate to the problematic behavior of the explorers frowned. Sensing the mood, the Prime Minister tried to change the subject.

"I see. But, it's quite effective in dispersing them, isn't it?"

"That's the purpose of the ranking system. By controlling the number of entrants and the entry times for each rank, we've successfully dispersed the explorers across the floors."

"Is it really okay to do such a thing?"

"Of course, we haven't openly stated it. While some may have noticed, at this rate, we can lift the entry restrictions in about 1 to 2 months. The flow of explorers dispersing across the floors has started, so they won't be delayed in the surface layers again."

The Prime Minister showed a subtle expression for a moment after hearing the explanation, but the Minister of Finance was in a good mood and announced something.

"The state also considers high-ranking explorers as potential high-income taxpayers, so we want them to work hard to improve their ranks. If about 1,000 A-rank explorers are born, we can expect an increase in tax revenue of about 20 billion yen. The performance of various companies related to the dungeon is also improving, so we can look forward to next year's tax revenue."

"Once the 10 million kWh Core Crystal power plants under construction across the country start operating, electricity prices will decrease, further boosting the performance of various companies."

"That's right. We are already in the final stages of overcoming the economic downturn, and it's something to look forward to."

Encouraged by the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry also enthusiastically spoke about the outlook for the next year. The Prime Minister, who had a slightly exasperated look at the excited ministers, changed the topic.

"I see. By the way, what is the progress of the technical research project using dropped items like magic items and fantasy metals? As a country that prides itself on being a technological powerhouse, we must be the first to develop dungeon-produced magic technology..."

The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology responded to the Prime Minister's question.

"It's not entirely smooth, but it's generally progressing well. The technical research project using fantasy metals is progressing smoothly despite the issue of insufficient resources. On the other hand, the research project on magic items is stagnating."

"Why is that?"

"The technology used to form the magic circuits in magic items is somewhat special, and it's taking time to analyze the magic runes and magic arrays. Although we are working hard on the analysis, it will take some time to reproduce the magic items."

"Magic runes... are they a language of a different civilization?"

"Most likely. Magic runes are found throughout the magic circuits and arrays, so they are thought to be like a programming language. We have invited linguists to analyze the magic runes, and we expect results in the near future."

"I see... We want to develop magic technology as soon as possible, but haste makes waste. Please proceed with the work steadily."

"Yes."

The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology nodded in response to the Prime Minister's words.

After hearing the report on technological development, the Prime Minister turned to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and asked a question.

"What is the current international situation? After the appearance of the dungeon, there was considerable chaos in various countries, right?"

"Yes, the chaos after the appearance of the dungeon was significant, but it has now calmed down. Advanced countries have introduced systems similar to our explorer system, and the actions of those who delve into the dungeon are somewhat controlled. However..."

"However?"

"In developing countries, the local government's control is not effective, and there are many cases of civilians entering unreported dungeons. The local government manages a few dungeons directly but has abandoned the management of others. The problem is that some of these abandoned dungeons are under the control of criminal organizations and terrorists, serving as a source of funding. It has also been confirmed that a large number of dropped items not managed by the government are flowing into the black market."

The Prime Minister rubbed his forehead after hearing the report from the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

"I see. We need to take some measures as soon as possible. Of course, the issue of funding is a concern, but if criminals or terrorists who have gained skills or levels in the dungeon enter our country, the usual law enforcement will be at a disadvantage."

"Prime Minister, regarding this issue, may I speak?"

"Sure, Chief Cabinet Secretary?"

"Currently, the National Police Agency is considering forming a special unit centered around high-level explorers within the police force."

"Wait, don't we already have the DP organization? Are they planning to form another organization?"

"Yes. The current activities of the DP are mainly maintaining security and guarding around the dungeon. In other words, the DP is a base defense organization. The purpose is to have a police force that can immediately respond to heinous crimes committed by high-level explorers or terrorists outside the dungeon and to serve as a visible deterrent."

"Can't the SAT or other special units handle this role?"

The Chief Cabinet Secretary shook his head in response to the Prime Minister's question.

"Unfortunately, existing special units like the SAT are designed to deter ordinary criminals. They are not equipped to handle explorers who can jump 10 meters vertically or shatter brick walls with a punch."

"But, can't they be suppressed with guns?"

"Low-level explorers might be suppressed with guns, but for high-level explorers, the firepower of guns that ordinary people can carry is insufficient. Even using a large-caliber handgun like a Magnum at close range would likely only cause a level of pain equivalent to a slap, treating it as a blunt weapon. They probably have durability on the level of an armored vehicle, if not a tank."

Silence filled the meeting room. The Prime Minister swallowed and spoke.

"High-level explorers are that powerful?"

"Yes. In addition, if they use magic or skills, it would be difficult for ordinary special units to subdue them. To counter them, it would be effective to form a unit composed of high-level explorers."

"..."

"But, there are issues."

"What issues? From what you've said, it seems we should form the unit as soon as possible..."

The Prime Minister didn't seem to understand the issues the Chief Cabinet Secretary was referring to, but the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry and the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology looked concerned.

"Currently, the elite teams from the police and the Self-Defense Forces are the ones obtaining high-rarity dropped items like fantasy metals from the dungeon. And the high-level explorers are limited to these elite teams, and their numbers are small. Pulling them out would mean losing access to high-rarity dropped items."

"That's a problem! If the supply of fantasy metals, even in small quantities, is cut off, the ongoing technical research projects will stall soon! If that happens, our national policy of establishing magic technology before other countries will fail!"

"I also oppose it! If we can't obtain the dropped items they collect, it will have a negative impact on the economy! We are finally recovering from a long economic downturn, and we don't want to introduce any factors that could slow this progress!"

The two ministers strongly opposed the Chief Cabinet Secretary's proposal, and he didn't argue back, as if he had anticipated their reaction.

"Currently, there are about 6 elite teams, totaling 70 people, from the police and the Self-Defense Forces that can be called high-level explorers."

"That's a small number."

"Due to the need for supplies and backup, the number of elite personnel is limited."

To ensure a steady revenue from dropped items from the floors they have cleared, the state-managed dungeons have set up supply accumulation points every five floors, and the Self-Defense Forces and the police are working together to explore. The elite teams lead the exploration of new floors, and the follow-up teams occupy the floors cleared by the elite teams to collect dropped items. The backup teams transport the collected items to the surface in a shuttle system. Unlike civilian explorers who act on individual motives, these unified teams have created an efficient system for collecting dropped items.

"If we pull many of these personnel now, it will hinder dungeon exploration. As time passes, the number of high-level explorers will increase, and the necessary personnel for forming a special unit will not be a problem. However, we don't know if we have that time. It's almost a year since the dungeon appeared, and there is a possibility that criminal organizations and terrorists have already gathered high-level explorers. Early establishment of countermeasures is essential."

"But..."

"That's why an alternative proposal is to form the core of the unit with personnel from the elite teams and recruit promising individuals from civilian explorers to fill the gaps."

"Civilian explorers? But they are..."

"Yes. Most explorers are low-level individuals who were stuck in the surface layers during the chaos. However, there are some exceptionally talented ones. The idea is to recruit those who are not problematic in terms of personality."

The Prime Minister closed his eyes and thought about the Chief Cabinet Secretary's proposal. The Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry and the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology were hesitant about recruiting civilian explorers but seemed to generally agree, preferring it to a halt in the supply of dropped items.

"I understand. But please proceed with caution. We don't want a situation where forcibly recruited personnel stage a rebellion."

"Of course. We won't deliberately create a ticking time bomb."

"Please take care of it."

"Yes."

The Chief Cabinet Secretary nodded deeply after the Prime Minister emphasized the point.

This is about security measures.

Such a special unit is necessary, isn't it?