Chapter 52

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March has ended, and April has begun. Since it's spring break, we have been diligently hunting orcs in our regular dungeon. Recently, the number of explorers who can reach the floors where orcs appear has increased, and we have started to hunt fewer of them than before.

However, this has a positive side as well. The circulation of orc materials has increased, and the buyback price has dropped, which in turn has lowered the market price. According to Ms. Hozuki, if the purchase price drops a bit more, we won't be in the red anymore. For a while longer, we need to continue hunting orcs.

After finishing our orc hunting and on our way back, we noticed a strange atmosphere as we returned to the stairs leading to the 6th floor. It was different from the hostility of monsters or the feeling when approaching a trap.

I thought it might be my imagination, but it seemed that Yuzi and Ms. Hozuki also felt the same strange atmosphere.

"Hey, Daiki."

"Yeah, something's off."

"That's right. I can't explain it, but it's strange."

We put away our cooling bags in the spatial storage and each readied our weapons to guard the surroundings. However, neither my appraisal analysis skill nor Ms. Hozuki's presence detection skill showed any strange reactions.

"There doesn't seem to be a monster with concealment skills nearby."

"Same here. There doesn't seem to be any high-concealment traps in this area."

"So, what is this strange atmosphere? It doesn't seem to be a mere misunderstanding."

"Everyone feels the same sense of unease, so it can't be a complete misunderstanding."

With the cause unknown, we increased our vigilance and cautiously climbed the stairs. As we approached the 6th floor, we heard a slight sound, so before reaching the top, we extended a telescopic pole with a mirror to check the situation on the 6th floor.

Then, the cause of the strange atmosphere became clear.

"What the hell is this?"

Involuntarily, a groan escaped my lips. The scene that appeared in my field of vision was that of explorers lying on the ground, covered in blood. At a glance, I confirmed that about five people were lying there.

"Hey, what's wrong? What did you see, Daiki?"

"...People, covered in blood, lying down."

"...What!?"

"Not just one or two, but five people are lying down."

"Then, we need to help them quickly!"

I held Ms. Hozuki back with my hand as she was about to rush out to provide first aid, and I put my finger to my lips to indicate not to make a loud noise. Then, I asked Ms. Hozuki in a low voice.

"Wait a moment, Ms. Hozuki. Just to confirm, there are no monsters nearby, right?"

"Yes, that's right! My presence detection skill shows no reaction from monsters!"

"Then, it's strange..."

"Yeah."

"What's strange!? We need to help them quickly..."

As Ms. Hozuki, who was eager to help the injured, was about to rush out, Yuzi and I silently held out our hands to stop her.

"Yuzi. If they were attacked by monsters and are covered in blood, they shouldn't be alive, right?"

"Yeah. If they were attacked by monsters, they would have been finished off."

"What about the situation where a team of five explorers is injured so badly that they can't move, but none of their items have dropped?"

"...That's strange."

"What are you two talking about!? We need to treat them quickly!"

I grabbed Ms. Hozuki's arm as she tried to rush out, ignoring our stop. She looked at me with a reproachful gaze, but I ignored it and spoke to Yuzi with a certain hypothesis.

"Maybe it's a friend-fishing?"

"There is a possibility. Ms. Hozuki, there are no monsters nearby, right?"

"Uh? Yes."

"Then, what about the presence of other people?"

"Uh? People? Wait a moment!"

Ms. Hozuki, intimidated by our gazes, used her presence detection skill while flustered. A few seconds later, she let out a small gasp of surprise.

"Ah, really! There are two people hiding and not moving a little away!"

"Where?"

"Uh? Wait a moment."

Ms. Hozuki pulled out a map from her chest pocket and confirmed the location of the 6th floor where the reaction was detected.

"Here. About 30 meters away at the corner of the crossroads. They are hiding here."

"Got it. Thank you, Ms. Hozuki."

"However, this makes it even more suspicious."

"Yeah."

Thanks to Ms. Hozuki's information about the hidden people, our hypothesis turned into a suspicion. I extended the telescopic pole with the mirror again to observe the injured explorers and found something.

"There it is, Yuzi. It's hard to see because it's painted black, but it's a pinball."

"A pinball... so it's a slingshot?"

"Probably."

"Hey, explain it to me properly!"

As Yuzi and I nodded in agreement, Ms. Hozuki asked for an explanation. Well, without prior knowledge, it's hard to understand just from fragmented words.

"Okay, let me explain. I think this situation is called 'friend-fishing.'"

"...Friend-fishing?"

"A term used in sniping. It's a low-quality trap strategy where the target is attacked with non-fatal injuries and left without being finished off to lure and ambush those who come to help. If we rush out to help the injured, we'll be attacked by the two people hiding."

"..."

"And as I mentioned earlier, considering the black-painted pinballs scattered around the injured explorers, I think the two people are using a slingshot to snipe."

"That's why it's best to avoid going out without any precautions."

As I explained the content we had just confirmed, Ms. Hozuki stared at the stairs in silence. After a while, she muttered.

"Why are they doing this..."

"From the fact that the injured are still alive, it doesn't seem to be for player killing. They are probably targeting the drop items the explorers have."

"Yeah. From their appearance and age, it doesn't seem like they are all from the same team. They seem to be attacking explorers who come up the stairs indiscriminately."

"And they probably attack when the explorers are distracted by trying to help the injured."

It's more like theft... no, in this case, it's probably assault and robbery.

In any case, they are bad people.

"Such... Then, what should we do?"

Ms. Hozuki's face was pale, but there's no need to worry so much, right?

"Come on, Ms. Hozuki. To get out of this situation, we don't need to think too seriously."

"Uh... Really?"

"You're right, Daiki. Given our defense, even if we are hit by a pistol, it won't cause much damage. Even if the slingshot is modified to increase its power, the pinballs won't be effective against us."

"So, we don't need to worry about the attack itself. The problem is what happens after."

"...The treatment of the two people hiding who caused this situation?"

That's right. The problem is that. If we leave them, it will cause various troubles.

"Capturing them shouldn't be too difficult, but what to do after that is the question."

"Even if we hand them over to the DP stationed here, they don't directly interfere with events inside the dungeon. But we can't just leave them..."

"If we leave the treatment of the criminals to the injured, they will probably be lynched. That would be a bad outcome."

"Yeah... You're right. Indeed."

"But, we don't want to handle the criminals ourselves, right?"

I don't want to handle such a situation either.

So...

"Capture the criminals, heal the injured, and then hand them over to the DP while keeping an eye on them to prevent further harm?"

"...Yeah. I think that's a good idea."

"...Yeah. Let the parties involved resolve the matter after we hand them over."

We agreed on a reasonable plan. We huddled together and started a meeting to plan the capture operation.

"Daiki. How many recovery potions do we have in stock?"

"Several hundred low-grade recovery potions. I'll give you a few later."

"Then, we have enough for treatment."

"Yeah. How do we capture the criminals?"

The two people hiding are likely the criminals, but we don't have concrete evidence yet.

We need more evidence to capture them without hesitation.

"...Ms. Hozuki."

"What is it?"

"Can you use your presence concealment skill to get behind the criminals?"

"...Through this straight path?"

"Yeah. Didn't you say your skill leveled up recently?"

"Yes, my presence concealment skill did level up. ...It worked on monsters, but not on Mr. Chuzo."

"Uh...?"

I was at a loss for words.

Mr. Chuzo... How strong are you?

"But, I think Mr. Daiki's suggestion is feasible."

"Really? Then, I'll give you this."

"This is... the camera Mr. Daiki used?"

The camera I gave Ms. Hozuki was an action camera I used to record videos for Mika.

"Right. Yuzi and I will act as decoys to draw the criminals' attention, and you can record their actions with this."

"Record?"

"If we can capture the moment the criminals attack us with clear hostility, it will be the best evidence. It's insurance, and only you with the presence concealment skill can do it."

"...Understood."

"Please. Of course, don't act until the criminals attack."

"...I understand."

I taught Ms. Hozuki how to use the camera. After the lesson, she activated her presence concealment skill and went up the stairs to the back of the corridor.

Then, 30 seconds after Ms. Hozuki left, Yuzi and I pretended to be explorers who had no idea what was happening and rushed to the injured explorers.

From the shadow of the corridor, a young man with a completely black outfit peeked out and sent a signal.

The young man in black, receiving the signal, crawled on the ground to the center of the corridor.

"Looks like more prey is coming."

"Exactly... With so many in a row, we don't have time to collect items."

"Well, thanks to that, we are making a profit. Aim well. If you hit the wrong spot and someone dies, it will cause trouble."

"Got it."

The young man lying on the ground placed a box of iron balls beside him and took out a slingshot with a spring mechanism attached to his left arm, aiming it at the two young men providing first aid.

"Huh? Hurry up. They've taken out recovery potions. They are quite valuable, so take them out before they use them."

The young man, who was peeking from behind the wall, noticed the two young men taking out recovery potions from their backpacks and instructed the young man preparing the slingshot in a slightly panicked manner.

"Got it. I'll take them out in one shot."

The young man loaded an iron ball into the slingshot and pulled the rubber band. As he pulled, the springs on both sides stretched, making a creaking sound. With the rubber band and springs fully stretched, the young man aimed at the young man providing first aid.

He took a deep breath, held it, and released the rubber band. The rubber band and springs snapped back, and the iron ball was launched with great force. The iron ball, making a slight whistling sound, flew straight toward the young man providing first aid and closed the distance in less than a second...

"What!?"

"What!?"

The young man and the young man in black, forgetting they were hiding, let out loud gasps of shock. This was because the young man providing first aid casually caught the high-speed iron ball with his bare hands.

And then...

"Shit, we've been spotted!"

"Let's run!"

The young man and the young man in black tried to run away in a panic.

This was because the young man who caught the iron ball was showing it to them.

However...

"Too bad, but you're not getting away."

A girl who had been waiting behind them sprayed tear gas in the faces of the two who were trying to escape. The two, distracted by the young man who caught the iron ball, were hit directly by the tear gas and writhed in pain, clutching their faces and rolling on the ground, screaming from the bottom of their lungs.

"That's noisy."

"Ugh!"

"Ugh!"

Yukino kicked the sternums of the two who were rolling on the ground, knocking them unconscious.

After confirming that the two were unconscious, the girl made a circle with her arms above her head to signal that the criminals had been captured to the two young men who were watching.

---

After confirming Ms. Hozuki's signal, Yuzi and I sighed in relief.

"It's over."

"Yeah, it's good that we were able to capture them without any problems. ...Yuzi, can you go to Ms. Hozuki and bring the criminals back? I'll give the recovery potions to the injured in the meantime."

"Got it. I'll leave it to you."

"Thanks. You too."

Yuzi threw the iron ball he had picked up to the side, stood up, and moved to Ms