Chapter 54

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A few days have passed since I encountered the attacker in the dungeon. This morning, the TV news reported that there have been multiple incidents of robbery and assault by explorers within the dungeon. The method involves systematically attacking explorers who are exhausted from dungeon diving and stealing their dropped items. Similar incidents have occurred in dungeons across the country, and due to the similar methods used, it is suspected that a large-scale criminal organization is behind these attacks. Fortunately, there have been no fatalities so far, but if this continues, it's only a matter of time before someone dies. Therefore, the police and the DP (Dungeon Police) have established a joint investigation headquarters to solve the case as soon as possible.

"Big brother... Are you okay?"

Mika, who was watching the same news with me, spoke to me with a worried look. Indeed, hearing such news would make any family with an explorer worried.

"Well, about this news? ...I think I'm fine. I start school next week, so I won't be going to the dungeon for a while. By then, the case should be solved, right?"

I spoke to Mika gently to reassure her. The attackers I encountered have probably been interrogated by the DP and the police, and if there is any connection, they should have obtained some information about the criminal group. Perhaps the group has already been cornered.

"Big brother! You need to take this more seriously! Even if you survive an attack, if you're injured and then attacked by a monster, you could die!"

"Yeah, I see... You're right..."

"That's right! What if copycat criminals start appearing? You need to consider the worst-case scenario!"

"Um... Sorry. I didn't mean it that way... Maybe I didn't phrase it well?"

Mika's intense reaction made me apologize, even though I didn't mean to be careless. Words can be tricky.

"The Dungeon Association must have anticipated this situation and will implement some measures."

"Like what?"

"Maybe something like a party registration system?"

Currently, the basic method for dungeon exploration is for explorers to form parties. It's not a game, so there are almost no solo explorers. In a situation where you don't know when monsters will attack or traps will activate, carrying a lot of supplies and increasing your burden with each battle, solo exploration has its limits. That's why most explorers form parties.

"Most explorers already form parties. If we make it so that you can't enter the dungeon without registering a party, it shouldn't cause much chaos. Given the current situation, the association can introduce the party system without much opposition. For regular explorers, the new system won't cause much inconvenience."

"That might be true, but I think there will still be people who oppose it."

The people Mika is thinking of are those who prefer to go solo or believe that forming a party is disadvantageous.

"We're promoting 'safety' as a universal goal. If someone opposes it, you can ask them if they have something to hide. If they say something more, it implies they have some ulterior motive. Most opposition can be suppressed this way."

"Maybe so. But how does this prevent crime in the dungeon?"

"Along with the party system, we can introduce a joint liability system."

"Joint liability?"

Mika tilted her head, not quite understanding what I meant by the joint liability system.

"Joint liability means that if a member of a registered party commits a crime in the dungeon, the other members of the party will also face some penalties."

"I see, but..."

"The main purpose of the joint liability system is to create a psychological barrier against criminal behavior. If explorers know that their actions will affect their teammates, they might hesitate and think twice before acting. This should reduce the number of people who commit crimes easily."

"Like how minors hesitate to drink alcohol?"

"Exactly. We might not be able to stop them, but it can provide a reason to hesitate."

The goal is psychological deterrence. The current dungeon environment, while having a certain order based on Japanese norms, is almost a lawless zone. Without the deterrent power of law enforcement, it's easy for people to lose their inhibitions.

"Another effect is that party members can stop each other from committing crimes. With a clear rule like joint liability, it's easier for members to intervene."

"True. If there's no clear reason, people might hesitate to act and it could be too late."

"Without a clear reason, people consider various complications and might not act."

There are plenty of reasons for conflicts, such as the distribution of dropped items and interpersonal relationships. However, with the goal of safety and preventing crime, most people will act to stop others, improving the dungeon's security.

"Of course, there's a possibility that an entire party could become a criminal group, but if that happens, we'll have to deal with it."

This is essentially a cat-and-mouse game with no end.

---

After our conversation with Mika, I was practicing with Juzo at Yuzi's house. As usual, I was being slashed and rolled around by Juzo's palm.

Sigh... I wonder when I'll be able to land a proper hit...

After about two hours of practice, Juzo and I were drinking tea in the dojo when Juzo suddenly held out his right hand to us.

"Here. I told you to bring your weapons, show them to me."

We took out our weapons, which we had brought in our travel bags, and handed them to Juzo. Juzo examined our weapons and sighed after looking at them all.

"They are well-maintained, but... How have they not broken yet?"

Juzo's sudden comment made us all exclaim in surprise. Anyone would react this way if they were told their weapons were about to break.

"What? You didn't realize? These weapons are already at their limit."

Juzo, sounding exasperated, explained why he said they were at their limit. According to Juzo, while our weapons have leveled up in the dungeon, the fact that the blades do not enter the target vertically has caused them to accumulate fatigue and they could break at any time.

"Well, it's a shame, but continuing to use these weapons is dangerous. I recommend getting new ones."

"Um... But..."

Juzo is right; it's dangerous to go into the dungeon with weapons that could break at any time. However, there is one problem.

"Should we use weapons that haven't leveled up now?"

"That's right."

"Hmm..."

As our equipment levels up with us, changing weapons at this point would be very painful. We might have to bring new weapons every time we go into the dungeon, which would be very expensive.

"Can we continue using them?"

"It's not impossible, but I don't recommend it. If you want to keep them for display, that's fine, but as practical tools, they are at their limit. Using them in battle is like going to your death."

I asked for confirmation, but Juzo firmly advised against it. We were in a difficult situation.

"What should we do? Get new weapons?"

"I don't know... It's not easy to get new weapons now."

"That's true. If it weren't for the level-up issue, I would have agreed immediately."

"Umm..."

As we were pondering our weapons, Juzo made a suggestion.

"Hey, how about we have your weapons reforged?"

"Reforged?"

"Yes. We can melt down your weapons and reforge them into new ones."

"Huh...?"

Would that work? Would the level-up effects be lost when the weapons are melted down, or would they be carried over to the new weapons? It's completely unknown since we've never heard of it before.

"Reforging can be done by a swordsmith I know."

"What should we do?"

I asked Yuzi and Huzuki for their opinions. They both looked as confused as I was, but after some discussion, we decided to go with Juzo's suggestion. Even if the level-up effects are lost, we would still get new weapons.

"Please do it."

"Alright. I'll contact the swordsmith right away."

We asked Juzo to introduce us to a swordsmith. While Juzo was on the phone, I used appraisal on our weapons.

Shiranui +31, Isuzu +42, Shizukanae +46, Murakumo +46

The + after the names indicates the number of times each weapon has leveled up. They have grown significantly from our efforts, like hunting orcs. The thought that all this could be lost is disheartening.

"Will the reforging work?"

"Who knows? No one has tried it before, so we won't know until we do it."

Yuzi is right; we won't know until we try. Sigh... I'm really worried about the future. If the level-up effects are lost, we might have to fight with our bare hands.

As I was thinking about this, Juzo returned from his phone call.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

After taking a sip of tea, Juzo spoke, but his expression was not good.

"I talked to him, but apparently, he has received many custom orders in the past six months. It seems we'll have to wait a few years."

"A few years..."

"Originally, there's a rule that they can only make 24 swords a year. With so many orders, it's understandable that there's a long wait."

This is probably due to the dungeon craze. Explorers who want custom-made weapons have placed orders.

"He's well-known, so he used to take my requests, but he's too busy now to take on additional work."

"I see..."

So, what should we do? Knowing that reforging isn't an option, we were at a loss about what to do with our weapons. Juzo then continued with a hint of a smile.

"But, there is a way."

"Huh?"

"He has a new apprentice who recently became a swordsmith. The apprentice is available, so he can make the weapons for us."

"I see..."

The apprentice is probably an unknown person who hasn't won any awards yet.

"He vouches for the apprentice's skills, so I think it's safe to trust him. What do you think?"

We looked at each other and, after a few seconds, nodded in unison.

"Please do it."

"Alright. I'll contact him. With my recommendation, it should go smoothly."

After that, the conversation with the swordsmith went smoothly, and we arranged to meet the next day.

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Our weapons are at their limit due to accumulated fatigue. We need to have them reforged to prevent them from breaking during use.